[KM]

Obama calls for $18-billion boost in education spending - Los Angeles Times

Double edged sword if you ask me. Seems rational, I mean why hold back the ambitions of motivated kids, but there are definitely a few drawbacks if you read into it a bit.

Here's the article's first page. For the second page and so forth, click the link and scroll to the bottom if you're interested :)

Manchester, N.H. -- Barack Obama proposed an $18-billion increase in federal education programs today, accusing Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards of shortchanging public schools.

The Illinois senator outlined a broad agenda to expand early childhood education, reduce high school dropout rates and improve substandard schools in impoverished areas.

Sketching a bleak portrait of the nation's school system, Obama lamented the millions of students who read below grade level, get too little math and science instruction and wind up unprepared for college.

"It's morally unacceptable for our children," Obama told a crowd in a Manchester high school auditorium as a morning snowfall began blanketing the city. "It's economically untenable for our future, and it's not who we are as a country."

To pay for his proposals, Obama suggested cutting spending on the Iraq war, delaying sending astronauts to the moon by five years, auctioning surplus federal property and closing a tax loophole for chief executives, among other things.

He lauded the No Child Left Behind law for its goal of lifting achievement standards, but he said the government had failed to give schools enough money to meet mandates for improvement.

Obama faulted Clinton and Edwards for not supporting a 2003 Senate measure that would have suspended enforcement of the law if it wasn't adequately funded. The New York senator and former North Carolina senator made "a serious mistake" by not voting for it, Obama said.

"Forcing our teachers, our principals and our schools to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong," Obama said. "Promising high-quality teachers in every classroom, and then leaving the support and the pay for those teachers behind, is wrong. Labeling a school and its students as failures one day, and then throwing your hands up and walking away from them the next, is wrong."

No Child Left Behind was designed to force schools to track data on low-income and minority students and hold schools accountable if those pupils do not do well.

The Clinton and Edwards campaigns noted that Obama, as a state senator, had voted to require Illinois to implement No Child Left Behind.

...

[Kaboom]

I have to agree with some things and disagree with others but he cant please everyone.It tooks years to **** it up and It will take years to fix it.

[RAGEN2008]

Education is fk'd in California, my community college I go to is cutting back a lot of classes and hours because they don't have the funding to pay to keep the doors open.

One of the local high schools doesn't even offer summer school, no funding.

I agree it took years to mess up, but I honestly don't know how they plan to fix problems by burrowing more money when we already owe so much and the money we do give won't solve the problem.

I think we are at a point where we have over populated our country and we just are not producing the money making resources and products to keep up with everything.

Our country simply spends more than it makes. I'm really worried about things, I have a feeling it's going to get much worse than people think.

[KM]

Oh it will bro. Sorry to hear about your schools, that sucks, I wonder if Arnie is aware... lol.

If you look across the spectrum, America's education is slowly getting worse and worse. It sucks because countries like China and Japan are rising to the top as far as intellect. Of course we're way the hell up there, but we're not exactly going down the right path.

I think lengthening the school day until 5:00 isn't a bad idea, but it interferes with extracurriculars and athletics which I'm sure won't fly as far as I'm concerned. The US's educational facet is slipping, which is clear, but forcing lazy and unambitious kids to stay in school longer doesn't do much.

[RAGEN2008]

Probably because today's kids are more worried about their clothes, smoking blunts and getting the biggest rims they can stick on their cars. It's an all show and no go era.

[T.O]

Originally Posted by RAGEN2008

Education is fk'd in California, my community college I go to is cutting back a lot of classes and hours because they don't have the funding to pay to keep the doors open.

One of the local high schools doesn't even offer summer school, no funding.

I agree it took years to mess up, but I honestly don't know how they plan to fix problems by burrowing more money when we already owe so much and the money we do give won't solve the problem.

I think we are at a point where we have over populated our country and we just are not producing the money making resources and products to keep up with everything.

Our country simply spends more than it makes. I'm really worried about things, I have a feeling it's going to get much worse than people think.

Well thats not just because of Schools the fact is the whole state almost went bankrupt. What I dont understand is how all the teachers are screaming now getting a pink slip that says there may be possible lay offs and if they do lay off it wouldnt be until next year. How do these teachers think there better than everyone else. Im sorry if this sounds rude against teachers who I really do have some of the most respect for but in a county where unemployment is at about 11% I would be affended if I lost my job and my child came home from school telling me they had to wear Pink on Friday to support no layoffs for teachers.

Fact-LA County teachers are some of the highest paid in the country. I believe its an everage of 64 thousand a year. Some of the best benifits for life.

Fact-Aministration Jobs have increased at a rate of 20% in 5 years when student attendance has decreased about 7%

Like everything else in CA to me its a matter of mis managing budget.

The teachers in CA are taking layoffs as a personal attack when the rest of CA needs to accept there layoffs due to the bad economy, how is that fair?

[RAGEN2008]

Look at how much California spends on an average student a year compared to other US states, it's plain sad.

[KM]

Like I said, productive working is the only thing that will stimulate the economy right now. Let the bad businesses go under, lower taxes and stop the governments wasteful spending. The teaching profession seems to be one the most secure jobs out the most secure jobs out there and the government can't do much because it's a union.

On a side note, that's pretty insane guys. I had no idea California was in the shape they are in, I mean I know they were hurting, but when you're shutting down schools things are pretty bad.

... and the scariest thing is we're far from hitting rock bottom.

Here's an interesting snippet of a blog talking about Obama's method of undermining the public: An Examination of Obama’s Use of Hidden Hypnosis Techniques in His Speeches

[Thomas_Rivera]

In NYC we are actually going to be getting something in the range of 23 more schools I believe.

[GeorgeT]

Originally Posted by T.O

Well thats not just because of Schools the fact is the whole state almost went bankrupt. What I dont understand is how all the teachers are screaming now getting a pink slip that says there may be possible lay offs and if they do lay off it wouldnt be until next year. How do these teachers think there better than everyone else. Im sorry if this sounds rude against teachers who I really do have some of the most respect for but in a county where unemployment is at about 11% I would be affended if I lost my job and my child came home from school telling me they had to wear Pink on Friday to support no layoffs for teachers.

Fact-LA County teachers are some of the highest paid in the country. I believe its an everage of 64 thousand a year. Some of the best benifits for life.

Fact-Aministration Jobs have increased at a rate of 20% in 5 years when student attendance has decreased about 7%

Like everything else in CA to me its a matter of mis managing budget.

The teachers in CA are taking layoffs as a personal attack when the rest of CA needs to accept there layoffs due to the bad economy, how is that fair?

my teacher was getting paid 75k a year cuz he was coaching as well.

on with the topic, i cant go to summer school unless i failed a class due to budgets issues. I really wanted to get a class done in summer school so i had 2 electives but oh well, im gunna have to go to junior college over the summer.

[T.O]

Originally Posted by GeorgeT

my teacher was getting paid 75k a year cuz he was coaching as well.

on with the topic, i cant go to summer school unless i failed a class due to budgets issues. I really wanted to get a class done in summer school so i had 2 electives but oh well, im gunna have to go to junior college over the summer.

I hear you mean. 75 K for coaching. Holy shi* Im in the wrong business :)

On the positive side going to summer school at the JC might benifit you. If you havent taken classes there before you will be learning at a college level so it will better prepare you.

[Chuck]

Homeschool, or private school the only way to go that way the kids are taught to free think and not brainwashed by teachers agendas.

[RAGEN2008]

Originally Posted by Chuck

Homeschool, or private school the only way to go that way the kids are taught to free think and not brainwashed by teachers agendas.

Who can afford to stay home with your kids these days? In California it takes two incomes or a very high paying single job to afford a home. Then again a lot of parents these days are more fk'd up than the teachers. I'd rather have a teacher schooling my kid than their crazy mom

[T.O]

My kids will be private only. Im sure that they can learn the same in a public school, but I like the idea if I pay for itdirectly out of my pocket my complaints and concerns go a long way.

[RAGEN2008]

That's because you're RICH The average family can barely afford rent, much less pay for 1,2 or 3+ private educations. Remember a few month ago people could barely afford to drive to work when gas was higher.

[T.O]

Nah dude were not rich at all. Just make sacrifices for whats important even if that mean I have to drive a piece of Shi* to make school payments.

Gas prices were rediculous but people still found the means to commute. Yes public transportation rose but the average american actually makes more than you think. Still sucks either way but I ll tell you a way to gauge how bad the economy has hit average america. Go to your mall shopping center on the weekend and see how rediculous it is. Ecspecialy with all these sales going on. Look at LA traffic still getting worse every year. The average american can afford private shcool they just need to manage there money. Trust me I went to private High school and my parents didnt have a lot of money at all due to poor planning.

[T.O]

Now if you want to send your kids to a school like Carden Arbor in Upland Ca where tuition is 800 a month. Thats a different story.