Thanks for the info about Rudy and his cheapskate budget tactics. It is disappointing that this was not popularized by the media during the CFE settlement phase. It is shameful that Bloomy used Rudy's prior budgeting shenanigans to his advantage.
I now have a couple more talking points to use when talking with Rudy and Bloomy lovers.
Mayor Moneybags, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and a bunch of other billionaires are hoping their "Education in '08" campaign (and the $60 billion they're coughing up for it) will put the education issue in the forefront of the 2008 presidential campaign.
They're also secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) hoping that it will be one issue that Mayor Moneybags can use to catapult him from City Hall to the White House.
Despite their money and best efforts, I doubt education will be that big an issue in '08. That's not because education isn't important or people don't care about it. It's just that so many other issues have overtaken it.
If you ask me, the top five issues in the '08 campaign will be (in order):
1. The war
2. The economy (and if the markets continue to tank, home foreclosures reach historic levels, the unemployment rate increases above 5% by early next year as expected, inflation continues to rise even as GDP growth falls, and the economy lurches into recession, this issue might share the number # 1 spot with the war)
3. Health care
4. Immigration (a big bugaboo for the right wing base...just watch Lou Dobbs on CNN any night and you'll what I mean)
5. Environment/Global Warming Concerns
Now its true that Dems and Repubs may be able to compromise on an education bill and that could help put the issue into the top 5 while one of the others drops out because opposing sides cannot find any common ground for compromise.
Nonetheless, given the trajectory of the war (there will be no real draw down of troops until after Bush is gone, which will really roil many anti-war Dems and independents), the economy (given rising inflation from abroad and seriously slowing growth here at home, can anything save us from a long period of stagflation?) and the health care issue (so many millions without it, so many people with health care insurance in debt up to their eyeballs because of medical bills), I just don't see how the education gets any real attention in '08.
And given the NCLB law passed in 2002 and Mayor Moneybags' various education reforms in NYC, perhaps that's a good thing!
All I can say to nyceducator is, Here-Here!
To reality-based educator: I hope you're wrong about the top 5. Although it may not appear this way, the war will one day end.
As for your other four issues, we'll keep screwing up all of them, if our future adult Americans don't get the education they need and deserve.
For my book, let's put education at the top of the list!
Bell Work Online,
The reason why I hope education is NOT a major issue in '08 is because the people who want to make it an issue (Bloomberg, Gates, Jobs, and the other "education reformers") have an agenda which is modeled on many charter schools which they hope to bring to ALL public schools across the nation. It is roughly as follows:
1. All-year round school
2. Longer school days (8-10 hours, depending upon after school activities)
3. Additional standardized testing in all subjects (See Bloomberg's mandated "no stakes" standardized tests for NYC school kids this year - he added 8 in total - for a preview of what you'll get w/ these "reforms")
4. Merit pay for teachers based upon the additional standardized testing
Some of the current presidential candidates are open to these proposals - most notably Barack Obama, whose website notes more than once that longer school days, a longer school year, and additional standardized testing are needed to bring the American school system in line with some of the better foreign school systems (He never says which ones...I assume he means Japan, but who knows?)
I am not open to any of these proposals. We do not need longer days, a longer year or additional standardized tests/teacher merit pay to improve the school system. We need what NYC Educator has been saying we need for a long time now - smaller class sizes and better facilities.
I guarantee you if education shows up as a major issue in '08, the discussion will revolve around what Bloomberg, Gates, et al. want it to revolve around (i.e., longer days, longer years, additional standardized testing, merit pay) and not how do we make smaller class sizes and better school facilities for inner city schools a reality.
I agree with you that a better educated populace would make for a better America. Unfortunately, many of the so-called education reformers are pushing an agenda that is simply meant to socialize kids into believing that working longer and harder for less is all they can hope for out of 21st century America. They want a populace just educated enough to be able to run the machinery/offices but stupid enough to happily work longer and harder for less and continue to keep the American economy afloat by spending themselves into debt for consumer crap they don't need.
Maybe I'm wrong, but cynicism tells me that the $60 billion in propaganda money Bloomberg, Gates et al. have put up for their Education in '08 movement isn't out of the goodness of their hearts or for the hope of adding arts and music programs to schools. Bottomline: it's about the refeudalization of society and the maximumization of their own profits.
Hey reality-based educator, thanks for the detailed clarification. Since you put it this way, I couldn't agree with you more.
Commenting by HaloScan
