I know I promised to try to avoid these political rants, but I can’t lay off this. Someone please tell me how a guy like Richard Clark can serve Reagan, Bush 41, Clinton AND Bush 43 and when he finally gets so fed up with it that he quits, everyone just ignores his side of the story.
How about Colin Powell? A guy many thought might be our nation’s first black president. Gone without a trace. Here’s a guy who flushes more integrity, patriotism and public service every time he visits the men’s room than our current president will ever have, and he’s dismissed under less than favorable conditions and no one bothers to listen to his side of the story.
And how about ignoring John McCain’s input on treatment of prisoners of war... or whatever they’re called by the Bush administration. It can’t be a war on terror if the prisoners aren’t prisoners of war!? AGGHHHHH!
Add to that former President Clinton’s discussion with Chris Wallace and a number of things seem so crystal clear, so diamond bullet to the forehead obvious, that I simply am at a loss to guess how anyone can still claim that Bush will ever be remembered for anything other than stealing the title from Warren Harding as the nation’s worst president.
One thing that this whole Bush 43 mess should clear up once and for all is the myth of a liberal bias by the news media. As if it weren’t obvious before, now every station has made Clinton out to be some crazed lunatic through careful editing of his passionate, but measured, appropriate and long overdue response to Chris Wallace’s loose play of the Fox party line. (don’t bother commenting on it if you haven’t watched the entire interview... catch it on YouTube before Fox files their copyright suits-they sure as hell don’t want anyone forming their own opinions on this thing before they’ve edited it) Ha! but they already DID edit it and Clinton still appears to have done nothing more than call Wallace for strutting a little too boldly with his radical right rhetoric. All Clinton did was ask Wallace why he didn’t ask the same questions of the Bush administration... the very same question I’ve been asking about this so-called liberal media since the Bush-Gore campaign started.
And now the Prez is up to his old tricks... tricks he continues to use because no one in the press calls him on them... because Chris Wallace doesn’t ask him questions like he asked Clinton. In refuting claims in a US intelligence report that the GWOT makes America less safe AND diverts resources from initiatives that would make the world a better place, the president says, “to say that mounting an offensive against them over there before they get us over here makes America less safe is a mistake.”
But the real mistake is in never defining who “them” are and never explaining where the “there” is. OK, the “there” is Iraq for now, but why?
That’s the president’s mistake. Our mistake, and the mistake of the media is in never forcing the Prez to answer that question. It’s gotten to the point where Jon Stewart and Bill Clinton on Fox are the only people on TV willing to actually get beyond the sound bites which don’t ever actually answer the question.
The media has gotten so bold in their pro-right stance that Chris Wallace nearly tripped himself with his strut in trying to put Clinton on the spot. I don’t know who Wallace thought he was interviewing... maybe some Democratic pawn like Allan Colmes? but the look on his face when Clinton actually answered the question was precious. The smirk that Clinton referred to quickly turned into one of those smiles that fails to hide the fear behind it. There was no easy way for Wallace to stop Clinton from answering the sandbag of a question Wallace dumped in his lap. When the answer didn’t turn out like Wallace had hoped, Wallace appeared to have wet himself. Wallace then tried to pretend he actually wanted to talk about Clinton’s Global Initiative but he’d already opened the can and the worms were a spillin’.
I thought it would be cool to see Clinton in the news again talking about something other than Monica, but did the news stations report anything at all that Wallace brought up? No, instead they all put together clips of the meanest looking faces Clinton made and ran that as though the big story was that he got upset... no handshake at the end, no mention of Clinton’s support for Bush’s goals, just sensationalist footage of an appropriate reaction dramatized for better ratings and right-wing favor.
So my question, and it’s the same one I’ve been asking since the Gore Bush campaigns, and the same one Clinton asked Wallace, is when will the rest of the world start asking the same questions of Bush that they’ve asked of his opponents and critics? When will following Teddy Roosevelt’s definition of patriotism become patriotic again instead of being twisted into being anti-American? When will the public and the press demand of Bush and his war the same level of scrutiny that Clinton faced about an affair that he had? When will Bush be called on the carpet for releasing prisoners to terrorist states, but keeping others in our custody without charges? When will someone force him to explain how ignoring the Geneva Convention demonstrates our commitment to humane treatment or how it endangers our soldiers? When will he actually be forced to make the connection between Cheney’s assertions that Iraq was the place to stop the 911 terrorists and his more recent statements denying such a connection was ever made? We’ve got the footage of it... the Daily Show plays it pretty frequently!! There's no spin necessary. Why is Comedy Central the only station where such blatant flip-floppery gets aired?
This isn’t about who had sex with who in an office, it’s about billions of US dollars and thousands of peoples’ lives. Why was Clinton hounded by congress for 6 months but Bush gets off with a couple shallow questions that he doesn’t even answer? It’s about squandered budgets and the complete loss of integrity as a nation. It’s about lies and flip-flopping on issues that really matter to national security (blowjobs in the oval office were only a matter of national security when the right needed something against the left).
Why is it when Bush is accused, the questions go away, but Clinton can still do no right? I really feel let down by the partisan blindness that has allowed Bush to squander so much of what was great about this country. The country is stronger than that. It will outlive him, but the damage has been done. When will someone start asking about it in a larger forum than a blog?
I know of a guy who swore he was leaving the country if Bush was elected. He now lives in Japan. I thought that was childish...irresponsible... overreacting... ok, maybe I was a little jealous of the freedom to do something like that. The guy is a Navy vet. An officer. He’s seen the world and knows that in a big picture sense, there’s no place better than here, but the level of frustration that led him to finally do it is finally settling in with me. Not to that extent, but I can understand it better now. What I now know is that, in spite of the right wing swill about how great the economy is doing, I make the same money that I have for the past 10 years but everything costs more. It's the same for everyone I know. I spent a year away from my family while the guy who sent me away never left under similar circumstances when his country asked him to do so. Not only do people like me bear the brunt of what Bush is doing to this country, but we’re making him and his buddies richer in the process. I’m disgusted with it and all the idiots who believe it’s what this nation is about or that it's somehow healthy for us. I hope the middle and lower classes can stay afloat until 2008. When we go, the country will go with us.
Oh, and while I’m at it, I followed a guy home from my National Guard weekend two weeks ago who was driving a 1 ton Chevy truck with stickers on the back that said something like: “Buy Domestic Dumbass” and “It really does make a difference, buy American, Asshole.”
I’m not kidding... it was about as intelligent as that. Public vulgarity and all. So I made a point of riding his bumper until our paths diverted. The whole time I was thinking about how Toyota, the maker of my truck, has reinvested in the US by building a new truck plant in Texas (my truck was built at their new plant in Indiana) while GM has invested in China... billions of dollars in China and closed down plants here. And it occurred to me that his stickers were right. It really does make a difference. If you want to support US autoworkers, you’d better buy a Honda or a Toyota or a Nissan, cuz they’re the only companies investing any money in the US auto industry these days. The newest GM plant is in China and while Daimler-Chrysler moved their Jeep production into a new plant in Toledo, it only employs about a tenth of what the old plant did in its best days. The robots that build the Jeeps there now came from...??? hmmm, any guesses?
OK, that’s out of my system for a while. I have to get to bed.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Survivor racist?!
So Survivor is splitting up tribes based on race, eh? I don’t watch a lot of reality TV, but my family watches Survivor so this one I’ve seen. Once I figured out that it was about surviving socially rather than the elements or the physical challenges, it made a lot more sense. That’s about as close to a fan of any “reality” show as I’ll probably ever get. Especially since the writers from one of the “reality” shows went on strike!! THE WRITERS went on strike... for a REALITY show. There’s one situation where management should have just caved. Their secret’s definitely out.
Anyhoo, back to this splitting up by race thing. Since I don’t watch much, I don’t know what the verdict is yet regarding this afterthought of an idea Survivor’s writers came up with now that they’ve done everything else, but it seemed like there was a lot of concern about it and most of what I accidentally caught in the news seemed to indicate a collective conclusion that this was somehow a bad idea.
I don’t get it. It’s ok to discriminate by race when it comes to distributing public money for public education or when offering abatements and other subsidies to industry or big business, or in housing and healthcare and about a million other places where racism is the institutionalized, de facto practice, but when it comes to a game show we’re up in arms?! What’s up with that?
Besides, this show just might force folks to realize what a little common sense, open-mindedness, and careful thought after careful observation should teach people in the first place: that the differences within any group are far greater than the collective differences between the groups. It’s possible that this show will demonstrate to an audience the opposite of what their daddy and their daddy’s daddy have been telling them all along. It might even cast doubt on the anecdotal evidence they’ve used to maintain the stereotypes this teaching has solidified in their minds. It’s just possible that we will see a lazy guy in the Asian tribe or a conniving and deceitful guy in the white tribe or a lying, stealing cheat in the black tribe... or any other negative stereotype commonly associated with a particular race or culture in EVERY tribe!
We will also likely see strong, intelligent leaders in each tribe or caring, nurturing followers who help hold the team together in each tribe.
I don’t know that I’ll set time aside to watch each show, but I’m actually curious about this one. I don’t really believe that a tv show can undo years of brainwashing, the likes of which actually has some so-called Christians thinking, for instance, that the Moslem faith is a violent one (hello, can you say “Crusades” or Koresh or Jones... didn’t Hitler claim to be a Christian paying back the Jews for killing Christ?!) Yeah, but somebody else’s wackos claiming they do what they do in the name of their faith is just inexcusable!
So no, I don’t expect the racists, haters, whatever they’re called these days to suddenly see the light as a result of watching Survivor, in fact, those kinds of people tend to see what they want even if the rest of us don’t, but I might actually have to watch and see how this one goes. In the meantime, get off Survivor’s back. If you want to complain or rise up against racism, do it where it really matters, not on some tv show!
Later dudes.
Anyhoo, back to this splitting up by race thing. Since I don’t watch much, I don’t know what the verdict is yet regarding this afterthought of an idea Survivor’s writers came up with now that they’ve done everything else, but it seemed like there was a lot of concern about it and most of what I accidentally caught in the news seemed to indicate a collective conclusion that this was somehow a bad idea.
I don’t get it. It’s ok to discriminate by race when it comes to distributing public money for public education or when offering abatements and other subsidies to industry or big business, or in housing and healthcare and about a million other places where racism is the institutionalized, de facto practice, but when it comes to a game show we’re up in arms?! What’s up with that?
Besides, this show just might force folks to realize what a little common sense, open-mindedness, and careful thought after careful observation should teach people in the first place: that the differences within any group are far greater than the collective differences between the groups. It’s possible that this show will demonstrate to an audience the opposite of what their daddy and their daddy’s daddy have been telling them all along. It might even cast doubt on the anecdotal evidence they’ve used to maintain the stereotypes this teaching has solidified in their minds. It’s just possible that we will see a lazy guy in the Asian tribe or a conniving and deceitful guy in the white tribe or a lying, stealing cheat in the black tribe... or any other negative stereotype commonly associated with a particular race or culture in EVERY tribe!
We will also likely see strong, intelligent leaders in each tribe or caring, nurturing followers who help hold the team together in each tribe.
I don’t know that I’ll set time aside to watch each show, but I’m actually curious about this one. I don’t really believe that a tv show can undo years of brainwashing, the likes of which actually has some so-called Christians thinking, for instance, that the Moslem faith is a violent one (hello, can you say “Crusades” or Koresh or Jones... didn’t Hitler claim to be a Christian paying back the Jews for killing Christ?!) Yeah, but somebody else’s wackos claiming they do what they do in the name of their faith is just inexcusable!
So no, I don’t expect the racists, haters, whatever they’re called these days to suddenly see the light as a result of watching Survivor, in fact, those kinds of people tend to see what they want even if the rest of us don’t, but I might actually have to watch and see how this one goes. In the meantime, get off Survivor’s back. If you want to complain or rise up against racism, do it where it really matters, not on some tv show!
Later dudes.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Life's good
I don’t have a lot to report this evening, but I figured I’d try to put something up here that’s a little more upbeat since I’ve been slacking off in general, and complaining in particular. So in spite of having to switch to cable before I puked while the president spoke of national security during the 9/11 tele-blitz, life’s good.
Now that my wife has settled down a little, and joined me in my embrace of temporary (?) unemployment, life really is good. Thanks to overprogramming, my kids have pretty much settled in officially in our new home. They’ve escorted us to about 15 soccer games and half as many football games in the last three weeks, one has joined band (in 5th grade!! – sorry Ray, she chose percussion... plans for the family blues band are coming together) and we’ve all joined the homework hotline in our house and refreshed some fundamental academic skills we thought we’d never use again.
I’ve actually turned a job down while my wife accepted one, even though she swore she’d never work in the auto industry again. I’ve got an offer on the hook now, and hope to have another after an interview in a week or so, and I continue to find opportunities where I thought there were none. I’ve spent a day substitute teaching, and a week as a substitute custodian (I figure getting my face known in a district comes in many forms).
The “extra house” I left behind in this complex transaction had a couple of bites the first week it was listed and I’m really, really enjoying being back in the hometown I thought I’d never leave. So if you don’t count the fact that I’m paying more per month for temporary health insurance than I paid for my first two cars, and that I’ve been unemployed now longer than I ever have been since high school - and really, those are minor issues in the grand scheme - life really is good.
It’s funny that I recall so vividly my high school chums lamenting that they couldn’t wait to get out of this town. I never thought that. It always seemed like a pretty good place to hang out. But then I left for college and never quite made it back. I never really realized how much I missed it. What’s really funny is how many of those chums never left. Maybe they wised up... maybe their complaints were just teen angst. I had plenty of that, and I may have even uttered those words at some point, but I never pictured myself anywhere else. Some of those guys have moved on to bigger and better and I miss them now that I’m back, but the ones who stayed fill me in on their stories and even that’s been fun.
So here I am, picking up where I left off. At times I feel like I’m finally in control of something. Other times it feels like my life is spinning out of control... which is actually more comfortable and familiar for me. My biggest anxiety remains the comfort and happiness of my family and I know that wouldn’t be any different no matter where we lived. Here though, I feel like I know where I’m going, what I’m doing and though I’m sure it’s a deceivingly false sense of security, I have a confidence in my ability to promote that comfort and happiness that I never really felt anywhere else. It’s as though when the spinning stops momentarily, at least I land in familiar territory... and can get everyone home safely.
It’s good to be back. Life’s good... did I already mention that?
Now that my wife has settled down a little, and joined me in my embrace of temporary (?) unemployment, life really is good. Thanks to overprogramming, my kids have pretty much settled in officially in our new home. They’ve escorted us to about 15 soccer games and half as many football games in the last three weeks, one has joined band (in 5th grade!! – sorry Ray, she chose percussion... plans for the family blues band are coming together) and we’ve all joined the homework hotline in our house and refreshed some fundamental academic skills we thought we’d never use again.
I’ve actually turned a job down while my wife accepted one, even though she swore she’d never work in the auto industry again. I’ve got an offer on the hook now, and hope to have another after an interview in a week or so, and I continue to find opportunities where I thought there were none. I’ve spent a day substitute teaching, and a week as a substitute custodian (I figure getting my face known in a district comes in many forms).
The “extra house” I left behind in this complex transaction had a couple of bites the first week it was listed and I’m really, really enjoying being back in the hometown I thought I’d never leave. So if you don’t count the fact that I’m paying more per month for temporary health insurance than I paid for my first two cars, and that I’ve been unemployed now longer than I ever have been since high school - and really, those are minor issues in the grand scheme - life really is good.
It’s funny that I recall so vividly my high school chums lamenting that they couldn’t wait to get out of this town. I never thought that. It always seemed like a pretty good place to hang out. But then I left for college and never quite made it back. I never really realized how much I missed it. What’s really funny is how many of those chums never left. Maybe they wised up... maybe their complaints were just teen angst. I had plenty of that, and I may have even uttered those words at some point, but I never pictured myself anywhere else. Some of those guys have moved on to bigger and better and I miss them now that I’m back, but the ones who stayed fill me in on their stories and even that’s been fun.
So here I am, picking up where I left off. At times I feel like I’m finally in control of something. Other times it feels like my life is spinning out of control... which is actually more comfortable and familiar for me. My biggest anxiety remains the comfort and happiness of my family and I know that wouldn’t be any different no matter where we lived. Here though, I feel like I know where I’m going, what I’m doing and though I’m sure it’s a deceivingly false sense of security, I have a confidence in my ability to promote that comfort and happiness that I never really felt anywhere else. It’s as though when the spinning stops momentarily, at least I land in familiar territory... and can get everyone home safely.
It’s good to be back. Life’s good... did I already mention that?
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Anti-incumbent plan proves tricky
I heard about half of the Ohio governor candidates’ first debate on the radio last night. I was hoping to really hear the difference between Democrat (and current U.S. Representative) Ted Strickland and Republican (and current Ohio Secretary of State) Kenneth Blackwell.
You’ll never guess my overall response:
Disappointment.
Half was all I could stand. No matter who asked what question, Blackwell’s response was consistent: “Strickland will raise taxes.”
And while I have to give Strickland some credit for trying (key word: “trying”... perhaps I should add “trying lamely”) to address issues, he asked the wrong questions of Blackwell, particularly regarding Blackwell’s plan to privatize the Ohio Turnpike in order to make an estimated $4 billion for the state’s collapsing budget. AND he failed to adequately address his rating of 450 (or something like that) out of 435 representatives by some group that Blackwell has on his commercials.
There are a lot of groups out there who rate politicians. Some rate them by the number of votes they miss (without ever explaining that most votes are foregone conclusions long before the vote is actually held) and others rate them by what kind of music they say they like. I found one rating system on an angelfire server that rated congressmen by how they replied to letters from constituents. It sounds kind of silly, but it was probably the most legitimate system I saw in my brief search. It was pretty entertaining.
Anyway, back to the debate.
Here’s what I wanted to ask Blackwell: If this turnpike plan will generate so much money, then why can’t the state keep the middleman out and generate it themselves? After all, he’s the business manager for the state. If the plan would be that lucrative, then why bring in a private contractor to do it? And if there are contractors out there willing to pay that much to lease the turnpike, doesn’t that suggest that the state has been mismanaging it by not generating that much revenue from it?
I’m sure the response would be something like: well, yeah, but as a government entity we’re limited to keeping it non-profit and blah blah blah. OR Government isn’t as efficient as private industry.
To which I might then ask, why? Ohio’s Republicans have been in charge for 16 years with promises of reducing the size (but not the cost) and increasing the efficiency of government and all they really have to show for it is a squandered budget surplus, a convicted governor, and $25 million in lost state funds that was last seen in the hands of the governor’s golf buddy.
And as far as making a profit, if a private contractor isn’t limited like the state in its operation of the turnpike, does that mean it would then cost $75 to drive on it? Isn’t that sort of the same thing as raising taxes?
The turnpike is a ROAD... it’s part of Ohio’s infrastructure! If there’s one thing liberals and conservatives ever agree on, it’s that this is a function of government. It’s not welfare or public funding for abortion or prayer in schools. It’s a fricking public highway built by the state! Isn’t that what states are supposed to do?!
Proposing leasing the turnpike to a private organization is an admission that Ohio’s leaders have failed to do their job. Of course, the Derolph decision has already told us that, but no one pays any attention to that anymore, especially not Ohio legislators.
Claiming that privatizing the turnpike will generate revenue not only confirms what we heard initially (that Ohio’s leaders failed us) but also demonstrates the unproven, pie in the sky dreams that these folks live on. The turnpike is THE east-west route across northern Ohio. Many commercial vehicles already avoid the tolls by taking smaller, local routes, especially route 30. With only about 45 more miles left of the route 30 upgrade, just how viable as a revenue generator will the turnpike continue to be once 30 is complete?
Claiming that privatizing the Ohio Turnpike will generate revenue without raising taxes sounds like it will work the same as President Bush’s promise to lower taxes – the only thing missing is a way to balance the budget while doing it. (Oh, and tax cuts for the 95% of us who remain unaffected by the tax cuts Bush has put in place) Both plans pass the debt along to the public eventually. We’ll either pay for it in the future through tax increases that someone will eventually be forced to create, or, in the case of the turnpike, we’ll pay for it in either increased tolls, or in shouldering the cost of maintaining the road some other way. In the end, taxpayers will pay whether it’s called a tax or not.
But none of this addresses the real problem. In my last post, I vowed to vote anti-incumbent. The governor’s race is just one example of why this will be difficult. Strickland is an incumbent U.S. representative with a less than stellar record. Record notwithstanding, he is an incumbent. Does a vote for him for governor serve my goal of changing up the House?
Blackwell is a former Treasurer and the incumbent Ohio Secretary of State. He invested in Diebold, golfed with and managed the business affairs of the Taft administration. I imagine he even had to testify against Governor Taft?? Yet his campaign seems to be built on two main ideas: 1) Strickland will raise taxes, and 2) Ohio’s Republican leadership is doing a great job that he’ll continue.
Does voting for him for governor serve the goal of changing up the open corruption in Ohio’s Executive Branch? Oh wait, I think I just answered my own question. OK, so this one’s easy, but how do I handle the Ohio senate race between incumbent Representative and former Secretary of State Sherrod Brown and incumbent Senator Mike DeWine?!
Perhaps Steven Colbert’s anti-voting argument is starting to make more sense.
You’ll never guess my overall response:
Disappointment.
Half was all I could stand. No matter who asked what question, Blackwell’s response was consistent: “Strickland will raise taxes.”
And while I have to give Strickland some credit for trying (key word: “trying”... perhaps I should add “trying lamely”) to address issues, he asked the wrong questions of Blackwell, particularly regarding Blackwell’s plan to privatize the Ohio Turnpike in order to make an estimated $4 billion for the state’s collapsing budget. AND he failed to adequately address his rating of 450 (or something like that) out of 435 representatives by some group that Blackwell has on his commercials.
There are a lot of groups out there who rate politicians. Some rate them by the number of votes they miss (without ever explaining that most votes are foregone conclusions long before the vote is actually held) and others rate them by what kind of music they say they like. I found one rating system on an angelfire server that rated congressmen by how they replied to letters from constituents. It sounds kind of silly, but it was probably the most legitimate system I saw in my brief search. It was pretty entertaining.
Anyway, back to the debate.
Here’s what I wanted to ask Blackwell: If this turnpike plan will generate so much money, then why can’t the state keep the middleman out and generate it themselves? After all, he’s the business manager for the state. If the plan would be that lucrative, then why bring in a private contractor to do it? And if there are contractors out there willing to pay that much to lease the turnpike, doesn’t that suggest that the state has been mismanaging it by not generating that much revenue from it?
I’m sure the response would be something like: well, yeah, but as a government entity we’re limited to keeping it non-profit and blah blah blah. OR Government isn’t as efficient as private industry.
To which I might then ask, why? Ohio’s Republicans have been in charge for 16 years with promises of reducing the size (but not the cost) and increasing the efficiency of government and all they really have to show for it is a squandered budget surplus, a convicted governor, and $25 million in lost state funds that was last seen in the hands of the governor’s golf buddy.
And as far as making a profit, if a private contractor isn’t limited like the state in its operation of the turnpike, does that mean it would then cost $75 to drive on it? Isn’t that sort of the same thing as raising taxes?
The turnpike is a ROAD... it’s part of Ohio’s infrastructure! If there’s one thing liberals and conservatives ever agree on, it’s that this is a function of government. It’s not welfare or public funding for abortion or prayer in schools. It’s a fricking public highway built by the state! Isn’t that what states are supposed to do?!
Proposing leasing the turnpike to a private organization is an admission that Ohio’s leaders have failed to do their job. Of course, the Derolph decision has already told us that, but no one pays any attention to that anymore, especially not Ohio legislators.
Claiming that privatizing the turnpike will generate revenue not only confirms what we heard initially (that Ohio’s leaders failed us) but also demonstrates the unproven, pie in the sky dreams that these folks live on. The turnpike is THE east-west route across northern Ohio. Many commercial vehicles already avoid the tolls by taking smaller, local routes, especially route 30. With only about 45 more miles left of the route 30 upgrade, just how viable as a revenue generator will the turnpike continue to be once 30 is complete?
Claiming that privatizing the Ohio Turnpike will generate revenue without raising taxes sounds like it will work the same as President Bush’s promise to lower taxes – the only thing missing is a way to balance the budget while doing it. (Oh, and tax cuts for the 95% of us who remain unaffected by the tax cuts Bush has put in place) Both plans pass the debt along to the public eventually. We’ll either pay for it in the future through tax increases that someone will eventually be forced to create, or, in the case of the turnpike, we’ll pay for it in either increased tolls, or in shouldering the cost of maintaining the road some other way. In the end, taxpayers will pay whether it’s called a tax or not.
But none of this addresses the real problem. In my last post, I vowed to vote anti-incumbent. The governor’s race is just one example of why this will be difficult. Strickland is an incumbent U.S. representative with a less than stellar record. Record notwithstanding, he is an incumbent. Does a vote for him for governor serve my goal of changing up the House?
Blackwell is a former Treasurer and the incumbent Ohio Secretary of State. He invested in Diebold, golfed with and managed the business affairs of the Taft administration. I imagine he even had to testify against Governor Taft?? Yet his campaign seems to be built on two main ideas: 1) Strickland will raise taxes, and 2) Ohio’s Republican leadership is doing a great job that he’ll continue.
Does voting for him for governor serve the goal of changing up the open corruption in Ohio’s Executive Branch? Oh wait, I think I just answered my own question. OK, so this one’s easy, but how do I handle the Ohio senate race between incumbent Representative and former Secretary of State Sherrod Brown and incumbent Senator Mike DeWine?!
Perhaps Steven Colbert’s anti-voting argument is starting to make more sense.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Frustrated Teacher
Warning - the contents of this post are primarily a vent of my frustration. (Like you need to be warned about that if you're reading this!)
Whenever I tell people I’ve grown frustrated with teaching, they instantly assume it’s because of the students. And while they can be frustrating at times, that would be like a banker saying he’s frustrated with banking because of the money. It’s not the students that frustrate me enough to consider other professions. In fact, it’s the students who make such a consideration so difficult. But there’s another consideration that makes it difficult for me and that’s the importance of public service or social responsibility.
It’s no secret to anyone who reads this that I lean to the left. I’m not a party member and I’m not even much of a fan of the two-party system, but it has served its purpose and will likely continue to do so, so there’s not much point in fighting about that. My own left leaning stems from my belief that people should be considered a higher priority than property. I believe that government exists to provide a service to its populace, not to its corporations (but note that a solid infrastructure and a peaceful population serve them as well!). Like many who lean to the right, I believe that service only includes some basic functions like law creation and law enforcement and maybe infrastructure creation and maintenance. Fire protection falls in there too. Where my left-leaning pulls me away from those on the right is that I believe a certain amount of re-distribution of wealth is inherent in this process. I don’t mean everyone’s earnings should all go into a big pot and be shared equally, but rather that police and fire protection and infrastructure maintenance should be enjoyed and accessed equally by all. Along those same lines, our government, that of the largest, richest nation in the world, should also see to it that no one in our country suffers for lack of the basic necessities.
It is this last point that generally puts me into that “liberal” category, but the founders of our nation, and of my state in particular must have seen it that way too. Ohio became a state under the Northwest Ordinance. One of the terms of that statehood was that Ohio (and other states who joined the union at the time) must provide public education to all of its citizens. That’s a public service that many these days seem to argue exceeds the category of basic necessity. For the last twenty years, the state of Ohio’s own Supreme Court has declared that Ohio fails to meet that requirement. This leaves public schools to fend for themselves but with no other means of doing so than going to the public in the form of levies for support. The Northwest Ordinance said that OHIO would fund public schools, NOT leave it up to local taxpayers. If there’s a rich public school in Ohio, then there shouldn’t be a poor public school in Ohio. That’s what the conditions of statehood said.
So here’s how this leads to my frustration as a teacher. For the past eight years, I’ve found teaching to be one of the most rewarding, conscience-soothing professions I’ve ever encountered in my working life. Sure teenagers are sometimes a wily, thankless bunch, but as an adult, I have no problem with that. My biggest fear has always been failing to meet their needs from year to year. As a new teacher I felt unprepared and had a horrible time controlling my conscience because I knew I would be shortchanging that first group of students I taught. I finally decided that I was as prepared as anyone, maybe more than some, and we’d just have to get through my first year as best we could. It turned out that my first year wasn’t as bad – I wasn’t as ineffective – as I thought I would be. In fact, by most accounts, I was actually pretty good at it and those students who, by no choice of their own, participated in my “first year experiment” actually learned something and moved on to their next year fairly prepared.
Other than the occasional one-period evaluation from a principal who was no better trained as a teacher, let alone as an evaluator of other teachers, I received NO professional feedback and had to rely on my own sense of how my students were doing in order to continuously improve my skills and the service I provided. I got used to that too, though I apologize to the few adult friends who stuck with me through that time and on whom I unloaded all of the anxiety that the circumstances created.
Eight years later, that anxiety hasn’t left me. I’ve simply learned how to manage it. In the course of those years, I learned that that’s just how it works for teachers. They’re on their own. No one provides them with any meaningful feedback until they screw up. There’s no “corporate training program” to help them continue to develop. Because of that, they have to be some of the most accountable professionals I’ve ever been a part of. So when No Child Left Behind stated as its main goal to hold teachers accountable, I had to laugh. Now that I’ve moved to a new part of the state and am looking for a job, it’s no longer funny. NCLB and funding issues have made it nearly impossible for a proven teacher to move laterally. I learned this summer that the only schools interested in interviewing someone who relocated in order to be nearer his widowed mother are those so desperately in need of funding that the rest of their teachers have jumped ship. In addition, my experience renders me too expensive to work in those districts. The $35-40,000 a year that my proven performance demands is just too rich for the districts with openings. For all they know, they might not even exist as a district next year, so why spend money on an experienced teacher? OK, now I’m just whining about the fact that I didn’t find a job this summer, but it’s relevant!! Indulge me a little.
So here’s where the frustration really comes to a point. I believe in public schools. I believe our state’s founders believed in them too and that’s why they agreed to provide them to Ohio students. As a graduate of, and veteran staffer in public schools, I know first hand that students there get things that most alternatives simply don’t provide. As such, I don’t believe that public funds should ever be diverted from those coffers to be applied to private programs. But as a student advocate – and no teacher can rightfully claim that title without being a student advocate – I believe the needs of the students, this year, right now, must come first. Johnny Doe will never get the chance to re-live his junior year. He deserves the best we can give him right now.
So I’m considering employment with a charter program that actually diverts funding from the struggling local public school system. I hate that, but I also hate the dire need of the students for whom this particular school may be a last chance. Those on the right may be content to build prisons to deal with these students after giving up on them, but I’d rather deal with them before the prison becomes the final option. I don’t want my paycheck to be taking funds out of Ohio’s public schools, but I don’t have many options on the table right now and the needs of these students are no less important than the general population of Ohio’s public school students. I’m learning that moving across the state puts already underpaid and underappreciated veteran teachers back at the bottom of the totem pole, so I’m running out of options quickly. I don’t mind working my way in, but after almost ten years in the classroom, how much proving do I have to do? (OK, I’m whining again)
Then there are the needs of my own family and my own selfish concerns. This other little “distraction” has me considering leaving teaching altogether in favor of a more lucrative profession. I’m considering some options that weigh far less on the social responsibility scale, but that may make it much easier to pay for my own kids’ college. Tough choice, eh? Here again, I’m limited because I feel that profit and social responsibility must be weighed out carefully, but I’m discovering that there are companies out there who believe that social responsibility, community involvement, philanthropy – treating others as you would want to be treated – are as important as their bottom line. Now what do I do?
So there’s the summary. I’ve left a lot of details and smaller issues out because they’d sound like whining. (too late?) When I say I’m frustrated with teaching as a profession, please don’t make the mistake of assuming it has anything to do with students. My frustration is only related to students in the sense that the way the system works right now, it’s getting harder and harder for a reasonable person to stay concerned about the needs of students. Rather than being the reason I would leave teaching, students are the only reason I’d stay. I’m just having more and more trouble remembering that the state and the nation used to be on my side in that concern. I’m convinced they’re as close as they’ve ever been to giving up. Would that mean that Ohio has to relinquish its statehood?
And back to party politics. I’m joining a new party this year: the anti-incumbent party. I’m voting for anyone who didn’t hold the seat in the prior term. Dems, Reps, liberals, conservatives, none of that means anything to me this time around. If you held the seat, and this (look around) is what you’ve done with it, you’re giving it up. Don’t waste your money on your negative ads. You’re not getting my vote!
Later dudes.
Whenever I tell people I’ve grown frustrated with teaching, they instantly assume it’s because of the students. And while they can be frustrating at times, that would be like a banker saying he’s frustrated with banking because of the money. It’s not the students that frustrate me enough to consider other professions. In fact, it’s the students who make such a consideration so difficult. But there’s another consideration that makes it difficult for me and that’s the importance of public service or social responsibility.
It’s no secret to anyone who reads this that I lean to the left. I’m not a party member and I’m not even much of a fan of the two-party system, but it has served its purpose and will likely continue to do so, so there’s not much point in fighting about that. My own left leaning stems from my belief that people should be considered a higher priority than property. I believe that government exists to provide a service to its populace, not to its corporations (but note that a solid infrastructure and a peaceful population serve them as well!). Like many who lean to the right, I believe that service only includes some basic functions like law creation and law enforcement and maybe infrastructure creation and maintenance. Fire protection falls in there too. Where my left-leaning pulls me away from those on the right is that I believe a certain amount of re-distribution of wealth is inherent in this process. I don’t mean everyone’s earnings should all go into a big pot and be shared equally, but rather that police and fire protection and infrastructure maintenance should be enjoyed and accessed equally by all. Along those same lines, our government, that of the largest, richest nation in the world, should also see to it that no one in our country suffers for lack of the basic necessities.
It is this last point that generally puts me into that “liberal” category, but the founders of our nation, and of my state in particular must have seen it that way too. Ohio became a state under the Northwest Ordinance. One of the terms of that statehood was that Ohio (and other states who joined the union at the time) must provide public education to all of its citizens. That’s a public service that many these days seem to argue exceeds the category of basic necessity. For the last twenty years, the state of Ohio’s own Supreme Court has declared that Ohio fails to meet that requirement. This leaves public schools to fend for themselves but with no other means of doing so than going to the public in the form of levies for support. The Northwest Ordinance said that OHIO would fund public schools, NOT leave it up to local taxpayers. If there’s a rich public school in Ohio, then there shouldn’t be a poor public school in Ohio. That’s what the conditions of statehood said.
So here’s how this leads to my frustration as a teacher. For the past eight years, I’ve found teaching to be one of the most rewarding, conscience-soothing professions I’ve ever encountered in my working life. Sure teenagers are sometimes a wily, thankless bunch, but as an adult, I have no problem with that. My biggest fear has always been failing to meet their needs from year to year. As a new teacher I felt unprepared and had a horrible time controlling my conscience because I knew I would be shortchanging that first group of students I taught. I finally decided that I was as prepared as anyone, maybe more than some, and we’d just have to get through my first year as best we could. It turned out that my first year wasn’t as bad – I wasn’t as ineffective – as I thought I would be. In fact, by most accounts, I was actually pretty good at it and those students who, by no choice of their own, participated in my “first year experiment” actually learned something and moved on to their next year fairly prepared.
Other than the occasional one-period evaluation from a principal who was no better trained as a teacher, let alone as an evaluator of other teachers, I received NO professional feedback and had to rely on my own sense of how my students were doing in order to continuously improve my skills and the service I provided. I got used to that too, though I apologize to the few adult friends who stuck with me through that time and on whom I unloaded all of the anxiety that the circumstances created.
Eight years later, that anxiety hasn’t left me. I’ve simply learned how to manage it. In the course of those years, I learned that that’s just how it works for teachers. They’re on their own. No one provides them with any meaningful feedback until they screw up. There’s no “corporate training program” to help them continue to develop. Because of that, they have to be some of the most accountable professionals I’ve ever been a part of. So when No Child Left Behind stated as its main goal to hold teachers accountable, I had to laugh. Now that I’ve moved to a new part of the state and am looking for a job, it’s no longer funny. NCLB and funding issues have made it nearly impossible for a proven teacher to move laterally. I learned this summer that the only schools interested in interviewing someone who relocated in order to be nearer his widowed mother are those so desperately in need of funding that the rest of their teachers have jumped ship. In addition, my experience renders me too expensive to work in those districts. The $35-40,000 a year that my proven performance demands is just too rich for the districts with openings. For all they know, they might not even exist as a district next year, so why spend money on an experienced teacher? OK, now I’m just whining about the fact that I didn’t find a job this summer, but it’s relevant!! Indulge me a little.
So here’s where the frustration really comes to a point. I believe in public schools. I believe our state’s founders believed in them too and that’s why they agreed to provide them to Ohio students. As a graduate of, and veteran staffer in public schools, I know first hand that students there get things that most alternatives simply don’t provide. As such, I don’t believe that public funds should ever be diverted from those coffers to be applied to private programs. But as a student advocate – and no teacher can rightfully claim that title without being a student advocate – I believe the needs of the students, this year, right now, must come first. Johnny Doe will never get the chance to re-live his junior year. He deserves the best we can give him right now.
So I’m considering employment with a charter program that actually diverts funding from the struggling local public school system. I hate that, but I also hate the dire need of the students for whom this particular school may be a last chance. Those on the right may be content to build prisons to deal with these students after giving up on them, but I’d rather deal with them before the prison becomes the final option. I don’t want my paycheck to be taking funds out of Ohio’s public schools, but I don’t have many options on the table right now and the needs of these students are no less important than the general population of Ohio’s public school students. I’m learning that moving across the state puts already underpaid and underappreciated veteran teachers back at the bottom of the totem pole, so I’m running out of options quickly. I don’t mind working my way in, but after almost ten years in the classroom, how much proving do I have to do? (OK, I’m whining again)
Then there are the needs of my own family and my own selfish concerns. This other little “distraction” has me considering leaving teaching altogether in favor of a more lucrative profession. I’m considering some options that weigh far less on the social responsibility scale, but that may make it much easier to pay for my own kids’ college. Tough choice, eh? Here again, I’m limited because I feel that profit and social responsibility must be weighed out carefully, but I’m discovering that there are companies out there who believe that social responsibility, community involvement, philanthropy – treating others as you would want to be treated – are as important as their bottom line. Now what do I do?
So there’s the summary. I’ve left a lot of details and smaller issues out because they’d sound like whining. (too late?) When I say I’m frustrated with teaching as a profession, please don’t make the mistake of assuming it has anything to do with students. My frustration is only related to students in the sense that the way the system works right now, it’s getting harder and harder for a reasonable person to stay concerned about the needs of students. Rather than being the reason I would leave teaching, students are the only reason I’d stay. I’m just having more and more trouble remembering that the state and the nation used to be on my side in that concern. I’m convinced they’re as close as they’ve ever been to giving up. Would that mean that Ohio has to relinquish its statehood?
And back to party politics. I’m joining a new party this year: the anti-incumbent party. I’m voting for anyone who didn’t hold the seat in the prior term. Dems, Reps, liberals, conservatives, none of that means anything to me this time around. If you held the seat, and this (look around) is what you’ve done with it, you’re giving it up. Don’t waste your money on your negative ads. You’re not getting my vote!
Later dudes.
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