I was send a link to a video about school choice and education issues in Ghana. I haven't had time to view the whole thing yet, but it looks at least reasonable. I did notice, early in the segment, statements about the MASSIVE problems with government-provided education -- that the government system absolutely and completely fails to educate, well, anyone. Does that sound like a system you know?

If you want a list of TV stations that plan on broadcasting the show, that's here. Or, if you like, you can just check out the previews for the segment.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's amazing how far away from freedom this country has really moved. How about a study that measures the "cost" to government for public school drop outs? Yes, this group claims that it costs the state of North Carolina $169 million a year due to students that drop out of high school -- because of medicaid costs, less tax income, and prison costs.

How stupid is this? Presumably, based on this report, if the government would just issue kids high school diplomas when they turned 18 (we could just mail them), then the government would "save" $169 million each year. Since it's such a big savings, perhaps we should just include a check for a couple million in each diploma government mails to them.

What crap.

How about we stop paying for Medicare for people? Yes, it IS possible for people to get healthcare without government buying it -- it's happened for hundreds of years. Yes, it's possible for people to earn a living without a (useless) government diploma that says they've learned, well, nothing. It's been going on for thousands of years.

How about a study on how much money the state would "save" if they stopped spending money on a failed education system that simply does not educate anyone? How about a study on how much the government would save if people learned by themselves and at home, where they will learn a great deal MORE than they could ever learn in a government institution? My guess is we'd have a MUCH more educated society AND save tens of billions of dollars a year.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:04 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Well, at least they're being honest. A new government bureaucratic legislative panel has been formed to "increase high school graduation rates" in North Carolina. But hey, they'll be spending $7 million to "encourage" successful initiatives.

Please note what the "panel" is not concerned with: education. They honestly do not care about education or learning. The public schools are NOT interested in how much anyone learns, seriously. Once again, some within the system (the teachers) may be concerned with that, but the public school system DOES NOT CARE.

If you want to know why the education system exists today, please read this book. Again, it's long and detailed, but it's scarily honest:

In 1840, the literacy rate in America was between 93 and ONE HUNDRED percent.
By 1940 the literacy rate for whites was 96%, for blacks, 80%.

Six decades later, at the end of the twentieth century, the National Adult Literacy Survey and the National Assessment of Educational Progress say 40 percent of blacks and 17 percent of whites canÂ’t read at all. Put another way, black illiteracy doubled, white illiteracy quadrupled. Before you think of anything else in regard to these numbers, think of this: we spend three to four times as much real money on schooling as we did sixty years ago, but sixty years ago virtually everyone, black or white, could read.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:07 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In most businesses, if you lie, you get fired. They expect you to tell the truth. But in government, if you tell the truth, or even have someone visit who's telling the truth (even when you counter-balance that by inviting someone who lies), you get fired. Well, that is if the ACLU and CAIR dislike the truth.

At issue in Raleigh is Robert Escamilla, who dared to invite a Christian in school to talk about the Bible IN BIBLE HISTORY CLASS. He will be on Hannity and Colmes tonight at 9pm. He's got a web page up listing a chronology of events -- facts. And the school board, by releasing confidential personnel records, has boosted his case -- that's he's basically been fired for disagreeing with Islam.

This is blatant and open religious discrimination. The man has simply been fired because he disagrees with Islam. It's not even because he's a Christian, but because someone WHO DID NOT HEAR his guest was "offended" and called the ACLU and CAIR. And everyone knows that government only supports those two religions (atheism and Islam) -- if you disagree with those religions, you cannot work for government, plain and simple.

According to the government, Mr. Escamilla was a near-perfect teacher for EIGHTEEN years. But suddenly, in the period of one week, he went from near-perfect to being "unfit" to teach in public schools. What's the difference? He invited a Christian to speak at the school. Keep in mind -- he also invited TWO Muslims to speak to the same students as well. Yes, if you now even TALK to Christians, you're "unfit" to be in a public school.

I keep telling you that public schools are the cesspool and garbage pits of America today. KEEP YOUR CHILDREN AWAY. Unless you're atheist or Muslim, the public school system honestly hates you.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:04 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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From 1942 to 1944, 18 million men were tested on basic literacy to enter military service. 17,280,000 were judged to have minimum competency to read basic roads signs and directions. This is a 96 percent literacy rate (and a drop off of 2% of WWI applicants). These men were educated in the 1930s

From 1951, for the Korean war, several million more were tested and 600,000 failed basic literacy tests. The basic literacy rate had dropped to 81%. These men were educated in the 1940s, and had more years in school with more professionally trained personnel and more scientifically selected textbooks than the WWII men, yet it could not read, write, count, speak, or think as well as the earlier, less-schooled contingent.

From the mid 1960s to 1973, more men were tested for military service. The basic literacy rate was down to 73%. These men were educated in the 1950s and 1960s, an era when Public schooling was expanding rapidly and expenses on government education was increasing exponentially.

The more money we spend on education, the less literate we become. I know some who read here suggest that the "poor" won't get educated if there's not a public education system. I would suggest that NO ONE is getting educated since there is a public education system, and somehow we all managed to learn A LOT more and were MUCH more educated before the government started public education.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Amen to that Ogre. At the University I have taught at on a part time basis, some of the junior and senior students write and read less well than the members of my graduating class. In 1964, the education was much more solid than it is now and even more so when my dad was in school in the 30's. So your point is well taken, and factually true. Good post amigo. Now, about those Red Sox!

Posted by: GM Roper at October 22, 2007 04:43 PM (CglRh)

2 I think I'll have to pull for them in the series... I gotta support the AL East. But I'm telling you, public schools do NOT exist to educate! I have a hard time explaining that to people, but it's simply true. The more public schooling we have, the less learning and education we have.

Posted by: Ogre at October 22, 2007 04:48 PM (oifEm)

3 If our taxes weren't going to a public school, we could spend (SOME of) that money on our kids' private schooling. If there must be a public school (debatable), there should be an option to opt out.

Posted by: Lysol Pionex at October 22, 2007 05:37 PM (T/8Ac)

4 There is an option to opt out now -- but you have to keep paying into the horrible system -- because if you could opt out and take your money with you, the public system would fail VERY quickly -- which would be a good thing!

Posted by: Ogre at October 22, 2007 06:39 PM (oifEm)

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Those who read here regularly (thank you!) know my position on public schools (aka government monopoly schools). They stink. I mean, they really, really stink. They're garbage. I know, YOUR schools is okay, the rest are bad. No, I'm sorry, but YOUR public school is crap, too. If you want a very long read about the actual history of schools, check this one out. It's LONG, but it's accurate.

I know some of you are school teachers, or know school teachers, and you're quite sure that they are doing all they can. Well, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. "Our problem in understanding forced schooling stems from an inconvenient fact: that the wrong it does from a human perspective is right from a systems perspective." In other words, schools are about the SYSTEM, not people -- and therefore it destroys people.

Here's a couple recent news stories that help illustrate how bad public schools have gotten (they're NOT the school you went to years ago):

In California, two-parent families are banned. Seriously. Any person who is sending their child to ANY public school in California is doing a great disservice to that child. And yes, it's EVERY school there now. It's not about "protecting" gays, it's about openly discriminating against heterosexuals and two-parent families. Your children WILL be taught that they might be a different sex, despite what they know. Your children there will share bathrooms and locker rooms, regardless of their gender. And using the words "Mom" and "Dad" is basis for a lawsuit. California is lost.

Keep in mind: it's about the SYSTEM, not people.

And since it's about keeping kids in the system (so the system gets cash from other government agencies), if you DARE to take your child out once they're in the system, your children may be taken from you! I expect to see much more of this in California if people start running from the discriminatory system. I strongly suggest that anyone with children have a "bug out bag" with cash and clothes to flee, should social services EVER show up at your door. These are no longer conspiracy theories, they're happening right now.

In addition, another trend in public schools is the forced medication of your children, without parental permission or knowledge. After all, 11-year olds needs to have sex, right? That's what some schools are claiming.

Oh, and are you ready for the views of those who voted to encourage your 11-year old to have sex?

If my daughter were not able to talk with me about something, if she couldn't reach me for whatever reason, to keep her safe and healthy, I would want to make sure she had access to those resources from trusted adults.

Richard Verrier

"If I suck so bad as a parent that my child won't talk to me about something as important as sex, I think she should talk to some strange adult who will encourage her to have sex. I'm glad that these strangers, who are government employees, and therefore completely trustworthy, but who might be pedophiles, will encourage my daughter to have sex often, perhaps even with them."

And much, much worse is what's also implied by this statement:

"In addition, not only do I trust complete stranger adults encouraging MY child to have promiscuous sex at age 11, I DEMAND that every other adult in the state of Maine equally trust random, unknown adults to encourage every one of their children to have open sex at age 11, too." Mr. Verrier, you are an evil, horrible person. I don't want ANY 11-year olds having sex, and you are horrible to demand that I allow ALL 11-year old girls to have rampant sex.

At the same time, religion will NOT BE permitted in these horrible institutions called "public schools." You see, if you're a government employee, you're simply not permitted to have ANY religion other than the ACLU and government-approved religion of atheism.

When you subject your child to a government school, you ARE giving up nearly ALL rights to that child. That's not exaggeration. Various courts have ruled that the school is allowed to act as a parent -- and ANY decision the school makes cannot be overridden by any parent.

Public schools are beyond repair. They are beyond hope. I implore you, if you care about your child, you will not let them into such evil places. Again, it's about the SYSTEM, not about your child, education, or ANYTHING else.

Update: The government has "backed down" in attacking the homeschooling parents -- but left them with VERY ominous warnings: "We will be watching you." Anita Nicoli, I suggest you pack up and RUN from that state RIGHT NOW. Social services will not surrender so easily. I suggest you head to New Hampshire as quickly as you can (and so should anyone else looking for freedom).

Van Helsing puts a face on this nightmare.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:05 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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Well, you know how bad hugs are, right? You know how evil they are and how many people are injured and killed with hugs? Finally a school in Oak Park, IL has had the guts to ban those evil things. That's right, according to the government in Oak Park, if you're in a government school building and hug someone, you're in BIG trouble.

I'm so happy they've banned these things. Now if only more governments would see this progressive attitude and ban more of them. After all, I'm so offended when I see someone hugging someone else. I'm often late because I have to walk all the way around those people. And they waste so much time. See, students were late for classes because they were hugging and now that it's been banned, no one will be late any more. Isn't that wonderful? If only we had more government banning more things, utopia truly would exist here on earth.

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