So, what could you do with an "extra" $210 million PER YEAR? The state of North Carolina has decided that the people of NC don't need that money, so they're going to take it and give it to people who openly break and flaunt the law. That's the current estimated cost of educating criminal aliens.

Those who support such massive expenditures are quite generous with other people's money, of course, as all government agencies are. They will even point to the NC Constitution which guarantees a free education for the state's citizens -- but seem to miss the point that these are NOT state citizens, but are criminals who are actively breaking the law.

At what point does it become too expensive? Supporters will claim that having the criminals more educated will help everyone -- but how much is too much? Wouldn't the entire world be better off if everyone in Africa had a Ph.D. in some science? Why don't we just raise taxes enough to pay for that?

If you're not a citizen, if you're breaking the law by entering this country illegally, you are owed NOTHING. If you want an education, learn the language first.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:08 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

I can't say this is really surprising in a Canadian school. The Canadian Supreme Court has ruled that bringing dangerous weapons to school is perfect okay with them, in a unnanimous 8-0 decision.

In a ruling based on religion, children are now allowed to take large metal knives with them to class. If you have kids, you are welcome to have them join my religion. It's called Cali-burr. Everyone has to carry a gun to be a member -- everywhere. And anyone who stops you is supressing your religion.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 99 words, total size 1 kb.

Oh, did you miss that one in the news reports, too? Well, it's been rather slow-developing, but steady. If you know or watch anything regarding the news and education in North Carolina, I'm sure you will recognize the Leandro case and King Supreme Ruler Almighty Judge Manning. He has elevated himself even above the governor.

In 2002, he replaced the NC legislature, completely usurping the power granted to them in the NC Constitution to determine all state spending. He ordered additional spending on schools, and the state accepted his imperial edict and increased spending to the tune of $22 million. In 2004, the state supreme court supported his coup and removal of the Legislature from the legislative process. But he wasn't done yet.

Not satisfied with the idea that 22-million extra dollars had absolutely no effect on education or grades, the leader of the coup has now taken over for the school boards, removing them from power. The judge has determined that he, and he alone, will shut down schools next year and "not allow them to open" if they do not meet his personal standards.

Apparently there's no need to elect a school board, because they are not allowed to run the school systems any more. Someone want to explain to me how this isn't a coup? Well, at least there wasn't any bloodshed with this clear change in government. Maybe we could revolt and try a representative republic in his place. I've heard those work good, at least for a hundred years or so.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 270 words, total size 2 kb.

Well, yet again government has provided an incredibly expensive solution to a problem. The fact that there was no problem to begin with, of course, will not deter those in government from spending the money to solve the problem. In this case, we've got almost $400,000 of federal tax money gone.

So, what solution did they create? They added eye scan technology to schools in NJ -- so all parents and teachers get their eyes scanned before they're allowed to enter the schools, and all visitors and activities of all scanned people can be tracked.

This will certainly solve that pesky problem with the school shootings done by students -- oh wait, no it won't. It must solve that problem of terrorist attacks on schools -- well, actually, it won't do much to stop a bomb or a bomber.

I guess it will solve that problem of so many non-students trespassing on school property when they weren't supposed to. Oh, that's not a problem? As I first said -- leave it to government to find massively expensive ways to either just create problems, or to attempt to solve problems that don't exist.

Is there any possible reason left to allow government to run anything remotely associated with education? No, there is not.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 220 words, total size 1 kb.

Wake County commissioners' chairman Tony Gurley says it's time to ask the N.C. General Assembly to let all counties raise sales taxes to pay for school construction if they want, and also floated the idea of a real-estate transfer tax, the N&O reported.

There is a very simple solution that would not only not need a tax increase, but could actually result in LOWER taxes -- but that would require that morons like Tony Gurley give up some power and control, so it's highly unlikely. That solution? Get government the heck out of the way of the free market.

If government would stop spending billions of dollars on bureaucrats in education, education would suddenly get very inexpensive. A very simply solution of tax credits where the money followed the student would completely stop this demand for money for the damn children.

Yes, it really is that simple. The schools would cost a great deal less, more people would be gainfully (and profitably) employed, the quality of the schools would drastically increase, and taxes could be reduced. But there are so many people currently sponging off the system that they will never willingly give up their power and control.

So where's the hope? What can be done? Elect better people. Get this idiot Tony Gurley out of office and put someone in there who can think about something other than spending other people's money. Do NOT give school boards MORE power and the ability to raise taxes on their own!

Posted by: Ogre at 12:10 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 295 words, total size 2 kb.

No, not through an infrared 10x scope -- by their own alumni at UCLA!

An alumni group is offering students up to $100 per class to supply tapes and notes exposing professors who allegedly express extreme left-wing political views at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Some of those targeted say it's a witch-hunt reminiscent of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's anti-communism crusade in the 1950s.

Perhaps it's because they know their views are way out of line with America, and that they can only succeed in spreading them when they have a captive audience that cannot respond to them without being retaliated against (via failing grades).

I hope this spreads -- and the Alumni group doesn't even need to DO anything -- just collect the information that the liberals spew, and post it on the internet for all to see. Then even more people can see the crap that's going on in your government-funded education system.

(H/T to Raven).

Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 216 words, total size 1 kb.

For those who support as large a government as possible, and those who are strong supporters of socialist ideas, North Carolina Education is #1, as The very socialist Charlotte Observer points out. When speaking about the huge dollars spent by the state and subsidys given away to college students in North Carolina, the Observer says,

That's evidence that tax dollars spent on those resources are good investments. But it's also a mandate to keep state tuition and fees from boiling out of reach of ordinary citizens.

But the legislature must also pay a greater share of the university's operating costs.

And yet, even that's not enough for the Observer! Despite there being no evidence that class size has any effect on education -- and some studies in North Carolina actually show a smaller class size can REDUCE the number of students who get good grades and pass, they still want even MORE money spent on colleges:

In Chapel Hill the student/faculty ratio is 14:1; in Charlotte it's 19:1. The only way to overcome that disadvantage is by improved state funding.

Government should get completely out of the education business -- from pre-K to colleges. They have absolutely proven that they cannot educate people, so they should stop trying. The free market really does work.

Posted by: Ogre at 12:17 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 336 words, total size 2 kb.

The left is sure weird when looked at through a lens of reality and logic.

I don't know about where you live, but in Mecklenburg County, NC, every single year the government-run monopolistic education system ("public" education) "needs" more money. The school board asks for, and liberals (including the Charlotte Observer) demand more money.

And when they get their 25-50% increases in spending, all is good because the left can then spend money better than you know how -- on administrators and other non-education related things in the school budgets.

However, when it comes to higher education, where customers (the students) actually have to pay for their own education, suddenly it costs too much and tuition should be paid on a sliding scale (the rich pay more), AND prices should actually be CAPPED!

Now why is it that when the government is paying for education, it's simply not possible for it to cost too much, but when individuals have to pay, no matter what the actual cost, they shouldn't have to pay anything?

Posted by: Ogre at 01:03 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 179 words, total size 1 kb.

Yet still the myth continues. There are still some groups that simply live and die spreading the myth that money = education. Sorry, but that's a complete lie, only designed to get more cash out of the taxpayers hands and into government. Of course, "It's for the Children."

Another lie-filled "advocacy" group has announced an astounding fact -- that poor counties in North Carolina are spending less money than rich counties on education. Their solution? Of course, to steal more money from productive citizens and give it to the "poor" counties.

MONEY DOES NOT EQUAL EDUCATION. It never has, and it never, ever will. There are ZERO studies that even suggest that any amount of increase of $1 or $1000 has ANY effect at all on education. None. Zero.

Increasing funding for education does have ONE effect: it steals money from the economy so that hard-working people get less for their work. It violates the North Carolina Constitution that says, "We hold it to be self-evident that all persons are ... endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the enjoyment of the fruits of their own labor."

All government spending on education should be reduced to zero. EVERYONE will benefit tremendously -- well, except for the bureaucrats and "advocacy" groups.

Posted by: Ogre at 11:01 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 223 words, total size 1 kb.

Are a total mess and a nightmare. But if you live anywhere near here, you'd know that. Of course, if you live elsewhere and support a strong socialist idea of an education system, then you worship and adore the Charlotte-Mecklenburg System (CMS).

A year ago, a LARGE number of parents tried to secede from the school district. They wanted to break the gigantic, massively unresponsive school system up into smaller, more manageable districts. Of course, since the North Carolina General Assembly is Democrat, there was NO way they would succeed because it would require government to shrink.

So instead, in a miserably feeble attempt to appease these parents, the Democrat-controlled school board set up a "task force" to "study" the problem. The results of the "task force" are in. And yes, once again, I could have saved the state millions of dollars on the task force -- because the results were known before the task force even met for the first time. more...

Posted by: Ogre at 03:03 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
Post contains 663 words, total size 4 kb.

Here's just another example of anti-Americanism that's snuck into the government-run monopolistic education system. I'm sure it's not new news to those on the "inside" of education, but I hadn't heard of it before.

It used to be that America was The Great Melting Pot. The idea was that there was a unique American culture. This American culture was a great culture -- this was one of the primary reasons that people came to this country -- to join in with freedom, capitalism, and rugged individualism.

As people came to the country, they learned how this culture worked. They worked hard to learn the English language and to assimilate into the culture so they could effectively participate and work together and be a part of this superior culture.

Now I'm told this is all different. Apparently in education circles, including the horrible government-run system, there is no longer any melting pot. America now is supposed to be considered a "tossed salad."

Instead of joining in and becoming part of the unique, superior culture, immigrants are supposed to transplant their own culture and NOT adjust at all to America.

They are expected to bring their own traditions and culture (like macho drunk driving) and not only not assimilate, but to reject the American culture as inferior to their own, thereby creating a large group of different cultures that are specifically NOT American.

This was tried most recently in France. How'd that work out for them?

Importing various different cultures with ZERO assimilation is simply a recipe for total disaster. Cultures clash -- they ALWAYS have, and they always will. By teaching people that diversity is good, just for diversity's sake are plain wrong.

This forced diversity brings us things like saying it's a good experience for students to be in classrooms with convicted sex offenders (as is the case in Charlotte-Mecklenburg skills). This "tossed salad" brings us dangerous gangs (like MS-13) that are accepted as a different, diverse group of "undocumented workers."

This new "enlightenment" of mandated diversity provides us with pedophiles accepted as "alternative." It has brought us generations of welfare families that demand and expect everything to be given to them.

The tossed salad has wilted and grown moldy. It is nothing more than a potful of smelly garbage. Unfortunately, I think it may be too late for America to regain it's superior culture.

Posted by: Ogre at 01:04 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
Post contains 403 words, total size 2 kb.

1 Have you ever seen a salad that was in the fridge too long? It turns into a big gooey mess. Have you ever seen when a melting pot sits too long? It turns into a hardened cohesive lump of material. Keep that in mind when thinking of how you would like your country to be? Wilted, runny and disgusting or Hard, unified and strong.

Posted by: Contagion at December 12, 2005 01:55 PM (Q5WxB)

2 Excellent analogy!

Posted by: Ogre at December 12, 2005 01:58 PM (/k+l4)

3 Sigh. I'll have to make sure I teach my kids it is the melting pot...

Posted by: vw bug at December 12, 2005 04:15 PM (SCN6v)

4 You're going to, because the government isn't.

Posted by: Ogre at December 12, 2005 04:26 PM (/k+l4)

5 One more arguement for homeschooling.....

Posted by: Kari at December 12, 2005 05:48 PM (/HZs0)

6 Most certainly, Kari -- a strong argument!

Posted by: Ogre at December 12, 2005 05:56 PM (/k+l4)

7 hee hee hee, he said "tossed salad" hee hee hee

Posted by: Machelle at December 12, 2005 06:23 PM (ZAyoW)

8 You tossed your what, Machelle?

Posted by: Ogre at December 12, 2005 06:37 PM (/k+l4)

9 I think that has to be one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of. Naturally, people from other cultures, new to America are going to stick together and try to help one another, just as our ancestors did. And it's not a bad thing to celebrate some of the things from their native country. If you think about our traditional holiday meals, you'll realize that a lot of us still celebrate our ancestral heritage with food. To become a true American you MUST adopt American traditions, ideals and values. You must learn the American language and our history. It is absolutely wrong to discourage imigrants from doing these things. It isolates them, and prevents them from ever feeling that they really belong, or are even wanted here. There is no reason new imigrants can't become true Americans and still celebrate the good and meaninful things about their heritage.

Posted by: Patty-Jo at December 12, 2005 07:39 PM (tIPJZ)

10 Exactly right, Patty-Jo -- but that IS the opposite that is being taught in schools. This is the current result of diversity being more important than, well, anything else in social engineering, I mean, education.

Posted by: Ogre at December 12, 2005 07:47 PM (/k+l4)

11 Can you tell me what a "true American" is? Cherokee? Mohegan? British?

Posted by: M D R at January 03, 2006 09:48 PM (7smj9)

12 A "true American" is not defined by their historical origins.

Posted by: Ogre at January 03, 2006 10:02 PM (s2+Ck)

13 This is a really dumb comment. First of all who ever said America is the USA??? Let's not forget that there is a Northern and Asouthern Part to the continent. Second, all these imigrants are the one creatiating lots of revenue for this country and making it interesting. They are a economical, political and social force and many politiciand rely on their votes. Third, Since when are "Americans" native of this country to begin??. Lastly,I can see that our unity creates a sense of xenophobia. " American people" have never truly had the sense of union that Latinos, Indians, Chinesse ect have installed in their culture. Therefore, you fear because Amrica had always been told to be superior than others. Yet,Without those minorities and imigrants "America" is invisible.

Posted by: Dayanna at March 05, 2006 07:22 PM (Ffvoi)

14 Ummm...yeah, you're right -- that was a dumb comment. The "A" in USA stands for "America."

Posted by: Ogre at March 05, 2006 09:04 PM (CyQ4M)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

The Charlotte Observer has an editorial a news story with the following headline:

Keeping N.C. teachers will take more than pay, licensing efforts

Instead, the article focuses on the lack of teachers, the various school districts that cannot hire enough, and the various cash incentives and bonuses that are being used to attempt to attract teachers.

The easy solution is the one that's overlooked -- if the state can't find enough teachers, stop trying. Seriously. There's no reason that the state should be the only provider of education. The state should simply give up, perhaps starting at the high school level -- just stop providing high school, let the market take over, and give tax credits to anyone with school-age children.

Of course, the politicians are way too entrenched to ever give up any power, so that's not going to happen.

If you cannot attract employees with cash, try another option -- give the damn teachers some authority. Change their working conditions so THEY are in charge of the classroom, not the children.

Allow teachers to dictate what will happen in the classroom. Allow teachers to throw children out of the classroom when they are disruptive. Don't send convicted felonious sex offenders into the classrooms with the teachers. Allow teachers to arm themselves against the gangs and violence. EXPEL students who are involved in felonious assaults and gang wars on school grounds.

But then, you'd have to get rid of students who won't learn -- and that would reduce the federal funding -- so that's not going to happen, either.

So what's the solution? Take your own children and get them out of the government school system and let it collapse under it's own weight.

Posted by: Ogre at 10:05 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 318 words, total size 2 kb.

It's just freedom of speech, right?

Your right to free speech ends when you require me, at gunpoint, to pay for it. Government has NO business in education.

Update: The anti-American bastard is no longer taking my money. Good riddance.

Posted by: Ogre at 07:28 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 44 words, total size 1 kb.

Once again, we see the same claims of free speech being screamed while tax dollars are being used to support the enemy and to encourage sedition. Yet again there's a college "teacher" who is being paid with my tax dollars and he wants all American troops to murder other American troops.

See, this is yet ANOTHER reason that government shouldn't be involved in education. This is MY tax dollars at work. Yes, you have the right to freedom of speech, but you do NOT have the right to have me PAY YOU for a platform for your freedom of speech.

And if government got out of the education business altogether, this would NOT be an issue at all.

(Linked to Stop the ACLU Open Trackbacks).

Posted by: Ogre at 01:03 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 133 words, total size 1 kb.

Some people continue to point out the obvious, that state-run institutions of "higher education" are crammed full of super-ultra-liberals who support communism, socialism, and various other philosophies that abhor freedom, capitalism, and Christianity.

And if you point out those facts, YOU are the one bringing politics into the classroom, according to Judith Wegner, not surprisingly, the chairwoman of the faculty at UNC with a clear vested interest in keeping herself and her friends in place, no matter how much they might hate freedom and America.

She is defending people like UNC English lecturer Elyse Crystall who emailed all her students in her classes to attack one of her students who didn't think gays should be celebrated and have special rights -- no free speech for you in Elyse Crystall's classes.

She defends people like Steven E. Jones from BYU, loony extraordinaire, who thinks that there were no Muslims or terrorists involved in the 9-11 attack on America.

Other, more sane people, want there to be some balance. They don't want people hired to higher education positions based on their politics -- but people like Judith Wegner do not like the idea that people can be free, so she supports continuing the policy of specifically hiring only those who have the correct political beliefs.

A bill was introduced in the NC Legislature last year to give students the actual right to disagree with professors -- and the Democrats promptly crushed it to ensure that no freedom of speech, nor even thought, would be allowed in the schools of North Carolina.

Explain to me again why government needs to be involved in education at all? The entire state university funding system should be completely shut down. Let private industry handle education -- they can do everything else better than government -- and then this would not be an issue, nor a HUGE financial expenditure.

Posted by: Ogre at 06:04 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 318 words, total size 2 kb.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, also well-known as the Berkley of the East, has revealed that slavery existed in the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Apparently no one knew about that before today.

"This university was built by slaves and free blacks," said Chancellor James Moeser. "We need to be candid about that, acknowledge their contributions."

Far down in the news story, we find out the real purpose for this:

Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree. But he believes those found to have had links to slavery should pay reparations.

Once again, it is NOT charity; it is NOT good, nice, or honorable, to TAKE money from one person and GIVE it to another. Explain to me again why in the hell education can only exist with government running it? Oh yeah, because people who were accountable wouldn't consider such moronic ideas.

Posted by: Ogre at 05:09 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 250 words, total size 2 kb.

Christians are now persona non gratis in the University of California school system. The state of California is now officially, according to the University system, a state sponsor of the naturalist religion and no other religions will be tolerated or allowed in the University system.

In related news, the United States Air Force agrees to punish Christians as well.

The University system is now rejecting any course that has been taught by any private, home, or religious school that contains any reference to creationism or intelligent design; or even any that actually mention that FACT that Darwin's theory of evolution is actually a theory.

They are also rejecting any history course that mentions Christians, including a course called "ChristianityÂ’s Influence on American History," even if the courses are actually based on facts. Since the course NAME contains the word "Christian," it is verboten in the California University system.

This is what happens when the government gets too involved in the education system. The STATE has no business, indeed NO need, even no real reason to be in the business of education. The state does not need state schools. The entire state university system should be scrapped -- private institutions will very quickly and easily take their place.

Unfortunately, there are too many with vested interests in the state-run education system for reason to enter into the system. Watch this case closely, as it will likely reach the Supreme Court (after getting through the morons on the 9th circuit court), and could have a very far-reaching impact on ALL education and religion in this country.

(Hat tip to Cross Blogging).

Posted by: Ogre at 07:28 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 279 words, total size 2 kb.

Nice story out of Texas today. It seems a Marine was told he had to pay a fine for being in the Marines. He was denied in-state tuition from a community college because he had spent years in Iraq. He has current and active bank accounts in Texas; a voter registration, and a TX driver's license -- but no in-state tuition, so the Community College doesn't consider him a resident.

Here's a tip for you, Carl Basham: tell them you're from Mexico. If that doesn't work, you're free to come to North Carolina and tell the community college here you're from Mexico -- that gets you "in-state" tuition rates in this state.

Posted by: Ogre at 04:43 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 124 words, total size 1 kb.

Yesterday I responded to a question from the Christian Views Symposium regarding intelligent design and schools. In the comments to that post, and on his own blog, Pixy Misa said:

ID simply isn't a theory in scientific terms. Evolution is. We can perform experiments in evolution, but in the main it is observational, like astronomy. It's still science

Posted by: Ogre at 08:01 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 906 words, total size 6 kb.

1 Great job! I'd love to see a heated debate between you and Rightwingnuthouse. But I have one question, without evolution how do you explain Ogres.

Posted by: Jay at August 11, 2005 09:23 AM (2FcUc)

2 So, um, where is the evidence for ID? Your attack on evolution was decent but you didn't make a single statement to support any other theroy. Couldn't we take your arguement and conclude just about anything? "Evolution doesn't add up so life must always have been here" "there isn't enough evidence for evolution so Vishnu danced us into existance"

Posted by: clark at August 11, 2005 09:55 AM (hJ+03)

3 Jay, Ogres don't have to explain Ogres... And Clark, I haven't gone into evidence for intelligent design in this post (I figured it was already too long for many people to read it). There is evidence for ID, including the idea of irreducible complexity, information theory, and a few others. I'll put all them in another post if you're interested (actually, I'll probably do it even if you're not interested, just because you asked.) Thanks for stopping by!

Posted by: Ogre at August 11, 2005 10:01 AM (/k+l4)

4 Clark has a good comment. A deity creating everything ex nihilo can be used to explain anything. If everything's perfect, that's the way the deity created them. If everything's flawed (and men have nipples for no reason), that's the way the deity created them (or is that Satan's doing?) If fossils of homo erectus exist, the deity created the Earth with fossils in it. There's a problem with a theory if two entirely different and contradictory sets of observations lead to the same conclusion. This is essentially the same thing as saying that observation's don't matter.

Posted by: Karlo at August 11, 2005 12:20 PM (HoLw7)

5 I haven't listed the evidence for intelligent design yet, Karlo. I've just shown that evolution is a religion based on deeply-held religious beliefs and is simply not a valid scientific theory that can be supported with any evidence that has been observed. I'll get to the evidence for ID -- I'd like to get it up tomorrow, but it might not make it up until Saturday or Monday.

Posted by: Ogre at August 11, 2005 12:37 PM (/k+l4)

6 Back in February I posted on ID, not so much toward the evolution of man; rather on the aspects of celestial objects in the cosmos having been the result of ID. http://tfsternsrantings.blogspot.com/2005/02/intelligent-design-or-coincidence_26.html

Posted by: TF Stern at August 11, 2005 01:49 PM (dz3wA)

7 Good stuff there, TF! Good stuff with excellent links and supporting. I've got some reading to do!

Posted by: Ogre at August 11, 2005 02:41 PM (L0IGK)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory is the perfect example of what is termed a "RINO" (Republican in Name Only). Each year he runs on the Republican ticket, and he gets the votes of the Republicans. Every year he votes and works for the Democrats, so he gets the votes of the Democrats. He has been mayor of Charlotte since 1995, and he is running again this year, basically unopposed.

As of the writing of this article, his web site does not have any information. However, I heard a clip of his announcement on the radio. He claims he's working to expand light rail (liberal plan), reduce crime (not possible with Democrats on the city council), and tell our children what is acceptable in a polite society (liberal plan).

Well, Mayor (who has absolutely no say or control regarding the schools, that's for the school board) McCrory -- you want to know what's wrong with our schools? How about them encouraging cheating and then insisting that nothing is wrong with it? more...

Posted by: Ogre at 05:03 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 569 words, total size 4 kb.