Friday, June 03, 2005
Right Tom, Wrong Tom
Tom McClintock is so very right on many issues. Click on the link above to read some of his screeds, several of which I support. His latest against SB 50 is right on target when it comes to the issue of issuing a drivers license to an illegal immigrant in California.
However, his post listed just below it (as it appeared in the Orange County Register) on education is down right asinine. I will comment on only one portion of it since I have no desire to waste any more of my valuable time on silliness. McClintock writes:
"Across California, children are bringing home notes warning of dire consequences if Gov. Schwarzenegger's scorched earth budget is approved - a budget that slashes Proposition 98 public school spending from $42.2 billion this year all the way down to $44.7 billion next year. That should be proof enough that our math programs are suffering."
The implication that teachers or schools are sending home such notes is news to me. Maybe it is true, but I doubt it is being done statewide. McClintock offers no evidenced to support his claim.
But, more importantly, his budget "math" is ludicrous!
The governor is claiming that he can underfund the school budget two years in a row even though he is proposing more money this than last year.
Try that one with your creditors!
You (=Arnold): Gee, I owe you 100 dollars a month, but you want 120; I don't want to pay 120 now, but how about in a year's time I pay you the 120 a month plus the extra money I owe you?
Lendor (=education): Gee, we know you've had it tough; okay.
ONE YEAR LATER
You: Screw you! I am only going to pay you 110 dollars a month and you can forget about what I didn't pay last year! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Lendor: That's not right! I'll fight you on this!
You: Fine! I'll just change the rules!
Why should you complain? Afterall, you are getting 10 bucks more a month than you did last year!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
However, his post listed just below it (as it appeared in the Orange County Register) on education is down right asinine. I will comment on only one portion of it since I have no desire to waste any more of my valuable time on silliness. McClintock writes:
"Across California, children are bringing home notes warning of dire consequences if Gov. Schwarzenegger's scorched earth budget is approved - a budget that slashes Proposition 98 public school spending from $42.2 billion this year all the way down to $44.7 billion next year. That should be proof enough that our math programs are suffering."
The implication that teachers or schools are sending home such notes is news to me. Maybe it is true, but I doubt it is being done statewide. McClintock offers no evidenced to support his claim.
But, more importantly, his budget "math" is ludicrous!
The governor is claiming that he can underfund the school budget two years in a row even though he is proposing more money this than last year.
Try that one with your creditors!
You (=Arnold): Gee, I owe you 100 dollars a month, but you want 120; I don't want to pay 120 now, but how about in a year's time I pay you the 120 a month plus the extra money I owe you?
Lendor (=education): Gee, we know you've had it tough; okay.
ONE YEAR LATER
You: Screw you! I am only going to pay you 110 dollars a month and you can forget about what I didn't pay last year! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Lendor: That's not right! I'll fight you on this!
You: Fine! I'll just change the rules!
Why should you complain? Afterall, you are getting 10 bucks more a month than you did last year!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Comments:
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Disagree with you on this one buddy. First of all, make McClintock accountable for his statement and have him back up his comment about it being a statewide notice. I'm sure he will either put up or shut up.
I don't know if I understand your analogy, but I think your beef is with those who manage the school budget, not the governor. You of course recognize that Gray Davis left us with a disaster and because of that, everyone will have to help. The education budget represents a sizable portion of the total state budget and apparently keeps increasing each year (I presume either above or at the rate of inflation). And yet, I hear that they don't have the basics (schoolbooks). Now if there is a cut and I'm not sure there is, why are schoolbooks the first to go? It doesn't work that way in private industry.
Besides, if you must have the extra $10/month what state services do you want cut? How about roads, building maintenance, utilities, hospitals or maybe politicians salaries & benefits.
I don't know if I understand your analogy, but I think your beef is with those who manage the school budget, not the governor. You of course recognize that Gray Davis left us with a disaster and because of that, everyone will have to help. The education budget represents a sizable portion of the total state budget and apparently keeps increasing each year (I presume either above or at the rate of inflation). And yet, I hear that they don't have the basics (schoolbooks). Now if there is a cut and I'm not sure there is, why are schoolbooks the first to go? It doesn't work that way in private industry.
Besides, if you must have the extra $10/month what state services do you want cut? How about roads, building maintenance, utilities, hospitals or maybe politicians salaries & benefits.
# posted by 
: 4:41 PM
: 4:41 PM
The $10 a month was used to make the math simple and is not indicative of the actual cuts (i.o. the map is not to scale!).
McClintock has consistently argued that the teachers and their unions are somehow responsible for the sad state of affairs in the classroom. The problem lies primarily with uninvolved parents, a general administration system that is top-heavy (something that most union members dislike) and an illegal immigrant population that claims, at a minimum, $2.2 B per year in education costs.
As for the cut or no-cut idea, Proposition 98 set (with some "outs") a minimum that was to be spent on the budget every year. Oddly enough, I voted against Prop 98 and would do so again if given the chance (I generally hate budget initiatives of any kind). The problem with Arnold (and his ardent supporter on this issue, McClintock) is that he promised one thing and is now reneging on the deal. A dishonest politician is no good regardless of his party affiliation.
If you couple is out-and-out lies with his plan to drive more qualified teachers out of the field of public education by making it a far less attractive profession to join by reducing benefits and making tenure difficult to get (two general ideas that make one consider giving up the higher paying jobs of the world for this perceived noble profession), I will guarantee you an education disaster that makes the current system look golden. Teacher's will flee and class sizes will explode.
I'd like to have McClintock's "corporate" classroom as described in his hit-piece. The reality is that I had to buy my own chair, my desk is over 30 years old and falling apart, and I have to purchase many of my office supplies and education materials. NOTHING proposed or enacted by these two comes close to solving those problems let alone the fact that I still have (and will not have next year) enough text books in the classroom for adequate teaching.
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McClintock has consistently argued that the teachers and their unions are somehow responsible for the sad state of affairs in the classroom. The problem lies primarily with uninvolved parents, a general administration system that is top-heavy (something that most union members dislike) and an illegal immigrant population that claims, at a minimum, $2.2 B per year in education costs.
As for the cut or no-cut idea, Proposition 98 set (with some "outs") a minimum that was to be spent on the budget every year. Oddly enough, I voted against Prop 98 and would do so again if given the chance (I generally hate budget initiatives of any kind). The problem with Arnold (and his ardent supporter on this issue, McClintock) is that he promised one thing and is now reneging on the deal. A dishonest politician is no good regardless of his party affiliation.
If you couple is out-and-out lies with his plan to drive more qualified teachers out of the field of public education by making it a far less attractive profession to join by reducing benefits and making tenure difficult to get (two general ideas that make one consider giving up the higher paying jobs of the world for this perceived noble profession), I will guarantee you an education disaster that makes the current system look golden. Teacher's will flee and class sizes will explode.
I'd like to have McClintock's "corporate" classroom as described in his hit-piece. The reality is that I had to buy my own chair, my desk is over 30 years old and falling apart, and I have to purchase many of my office supplies and education materials. NOTHING proposed or enacted by these two comes close to solving those problems let alone the fact that I still have (and will not have next year) enough text books in the classroom for adequate teaching.
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