tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post8370327424471318509..comments2024-03-25T07:29:08.216-04:00Comments on 2 Political Junkies: Jack Kelly SundayMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439330154875628083noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-59748640729468824052010-07-22T11:54:38.949-04:002010-07-22T11:54:38.949-04:00Ed your profile states you're an educator....w...Ed your profile states you're an educator....we we're speaking of $$$$..wasting money is relevant to the spending of it...The DOEduc skims 20% of the top,then returns it to the states. Do we need the skim? If there was less waste,then we would have the required money for "teaching materials".Just as we need municipal mergers, we need school district mergers. I was in favor of Pgh school district assuming control over the Duquesne school district.Maybe the affluent in Mt. Lebo don't care;I don't know.rich10ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815670014265733834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-72466973746548331862010-07-21T10:17:59.276-04:002010-07-21T10:17:59.276-04:00Rich, you are responding to my comments and questi...Rich, you are responding to my comments and questions with often unrelated sound bites. I mean, granted, blogs and comments force a fair degree of simplification, but c'mon. 42 school districts may be an impediment to helping students, or it may be a different problem. And I don't think it is "BIG UNION" that does not want consolidation of school districts, it is mostly parents in those school districts. Mt Lebonan's district wants nothing to do with Brentwood or Pittsburgh. <br /><br />Once again, would students benefit from smaller class sizes and better materials?EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-9423255136135347512010-07-20T01:25:26.814-04:002010-07-20T01:25:26.814-04:00The federal Gov't returns roughly 80% of the m...The federal Gov't returns roughly 80% of the money it takes from the states back to the states.So what the other 20% supports is a sprawling federal bureaucracy.Do we need 42 school districts in Allegheny County???School districts are just like any other body that thrives on the taxpayer...ever growing parasites.Who is going fight you the hardest on trying to cut into that number...BIG UNION.Of those 42 school districts many of them are financially distressed and so is the community.And just like in any municipal gov't..there is tons of wasted $$$$. For 50 years we've been throwing BIG $$$$ at poverty..what do we have to show for it....more poverty...and you think throwing more money at education is the way to get better students...rich10ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815670014265733834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-86889134480720669762010-07-19T15:23:48.032-04:002010-07-19T15:23:48.032-04:00Rich, it is certainly a good thing that you have w...Rich, it is certainly a good thing that you have worked on after school, summer lunch and day camp programs. Still, let me ask this, what would teachers in inner city school districts say about school funding (I realize I am slighting rural areas here)? What do employers say about job applicants? Now I am know I am setting myself up for comments about unions and lazy public sector employees, but I still want to assert that basic public education is one of the cornerstones of addressing poverty in America. I think teachers in inner cities would ask for smaller class sizes and better materials (books, etc), all of which require more money. Instead of that, we are telling teachers that their students have to suddenly perform better on standardized tests, or the school the teacher works at will be closed. <br /><br />But I guess I don't understand reality. And I guess your comment directly addressed school funding and why additional funds are *not* needed (because of the myth).EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-61174869070939616732010-07-18T19:01:48.492-04:002010-07-18T19:01:48.492-04:00Get a grip Ed, you're always going over the ed...Get a grip Ed, you're always going over the edge.I have a deep history of working with inner city kids in both football and baseball going back to 1980. I've worked tirelessly with non-profits groups and local gov'ts arranging after school programs, summer lunch programs and day camps.Your thoughtless sarcasm is wasted on me.I've walked the walk...you can't even do a good version of talking the talk....get REAL Edrich10ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815670014265733834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-40168812236172461262010-07-18T16:33:12.012-04:002010-07-18T16:33:12.012-04:00Yes Rich, I am sure it would be better to stop thr...Yes Rich, I am sure it would be better to stop throwing any money to education, kids in the inner city are better off without it. And that would not confirm the worst expectations of poor people. It would not make them think that the rich just want to make poor people more miserable. <br /><br />Maybe you will get your wish, and school funding will be slashed, and you can complain about whole stupid poor people are.EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-45426111592323289102010-07-18T13:18:32.556-04:002010-07-18T13:18:32.556-04:00The entire region also went for hillary clinton in...The entire region also went for hillary clinton in the primary..I voted for OBAMA and he's been a bust....Ed, I have worked in municipal gov't. I have worked alongside school district leaders and educators, the biggest myth out there is to throw more money at education.rich10ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11815670014265733834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-64650694828764096032010-07-18T12:04:57.260-04:002010-07-18T12:04:57.260-04:00Racism has always been complicated, and is still s...Racism has always been complicated, and is still so. Obviously we have moved beyond slavery, and jails and prisons can no longer sell prisoners to corporations as slaves in all but name. But most African Americans are still trapped in poverty, and government is the only reliable entity to address that poverty. But direct aid to tide people over and long term investment like incentives for business to locate near and hire African Americans, and spending to improve urban schools, those are, I believe, the very programs the Tea Party wants to cut. <br /><br />It's not surprising, though, that Kelly went there. All of the counties of Western Pennsylvania except Allegheny went for John McCain. And even in Allegheny County, most of Obama's support I suspect comes from the City and suburbs like Wikinsburg, Penn Hills, Rankin and Braddock. That's why Kelly and the Tea Party feel secure in their innuendo.EdHeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09109361235271107574noreply@blogger.com