Opinion: Obama provokes public school backlash
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
President Obama’s jobs bill includes a win-win-win plan, write Steve English and Mary Filardo in Wednesday’s Op-Ed pages. By putting school repair at the top of the priorities list, the country can provide jobs to construction workers while improving learning environments for students. It’s not just investing in the now but also in our future.
But, of course, there’s a resistance in our country among people who resent their tax dollars going to public schools. They shouldn’t have to pay for something they don’t use, they say. The simple notion that educated children grow up into skilled workers and productive citizens, which ultimately benefits us all, isn’t so much as a blip on their radar.
Here, from our discussion board, is a snapshot of the resistance, as well comments that touch on other perceived flaws in Obama’s plan.
Paying for public schools: A parent’s responsibility
Students’ parents need to begin picking up the tab for their kids’ education. The era of a ‘free’ education are coming to a rapid close. We taxpayers no longer can afford to fund others’ largesse. Parents have to pay their ‘fair share.’
--ConservativeAmerican
Failed socialist nonsense
Yeah, sure. We’re bankrupt, but let’s keep lining the pockets of the public employee unions. More of the same, already failed, socialist nonsense.
--MarcinSoCal
Fix schools by investing in the private sector
This is so irritating. No it will NOT spur the economy. What it will do is inject taxpayer money (money TAKEN from other private sector citizens who are suffering) and give it to government union workers...those who least need it.
If you want schools repaired this is what you do: SUPPORT the private sector so they will HIRE and thus will create more workers who will, in turn, create more revenue for schools. Supporting the private sector means less taxes, less burdens, more true and sincere support for them, give them the certainty that they need. When that gets underway you will have your funds for better schools. And it will not be temporary but permanent.
--Soliel
Forget schools, support oil
The Federal Government should get out of the business of giving money to our local schools. Our property tax dollars is supposed to pay for our local schools. Not this monster from a far far away land called Washington. And I resent those who paint the oil company’s as the evil one. Oil companies hire lots of employees and create R&D company’s.
One more thing. President Obama said he wanted to ‘fundamentally change America’. If you think about that statement, it should scare you to death. Our Nation was fundamentally founded on things like the US Constitution, sanctity of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, private property rights.... Now we have more people unemployed, more people on the welfare system, more people collecting food stamps (EBT), and more people in the poverty level.
This is the hope and change you democrats voted for.
--ELADAVE
It will take a lot more to fix our education system
Repairing the physical plant of the schools will not improve education if we leave the instruction to ill prepared, unmotivated, union protected, ineffective teachers.
Education will improve if educators abandon the fifty years of failed social engineering; the singular focus on preparing students for college instead of preparing them for success in the real world, and values based education replaces secular psycho-babble; and self-sufficiency replaces the group benefit model.
California was golden when teachers were in the classroom to teach reading, writing, math, history, and civics. Now we have teachers who want to teach ethnic studies, moral relativism, and self-esteem.
I’ve employed more than my fair share of public educated empty heads.
No building program will fix what is wrong with our education system.
--TeresaTrujillo
RELATED:
Identifying the job killers [The conversation]
A call for accuracy in evaluating school progress
The contempt for teachers extends to Matt Damon
L.A. schools: When your enemy reaches out, reach back