It’s Two For One Day!

Two rants for the price of one – and, as these are free rants, yours for the taking, today’s double rant is a really great deal!

Rant #1 – The US Attorney Firings

First of all, who cares? I mean, really. Does this story have any effect on you and your life at all? Does anyone in Dubuque care? Or Dallas? Or anywhere else?

As far as I can tell, the only people who care about this whole kerfuffle (Ooo!, great word – see below) are national politicians, reporters and other media maggots, the guys who got fired and the guys who may get the jobs.

The liberals/Democrat politicians see this as another opportunity to stick it to good ole W – and anything they can do to make his life more difficult, they do. The media see this as another opportunity to stick it to good ole W – and anything they can do to make his life more difficult, they do. Hmmm, see any similarity?

The media also sees it as a good way to fill up air time and newspaper inches. Here today, wrapping garbage tomorrow. Or, is it spewing garbage today and wrapping garbage tomorrow?

So, anyway. Some guys who work at the pleasure of the President get fired because he does not like the work they are doing, or because they are not doing what they are told. How is that any different from any regular job in the US today? Anyone of us – unless we have an employment contract – can be fired for cause at any time. But we do not have the Senate after our bosses, so we just lose our jobs.

Quick, everyone! Find some good slimy, stinkin’ thing that your boss did and send it to your Senators demanding an investigation. That will show them all! Ha-ha-ha-ha (maniacal laugh)
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Side Rant

Isn’t “kerfuffle” a great word? (James Taranto at www.opinionjournal.com uses it a lot to describe just this type of bullcrap – like the Valerie Plame kerfuffle.)

The word connotes much ado about nothing, mountains out of molehills, tempests in teapots and so forth.

The word really works for this “scandal”, doesn’t it?

And now back to the show.
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Rant #2 – No Child Left Behind and other Education Boondoggles

The whole premise behind the No Child Left Behind education law that President Bush got passed and enacted is valid – to educate all the children in the US to grade level.

What a great idea! Let’s educate every child in America! Haven’t we been doing that, for free (at least that is what I pay taxes for) for a few years now – like over 200?

So, great concept. But the law of unintended consequences rears its ugly head. Several things about this law were not thought out very well – either by the people who wrote it, or the people in the various states who are implementing it (as I live in Texas and know what this state is doing, I will use it as an example).

All kids (like everyone) are not born equal. I know the US Constitution says they are – but that is in the eyes of the law, not in reality. Not all kids have the ability to do higher level math. Not all kids can write well. Not all kids will go to college.

You know what? Not all kids can even attend public schools and learn. Some kids are disabled or retarded or in some way incapable of benefiting from a public school education.

In Texas, ALL kids must be doing grade level work to have the school get money from the Feds under NCLB. In Texas, ALL kids are assumed to be capable of and aiming for college. That is just ridiculous. Not every kid is going to college. Not every kid wants to go to college. What ever happened to vocational classes like carpentry or auto shop? Someone has to be the plumbers, electricians, and mechanics. Why can’t a kid get a start on that kind of career in high school through vocational education? I know, I know, it makes sense, and since when did anything the government ever do make sense?

So, in Texas, ALL kids must take 4 years of math, science, English and history, and pass state-wide tests in all 4 areas in their Junior year to graduate from high school. Fail one of the standardized tests and – no graduation. Do well in all your course work (get all A's), pass 3 of the 4 state-wide tests with flying colors and – no graduation.

The state wide tests are created by a private company that has a huge contract with the state (and other states – it is Pearson Education, the same company that screwed up last year when grading SAT tests). The company has to prove its worth every year, so they change the tests. The company determines the content of each test based on what their high dollar consultants tell them – consultants who have no idea what goes on in a public school classroom anywhere, let alone in Texas. So, the tests have no correlation to what is actually being taught to the kids.

So, guess what the Texas school systems are doing so they get the federal and state money (don’t let anyone tell you its all about the kids - its all about the money). Yup, they are teaching to the test. They are also dumbing down the curricula for these classes because ALL the kids need to pass them, even the kids who have no hope of ever passing.
Remember taking geometry? Did you hate it with a passion? Did you forget as much of it as possible as soon as the last test was taken? Was it the last math course you took? Well, if this is you, join a rather large club that includes 85% (I made up that stat) of all adults in the US with a high school diploma. Revel in the fact that you are in that club, because it has gotten a lot different for kids today – at least if they live in Texas.

Texas high school students now have to take 4 years of math and science (and pass the state-wide tests) to graduate. For math, that means Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and . . what comes after Algebra II? Calculus? Are you kidding me? EVERY KID has to take calculus is he or she wants to graduate? Right now – Yes. I am sure there will be a change, and the 4th math course will be Balancing Your Checkbook I or something actually useful. One can only hope.

The upshot of all this is that since No Child Left Behind was passed, every state is reporting great results to the Feds to get their money, many kids are being left behind, many kids are not graduating (32,000 kids failed the Texas state-wide math test in 2006 – I did not make that stat up), many schools have changed what and how they teach to match the test, and cheating (if what happens in Texas is any indication) has increased dramatically, with the teachers helping the kids cheat!

Nice system, wouldn’t you say?