ChemEng's Account talk...

[McDuck]

 

[McDuck]

 

[Birchtree]

Don't you remember all the good Farrakhan did with his million man march? Absolutely nothing came of that propaganda machine.

Greg,

Now about that avatar - it rings a bell.

 

[McDuck]

Greg,

Now about that avatar - it rings a bell.

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=183509

 

[McDuck]

 

[ChemEng]

Now you guys are associating him with 2nd order relationships. I also heard that the brother of his long time mailman's sister attending a socialist party meeting in college. Stretching a bit much guys?

And who knew the right were such big Disney fans?

 

[McDuck]

October 09, 2008, 0:00 a.m.

Sen. Status Quo
On education reform, Obama talks a great game.

By Thomas Sowell

What about those “real issues” that Barack Obama’s supporters in the media say we should get back to, whenever some new unsavory fact about his past comes out?

Surely education is a real issue, with American school children consistently scoring below those in other countries, and children in minority communities faring worst of all.

What about Senator Obama’s position on this real issue? As with other issues, he has talked one way and acted the opposite way.

The education situation in Obama’s home base of Chicago is one of the worst in the nation for the children — and one of the best for the unionized teachers.

Fewer than one-third of Chicago’s high-school juniors meet the statewide standards on tests. Only 6 percent of the youngsters who enter Chicago high schools become college graduates by the time they are 25 years old.

The problem is not money: Chicago spends more than $10,000 per student.

Chicago teachers are doing well. A beginning teacher, fresh out of college, earns more than the city’s median income and that can rise to more than $100,000 over the years.

That’s for teaching 6 hours a day, 9 months of the year. Moreover, a teacher’s income is dependent on seniority and other such factors — and in no way dependent on whether their students are actually learning anything.

Obama has said eloquent and lofty words about education, as he has about other things — for example, how it is “unacceptable in a country as wealthy as ours” that some children “are not getting a decent shot at life” because of the failing schools.

In a predominantly black suburb of Chicago, where the average teacher’s salary is $83,000 and one-fourth of the teachers make more than $100,000, Barack Obama noted that the school day ends at 1:30 PM.

In his book, Dreams from My Father, Obama said candidly that black teachers and administrators “defend the status quo with the same skill and vigor as their white counterparts of two decades before.”

It is not a question of Obama’s not knowing. He has demonstrated conclusively that he knows what is going on.

But, for all his eloquent words, he has voted consistently for the teachers’ unions and the status quo.

“I owe those unions,” he has said frankly. “When their leaders call, I do my best to call them back right away. I don’t consider this corrupting in any way.”

Only other politicians’ special interests are called “special interests” by Barack Obama, whose world-class ability to rationalize is his most frightening skill.

Even when he verbally endorses the reform idea of merit pay for teachers, he cleverly re-defines merit so that it will be measured by teachers themselves, rather than by “arbitrary tests.” In other words, Obama placates critics of the educational status quo by being for merit pay in words, while making those words meaningless, so as not to offend the teachers’ unions.

The failings of teachers are only part of the disaster of inner city public schools. Disruptive and violent students can make it impossible for even the best teachers to educate students.

Administrators are reluctant to impose any serious punishment on those students who make it impossible for other students to learn. Partly this is because liberal judges can make it literally a federal case if more minority students are punished than others.

In other words, if black males are punished more often than Asian American females, that can be enough to get the administrators drawn into a legal labyrinth, costing money and time, even if the punishment is eventually upheld.

When a bill was introduced into the Illinois state legislature that would put more teeth into suspensions of misbehaving students, Barack Obama voted against that bill.

A real reformer would want to crack down on both unruly students and unaccountable teachers. A clever politician would speak eloquently, demand “change” — and then vote for the status quo. Obama talks a great game.

— Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.

© 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.

—
COPYRIGHT 2007 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.


National Review Online - http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=M2ZkNWYwMTg5YmM0MGI3ZDQ3ZTY3NjRkMmIzMTEyOWQ=

 

[XL-entLady]

If it's going to be a thread-jack, it might at least reflect something closer to what may possibly be ChemEng's view. Here is a cartoon from the most popular political cartoonist of the reddest state in the nation.

Lady

 

[McDuck]

And who knew the right were such big Disney fans?

You think The Daily Show is the Right ?

 

[McDuck]

blah blah blah

Lady

 

[Birchtree]

I just realized Greg's avatar is from the Lion King.

 

[ChemEng]

Amazing speech by Adam Kokesh. Its only 8 minutes long and worth watching. This guy is a powerful speaker.

 

[McDuck]

Amazing speech by Adam Kokesh. Its only 8 minutes long and worth watching. This guy is a powerful speaker.

Kokesh was demoted to Corporal immediately before being discharged in late 2006 for illegally smuggling a pistol from Iraq back to the United States.



Kokesh is currently a graduate student at George Washington University. In October 2007, Kokesh, along with six other students, created controversy by putting up political posters across the university campus. The posters featured a picture of a stereotypical Arab man and the headline "Hate Muslims? So do we!!!", with illustrative captions explaining that the typical Muslim is equipped with a venom-spouting mouth, laser-shooting eyes, and hidden AK-47:s, among other parodical features. The poster was signed "Students for Conserativo-Fascism Awareness", and encouraged students to visit the right-wing website www.terrorismawareness.org. Kokesh and the six other students publicly admitted to responsibility after the poster was interpreted as Islamophobic. They stated that their intent was to spread awareness through satire, regarding what they considered to be the racist intentions of the above-mentioned website's "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week" organized by a conservative student organization and featuring David Horowitz, which was to begin on October 22.

 

[ChemEng]

Soo... what problem did you have with the speech?

 

[McDuck]

Soo... what problem did you have with the speech?

That he would like for the terrorists to win.

 

[XL-entLady]

That he would like for the terrorists to win.

(ChemEng, I know that Obama isn't your first choice in this election, but the sentiment is the same. )

Lady

 

[McDuck]

(ChemEng, I know that Obama isn't your first choice in this election, but the sentiment is the same. )

Lady

 

[ChemEng]

(ChemEng, I know that Obama isn't your first choice in this election, but the sentiment is the same. )
Lady

My first choice would have been a Republican--Ron Paul. Even more so now given the financial crisis we are in. Obama is just the least wrong candidate in the mix.

 

[Boghie]

Ron Paul or Barrack Obama - Choice too hard???

Wow,

A choice of blowhard Senator Obama or blowhard Senator McCain.

Both of these clowns are financial nincompoops. So is Ron Paul.

One wants to get all Gubmint and get committees together to bail out the economy. Doesn’t know squat about it. Just get a bunch of politicians together and let ‘er fly. A bi-partisan moronothon ‘till the job gets done’!!! And, that is the small government candidate…

The other wants to keep campaigning about Cuban Health Care, or getting out of Iraq, or getting all conflicted about aggressor nations. ‘Call me if I can be of any use’, I am busy over here promising stuff to the little people. I just wished nobody called him.

Uuuuggggghhhhhhh….

I live in the Broke Dick State of California – which will soon demand your financial help for state government subsidies for our ‘Self-Awareness for the Children’ classes or whatever. Regardless, this Mecca of Liberalism requires a family income of over $100,000 to live in a middle class home and own a couple of cars. So, some chap like me and my lovely significant other falls in the top 5% of greedy Americans who must invest in the other 95%. Condo, Honda, and Saturn.

Guess what. I will not willingly pay Senator Obama’s tax increase. I have been paying down my debt (probably a piece of the reason we are in our current economic doldrums) and will simply use legal tax avoidance strategies to pay less in Federal tax than I do now. Over the last eight years I have not played the tax game. Starting January 1, I will. And, my single goal is to send less to the Treasury and the State.

If McCain wins I also expect a tax increase. If that increase is not ‘across the board’ I will not participate. This idiot talks about a government spending freeze – excepting, of course: Social Security, Medicare, DOD, and Veteran’s Affairs. He exempted 70% of the budget. So a bid nada. But, Hope and Dreamer waxed poetic about the investments he would make in insurance or whatever. Folks, the Government IS the biggest holder and insurer of credit. It is also the biggest creditor. Maybe soon, the biggest defaulter!!!

I think I can wait out the ‘Four Year Reign of the Bozo’.

Whichever Bozo wins!!!

 

[ChemEng]

Some more scary discussion on Fox News. The talking heads say that it is possible that if Obama is set to win the election, Bush may preemptively attack Iran to force his hand early in his administration. Also speculates that if McCain is set to win, Bush would not attack Iran to give him the option.

I've said it before and I'll say it here again--Bush preemptively attacking Iran at the end of his term is an absolute worst case scenario for the US.