Frequent reader and commenter, Marcel, took exception to my post calling residents of Cobb County "bozos" and made some valid points that I would like to address and expand on.
Perhaps we "bozos" in Cobb county believe that people are best governed at the most local level. Perhaps the "stickers" represent the will of the people of the county. Perhaps those who disagree, but live elsewhere should examine the consistency of their opinions. Really. I'm forever dismayed by those who talk the talk of limited government, local goverment, libertarianism, etc. who then find issues with which they disagree, and immediately become champions of judicial intervention or Federal Goverment involvment. They are OUR children, dammit. WE chose Cobb county for a reason. Until we have VOUCHERS in place, we will continue to try to shape the education of OUR children, and we will happily leave YOUR children alone to be educated in whatever manner YOUR local elected school boards see fit. What's so difficult about that?
As so happens at times like this I find that we are in more agreement than the commenter thinks.
First off, I thought Marcel lived in Sandy Springs or Roswell which is Fulton County.
But he's right. I do believe in limited gummint and local control of schools. By bozos I'm referring to two groups of people:
1. The local school board who came up with the idea of the dislaimer stickers on the science books. They are implying that "intelligent design" which is code for creationism (Y'know, I'm sick of these code words like "pro life" for anti-abortion, "pro choice" for pro abortion, and "diversity" for affirmitive action and hiring quotas.) is a valid scientific theory. In my opinion it is not. It is biblical which entails teaching religion in a public school.
2. The bozos who took this case to court. I agree with Marcel that the local school board is within their rights to implement this ridiculous policy and I am tired of people who cannot get their way running to court like that asshole Michael Newdow. You don't like the policy? Fine. Make it an election issue and vote in your own school board.
Hey Cobb County! The entire country is laughing at you.
Let's now go back to me advocating federal gummint intervention. It is my "opinion" that Cobb County is acting like a bunch of fundos. That is their right. I do not advocate judicial or federal intervention.
My ideas on education?
1. Abolish the Department of Education. Abolish the Department of Agriculture also, but that's a post for another day. The federal gummint should not be in the education business.
2. Take the money spent on the Department of Education and block grant it to the states. Let the states distribute it to local schools. Let the states start voucher programs and not the federal gummint. If the schools suck in Alabama, Georgia, or any other state it is the state's problem. The state should fix it. Companies and workers will go to where the good schools are.
3. Repeal the No Child Left Behind Act. Any law written by Ted Kennedy should be automatically repealed.
4. Let the local school boards decide the curriculum. If they want to teach that the earth is flat, let them. People will vote in school boards of their choice or vote with their feet and move to where the schools are better. See above about companies moving to where there are good schools.
I am consistent in my beliefs. I do not advocate judicial intervention or federal gummint intervention.
I still think the people of Cobb County are bozos, but that's just my opinion. Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one.
I'm no exception but as my colonoscopy showed, I've got a healthy asshole.
If only I had been an IBM manager I would have not needed a colonoscopy. With my head up my ass most of the time I could have checked myself for polyps.
Get rid of the DoE and DoA, certainly, but don't settle for the feds giving the money back to the states. Instead, insist that the Feds must lower the taxes now that they're not in the game. Let the State raise their taxes to recoup the money.
Whenever the Feds get to tax us for the sole purpose of giving it back they just LOVE to force our State governments to abide by their rules. We have to play by a book that we don't agree with to get our own money back.
Thats bullshit of the highest order. I'd imagine you agree.
Posted by: Justin Buist on January 22, 2005 03:22 PMWhen counties have controle of the schools, all the money goes for high school football. That, my friend, is a fact.
Posted by: xeroxchick on January 22, 2005 05:06 PMXeroxchick - Then those schools will suck and smart people will put their children into schools that don't put all their money into football. I went to a school that didn't. The fact is that the more the federal gummint has tried to improve education the worse the problem has become. That, my friend is a fact.
Posted by: denny on January 22, 2005 05:18 PM