Texsox

Should Earth be in caps?

I'm not either, no matter how hot

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 28, 2011 -> 09:36 AM) So while he is clearly not qualified to be a security guard at a ball park, he is qualified to be President of the USA> I'm really not certain what the GOP qualifications are, but I will take your word for it. I kid because I care™

Does this mean he can now concentrate on his Presidential Bid?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 29, 2011 -> 01:09 PM) (nothing) The guy pulling the lever for the other guy. I have met him on two occasions, and both times found him to be a very nice guy, not as plastic as he seems on TV. Once was at a Scouting event and I was impressed by the sincerity he showed. I don't dislike him nearly as much as Kap. But you know us Dems, we have a big tent. I actually applaud his fiscal conservancy, and if I could trust him to continue that at a national level, I probably wouldn't be too upset with him as President. I'd vote for Obama before Perry, but as a second choice, he isn't nearly as bad as Kap makes him out to be. I wonder if the flip flop label will come out?

The last five to ten years it seemed like he was having some anger issues. I'm waiting for the alcoholism defense.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jun 10, 2011 -> 06:54 AM) Google 6/10/11 the search term Perry for President shows about 123,000,000 results. I wish I had been tracking it from six months ago. I feel really bad for Kap. In about 18 months he's going to be telling us why Perry is superior to Obama. He will want to cut off his fingers as he types. I'll be thinking at least that gets him the hell out of Texas. About 143,000,000 results In less than three weeks 20,000,000 more results for Perry for President. That's twenty million. The groundswell is starting.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jun 18, 2011 -> 10:36 AM) you going to volunteer? I'm hoping to have the same role I did for his last Governor campaign.

I believe in second chances. The guy clearly made a mistake, was reprimanded, and will probably never make the same mistake again.

btw, the team is starting to shape up

Google 6/10/11 the search term Perry for President shows about 123,000,000 results. I wish I had been tracking it from six months ago. I feel really bad for Kap. In about 18 months he's going to be telling us why Perry is superior to Obama. He will want to cut off his fingers as he types. I'll be thinking at least that gets him the hell out of Texas.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jun 9, 2011 -> 06:28 PM) Jews do not have a hell. But my point wasn't to attack Christianity, but to point out that this statement doesn't represent some sort of fanatical cult ideology but it a widely held belief in this country. I have philosophical problems with that belief, so I can understand how that could come across. Here's the wiki that describes all sorts of "hells" for various religion. I believe the balance do not envision hell as a place of suffering and punishment for sins, at least eternally. I think Christianity and Islam are pretty unique in that view. Which highlights the differences. If you do not believe in a hell and I believe in one, *and* I think you are going to hell unless you perform some ritual, ceremony, etc. I believe I am doing you a great service by witnessing to you and saving you from hell. You on the other hand, are annoyed because you do not believe in hell, and probably do not believe that even if there was one, that you were going. But despite that, Rick Perry feels your pain, and will risk annoying you so that you will not go to hell. He's a great guy that way. Enjoy.

Texas? Hmm, I wonder if the zero state income tax would be attractive to guys earning multiple seven figures?

We can't tax corporations because they will move jobs out of the area. We can't tax higher earning individuals because they are creating jobs. We can't tax low income individuals because they have no money, and we have to cut taxes on the middle class to get elected. We're f***ed

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 9, 2011 -> 08:44 AM) In that case, advocating for a vocational program is advocating for people to be trained for jobs that don't exist, which would be a "Fail" if that were the true reason. I believe that is only in the manufacturing and agribusiness areas.

I can only offer my opinion as to why. Standardized state mandated testing in core subjects shrinks the available electives. Many of the manufacturing related vocational programs were paths to jobs that no longer exist in the US, so why bother. The people making the decisions are all college educated. The facilities are too expensive to maintain. The programs have inherit physical risks that are absent from desks and books so insurance rates are higher. Society pressure, especially in the STEM area.

Another difference between US schools and other countries is we make an assumption that every kid should go to college. We push them into college prep programs, dress them in college t-shirts, and extol the virtues of a college education. Possibly rightfully, we have eliminated most vocational programs from our schools. Those kids who would be successful and interested in those paths are instead forced like a square peg in a round hole to be taking advanced math and English classes so they can go to college. Other countries continue the child's education, but on a different path.

Durbin's proposal seems fair to me.

And to be fair to parents, most of mine did not go to college, I'll bet less than half graduated from HS. So they have a harder time knowing what to do to help their own kids. But last year I had 105 students in four classes. In my Pre-Ap class, I met 100% of the parents at least once and probably 80% three or more times. In my lowest performing class, only 4 of 26 parents showed up for Open House or Meet the Teacher night. My situation wasn't unique. I wasn't certain which comes first, not interested in talking with the teacher or too many negative calls about their kid. I tried really hard to make every conversation with a parent positive so they would return my phone calls.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 8, 2011 -> 11:18 AM) I can't remember how relative property taxes are factored into it honestly. It wasn't an issue on Michigan City's end (we are fairly low property tax-wise) during the election, so I never thought to research it honestly. The rich schools hate it. Absolutely hate it. I'm waiting to see if it makes a difference in performance or not. We have a "Robin Hood" law that does that in a very small way. Not nearly enough to even things up.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jun 8, 2011 -> 11:06 AM) Is that in their contract already? Im sure teachers want to teach, and I hope/appreciate that they do want to, but many teacher unions would fight (understandably) if their employees had to teach longer than signed upon. From what you've told me at your school, there isn't much else that can be done besides forcing the student to stay after hours, which doesn't sound viable to me. Nope, we just do it because it is the right thing to do. Think when you were in school, how many teachers were still in the building working with students when the bell rang? It's always been that way. Staying after school for extra help is just a fact of life in schools.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jun 8, 2011 -> 11:01 AM) And I know with education reform in Indiana we spend A LOT more in poor communities per student than rich. Nearly 50% more at the extremes. How do they do that? With property taxes being the #1 way states pay for education, it is hard to take local property tax money and move it to poorer communities. 50% is just an amazing number. I'd like to see Texas just come close to spending the same for every kid.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Jun 8, 2011 -> 10:50 AM) And maybe afterschool programs like that for struggling kids may be beneficial, but to make every student go through that seems expensive and actually hurtful. Having programs that force some of these kids to get off the streets and back in the classroom or onto the court/field/etc would be a good idea, imo. The problem is finding the funding to do such a thing, but still, that would be a heck of a lot easier than fighting with teacher unions to increase the number of hours a teacher has to work each week. There isn't a teacher in my school that doesn't tutor after school. Care to guess how many kids we get to stay for tutoring? We even offer a tutoring bus ride to the front door of their home. We have kids failing, whose parents will sign a statement that they are refusing tutoring and if their child fails he will be retained. Then, of course when the kid fails, they blame th school for not teaching the kid. We pull kids out of their electives on our planning periods and conference times for tutoring and the parents (not all) come and complain that we took their child out of PE or music or whatever. There may be some schools where that is the problem, but not any in my experience. Teachers want to teach.

QUOTE (bmags @ Jun 8, 2011 -> 10:38 AM) How should we regulate parenting tex? I'm open to it. BUt I have a problem with being so dismissive of kids who aren't doing well at 12-16 years old at school. Even if they are doing it to themself at that age, I'm not sure how much weight we should put on that, because at that point the child is not going to achieve anything in life. We've seen the charts of unemployment for those without high school employment. Not regulate, but we keep pushing schools to be parents and teach kids everything from sex to filling out an employment application.