Letters to the Editor for Monday, July 14, 2008
Advertisement
Text size: small | medium | large
Published: July 13, 2008
Politics determines our energy policies
There is one point of agreement running through the recent letters to editor about the energy crisis: The forces that control our energy needs most are political.
Click to sendAgreed, we as a country need to explore alternative energy sources. However, many of these are cost prohibitive and will yield little impact for two or three decades. As one senator noted, “If it takes 10 years for any new drilling to produce results, we had better get started now.” The government statistics referencing this 10-year window include many assumptions and apply only to ANWR. This does not consider offshore drilling that would produce results sooner. If this country engaged the private sector in a Manhattan Project style of oil production and alternative energy research, I guarantee we would see rapid results.
The problems facing us are government bureaucracy, the environmentalists and, of course, the fact that it’s an election year. No politician, especially the Democrats, would risk losing any votes and support drilling. To the astute politician, it is not a matter of doing what is right for the country or economy, it’s all about getting elected.
Consider Brazil. During the first energy crisis of the 1970s, they embarked on a plan to become energy independent. Guess what? Today, they are, according to an Aug. 20, 2006 article in The Washington Post. What has the United States done? Nothing. No administration or Congress has enacted any credible energy policy to benefit the country. When President Bush proposed issuing an executive order to drill offshore, he should have made it more believable by rescinding his father’s executive order prohibiting offshore exploration back in 1993.
Neither party offers a sound solution. If you believe government will take care of you, sit back and do nothing. Many politicians will thank you for empowering them all the more.
So what is the solution? Look in the mirror: We are a large part of it! As Jon W. Brady’s letter to the editor indicated, contact your congressman and urge them to start drilling and don’t forget to go to http://www.AmericanSolutions.com to sign the “Drill Here, Drill Now” petition.
R.A. BENNETT
Madison Heights
Watch the interviews
I fully understand Councilman Jeff Helgeson’s comment “watch the interviews” in response to a question as to why he did not vote to reappoint Tom Webb to the School Board.
Everyone should watch those interviews.
It is unbelievable to me that council would appoint Mr. Webb instead of any of the obviously qualified and clear-thinking applicants with innovative suggestions for improving the school system and saving money for the taxpayers as well as instilling self esteem in the students. Mr. Webb’s answer when asked why he wanted a position on the board was “I love children.”
Well, for Mr. Webb’s information, most of us do love children but, as any good parent knows, loving them is not enough. You need to teach them well and lead them in the right direction especially when they make mistakes. Almost every child has difficulty in his formative years. Coming on the heels of the School Board’s controversial decision to lower scholastic standards to keep students from dropping out of school, the appointment of Mr. Webb is particularly hard to take.
I urge everyone to watch the school board meetings on television in order to get an understanding of what is going on.
ROBIN WILLIAMS
Lynchburg
Post a Comment
The commenting period has ended or commenting has been deactivated for this article.
Can't find what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
Reader Reactions
Posted by ( JacksonPollock ) on July 20, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Cosmo. I applaud you for your wherewithal to achieve success as your own boss answerable to no one but those with whom you do business. My father did that, and I know of hard times and good times. That is, perhaps, the reason I went into a profession where there is a contract, and I know what I will earn each month.
I left public education nearly 30 years ago and am no longer paid by the taxpayers. At the university level, we do have tenure, but there is a post tenure evaluation that allows tenure to be revoked; there have been incidents of this at my university when a professor wanders into the wrong classroom to teach day after day, not willing to admit that he is “losing it.“
As with your profession, I assume, there are daily challenges, and with the NCLB education, we at the university have greater challenges trying to remedy that which, not the public or private school teachers, but the system has given us.
I will concede to you (sheesh, that is something I have never heard Bush say) that your comment on the greatness of public education is NOT the same as saying “in my day.“ However, as the father of two successful daughters, I am glad that they were afforded the same education at the universities that would not have been afforded them “in my day.“ The same joy also comes forth when I think that our next President, an African-American, was afforded an equal education. If the “greatness” of our education system has suffered, it is still better off by providing females and minorities more opportunities to reach their American dreams.
We shall agree to disagree in some areas, as you mentioned above, but I respect and appreciate your learned and thought provoking comments. Peace.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Cosmo Wafflefoot ) on July 20, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Jackson, you and I are just going to have to vehmently disagree about a lot of this stuff. If, in your mind, my saying that at one time America’s Public Education system was the envy of the world equates to an old man’s bluster that, “In my day…“ So be it. I assure you I was thinking no such thing. By “my day” things had long been in decline. I will now be happy to settle your curiosity as to when I was last in a classroom. A tad over a year ago. I was a guest lecturer. My youngest left Public School 13 years ago, my oldest 21 years ago. I have grandchildren entering with great trepidation. Happy now? Now it’s my turn. When have you left? Have you ever not had a guaranteed paycheck? How much time have you spent out front? Our life experiences seem to be polar opposites. I have never worked for anyone but myself. It appears to be a family trait that spans many generations, but no “family” business. As a consequence I have never known a day where anything was guaranteed or where I was not 100% responsible for everything. Perhaps that’s why [your post:]..“Teachers HAVE to spend time teaching students how to take a test or the government will withhold funding”, made me take pause. Frankly Jackson, the thought of a fifth grader telling a teacher to go “F” themselves, with impunity, because “The Government” calls it “your job” and “the law” brings to mind a school of limp jellyfish, spinelessly dependant upon the current year after year. No thanks Jackson. I would starve first. In my world without discipline self discipline has no soil in which to grow. Never in human history have children not been taught respect for their elders and those in authority. I won’t join this experiment of yours. No amount of government funding could force me to. I would be pressed to find honest work elsewhere. You know, I have heard countless men tell me, with a grin on their face, the story of the day they REALLY screwed up and REALLY got their ass kicked. Be it at the hands of a parent, gym teacher (a favorite in my time), military instructor (Oh Boy), neighbor or stranger…. the story always ends the same. It was the day that made them. They almost always add that they sure were glad their Mom or Dad didn’t get wind of it or things would have been much worse. You are of course more than free to inhabit your post 1969 Brave New World. Good luck to you. You are right, I have really never been there. So I don’t really know. For me it might as well be the moon. Like the moon it lacks the necessary ingredients for my survival. An Alien domain, if you will, where I don’t speak the language. [Peace]... If you have time to read, I would recommend very highly..“Our Culture, What’s Left of It” and also…“Life At The Bottom”... Both by Theodore Dalrymple
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( JacksonPollock ) on July 19, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Grandma. One final, final comment regarding your comments. A school building is not Guantanamo. Unlike you or any other American who would be deemed a terrorist threat and hauled off to Git-mo and stripped of your Constitutional rights, the schools have to work within the law.
In 1969 things did change in schools with more litigation as the result of the Tinker v. Des Moines decision by the Supreme Count stating that a “students doesn’t lose his Constitutional rights at the school house gate.“ That decision had great impact upon discipline in the schools and, I think, for the better. Spankings and cruel punishment ceased, to a degree, though those uncivilized forms of punishment are creeping back into school systems and some states allow spankings under strict rules. A principal can’t just take the word of one student over another unless there are witnesses, for better or worse. Shalom.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( JacksonPollock ) on July 19, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Grandma. Get on your spectacles and put on your thinking cap. I wrote: “A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO I completed an oral history project relating to a textile mill community. During that time I had access to the archives of THE, THEN, 75 YEAR HISTORY of the company that built that community for the the mill workers.“ The editorial was out of a newspaper dated 1918.
Cosmo. You write: “not too long ago our public schools were the envy of the world.“ That, my friend, is an implication that “things are no longer done the way they were done in my day.� My point is that with socio-economic factors, teachers and administrators are doing the best they can and, I think, a hell of a good job with the burden of the “education idiot” in the White House’s NCLB program. My posts in the past don’t blame the teachers or the school systems, but the man who wanted to be known as the “education President.“ For someone who opposes government mandates, W sure did jump on the wagon to try to kill public education. Many of the students I have worked with over the past 4-5 years have difficulty with critical thinking, but they sure as hell know how to take a test (objective part but not discussion). Teachers HAVE to spend time teaching students how to take a test or the government will withhold funding; more time needs to be spent on critical thinking and such skills.
Again, I ask, Cosmo. When was the last time you were in the classroom? If teachers could in some way circumvent the NCLB mandates and teach again, things would certainly be better.
And back to you Grandma. You write: “After the depression, especially during WWII, education was at its best.“ My question to you is for whom? During that time women and minorities were not offered the same educational opportunities as white males. Even if a woman or minority got a good education, it was useless in the society at the time. Education has been at its best, for the nation, since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and more opportunities afforded women (including Title IX).
Education has suffered over the past few years because the Bush administration has succeeded in breaking public education like everything else in our country. But, those who want a good education are still afforded one in the public schools.
I taught in the public schools in the 70s and was told by adults/parents that “this generation isn’t getting the kind of education we had and education isn’t like it was when I was child.“ Now, over 30 years later, I hear those former students of mine from 70s saying the same thing about the schools of today. Criticizing education is a generational past time that, like much uninformed criticism, is often unfounded and just a way for a generation to celebrate the image, in their ancient minds, of a better time. Peace.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Cosmo Wafflefoot ) on July 19, 2008 at 4:04 pm
(Grandma)... My take on education is, perhaps, a tad more radical. I think “NCLB” is ridiculous. As ridiculous as No explorer left behind would be in attempting to climb Everest or No Settler left behind would have been in the settling and opening up of the western USA. In the school house it’s no better than training seals to bark the right answer on command. It’s “training” not education. What percentage jumps through the right hoop on command. But, that’s not my big beef. It’s the unmitigated audacity of people with “education” degrees who believe they should rightfully be social engineers. “High Self-Esteem” for EVERYBODY! “Shame” and “disgrace” REMOVED from the modern dictionary! NO spelling bees, NO valedictorian, NO separating students by innate ability, NO reward, what so ever, for success unless it involves kicking or catching a stupid ball. The mind numbing reality of it all is laughable. We live in a society that almost worships success and claims to be capitalist. Yet, we place our children’s care and education in the hands of people who’s mission, it appears to be, is to remove any and all incentive for greatness. I wear many hats. One of them is “employer”. What I see emerging from Public Schools is deplorable. Today’s crop makes the self indulgent Baby Boomers look like Rhodes’ scholars! At EVERY opportunity I hire foreigners. They know what competition is. They were never guaranteed the right to feel great about themselves… so they are far more likely to strive for it and are still capable of feeling shame, remorse and obligation. I fully understand why American corporations seek to manufacture OUT of America. I don’t blame them one bit. Wish I could! Have you ever had a 22 year old, who you have fired, come back with a note from his “Mom”? In my opinion, what these so called “educators” are doing to the children of America borders on the criminal. Our middle class will disappear. But, with the help of “educators” and fists full of drugs (it’s a chemical imbalance you see) people will continue to feel real good about themselves. It’s their right you know.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Grandma ) on July 18, 2008 at 4:06 pm
To wrap it up: First of all, 75 years ago was during the depression. After the depression, especially during WWII, education was at its best. That generation is what created what the baby-boomers benefited from, however, whose children destroyed by being allowed to develop their “me first” mentality. That’s when the schools began their decline. That and the “look the other way” mentality of school administration, i.e. drugs, discipline, etc. Too much emphasis on sports. I truly feel,however, that the “No Child Left Behind Act” is going to work. The teachers who complain about it are the teachers who weren’t excited about teaching and are now held accountable. If we could only get a School Board that stops allowing all the frills and concentrates on academics.
Cosmo has it correct. He should add to his list, private and parochial schools that police themselves. And no tenure.
I volunteered in schools for many years so I experienced the decline. One small incident, I went to the school office and reported seeing a student smoking pot right in front of a school window. Nothing was done. My daughter saw a drug deal and, as they were instructed to do, reported it. That evening, the principal called me and said, “Your daughter was wrong”. Needliess to say, as much of a rule-follower as she was, she didn’t report anything again even though she saw it happen - a lot. By the way, the boy she reported ended up in Federal Prison three years after that - for drug dealing. Schools concerned about the kids? Tell me more.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Cosmo Wafflefoot ) on July 18, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Just for my own curiosity Jackson, do you know Martha well? You post “of the many teachers like Martha”, so I assume you must know her work well. Or is it her position that kids who are failing should play more sports that has so captured your imagination? I would appreciate it if you could point me to where I posted…“things are no longer done the way they were done in my day.“ I would love to read that.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Cosmo Wafflefoot ) on July 18, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Excuse me! (JacksonPollock) How many times have we heard you complain about the sorry state of those entering college? Have we not read your posts complaining about the very same things, (lowered standards, lack of discipline)? Is someone else using your name here? A) I didn’t start the comparison of /Teachers to Engineers/ The Coach did! B) Correct me if I am wrong, but, not too long ago our public schools were the envy of the world. Are you taking the position that nothing has changed? Is it those pesky “meaningless assessment tools” again? So, because of a 1918 Editorial in a company newspaper you conclude that all is well today? Nothing has changed for the worse? I employ people Jackson. A LOT has changed! [google: a book titled…“The Dumbest Generation”... then get back to me.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( JacksonPollock ) on July 18, 2008 at 10:37 am
Cosmo. Engineers/Teachers. Apples/Oranges. You are losing it, my friend. One works with objects that are easily malleable; the other works with minds that are not so easily malleable. One cannot measure the true success of a school system based upon the drop-out rate and the NCLB “success” criteria. Socio-economic factors are at play with the drop-out rate and the NCLB was established by the Bush administration for public schools to fail.
How many years has it been since you were in a public school classroom, even as an observer? You have no idea what goes on in the classrooms, do you? My younger daughter graduated in 2001, and she and her older sister (1998) got one hell of a good education in the public schools because they had teachers like Martha who are professionals and care about the children (they also had a few who were slackards and “paycheck professionals,“ as well, but they were few).
A number of years ago I completed an oral history project relating to a textile mill community. During that time I had access to the archives of the, then, 75 year history of the company that built that community for the the mill workers. In one of the documents, the company newspaper, I read an editorial lambasting the education of the children in the community. The editorial talked about how the children were not being challenged and that the up-coming generation would amount to no good and would be in-capable of leading our nation. The editorial was written in 1918, and the writer was talking about my parents’ generation and the generation that became known as the “Greatest Generation.“
Each generation has those like you, Cosmo, who tend to complain that things are no longer done the way they were done “in my day.“ Those who look at meaningless assessment tools and conclude that things are not going well. There are problems in the schools today just like there were problems in the schools 90 years ago, but they are different problems being handled by the new professional teachers and administrators. The children are getting educated in the public schools because of the many teachers like Martha. The next generation will do just fine. Peace.
Report Inappropriate Comment
Posted by ( Cosmo Wafflefoot ) on July 18, 2008 at 6:35 am
Dear “tha”...( take my next door neighbor AREVA engineer guy), no, you take him. Then, ask him if his job is guaranteed. Ask him if his work is “measured” and if his future depends upon his performance and successful competition with other engineers. While you are at it ask him what would happen to his job and pay if every year what AREVA turned out got worse and worse. Ask him what would happen if 37% of the work AREVA started never got finished. You could also enquire if AREVA has a program for failing engineers that encourages them to “play more”. No need to respond “tha”... we all know the answer. Some of us just can’t face it.
Report Inappropriate Comment