Matters Of Opinion

Educational Reforms Made Through Stimulus Monies

Thank God the schools are getting more money! This guy should have graduated YEARS ago!

First of all, this is one of those cases where what the writer wrote is worded as good if not better than what I could do, so here’s the first part of the article, direct from the AP line:

“Federal officials on Monday awarded Tennessee and Delaware $600 million in grants to improve failing schools, sending a message to other states hoping to win money: revamp your education laws and get your districts and teachers to sign off.

They are the first two states to win the highly competitive “Race to the Top” grants, a $4.35 billion Obama administration program meant to encourage innovative programs to boost student achievement. Tennessee is getting $500 million and Delaware will receive $100 million.

Both states were lauded for their merit pay policies that link teacher pay to student performance and their charter school laws that are welcoming to the nontraditional education models.”

VERY welcoming, I must say. Giving money to failing schools who are willing to work on their actual substance and education system rather than just buying a crap ton of computers and hoping that they will help is a great first step to reforming the education system.

Tennessee lawmakers passed a new law during a special session in January that requires student achievement data to comprise half of each teacher’s evaluation, a key reform pushed by the Obama administration.

Lawmakers also lifted the state’s cap on the number of charter schools that can open each year and set up a statewide school district specifically for failing schools. They also got the state’s teachers and school districts to sign off on the plan.

“In Delaware, school districts and teachers approved the application, which highlighted the state’s new law allowing educators to be removed from the classroom if they are rated “ineffective” for two to three years.

The state offers financial incentives to top-notch educators willing to work in failing schools and in high-demand subjects. It will also hire coaches to meet with small groups of teachers several times a month to develop lesson plans based on student test data.”

I can’t find anything to complain about here! It sounds to me like this administration is taking their commitment to change the educational system positively seriously, and I’m happy about it. These are all actually conservative ideas that are talked about here, and hopefully these positive steps forward will be hailed as such.

Getting rid of bad teachers is the biggest one. There have been a couple of bad teachers that I have known of in my life at my own high school, and from insiders that I have talked to the biggest problem is working with the teachers unions to remove these teachers before they can cause irreversible damage to students. A combination of loosening the rein of teachers unions and offering merit based pay is a great start to reforming education in America.

And the Bill is Passed…

Well, the other night a health care reform bill was passed through unprecedented means. Sure, Republicans used the reconciliation process in the past (not that it was the right thing to do then, either) but not on something of this magnitude and this utterly changing to our country. The Democrats (and yes, I can say Democrats because not a single Republican voted for this bill) have set a dangerous precedent. What they have said to the American people with the passage of this reform bill is that they don’t care what the polls say or if they have enough votes: they’ll push through whatever they want whenever they want. It’s interesting that the blue dog Democrats were they’re main hurdle, as well, because it shows that even among moderates (no, not just us “CRAZY!” right wingers) this bill was unpopular.

For the first time, Americans are REQUIRED to purchase health care. This is…mind boggleing to me. Sure, if there is any hope to lower premiums, there has to be more people with health care. But the fact doesn’t go away: the government is forcing an American individual to purchase health care whether he/she wants it or not, and that doesn’t sit right with me. In fact, some states have passed laws (the total trying to make this happen is 36) making it legal for them to sue the federal government for forcing the states to in turn force their occupants to purchase health care.

Not to mention the cuts in Medicare and the extra taxes on businesses/wealthy people, and also the compliance costs of this bill!

Now, lets hear a positive, and a little of my own personal recommondations to the Repbublican party with strategy.

I do think it’s good to get rid of (or at least reform) the “pre-existing condition” problem. I know, I know…the insurance companies asses the risk and blah blah blah, but come on. If I lose my job that I work very hard at, and it is found out that I have, say, diabetes (I don’t for the record, but work with me here people) I could be paying out the arse or I could get turned down, and that’s messed up considering we’re the best country on the planet.

As far as what I would do if I was the minority leader? I’d fight this thing tooth and nail until the end (which from what I’ve read the Republicans plan on doing) and then the second we had a majority, BAM! Ten bills in five days of the most outrageous conservative bills I could possibly pass, and ALL through reconciliation. Sure, Obama would veto every last one of them and we probably wouldn’t have the votes to override the veto, but the point would be made regarding how dangerous this form of legislation push is.

Hopefully, the Supreme Court will rule the reconciliation process un-Constitutional and none of this will mean diddly squat anyways. But still, the idea that a party could force something like this un-Godly bill through the way that this Democratic controlled Congress has is frightening and unsettling.

Two Reasons Why The Word “Liberty” Shouldn’t Be Overused

First of all, on this issue, let me put my own thoughts out there. Is it really that big of a deal for a girl to wear a tuxedo to the prom? Especially such a big deal that lawsuits and the canceling of senior prom are what follows? I think not. The school board should have made an amendment to their rules and avoided this whole stupid ordeal.  HOWEVER, those are the rules, and a school board that was elected by the people in that town made the rules. It is NOT a civil liberty to wear a suite to prom. It is NOT a civil liberty to have a prom at ALL! Yet these two so called “liberties” are going to the courts to establish them as so. The ACLU is getting involved, of course (surprise) and today they are scheduled in federal court to force the district to hold the prom. No, I’m not making this up. Your rights include your right to remain silent, your right to bear arms, and your right to a fancy and magical night during prom (in which case I’m filing my law suite, because both of my proms sucked). Now, the adult thing that Constance McMillen could have and in fact should have done is to go ahead and go to prom in a dress with her date. After that, find some school board candidates that were pro-tux and use this national issue to draw exposure and monies to get them elected. Boom. Would she have missed out on the joys of suiting up for a night? Sure, but she would have shown class and signs of being an adult by going about things the right way so that lesbian couples down the road could go to prom in a tux. Instead, she has national exposure that she’s a sue happy brat and a fresh cut check from Ellen DeGeneres so that she won’t have to pay for her college. Hows that for rewarding bad behavior?

This next supposed “liberty” is just as bad. Catherine Pierce thinks that her first amendment rights are being violated because she enjoys gardening in the nude, which is of course frowned upon. According to the AP out of Boulder, Colorado, all she had on was a yellow thong and pink gloves. While I’m certain it was an amusing sight, and yes, she has her first amendment rights, the other people in the town ALSO have their rights. And included in those rights is a right to not have to give “the talk” to their 12 year old son a couple years early because of Catherine Pierces love of all natural gardening. The fact that she and her husband took a picture of them with duct tape over their mouths, as if they are being wronged somehow, is both amusing and horrifying. Now mind you, I’m not saying horrifying because of the substance of the article (after all, I don’t know what she looks like naked) but because she truly believes that she has a right to public nudity.

There you have it. In one of our soon to be rights the issue is about what clothes are ON the body, and the other the issue is what clothes AREN’T on the body. What country is this that we live in, where these two issues are taken more seriously than, say, how old the milk is in the fridge?

Gun Rights and Open Carry

The battle over the peoples’ rights to bear arms is one that is never ending and often times highly controversial, with extremes on either side pushing the hands of those in power through lobbying and stories of consequence. Did the founding fathers use the wording “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State…”, to limit guns to the army? Or, did the next sentence in the Second Amendment “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”, give the American citizen the right to firearm ownership? (The Bill of Rights)

Where do I stand? I’m much more prone to agree with what many call the “pro-gun” side when it comes to Second Amendment arguments, mostly because anti-gun groups have such neutering and fringe legislation ideas (at least to me). I am a gun owner, yes. While I’m not an NRA member, per say, I frequently enjoy the NRA monthly magazine “The American Hunter” that my father receives and believe that the founding fathers weren’t talking about our local militias when they were referencing our “right to bear arms”. With that said, I also believe that convicted felons have forked over that right when he/she decided to commit a crime worthy of a felony conviction. Sorry, gun nuts: it’s just the way I feel about the situation.

I’m also willing to say this: guns kill people. There is probably a shocked gasp that goes through the gun community, but yes, it’s true. Guns are dangerous, and it is important for each and every gun owner to recognize this. I have, for example, a ten month old son. If I were careless and left my firearms lying around the house, there is a high probability that he could crawl over to one of them and hurt or even kill himself. And if that were to happen, it would be my fault for leaving the guns lying around. When my son is a little older, I’m going to do the same thing that my father did with me. I’m going to sit him down and have a long talk about the dangers of guns (IE misfiring, improper usage, etc) and then take him over the Grandpa’s house (my fathers) and shoot at some targets, because I believe that children who are exposed to guns at an early age and are informed about the possible dangers of firearms have less of a chance of becoming a statistic.

When it comes to anti-gun groups and (mostly) Democrats who favor more and more laws restricting our gun rights, all I have to do is look at California (The Christian Science Monitor Mar 10, 2010). California is in the process of banning what is called “open carry”. What this means, is that it is perfectly legal to go pretty much anywhere with your handgun as long as it is in view of the public. Makes sense, right? However, because some people are uncomfortable with the SIGHT of these weapons, legislation is being pushed to ban the practice. To me, it would make much more sense to have an open carry law and know exactly who is carrying a firearm than to make people conceal the weapons, so that everyone is guessing as to whom is carrying. Unfortunately, people who don’t understand gun ownership and are uncomfortable with the idea seem to be prevailing. The only law that I would support would be one banning open carry in bars. Even the cowpokes of the old west used to have a gun check in their saloons to prevent patrons from becoming intoxicated and shooting the guy next to him, and common sense tells you that alcohol and guns just don’t mix.

However, all in all, guns are a part of our American tradition and way of life. People like to go hunting, skeet shooting, and like to be able to protect him/herself from a burglar or perhaps much worse. I agree with a quote that I heard once, “An armed society is a polite society”. In cities that ban handguns, for example, don’t ever see a decrease in gun violence. The only thing that they see is that honest people who can’t obtain weapons to defend him/herself are too often killed or made innocent victims. Why is this? Because most criminals aren’t going to purchase and register a handgun or get a handgun license. The criminal is probably going to purchase the gun through black market means because he doesn’t want the gun to trace back to him. Because of gun laws that are enacted with the hope that the laws will help avert disaster (often, I’m sure, with the best of intentions) innocents are the ones that reap the consequences. You don’t have to own a gun to be in favor of gun rights. You just need to respect your neighbors liberty.

Death At Sea World Excuse For Idiots To Speak

This past week, as I’m sure all of you have read in the newspaper, a woman who was a trainer at Sea World was killed by a killer whale. This story was especially big in our (me and Kevin Tracy’s) neck of the woods, since  Dawn Brancheau, the woman that was killed by Tilikum, the whale, went to Andrean High School right here in Northwest Indiana. The whale had killed two others in the past, and from what I can find Sea World has not yet determined what, exactly, to do with this killer whale.

The bigger problem here stems from the stupid remarks made by actors like Matt Damon and Jeff Goldblum (not to mention those idiot PETA members).

“I think they should just shut them all down,” Damon told “The Insider” on the red carpet, saying that the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau was “horrible.” “I’ve never been a fan of places like that.”

“Actress Tippi Hedren, who founded a wildlife rescue organization in Southern California, is speaking out following yesterday’s death of a trainer who was attacked by a killer whale at Sea World.

Tippi’s statement, titled “Tilikum,” the name of the whale involved in the attack, reads, “Animal abuse is rampant in the U.S., right under everyone’s eyes, for the entertainment of the public. The brutal confinement and pain of training methods of wild animals in the circus, the aquatic and theatrical shows, leads to retaliation by the animals. Eventually they find the right time to strike out, and they will.

“What is it going to take to make it clear these animals are wild? These animals are innocent; it is man and the huge amounts of money brought in by the animals that allows this kind of insanity and deception to continue. It is up to the public to stop attending these theatrical, and aquatic shows, and circuses with wild animals. The rhetoric about how the animals are happy and well cared for are lies. Don’t be swayed by them. The money behind these shows is huge; there is nothing good about them.

“Federal legislation is urgently needed to stop this insanity of wild animals in captivity.”

Tippi founded the Roar Foundation’s Shambala Preserve, which is home to about 60 big cats, including leopards, lions, tigers, cougars and more.” Excert from www.theinsider.com

First let me say this: few of the quotes that I have been able to find on this poor woman’s death have shown much concern for the HUMAN that was killed. Sure, Matt Damon made the off the cuff remark that it was a tragedy, and then went on to say how all of the animals should be returned to the wild. The fact that so many people can be so callous and use this as an opportunity to peddle an agenda instead of giving her family condolences is mind boggling, and so I’ll start by going against the grain and doing just that.

To the Brancheau family, those of us at ktracy.com and mattersofopinion.net want to let you know that our prayers go out to you during this tragic time. From what I have read in the newspapers, your lost loved one was an animal lover and didn’t wish ill towards any of the aquatic life that she worked with.

Now, let’s get my opinion on this matter (since I know you’re all DIEING to hear what I have to say). 

If Sea Worldhadn’t acquired this whale, there is a good chance it would be feeding a bunch of Japanese families right now. While we here in America like to think of ourselves as better than that and recognize that the killer whale is an endangered species, the rest of the world couldn’t give a crap less. Whales, like panda bears and elephants, are mostly no longer endangered (or at least to a lesser extent) because people have found a way to make money off of them. Plain and simple. Yes, laws have deterred some. But lets use the elephants in Africa as an example. People can pay big money to go on an elephant hunt, even though poaching the large animals is outlawed. This gives those in the villages a reason to keep the poachers from poaching. It’s a little more difficult to have the same kind of idea with whales, what with the almost unlimited mobility of the aquatic animals, however the overall principle still applies here. The whales are fed like kings and trained to entertain the species with the larger brain (I don’t care what you people say, when I can hire a whale to build a house or to do my homework, THEN I’ll give up my rightful place on the “smartest species throne”. Until then, I’ll reign supreme, and I’m not too worried about handing off that scepter just yet, thank you), and a great majority of the whales do not kill their trainers. So while this one whale seems to have a history of this, the solution isn’t “shut down all of the parks”. On one message board talking about this incident, somebody had written “kill it and grill it”. While I’m sure that would feed a lot of homeless people, how about this one whale, that is the problem whale, just gets let go into the ocean? If it’s caught by Japan and eaten, great. If it’s not, great. Win win here, people. The idea that all aquatic theme parks should be immediately shut down is kind of like that fifth grade teacher making EVERBODY stay after school for detention because of the disruptions of one individual, and it simply isn’t fair.

I remember going to Sea World in Ohio when I was younger. It was awesome, and I hope that when my son is older I can take him to that same park and have a whale of a time (pun intended). So here is what I propose. All of you executives at Sea World, get out your notebooks and start taking some notes.

1. Continue your wonderful park

2. Detain all PETA members (this will of course need the President’s approval of martial law, so wait for a Republican to be in office, maybe 2012?)

3. Feed PETA members to aquatic entertainers (my fancy rewording of “big otherwise useless fish mammals”). They should go willingly if you tell them that it is to help fix the balance of nature that has been disrupted by white Anglo-Saxon protestant men.

That last part is of course a joke. Or so my lawyer advises me to say.