Owl,

I will say a lot of you statement holds merit. Especially the welfare trap. I get that and I understand that. The only escape out of poverty in my opinion is education. If we can take our partisan glasses off can we every have an honest and open discussion about education. In my opinion we have to gear our funding to the student. Not by empowering them but by taking the power away from them. We have to give them carrots by achievement. I think the modern educational movement has it back asswards. Hear me out. I don't want to turn you guys off before explaining myself. Think about any valuable training you have received in your life. Was it easy? Was it given to you? Did you have to earn it? Was it more about your responsibility? or was it more about your rights? I want meaningful funding for everyone but we have kind of neglected the herd in favor of the one sick cow. Twenty thirty years ago if you had a special ed kid he/she either got with the program or the found a different route. We need an honest and open dialogue with honest brokers. Tough problems require hard answers. I don't know in today's climate if anyone is interested in finding meaningful solutions. It's easier to demonize teachers and teacher unions than on finding real solutions. Meaningful Educational Opportunities have to be involved in this discussion. If everyone has that path then I can honestly say "income inequality" doesn't bother me.

HOLY SHNITKE"s Blah. I never noticed the see through part. I just daydreamed about the flexibility.

Back to education.

Do you blame the Dr. for the patient?

Do you blame the drill instructor for flunking a recruit failing the BUDs training?

How do you you measure motivation of a student vs. intelligence?

Can motivation change year to year no matter who the teacher is?

Education is such a political football right now and I can honestly see both sides of this argument.

(07-24-2013 11:17 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  HOLY SHNITKE"s Blah. I never noticed the see through part. I just daydreamed about the flexibility.

You make some very good points. As a school teacher, I have contemplated this issue many times and have come to many of the same conclusions that you have.

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

(07-24-2013 01:01 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

What did you read into it?

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

Have you ever traveled outside the US? $35,000 US would allow you to live like a king in some countries.

(07-24-2013 01:27 PM)VA49er Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

Have you ever traveled outside the US? $35,000 US would allow you to live like a king in some countries.

Your point? It certainly wasn't theirs. They were saying we are making too much money working here.

(07-24-2013 01:26 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:01 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

What did you read into it?

Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

(07-24-2013 01:31 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:26 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:01 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 08:38 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  If you have an income above $35,000, you are in the top 1% world wide. That's barely above the US definition of poverty for a family of four.

Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

What did you read into it?

Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

You do know that came from a Koch brothers ad, right?

(07-24-2013 01:36 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:31 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:26 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:01 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 12:55 PM)RobertN Wrote:  Which Koch head brother are you? Yeah, we make too much here. We need to cut our pay so the Koch heads can make another few billion dollars.

That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

What did you read into it?

Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

You do know that came from a Koch brothers ad, right?

No, Robs. I don't obsess over them like you.

(07-24-2013 01:37 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:36 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:31 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:26 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:01 PM)Smaug Wrote:  That's what you read into that?

Damn, Robs. You're not even trying.

What did you read into it?

Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

You do know that came from a Koch brothers ad, right?

No, Robs. I don't obsess over them like you.

It was a $200,000 ad campaign started in Omaha I believe. THey were planning on expanding the campaign if morons like you liked it.

(07-24-2013 01:40 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:37 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:36 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:31 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:26 PM)RobertN Wrote:  What did you read into it?

Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

You do know that came from a Koch brothers ad, right?

No, Robs. I don't obsess over them like you.

It was a $200,000 ad campaign started in Omaha I believe. THey were planning on expanding the campaign if morons like you liked it.

Robs, I wear that you think I'm a moron as a badge of honor. It tells me that someone I find absurdly intellectually lazy doesn't get what I type.

I wouldn't have any idea what the Koch Brothers do and/or say, if you weren't all over their jock.

OK boys. How about the feedback on education from the right. If you can keep out your favorite boogeyman...... "DA UNIONS".

School choice and vouchers. Merit pay and no sympathetic shoulder for the crappy teachers out there, and there are plenty of them.

How's that sound to start?

Disincentivize fatherlessness. Value fatherhood and watch how fast so much of what ails this country vanishes.

(07-24-2013 01:42 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:40 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:37 PM)Smaug Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:36 PM)RobertN Wrote:  

(07-24-2013 01:31 PM)Smaug Wrote:  Someone commented on rich and poor being relative, and you take off in your Koch Brothers black helicopter.

You do know that came from a Koch brothers ad, right?

No, Robs. I don't obsess over them like you.

It was a $200,000 ad campaign started in Omaha I believe. THey were planning on expanding the campaign if morons like you liked it.

Robs, I wear that you think I'm a moron as a badge of honor. It tells me that someone I find absurdly intellectually lazy doesn't get what I type.

I wouldn't have any idea what the Koch Brothers do and/or say, if you weren't all over their jock.

I understand what you write most of the time. I just think much of it is BS and you are wrong most of the time.

(07-24-2013 01:53 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  School choice and vouchers. Merit pay and no sympathetic shoulder for the crappy teachers out there, and there are plenty of them.

How's that sound to start?

Yeah, there are crappy teachers out there. That is why Torchy no longer teaches in a public school setting. Now he just screws up his own kids edumacation.

(07-24-2013 01:59 PM)Smaug Wrote:  Disincentivize fatherlessness. Value fatherhood and watch how fast so much of what ails this country vanishes.

THIS!

If you are an able bodied unmarried man who fathers a child out of wedlock you get *NOTHING* from the state from that point forward. No food stamps, no heap, rent assistance, no *nothing*.

If, however, you get married (to anyone) that could be reevaluated.