Sick of highly-paid teachers?

Found this on Facebook:

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....

That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000.

$50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators!

How do you know if your lawmaker is a Democrat?

I'll give you a hint: Whether or not someone calls themself a Democrat is not the greatest indicator of whether someone really is one. (You probably knew that, right?)

See, real Democrats are the ones who stand up for ordinary people. They show - by their actions, not just by their words - that they want excellent healthcare, a clean environment, and did I mention a quality education for all young people?

Take these highlights from the 2008 Michigan Democratic Party platform:

Provide unprecedented educational funding. Under Governor Granholm’s leadership, per-student public school funding has been increased to record level of over $7,300 per student.

Make higher education available for all. Higher education is vital to success in the new economy. Under the leadership of Lt. Governor John Cherry, the Lt. Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth devised a comprehensive plan to double the number of Michigan residents with a college degree or other valuable educational credential. Michigan Democrats vigorously support the plan and applaud the progress toward implementation.

Democrats want to make sure higher education and technical training in high-growth fields is accessible and affordable to all. Governor Granholm’s $4,000 Michigan Promise Scholarship, available to all high school graduates, helps ensure that they can go to college or receive post-secondary training.

Kinda makes you wonder about people like George Cushingberry, one of three people with a D by their name who were part of a panel that cut the Michigan Promise scholarship.

Or those Blue Dog 'Democrats' in Congress who choose profits instead of people's lives.

Bits of Tid: September 7, 2009

• From the one and only Walter Reuther:

  "This country is my country too, you know. I am not a second class citizen, and I don't intend to start acting like one...just because they pay a worker, does not mean they own him."

  Happy Labor Day!
• "U.S. Economy Gets Lift From Stimulus." So says that bastion of liberalism, The Wall Street Journal.
• A Seattle rally for healthcare reform, attended by 3,000 people, doesn't make the paper.
• Hard work? Staying in school? Obama's a socialist! (/snark) But most people aren't buying that.
• Ernie Harwell, 91, has inoperable cancer.
• Good news for the Tigers? Their magic number is 20. They lead the AL Central by 7. I don't want to curse them, but it looks like they're running away with it!

Bits of Tid: July 30, 2009

• Is Max Baucus's chairmanship in trouble?
• "In order to save your life, we need to make sure you didn't make a late payment on your mortgage five years ago."
• Speaking of which, surely I am not the only one who notices the hypocrisy from many who call themselves "pro-life" yet oppose reforming health insurance. 18,000 people die in this country every year because they lack health insurance.
• Less money for schools = fewer teachers = bigger classes = less individual attention for each student = students not getting the education they deserve = a less talented workforce = companies choosing to create/maintain jobs in certain places instead of others = a weaker economy.
• Not all Americans are geniuses, but not many are that naive either.
• KKK says "White Power," clowns respond in ways humiliating to the KKK.

Bits of Tid: July 25, 2009

• On the 19th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, President Obama announced that UN Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice will sign a UN treaty which calls upon nations to afford disabled people the same rights as everyone else.
• In domestic policy news, Obama wants schools to reform by being more welcoming of charter schools while paying teachers based on student achievement. The incentive for doing so? Aid. Of course, student achievement can be measured in different ways, and measuring achievement by test scores alone is about as good of an idea as Obama joining the Republican Party.
• Bush considered using troops inside the US to capture terror suspects.
• Republican Kent County Commissioner Dean Agee has been busted for careless firearm discharge.
• Who wants 36-year-old cake?
• Tigers' magic number: 65.

Obama in Michigan: Betting on education

While many issues are facing America right now, education is not one that is discussed very often, even though our country's education system consistently ranks lower than most in the developed world.

Luckily, we have someone in the White House who understands the importance of building a stronger education system for this nation.

President Obama talked about education, with a focus on community colleges, in his first visit to the Great Lakes State as President today. He spoke at Macomb Community College, located in Warren. Due to the pain Metro Detroit has suffered with automotive layoffs, MCC was a prime place for him to discuss his American Graduation Initiative and the issue of education as a means of ensuring our long-term prosperity.

As the President said:

Time and again, when we placed our bet for the future on education, we have prospered as a result -- by tapping the incredible innovative and generative potential of a skilled American workforce.

Indeed, almost nobody who reads this blog will doubt that an educated workforce is necessary for our economy to prosper. Companies only create skilled jobs where talent resides, and education is supposed to foster that talent. Which is why a strong education system is a must - especially in today's economy.

So why the focus on community colleges? From CNN:

Obama called the investment in community colleges crucial because "jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience" in coming years.

"We will not fill those jobs, or keep those jobs on our shores, without the training offered by community colleges," he said.

To improve our community college system, the President discussed his American Graduation Initiative. According to CNN, the initiative includes such key areas as:

• Community college challenge grants, to help underfunded colleges that are dealing with limited capacity and to build partnerships with schools and businesses.

• The Access and Completion Fund, to provide performance-based scholarships and give colleges the tools to design more programs around work schedules.

• Modernization of community-college facilities, with $2.5 billion to help renovate facilities and keep up with maintenance costs. The renovations will create jobs, Obama said.

• Open online courses, to create options online as a tool that some think can be more effective than classroom instruction alone.

As Obama said, the American Graduation Initiative

will reform and strengthen community colleges like this one from coast to coast so they get the resources that students and schools need -- and the results workers and businesses demand. Through this plan, we seek to help an additional 5 million Americans earn degrees and certificates in the next decade -- 5 million.

But at what cost? He says the plan will be paid for

by ending the wasteful subsidies we currently provide to banks and private lenders for student loans. (Applause.) That will save tens of billions of dollars over the next 10 years. Instead of lining the pockets of special interests, it's time this money went towards the interests of higher education in America

Of course, as some have said, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

When it comes to higher education, the Obama Administration has certainly gotten off to a good start. In addition to this initiative, the Administration has already eased rules on repaying student loans and is working to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

While Obama is right to note the important yet understated role community colleges play in this country, my hope is that he will also work to ensure that four-year colleges and other schools have the tools necessary to educate students who, like me, choose to earn an education at those institutions. While access to affordable, quality health care is critical for our short-term economic health, our long-term prosperity may very well hinge on access to affordable, quality education.

Feldman + Wheeler + Hightower + Goodman = Amazing Saturday!

I spent this past Saturday in Lansing for the Michigan Policy Summit, and boy am I excited! The summit included keynotes by Amy Goodman of Democracy NOW! and the legendary Jim Hightower. Also, Jeffrey Feldman and Marcy Wheeler, who have Michigan ties, were also there (check out Feldman's liveblog).

In addition, breakout sessions were held dealing with issues surrounding the environment, healthcare, and education.

I arrived part of the way through Amy Goodman's speech, so I didn't catch as much of what she said. She did talk about the role media must play in our society. "We need media that covers power, not media that covers for power," she declared.

She added that though the 'oil-igarchy' is powerful, there is a more powerful force out there: all of us, together.

After Goodman's speech, she and Hightower arrived for a press conference with a few of us Michigan bloggers.

Hightower said that he thought a single-payer system would be the best way of ensuring universal health coverage. Any such system would have to be adapted for the US (i.e. we can't just copy Canada's model detail-for-detail), but this type of plan has been known to work for everyone in other countries - doctors, patients, etc.

When asked about the role bloggers have to play in taking back our country, Goodman said that we need to be the ones who get important information out to the people. An uneducated populace will not always yearn for change.

Then came lunch and Hightower's speech, and if you haven't seen Hightower speak, today I learned why you have to - at least once. Here are just some of the many Hightower-isms I caught (not exact quotes):

"Nothing makes a former agriculture commissioner happy than seeing people shove food in their mouths."

The first job of a citizen is to keep your mouth open.

If not for agitators, we'd be... singing God Save the Queen.

Martin Luther King didn't say, "I have a position paper."

Noting that "we live in a remarkably progressive country," he cited a poll that showed overwhelming support for universal healthcare (even if it means an increase in taxes!), drug-price negotiation by the government, lessening the power of huge corporations, and stronger environmental policies.

But the best laugh of the day came when Hightower spoke the following:

Battling the bastards is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Feldman and Wheeler didn't speak, but they did autograph their books.

More complete coverage of today's summit can be found on Michigan Liberal, Blogging for Michigan, and Michigan Messenger.

Special thanks to the Michigan Prospect for putting on this summit, and also to the many volunteers!

Jack Cafferty read my email on CNN tonight - I'm famous

Each hour on CNN's Situation Room, Jack Cafferty asks viewers to respond to a question about recent news items. After numerous submissions of responses to past questions, Jack finally read one of mine!

This particular question dealt with whether or not the teachers should be offered bonuses for choosing to work in inner-city schools. Sorry for the less-than-stellar quality.



Here's the text:

If they had the option, how many teachers would live in a less-affluent community? Probably not many. anything we can do to entice top-notch teachers to work in these areas needs to be tried. Studies show that many students in less-well-off areas do worse on tests than do their counterparts elsewhere, and anything we can do to change that ought to be considered.

Let me stress that offering incentives to teachers who work in less-well-off areas is NOT BY ANY MEANS a silver bullet when it comes to fixing the education-affluence gap; other policies need to be implemented as well.

I guess I have 14 minutes and 40 seconds of fame left!

Saturday Coffee Talk/Open Thread for Michigan Liberal

Ahh, yes, Saturday Coffee Talk. But before we talk, we must make our coffee.

What's the first thing we need in order to make coffee? Hot water, of course. Shouldn't be hard to find; just look for your local Republican congressperson, who is surely in hot water thanks to their support of the Iraq War:

• WDET: Residents Organize to Change Knollenberg's Position on Iraq.
• Grand Rapids Press: Ehlers gets earful from protestors.
• Michigan Radio: Anti-war Campaign Comes to Michigan.
• LivingBlue: - Rogers' Response to War Protest Is Non-Sequitur - Judy does a nice job countering a statement made by a Rogers aide that "Congressman Rogers will continue to fully support our troops."

Once you've mixed the water and coffee beans, you want to add in just the right amount of cream and sugar:

• Blogging for Michigan: The Challenge of Teaching in 'Exponential Times' -Christine discusses what it means to be literate today, and shows how the Right's opposition to investing in teachers can have negative effects on children's education.
• Blue November: Candice Miller's "War on Terror" breaks down, paragraph by paragraph, the spin Rep. Miller has on her web site.
• DKos: Conyers Looking Into Credit Card Merchant Practices - I'm just so glad Conyers is from our beautiful state.
• ICDP Dispatch: Bill Clinton and Truman - what a pair - Having gone to a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Truman Library, Tim shares his thoughts on two great Democrats.
• Liberal, Loud and Proud: - Lucy/Julielyn/Paris Hilton allowed Rich at Honest Errors to make a Guest Post.
• LSJ Capitol Journal: Rocky to fight Levin? Ha ha ha! What's your goal this time around, Rocky? 39%?

But there are some things you just want to avoid adding:

• Yahoo! News: Ice cream vendor accused of selling pot near Benton Harbor. Insert your own joke here.

Because in the end, you want richness:

• Michigan Lottery - someone hit the $126 million Mega Millions jackpot, as evidenced by the fact that the jackpot for Tuesday's drawing is back down to $12 million. I don't gamble much, but high jackpots always pique my interest.

Farewell to a Leader

I will love you more than me
And more than yesterday
If you can but prove to me
You are the new day
Send the sun in time for dawn
Let the birds all hail the morning
Love of life will urge me say
You are the new day

That song was sung at my graduation from East Kentwood High School on May 27, 2005.

I sometimes forget, if only for a little while, that I am a student at Central Michigan University, that I served three semesters in SGA, that I am active with St. Mary’s and the College Dems, and reminisce to a time before I heard of Fancher Street, Bill Caul, Anspach Hall, the RFoC, the UC, the ICDP, and the idea that Cedar could be a first name... back to my days as a K-12 student in Kentwood Public Schools.

I recently attended a farewell reception for Kentwood Superintendent Dr. Mary Leiker, who is retiring after 16 years. She took the reins of KPS the year before I entered kindergarten. Here’s an idea of how long she’s been here: When she came to Kentwood, Bush was President, the Democrats controlled Congress, the economy was in the tank, and Iraq was the big story in the news!

Anyway, other than refusing to call many snow days ;-) , Dr. Leiker did a tremendous job with the district. She was a visionary, understanding how our changing world demands adaptation from our schools. I liken her to FDR, Bill Milliken, or Pope John Paul II: Each spent many years in a leadership role and used those years to the fullest, becoming great leaders whose memory will carry on long after their time in leadership has ended.

Under Leiker’s leadership, five of the district’s 16 schools have won prestigious Blue Ribbon Awards. In elementary schools, Spanish is now as common a subject as PE or art were when I was in elementary school! Thanks to a 2003 millage, many schools have seen extensive renovations, the high school has a new football stadium, and the district has new buses. And that’s just for starters.

What’s more, Dr. Leiker and my mom have been close friends for a number of years. Leiker would help out with the Knights of Columbus ‘Tootsie Roll Drive’ to benefit special education, while Mom helped with the nearly year-long preps for KPS’s Celebration of Freedom Week, which was held in March 2003 and culminated in a ceremony that included a speech from Debbie Stabenow. (Ironically, that was the week Bush invaded Iraq.)

At the end of the reception - which, like my commencement, included the above song - I gave Dr. Leiker a hug on behalf of myself and our entire family. I told her that Mom likes to visit her sister in Littleton, Colorado, so they might meet up again out there. Her son, meanwhile - a rabid Democrat - told me to email him if I ever come to the Colorado area (which I just might next year; more on that soon... :-) )

So as Dr. Leiker prepares ready to close out her career, I can't help but to wonder how she, her family, and KPS will adjust to the fact that she will no longer lead the 9,000+ student school system. Her successor (who actually hails from within the district) was named several months ago; she just attended her final commencement as superintendent; her final School Board meeting will be coming up soon; and she will officially step down in five weeks. Nor do I know for sure if I will be able to go out to Colorado and see their family.

I do know, however, that my family and I will miss her, but that her influence with KPS will be felt for many years. I wish Dr. Leiker and her family an enjoyable retirement in Colorado. What's more, I wish that everyone who reads this blog will come to know of leaders who, like Dr. Leiker, go above and beyond, who, whether their leadership lasts for 16 years or 16 weeks, strive for excellence in themselves and in others.

Better yet, may you become such a leader yourself.

Dozens of Republicans turn against 'No Child Left Behind'

I like the smell of GOP rebellion in the morning.

More than 50 GOP members of the House and Senate -- including the House's second-ranking Republican -- will introduce legislation today that could severely undercut President Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, by allowing states to opt out of its testing mandates.

For a White House fighting off attacks on its war policy and dealing with a burgeoning scandal at the Justice Department, the GOP dissidents' move is a fresh blow on a new front. Among the co-sponsors of the legislation are House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a key supporter of the measure in 2001, and John Cornyn (R-Tex.), Bush's most reliable defender in the Senate. Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), the House GOP's chief deputy whip and a supporter in 2001, has also signed on.

Burson Snyder, a spokesman for Blunt, said that after several meetings with school administrators and teachers in southwest Missouri, the House Republican leader turned against the measure he helped pass. Blunt was convinced that the burdens and red tape of the No Child Left Behind Act are unacceptably onerous, Snyder said.

Some Republicans said yesterday that a backlash against the law was inevitable. Many voters in affluent suburban and exurban districts -- GOP strongholds -- think their schools have been adversely affected by the law. Once-innovative public schools have increasingly become captive to federal testing mandates, jettisoning education programs not covered by those tests, siphoning funds from programs for the talented and gifted, and discouraging creativity, critics say.

Ehlers: State of the Union "focused on issues and answers"

While many Republicans distance themselves from President Bush, Congressman Vern Ehlers is choosing not to.

"President Bush gave a good speech tonight that focused on issues and answers and stayed away from partisanship and divisions. It is my hope that the members of Congress who listened to the speech can take that spirit of cooperation, set aside partisan differences and work to move our nation forward.

"I was especially heartened by the President’s call to strengthen the math and science skills of our children. Since joining Congress, one of my top priorities has been to improve the math and science standards in our nation’s schools. I agree with the President about the importance of ensuring that our children receive the best education and training possible to equip them for the jobs of the future. This will allow our nation to remain competitive in the world economy. I also look forward to working with the President on his pledge to review and improve the No Child Left Behind Act, as I serve on the Education & Labor Committee, which has jurisdiction on this important legislation.

"I agree with President Bush about the necessity for our nation to reduce its dependence on foreign oil. Although I may not agree with all of his solutions, we certainly agree on the need to develop alternatives to fossil fuels. His proposal to reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent over the next 10 years is a laudable goal – and one that we can achieve if we truly dedicate ourselves to it. I personally look forward to the opportunity to work to make this goal a reality."

"Finally, I appreciate the President’s call to seek ways to provide health care insurance to the 47 million Americans who don’t have it. There are promising initiatives in the states, particularly Gov. Mitt Romney’s plan in Massachusetts and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal in California. I hope President Bush and Congress pursue this goal and that, together, we can reach a solution."

For what it's worth: Romney is a likely contender for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.