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Regarding the education system, the blame does not, and can not, be put on the shoulders of the teachers and school personnel. The blame lies higher, as high as the Federal level, when unqualified and ignorant individuals are appointed to boards. The blame lies on crooked politicians, mainly from one party, that are waging a war against public education because they want to privatize it in the name of making a profit. That path will do nothing to raise the education quality and will only funnel tax dollars to a very few. The blame lies on the parents that won't teach the children right from wrong and how to show proper respect to their peers, their elders, and their educators.
Again, don't generalize that the most of school teachers and public employees are not good people. If that is your perspective, you need to get out more and interact with them more. There are many of them fighting the good fight but it takes time and to keep their jobs, they still have do perform certain duties, many of which accomplish nothing. The changes take time.
Yes, like any profession there are bad apples. However, most teachers and public employees are not.
Regarding the education system, the blame does not, and can not, be put on the shoulders of the teachers and school personnel. The blame lies higher, as high as the Federal level, when unqualified and ignorant individuals are appointed to boards. The blame lies on crooked politicians, mainly from one party, that are waging a war against public education because they want to privatize it in the name of making a profit. That path will do nothing to raise the education quality and will only funnel tax dollars to a very few. The blame lies on the parents that won't teach the children right from wrong and how to show proper respect to their peers, their elders, and their educators.
Again, don't generalize that the most of school teachers and public employees are not good people. If that is your perspective, you need to get out more and interact with them more. There are many of them fighting the good fight but it takes time and to keep their jobs, they still have do perform certain duties, many of which accomplish nothing. The changes take time.
Yes, like any profession there are bad apples. However, most teachers and public employees are not.
I am sorry that we shall have to disagree on this particular subject. I taught school for two years and saw firsthand that social engineering and indoctrination was the paramount concern of the public school system. The school system has an obsession over replacing parents and treating children like STATE PROPERTY - remind you of anything from history? It takes a village and all that other communist muck? Common Core? Shall I go on?
The teachers worthy of being classed as good are rare, not common. Have you seen how teachers dress? Gone are the days of suits and tasteful cocktail dresses. Now we have baggy dockers with a bit of swag or skintight jeans over which a loose fitting shirt is worn, that opens to the mid-chest and shoes are never accompanied with socks. As for the women, I have seen cut off shorts, flip-flops, tattered tops and pulled back ponytails dangling over a face with no makeup. Both sexes have yards of exposed skin covered in tattoos.
Teaching as a profession is D E A D.
Anyone with the means and the wish to see their child have the best chance in life sends their child to a private or religious institution - every single one. There is a reason for that.
Things to keep people coming into the city will help the CTC, but without a stable, growing and diverse economy in our metro area the money simply won’t be there for those shops. Tourism is great and can contribute to the CTC, but the long run success of the mall will require our local population growing, average income increases, and some gentrification that will cause undesirables to stir clear of it.
Those are good points Chriscross. The new hotel and renovations to the civic center will help but can only do so much. They are only pieces of the puzzle to bring about positive changes and growth.
Since we've done our best to derail this thread, let's abandon this side conversation and get the thread back on topic.
You think you're right, I know I'm right so lets just agree to disagree and reserve the posts on this thread for CTC development news and facts.
I am sorry if I have offended you or your wife. I do not wish any discord between us because I value all of your thoughts, even when we disagree, perhaps more so. Seldom can most people be in opposite corners and hold a discussion. Truth comes from such moments and I think we all place value in that.
Things to keep people coming into the city will help the CTC, but without a stable, growing and diverse economy in our metro area the money simply won’t be there for those shops. Tourism is great and can contribute to the CTC, but the long run success of the mall will require our local population growing, average income increases, and some gentrification that will cause undesirables to stir clear of it.
Charleston was at one time the center of West Virginia. It had a bustling population of 80,000+ inside very small city limits and each weekend, well-paid coal miners and their families made the trek into Charleston on substandard 2 lane roads to shop, eat and recreate. The issues with city government were buried under profit and success. Corruption was tolerated because there was plenty to offset it, but then the interstate came and everyone left because they could travel beyond the mountains of West Virginia.
Worse, the interstate system was perjured to the detriment of Charleston. Two cities - South Charleston and Beckley stuck knives into Charleston for their own good. I am not complaining because had I been mayor of either it is what I would have done as well. But the State Government - ever jealous of Charleston - decided to make choices that hurt the capitol and the State over all.
Instead of I-64 progressing from Dunbar, through North Charleston and then along Washington Street on the west side, it was veered with 2 90 degree turns to course through South Charleston. Beckley, realizing that the turnpike was like breathing through a straw, demanded that I-64 progress from Sam Black Church to intersect with I-77 instead of a route that would gone from Sam Black Church to just south of Summersville, skirting the northern edge of the New River Gorge at Hawks Nest before dropping into the Valley at Montgomery.
We have seen the state spread state offices around the state, when the constitution demands all be inside the limits of the Capitol.
With such thinking by the state and a lack of backbone by the Mayor's office, Charleston never had a chance.
It was then hit by two more hits, Putnam County residential expansion thanks to I-64 and 20 years later, the spread of shopping along Corridor G once that road was completed to Logan and Madison.
Worse for the city, the city of Huntington petitioned for Putnam County to be placed in its MSA. The loss of all those "Charleston residents" eroded the city in the eyes of businesses that would never do more than check a fact book because the population and activity level was downplayed.
How can we turn things around when we have a plethora of shortsighted people running things? It is not one man such former Mayor Jones, it is a generational stupidity that has only two goals, job security and getting their pockets lined before they retire. That is nothing but corruption and it is rampant in this city, county and state.
I did not mean to rant, but this sort of thing gets under my skin.
The fix for Charleston is in the climate. It does not matter what we build. That is for others to determine. We need to be a place that is cheap if not free to do business and easy to deal with regulation. Generally, that is a recipe for disaster - uncontrolled growth, but at this time it is that or no growth.
We have to change the city structure and means of support. There is no one anywhere in government that will take on that job and if did find that person, the entire city would be against them. It looks hopeless.
Until Charleston has a vision to be something and a plan to get there it is hopeless. Besides being the state capital it really has no identity any longer. Not a chemical industry mecca nor coal. Not a decent healthcare center like it once was. Sadly no longer a shopping mecca either. UC is far too small to make it a center for higher ed. I mean really the place is kind of lost right now.
Also before this current mayor is out of office I would like to see him, his office, CURA, The CTC and any other invested parties go public and come clean so-to-speak on what really happened with the mall or at least they all attempt the best that they can to give us an honest assessment. Something just isn’t quite right with all of this. Is it FBI level investigation level I do not know but reading between the lines over the past couple of years and listening to soundbites I can’t help but get a whiff of corruption. Even the mayor himself has alluded to something along those lines so I think we deserve more information than what we have gotten. In fact it makes me wonder if an investigation isn’t already happening.
I would welcome an investigation. Hopefully the staff at the Gazette-Mail are already on this and maybe they can produce the same type of writing that won them the Pulitzer for the opioid prescription problem.
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