Texas Gov. Perry refuses $700m for education from the Fed. (schools, taxes)

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Couple of educated guesses...

They're so desparate for money that they're willing to look past the unfunded mandates.

Their governors are members of the President's party, which means they either support the mandates or they fear the internal partisan backlash that would result from not accepting the money.

What Bowie said + the lemming factor.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by Bowie

Their governors are members of the President's party, which means they either support the mandates or they fear the internal partisan backlash that would result from not accepting the money.

Or perhaps governors who aren't members of the President's party are so concerned about a partisan backlash...

Cuts both ways.

Again, I ask, doesn't the $700 Mil fund the mandates in the bill? I know we're going to go to some ridiculous extreme about what the mandates would require Texas to do...

I don't hear anyone screaming about the unfunded mandates in No Child Left Behind... I guess if it comes from a republican it's automatically good and not part of the big-bad-federal government encroachment. If it comes from a democrat.... You know the rest...

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

I don't hear anyone screaming about the unfunded mandates in No Child Left Behind... I guess if it comes from a republican it's automatically good and not part of the big-bad-federal government encroachment. If it comes from a democrat.... You know the rest...

That's exactly my point

[texdav]

Yep;the stimulus money come with too many strings and a losss of control to the federal government.The string amount to future large increases in taxes plus the control.The feel are from ;long experience in fedewral amndates so popular with teh demopcrats;not an illusion.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

Or perhaps governors who aren't members of the President's party are so concerned about a partisan backlash...

Cuts both ways.

Again, I ask, doesn't the $700 Mil fund the mandates in the bill? I know we're going to go to some ridiculous extreme about what the mandates would require Texas to do...

I don't hear anyone screaming about the unfunded mandates in No Child Left Behind... I guess if it comes from a republican it's automatically good and not part of the big-bad-federal government encroachment. If it comes from a democrat.... You know the rest...

Wanna bet? NCLB was a piece of crap, and was heavily pushed/partly designed by none other than good ole liberal dem Teddy.

Having said that, the Bush administration was just stupid to agree to it and sign off on it. Once they did, it was, "Oh, look at the great educational thing that we passed during my administration, et al.."

BARF!!!

Neither party has a monopoly on greed, stupidity, pork or gross deficit spending, period.

Throw ALL the bums out and start over!

But Perry was right to refuse.

[orbius]

Four states refused the money. Governors of those states include Perry, Palin, Stanford and one other whose name escapes me.
This is playing politics with childrens lives and is despicable. You think its a coincidence that these 3 people had Presidential aspirations? 46 states including those run by Republicans had no problem with the oversight included with the money.

Also what kind of educational standards is the State of Texas preserving? Texas ranks what 40th out of 50 states in public education? #49 in verbal SAT scores and #46 in math SAT scores.

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by orbius

Four states refused the money. Governors of those states include Perry, Palin, Stanford and one other whose name escapes me.
This is playing politics with childrens lives and is despicable. You think its a coincidence that these 3 people had Presidential aspirations? 46 states including those run by Republicans had no problem with the oversight included with the money.

Also what kind of educational standards is the State of Texas preserving? Texas ranks what 40th out of 50 states in public education? #49 in verbal SAT scores and #46 in math SAT scores.

Seems that your one of the folks who I described in an earlier post who looks at the $700 million like it is alot of money when in reality it is not. Look at the operating budgets of Texas school districts. The money would not have a great effect and the mandates attached to it would in all likelyhood increase costs quite bit beyond the original proferred money and would increase costs in perpetuity. Where would that money come from? As to the problems in Texas schools...well throwing money at a situation does not necessarily resolve it. Look at Haiti for a prime example of that. I don't believe that the madates would greatly effect the problem either. They are just an excuse to go forward with the first step in federalizing schools.

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by Poltracker

They are just an excuse to go forward with the first step in federalizing schools.

exactly.

[orbius]

Whats wrong with setting basic standards of education at a Federal level? If States are failing their students why shouldnt the Federal government be able to work with states and help change things? 49th in verbal SAT scores and 46th in Math scores are not what I consider good value for money for my huge property tax bill. I thought Republicans were hungry for educational standards and accountability? So now just because they happen to be coming from a federal level they balk? Obviously the reason some teacher groups are siding with Perry is that they're concerned the substandard teachers amongst them might be fired if standards are enforced.
Pride cometh before the fall and Texas seems to run solely on the stuff sometimes.

[EasilyAmused]

What's wrong with Federal Education? Considering the bang-up job they do running the show, I don't think they need to be involved in education, which is under the STATE's Governing Power. Not to mention a Federal Curriculum with Federal/Partisan Points of View of Social and Historical events being the only information available to children. Federal Education is socialist, and I think this country and most of it's citizens don't want that.

While education is very poor, a supreme power mandating what ALL it's youth learn seems rather frightening. Texas needs to get rid of the TAKS, pay the better teacher MORE,fire the bad ones, be damned those stupid unions, and pay more to better teacher who take on troubled districts.