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

[orbius]

Federal Prisons are much better run than State Prisons. Federal courts are much less corrupt than State courts. Interstates are better maintained than State Highways. The Federal governments endeavors are usually better run than the state alternatives.

Also you assume the Federal government is going to twist Texas' arm in some nefarious way and this is all some ploy to gain control over Texas in a negative way. Frankly if you think like this you show how the cogs in your dark mind works than anything that has any basis in reality.

46 out of 50 states also happen to disagree with you. It could be that the Federal government has a real desire for children to be properly educated and will work with states in a positive manner to achieve this goal. Everyone isnt looking to put a knife in everyone else around them. No wonder Perry voted against this however he is a paranoid, corrupt jerk and just cant imagine anyone doing something positive for the sake of it because he never does that himself. He is always looking at the angles for himself and his cronies so he assumes everyone else is like that.

[EasilyAmused]

Yes, my dark, little, small mind is very dangerous. Most of us who desire less government are on watchlists and everything!

But, you know, I like all those little checks and balances that America has put in it's system to keep us all different and allows different points of view, experiences, and education. One mind is a dangerous thing. Being a sheep if far worse than my cogs any day.

[orbius]

So its ok to have a giant monolithic unaccountable educational bureaucracy at the state level. But if the Federal government tries to use its expertise and money to work with states to improve education that is no good?

This is your argument?

[EasilyAmused]

Originally Posted by orbius

So its ok to have a giant monolithic unaccountable educational bureaucracy at the state level. But if the Federal government tries to use its expertise and money to work with states to improve education that is no good?

This is your argument?

No my argument is the government doesn't have "any expertise in education"...it's never even been involved in it before, yet you think it will be it's salvation. How? Who in DC is so fantastic that they know how to solve the entire education problem in this country, in every state? What committee could be created that would know the right and exact way to educate the masses from Alaska to Florida, from the rural to urban regions?

The education system is far too big for one entity to run, thus it's up the states. And honestly, getting rid of teachers unions, or at least modifying many of the agreements made with them, would help every state.

Other states can take the money, but that doesn't mean those states desire the federal government running education, just as most of them don't want the federal government running their health care. It's almost like some percentages of the population actually believe that that the federal government knows what's best for us and should tell us what to do and what we should pay. We've had that once before, it was called England.

It's very important that States maintain their rights for the checks and balances that keep this country America.

Anyway, I'm going to end here because I can tell you are far left and well..I'm not. But I do agree Perry has to go, but the motely crew running for his postion are no better.

[orbius]

Look frankly you're speaking from a place of ignorance. You have no idea what mandates are attached to this money you're letting your imagination run wild. Its such a heinous proposal that 46 out of 50 states accepted the money however!
Though I can assure you the Federal government has no interest in usurping total control from the states and 'running' education for the states at a Federal level.

[jfre81]

Why would you accept any mandates for what is ultimately chump change? There are a LOT of public schools in Texas, like it was mentioned before?

This is not just a Texas thing or a Republican/Democrat/left/right/wrong/whatever thing. California's are abysmal too, and were even before the recession. NCLB was a bipartisan abortion of a federal education mandate backed by Bush and unlikely bedfellow Ted Kennedy. All it did was create more focus on standardized testing and thus more classroom time spent on reviewing things kids should've already learned. And there was already too much of that even before NCLB.

For the record, I do not claim a party or even a "side of the aisle" as it were. I don't follow a party, the party follows me. I'm one of the people who makes or breaks elections, that both parties have been foolishly ignoring by playing to their respective wingnut fringes.

[orbius]

$700 million is $700 million. Perhaps the entire Texas educational system needs to be knocked down and built back up if we consider that 'chump change'.

[jfre81]

Originally Posted by orbius

$700 million is $700 million. Perhaps the entire Texas educational system needs to be knocked down and built back up if we consider that 'chump change'.

I wouldn't necessarily go against a serious top-down overhaul of the way we run public schools, but the fact is $700 million is not a lot of money in the second most populous state in the country in its entirety. If we were, say, Delaware, then it might be different.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by orbius

$700 million is $700 million. Perhaps the entire Texas educational system needs to be knocked down and built back up if we consider that 'chump change'.

It's hard to argue without knowing the numbers and no one has defined the cost of the unfunded mandates. So look at it in terms of hypothetical figures.

Let's say that the mandates will require an additional $700 million in state funds to meet the requirements of the mandate. (I'm just guessing, but nobody in the government has come up with a real number.) Also, this state money has to come from somewhere, which means it'll either be cut from existing programs or collected from citizens in taxes. As you said, $700 million is $700 million, but in this hypothetical it's actually costing another $700 million, too. Are you still in favor of taking the Federal $700 million?

[Poltracker]

Originally Posted by orbius

Look frankly you're speaking from a place of ignorance. You have no idea what mandates are attached to this money you're letting your imagination run wild.

You need to rethink that statement. The outline for the program and its requirements are available on-line, so I'm pretty sure some of us have actually bothered to read up on it before formulating our opinions. Many school district budgets are also available on-line to review. I would conclude that some of us, at the least, are not speaking from a place of total ignorance.