Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There are numerous intellectual Republicans. The challenge the GOP faces is unity and vision. Within the GOP, a small faction on the fringe has allowed the GOP to falter.
At some point, the GOP will morph past the abortion issue. In my opinion, abortion is a non-issue. I recognize your right to an abortion as long as you recognize my right to discriminate against YOU. A few of you intellectual Democrats will recognize the parallel.
Philosophically, most Americans, when given a blind test based on the Nolan questionnaire, identify themselves as Libertarians. Fiscally responsible, personal responsibility, less govt. intervention, but slightly more socially liberal. When the GOP realizes this, they will adapt their position on abortion, religion, and gay marriage. At that point, the Democratic party will die forever. This is a bold statement, which many might dispute, but is a mathematical certainty.
The Democrats succeeded in 2008 not because of their underlying ideology, but simply because they marketed themselves better. For example, I just read that 5000 registered Democrats were contacted across the country concerning gun rights. A whopping 75% were opposed to further gun control. Many Democrats are opposed to abortion. Many Democrats do not support higher tax rates. These few points are utilized by both sides as they key determining factors in choosing a party.
Central to the spirit of every American is freedom. Freedom to succeed on our own, freedom to fail on our own. Freedom from mandated religion. Many Democrats vote for their party because they perceive the GOP as intruding upon these rights.
Ironically, it is the Democrats who will ultimately destroy these rights (over the long-term) as they add cumulatively to a controlling bureaucracy in the name of "freedom". Some day we will wake up and realize that the government controls all aspects of our lives, and YOU will have nobody to blame but yourselves. Me? I voted Republican.
Grassley's bills never had a cloture problem that I am aware of, when I followed that stuff regularly. It might pass the Senate and die in conference committee or just die in the Senate, outright.
For example, the 2003 version never got reported out of committee. In the Senate, he had 13 co-sponsors, 7 Democrats and 6 Republicans. In the House, Gallegly had 27 co-sponsors, 8 Republicans, 18 Democrats, and 1 independent.
The 2008 Javitts bill saw Dodd working with Grassley. And Grassley did finally get a change made in the Higher Ed piece to potentially increase teacher training in gifted issues.
This is a bi-partisan effort - and even more so a bipartisan failure. A super majority is not what is called for - though it would help.
Any bill that makes it out of the Senate has to have a supermajority vote to pass cloture. Did you watch the bailout bill vote in the Senate? They voted first for cloture, then had the actual vote on the bill. The cloture vote requires 60 or more, but the vote to actually pass a bill only requires a simple majority.
Another problem could have been the Senate HELP Committee Chair/members. Wasn't Kennedy Chair at the time? He wasn't one of the Grassley bill's sponsors.
You can't make blanket statements like that and simply expect a nod in agreement from me. There are wonderful public schools that DO challenge and motivate higher ability students. Newsweek, I believe, put out a list of the best public high schools in America. Are you telling me that someone who graduates from New Trier HS in suburban Chicago should be lumped in with failing public high schools in Indianapolis??? No, they shouldn't, but using your logic, they should and therefore, New Trier HS grads are no better than an Indianapolis Broad Ripple HS graduate (I'm in the midwest).
What needs to be addressed is poverty in our inner cities and rural areas. That is where public schools are failing. Suburban public schools tend to be better because you have a population who don't mind paying higher taxes to keep the schools good, making more people want to move in, leaving the poor rural and poor inner cities for the sake of their children getting a good education funded by taxpayer dollars.
The best and the brightest teachers flock to the best public schools because the money is there for salaries. Good luck convincing a new/in debt college education major to teach in a school system that has no money.
It's a cluster<you know what> and look how long it has take China to finally wise up and trust intellectualism once again, but they have a long way to go. You have soaring middle class development at the expense of the rural poor in China, which is exactly what brought Mao to power ....
Naperville has one of the top school systems in the area and they spend less per pupil ($9,881) than the perpetually failing Chicago Public schools ($10,409). I don't think increasing the amount spent per pupil per year to New Trier levels would solve the problems of the CPS.
Equally fitting, and equally misleading slogans for an entire party, don't you think?
Hmm? Were you out of the country for this last election?
The right wingers railed on and on about abortion, and socialism. How far did that get them? Americans approve of abortion rights and approve of Obama's tax plan.
Hmm? Were you out of the country for this last election?
The right wingers railed on and on about abortion, and socialism. How far did that get them? Americans approve of abortion rights and approve of Obama's tax plan.
Polls show this.
It just further proves my point that Americans want more choices, not choices taken away from then by the government. The democratic party is turning into the party of choices.
Naperville has one of the top school systems in the area and they spend less per pupil ($9,881) than the perpetually failing Chicago Public schools ($10,409). I don't think increasing the amount spent per pupil per year to New Trier levels would solve the problems of the CPS.
I heard about this proposal and I would say go for it. However, you look at the percentages of low income homes in CPS vs. Naperville ... THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
Quote:
The key difference is that while 84.9 percent of Chicago students come from low-income homes, New Trier has a low-income population of 1.9 percent, Naperville has 5 percent and Geneva 2.4percent ...What Chicago students need even more than higher per capita spending is what New Trier, Naperville and Geneva schools provide: middle-class environments. It's an advantage to have peers who are academically engaged and expect to go to college; parents who actively volunteer in the classroom and hold school officials accountable; and highly qualified teachers who have high expectations. On average, all these ingredients to good schools are far more likely to be found in middle-class than poor schools.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey - we agree!
