California bill would block Texas textbook changes

[tyanger]

Originally Posted by WatermelonRat

Texas, being a larger state, is a major consumer of textbooks. If they change their textbook standards to fit their agenda, it will effectively impose the propoganda textbooks on other states, as a textbook company will be more likely to simply change all of it's books instead of creating a "Texas-only" version. This measure in California is presumably meant to counter that.

BS (not you personally, just this line of reasoning)

I'm not an expert on book publishing, but last year my mother-in-law self published a book for children about Indian poetry/songs/nursery rhymes. It is just something she had always wanted to do - she is not a professional writer - 1st run was 10,000 copies. My wife and I helped with the editing and provided occasional advice along the way - so I got more than a glimpse of the entire process.

What I learned from this is -anyone can print and buy pretty much anything they want. I am guessing the states that feel that the Texas Board of Education is "imposing propaganda" on them are taking advantage of the low pricing and 'plug-and-play' simplicity of purchasing the ready-made Texas textbooks rather than cough up the cash and invest the time/money/effort to print their own. If my mother-in-law can write/edit/publish 10,000 copies of a hardcover childrens book in less than one year, I'm pretty sure state boards of education would have similar rates of success if they chose to. I believe it's a matter of putting your money where your mouth is. I mean, when you're cheap and lazy and purchase according to that philosophy you can't turn around and whine about the product not being exactly what you wanted. So I agree - the pissin' and moanin' is all either political grandstanding or truly not understanding what is going on.

[FinkieMcGee]

Originally Posted by Miborn

This part is sooooo CA Liberal..... Yet they see nothing wrong with it!
Toddlers with a taste for 2 percent milk would be out of luck under a bill that would create new beverage standards in California's licensed day care facilities. AB2084 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, would require day cares to serve only low-fat or nonfat milk to children ages 2 and older, limit juice to one serving a day and ban drinks with added sweeteners. Brownley says this will help combat rising childhood obesity by reducing children's caloric intake and teaching healthier habits

No this is actually CA doing something right and the rest of the country showing that their gigantic failures regarding nutrition standards. You would make a terrible parent. I'm going to guess you're going to go with "Well! If the kids like it you should give it to them" school of child rearing.

Mind telling me how this is a bad thing?

[BluesFanMan]

Originally Posted by californio sur

No. but California certainly isn't going to tolerate ignorance. If it is OK in Texas that creationism is taught in public schools then that's their right. But don't expect other states to buy into such stupid nonsense.

Funny how they cant tolerate it but they facilitate it.

[californio sur]

Here are comments about the other changes Texas wants included in school textbooks:

"Study of Sir Isaac Newton is dropped in favor of examining scientific advances through military technology. The education board has dropped references to the slave trade, calling it "Atlantic triangular trade.", as if slavery is a natural by-product of commerce. The Civil Rights Movement created "unrealistic expectations of equal outcomes" for minorities in America." California Declares War On Texas Textbooks