Thursday, September 6, 2012

Your Tax Dollars At Work - The Corruption Machine

If you've ever wondered why today's students can tell you exactly who's on Big Brother or what Justin Bieber's new tattoo looks like, but can't tell you who the Vice-President is, look no further.

Here's a good video, courtesy of Instapundit and Reason TV. It explains why we spend so much money on schools and education and receive so little in the way of actual student knowledge and good test scores.

This would be something good to spread around.



This is what the attempted recall of Wisconsin's Governor Walker was about.

Additionally, this is the biggest reason why our infrastructure is crumbling: so much money is going into public service union pensions (thanks to the outrageous benefits in their contracts) that there is little left over for their intended purpose, namely the maintenance of the infrastructure.

Also, this is why Obama put so much emphasis on "roads and bridges" in the failed $787B Stimulus Plan. It was to funnel money to his union cronies, not to benefit the public or to create jobs.

See the Solyndra mess for more.

Here's one more thing about schools that you may not know (I was certainly surprised to learn it myself):

Every schoolchild who’s ever squirmed in his seat, anxious for recess to arrive, can sympathize with students in Chicago. This year, many public schools in that city are scheduled to have recess for the first time in three decades. Chicago’s long recess drought isn’t unusual. Even before No Child Left Behind, recess was an endangered species. Since NCLB, every minute of the school day has been scrutinized for its instructional value—and recess, a break from instruction, often didn’t survive the scrutiny. It was, by definition, a waste of time.
 

Overprotective parents who won't let their children play outside due to some imaginary fear is the main reason for the epidemic of childhood obesity.

When I was young and dirt had that new dirt smell, we'd bound out the back door at first light, come back home for lunch, then back outside until dark. Unstructured play time is good for kids for a whole bunch of reasons you already know.

Too bad "educators" don't realize the value.

No comments: