A sinkhole of funds and expectations good ol’…

A sinkhole of funds and expectations, good ol’ public schools. From my local paper, the Colorado Springs Gazette, a summary of the poor math performance among high schoolers:

But in the six largest districts in El Paso County — Colorado Springs School District 11, Academy School District 20, Falcon School District 49, Harrison School District 2, Widefield School District 3, and Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 — fewer than 50 percent of 10th graders scored proficient or advanced in math. Over the last five years scores have remained flat, indicating schools haven’t found the silver bullet. 

The humor lies in the end, where local districts detail the efforts being made to improve scores. In D-2, a fifth of 10th graders scored proficient or advanced in math: 21%. The plan to help won’t:

This year they rolled out a high school math program where geometry, algebra and other courses are integrated so students can see the connection between concepts.
In elementary school, Assistant Superintendent Dan Snowberger notes, they have set aside the idea that kids can’t get into higher math until they have memorized  basics such as multiplication tables. “Some might never memorize it, so instead we get them engaged in higher math, scaffold the lessons and support them where there are deficiencies.” They are seeing positive results.

Scaffold the lessons and support deficiencies? Isn’t that what they did in Atlanta? Do you supply a table for kids to look up the answer or a calculator? I’m not sure which is worse. It’s difficult for kids to grasp the interrelated concepts if they haven’t mastered the basics, i.e. memorizing math facts.

 

In a local charter school–the one with the highest scores in the county at 90 percent proficient or advanced–the explanation for success would prove unpopular. Why? It’s no longer politically correct:

Vanguard doesn’t socially promote kids, has high expectations and stresses parent support.  Students are divided into zones based on ability rather than grade levels for math, and placement is emphasized in the  first month of school. Students repeat material until they know it, and have an extra half hour daily for homework and extra help. The school uses Saxon math curriculum, which lays a foundation of skills and builds on it. Lectures are short; more time is spent doing problems so teachers can see issues and help.

No social promotion. High expectations. Parent support. Placement for ability. And what a kicker: students repeat material until they know it. That doesn’t sound like supporting a deficiency, eh?

 

Cross-posted at politicaljunkieMom.

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“So would I support Rick Perry for President? Hell, yes!”

So exclaims Kinky Friedman, who ran against him in 2006.

As the last nail that hasn’t been hammered down in this country, I agree with Rick that there are already too damn many laws, taxes, regulations, panels, committees, and bureaucrats. While Obama is busy putting the hyphen between “anal” and “retentive” Rick will be rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.

More (and a coffee alert if you’re holding one):

These days, of course, I would support Charlie Sheen over Obama. Obama has done for the economy what pantyhose did for foreplay. Obama has been perpetually behind the curve. If the issue of the day is jobs and the economy, Rick Perry is certainly the nuts-and-bolts kind of guy you want in there. Even though my pal and fellow Texan Paul Begala has pointed out that no self-respecting Mexican would sneak across the border for one of Rick Perry’s low-level jobs, the stats don’t entirely lie. Compared with the rest of the country, Texas is kicking major ass in terms of jobs and the economy, and Rick should get credit for that, just as Obama should get credit for saying “No comment” to the young people of the Iranian revolution.

More to the point, could Rick Perry fix the economy? Hell, yes! Texas is exhibit A; Rick’s fingerprints are all over it. He’s been governor since Christ was a cowboy. The Lone Star State is booming. The last time I checked, Texas is kicking in a hell of a lot of the U.S. GDP. Unemployment is lower than the vast majority of the other states. Hell, we could probably even find a job for Paul Begala.

Heh. Read the rest.

Nostalgia

You forget a lot in 3 years. From Politico:

“The day that the president became president gasoline was $1.79 a gallon. Look at what it is today,” she said at an event in Greenville, S.C.. “Under President Bachmann, you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again. That will happen.”

It was really that cheap? Seriously?

I was so struck by the price of produce at the grocery store last week. Meat, too. And how could I forget coffee? My normal splurge coffee has gone up by $2 a (small) bag. Avocados are double the price from last summer. I know because we used to eat quite a few.

What say you? Are you feeling pinched, too, or is it just me flabbergasted at the grocery store?

 

What you least expect to hear upon calling your Senator to tell him to vote for #cutcapandbalance

This as the hold music. So much irony from which to choose, so little time.

I called Mark Udall and Michael Bennet of Colorado. Will call the rest, too. Here’s a list via Red State:

Here are the Democrats who need to hear from you as soon as possible. Each of these senators voted in favor of a non-binding resolution earlier this year supporting the Balanced Budget Amendment. We will find out today if they were serious.

Mark Begich (D-AK) — (202) 224-3004
Michael Bennet (D-CO) — (202) 224-5852
Sherrod Brown (D-OH) — (202) 224-2315
Tom Carper (D-DE) — (202) 224-2441
Joe Manchin (D-WV) — (202) 224-3954
Claire McCaskill (D-MO) — (202) 224-6154
Bill Nelson (D-FL) — (202) 224-5274
Ben Nelson (D-NE) — (202) 224-6551
Mark Udall (D-CO) — (202) 224-5941

Bennet’s office immediately answered and placed me on hold. I waited less than a minute. Udall’s line provided the serenade for a slightly longer wait. Both staffers were polite. Udall’s sported a heavy British accent, not something I expected to accompany Alan Jackson.

Call.

A thousand words

Swell in my heart, yet I can’t find any worthy of the photo.  The Army honored paratroopers  today in Ste. Mere-Eglise, France. Click through for more pictures.

Related: Amen: “Not for nothing do we call this our ‘Greatest Generation.'”

Quote of the day

Professor Jacobson on Sarah Palin’s “Fight like a girl” speech in Wisconsin yesterday:

In one sentence, Palin did more to advance the cause of women in politics than all the Women’s Studies Ph.D’s in all the universities in this country combined.

Which is why Sarah Palin scares liberal women to death.

Ah, sleep

From an article at the WSJ, The Sleepless Elite:

Not only are their circadian rhythms different from most people, so are their moods (very upbeat) and their metabolism (they’re thinner than average, even though sleep deprivation usually raises the risk of obesity). They also seem to have a high tolerance for physical pain and psychological setbacks.

Um, can you clone those genetic anomalies? And package into convenient pill form for moms?

Let’s hope he wasn’t a history teacher…

Borrowing JaCG’s line, here’s another, pardon the pun, teachable union moment from the Providence Journal:

“This is beyond insane,” Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith said Tuesday night. “Let’s create the most chaos and the highest level of anxiety in a district where teachers are already under unbelievable stress. Now I know how the United States State Department felt on Dec. 7 , 1941.” That was the day the Japanese government bombed Pearl Harbor.

I guess the paper had to insert that tidbit of explanation for those readers who had been educated in the Providence school system.

H/t: Legal Insurrection.

Quote of the day

Via Tom Bethell at American Spectator:

Here’s one abortion issue that is never properly explained. We are told that easy access to abortion is a matter of “women’s reproductive rights,” or “reproductive freedom.” Nancy Pelosi uses that terminology, as do many feminists. Well, I support reproductive rights. But women already have them. There’s only one way to reproduce, and that is to have sex with a man. Involuntary sex is called rape and rape is illegal, so what’s the issue here? I guess what they don’t want to say that abortion is your basic back-up when contraception fails.

I have another up at pjMom.

Quote of the day

Ed Morrissey on the end of Pelosi’s higher-cost (predictable), higher-carbon emissions (heh!) “Green the Capitol” agenda in the cafeteria:

Eating has returned now to its previous purpose of feeding people rather than lecturing them on tastes and energy policy, and costs have returned to normal as well.  But the exercise did have its value.  It showed that far from looking to deliver cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable energy resources, the “green” movement instead exists to lecture people not just on energy consumption but on a wide range of lifestyle choices.  It is much more efficient at distributing condescension than actual energy, and hypocrisy over tangible results.

 Bonus: no more useless, compostable cornstarch sporks!

Quote of the Day

Doug Powers writing at Michelle Malkin in response to our ’08 GOP nominee who claims his opponent is now “easier to work with” after his media-created move to the center:

John McCain often reminds me of a trout that just got hooked and is thrilled that the fisherman has agreed to meet him halfway.

Heh.

Quote of the day

Instapundit:

Well, based on the past two years I’d vote for a syphilitic camel if he ran against Obama.

Me too, Professor!

Go read the inspiration.  Wisdom follows the snark.

Oh my. Hawaii governor opens can o’ worms for Obama

He thought he was doing Barry O a favor, putting an end to all that Birther nonsense.

Guess not:

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within the vital records maintained by the Hawaii Department of Health.

Abercrombie told the Honolulu Star Advertiser he was searching within the Hawaii Department of Health to find definitive vital records that would prove Obama was born in Hawaii, because the continuing eligibility controversy could hurt the president’s chances of re-election in 2012.

Whoopsie!

Oh Jeb, say it ain’t so

It’s one thing for liberals to perpetuate myths about Arizona’s immigration law.  It’s another entirely for a possible GOP contender to make statements like this:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said if his children walked the streets of Phoenix they might look awfully suspicious to police. His wife, Columba, is from Mexico.

Really?  If they “walked the streets,” eh?  Do they look like they might be prostitutes thus giving cops probable cause to stop and ask them for papers?

 

If I were driving 30 mph over the speed limit in Arizona, I would be asked to produce my driver’s license and registration, no?  And if that’s the case, why should it be any different for anyone else?  If by some chance that person didn’t have a driver’s license and registration–oh, gasp! shock! because he or she were here illegally–then it’s appropriate to ask. 

Jeb and others were in Denver discussing the possibility of Colorado’s adoption of a law similar to Arizona’s, though  I doubt it will happen with Hickenlooper headed into the Governor’s mansion.

Taxpayers bail out EU

I had a busy afternoon cooking, cleaning, and being a mom.  So I missed this until pjHusband pointed it out. 

Via Drudge, we’re bailing out the EU (after already loaning–secretly, of course–European banks massive cash).  Seriously?  At what point does this become a joke?  The Germans have to bail out the Greeks.  The EU bails out the Irish.  And now we–of massive debt ourselves–bail out the EU?

Who bails us out?  Are they waiting for rich aliens at this point?

Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for, and on my list this year is this incredible group of savvy, curious women.

Ladies, you have no idea how much your writing, wit, snark and sass brighten my day. 

Thank you.

And oh, I’m a sucker for the recipes, too.  I saw Pundette’s cranberry bread recipe this morning and decided–gasp–to not make the usual Ocean Spray cranberry bread I grew up eating.  At 6500′.  Using the greatest altitude cookbook evah to help tinker a little.  Wish me luck!

And we thought she was a prima donna?

Dude. These people are clueless.

That Madrid trip was über-expensive and created a firestorm around Michelle.

What makes Barry O think he’ll be insulated from the same when spending $200 million per day in Mumbai?

Wife of a Wounded Warrior: “Army wives are like teabags. You never know how strong she is until she lands in hot water.”

Want to see what strength looks like? 

Strength rocks a purple dress to her husband’s Purple Heart ceremony and smiles through tears.  Strength becomes his advocate, his appointment scheduler, his researcher for alternative medical treatments to restore their lives, his bedrock when he brings the war home. 

I have the video of Bianca Baldwin giving a speech in honor of her husband, Special Forces Major Darren Baldwin, at his Purple Heart ceremony at pjMom.  Come watch and read “the rest of the story.”

Misleading headline of the day falsely demonizing GOP courtesy the AP

Dear Associated Press and Yahoo! News:

I take offense at your misleading headline, “Republicans block bill to lift military gay ban,” for myriad reasons.

Namely, with one Republican Senator (well, RINO Murkowski, but I digress) absent, it is impossible for “Republicans” to “block” the bill.

Why, you ask?

Well, with 41 Republicans in the Senate minus the absent sore loser from Alaska, that’s only 40 votes. 

Elementary math: 100 Senators (minus) 40 GOP (equals) bill passage with 60 votes.

So why did the bill not pass with the crucial 41st GOP vote absent?

Oh, Democrats voted against the measure?

Whoopsie!  Right, you just made a mistake!

The kicker:

Democratic Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas sided with Republicans to block the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also voted against the measure as a procedural tactic. Under Senate rules, casting his vote with the majority of the Senate enables him to revive the bill at a later date if he wants.

Emphasis mine.  Three Democrats sided with 40 Republicans.  Three Democrats, not Republicans, are the reason the bill didn’t pass.

More garbage from the AP:

Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked legislation that would have repealed the law banning gays from serving openly in the military.

The partisan vote was a defeat for Senate Democrats and gay rights advocates, who saw the bill as their last chance before November’s elections to overturn the law known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

With the 56-43 vote, Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation. It also would have authorized $726 billion in defense spending including a pay raise for troops.

Senate Democrats attached the repeal provision to the defense bill in the hopes that Republicans would hesitate to vote against legislation that included popular defense programs. But GOP legislators opposed the bill anyway, thwarting a key part of the Democrats’ legislative agenda.

Those eevil Democrat thwarters, Lincoln, Pryor, and Reid!  Is it any surprise two of the three struggle in their reelection bids? 

Allahpundit sees the Reid move as motivation for his base in Nevada:

Reid’s strategy in bundling the defense bill together with the DREAM Act and repealing DADT was, I assume, aimed at forcing a Republican no vote which he can now use to motivate liberals and Latinos in Nevada to turn out for him in November. Which would make sense, I guess, if not for one thing: Wouldn’t he have been better off trying to pass the DREAM Act and repeal of DADT as standalone measures?

No lie.  I think ol’ Harry can’t avoid stepping on his own crank at EVERY turn right now. And I’m thankful–no, estatic–that his strategy fell short.  More Allah brilliance on why ol’ Harry had no choice but to bungle bundle the bill:

Actually, here’s the real reason that Reid bundled all these bills together — I think: He was worried that if he split them all up and held individual votes on each, they’d be filibustered anyway because of Democratic opposition, not Republican. That would be a double defeat for Reid, not only losing on the vote itself but signaling to his party that he’s a weak majority leader who can’t deliver even on basic liberal items like DADT and the DREAM Act. Consider that he probably picked up a few votes on his own side in favor of this bill precisely because it was framed in the larger context of defense spending; Ben Nelson voted yes because now he can claim he did it “for the troops,” but imagine him having to take a straight up-or-down vote on DADT or amnesty with re-election in 2012. Imagine the embarrassment for Reid if he got Collins and Snowe to vote with him on DADT and lost the vote anyway because Nelson, Lincoln, and Pryor all said no. A vote on DREAM, which could have won multiple Republicans — and lost even more Democrats — would have been even dicier. (Speaking of which, why is Blanche Lincoln still voting with Republicans? Does she really not understand she’s going to lose in November regardless?) Reid likely figured that his best bet here was to lard the bill up with controversial liberal wish list items in hopes of unifying the Republican opposition so that he could then blame their failure solely on GOP obstructionism. If that was the plan, it worked. Anyone seriously believe it’ll do him much good?

No, they’ll see him as the weakling leader he is thirty-odd days before an election.  The end result: even with a liberal majority and a number of sympathetic RINOs, Harry still couldn’t pass a basic progressive legislation.  What a winner, no?

For background on the shamnesty-bailout–for-illegal-students DREAM act, see Michelle Malkin here and here.

Cross-posted at pjMom.

Maureen Dowd’s hypothetical Republican sister disgruntled with her Hopenchange

Maureen Dowd waxes poetic about the indie loss of faith in Obama and includes her “sister” Peggy as an example, an “Obamican” Republican who fell hook, line and sinker for Hopenchange back in ’08.

The supposed bona fides:

Disillusioned with her beloved W. over Iraq and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and the disdain for bipartisanship, she gave her affections — and small cash infusions — to Barack Obama in 2008.

But does this sound like a disgruntled Republican to you?

Peggy thinks the president has done fine managing W.’s messes in Iraq and Afghanistan. And she lights up at the mention of his vice president, Joe Biden. But she thinks Obama has to get “a backbone” if he wants to lure her back to the fold. “He promised us everything, saying he would turn the country around, and he did nothing the first year,” Peggy says. “He piddled around when he had 60 votes. He could have pushed through the health care bill but spent months haggling on it because he wanted to bring some Republicans on board. He was trying too hard to compromise when he didn’t need the Republicans and they were never going to like him. Any idiot could see that.

Hey, Maureen: artistic license and all, but if you have a “Republican sister,” at least make the story plausible.  “He promised us everything” and “he did nothing the first year” sounds like, well, more Upper East Side liberal whining.  Because any Republican (even one who’d vote for Mitt) would never say Obama has done nothing the first year.  He’s nearly destroyed the economy single-handedly, put the country on the path to socialized medicine, and bankrupted future generations while stacking the Supreme Court with two über-libs.  Not exactly nothing, honey.  Expanding that social circle of yours might lend credibility. 

The kicker:

“He could have gotten it through while Teddy Kennedy was still alive — he owed the Kennedys something — and then the bill was watered down.

OMG, pardon me while I choke to death laughing. 

Maureen would have us believe a Republican would say this?  Oh, maybe one who’d vote for Mike Castle in a primary (whoopsie,  look where that’s headed), but even that’s a stretch.  I’m reminded of Rush pointing out the difference between blue-blood Republicans–the country-club set, those embarrassed by folks like me: conservative Catholic mamas who believe in the sanctity of life, fiscal responsibility, and the like.  But even blue-bloods who fell for Hopenchange have to have more common sense than MoDo’s hypothetical sister.

H/T: Hot Air headlines.

Cross-posted at pjMom.