American Education

Return to Excellence, Choice and Competition

            John McCain believes American Education must be worthy of the promise we made to our children and ourselves. So do I, most strongly, but before we can change things for a better tomorrow and America. We must look at the true causes of the problems and correct them first and before we can move onward.

In the Decades since the end of the Eisenhower Administration, I believe one of those causes occurred in our Public Schools and the System that administered them. It has run the gamut from being okay, all the way to being the bottom of the industrialized worlds, most to be emulated List. We are a no longer a system of educating our young, rather have become a lame system of processing our students out and unprepared for the future.

The basic question is, why?

The most obviest answer, which no one wants to admittedly say is, the Democrats `Civil Rights Act’ of 1963 and the, over written and idiotic Amendments attached to and then passed under the Kennedy & Johnston Administrations! Dr. Martin Luther King had a Dream of racial equality in the south and acceptance as equals in the North. I truly do not believe, He and those leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, sought to make being a Black person the only means of getting, what could not be gotten fairly and by honest hard work.

Now what is this racist cracker talking about? He is a bigot and prejudicial `White’ Republican Supremist! Hang him, lynch him, he is nuts.

Actually I am none of the above! I am a realist and investigative analysis of the problem, which we as a nation of `coloured peoples’ face. While I am Caucasian, I am not `White’ and really resent the implication that I am a mere unreal colour!

Prior to the Civil Rights Acts, of the `60s and those amended in the `70s. The free Black American population moved all about America and faced all sorts, of trials and tribulations. In the South after 1865, and up till the Civil Rights Marches of the late `50s, they faced vast racial discrimination in voting rights, living rights and just about every right given to them, by the laws written back in 1863, including Education. It wasn’t until the intervention, by the US Government in 1963-67, that these rights began to be honoured by those democratically run Southern States. States under Democrat leadership, who violated them every way and chance they could.

However, during this time great Black leaders, Judges, Scientist, Congressmen, writers and many others overcame this ordeal. Those like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Jacobs, Alexander Cromwell, Booker T Washington, and GW Carver, just to name a few. What did these great and outstanding Americans do that is not being done today. They over came the adversity before them and made it to prominence, by conquering the challenges set before them with clear and orderly determination. Self reliance is a characteristic trait, which is vividly evident in every self made man or woman, of the past and future.

But with the advent of certain Civil liberties, which were installed within the CRA, they no longer had to work for prominence; it was lowered to let all of them achieve it, at the cost of American standards of learning set for us all.  Or maybe it was intended to be that way all the time? Nah! Just yanking your leg there.

And over the years hence, it has been lowered and lowered by groups within the Black Community, those AFRICAN Americans, who distinguish themselves even apart from Black Americans, by being AFRICAN Black Americans. Since Africa is such a large Continent and composed of numerous Countries, these members of Black society must not know from whence they came and while it is a pity. It is not a valid reason to elevate them over; those with greater learning abilities and of more determined prominence, but who are not black.

Our education standard must be set so high, that only those who put aside foolishness for achievement scholastically will preserver.

Public Education should be defined as, one in which our public support for a child’s education, follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public as to their progress. Clear and well ordered guidelines, to curriculum and subject matter, as well in depth advance foreknowledge of what is expected out of each child and parent, with what is expected out of the teacher and the school system as a whole. 

I likewise agree with McCain’s stand here, and support it to the extent that it is a parents choice as to where, his/her child attends. But it is not the Governments or the local taxpayer’s responsibilities to pay for the parental choice of schooling, if it is outside the public realm. It is the parents of the child, whose responsibility it now befalls on to provide the tuition for private schools, progressive schools or privately operated academies. The only amendment I would of added to this, is if you pay for your child to attend a private school or be home schooled, you should be entitled to a tax break.

Neither vouchers nor cash supplements to income be given, which would go towards the `Betterment of ones station in life’, over the benefactors. This defeats the purpose of endeavour to achieve ones goal solely on the merits of their ability. It is like giving a poorly skilled player preference on the field, because of skin tone or the vise versa. It must be achieved on ones own ability, not favoritism of colour or guilt of a past wrong doing by others, with whom you only have the association to, by skin colour.

It is a reverse profiling and does not benefit anyone. Yet it is the heart of the CRA, on the achievement of equality in education. It did not simply promote students to schools that would teach them equally as others, but allowed for the advancement of less able students over other students of greater achievement into higher schools of learning simply based on skin colour. It spread to work places and created the means to foster the separation of equality even further by adding to the resume a new classification of identifying, the Race decree. Why must you put anything other than you are an American or not on your job application.

With the deplorable status of preparation for our children, particularly in comparison to the rest of the industrialized world, John McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own home. He also believes in, that we can no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for all others. In this age of honest reporting, we are finally able to see what is happening to those students who were previously invisible. We are loosing not only black and white, but other students of colour who could achieve better over all academic scores, if the incentives to learn exceed the incentives to fail.

We need to remove drugs, alcohol and other self destructive life perversions from their schools, neighborhoods and homes of many students. We need to emphasize also, that sports, while fine avenue of income in themselves, are not all there is to life and to maintain the wealth a career in one would generate, one must be knowledgeable about other matters. Not every job out there, will eventually take them where they wish to be at the end, so the ability to adapt and change as needed to succeed is as important as what they learn or are taught.

Some thing taught on Monday may be revised by weeks end. And so on and so on, with ever increased velocity, the knowledge taught to them now, will most certainly change many times over.

In the realm of things eternal, we are but a speck of a moment in the course of our knowledge. We need good minds to handle that which is ahead but yet unknown to us.  

Another value which needs to be taught is the commitment to others, in both life and in marriage. They need to be taught in the home and in the schools. Not sex education but rather other than sex, there is this and that. Be committed to yourself as well as your friends in safety, health and the need for abstinence from the urge to be grown up before it is time.

John McCain believes our schools can and should compete to be the most innovated, flexible and student-oriented centers of educating, learning and experiencing knowledge first hand any where in the world. We believe in fair competition for the most effective, character building teacher available and hire them, and reward them.

If your school or system will not change, we believe it is every parent’s right to see that the school system strive to change or be empowered with school choice. To move their student to another school that will best educate them in the field of endeavor they chose to explore, or gives them the best education available.

Until the States can no longer maintain the quality or direction we all envision for our children’s future educational need. It will be left up to them to reach the goals we as a society demands of them. We will work with every parent to see that the education of their child is rich in concept, knowledge and worth. The state public school system is managed by them only, it is you and me that should direct them though meetings, letters and votes to tell them where we want our children’s future to be heading.

Sports over education at many of our schools have been the focus to relieve revenue burdens in many States. Like my State, we depend solely on property taxes to abate our school systems and this can not fulfill the job anymore, we need a fairer means to do it. A state wide increase in revenue producing endeavours must be substituted for taxing home owners whose children grow and move out, while hundreds of renters continue to add little if nothing to the school district coffers.

Except for where highlighted, the words and expressed ideas, of this column are mine and mine alone. John McCain wants a stronger, more equal and less biased educational system for America that will not leave any child wanting. I want the same exact thing, with the added knowledge no child will be made to loose interest in achieving ones goal in life will placating to another’s.

We need new advanced trade schools for those that do not need to attend college for that four year degree in Teaching, Engineering etc. Do away with the two year college level associate degree and put it back in High School, so our youth can work anywhere they wish to. Being set in school to work only in a menial position is not an incentive to learn. It is a reason to give up on ones self and do wrong.

Sports are an extra curricular activity and if you do not make the grade, your not going to make the big times either. Well not for long anyways. So many up and comers that lacked educations and good common sense are destitute and homeless or dead.