Advice to Obama: 'Read the writing on the wall'
Jim Brown and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/21/2010 7:00:00 AM
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=862268
A columnist for the Boston Globe believes that unless President Obama makes some changes to his political agenda quickly, his party will experience a "bloodbath" in November.
Jeff Jacoby at the Boston Globe says Republican Scott Brown's convincing victory Tuesday for the U.S. Senate makes it clear that even in the "bluest of Blue states," no political seat is guaranteed forever. He says Democrats in Washington are now forced to realize that they too could be challenged and potentially dislodged from office.
"This wasn't as much a Republican victory as it was, I think, a backlash against Democrats and against a style of governance that President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress have been pushing very hard and in a very partisan way over the past year," states the columnist. (See earlier comments from Jacoby)
Jacoby writes in a new column that Democrat Martha Coakley's loss in the special Senate election in Massachusetts may actually be a blessing in disguise for President Obama.
"I think that this is a chance for him to think very hard about the way he has governed so far and to read the writing on the wall," he suggests, "and to recognize that unless he wants his party to go through a bloodbath in the mid-term elections this November, he needs to make some changes -- and he needs to make them quickly. If he does that, then I think that the brightest days of the Obama administration may still be to come."
According to Gallup, no president beginning his second year in the White House has been as unpopular as Obama currently is. The polling group sees "obvious political peril" for the president in decreasing public approval.
"When presidents' approval ratings have been below 50 percent in a midterm election year, their party has tended to suffer heavier seat losses," states a Gallup report.
After averaging a 57-percent job approval rating during his first year in office, recent numbers (Oct. 20, 2009 - Jan. 19, 2010) have generally hovered around the 50-percent mark, notes Gallup.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
U.S. Education and National Security
Fix the U.S. education system - it's in the national interest
Israel Ortega - Guest Columnist - 1/16/2010 4:30:00 AM
You don't need a grade book to realize that our public education system is failing to properly prepare our future leaders. With the national dropout rate at almost 30 percent (nearly 50 percent for African American and Hispanic students), the writing is on the chalkboard.
Still, there seems little urgency in Congress to address the sorry state of our country's education system.
Given our fiscal woes, it's easy to understand why lawmakers might be more concerned with jumpstarting the economy than with fixing the broken education system. But if policymakers continue to ignore the simple fixes that could improve education, we may be on a perilous path to even greater economic stagnation in the decades to come.
In a compelling report, three of my colleagues at The Heritage Foundation -- Dan Lips, Jennifer Marshall and James Carafano -- argue that our country is quickly losing its global competitiveness because of our failure to produce enough scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
According to a 2006 Program for International Student Assessment exam, 15-year-old American students placed a dismal 23rd out of 29 participating countries in mathematics. And in science, students in 16 countries outscored American students.
This matters, of course, because our country desperately relies on mathematicians and engineers to remain at the cusp of technological advances. For example, Silicon Valley is synonymous with the iPod and iPhone, thanks to the innovative drive of countless scientists and engineers.
Of course, we benefit from the good work of scientists, doctors and mathematicians in other ways, too. The United States leads the world in the fight to find a cure for cancer and AIDS. And thanks to our country's engineers, we are building safe and reliable roads, planes and automobiles. In short, we all benefit when our education system succeeds.
As my colleagues write (their report is titled, "Improving U.S. Competitiveness"): "For years, the U.S.-dominated science and technology fields filed record numbers of patents, which in turn empowered its military and fueled its economy. But times are changing. China has gained ground in electrical engineering and computing."
Thus our education system's shortcomings effectively threaten our national security.
Unfortunately, the answer for many is to simply increase federal spending on education. That's been done again and again, including last year when the so-called "stimulus" package doubled the Department of Education's budget.
Lawmakers need to consider other alternatives to truly bring about the necessary improvements. Money isn't the problem -- we're shelling out some $12,000 per student every year in many cities.
The real problem is the opposition to reform and competition from so many entrenched special interests in the education sector. Teacher labor unions furiously oppose meaningful reforms that could increase competition. These include expanding school-choice options for parents.
Increasing vouchers, for instance, would allow parents to decide where to send their children to school instead of forcing them to send their children to their neighborhood's failing schools.
The failure to prepare tomorrow's leaders in math and science is a threat to our country's global standing. For far too long, policy makers have turned a blind eye to our crumbling public education system. This is no longer exclusively an education issue -- this is now also a national security issue.
Israel Ortega (Israel.ortega@heritage.org) is a senior media associate at The Heritage Foundation and is chief spokesperson for all Spanish media, including print, radio, and television. This column is printed with permissionl
Israel Ortega - Guest Columnist - 1/16/2010 4:30:00 AM
You don't need a grade book to realize that our public education system is failing to properly prepare our future leaders. With the national dropout rate at almost 30 percent (nearly 50 percent for African American and Hispanic students), the writing is on the chalkboard.
Still, there seems little urgency in Congress to address the sorry state of our country's education system.
Given our fiscal woes, it's easy to understand why lawmakers might be more concerned with jumpstarting the economy than with fixing the broken education system. But if policymakers continue to ignore the simple fixes that could improve education, we may be on a perilous path to even greater economic stagnation in the decades to come.
In a compelling report, three of my colleagues at The Heritage Foundation -- Dan Lips, Jennifer Marshall and James Carafano -- argue that our country is quickly losing its global competitiveness because of our failure to produce enough scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
According to a 2006 Program for International Student Assessment exam, 15-year-old American students placed a dismal 23rd out of 29 participating countries in mathematics. And in science, students in 16 countries outscored American students.
This matters, of course, because our country desperately relies on mathematicians and engineers to remain at the cusp of technological advances. For example, Silicon Valley is synonymous with the iPod and iPhone, thanks to the innovative drive of countless scientists and engineers.
Of course, we benefit from the good work of scientists, doctors and mathematicians in other ways, too. The United States leads the world in the fight to find a cure for cancer and AIDS. And thanks to our country's engineers, we are building safe and reliable roads, planes and automobiles. In short, we all benefit when our education system succeeds.
As my colleagues write (their report is titled, "Improving U.S. Competitiveness"): "For years, the U.S.-dominated science and technology fields filed record numbers of patents, which in turn empowered its military and fueled its economy. But times are changing. China has gained ground in electrical engineering and computing."
Thus our education system's shortcomings effectively threaten our national security.
Unfortunately, the answer for many is to simply increase federal spending on education. That's been done again and again, including last year when the so-called "stimulus" package doubled the Department of Education's budget.
Lawmakers need to consider other alternatives to truly bring about the necessary improvements. Money isn't the problem -- we're shelling out some $12,000 per student every year in many cities.
The real problem is the opposition to reform and competition from so many entrenched special interests in the education sector. Teacher labor unions furiously oppose meaningful reforms that could increase competition. These include expanding school-choice options for parents.
Increasing vouchers, for instance, would allow parents to decide where to send their children to school instead of forcing them to send their children to their neighborhood's failing schools.
The failure to prepare tomorrow's leaders in math and science is a threat to our country's global standing. For far too long, policy makers have turned a blind eye to our crumbling public education system. This is no longer exclusively an education issue -- this is now also a national security issue.
Israel Ortega (Israel.ortega@heritage.org) is a senior media associate at The Heritage Foundation and is chief spokesperson for all Spanish media, including print, radio, and television. This column is printed with permissionl
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Group Wants Christianity Out of History Books
Group wants Christianity out of history books
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2010 4:00:00 AM
The Texas Board of Education is holding public hearings and will vote this week on the content of textbooks, which will impact many other states that follow Texas' lead.
Committees of teachers and experts have crafted the proposal that will be up for consideration by the State Board of Education today (Thursday). Dozens of amendments and ideological battles are expected. Whichever curriculum standards the board chooses will be the guideposts for teaching history and social studies to some 4.8 million K-12 students for 10 years. (More details from Associated Press)
One of the major problems is a push by a small group that wants to censor religious information regarding historical figures from textbooks. Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, tells OneNewsNow the group has been very aggressive.
"We just think it's ridiculous," he says. "If you're going to talk about history and social studies, we should be doing it accurately; we should do it in a factual way," Saenz contends. "If some of our historical events and figures, [and] part of their history and significance has to do with their religious beliefs, then students should not be banned from being taught about that."
Saenz cites an example of Martin Luther King, Jr., and suggests that if teachers acknowledge him, they should also be able to say he was a Christian and how that influenced his role in the civil rights movement. The legislative affairs director says opponents are bringing up the tired and false argument of separation of church and state.
"The reality is it's undeniable that our country has a rich religious heritage [and] that the faith of our founding fathers had a tremendous impact on our government and law," he notes. "And so to teach students...otherwise, it's just wrong and it's something that we hope the State Board of Education won't tolerate."
Initial votes will be conducted this week, and a final vote will be tallied in two months. Those decisions will establish textbook content for the state for the next ten years as other states will purchase and use those same textbooks.
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 1/14/2010 4:00:00 AM
The Texas Board of Education is holding public hearings and will vote this week on the content of textbooks, which will impact many other states that follow Texas' lead.
Committees of teachers and experts have crafted the proposal that will be up for consideration by the State Board of Education today (Thursday). Dozens of amendments and ideological battles are expected. Whichever curriculum standards the board chooses will be the guideposts for teaching history and social studies to some 4.8 million K-12 students for 10 years. (More details from Associated Press)
One of the major problems is a push by a small group that wants to censor religious information regarding historical figures from textbooks. Jonathan Saenz, director of legislative affairs at Free Market Foundation, tells OneNewsNow the group has been very aggressive.
"We just think it's ridiculous," he says. "If you're going to talk about history and social studies, we should be doing it accurately; we should do it in a factual way," Saenz contends. "If some of our historical events and figures, [and] part of their history and significance has to do with their religious beliefs, then students should not be banned from being taught about that."
Saenz cites an example of Martin Luther King, Jr., and suggests that if teachers acknowledge him, they should also be able to say he was a Christian and how that influenced his role in the civil rights movement. The legislative affairs director says opponents are bringing up the tired and false argument of separation of church and state.
"The reality is it's undeniable that our country has a rich religious heritage [and] that the faith of our founding fathers had a tremendous impact on our government and law," he notes. "And so to teach students...otherwise, it's just wrong and it's something that we hope the State Board of Education won't tolerate."
Initial votes will be conducted this week, and a final vote will be tallied in two months. Those decisions will establish textbook content for the state for the next ten years as other states will purchase and use those same textbooks.
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