Posted on 02/16/2012 6:55:15 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
That’s it, Santorum will be a DISASTER for the Republicans. LOL.
It is interesting to see reporters actually digging up dirt...some of which takes a LOT of time to find. One doesn’t think that maybe they’re getting some help...
“I agree. Can’t stand him. Don’t think he’ll sell in the general. I think he’s totally humorless and off putting.
But he’s damned right on this issue, right on the money.”
That’s a CLASS comment.
WOW! I’m so shocked....SHOCKED!!!! at what a loony he is right?
I mean, next thing you know, we’ll hear he likes to hang out with terrorists who bombed the Pentagon!
Maybe we’ll even find out he’s a marxist who wants to completely disarm our country once he gets control of the nukes!!!! /s
Well, some folks won’t ever say anything bad about their candidate.
Some won’t ever say anything good about another candidate.
Sorry if the honesty caught you off guard.
“Sorry if the honesty caught you off guard.”
That’s ok...it’s just rare here.
This homeschool mom supports Newt!
—Protect the rights of home-schooled children by ensuring they have the same access to taxpayer funded, extra-curricular educational opportunities as any public school student.
—Shrink the federal Department of Education and return power to states and communities. The Department’s only role will be to collect research and data, and help find new and innovative approaches to then be adopted voluntarily at the local level.
From his 21st Century Learning System page
http://www.newt.org/solutions/21st-century-learning-system
HEre’s a specific example of how Gingrich overthinks things.
He proposes pell grants for parents to pay for school of their choice. That infers that public schools will now get part of their funding through school choice. But schools are not free to do whatever they want, and while there are some things a school could do to be “more competitive”, a lot of it is age of building, the population of kids around the school, and the existing teacher base, which schools aren’t free to fire at will.
But at least it’s an idea. Then he proposes that if a parent home-schools, they get to keep the pell grants or get tax credits. Here’s the problem: not only does that give parents a financial incentive to home-school (there are parents who should never home-school, and they might well choose to deny their kids an education just to earn money). Worse, why do the parents of children get a tax break, and not the people who don’t even HAVE children?
Schools are generally paid for with property taxes. Those without kids complain they pay property taxes but don’t get any benefits. We take their money and use it to pay for schools. But it would be worse if you told them that the parents who DO have kids actually get money back for not using the schools. That’s like taking money from childless couples and handing it over to couples with children.
But that’s what happens with a big-idea mentality. You oversolve problems.
When I see a phrase like "“restoring america’s greatness through educational freedom and opportunity,” I see the verbal equivalent of cake frosting. Empty fluff. I read on and for the next entire essay, it is similar throughout -- sweeping statements the most part of which can be said, "Who could be against that?" because it's safe and general. Lots of telling what he'd do, but not a lot of showing.
When I see "A 21st Century Learning System" I see policy wonk. I read on, and I see specifics, some I like, some I don't. I see words and language used to SHOW how he'd do what he explains he wants to do.
There's a difference between telling and showing in writing. Telling is a sign of weak writing, and weak writing is a sign of scattered, and even lazy thinking. The fact that Newt shows things tells me he knows what he's doing.
Godspeed Newt Gingrich.
Yeah, that was my point. Too bad too.
Santorum will never win in the general election. He does not stand a chance. He is savoring his status as flavor of the month.
You are missing a very big element of parental freedom, simply that if 50% of the student population had to rely on their parents for their education, or for supplementing or managing their education, they would be consigned to a terrible fate... especially in the inner cities.
You are right, absolutely, Sanctimonium has all the words, all the neat phrases, and you said it exactly, “Without reading a word of it...”
Newt supplies solutions, thought-out, developed, evolved solutions, culminating years of study and and work.
Santorum has also taken to quoting, sometimes verbatim, positions which Newt has espoused for years... as his own... he is not a thinker... America needs a thinker, and a fighter...
Seriously. Save half the school state outlay and give parents $6k for each kid. If you want to use the $6k for crack cocaine fine. Your kds’ loss. But for $6k per kid we could fly to the sites of famous battles for history or order top notch science equipment. Sheesh. For $12k then public school kid today gets not one pencil of his own, nor a field trip farther than the class can walk. Something’s wrong.
Point: In 2012 America, tell most people that suddenly they will have to be responsible for the education of their children and you will have a convulsion on your hands. Political suicide. Yes, a million parents home school, and God bless them, but 100 million don't, have delegated that function to the state, and don't want any part of it.
RIck says the following about local education:
Reforms at the local level should be focused on expanding consumer choice in public, private, and personalized education, attracting the best teachers to be competitive as a nation, and rewarding excellence, innovation, and personalizing to the needs of individual students rather than governments or unions. Local schools and states should expand online learning options and lift any caps on charter schools as well. There are many inspiring examples of effective teachers, schools, and learning around our nation which parents are seeking out to support them in their role. Rick Santorum believes that we need more.Yes, it isn't a plan. It's principles that he would hope local schools would use to improve.
Gingrich has plans. Plans for how, as President, he would make local schools better.
But why is the President putting together plans to make local schools better? It's not the fed's job. That's a job for the localities.
We can always count on the Marxist mainstream media to make things sound scandalous when there is no scandal.
You’re correct, but there’s a difference between merely voting for a candidate and volunteering for him.
Newt has said he would send all education management back to the states, with the federal agency remaining, only as a mechanism to gather data on success rates, do research, and offering the states solutions, which they then, freely and of their own volition, choose to implement or disregard. States do not have the resources to develop educational innovations, or state-of-the-art teaching upgrades, or attract experts. Newt simply would make that available, and let the states choose. I think this is a good balance, and a realistic one... but I can see where others might disagree.
This is refreshing. Thanks!
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the “problem” you mentioned that we can’t let parents be in charge because so many of them would screw up.
Newt says lots of things. He will send education back to the states, but also has a full-page of detailed plans for how states will be required to give parents tax dollars to spend at local schools. Or was that just a suggestion that the schools could freely reject?
I’m trying not to comment on Gingrich. I’m trying to stick to saying nice things about Santorum in Santorum threads. So I don’t want to tear down his “plan”, even though someone else brought it up in this thread.
Wow.... C. Edmund. correct me if I’m wrong, but you are a big Newt supporter, right? Me too! But..... Santorum has always been my 2nd choice. I actually see very little to dislike about Santorum, and if he beats out Newt..... I’m okay with that. Definitely prefer Newt, but Santorum winning would make me very happy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.