Posted on 07/30/2012 10:57:34 AM PDT by Kaslin
Is it just me, or do certain Democrats seem to have difficulty distinguishing the difference between “education” and “teachers’ unions”? Anyone?
Speaking to the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, Vice President Joe Biden accused Mitt Romney of awarding education with something less than priority-status. Oh, the humanity:
Biden addressed 2,500 delegates at the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Detroit on Sunday.
Biden painted Romney as planning to gut education funding to finance tax breaks for the wealthy.
From what Romney and his GOP rivals said during the primary debates, “it looks like they don’t think public education is worth the investment,” Biden said.
A spokesman for Romney’s campaign accused Biden and President Barack Obama of kowtowing to teachers unions. “Instead of putting students first, this administration has put the union bosses that fund their political campaigns ahead of what’s best for our children,” said spokesman Sean Fitzpatrick.
“Mitt Romney has the plan and record to put students first and make sure that they have a job waiting for them when they graduate,” Fitzpatrick said. …
Biden said Romney backs Republican budget plans to slash spending on the Head Start preschool program, as well as grants and loans for college students.
First of all, how is it that everything Republicans want to cut from the federal government is somehow meant to finance “tax breaks for the wealthy”? Isn’t Biden perhaps forgetting about — oh, I don’t know — our trillion dollar federal deficits? Higher taxes on the wealthy will barely make a dent in our national deficit. We need real, substantive, major spending cuts to the national budget to accomplish that, but President Obama & Friends are conveniently forgetting to mention how the federal government’s metastasized size and scope of recent years is what’s burning through all of our money. Apparently, Republicans’ desire to stop economically damaging tax hikes on the wealthy is to be blamed for educations cuts, defense cuts, and who knows what else.
Secondly, good for Mitt Romney for proposing federal cuts to public education — and I don’t think he goes nearly far enough. I’m with erstwhile presidential candidate Rick Perry on this one; if I had my way, the federal Department of Education would go the way of the dodo. Education is an institution best managed by the efficiencies of federalism. When states compete, students win. Monolithic, top-down education policy and the auspices of teachers’ unions — not so much, as evidenced by the our many “investments” resulting in the current state of our flailing public school system. And if college students are looking for someone to blame for the ridiculous inflation of higher-education tuition, look no further than the federal government interfering with incentives and flooding the market with relatively inexpensive student loans.
America’s education system needs a serious examination — and bankrupting ourselves by throwing more money at it, only to reinforce the terrible status quo, is not a solution, Mr. Vice President.
For the money that we are forced to spend on public “education” I have to agree.
So...Biden is alleging it is?
Certainly not worth any Federal-level investment.
“Concerning our public schools today: Never have so many been paid so much for so little. I thank whatever gods there be that I went to school so many years ago that I had no choice but to be tightly disciplined in classes in which the teachers did not hesitate to fail or punish.”
Robert Heinlein
Why is Biden trying to get me to vote for Romney?
Any time a Democrat uses the word “investment” that means his or her hand is looking to find its way into your pocket.
..and, yet, Joe went a a fancy private high school as did his kids. Hmmmm....
The federal Department of Education contributes nothing to the improvement of education in the US.
I’m looking for politicians, anyone, who is willing to eliminate this department. When we didn’t have it, we never missed it. Things have only gotten worse since they have been in existence. Even if we didn’t have a deficit, we should close them down.
I think what he meant to say was:
“Romney doesn’t support throwing more money at teachers’ unions who do nothing to help kids learn.”
Because Romney is a thousand times better then that arrogant pos. That said any vote for a third party candidate or sitting home sulking with your thumb in your mouth because your candidate did not get the nod is just as same as voting for 0bama
Before we ask Romney what he thinks, let's ask Joe Biden to tell us what he thinks Romney thinks.
That doesn’t answer my question, which was, “Why is Biden trying to get me to vote for Romney?” By the way, you missed on either my reasoning or my behavior in your rant. Nice try, however. Keep it up. It will really win votes for Romney to attempt to insult anyone who might not be voting for him.
Ahhhh...shut up, Joe! Neither did you!
For not only did Joe ‘bluecolor’ Biden send his three kids to private schools in Delaware, but he himself attended the up-scale, private Catholic school, Archmere Academy, located in Claymont, DE.
Yep, I get it -
I don’t think public education is worth it, either.
I’m sending my kids to the best, most expensive private school possible - their mom.
Neither do I and I was in public education for 40 years. Huge, huge amounts of money is squandered, and much of it on compliance with government regulations. Small school districts have three and four times as many clerks and administrators as they did forty years ago, and their sole contribution is filling in forms to send to state/federal education agencies. AND at the same time, the sports programs amount to multi-billion enterprises which benefits a minority of the students at a school. Many school districts build palaces for kids, as if a few hours in luxury will make them better scholars. It certainly doesnt make rich and poor students closer, but causes them to be separated by envy, resentment, and indifference to others. In places like Plano, TX, we see the growing divide in American society described by Charles Murray in his Coming Apart.”
Someone should ask Biden what he thinks Biden would say about what Romney said Biden believes on this issue.
Well the rats are known to be hypocrites
Get your friends to do the same and soon there may be enough people who think twice about paying high taxes to the public schools.
Someone should ask Biden what he thinks Biden would say about what Romney said Biden believes on this issue.
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.