Free Republic

Awesome, just awesome.

I am a teacher (not a member of the union) in a school where we have our problems of the ineptness of parents. Kids come to school everyday being steps behind just because of their home life. There have always been “bad” teachers. I had my share way back in the 60’s and 70’s. We just somehow seemed to rise above that, because we had a lot more going on in our families.
The federal government, Bill Gates, Bill Frist, and a few other so-called experts need to step away from education. It should be up to the states and local systems to decide what is best for their students.
NCLB and now RTTT are killing education. Schools with “high”scores are either teaching the test or they are in areas with “good middle to upper class populations. Charter schools are not all they are made out to be. They can require certain things out of parents that regular schools cannot. They can also get rid of the students who cause problems.
This problem is more than just a few bad apple teachers. It is a problem with society and will continue to worsen if we keep on the path we are going down.
Education is not a business. I urge you to read The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch. It pretty much lays it all out in a very understandable way.

Maury CountyTea Party Endorses DesJarlais For Congress Influential Tea Party Group Representing Largest County in Tennessee’s Fourth District Throws Its Support Behind Republican Doctor, Calls Democrat Lincoln Davis a Liberal Based on His Voting Record

JASPER – The Maury County Tea Party announced their endorsement of Republican physician Scott DesJarlais in his run for Congress today.

The influential group represents the largest county in Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District and is dedicated to bringing responsibility back to government. The group advocates for fiscal responsibility, limited government and free markets by supporting candidates and initiatives to further those principles.

“I am proud to announce the Maury County Tea Party’s endorsement of Dr. Scott DesJarlais. We have reviewed the candidates in this race and his campaign will truly represent the people of the Fourth District. He has a platform dedicated to less government, lower taxes and more freedom,” said Bowen Pratt, Maury County Tea Party Chairman. “That message resonates with our members and reflects the true principles of Tennesseans everywhere.”

He continued, “On the other hand, Lincoln Davis’ continued votes for Nancy Pelosi and his consistent support of big-government spending by President Obama and Speaker Pelosi show that he has completely forgotten the values of this District. He presents himself as an independent but, if that were truly the case, he wouldn’t be supporting Nancy Pelosi’s reckless liberal agenda over 94% of the time. That’s wrong and Tennessee deserves better.”

DesJarlais responded, “I am proud to have the endorsement of this organization dedicated to reducing the size and scope of our federal government. Tennesseans throughout the Fourth District are rightly concerned about the unchecked spending in Washington and the unprecedented growth we have seen in countless federal departments and agencies. Democrats like Lincoln Davis have continually voted to support higher spending and higher debt and that must end if we are going to get our country back on track. On November 2nd, with the strong support of groups like the Maury County Tea Party, our campaign will make sure Tennessee leads the way for the rest of our nation in ending the liberal government power grab.”

CNN has rated the TN-04 seat as one of the "Top 50 Most Vulnerable." The New York Times political blog, Five Thirty Eight, recently forecast Tennessee's Fourth Congressional Race as "Leans Republican."

Scott DesJarlais is the conservative Tennessee physician, businessman and family man who is running to bring common sense, conservative solutions to the problems that ail Washington. Scott and his wife, Amy, have three children and live in Marion County, Tennessee. Learn more about the campaign at www.scottdesjarlais.com or follow the latest from Scott on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TNDesJarlais.

Possible, but not many true conservatives are members of the NEA. I’m not, nor ever will be.

I am a teacher. I do not, will not belong to NEA. I am so concerned with education in this country. There are many problems in testing our kids to death, and not properly teaching them the things they need to know and how to think for themselves. We don’t need more bureaucracy, but we do need help in the form of lower classroom sizes and assistants. When the government tells you that you cannot ability group your classrooms, it is extremely hard to meet the needs of all students without the help of an assistant. Just wanted to clear up the importance of assistants.

News Release February 4, 2010 Contact: James Kirkland FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 731.234.4008 Kirkland Raises $365,150 in First Month of Campaign Exceeds Opponents’ First Quarter Totals in Just One Month As Community Leaders Switch to Kirkland Jackson, TN – Dr. Ron Kirkland, physician and Republican candidate for the 8th Congressional District, announced today that he has surpassed $365,000 in campaign contributions in the first month of his campaign. Raising this amount in such a short period of time ranks Kirkland as one of the top fundraisers in the country for open seat congressional campaigns and significantly exceeds what his opponents were able to do in the same time frame. Said Kirkland Grassroots Chairman James Kirkland, “Ron’s early fundraising success is yet another example of the respect and strong support he has earned after years of giving so much to communities all over Middle and West Tennessee. This astounding success was not generated by a small circle of political insiders, DC power brokers, or professional fundraisers. It was raised from a wide range of community leaders, including several former supporters of our opponents, who now see Ron as the most experienced candidate to be our voice in Congress. Unlike his opponents, this total does not include any personal loans or personal contributions.” While proud of his early success, Dr. Kirkland is resolved to do even more. Said Kirkland, “I am deeply humbled by the amazing level of support my campaign has received so far, but we have only just begun. Our campaign grows every day as Tennesseans rally to my vision of smaller government, stopping wasteful spending, protecting our national security, and true servant leadership. It is clear that Middle & West Tennesseans want an experienced, conservative voice in Congress that serves their interests, not the interests of Washington power brokers from either party. I will provide that kind of experienced leadership in Congress and look forward to sharing that message with every family in the Eighth Congressional District.” Dr. Ron Kirkland announced his candidacy on January 3rd and was not required to file a campaign disclosure on January 31. The Kirkland for Congress campaign will file its quarterly financial disclosure with the Federal Elections Commission after the March 31 deadline as required by law. Learn more about the campaign at www.VoteKirkland.com. ###


I write notes on my hand all the time. I love the fact that she does too. Hey Andrea.... find someone in your little league to stalk

Lol.....She’s probably too classy for that. I would like to see “It’s pronounced Core-man idiot”

She rocks! Joe Scarbrough is so jealous of her. Liberals can’t figure her out. Keep playing with them Sarah.

Oh he’s listening. I don’t think the Alaska thing will be that big.

I’m from Tn-08 where Stephen Fincher is from. Personally, I think he is our version of Charlie Crist. Everyone should read up on his farm subsidies and the thousands of dollars he’s received from farming “corporate welfare”.

If we don’t watch out here in TN, we’ll be stuck with a RINO for our nominee. There are other candidates in this primary now that I think would be much better than Fincher. I didn’t really look into it much until a couple of days ago when someone on freerepublic posted a press release from the Mid-South Tea Party in concern of Fincher’s contributions from lots of families collecting millions in farm subsidies.

I’ve looked into it the other day and here are some other people in our district looking for the nomination: David Rice, Dr. Ron Kirkland, Dr. George Flinn, and Donn Janes. Look into these guys a little more.

Fincher hasn’t earned the crown yet.

Replace Michael Steele with Fred Thompson! That’s how it should’ve gone down in the first place in my opinion.

As someone from this Congressional district, I can give everyone my point of view. From what I also know about Fincher and his fundraising, alot of the money that he is receiving is also coming from some long-time Tanner supporters (farmers). From everything I’ve personnally heard, and after seeing Fincher in person, I don’t feel comfortable with him that much. In fact, I think of John McCain when I think about him; alot of conservative talk as a means of making him look conservative. We’ll just have to see who else steps up around here. I’m not sold.

I looked into Donn Janes earlier, but he doesn’t seem to have the charisma or policy understanding to be the nominee. He spoke to our local GOP over the summer. Nice guy though.

Who else is running? Anyone who is ACTUALLY from the 8th know? I need to look into it more.