California’s Failing Public School System

Jay R. Thomas / April 11, 2012 / 1 Comment

Failing Schools

Everyone knows that the California public school system is failing. Many of us also know that it had a long way to fall from its heyday back in the 1950s and 60s when it was the envy of the world. Under the leadership of Max Rafferty (California Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1963-1971) and other conservative educators, the system flourished, producing some of the top students in the country, indeed in the world. Competition for entry into the college system was fierce among the many highly qualified students who were prepared well by the ‘professional’ teachers of that time. Sadly, the school system is now run by the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association, the state and national teacher’s unions respectively, and these two entities must be held accountable for the dismal situation the public school system now finds itself in.

Other Contributing Factors

To be sure, there are other factors that have contributed to the failure of public schools and the dissolution of the family is certainly one of them. As we saw in our last article, ‘Where Did California’s Education Money Go?’, another reason for the demise of California’s once outstanding schools has been the squandering of public funds by the Democrat and union controlled California legislature. Finally, the expenses and accommodations required to assimilate the non-English speaking students who have overwhelmed so many schools have provided the coup de grace or finishing blow.

Public School Students Have Been Cheated

Under the tutelage (see WOW) of ‘union shop’ teachers, today’s students waste valuable class time on liberal indoctrination and many graduate from high school without even the basic skills required for success in the real world, let alone college. With college admission standards lowered and curriculum requirements adjusted to accommodate students who really are not equipped to succeed in college, the marketability of a college degree is now in question. As a result, the final indignity that students have had to bear is the outrageous and continually rising college tuition fees that they must now pay in return for little value received.

Get the Unions out of the Classroom!

There are some very obvious ‘fixes’ that could greatly improve the California public school system. First and foremost, the unions must be removed from the classroom. The negative impact that the CTA and the NEA have had on the quality of public school education across the nation cannot be underestimated. They are largely responsible for the time wasted on liberal indoctrination, the protection of poor teachers through tenure and the outrageous benefits granted to public employees. Imagine if instead we rewarded the many wonderful teachers who, against all odds, provide inspiring instruction and serve as excellent role models for today’s students!

School Vouchers are the Way to Go

Next, a school voucher program must be established so that parents who opt out of public school education for their children do not have to pay twice, once for private school and again for the public schools that they choose not to use. Many more students would be able to transfer out of failing schools and take advantage of private and charter schools under a voucher system. Public schools would have to compete and would be forced to improve. This will not be an easy task, because a union’s worst enemy is competition. The CTA and the NEA will tenaciously cling to their empire at the expense of both students and teachers, rather than submit to competition. Why? Because unions know they would lose not only the battle for control, but also the mandatory union dues from their members…the cash that keeps the fat-cat union bosses in clover.

We Must All Get Involved

Finally, parents must get involved at the local level in their children’s schools. They must visit the classroom and attend school board meetings regularly to demand quality education, a return to teaching the basics and accountability in the spending of public funds. Even concerned citizens who do not have children in school can make their voices heard. School board elections and bond measure initiatives are just one example of how we can all influence the quality of a public school education. After all, as taxpayers we own the schools and the teachers and administrators who manage them work for us. It is up to us how our tax money will be spent in teaching the next generation of doctors, mechanics, teachers, engineers and small business owners. If we can do these things, California schools could once again be at the top.

California’s Failing Public School System Read More »

Where Did California’s Education Money Go?

Jay R. Thomas / March 15, 2012 / 1 Comment

Outrageous Benefits

Simply stated, California is bankrupt and can no longer fund higher education at the level it had previously. The state’s financial crisis has been caused by the typical liberal scenario of overtaxing its citizens and then spending the state’s treasure on everything but that for which it was meant, in this case higher education. How did Sacramento squander the funds meant for the California State College and University system, you ask? Let me count the ways! Public employee unions have managed to secure outrageous benefits for their members, including early retirement with pensions that put many in the ‘100K Club’, as well as disability and medical benefits that us ordinary working folks would literally die for.

As just one example of the abuse, the spiking of retirement pensions with disability claims is so common that it became known as ‘Chief’s Disease’ in the California Highway Patrol. It is estimated that 4 out of 5 CHP senior managers become disabled in the final year before they retire and two thirds of the regular officers retire with a disability. Add this to their yearly retirement pay of up to 90% of their salary beginning as early as age 50 and you can begin to see the problem. California taxpayers will now be stuck for years funding these benefits. Some of it will have to be paid with money that was meant for higher education, so unfortunately students will have to share in this burden.

Squandered Treasure

Thanks to these same Democrat legislators, taxpayer’s money is also being used to provide generous benefits for those who are in the country and therefore the state illegally. Illegal immigration is estimated to cost California $22 billion each year. Wow! That’s almost the entire $25 billion budget deficit projected for California in 2012. So what did the legislators do to stop this fiscal hemorrhage? They passed the California Dream Act which provides taxpayer funded scholarships to students whose families are in the country illegally! As magnanimous as this may sound, some would argue that it provides a privilege for these students which students from other states are not accorded. I think we can all agree that this program simply spends more money that California does not have! The end result will be to encourage more people to come to California illegally, which will in turn perpetuate the fiscal crisis.

In addition, with the state now insinuating itself into every aspect of its citizens’ lives, the accompanying bureaucracy devours money like a slot machine at an Indian Casino. With the growing state workforce needed to administer all the new regulations there will be even more people getting outrageous retirement, medical and disability benefits. The Democrat packed legislature just doesn’t understand that by increasing regulations and raising taxes and fees on just about everything they have also driven businesses out of California at an alarming rate. The resulting increase in unemployment and loss of tax revenue complete the vicious cycle. It is indeed a sad state of affairs in the ‘left coast’ state of California where for many years the ‘tax and spend’ liberals have had an iron grip on the legislature. Higher education is one of the casualties, so college students are now being asked to pay more tuition and fees…and they are rightfully upset.

Coming Next: California’s Failing Public School System

Where Did California’s Education Money Go? Read More »

California College Students Redeem Themselves…Sort Of

Jay R. Thomas / March 10, 2012

Facing Rising Tuition and Fees

Just when we were beginning to wonder about the students attending schools in the California State College and University system, some of them have given us reason to believe that they actually do have the ability to analyze problems and think for themselves. Faced with mounting tuition and other fees, students had up to now been protesting everyone except those actually responsible for the problem. It seems that they may finally have put two and two together this week when they took their protest to the union-owned, Democrat-run capital in Sacramento, correctly placing the blame for this crisis on the legislators who have plundered the state’s treasury. Maybe their thinking has not yet completely evolved to this conclusion, but at least they are protesting in the right location!

Through no fault of their own, many of these students are the products of the failing education system in California. It is no small feat, then, for them to have come to this difficult conclusion. In doing so, they had to abandon the prevailing liberal view extant at most of their institutions of higher learning and they even had to make a point of distancing themselves from the Occupy Movement that was in Sacramento at the same time. We cannot hold these college students responsible for the faulty reasoning that led to their previously misplaced anger. Instead, we salute them for being able to make the tough choices, admit that they were wrong and refocus their energy in the right direction.

California…A Horrible Example the Rest of the Country Should Heed

The rest of the country should take a good, long look at what has happened to California, because it is a harbinger (see WOW) of what is in store for them unless they take immediate action to change course. The education systems in many other states are also at risk of financial collapse due to the reckless spending of their legislators. Fortunately, the tax and spend liberals were thrown out of many legislatures in the 2010 midterm elections. Courageous individuals like Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin are making good progress in bringing their states back from the brink by getting their fiscal affairs in order. But union bosses who see a threat to their tight, controlling grip on dues paying members are fighting back like caged weasels. Consequently, Governor Walker is facing a recall election in spite of the good work he has done for the people of his state.

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution now for California. It will take years to undue the harm that has been done. The only hopeful sign is that we appear to have some students in our college system who finally see the light and are taking the fight to the real perpetrators of this fraud. What they are doing to bring this situation to the attention of the public is important, because a well funded system of higher education, available to all qualified students regardless of financial means, is in the best interest of every citizen of the State of California.

Coming Next: Where Did California’s Education Money Go?

California College Students Redeem Themselves…Sort Of Read More »

The College Scam

Jay R. Thomas / February 26, 2012 / 1 Comment

Is Your College A Liberal Madrasa?

The United States of the 21^st Century is fortunate to have some of the best colleges and universities in the history of the world. Year after year, these institutions graduate first rate scholars in every field of study who then move on to successful careers, making contributions that benefit all of us. Unfortunately, there are also some institutions of higher learning that scam their students into paying up to $40,000 a year in tuition to attend what amounts to a liberal indoctrination camp. It is understandable that these students would be discouraged (make that outraged) when they emerge from these madrasa-like enclaves without having improved upon their high school reading and writing skills, without learning history and science and without learning how to be creative and think for themselves. Oh, but they’re experts in such subjects as Diversity and Social Justice, Marxist Concepts of Racism and Queer Musicology, all actual courses at major universities! The moment of truth comes when these hapless students discover that the diploma they received isn’t worth the paper it was printed on and that, after all the money they invested, they can’t find a job.

Pay Back Your Debt

We sympathize with the graduates of these colleges and universities, many of whom are now camping out on Wall Street and in other cities throughout the country demanding that their student loan debts be forgiven. Make no mistake, we firmly believe that an education loan obligation, like any loan that an individual has legally agreed to pay back, must be met without government assistance. Nonetheless, it is entirely appropriate for these students to return to the ivy covered halls of their alma mater and demand a refund. Considering the outrageous fees levied by some of these universities, those which have not lived up to their obligation and delivered what they promised should return a portion of the tuition to these students. Rather than blame everyone else for this debacle, we encourage all students who are now protesting their student loans due to these scams to hold their college or university accountable and seek recompense.

A Privilege Not a Right

There was a time when going to college was a privilege for those who worked hard in high school, had the intelligence and drive to get through the rigors of higher education and had a requirement to get special training for a specific vocation. Now, it seems, college is a right due everyone whether or not they have earned it. In 1959 approximately 45% of high school graduates enrolled in college. By 2009 that number had jumped to 70%. Of course, the colleges and universities capitalized on all of this by dumbing down the entrance requirements and pumping up the tuition fees. To cite statistics for just one year, costs were up 8.3% in the Fall of 2011, when the rest of the country was in an economic freefall, without any corresponding increase in benefits for the students. Obviously, all of this cheapens the value of a college degree for everyone and now college graduates almost have to get an advanced degree to be competitive in the job market.

Not Everyone Needs to Go to College

Many high school students would do better in the long run if they entered the work force directly after graduation, especially if they have shown no aptitude for studying while in school. In fact, faced with this prospect, they may be more inclined to apply themselves and take advantage of the free education they are provided in high school. Vocational school would be a much better fit for someone planning to enter the skilled labor force and for many others the two year curriculum at a community college is all that is needed to prepare them for the work force without busting the budget. Parents should think twice before incurring significant debt for themselves and their children just to send them off to college for four, five or six years of partying, pontificating and procrastinating. It may not be worth it when all you get for your trouble is a child who eventually moves back home as a brain washed, liberal automaton who has forsaken all your values!

The College Scam Read More »