Balancing act (that’s out of balance)

    Recent polls indicate Congressional approval ratings have dropped to the lowest point ever (8% to 10% +/-).  These polls have been used as an excuse for the President to push his agendas by edict.  They have been used by Harry Reid to call for procedural changes within the Senate (the same changes he vehemently argued against a few years back).  When pressed, most who disapprove of Congresses job performance are unable to differentiate between the Senate and the House of Representatives let alone name their Representatives.  On the other hand, of the people polled that did know the names of their Representatives, they approved of their members of Congress by 62%+.

    This leads to a bit of a disconnect, a bit of an imbalance,  if the citizens of any given area approve of their representation and continue to re-elect the same individuals every 2 or 6 years what change do they expect to see (I guess they just don’t like anyone else having Rep’s).  It seems that the citizenry of the Nation has lost site of the purpose of the branches and levels of government and the balance needed between them to be effective.  The people of the United States are looking for cures to local ills to come from the federal level.  A one size fits all fixes but consider this, rules and regulations that may be quite appropriate and beneficial for a major hospital in Los Angeles CA. when its servicing thousands of patients a day aren’t necessarily going to be workable at the health clinic in Cloversport KY. that may only see 30 patients a day.  Yet Congress has passed a law that doesn’t differentiate (and now the cracks are starting to develop). 

    Excluding the extensively publicized “Gridlock” in congress, when asked what people dislike about congress overall the answer is “The Pork” or special favors jammed into bills by members for their home districts… then asked what they like about their representatives… “They bring home the BACON”. 

    Myself I’m content with the gridlock, the debate, the inaction at the Federal level, the things that affect me and those around me need to be addressed at the local level.  The industry, the careers, the job opportunities in this region require certain skills that may not be needed in a place like Chicago or San Francisco but with the push for common core, another top down “one size fits all” initiative, it appears needed skills are not being taught.  A quick example, consider the performance of 19-year-old Rachel Jeantel during her time on the witness stand and her later revealed twitter comments.  It has been reported this September she will be a senior at Miami Norland High School… clearly by her own admission she is unable to read cursive writing, the tweets she sent out were peppered with spelling errors and her command of verbal skills speaks for its self.  Basically her reading, writing and communication skills fail to come up to 4^th grade level yet she has been moved along under the previously government mandated/funded (and teacher union approved) system and at least 2 years of Common Core.  Instead of marching on the streets for what happened to one youth, parents should be marching against what is being done to all their children daily.  Some may be thinking I’m being a bit harsh on young Ms. Jeantel… I don’t mean to be, I think the school system owes her an apology, the taxpayers a refund and the administrators some jail time for fraud.  In 2010 Mr. Jason Zimba (One of the architects of common core) admitted the goal is to “prepare each student for entry level jobs” (Pizza Hut) or for a “community college with non-selective entrance requirements…”  They expect this low bar goal to make us competitive in the world?       

    The ills of the nation will never be cured at the Federal level by passing another all inclusive, over stuffed bill or an agency distributing pages of rules and regulations meant to foresee every circumstance or predict every variable from coast to coast or southern border to northern border or from city to cornfield.  We have enough (more than enough) laws, rules and regulations to take care of our national interest (if they would be enforced as intended).  Thus far the shining light for the governments prescribed cure is a 45% increase in temporary help services accompanied by a 32% increase in welfare enrollment, it appears the ointment is worse than the rash.  Soon welfare recipient will top the list of fastest growing professions, our national product… DEPENDENCY.  The health clinic prohibited from providing for the needs of the local community, the young adult incapable of taking advantage of opportunities, the faceless name on a welfare check… all just statics to be shuffled from column to column by an out of touch and unconcerned federal bureaucracy, the cure will have to come at the state level, the county, the city level, or maybe from your own yard.

Time to bring balance back to the system

The TOMCAT

 

If you’re thinking young Ms. Jeantel may be an exception… think again, it seems she fits into the median range of her school.  Fair… or not she will be the face of Florida’s education system for the next few years… maybe the Nations.

A little background on Miami Norland High School achievement scores.

Above Basic Standard                    Basic Standard                   Below Standard

Reading:                          23%                                                     39%                                        38%

Math:                                13%                                                     37%                                        50%

 

Note: “Basic Standard” means only partial knowledge of subject… Are They Kidding, not even a working knowledge of a subject?  Is this the one size fits all plan of Common Core?  If Eric Holder wants to investigate a crime in Florida… skip Zimmerman and head for the schools.