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 4th 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
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.