Comments on: SotU ‘06: Now Partisanship-free! http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/ Free Minds, Free Markets, Free Booze Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:00:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Andy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5606 Andy Thu, 02 Feb 2006 04:11:19 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5606 I think you should look at the salaries of the babysitters, oops - teachers, at portland public schools, and then also realize those wages are paid for about 8 months work. Yea, it's easy for public schools to underperform because it doesn't matter if they do or not. There is no consequences for incompetence, let alone lack of service. They have a budget which none of them earned, and laws which make their existance mandatory. Most important job? Let's put aside even the need for formal education and ask the question who even decides what should be taught? "professionals" who suck at the teet of government and unions? teachers whom most have never worked in the private market? Why should condoms on cucumbers be given time over the histroy of the American revolution or any other subject? The problem is without the profit motive, and the consequences and rewards that come with it, there is no possible way we even know if teachers are doing a good job. As to the democracy subject, look at all the good things in your life vs the "social problems" we face. What good did democracy do for you? Did some voter in bum fuck ohio somehow help you get into UO or did you do that on your own? Are you the man you are today because of democracy or despite it? I think you should look at the salaries of the babysitters, oops - teachers, at portland public schools, and then also realize those wages are paid for about 8 months work. Yea, it’s easy for public schools to underperform because it doesn’t matter if they do or not. There is no consequences for incompetence, let alone lack of service. They have a budget which none of them earned, and laws which make their existance mandatory. Most important job? Let’s put aside even the need for formal education and ask the question who even decides what should be taught? “professionals” who suck at the teet of government and unions? teachers whom most have never worked in the private market? Why should condoms on cucumbers be given time over the histroy of the American revolution or any other subject? The problem is without the profit motive, and the consequences and rewards that come with it, there is no possible way we even know if teachers are doing a good job.

As to the democracy subject, look at all the good things in your life vs the “social problems” we face. What good did democracy do for you? Did some voter in bum fuck ohio somehow help you get into UO or did you do that on your own? Are you the man you are today because of democracy or despite it?

]]> By: ian http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5604 ian Wed, 01 Feb 2006 23:33:26 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5604 Meanwhile, coal continues <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/01/D8FGK6D0H.html" rel="nofollow">to kill</a> and OPEC continues to <a href="http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8d5c9580-9368-11da-a978-0000779e2340.html" rel="nofollow">threaten</a>. Thank you, <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/nuclear" rel="nofollow">Greenpeace</a>! Meanwhile, coal continues to kill and OPEC continues to threaten.

Thank you, Greenpeace!

]]> By: Ian http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5596 Ian Wed, 01 Feb 2006 18:42:12 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5596 Andy: There is competition in education. Just look at all of the private schools in the US that compete with public schools for kids. Is the government shutting them down? Nope. But they are competing against these private institutions with a different set of rules and funding sources, and the very nature of the beast means that it's easy for public school teachers and administrators to underperform. Competition between and inside public schools is almost certainly a good thing. But can we really expect public school teachers to perform well when they're paid chump change for one of the most important jobs around? (Also, this really doesn't seem like a federal issue to me.) As far as the rest of your post, I think you and I have fundamentally different and irreconcilable views on the value of democracy. Andy: There is competition in education. Just look at all of the private schools in the US that compete with public schools for kids. Is the government shutting them down? Nope. But they are competing against these private institutions with a different set of rules and funding sources, and the very nature of the beast means that it’s easy for public school teachers and administrators to underperform. Competition between and inside public schools is almost certainly a good thing. But can we really expect public school teachers to perform well when they’re paid chump change for one of the most important jobs around? (Also, this really doesn’t seem like a federal issue to me.)

As far as the rest of your post, I think you and I have fundamentally different and irreconcilable views on the value of democracy.

]]> By: Timothy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5584 Timothy Wed, 01 Feb 2006 13:18:34 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5584 Andy: You hoping for a Hobbsean strong-man, then? Andy: You hoping for a Hobbsean strong-man, then?

]]> By: Timothy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5583 Timothy Wed, 01 Feb 2006 13:16:46 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5583 Nuclear comment spam, RUN! Nuclear comment spam, RUN!

]]> By: Andy http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5572 Andy Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:35:45 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5572 I'd have to disagree with you Ian on the teacher bit. What we need is competition in education. Teaching is a service, in which consumers need to be able to discriminate between choices to gain the best value from. When the government swoops in to eliminate competitors to their public schools, it's no different if intel was to set a military siege on AMD and tell them to yield to the "best interests of society," of course decided by intel. Unfortunately most are of the belief that telling other people what to do (voting) is a perfectly legitimate practice, and until democracy is throughly demonized, we will continue to suffer it's hypocrisies and tyranny. I’d have to disagree with you Ian on the teacher bit. What we need is competition in education. Teaching is a service, in which consumers need to be able to discriminate between choices to gain the best value from. When the government swoops in to eliminate competitors to their public schools, it’s no different if intel was to set a military siege on AMD and tell them to yield to the “best interests of society,” of course decided by intel. Unfortunately most are of the belief that telling other people what to do (voting) is a perfectly legitimate practice, and until democracy is throughly demonized, we will continue to suffer it’s hypocrisies and tyranny.

]]> By: James Aach http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5571 James Aach Wed, 01 Feb 2006 06:07:20 +0000 http://www.oregoncommentator.com/2006/01/31/sotu-06-now-partisanship-free/#comment-5571 Not sure if I've mentioned this before here: Regarding nuclear energy, there's a real need for better public understanding of this issue. For an entertaining inside look at how today's US reactors are run, see RadDecision.blogspot.com. Here you'll find a thriller novel on the topic by a longtime nuclear engineer (me). There's no cost to readers - and they seem to like it, judging from the comments on the website's homepage. (If you find it useful, please pass the word.) Not sure if I’ve mentioned this before here: Regarding nuclear energy, there’s a real need for better public understanding of this issue. For an entertaining inside look at how today’s US reactors are run, see RadDecision.blogspot.com. Here you’ll find a thriller novel on the topic by a longtime nuclear engineer (me). There’s no cost to readers - and they seem to like it, judging from the comments on the website’s homepage. (If you find it useful, please pass the word.)

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