Why not look at the issues? Christine O'Donnell and Chris Coons

[PoliticalChic]

I figured with all the talk about how crazy O'Donnell was that she had to have a wacky site. I was surprised to find out she is not promoting crazy as some would like you to believe.

I then thought well that must mean that Coons has to be a straight shooter and have everything laid out. When I went to his site it was very vague and had a lot of political talk with no real solution.

I liked Coons education policy much better than O'Donnell. Quit frankly quality private education is not is not affordable by most. I think our public education system is much better than any other country. No other country allows everyone an education to the 12th grade at no cost.

At the same time Coons job creation policy is ludicrous. Extending unemployment and training people to do non existing jobs is not going to help much. I agree we need to find a way to keep jobs here in the United States but I do not want to pay $400 later for something that I can currently get for $100 to do so.

If you look at both candidates' website you will find that they are both very vague in the policies and neither are offering any real solution. You will also find that neither are crazy or out to impose their values on America.

If you notice all of the attacks against O'Donnell are gear towards her life and more personal aspects. They don't want to run on the issues because they will lose if they do that. Coons is an Obama rubber-stamp and that doesn't fly...so everyone is going after his competition on silly bullshit.

That is what I have been trying to point out. Instead of running on policy they are running on reputation. Now I read both websites and neither are offering any answers just a bunch of empty political speak with no explanation on how their plans will work.

If the rule of political science is true, "message trumps resume," then the stories about O'Donnell's past are just static.

This is appears to be the year of conservative ascendancy, the enduring gift of Barak Hussein Obama (peace be on him).

 

[NYcarbineer]

Coons is a moderate to centrist Democrat.

That's a complete load of horse shit. He is nothing close to center.

Ok, prove he's not a moderate.

With some actual evidence.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Coons is a moderate to centrist Democrat.

That's a complete load of horse shit. He is nothing close to center.

Notice how Democrats drift right when they need to get reelected.

But when a Republican needs to get elected they usually do it by expressing conservative values. Right now the waters are too cloudy for any of that to get through. They'll talk about masturbation and if the Repug has any dark history they'll illuminate it even though their candidate has similar histories or even worse.

lol, the Republicans went from having a moderate who was winning by 11 points to choosing a conservative who is losing by 16 points.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Coons is a moderate to centrist Democrat.

That's a complete load of horse shit. He is nothing close to center.

Compared to Pelosi he is.

Exactly. He is to the right of the liberal wing of the Democratic party which by definition makes him a moderate.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

That's a complete load of horse shit. He is nothing close to center.

Compared to Pelosi he is.

Exactly. He is to the right of the liberal wing of the Democratic party which by definition makes him a moderate.

Nah, just maks him only slightly less crazy.

 

[jeffrockit]

Test results are a common misconception. If you look at the test results you would see that we are right in line with all other countries until about the 8th grade. That is when most of your higher achieving countries cut off lower achieving students. They are given a test in the 8th grade then they are given a test if they pass it they continue in the regular education system we know but it they fail they are sent to a trade school where they are taught a skill they feel they will be able to use to contribute to society. With the lower achieving students now out of the system there scores are screwed where we include all our scores.

The next thing people will argue is that private schools produce better results. That is true but those who can afford private school usually have supportive parents and are from a gene pool with more intelligent parents. Private schools are also not required by law to test students to meet the same criteria. They are also not required by law to accept all students including those with handicaps. Private schools are also allowed to implement their own discipline procedures without fear of lawsuits.

The problem with public school is it is treated as a right and not a privileged. When private schools have to play by public rules (meaning they can not refuse children) you will see a huge difference in private school success.

Parents could afford private schools if the teachers unions did not have a lock on all things education and allow voucher programs. They have continued to block those programs as it would prove that competition works and would force a better quality teacher in the public system in order to compete with the private schools.

Really?? Did you know that one of the biggest public education systems is non union? Texas teachers do not have a union. I know in our area the Private schools are routinely out preformed by public schools. Did you also know that these countries that supposedly out preform us are all public education systems ran by the government?

Everyone seems to look in the wrong area. It is the discipline in the school system that cause education problems. Treating school like you have a right to be there and your kid can act any way they see fit is the problem. You go to a school in a high performing country I bet you will not find the discipline problems you have in our schools. Of course that is all the fault of teachers, their unions and the government. Ya RIGHT!!

As private sector unionism has waned, the NEA and AFT have become the most powerful labor combination in America.
Teacher Union Power Is Awesomely Arrogant | Hoover Institution

I do completely agree with you about the lack of discipline in schools. As far as the unions go,maybe not in your state but as a whole, they run education. Why do you think it is so hard to fire bad teachers (they do exist)?
In California alone it is cost prohibitive to fire bad teachers so the state gives up:
Teachers Union Facts | State Info
Firing tenured teachers can be a costly and tortuous task E3 (Excellent Education for Everyone)
There are many more examples in other states.

And just so you think I am anti education my wife and daughter are both teachers. The education system has made it almost impossible to discipline students and most students know just what they can get away with because they know the punishment is pretty mild. My solution is to have zero tolerance with discipline problems so rather than disrupt the entire class, move those students to special discipline classrooms. If they continue with problems, move them to a boot camp type school.
My wife teaches the special needs children in middle school and they are expected to be competitive with the CRT tests in our state. This, with some children who are very low functioning and are incapable of passing these tests. I blame the state education system for these mandates (ie NCLB) . I blame the unions for being so powerful and well funded that they can spend hundreds of thousands in court to defend incompetent teachers....Really!

This is not a simple problem but there are solutions. Out of almost 450 billion dollars a year that goes into education and social services budget, only 25% actually goes to education. That is debate fodder for another thread though.

"Teachers unions, through their allies in the Democrat-controlled Congress, are on the verge of demolishing the chief threat to their monopoly—school vouchers for low-income families in the District of Columbia.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: Teachers unions say 'jump,' Congress says 'how high?' | Washington Examiner
If they would allow competition, it would force the bad teachers out as the schools would have to perform. I really don't see a down side to the voucher programs.

"In New York City, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is fighting efforts to restore order to schools. The school board wants teachers to supervise hallways, lunchrooms, and playgrounds because costly but ineffectual "paraprofessionals" don't command respect. But union leaders refuse to cooperate, even though their members work less than four hours a day."
Teacher Union Power Is Awesomely Arrogant | Hoover Institution