More Futuristic Fun Than You Really Wanted, part III of V

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sometimes, the future just shows up at your door, with a silly grin on its face and a load of shit in its pants.

A group of business leaders just explained to the Arizona congress why they are either canceling plans to build facilities in Arizona, or why they are moving facilities out of Arizona.  Intel stated that our educational system is so substandard that they would have to import technically skilled people...from other countries (apparently, it isn't just Arizona).  A major call-center company is moving its operations to another state, because it can't find enough people that can compose a simple sentence, or hold a grammatically correct conversation.

Bear in mind that, for many Tucson residents, a call center job is the best position they can hope for.

Our congress, of course, had the predictable solution all prepared and ready to go:  Blame the teachers.  Don't blame the incessant funding cuts, don't blame class sizes of 50+, blame the poor bloody teachers who are left to make bricks without straw.

This is, of course, because our teachers are themselves poor people.  They are paid 24% less than the national average for a teacher with the same experience, a whopping $43,000/year given 15 years on the job.  My lowest paid journeyman makes more than that.  Because of this, they are easy targets.  They can't fight back...This is a "right to work" state (Orwell says HI!), so their union is a rather pathetic joke.

The funniest thing here, of course, is that the Arizona congress will "solve" this problem by punishing the teachers with even more budget cuts, to "make them do their jobs"...And basic literacy will drop even further.

We're not alone in this.  Toyota decided a number of years ago to put its new facility in Brantford, Ontario rather than Cleveland, Ohio, for two reasons.  First, the cost of additional taxes to support public health care was lower than the cost of American private health insurance, and second, the last plant they built in Ohio, they had to train the employees with pictograms, because only a few of them could read.

There's a simple, two-part solution to this.

1.  Fund education.  By this, I mean schools and teachers, not companies that make standardized tests (a multi-billion dollar industry, started by some Bush cronies when NCLB got passed) or "focus groups".  This funding should be sufficient to bring class sizes down to 20.

2.  The left isn't off the hook here, either.  The ONLY way to teach large numbers of people basic math and literacy skills is by rote.  Stop trying to come up with fancy ways to teach simple Goddamn subjects, and when someone fails, THEY GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL OR REPEAT THE YEAR.  Their precious little self-esteems will have to grow a callous or two.

Of course, none of this will actually happen, because it's cheaper and easier to pander to your base than it is to actually fix problems.

So here's how it's going to shake out...Your children - or grandchildren - will be functionally illiterate peasants at best, and we will have flushed 300 years of progress right down the fucking tubes.  You aren't getting the Jetsons, you're getting the middle ages, only with some electronic toys.

Way to go, you fucking apes.  You can't do ANYTHING RIGHT!  I fucking hate you.  I hate you with the fire of a thousand suns.  If any of you really loved me, you'd jump into a settling pond today, with an engine block tied to your neck.

Or Kill Me.

[President Television]

When you put it that way, we pretty much are all fucked, aren't we?

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

This breaks my heart. 

[Luna]

Sorry, but...

If your fucking kids can't read, it is YOUR fault.

Sit down with them and teach them yourself if the schools are fucking it up.

I walked into my first day of kindergarten with a Reader's Digest Condensed hardcover under my arm.  Teacher thought it was cute that I brought a BOOK to school, until she realized I was halfway through actually reading "Jaws."

[Jasper]

When I was a kid, the teacher was horrified to note that I read, by turns, the greek classics (Iliad & Odyssey) and Jack Hild novels.

The quiet fourth grader with the book titled "Nile Barrabas and the SOBs" or some such silliniess, is threatening to teachers who are glad to get kids to read star wars books or nintendo power magazine.

And I fully intend to take my kids' education into my own hands no matter where they happen to go to school.  If I can't spare the time, I'll hire tutors.  Screw public education.  It's daycare.  A place to socialize and get a GPA.

[Jasper]

Also, it is notable that the future never seems as scary as the present.  That's what strikes me as Roger's sci-fi.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sorry, but...

If your fucking kids can't read, it is YOUR fault.

Sit down with them and teach them yourself if the schools are fucking it up.

I walked into my first day of kindergarten with a Reader's Digest Condensed hardcover under my arm.  Teacher thought it was cute that I brought a BOOK to school, until she realized I was halfway through actually reading "Jaws."

You are, of course, aware of how many hours the average parent has to work here to make ends meet, right?  Parents HAVE to coach.  Period.  But as far as actual INSTRUCTION goes, most people are neither available (because you can't read if the lights are out) nor trained in instruction.  If you rely on parents - working two minimum wage jobs apiece - to ensure a literate population, it has already been demonstrated that YOU WON'T GET ONE, because that's basically what we're doing RIGHT NOW.

Put the blame on whomever you like, the reality of the situation won't change.

We pay property taxes.  Holy shit, do we pay property taxes.  I would like that my property taxes go to what they were INTENDED to go to, which is to say schooling, sanitation, and emergency services.

Right now, they subsidize a fucking golf course.  No shit.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And I fully intend to take my kids' education into my own hands no matter where they happen to go to school.  If I can't spare the time, I'll hire tutors.  Screw public education.  It's daycare.  A place to socialize and get a GPA.

Enjoy watching them fly from the nest with absolutely no idea how a real pecking order works.

And enjoy growing old surrounded by people whose parents couldn't afford that.

TGRR,
Knows if it's broken, you FIX it.  Especially when the bastards broke it ON PURPOSE, counting on exactly YOUR ATTITUDE to let it stay broken, and ensure a permanent class structure.

[BabylonHoruv]

And I fully intend to take my kids' education into my own hands no matter where they happen to go to school.  If I can't spare the time, I'll hire tutors.  Screw public education.  It's daycare.  A place to socialize and get a GPA.

Enjoy watching them fly from the nest with absolutely no idea how a real pecking order works.

And enjoy growing old surrounded by people whose parents couldn't afford that.

TGRR,
Knows if it's broken, you FIX it.  Especially when the bastards broke it ON PURPOSE, counting on exactly YOUR ATTITUDE to let it stay broken, and ensure a permanent class structure.

This.  Just because my kids not ignorant and yours isn't either doesn't mean it is ok that everyone else's is.  And no it doesn't give my kid and your kid a competitive advantage because they aren't part of the rich people network that lets that be a competitive advantage. 

[Luna]

Sorry, but...

If your fucking kids can't read, it is YOUR fault.

Sit down with them and teach them yourself if the schools are fucking it up.

I walked into my first day of kindergarten with a Reader's Digest Condensed hardcover under my arm.  Teacher thought it was cute that I brought a BOOK to school, until she realized I was halfway through actually reading "Jaws."

You are, of course, aware of how many hours the average parent has to work here to make ends meet, right?  Parents HAVE to coach.  Period.  But as far as actual INSTRUCTION goes, most people are neither available (because you can't read if the lights are out) nor trained in instruction.  If you rely on parents - working two minimum wage jobs apiece - to ensure a literate population, it has already been demonstrated that YOU WON'T GET ONE, because that's basically what we're doing RIGHT NOW.

Put the blame on whomever you like, the reality of the situation won't change.

We pay property taxes.  Holy shit, do we pay property taxes.  I would like that my property taxes go to what they were INTENDED to go to, which is to say schooling, sanitation, and emergency services.

Right now, they subsidize a fucking golf course.  No shit.

All true, sadly.  Mom wasn't trained, she wasn't even TRYING to teach me to read...  I just picked it up, by all reports.  (Yeah, freak, trust me, I heard it all through school.)

The fact that people really DO have no say as to where their tax money goes any more is revolting... and people don't care.  They've got their TV to tell them that the golf course is more important.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And I fully intend to take my kids' education into my own hands no matter where they happen to go to school.  If I can't spare the time, I'll hire tutors.  Screw public education.  It's daycare.  A place to socialize and get a GPA.

Enjoy watching them fly from the nest with absolutely no idea how a real pecking order works.

And enjoy growing old surrounded by people whose parents couldn't afford that.

TGRR,
Knows if it's broken, you FIX it.  Especially when the bastards broke it ON PURPOSE, counting on exactly YOUR ATTITUDE to let it stay broken, and ensure a permanent class structure.

This.  Just because my kids not ignorant and yours isn't either doesn't mean it is ok that everyone else's is.  And no it doesn't give my kid and your kid a competitive advantage because they aren't part of the rich people network that lets that be a competitive advantage. 

DING DING DING!

Unless by "competitive advantage" you mean "able to land that posh call center job in a world of illiterate peasants".

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Sorry, but...

If your fucking kids can't read, it is YOUR fault.

Sit down with them and teach them yourself if the schools are fucking it up.

I walked into my first day of kindergarten with a Reader's Digest Condensed hardcover under my arm.  Teacher thought it was cute that I brought a BOOK to school, until she realized I was halfway through actually reading "Jaws."

You are, of course, aware of how many hours the average parent has to work here to make ends meet, right?  Parents HAVE to coach.  Period.  But as far as actual INSTRUCTION goes, most people are neither available (because you can't read if the lights are out) nor trained in instruction.  If you rely on parents - working two minimum wage jobs apiece - to ensure a literate population, it has already been demonstrated that YOU WON'T GET ONE, because that's basically what we're doing RIGHT NOW.

Put the blame on whomever you like, the reality of the situation won't change.

We pay property taxes.  Holy shit, do we pay property taxes.  I would like that my property taxes go to what they were INTENDED to go to, which is to say schooling, sanitation, and emergency services.

Right now, they subsidize a fucking golf course.  No shit.

All true, sadly.  Mom wasn't trained, she wasn't even TRYING to teach me to read...  I just picked it up, by all reports.  (Yeah, freak, trust me, I heard it all through school.)

The fact that people really DO have no say as to where their tax money goes any more is revolting... and people don't care.  They've got their TV to tell them that the golf course is more important.

Oro Valley is 30% retirees and 69% stupid teabaggers.  They vote against school funding because a) they hate young people, and b) it's reflex.

If we didn't have a mayor with some common sense and the ability to blackmail council members, we'd have no schools at all.  He is, of course, DOOMED in the next election.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

Sorry, but...

If your fucking kids can't read, it is YOUR fault.

Sit down with them and teach them yourself if the schools are fucking it up.

I walked into my first day of kindergarten with a Reader's Digest Condensed hardcover under my arm.  Teacher thought it was cute that I brought a BOOK to school, until she realized I was halfway through actually reading "Jaws."

I know I'm just super touchy on occasion, but I wish you would generic up your responses sometimes, because coming right after my post I take shit like this personally.

[Jasper]

And I fully intend to take my kids' education into my own hands no matter where they happen to go to school.  If I can't spare the time, I'll hire tutors.  Screw public education.  It's daycare.  A place to socialize and get a GPA.

Enjoy watching them fly from the nest with absolutely no idea how a real pecking order works.

And enjoy growing old surrounded by people whose parents couldn't afford that.

TGRR,
Knows if it's broken, you FIX it.  Especially when the bastards broke it ON PURPOSE, counting on exactly YOUR ATTITUDE to let it stay broken, and ensure a permanent class structure.

Let me be clear:  Public school: yes.  But I'm not going to expect it to teach them everything they need to know.  I plan to do as much instructing as I can.  I refuse to have kids if it means bringing more ignorance into the world.  I can't fix the whole system, but I can at least raise someone to be a little "ahead of the curve".  In the academic as well as the Heath Ledger sense, that is.   If they work for a corporation at bottom dollar, I won't have done a good job. 

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I refuse to have kids if it means bringing more ignorance into the world.  

That's going to happen ANYWAY.   

Your strategy guarantees that you'll get ignorance and more stupidity, to boot.  You won't breed.  Nascar slow-mutants will.

Enjoy your 60s.