Thank You America

[Crappie Reaper]

My appolgies to teachers as I don't feel all or even most are bad. I do feel that the Unions protect the ones that should have been ran off. Sorry to offend the good teachers. I just took teachers as one of the people that outlaw said needed Government help. Truth is, there are llamas in every trade, no matter what their job, or pay is. You can find the worthless from the bottom to the top. I have my days of messing up and can and do readily admit to it. I still have a problem with those who can never admit to anything. Hey, address the problem, repair it, and move foward. Once again Hound, Cork and other teachers/educators, sorry, didn't mean to make it sound as if teachers are the problem. It's everywhere.

[Crappie Reaper]

SlippedCork...it's really not the public's fault that they feel that way. They have no idea how much most school systems have been handcuffed by the State and FED's.

In this day and age, teacher's are expected to make sure that there is 100% attendance at school. Teachers are also expected to make sure that student's that come to school with improper clothes get them and if they are hungry feed them. THEN at 8 PM start teaching. If a student is reading on a 2.8 reading level, that is no big deal, you should be able to teach them what the word CNIDARIAN means in the 6th grade.

That's just a start.

Saying all that, I am confident in my abilities to teach and I accept all impossible challenges and expectations that the uneducated put in my way. I will take your child into my room and give them the best possible care and education that I can.

The Hound

True, I didn't know just how handcuffed the teachers are. I think everything went south when they took out swats. Must be a tough job and many days of feeling more like a glorified babysitter. Let me tell you, it's the same outside of the schools in the workforce. Most small business owners, managers, and departmental managers find themselves trying to get the best out of their employees who are adults. They have to walk a fine line to keep the help as productive as possible, while not "upsetting" them, or hurting their feelings. Otherwise the "adult" becomes less productive than they were before. How many people are on someone elses time right now, and reading this post while they should be earning the wage they are working for?

For the most part, their are quite a bit of Americans who don't know what work is, and have never learned how to work. Now, it seems as if the lazy, have voted in a Saviour to take from those who worked hard for what they have, and pass it around to others who by no means deserve it. Gotta love freedom.

[CrappieHound]

No offense taken. Most people don't understand our Educational System as it is today. When people hear the word school their mind naturally goes back to their most recent experience. School of ten years ago is no more. Students don't learn like we did. The teacher sat at her desk and the students did work. Questions were permitted but some teachers would treat you as if you weren't smart enough to get it...on your own!

Effective classrooms today are interactive, teachers create interest and facilitate instruction, while students take control of their own learning. It is very different picture because students today learn differently.

I agree, I know teachers that need to be let go. They are antiquated, dinosaurs that pull the "excitement" out of learning. This is my year to be tenured at my school and I have been told that will happen. To be honest, I'm not skipping around because of that fact. I know why the practice of TENURE was put into place and it has it's good and bad points.

If I ever feel like I can not teach and reach my students, neither my principal nor the public will have to ask me to leave. I will leave on my own. Teaching is one of the most complex, difficult, and rewarding jobs in the world. You never get ahead...the dishes are always dirty no matter how long you stay up and clean and wash and dry them.

I wish that more of you would go into your public school systems and "see" what is happening. You may be suprised.

My invitation extends to anyone. You pm me and I will let you follow me around all you want. It will be an expereince you will soon not forget.

Sorry about the rant on education. It's my passion.

The Hound

[minnowsoaker]

minnow, i have been through Georgia a few times in my life, and i have to give you your props, sir....you are every bit the gentleman that i have run into down there. again, thanks for your civility and i too will pray that God guides our new president and our lawmakers into what is right.

Well we must be reading some different material Rapman 1, but thank you sir for your civility and props...and back at ya on the gentleman comment! I will research the info you provided for my own enlightenment. Thank you.

[rapman1]

one thing before i hit the rack tonight. i am completely fed up with bush, but not as a man, but what i see as failure. when it came down to clinton, i had the same feeling about him. he could have prevented a lot of the free trade agreements that so hurt the industrial sectors of this country, but chose not to. so i hold both bush and clinton in the highest contempt. i love this country and the people, i just have a disdain for the few hundred in d.c. that make our policies and change our lives. have a good night.

[big "E"]

I bet you made more money this last 8 years than any time in your life. Just a guess...Am I right? I see a President who has kept this great nation safe from attacks on our own soil

minnowsoaker...glad to see we agree that this is a phenomenal country and that we can both disagree and still be civil.

the last eight years have been the worst financially for my wife and i. actually, the last seven. the company i worked for froze our pensions, gave us a lousy 401k that had underperforming choices, dismantled our healthcare to the tune that it cost thousands for our daughter's birth, and then when the company went bankrupt, i lost tons of company stock and saw my 401k pretty much wiped out. not good financially.

the worst attack on the contigious u.s. happened on bush's watch. he was in office a good eight months, sitting on the same info that slick willy had, but nothing was done. and then, instead of going after bin laden en masse, when we had a good idea where he was in afghanistan, we instead used "faulty intelligence" and attacked iraq. hmmmm

now if you want to blame the current financial crisis on the democrats and their failed economic policies concerning the housing market, i challenge with this:

President Bush's "America's Home Ownership Challenge" pushed the private lending sector (as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to make more than 5.5 million new minority and low income mortgage loans. To meet his challenge to the private lending industry, twenty four of our largest banking and lending companies pledged to make 1.1 trillion dollars in low income and minority loans.


• From Bush Administration’s White House Press Release entitled, "Focusing on the Nation’s Priorities – Meeting America’s Housing Needs": In 2002, the President issued America’s Homeownership Challenge to increase first-time minority homeowners by 5.5 million through 2010. ... In 2006, 31 percent of those using FHA mortgages were minorities purchasing their first home. The 2008 Budget continues Administration efforts to modernize FHA by improving its ability to reach traditionally underserved homebuyers...


• While in Georgia in 2002, Bush made a speech in which he directly stated, "One of the barriers to homeownership is the inability to make a downpayment. And if one of the goals is to increase homeownership, it makes sense to help people pay that downpayment. ...Fannie May and Freddie Mac, as well as the federal home loan banks, will increase their commitment to minority markets by more than $440 billion.


• On December 16, 2003, President Bush signed into law the American Dream Downpayment Act of 2003, which will help approximately 40,000 families a year with their down payment and closing costs, and further strengthen America’s housing market. This legislation complements the President’s aggressive housing agenda announced in 2002 to dismantle the barriers to homeownership. (From White House Press Release "American Dream Downpayment Act of 2003 – Expanding Homeownership Opportunities for All).


• The Republican administration had HUD offer "zero down payment" mortgages, and risky 3, 5, and 7-year adjustable rate mortgages.


• Of course, these goals were reiterated in the 2004 GOP platform: The most significant barrier to homeownership is the down payment. We support efforts to reduce that barrier, like the American Dream Downpayment Act and Zero Downpayment Mortgages.


• It was the Gramm Leach Bliley Act that allowed banks to deal in mortgage-backed securities. Without passage of the GLBA by a Republican-controlled Congress, the subprime mess couldn't have happened. Chief architect of the GLBA? John McCain's economic adviser, Phil Gramm. Yes, that Phil Gramm. The GLBA was passed on a vote split along party lines (John McCain voted "aye," by the way).


and by the way. i voted for bush the first time. i am not a lib. i thought he would keep his word on challenging roe vs. wade, but not once was that challenge made.

will obama keep his word...i have been voting too many years to believe anything coming from politicians. however, when traffic stops moving, it is sometimes better to find a new road.

i say give the guy a chance.

and thank you for the chance to reply.

Good info rapman, though I'm sure most will challenge it's validity on this forum.

[FishCrazy]

rapman stated:

It was the Gramm Leach Bliley Act that allowed banks to deal in mortgage-backed securities. Without passage of the GLBA by a Republican-controlled Congress, the subprime mess couldn't have happened. Chief architect of the GLBA? John McCain's economic adviser, Phil Gramm. Yes, that Phil Gramm. The GLBA was passed on a vote split along party lines (John McCain voted "aye," by the way).

That aint exactly what happened. The Senate bill passed along a party line vote. As Stated. The House also had its own bill that they passed. The bill then moved to a conference committee to work out the differences between the Senate and House versions. Democrats agreed to support the bill after Republicans agreed to strengthen provisions of the anti-redlining Community Reinvestment Act and address certain privacy concerns; the conference committee then finished its work by the beginning of November

On November 4, the final bill resolving the differences was passed by the Senate 90-8 [7] and by the House 362-57.[8] This legislation was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton on November 12, 1999.

You would have us think that this is a strictly republican issue but that just is not the case. Looks like most were on board with this issue.

The Community Reinvestment Act (or CRA, Pub.L. 95-128, title VIII, 91 Stat. 1147, 12 U.S.C. § 2901 et seq.) is a United States federal law designed to encourage commercial banks and savings associations to meet the needs of borrowers in all segments of their communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.[1][2][3] The Act was intended to reduce discriminatory credit practices against such neighborhoods, a practice known as 'redlining'.[4] The Act requires the appropriate federal financial supervisory agencies to encourage regulated financial institutions to meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered, consistent with safe and sound operation. (See full text of Act and current regulations.[5]) To enforce the statute, federal regulatory agencies examine banking institutions for CRA compliance, and take this information into consideration when approving applications for new bank branches or for mergers or acquisitions.[6]

[crappieman101]

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.


Now there is a nice start to the new electorate. Sounds like something from the middle 1930's to me.

[rapman1]

You would have us think that this is a strictly republican issue but that just is not the case. Looks like most were on board with this issue.

could not agree more. in fact, that was my point. as with the iraq war, this bill was the the work of both parties and in the end it hurt all of us. we always pay the price. what bothered me was the author of this bill, his roll then and his roll had mccain one. this is the guy that that called us all crybabies, wasn't it? hope you all have a good day.

[Outlaw1&2]

Do have to admit I am not Gramm fan as in Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act.