That’s what I hear when I listen to the media: “I care more than you do.”
Today there was another tragic gun related mass murder. This time at a school in Connecticut. As is always the case in injury or death to children, some will claim they have more sympathy for those effected because they are parents. They don’t state it that way, but that’s the implication of their unreasoned words.
This is itself unsympathetic and self-important. Continue reading
Often on the campaign trail Mitt Romney will never mention specifics and only regurgitate platitudes. In the final debate on foreign policy (transcript) he did much the same. When he didn’t speak in platitudes, he spoke in what he believed (which was often demonstrably false: “I don’t see our influence growing around the world. I see our influence receding”), or in incorrect facts. But mostly it was platitudes.
I think this is best shown in his closing statement which is so full of no information, that I would love to have it presented by Obama and run it past conservative voters.
Polls are currently leading toward President Obama being re-elected. Texas will certainly remain a red state and push its electoral votes toward Mitt Romney. But there are other candidates running for president, Jill Stein among them.
She is the Green Party candidate, and if you live in Texas or any other state not in contention, voting for her (certainly not a winner) is an absolutely valid choice.
As it happens, she’ll be visiting Houston for a few days this week. A full itinerary is available at Brains and Eggs‘ blog. If you have the time, check out any of her appearances or listen to her on the radio.
The Green Party’s Ten Key Values are
You can read their platform online at their website.
I’m of the opinion that the state cannot spend too much money on education. Ever dollar spent reaps rewards many fold over.
While the modern Republicans are more than happy to put words in the mouths of the Founding Fathers, and claim them as their own and no one else’s, if you return to the source material it is clear there is little in common between the two.
“Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to ; convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.” – Thomas Jefferson [The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series 12:442]
Meanwhile Republicans in Texas frame a platform that is so horrific that a Forbes blogger says “it is difficult to believe that what the Republicans put together during their convention in Fort Worth was even written in the 21st century.”
In particular the platform says we should not teach children to think. Literally. As if that is not the entire intent of (public) schooling. (I can’t personally speak toward the intent of private or home schooling, but hope they would intend the same.) I’m not sure whether it’s Double Speak or sarcasm that places their opinion under the title “Educating Our Children”.
Here’s the full text in context:
Knowledge Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority. [p12]
So the subtext here is that if we teach logic to children they might be able to “out think” their parents. I certainly increasingly had rational discussions/arguments with my parents the more I grew/learned. Those are stepping stones to becoming an adult. Sounds like a muddy path is the one preferred in this platform.
Later in the same platform they add the following:
We support curricula that are heavily weighted on original founding documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and Founders’ writings. [p13, Traditional Principals]
Definitely sending mixed messages here, there’s nothing but higher order thinking going on in the Founders’ writings.
To be fair such Janus-faced statements are to be expected in a document by committee, and there are dozens more in this document
Two weeks ago House Speaker John Boehner (R) said “Have you ever met anybody who read the party platform? I’ve never met anybody.”[WSJ] (His context was one in which candidate Mitt Romney wouldn’t seek an ultimate abortion ban despite the Platform calling for it.) He also added the documents should only be a page long. Reading the Texas Republican Party Platform for 2012, I am tempted to agree with him.
The new restaurant Underbelly opened up about the same time (about 6 months ago) as the adjoining beer bar Hay Merchant. I’ve been to Hay Merchant many times, but haven’t yet managed to make it to Underbelly.
Recently my mother mentioned “the new restaurant at Waugh and Westheimer”, so last night when we went out for my step father’s 70th birthday dinner we decided to eat there. It was quite yummy. There was a recent article in the Oxford American about food in Houston that mentioned Underbelly. We had:
It was all delicious, and the space is fabulous.
We didn’t have reservations, though it seems most of the main room did. Wasn’t a problem on a tuesday, but likely would be on a thurs-sat.
I was listening to the Slate Magazine Political Gabfest: The Never Alone edition as I do every week. Their third topic (30:00) was the affirmative action case brought by Abigail Fisher against The University of Texas and race-based admissions policies being accepted by the Supreme Court.
At some point in to it (38:00) David Plotz supports the policy of automatic admission to the university by the top 10% of graduating high school students (in the state) as a nice alternative mechanism to obtaining diversity. The truth of the matter is the 10% isn’t as automatic as it was in the 80s, and the 10% policy has been around for a long time – though I’m not sure if it predates affirmative action laws.
“The 10% idea, taking the top 10% of a class, is a really appealing one. … I presume that at Texas A&M, which is sort of second tier, maybe it’s the top 20% or something. …”
A a child of two UT alumni, and the 4th generation graduate of the UT, I laughed heartily at that one. It’s been a few decades since I’ve had to deal with college admissions, but I recall their policies being relatively the same (I was accepted by both). I can’t wait to hear if John’s inbox filled up with letters from Aggies.
Then Plotz turns around and calls the top 10% of the class “ten percenters” which is generally a term for people who don’t put in more than 10% effort. And it of course make Frank Black‘s voice stream through my brain singing about a slacker soda jerk: Continue reading