Bat shit crazy

Betsy DeVos says guns in schools may be necessary to protect students from grizzly bears

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

She was speaking specifically of a school that already had a bear problem.

I don't know about this lady or really any of the cabinet appointees other than initial basic background. I do find it interesting that anyone appointed by the right is automatically labelled as bat shit crazy, a Nazi or the anti-christ by many. At the same time all the left appointees were pure as the driven snow, service minded individuals with only the best intentions.

Here is a quote I pulled form the story I read this morning about the Devos hearing by Joe Lieberman.

Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman also appeared before his onetime colleagues to introduce DeVos.

"We just can't accept the status quo in education anymore," Lieberman said. "We need a change agent and an education reformer to be education secretary ... and that is exactly the kind of education secretary I believe Betsy DeVos can and will be."

I am going to guess old Joe is not going to attach that to "bat shit crazy". So I may just wait a bit to judge her.

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"You can't say definitively today that guns shouldn't be in schools?" Murphy asked incredulously. "Well, I will refer back to Sen. Enzi and the school that he was talking about in Wapiti, Wyoming. I think probably there, I would imagine that there is probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies," DeVos replied.

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

In Bear country, it would be incredulous to NOT have a shotgun available, along with somebody trained to use it on a bear, wolf, or other animal. I imagine in several Western states, Canada, and Alaska this is commonplace among schools in rural and mountain areas.

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As I posted in the Trump thread, there were some serious fireworks during that hearing. They had a good portion of it live on CNN. About the only thing you are going to get people to agree on with education is that the current system is not serving students well. Everything after that will devolve into a fight about unions, public schools, charters, standards, testing, funding, poverty, taxes, and much else.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Of course you missed they had to get all bogged down in the mother fucking LGBT shit as well. Enough already. We need to teach all kids better and no one is going to "get away" with not teaching your cross dressing little shit in their private bathroom.

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She is one of a few cabinet appointments without any relevant experience for the position, which is troubling. Arne Duncan had all the experience a person could want for the position but I cannot name one of his great initiatives.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

The fireworks were largely over the committee rules that only allow for one round of questioning. The committee Chair, Lamar Alexander, was following the way Obama appointees were handled. However, in the past, more questioning has been allowed.

Franken had a few gotcha questions, which Devos was not able to answer. The other big problem is that Michigan has absolutely the worst charter program in the country, which seems to be from lack of oversight. So she is a private school advocate from a state that has a poor record in that area. The record on charter schools is extremely mixed where NY has won kudos and others has failed miserably.

DeVos disarmed the questions I heard on LGBT. She advocated for equal treatment of all students regardless of income, gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.

It was interesting in that several of the Dems agreed about school choice, notably the Colorado Senator.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Holy ignorance, Batman!

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Yeah, what the hell is this stupid anger about?

CNN only played about 30 minutes of it as they cut out when the hosts changed at 6:00 from Wolf to Erin. In the portions I listened to, the LGBT thing was a non-factor. DeVos answered those questions fine. Maybe more came up after the point where I listened.

Again, and rightly so, the Dems were concerned about having enough time to properly examine a person who does not have the typical experience for the position. And of course they are skeptical of a billionaire who has been a big proponent of charter schools, which are controversial to the Dem constituency. The fact that she stumbled badly on Franken's questions only threw more blood in the water for the Dems.

At some point, we all have to realize that the current system is completely broken. And then, and only then, can we come up with commonsense solutions. We can't have college tuition going up above the rate of inflation forever, schools that are crumbling, kids that can't read at grade level, poor performance relative to other developed countries on exams among many other issues. From what I have read, the MA school reforms have really worked well such that those students are performing well against the other top countries in the world- Finland and South Korea.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I am not sure what part you refer to? I admitted above I know nothing about her. I also am not defending the appointment. I posted that Joe Lieberman seems to be ok with her. My more recent post about the LBGT bog down was about the process and I stand by that. In my personal opinion strides have been made in not only LGBT issues but also many others. To continue this nonsense of asking every candidate/appointee about that is a waste of time. In light of all the additional matters affecting schools, like those Dennis listed, questioning on that matter that affects a minuscule portion of the national school population is useless. For me it is look I have a lightning rod issue to show I care.

Many issues like the bathroom one I threw in are already being addressed everyday. Do you really think the personal opinion of any one appointee (other than one for SCOTUS) matters in the vast bureaucracy, courts and general public influence in the matter?

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My anger is directed at the process which I think is dumb. The target was collateral damage.

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It's going to be a big deal until people stop fighting so hard against it. It's a fair question to ask the person who wants to run education in this country.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Chus said it on the podcast, and even though are politics are polar opposites, "live and let live". On that I agree 100%.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

AHHHHH people i've never heard of are being appointed to cabinet positions i never heard of AHHHHHHHH!

is all i've been hearing since its started.

If i had to guess many of these cabinet positions could be filled with walmart greeters and we'd generally be just fine based on past history.

Brick and Dennis, I am not arguing the LGBT or bathroom issue. I also am in the live and let live camp. My entire point is I do not think it is important in a hearing such as this. I believe that because I do not believe a cabinet secretary has some super power to force their personal belief (whatever that is) on an entire nation. In this case a Sec of Ed could not unilaterally make some executive command to disallow gays from anything. If they did public pressure, courts and other bureaucratic measures would not allow that.

Edit: I would have much rather had them spend more time going in depth on her idea about vocational schooling and the value or lack thereof of free college.

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But those are the real issues. DeVos is the typical union-busting Republican who advocates for "choice" in the form of vouchers, charters, etc. all of which are nothing more than euphemisms for union busting. She's no different than Rauner or Rahm. They just want to demonize union teachers while handing out fat contracts to their cronies.

But instead of addressing those issues we have brain dead Al Franken asking her about homos and her net worth.

It really doesn't matter much though since the Secretary of Education has minimal influence on public schools at the K-12 level. DeVos will just be another voice promoting the canard that union school teachers are the problem. The real policy that comes from that role effects higher education.

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His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

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Then you didn't see the hearings.

Franken simply asked her about her views on testing students. It was a question on whether tests should be on proficiency or fluency (he used a different word that I can't recall). Apparently, when you test proficiency you are looking at mastery of grade level material. When you test fluency, it tests students on how far above grade level or how far below grade they are.

DeVos had no answer.


He then asked about the terrible statistics on Michigan public and charter schools.

She couldn't answer either of his questions, albeit they looked like "gotcha" stuff with specific statistics and such.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

None of those charter school people want to reckon with the real numbers. They don't support their arguments. Charter schools are crony capitalism at its worst.

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His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

Calling students cross dressing little shits is still pretty lame.

I find it telling how the admitted know nothings are evidencing their support for yet another completely unqualified nominee who is principally against the department she is slated to run.

Or ignore how she is zealously in favor of the "evil " Common Core programs Trump and his rust belt supporters want so desperately abolished.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

And lots of public school outcomes are government at its worse. What is(are) your solution(s)? Maybe you're happy with CPS and would gladly send your kids to that school system, if you had kids.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Yeah.

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I don't know, but I do know demonizing the working class (union members) certainly isn't the answer.

But as I said, the Education Secretary has very minimal influence on K-12 students. If I were going to try to blow out Trump's cabinet nominees this wouldn't be the one I'd focus on.

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His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

I do and I am happy so far.

Maybe it'll get worse later on but so far so good.

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Well she advocated strongly for state and local control in education, so you are right in that she would take a hands off approach to K-12.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

And lots of public school outcomes are great. I'm going to guess the public schools in the town you live in would be just fine to send your kids to.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!