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09/13/2005: Partisan Myopia?!?
The Babbling Mr. Brooks, defying his Lap-Doggerie pedigree and biting the bAdmin in its' nether regions a few days ago, has suggested taking the NOLA disaster as an “opportunity” to reduce poverty in the US – “…The Clinton administration built on Gautreaux by creating the Moving to Opportunity program, dispersing poor families to middle-class neighborhoods in five other metropolitan areas. This time the results weren't as striking, but were still generally positive. The relocated parents weren't more likely to have jobs or increase their earnings (being close to job opportunities is not enough - you need the skills and habits to get the jobs and do the work), but their children did better, especially the girls…”
But what ole Babbles neglects to mention (and what none of the right wing pundits are admitting) is that Poverty has GROWN under the Child-in-Chief and their GOP Congressional controlled policies.
[or see this report here on Poverty Threshold v Poverty Guideline.]
So, as Fascinating a Revelation and Startling as this may come as a Surprise to most Supply-side Economists and Social Conservatives: Poverty in the US…Do Tell…
But to forget that it's proximal cause is not divorced from, the actual GOP agenda is absurd.
And for all this GOP “pat-on-the-back” talk about “NO Child Left Behind” as some achievement in educational goals to be met… this is the program brought to you (and underfunded) by the same Mental-Midget that said:
“Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people can understand what the debate is about…Part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought. . . . You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes."
But I.D. is NOT about teaching about some “debate” in a philosophy class that is being pushed forward. It's about changing the very rules for the definition of SCIENCE for teaching scientic inquiry in a science classroom. And I.D. not even a “curriculum” to Teach!!!
The real problem is with the right-wing punditry of *education* proponents acting as if a good education is this country is separate from the funding that varies State to State, local to local, as to the quality of it. Or the poverty of the families who send their children to local schools. To forget these things go hand in hand, and to not want to discuss these GOP policies from a Republican controlled Congress of the past 10 years, and Republican Presidential Agenda for the past 5 years - to avoid being seen as critical of the old “base” and policies you’ve supported all along - is the quintessential Myopia of all time.
All I can say is: GET at New pair of glasses, David Brooks!!! The ones ya have don’t work any more!!!
Karen on 09.13.05 @ 08:38 AM CST
