NO MORE EGGS FROM EDUCATIONAL GOLDEN GOOSE - Just A Minute Radio for 100723

Today we examine the question if you can take more water out of the bucket than you put in …

Comparable to either the perpetual motion machine – that inventors formerly thought they would one day discover – but never counted on the truth of the laws of motion; or the medieval alchemists who were forever experimenting to discover how to make base metals into gold – but never getting there… there’s a class of dreamers who believe more money can be taken out of the purse than was ever put in.

Such is the fairy tale we are pursuing today.

There are advocates of certain causes who with slight of hand and ‘now you see it now you don’t’ techniques, convince the gullible more can be pulled out of the hat than was put in. But it’s an illusion – stage magicians make the rabbit or dove or whatever appear or disappear like – well – magic. The problem is, that can’t be duplicated with other people’s money. Somewhere, sometime someone’s coming up short. And in today’s world for the most part, it appears to be the young students in the public schools,

All the ladies in my household either are active school teachers now, or have been at one time or another. We have first hand experience in knowing you can’t take more out of the box than you put in. The real world doesn’t work that way. So – when funds intended for pupil’s education ends up either in bloated salaries for multiplied administrators, or inefficient operational decisions – well unfortunately it’s the pupils who go home with empty heads and lunchpails.

So… what’s to be done. As an old and experienced economics professor once told our class: “You put all your eggs in one basket – and then watch that basket very carefully.

That seems to be at the core of our educational problem. We’re not paying attention to the leakage in getting information from the text book into the student’s heart, life and mind. It’s a difficult proposition – often hindered – but very rewarding when it happens as it does in the presence of excellent teachers – and there are many.

So… let’s quit foolin’ ourselves. Education is worthwhile – and if it’s worth doing it definitely is worth doing right! So there’s no substitute for illusions or special schemes… It’s just like farming – you reap what you sow. While you can improve techniques, and breed better seed and cultivating practices… the basics have to be there of good earth… water—not too much – and sunshine in the absence of killing frosts. These are the basics… they don’t change – they can be improved but a farm doesn’t produce by itself – it has to be tended. No magic tricks pull the rabbit out of the hat.

Cordially, Thanks for being here…

Jack

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“JUST A MINUTE”

NO MORE EGGS FROM EDUCATIONAL GOLDEN GOOSE

Just a Minute: -- Does the name David Obey mean anything to you? Mr. Obey, is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee… He’s counting on taking 10 billion out of various educational programs – Like “Race to the Top” and divert it to School Districts so they can pay for educator’s retirement programs.

If you doubt that -- check the Center for Responsive Politics . You’ll see both big teachers’ unions – the NEA and the AFT gave 92 percent and 98 percent of their political contributions to the Democrats last time around. Any questions?

It’s so bad in California that Jeff Adachi, a San Francisco Democrat and elected Public Defender – who says he’s ­very pro-union admits the union pensions are sucking the life out of all the children’s after-school programs, seniors programs…(quote)”everything we care about…” -- he says – and while describing himself as the union’s ‘poster boy’ says they’ve got to do something different or all their efforts will be wasted.

The educational union goose is eating up all the golden eggs.

<> I’m Jack Buttram. (END)

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