Election '08 Post #1

I get rather passionate about politics. I think I just care far too deeply. As the election nears I’m sure I’ll work myself into a frenzy, but for now I’m able to have a political discussion with a minimum of hand-waving and profanity.

Now, I’ll tell you up front that I’m a Barack Obama supporter. Well, actually, more of a Not-McCain supporter. I’m really glad that it’s Obama on the Democratic ticket, but I’d vote for anyone on that side of the fence this time around. I almost always vote liberal.

One interesting thing is the way that Obama is using technology. I’m not sure if McCain is doing the same thing (although I doubt he is), but Obama currently sends me messages via email, Facebook, and Twitter. I also signed up to have his pick for vice president texted to my phone. I do realize that this is a very clever campaign move to make people feel more personally involved in a grassroots effort, to feel some sort of ownership in the campaign. That being said, I like being plugged into my candidate. If he had a Flickr page with campaign photos I’d look at that too.

John McCain has views on several issues that just make my eyes twitch with anger (over the views, not the issues). Perhaps my biggest hot button issue is education. Here is what McCain’s website says about his views on education.

John McCain believes American education must be worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves. He understands that we are a nation committed to equal opportunity, and there is no equal opportunity without equal access to excellent education.

Public education should be defined as one in which our public support for a child's education follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public on their progress.

Sounds good so far, right? Who could disagree with that?

The deplorable status of preparation for our children, particularly in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world, does not allow us the luxury of eliminating options in our educational repertoire.

Okay, come step into an impoverished public school and see how we try to spin straw into gold. See how we try to take crumbling buildings, outdated materials, and overstuffed classrooms and use them to educate children. Spend one day doing our job and then call our performance “deplorable.”

John McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own homes.

No Child Left Behind has focused our attention on the realities of how students perform against a common standard.

“Common standard?” The tests they use vary by state. That’s fairly uniform, but not exactly universal.

John McCain believes that we can no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for others. In this age of honest reporting, we finally see what is happening to students who were previously invisible. While that is progress all its own, it compels us to seek and find solutions to the dismal facts before us.

John McCain believes our schools can and should compete to be the most innovative, flexible and student-centered - not safe havens for the uninspired and unaccountable. He believes we should let them compete for the most effective, character-building teachers, hire them, and reward them.

Again – come spend one day doing what we do. I don’t contest that there are bad teachers out there, but most of them are doing the best with what they’re given. And that includes measures mandating us to take time out of class to prepare kids for these standardized tests.

If a school will not change, the students should be able to change schools. John McCain believes parents should be empowered with school choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them just as many members of Congress do with their own children. He finds it beyond hypocritical that many of those who would refuse to allow public school parents to choose their child's school would never agree to force their own children into a school that did not work or was unsafe. They can make another choice. John McCain believes that is a fundamental and essential right we should honor for all parents.

As president, John McCain will pursue reforms that address the underlying cultural problems in our education system - a system that still seeks to avoid genuine accountability and responsibility for producing well-educated children.

John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools.

Let’s take another look at that last line. Taking dollars from failing schools. Because when a school is struggling, when it can’t afford decent materials or computers or highly qualified teachers or good buildings or enough security guards to make the school safe, the absolute best way to fix that situation is to TAKE MONEY AWAY. WHAT BRILLIANCE.

Barack Obama’s plan, while perhaps not perfect, does say he’s in favor of providing funding for schools, improving early intervention programs, assisting families, and providing after-school and summer activities. It’s much more helpful to address the underlying problems than to simply penalize low-performing schools.

Oh, and I don’t appreciate some of McCain’s campaign strategies either.

So yeah. I can’t wait until November. I’m going to vote so hard.