“

Pennsylvania: #1 in teachers' salary

Pennsylvania: #44 in student SAT scores

discuss ...

”

“ps - My wife is a teacher at a public school where they are paid very little. The average SAT score at that school is over 1350.”

“Unions = below average results.”

“(meant to say "teacher at a private school" above, sorry)

Good point Nigal, forgot about that angle.

But, the unions argue that increased wages = increased performance.”

“The stronger the teacher's union has become the lower the SAT scores. I am sure Buddha has all the data.”

“will he share it with us?”

“They have even started dumbing down the SATs to get better results. I also credit the deterioration of family values in general and a lack of parenting skills in the modern liberal household.”

“Isn't that an oxymoron Nigal?

"parenting skills in the modern liberal household"”

“Notice any similarities to the above posters?

New Taliban Rules Target Afghan Teachers

The Taliban gunmen who murdered two teachers in eastern Afghanistan early Saturday were only following their rules: Teachers receive a warning, then a beating, and if they continue to teach must be killed.

The new list of 30 rules, decided on during a high Taliban meeting in September or October and since circulated over the Internet, span from the organizational - no jihad equipment may be used for personal means - to the health conscious - militants are not supposed to smoke.

They also contain a grave warning for aid workers and educators.

Rule No. 24 forbids anyone to work as a teacher "under the current puppet regime, because this strengthens the system of the infidels." One rule later, No. 25, says teachers who ignore Taliban warnings will be killed.

Taliban militants early Saturday broke into a house in the eastern province of Kunar, killing a family of five, including two sisters who were teachers.

The women had been warned in a letter to quit teaching, said Gulam Ullah Wekar, the provincial education director. Their mother, grandmother and a male relative were also slain in the attack.

The two sisters brought to 20 the number of teachers killed in Taliban attacks this year, said Education Ministry spokesman Zuhur Afghan. He said 198 schools have been burned down this year, up from about 150 last year.

The 30 Taliban rules also spell out opposition to development projects from aid organizations, including clinics, roads and schools.

"If a school fails a warning to close, it must be burned. But all religious books must be secured beforehand," rule No. 26 says.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2006/dec/09/120908431.html”

“Well heck yeah, they keep hearing how we suck and they are winning....thanks for all your help there Viol.”

“What I love is how George Bush keeps wandering the countryside looking for a solution.

He's a modern day Don Quixote.

No Solutions Bush. Chase those windmills.”

“I agree...but then again...the days of Jeanne K are gone....politicians are cowards today”

“In the spirit of the thread title, I would take to take this time to publically thank President Bush for adding a one full percentage point onto my student loan, per the Deficit Reduction Act.


Please let me know when I can return the favor.”

“Hey Q!

Just so you know, one of the last acts of the outgoing Congress was renewal of the tuition and fees deduction.

Be sure to take that. It might not be in all the paperwork because it came so late.

Also, the teacher expenses deduction was renewed.”

“"“Hey Q!

Just so you know, one of the last acts of the outgoing Congress was renewal of the tuition and fees deduction.

Be sure to take that. It might not be in all the paperwork because it came so late.

Also, the teacher expenses deduction was renewed.”

I heard that, too. I've taken every little thing the IRS gives us. I've used TaxCut for around 8 years now and it's have all of the nice information one needs in order to file.

Now if Congress would just renew the ability to write off credit card interest again.........!”

“WOW...thanks Q ball...(LOL) I love the gratitude for the Government money.

Talk about your spoiled little brat. I knew you were a little whiney libbie...but WOW. Now do you need us to send someone by to wake you up and get you to school in the morning too (LOL)”

“Are you this caustic in real life?”

“XL, you dont claim any deductions(or government handouts as you call em,excluding your government paycheck too of course)? No mortgage interest? Uniform costs etc? Child Tax credits? Any VA money?Very Noble! (LOL)

Just curious why do you bust on Q for going to college.I have seen you throw this in his face as if he ought be ashamed. Is him getting an education a bad thing? Isnt he taking responsiblity for his own future. As a conservative I applaud anyone who takes the risk of quitting a job to better ones self. I think its admirable, but I am also his age and in school so I can relate.

edited cause I cant spell, hence my need for school.

And yes I draw a gub'ment paycheck too.
last edited: 12/12/06 3:04:11 PM”

“I have a nice education and I still can not spell. ;-)”

“LOL @ SS”

“Birch, well put. You are pointing out one of the flawed logics used by some in the USA. For some reason, there is this stigma with students and the fact that they somehow not contributing to society while they are in school. It's similar to the experience some kids in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods experience from peers and even parents about NOT going to school, you don;t need school, you think you are better than us, blah, blah, blah.

I really haven't noticed it in other countries, like evil "socialist" Europe, where going to school and going on the dole are perfectly acceptable and oftentime, synonymous.

Wake up. Education is a critical key to a healthy society.”

“I haven't read post one on this thread.

When a SPLOST for educationatory purposes is on the local ballot, I check not "no", but "HELL NO!".

I taught for seven years. The amount of dollars that are squandered by edumacators boggles the mind...”

“I think that federal student aid is some of the best spending that our government does.

Just look at the stats about how much more a college graduate makes above a high school graduate.

That money comes back several times over via increased tax receipts.”

“Therefore Gojo, we should cut funding and not give breaks to students, right? Penalize the rest for a few bad apples and all that? The $$ is definitely not being squandered on teacher salaries, that's for certain.

Pay public school teachers $100,000 and see what sort of improvement you get in education. The talent pool would be enormous...”

“No birch I actually admire him improving himself..but this is pretty much whiney brat talk to #&%!$ about the already LOW INTEREST money from the government, backed up by your money and my money. Its like us giving him a loan at incredibly low rates then having to go up to make up for a shortfall...and him #&%!$ing. You know when I wanted to buy a house I didn't hit the government up for a loan, I went to my BANK and applied. (and College and Graduate School..and EMT School I paid my way)

As for taking deductions...um it is not the GOVERNMENT's Money..thats MY money. For some reason people in this day and age look at their taxes and are proud of the money the government GIVES BACK...LOL...that was your money to start with. Remember the Government does not produce a thing therefore they do not MAKE money.

I run into this entitlement mentality so much today. I had a lady who had set fire to her trailer (granted it was paid for by the person she rented it from) cooking some "THING". The destruction was so total that the drug dogs could not get a good hit. So we are standing there following the investigation. She walks over and I introduce myself. She explains she has no insurance (must have been too expensive) and the owner of the trailer did not carry insurance. Then she says,"So who gonna give me a new house?" Not one, "I am so sorry I destroyed your property." to the owner, not a "I am sorry this fire happened." Just a "WHERE BE MY FREE MONEY?" attitude.”

“So, I suppose you don't itemize and take the home interest deduction? The federal government heavily subsidizes home purchases.

Oh, that's right. It's your money. And you have a right to pay 25% less than the next guy because you bought a house.

Yup. That's logical.”

“RL...thank you for the Socialist view...LOL...NOT see it is MY money that I earn putting in 60 hour weeks + it is my money I earn working in all conditions at any time of the day or night to protect the taxpayers. NOW if you think you need to give more money you can do that...there is a part on the form where you can DONATE more money. As for me. I want the Fair Tax. As for the government subsidizing home purchases....lets go over this again...I WENT TO MY BANK...and got the loan, no FHA, no VA...MY BANK, MY LOAN, MY MONEY. I wonder how much cheaper a house would be without the government regulation and carp to start with.”

“What you going to school to learn, Q?”

“No rosey, what I'm saying is:

“I haven't read post one on this thread.

When a SPLOST for educationatory purposes is on the local ballot, I check not "no", but "HELL NO!".

I taught for seven years. The amount of dollars that are squandered by edumacators boggles the mind...””

“Let me see.

I am pro life.

I am in favor of a balanced budget amendment.

I want increased troop levels in Iraq.

I have voted for George H.W. Bush and John McCain in the past.

Yup. I'm a socialist.

Workers of the World Unite!

You can go on and make your little hair-splitting arguments. But they have zero basis in the real world.”

“Pay public school teachers $100,000 and see what sort of improvement you get in education. The talent pool would be enormous...”
roseymonster
1:39:21 PM
12/12/06


I respectfully disagree. I don't think you'd see any appreciable improvement. The problem isn't what we pay teachers, teachers do the best they can under the conditions they face! (although I do agree we don't pay them enough).

The problems are (not in any order):
1. Internal political crap - ie., the Teacher's Union rules & regs
2. Cultural. Many cultures don't value education so don't emphasize it at home. A teacher only has influence for a very limited amount of time, if the student goes home from school & education isn't supported / encouraged there at home, then progress will be limited.”

“Point taken, Wanderer.

I think you get two types of teachers:

1. Those who do it because they believe in it and like to teach and are willing to accept less pay in order to meet their desires.

2. Those who do it because it's pretty easy to attain as a profession, you get summers off and the pay is OK.

Let's say it's 50/50. If you raise the standards to be a teacher and raise the pay scale, I think you eliminate #2.”

“Wanderer. Include the actions of the local school board in the "Internal Political Crap" category.

Schools are many things in addition to places of education. They are community gathering places. They are entertainment and sports venues. They are cash cows for the local economy.

There are many local communities for which the educational success of students is a secondary issue.”

“deductions = handouts ????????????


LOL!!!”

“"“WOW...thanks Q ball...(LOL) I love the gratitude for the Government money.

Talk about your spoiled little brat. I knew
you were a little whiney libbie...but WOW. Now do you need us to send someone by to wake you up and get you to school in the morning too (LOL)”"

lmao!


Lt. Dan, you really are a hoot. So quick to jump on an ironic comment, only to make himself look more a fool. I don't think I've been called a whiney little brat in about 30 years. Thanks for your comments. As always, they are true to form and very insightful! [insert major eye roll here].

Hell of a job, Danny!

Silly Danny must not remember that this type of interest write off hasn't been in play for many, many years, thus the comment.

"“No birch I actually admire him improving himself..but this is pretty much whiney brat talk to #&%!$ about the already LOW INTEREST money from the government, backed up by your money and my money."

BFD. Would it matter to you that I didn't take a loan out when we had to pay for my wife's undergrad and masters, while raising a young family? Prolly not.

Trust me, I wouldn't be taking a dime if my family could do without it. However, being a full time student, full time stay at home parent and having a part time job doesn't leave much more room for income. We don't live large by any means; just paycheck to paycheck, so it would serve you well to get rid of the "welfare queen" BS.

It too bad that you belittle a whole group of people who have to take a government loan out for further their education. It's my money just as much as it's yours as well. I've worked full time for over 20 years, 11 in educational support. But I guess that won't go for anything either.

Sorry, didn't mean to be a whiney brat, again..........!


flamo!


Thanks for the support, everyone. Water off a ducks ass!”

“"“Are you this caustic in real life?”
reformed lurker
3:56:12 PM
12/12/06"


The kicker is this guy is a public servant; a hybred firefighter type.

How would you like this guy coming to your house to give you medical attention, or put the fire out in your house.

You'd never heard the end of it! lmao!”

“What? You want me to resuscitate you? Let me see your tax return to see if you've taken any of those low-interest government loans lately...”

“"“What you going to school to learn, Q?”
StoveStomper
4:54:24 PM
12/12/06"


Undergrad is in Anthropology. It's a stepping stone toward my Library and Information Sciences Masters that I will hopefully collect in two years. After that, either my Doctorate in Anthropology or L.I.S. Goal is to work with either with historical archives and artifacts, or in a natural history museum.”

“"“What? You want me to resuscitate you? Let me see your tax return to see if you've taken any of those low-interest government loans lately...”"


lmao!

Better yet "Nope, I ain't puttin` my lips on no welfare queen! That goes for that wetback over there, too!"”

“Actually, why do we have firefighters anyway?

It's just more government welfare.

People should be strong enough to take care of themselves.

Put out your own damned fires, eh?

And we could take that money to pay for more armored humvees.”

“"“Actually, why do we have firefighters anyway?

It's just more government welfare.

People should be strong enough to take care of themselves.

Put out your own damned fires, eh?

And we could take that money to pay for more armored humvees.”
reformed lurker
6:21:58 PM
12/12/06"

Don't they sit around all day, eating and just waiting for something to happen?

I agree. With the fiscal situations facing cities here in Michigan, it's common to look to these areas of public service in which to cut government fat.

It's worked out great for our city. We've cut a few firefighting jobs have not realized the "doom and gloom" down fall of the city promoted by our fire Chief.

Why are we so lazy that we expect government to put our fires out for us?

I guess it's just more suckling off the government teat.”

“"Typically, the difference between public and private fire-fighting services isn’t a matter of available resources, but in the management of those resources. The private sector depends on management skills for its results. In the case of Rural/ Metro, the average per capita cost to subscription customers in Arizona is 25 to 50 percent lower than for similar services nationally"

Statistics back the mayor’s enthusiasm. A recent poll by Arizona Opinion and Political Research found that by a margin of six-to-one, Scottsdale voters prefer Rural/Metro to the option of a municipally owned fire department.”

“Here, here.

Now the question is: Scab or a union man?”

“Our lazy union firefighters brag about how they only work a few hours per week. (3 days a week) plus have a full pension for life after 20 short years of work. Thats crap. They should have to sweep the streets and pick up trash when they arent putting out fires.

People who sit around waiting for the gov to bail em out of fire are about as bad as those lazy folks who wait for the gov to build roads, adjudicate our differences, provide for our common defense, regulate commerce.

Self-loathing , that has got to be rough.
last edited: 12/12/06 5:40:50 PM”

“"Here, here.

Now the question is: Scab or a union man?"

Well, I think the firefighters have to realize that the most important thing is service to the community.

Pay and benefits should be their secondary motivation.

These firefighters who claim that they deserve reasonable health care and a living wage have their priorities way out of whack.

They should understand that it is privilege to serve the community. Whatever they get in terms of monetary remuneration is just icing on the cake.”

“Your going back to school after being out so long has to be hard. My hat's off to you on this, Q.”

“WOW...go to the weight room for a while and all heck brakes loose....

Number one, q baby....I was not belittling anything but the whiney.."They raised the amount of my repayment crap."

You got the virtual FREE MONEY and now you are #&%!$ing...I am betting the student loan even with the raised cost is lower than a private loan. OH....and I am not going to debate jobs, but you know in College...actually High School we learned the um..Congress actually passed the laws...the President just signs or vetoes them (LOL).

Q maybe you need to spend more time with some civics classes or something. While you are proudly sucking off the government teet it is impolite to talk with your mouth full (LOL).

Q gets grumpy when I fire on his whiney little ways...LOL.....Hey you are learning to be productive ..or so I hope. I am sure there is a desperate need for Archeologists...to um...dig stuff up right?

Birch we are a private fire service, we have to be WAY above the neighboring County services...(lol just got a letter of commendation from a family for handling a fire at their house). But I have found it is the difference between people who want to be there and those who think it is an easy job. But then I have seen that in every career. Heck I have seen Museum staff who were occupying space...and I have seen some who were fantastic. Heck we had a guy in on museum who could take a class of 25 whiney middle schoolers and keep them enthralled for an hour about nebulous stuff.”

“"“Your going back to school after being out so long has to be hard. My hat's off to you on this, Q.”"

Thanks, Kevin.”

“"Number one, q baby....I was not belittling anything but the whiney.."They raised the amount of my repayment crap."

You #&%!$ when the Democrats raise taxes. I can't #&%!$ about an agreement I entered into with the government which they altered? Yeah, I get it -- let's balance the budget on the backs of college students. I guess it ain't raising no taxes, ain't it?

Yeah, that's another one of your real sound arguments.

"You got the virtual FREE MONEY and now you are #&%!$ing...I am betting the student loan even with the raised cost is lower than a private loan."


What free money are you talking about? I have to pay the money back; it's not free. The only free money I have received was a Presidential Scholarship in the amount of 3,000 for graduating my community college Magna Cum Laude. I do not have the ability to realize a private loan in the amount to attend a top three university in my state.

"OH....and I am not going to debate jobs, but you know in College...actually High School we learned the um..Congress actually passed the laws...the President just signs or vetoes them (LOL)."

Yep, and Bush signed it, making it his and part of his legacy. He could have vetoed it, but did not. He advocated for it as well. This is his administration and he is responsible for it. I can understand you not wanting to discuss jobs, because it would reveal that your lips are on the teat as much as those your ridicule.

"Q maybe you need to spend more time with some civics classes or something. While you are proudly sucking off the government teet it is impolite to talk with your mouth full (LOL)."

Well then, Danny. Tell the good people here just how I am sucking off of the government teet. I'm sure you can support your premise with the proper support, right?

lmao!


"Q gets grumpy when I fire on his whiney little ways...LOL.....Hey you are learning to be productive ..or so I hope. I am sure there is a desperate need for Archeologists...to um...dig stuff up right?"

Grumpy? lmao! You really have a knack for showing us your rear when you are in too deep, don't ya?

lmao!
last edited: 12/12/06 9:08:59 PM”