Walt Handelsman by Walt Handelsman
- October 02, 2008
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Bob Gorrell by Bob Gorrell
David Horsey by David HorseyAbout Walt Handelsman
Known for his wry sense of humor and thought provoking commentary, nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist Walt Handelsman attacks the pressing issues of the times. His entertaining and insightful cartoons cover topics ranging from national and local politics to social concerns.
© 2009 Tribune Media Services - All Rights Reserved.
Comments (17) Jump to Comments Form
kat827618
said,
about 1 year ago
No kidding.
jimbo90036
said,
about 1 year ago
Even Republican Spencer Baucus (R-Ala) says almost all of the additions are not pork and address serious needs such as the re-instatement of funds for property tax not paid by the Federal Government for extensive Federally owned forests.
rikoshayrabbit said, about 1 year ago
“America is unique. It has a government that simply cannot tell the truth. Hence the partnership. Our country is like a tawdry apartment in which everything has been swept under the rug but the residents walk over the lumpy, undulating floor as if nothing were out of the ordinary.” - Boston T. Party
J0D0 said, about 1 year ago
RR: Amen to that.
lalas said, about 1 year ago
RR – I have to say Pfffffft to that!
We’re unique in that we have a gov’t that can’t tell the truth… spin a globe, jab a finger at it and tell me the name of the country it lands on… and I’ll explain the definition of “unique.”
TheGreatSatan said, about 1 year ago
“spin a globe, jab a finger at it and tell me the name of the country it lands on”
Maybe if the Democrats stop coddling crappy teachers in unions and allow some competition in the school system we’d be able to learn about things other than why “Mary has two mommies” and that “as long as everyone plays then everyone wins!” wussiness bull that doesn’t belong in schools in the first place.
Sparkadelic said, about 1 year ago
Gee, Satan - didn’t the Republicans have an opportunity over the last 8 years to reform educational policy in the US? Oh yeah….forgot about No Child Left Behind. Just like in Texas before the US, a dramatic failure that equated to “we’re going to be sure and screw EVERY child by eliminating efforts to teach kids to think and make them study to pass standardized tests instead.”
Oh wait, wait! People are noticing we failed! Blame the unions! Blame the unions!
Pathetic.
motivemagus said, about 1 year ago
It’s even worse than that. Texas’ dropout rate, which was claimed to be among the lowest in the nation when Bush was running for Prez, was revised to forty percent after he got elected. The system redefined the failures to be “transferred” or “taking GED training” instead. Standardized testing is a menace to real learning.
rikoshayrabbit said, about 1 year ago
We have placed in the hands of government a department to oversee EVERYTHING. As long as the government oversees our schools, it will create a graduating class of compliant idiot sheep who have learned, mostly, never to question the government. This economy of failure must be serviced by compliant slaves. Everything is going according to plan.
TheGreatSatan said, about 1 year ago
“didn’t the Republicans have an opportunity over the last 8 years to reform educational policy in the US? ”
They tried and were blocked by the Democrats….everyone knows this. The teacher’s unions were having a fit about trying to introduce school vouchers for kids trying to get out of hellhole schools. They complained to their backers the DEMOCRATS and it got voted down.
They were actually doing this system in Florida but the Dems there got rid of it.
http://articles.latimes.com/2006/jan/06/nation/na-voucher6
Start producing facts and not your opinion from now on.
HUMPHRIES
said,
about 1 year ago
TGS with your facts I think I’d trust the opinions. PS a forum is a place for opinion.
motivemagus said, about 1 year ago
TGS -
Last I looked, “No Child Left Behind” did get passed, and incorporated many of the “innovations” Bush was crowing about in Texas. You haven’t responded to my facts, above.
DHLEAKY
said,
about 1 year ago
libtard
YAWN, YAWN.
motivemagus said, about 1 year ago
Interesting but confusing article, StewieZ. Sounds as if there’s plenty of blame to go around, but they kept coming back to the Republicans, I note. In any case, I think a lot of NCLB went the wrong direction anyway. Holding teachers accountable is fine in principle, but the practice hasn’t been very good. You get what you measure, and if you measure through tests, then you get teaching to the test. Fine when you are teaching multiplication; not so good when teaching history or complex reasoning.
TheGreatSatan said, about 1 year ago
“Last I looked, “No Child Left Behind” did get passed, and incorporated many of the “innovations” Bush was crowing about in Texas. You haven’t responded to my facts, above.”
That would be because you didn’t list facts, you listed a completely wrong definition of what the No Child Left Behind Act even is. It’s not about making kids pass standardized testing it is about, according to the wording of the act itself:
“NCLB is built on four principles: accountability for results, more choices for parents, greater local control and flexibility, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research.”
Like I said before, the teacher unions are particularly upset about the choice of schools and accountability parts. So no, most of the innovations Bush was trying to get done are NOT being passed because the unions are blocking them. I gave you an example of how school choice worked very well in Florida until it got shot down by the Democrats and Stewie gave you an even better article.
motivemagus said, about 1 year ago
TGS - the problem with school choice through vouchers as I see it is it tends to make it easier on people who have more choice in the first place, since they rarely provide enough money for the underprivileged to get into the really good schools, but makes it easier for those who can already come close to affording private. Furthermore, it tends to undermine public schools, which I think is a bad thing, too.
Stew: Thinking analytically ain’t taught in most schools no mo’. Our whole presidential election appears to rely on look-and-feel instead, regardless of party. The real discussions take place at local levels, where people know the issues. Why on earth should you vote for someone you “like?” I don’t give a bleeep if I like them or not – I have no desire to have dinner with Obama _or_ McCain. Sorry, needed to vent there. Agree that Bush did us no favors with NCLB, and he compounded it by trying to kill HeadStart, which is one of the few programs rated as an unqualified success.
TheGreatSatan said, about 1 year ago
“since they rarely provide enough money for the underprivileged to get into the really good schools, but makes it easier for those who can already come close to affording private.”
All the voucher system essentially would do is give the money to the parents that would normally be taxed and using it to go to any school they want. This wouldn’t do anything to hamper kids going to any school they please.
“Furthermore, it tends to undermine public schools, which I think is a bad thing, too.”
If those public schools aren’t doing their job then they don’t deserve to be a school in the first place. If they notice that there enrollment rates are dropping they would naturally be forced to improve their teaching to keep kids from leaving them. It’s a win win situation.