Category Archives: Education

End Poverty & Crime By Increasing School Dropout Age From 18 to 65

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Politics is like living in Bill Murray’s movie, Groundhog Day. We keep experiencing the same political issues over and over. For the third time, Kentucky legislators are pursuing an increase in the student dropout age from age 16 to 18 (HB216). I wrote against this issue last year, but this year’s arguments are so ridiculous I feel compelled to comment.

I continue to believe that the dropout age increase has nothing to do with education and everything to do with schools/unions confiscating more tax dollars. Our current public school’s horrific academic results cement the fact that education doesn’t matter to Kentucky’s educational elites and politicians. For example, only 16% of Kentucky’s high school graduates pass the College Readiness Benchmarks. If education mattered, awful teachers would be fired daily.

Several years ago, the Northern Kentucky Business Journal reported on a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others regarding the performance of Kentucky’s schools. In seven critical areas, Kentucky’s overall GPA was 2.14. Pathetic! The following statement is almost criminal. Continue reading →

How Students’ Clothing Could End Poverty in Kentucky

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What’s going on in Kentucky’s 2012 General Assembly? One of the first bills to pass out of committee is HB30 permitting advertising on school buses. Why is this important? I know our schools are broke, but then again, our schools are always broke. Even though 57% of Kentucky’s General Fund budget is spent on education, they always need more money.

President Obama’s Stimulus Bill funneled $90 billion into the Department of Education (Education ranked 2nd in Stimulus allocations). Where did that money go? That means the Department of Education received $508 million PER SCHOOL DAY. That almost seems like a lot of money. Why are our schools broke again?

Regardless, the designer of HB30, Kentucky Democrat Terry Mills, is promoting this bill to increase revenues for poor schools. Mill’s bill would prohibit schools from advertising alcohol or tobacco products. Permitting advertising on the side of school buses is the latest gimmick to feed education’s addiction to money, not education results.

At first, I was opposed to the idea, but I’m starting to come around. Just think of the great product/services that could be advertised on school buses. Here are a few: Continue reading →

Public Schools: God’s Out, Rosie O’Donnell & Liberace Are In

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Have you ever read something and felt like you were hit in the head by a brick? In disbelief, you closed your eyes and whispered, “That’s it! America is done.” That happened to me on December 28th. Here’s what I read from the Washington AP:

“[In 2012], A California law will add gays and lesbians and people with disabilities to the list of social and ethnic groups whose contributions MUST [my emphasis] be taught in history lessons in public schools. The law also bans teaching materials that reflect poorly on gays or particular religions.”

Did I read that right? Public schools must now teach non-traditional sexual behaviors and if the truth reflects poorly on that sexual group, teachers are required to lie. How about we just teach the truth. Now that I think about it, when was the last television show or movie where a gay or lesbian was portrayed in a negative light? I can’t recall any. How many can you think of? It sounds like this law has quietly been implemented inside Hollywood’s dark culture for quite sometime. Continue reading →

Covington Chooses Greed, Punishes Students & Mocks Freedom

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If a desk sits in a classroom for 12 years, is the desk any smarter? No! If a student sits in a classroom for 12 years and refuses to learn, is the student any smarter? No! So what’s the difference? The only difference is that schools receive more money from the state if students sit in desks as opposed to having empty desks. As usual, Covington’s new daytime curfew law for children has nothing to do with children and everything to do with money.

The City of Covington recently passed a daytime curfew by a vote of 5-0 for public- and private-school students. If police find children on Covington’s streets during school hours, children will now be potential suspects.

I find it bizarre that when schools pursue money, it’s considered noble, but when the free market pursues money, it’s called greed. Go figure! Continue reading →

Boone County Library to Offer Books, Videos & Senior Citizens

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Why did the Boone County Public Library buy 50 acres of land in order to expand the Hebron Branch from 6,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet? That’s right! The Boone County Public Library purchased 50 acres to add 6,000 square feet. Are you kidding me?

The answer given to the public is that the desired property was only available in a lump sum. All or nothing. That would be like you wanting to buy a house in a desired location, but in order to buy it, you would need to buy the entire subdivision.

Would you do that with your own money even if you could afford it? Would you do that with taxpayers’ money? The Boone County Library would and did. This behavior is just another bizarre example of a government agency’s addiction to big government at the expense of local taxpayers. Continue reading →