Blagojevich and Topinka

[CrimsonWeltall]

The week before the election should be called "Fkin Election Week" and include a significant amount of election coverage. There would be required debates involving more than just the Democratic and Republican candidates and shows where the candidates come on and just state their opinion on a number of issues. Hopefully some networks would pick it up, but at the very least PBS can show it.

 

Obviously people who are very concerned with politics will do their research into the various candidates, but I still feel like a lot of voters are not as informed as they could/should be. It would also give some exposure to third party candidates who don't have the $$$ to run hundreds of tv ads every day.

 

Second, I'd like to try something like Instant Runoff Voting, so people could vote for who they actually like the most without worrying that they have thrown their vote away, rather than the lesser of two D&R evils.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

The week before the election should be called "Fkin Election Week" and include a significant amount of election coverage. There would be required debates involving more than just the Democratic and Republican candidates and shows where the candidates come on and just state their opinion on a number of issues. Hopefully some networks would pick it up, but at the very least PBS can show it.

 

Obviously people who are very concerned with politics will do their research into the various candidates, but I still feel like a lot of voters are not as informed as they could/should be. It would also give some exposure to third party candidates who don't have the $$$ to run hundreds of tv ads every day.

 

Second, I'd like to try something like Instant Runoff Voting, so people could vote for who they actually like the most without worrying that they have thrown their vote away, rather than the lesser of two D&R evils.

f***, just run it on TV like a reality show.

 

"The Real World Rules" and put it on MTv or something. Every week, there is a call-in vote to remove the most unpopular ones. Have them all angsty and living in one house together so we can see what they're really like rather than the media made PR image of their rose colored glasses and potpourri smelling farts.

[GaelicSoxFan]

I can't remember the last time we had a gubernatorial candidate that was worth their salt.

Big Jim Thompson. I liked him because he usually put partisan differences aside for the good of Illinois.

[Steff]

Big Jim Thompson. I liked him because he usually put partisan differences aside for the good of Illinois.

 

 

And he kept the Sox here.

[ptatc]

You mean clueless and the creep?

 

I know more than one person who have already decided to vote for the Green Party candidate for Governor. Neither one of these candidates are worth a damn.

 

Its a shame too, because Illinois used to be semi-progressive and innovative as states go in a lot of ways until recently. The state house is still pretty solid, but there are some monster agencies like IDOT that need a shake up so we can pay for schools. Illinois education has been falling for a decade or more.

 

The problem with Illinois schools is the funding system. They use the taxes from the school districts to fund that school which create large descrepancies from school to school. Rich areas get better school funding poor areas get low funding. There was a survey that found Illinois was 47 or 48 in state money for schools. And we wonder why the educational system is screwed up in this state.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

The problem with Illinois schools is the funding system. They use the taxes from the school districts to fund that school which create large descrepancies from school to school. Rich areas get better school funding poor areas get low funding. There was a survey that found Illinois was 47 or 48 in state money for schools. And we wonder why the educational system is screwed up in this state.

 

 

What happened to all that lottery money that was supposed to fund education?

 

It went to education alright, but other funding was taken away. Classic shell game.

[Steff]

What happened to all that lottery money that was supposed to fund education?

 

It went to education alright, but other funding was taken away. Classic shell game.

 

 

I was just going to ask that...

[LowerCaseRepublican]

What happened to all that lottery money that was supposed to fund education?

 

It went to education alright, but other funding was taken away. Classic shell game.

Yep -- Blago is a lying sonofawhore.

 

In the latest national report card, Illinois had the largest achievement gap between low-poverty and high-poverty students in the nation in three of four tests in reading and math. One-third of Illinois public schools failed federal academic standards, reflecting a deplorable achievement gap, leaving far too many students behind. Illinois is not keeping its teachers. High levels of teacher turnover and attrition contribute to a shortage of high quality teachers and chronic low student achievement. The national attrition rate for new teachers over a five-year period is 46 percent, and Illinois far exceeds that rate with 58 percent attrition.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

Yep -- Blago is a lying sonofawhore.

 

In the latest national report card, Illinois had the largest achievement gap between low-poverty and high-poverty students in the nation in three of four tests in reading and math. One-third of Illinois public schools failed federal academic standards, reflecting a deplorable achievement gap, leaving far too many students behind. Illinois is not keeping its teachers. High levels of teacher turnover and attrition contribute to a shortage of high quality teachers and chronic low student achievement. The national attrition rate for new teachers over a five-year period is 46 percent, and Illinois far exceeds that rate with 58 percent attrition.

 

 

As a teacher yourself do you think high turnover is a symptom of low pay, dealing with red tape/administrators, kids driving them nutty or a combination of things?

[Steff]

Yep -- Blago is a lying sonofawhore.

 

In the latest national report card, Illinois had the largest achievement gap between low-poverty and high-poverty students in the nation in three of four tests in reading and math. One-third of Illinois public schools failed federal academic standards, reflecting a deplorable achievement gap, leaving far too many students behind. Illinois is not keeping its teachers. High levels of teacher turnover and attrition contribute to a shortage of high quality teachers and chronic low student achievement. The national attrition rate for new teachers over a five-year period is 46 percent, and Illinois far exceeds that rate with 58 percent attrition.

 

 

Jim's daughter is a counselor in Naperville - used to teach, and his son's wife is a teacher in Bolingbrook. They literally have horror stories about teaching and they make s*** wages, IMO, for what they do.

[ptatc]

What happened to all that lottery money that was supposed to fund education?

 

It went to education alright, but other funding was taken away. Classic shell game.

 

this is correct. Every dollar went into the very low general education fund while an equal number of dollars were taken out and put elsewhere. So all of the gambling money went to education but no ADDITONAL money went in from the gambling.

 

 

Yep -- Blago is a lying sonofawhore.

 

In the latest national report card, Illinois had the largest achievement gap between low-poverty and high-poverty students in the nation in three of four tests in reading and math. One-third of Illinois public schools failed federal academic standards, reflecting a deplorable achievement gap, leaving far too many students behind. Illinois is not keeping its teachers. High levels of teacher turnover and attrition contribute to a shortage of high quality teachers and chronic low student achievement. The national attrition rate for new teachers over a five-year period is 46 percent, and Illinois far exceeds that rate with 58 percent attrition.

 

 

this again is due to the out dated sytem of funding we use. The only advantage is that it keeps the state wide policticians hands off the money. But I'm not sure the local ones are any better at it.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

As a teacher yourself do you think high turnover is a symptom of low pay, dealing with red tape/administrators, kids driving them nutty or a combination of things?

The disparity in the low poverty vs high poverty districts is huge and can get really bad. The rich districts will grab up whomever they want first and then the rest get whatever's left unless (like me) per personally went for a job in a lower income area because I had more fun there.

 

There's also the administration. If you have an administration that doesn't have your back and/or doesn't have clear ways to support the teachers (discipline, talking to parents, dealing with students etc.), then things get really bad. If you have a supportive administration (which I got) then things are really effective in dealing with issues.

 

Kids can drive you nutty but it isn't just that -- it can give you a bad day but that's about it. Mostly, it's a lot of hours being put in before school that are unpaid (I get in an hour before the day starts to answer parent e-mails, fix up my assignment board, make my copies and overheads and do other stuff to set up) and then hours after school (grading, putting in grades to the online system, parent phone calls for detentions, talks with parents about kids' academics/behavior, sports eligibility, laminating things, making posters etc.) It's a lot of work before and after the professional hours that can get really taxing. I usually end up pulling 11-12 hr. days most weeks when my professional hours are 7:45 am to 3:15 pm. Doing that day in and day out while trying to juggle a family is probably what does it after a while -- especially when combined with the rest.

[NorthSideSox72]

The problem with Illinois schools is the funding system. They use the taxes from the school districts to fund that school which create large descrepancies from school to school. Rich areas get better school funding poor areas get low funding. There was a survey that found Illinois was 47 or 48 in state money for schools. And we wonder why the educational system is screwed up in this state.

Savage Inequalities by Kozol. Recommended.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Savage Inequalities by Kozol. Recommended.

Damn good book. So is his new one "Shame of the Nation"

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shame-Nation-Restora...g/dp/1400052440

[ptatc]

The disparity in the low poverty vs high poverty districts is huge and can get really bad. The rich districts will grab up whomever they want first and then the rest get whatever's left unless (like me) per personally went for a job in a lower income area because I had more fun there.

 

There's also the administration. If you have an administration that doesn't have your back and/or doesn't have clear ways to support the teachers (discipline, talking to parents, dealing with students etc.), then things get really bad. If you have a supportive administration (which I got) then things are really effective in dealing with issues.

 

Kids can drive you nutty but it isn't just that -- it can give you a bad day but that's about it. Mostly, it's a lot of hours being put in before school that are unpaid (I get in an hour before the day starts to answer parent e-mails, fix up my assignment board, make my copies and overheads and do other stuff to set up) and then hours after school (grading, putting in grades to the online system, parent phone calls for detentions, talks with parents about kids' academics/behavior, sports eligibility, laminating things, making posters etc.) It's a lot of work before and after the professional hours that can get really taxing. I usually end up pulling 11-12 hr. days most weeks when my professional hours are 7:45 am to 3:15 pm. Doing that day in and day out while trying to juggle a family is probably what does it after a while -- especially when combined with the rest.

 

It's not only this but at the university level, Blago is trying to keep professors from coming here. He just changed our benefits to do away with survivor benefits. Now who in their right mind thinks that's a good idea? Also the state is 1 billion dollars short on paying into our pension over the last 10 years. There was a law staing that in 2006 the state would need to begin to make payments into the pension fund. Blago and cronies repealed that law. Since our social security goes to the state, we won't get a pension or social security. I LUV POLITICS!!!!!

Edited October 26, 2006 by ptatc

[NorthSideSox72]

And he kept the Sox here.

I'd contend that the whole ISA deal that kept the Sox here was as much or more the state Congress than the governor (who had to be somewhat coaxed). And the mayor also came in at the end to help out a bit.

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

It's not only this but at the university level, Blago is trying to keep professors from coming here. He just changed our benefits to do away with survivor benefits. Now who in their right mind thinks that's a good idea? Also the state is 1 billion dollars short on paying into our pension over the last 10 years. There was a law staing that in 2006 the state would need to begin to make payments into the pension fund. Blago and cronies repealed that law. Since our social security goes to the state, we won't get a pension or social security. I LUV POLITICS!!!!!

 

 

Wow. You got SCREWED.

[Steff]

I'd contend that the whole ISA deal that kept the Sox here was as much or more the state Congress than the governor (who had to be somewhat coaxed). And the mayor also came in at the end to help out a bit.

 

 

His signature was needed at the 11th hour was it not? It's been a long time so I may very well be off on the details.

[jasonxctf]

this is correct. Every dollar went into the very low general education fund while an equal number of dollars were taken out and put elsewhere. So all of the gambling money went to education but no ADDITONAL money went in from the gambling.

 

 

and this happened long before Blago was in office. This is mid 90's stuff.

[ptatc]

and this happened long before Blago was in office. This is mid 90's stuff.

 

This is the state's policy not his. I'm just ticked about the state has run the educational system. It wasn't a shot at him specifically. Also my other post about the pension didn't begin with him but he continues the practice.

Edited October 26, 2006 by ptatc

[NorthSideSox72]

His signature was needed at the 11th hour was it not? It's been a long time so I may very well be off on the details.

Like all legilation, yes, it needed his siggy. But he wasn't really one of the primary deal-makers. No matter, though.