No Crony Left Behind
New Rule: In the next fifteen months, President Bush has to perform at least one act that doesn't make money for someone he knows.
Take "No Child Left Behind." At first it just looked like gentle empty bullshit, a way to neutralize the Democrats edge with voters on education issues. What did it even mean? And how could you be against it? Education. It was a perfect cause that would honor the legacy of any president...'s wife. Which made it even more perfect for pre-9/11 Bush. And who could it hurt? No one. It made Lady Bird Johnson's wild-flowers-by-the-highways project look like the fucking Marshall Plan.
Except, like all Bush ideas, there was more to it. To meet the requirements of "No Child Left Behind" America's public schools have ordered more than eleven million standardized tests in the last two years. (New York State alone ordered 1.7 million.) The cost of the tests -- and the testing industry, including test prep -- now exceeds two billion dollars a year. And 90% of the industry is controlled by five corporations. And the largest of them is McGraw-Hill. And the McGraw family just happens to go back 80 years with the Bushes.
Another beneficiary of No Child Left Behind? Neil Bush's educational software company. The one funded by the United Arab Emirates. The one Barbara Bush said the Katrina victims had to spend her donation on.
Which is, of course, all blood under the bridge. But when Bush does anything, there's always some profit motive behind it. Nothing is free but the hookers. So it wasn't surprising that he announced his post war plans were to replenish the coffers with speeches. But before that, he has to do one purely altruistic thing. Just one.
Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" which airs every Friday at 11PM.
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Before I retired as a teacher I was on book selection. I NEVER chose McGraw Hill books; the reading level for an eighth grade level book was always at the very least 2-3 years behind what it should be. I attended a wonderful book selection seminar, so I knew how to test the reading level. It was absolutely pathetic. No wonder nearly all the children are left behind.
Our Idiot in Chief acts like a petulant toddler who needs his butt spanked. Too bad mommy and daddy didn't do it and now our so-called Congress won't do it either. I would just look and him and say no to whatever he wants. Throw out the filibuster and force the repugs to vote with you, and do NOT give W and Deadeye the $$$ they so obviously crave. They don't give a rat's ass about our country; they are intent on lining their own pockets and that of all the big businesses they have dealings with. What a bunch of hypocrites! I am glad I can say I did not vote, nor will I, for anything they stand for.
Bush can't even spell altruistic, but it might be funny to hear him try to pronounce it.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
This admins adage is "IT'S GOOD TO WANT"
does anyone seriously expect bush to do anything that serves anything other than his own or his cronies selfish interests? this is a man born, tragically, without a conscience. (or a brain) so as far as bush doing something for anyone else, dont hold your breath. we have made it this far, theres light at the end of the tunnel, lord lets hope its not a train.
I am a high school teacher. In 2002 I had took a graduate school class that dealt with assessment of students. The professor went on and on about McGraw-Hill being the "devil". He was really anti-NCLB and anti-standardized testing.
He made some good points. I googled McGraw-Hill and did a little research. So, I took some of the money I had squirrelled away and about a bunch of shares at 30 bucks a share. I sold them earlier this year when they started going for 65 bucks a share.
So, as a teacher, I can say that NCLB really helped me out. It helped me turn 5,000 dollars into 10,000 dollars.
Thanks George.
As with every idea pushed by this administration, if you want to know the real motive behind it, follow the money and find out who stands to gain.
The cruel irony is that we're paying for these rich bastards getting richer.
And we thought it was all about wearing flag broaches on our lapels and God blessing America.
Bill, thanks for once again keeping us focused and on track!!!!!
Love ya, love ya, love ya!!!!!!!
...when Monsanto provided the military with Agent Orange to defoliate Veitnam jungles, they were ( allegedly) unaware of the carcinogenic and diabetes -inducing effect of this chemical agent that would come back in a few decades to wreak havoc on the health of thousands of now middle -aged vietnam combat veterans. the REAL difference between then and now is Halliburton KNOWINGLY - and at huge profit margins- was serving toxic chemical and parasite -ridden unfiltered Euphrates River water to soldiers in various locales in Iraq a couple of years ago for shaving, showering and coffee making...simply not bothering to install the filter systems that we paid for as taxpayers to provide our troops the essential of clean water...add this to Halliburton knwoingly charging the taxpayers for hundreds of thousands of phantom meals early on in the war...meals that were never prepared or delivered to the troops...and in the end, no one being indicted or prosecuted for who knows what kind of eventual effects toxin and parisite- ridden water will have on the health of returning soldiers... Bushco.'s criminal cronyism perpetrated DIRECTLY against the troops in combat...yet no one is held accountable while Halliburton's stock value skytrockets...
Hmmm. Actually, George W. got the idea for the testing part of NCLB from folks in Texas that are in fact not corporate but academic (and way progressive), and that in fact wanted to disaggregate data to understand better which children are being served well by schools and which not, and use that information to improve instruction and increase the diversity of children succeeding academically. It's just that when the Bush administration got hold of it, something went awry, and it became about punishing people and rewarding people and rewarding in particular the test makers. So, it ended up costing a whole lot and putting money into the hands of Corporate America. This is a tough one, because I know that it actually started at the grass roots level and then lost its way in the hands of idealogues appointed to the US Department of Education by George W. The test makers did well but the catalyst was not profit, it was helping kids. So, I guess that makes for an even sadder story.
The PROFITEERING is the reason "some groups" wanted Georgie in power so badly they even arranged to fix the elections.
Georgie was the perfect puppet. Dumb enough to follow instructions but arrogant and a bully.
"...he has to do one purely altruistic thing. Just one. "
No one is holding their breath, right?
I wonder if Bush and Co. have actually convinced themselves (perhaps some advanced neurologic osmosis) that the choices they make are essentially good becuase they are good for "crony "coffers". Unbelievable.
One would think that serious discussion, certainly discussion involving education of our children, would include rational discourse. "Testing" of our children, for whatever reason or criteria applied is serious and the results of such testing impats thier lives, the lives of their teachers and reflects on their schools. Of course one can suggest that testing also unduly influences the quality and content of the education the children receive since rewards and punishments for the schools and teachers will depend on test results. The tendency therefore is to teach to first the test and not to teach to educate. The former goal seems worthwhile and the latter dismal. These are serious issues and, unfortunately, Mr. maher seems either unable to go beyond the superficial and avoid serious discussion, or the issues may be less significant to him than the opportunity to express rather tawdry comments that take away from discussion of core issues. One could easily suggest that major corporations already a part of the "education industry" will go after new market opportunities. It owuld be just as easy to suggest that one or more of these corporations are tied to Bill Gates and Microsoft, since they must use computers with Microsoft software, as it is to link them to a Bush family member who may have some business links. I would suggest that a bipartisan Congressional effort created the bloated Federal encroachment on education and put enough money into the mix to attract big corporations, not "evil plotting" by rich people to get richer. Mr. Maher would be wiser to look a little deeper into the core issues involved and question the value of testing based education as opposed to content based learning. He might also do better by providing less rhetoric and more content in his own appraisal of important issues and it might do him well to find more agreeable language.
Anyone who has seen one a Neil Bush's "Purple Cow" machines knows how useless it is. They had to force schools to spend NCLB money on them, no one would buy one with their own money.
I thought "No Child Left Behind" referred to the troop ships heading for Iraq, and soon Iran. And Neil Bush should be in charge of W's Presidential Library because he's already got two sets of books.
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