Commentary: Flunking on public education reform

Rick C.
Willmar, MN     02/20/2010 12:46 PM

What is your point steve p?

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steve p.
02/18/2010 1:22 PM

Rick C: the difference between then and now, is that now we are acutally trying to enforce it.

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Rick C.
Willmar, MN     02/14/2010 7:43 PM

One of my favorite judicial quotes “It is unconstitutional for students to see the Ten commandments since they might read, meditate upon, respect, or obey them. STONE v. GRAHAM, 1980;” These guys are brilliant.

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Rick C.
Willmar, MN     02/14/2010 7:40 PM

Actually we should probably go back to a little further. “The current application of the “separation of church and state” metaphor actually represents a relatively recent concept rather than the enforcement of a long-standing constitutional principle. This is demonstrated by the fact that the separation idiom appeared in only two cases in the Supreme Court’s first 150 years; 2 yet over the past 50 years, it has been cited in seemingly countless numbers of Court decisions. The phrase became the contemporary standard for judicial policy in 1947 in Everson v. Board of Education when the Court announced: The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach. 3 Following this declaration, the Supreme Court—and numerous lower courts—began striking down religious activities and expressions which had been constitutional for the previous 150 years.”

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Rick C.
Willmar, MN     02/14/2010 7:08 PM

Joe, you are trying to sidestep the question. Obama wanted to partially fund health care for those who have none by taxing those that had the most expensive health care (the unions and their cadillac plans). They demonstrated their selfishness and uncaring nature by refusing. Their attitude was we have ours, go get your own. The unions (liberals all) are not interested in helping Americans without health insurance.

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Ben C.
02/14/2010 6:51 AM

Brett the theme of this thread is about Education, Rick made a comment about our drift away from Judeo-Christian foundation of America. Often mentioned here is the comment that the schools have problems because they removed prayer (I personally don't agree with that since like I said the Christians who teach and who are students remain). It is way to easy to blame our problems on people not holding on to religious values and principals, but we rarely turn the table and point at ourselves as the problem. Here is where I refered to the actions of visible and popular religious leaders who say one thing and do another. Brett I appreciate that our founding fathers valued religious principals and differing relgious views, however I am saddened that today we have moved away from their position and have worked harder at pointing out differences instead of working together to solve solutions. The church is looked to as the moral compass but too often instead of taken that duty and leading, it has instead sits back and points fingers at "the sins of others". Faith in action, that is what the founding fathers had and it helped them work together with differning views because they sought a common goal and a common good. We need to find that again today. I guess if you feel like you need to flame me Brett go right ahead, not sure why I am your target this time but do what you have to do I guess.

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joe r.
Willmar, MN     02/13/2010 11:23 PM

Rick its not the unions selling the health care, its the companies who look to try and do without health-care, or charge a pretty good sum for employees to receive it. The county for instance has had health care rises every single year, and the preimums are in the ball park of 600 dollars a month and higher. The single employees who use to be able to get theirs free, now pay over 60 dollars a month when they use to pay zero up until this year. The greed of the health care industry just demostrated is why we need change. When unions put health care needs into the contract it was to better protect the employee, and its up to the company to provide health care per the union contract. The far right who don't like the government, or unions, simply would like to go back in the dark ages where employees broke their back for change, as well as working in unsafe working conditions. As a former union representative I had the pleasure of watching some good union officials working to defend employees, and in some case preventing lawsuits against employers. Employees with unions receive protection especailly from retaliation, and lay-offs. Because of unions employees those who put in their time are given a fair wage, along with raises, and I have not heard one complaint from workers who had unions in the work place. Health care is getting even greedier and unions don't control them, that is between the employer and the healthcare insurance company.

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Ben C.
02/13/2010 9:54 PM

Brett there are certainly many things that was my point to Rick, it is not just about no formal prayer in schools, and it really is an insulting statement to those teachers who are active in their churches to have people suggest that God is not in the schools. Brett I am also a believer that the church needs to stop looking where to lay blame because truth be told if the church was doing its job would this even be an issue?

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Ben C.
02/13/2010 8:38 PM

Rick there remains as always many Christian teachers, administrators and students in our schools. If we want to suggest that God is not in our schools then blame those who are choosing to be in Christian schools. ( I don't want to suggest that because I believe there is a good a strong Christian pressence in our schools, but if you are going to bring it up then that point needs to be factored in too), Rick what about the advancement of Christian radio and television programs and how some of those leaders actually ended up being troubled and really false witnesses for the Christian faith, do you think maybe that has given creedence to some being skeptical of the Church?

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Rick C.
Willmar, MN     02/13/2010 7:37 PM

joe r what do you think of your union buddies selling the rest of America out on health care? You never seem to respond to that issue.

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