Marie,

Thanks for covering the Ventura event. I am posting videos of people telling their story tonight and tomorrow on my blog.

Check it out at:

http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/dennert/

Also, I posted the 1st comment!

Thanks for always supporting educators, Marie. Looking forward to the photos. Public education is the backbone of democracy, and while it can always be improved, it's sad to see that some are content to starve it of adequate funding (adequate being defined as preparing our children for 21st century learning skills in a stable, orderly environment) and to continuously disparage it from a distance via anonymity.

I was out there with my kids and the honking and the waving from the passing cars was really something. Will this do any good, who knows? But it felt good to blow off some steam and talk to people. Really sad, what's gong on. The kids are sad. Lives disrupted.

We're Number 49!
We're Number 49!

Go California!

click the link for more depressing news.

LINK

Hey Koejos, check out the seventh paragraph in my story. I think I scooped you on that one.

Marie,
I also want to thank you for being on the front lines with teachers and parents today. The experience was very impressive, but I must say that it was not a success. More than 25,000 teachers in California have been served with pink slips. These people, their families will have to look for work. Years in our universities, years of training will now be a resume line for a secondary career.

Again, teachers, parents and our community must finally stand up and demand that education be placed as a priority in our state and nation. We cannot continue to be distracted by, we cannot continue to be bullied by a few who enjoy attacking others for their own political enjoyment. Teachers will teach, under most conditions. That said, our expectations must rise up above the stagnant arguments of the armchair gadflies who only promote the lost policies of a lost party and its entertainers who self promote on the radio or T.V.

We must regain our vision for a better country. Education is the fundamental foundation of our better common future.

By the way:

I went to Senator Strickland’s Sacramento office three weeks ago and spoke to his Chief of Staff. Even though I had an appointment, once they were reminded that I was interested in hearing Strickland’s opinions on education, I had the strong feeling that I was not welcomed. I was immediately told that Strickland’s district does not touch any part of Oxnard. Later I found out that the only map the office had of the 19th District was the one on his web site. This did not show any details as to the streets it bordered.

The discussion was very unproductive.

It was nice speaking with you today, Denis. I believe a small part of Oxnard IS in SD-19, but you know that.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I really appreciate it.

This is what happens when you elect the Stricklands of the world. This is the DIRECT repercussion.

You think you're sticking it to all the "welfare queens" and the hippie liberal pet projects. That's not where the money goes.

It goes to YOU, my GOP friends. To YOUR community. And THIS is your reward for refusing to support YOUR government service.

Fire them all, and start hiring out of Mexico, they work for less, they have no union, and there are more students who speak Spanish in class and the halls than English. We'll be better off. Despite what David here thinks, voting for conservatives had nothing to do with the decades of sham budgets that the legislature has passed, and the amazing increases to unions' benefits, which is the reason that we had to raise taxes. By the way there has never been a CUT in school funding. EVER. The number keeps going up, and the "PINK SLIPS" were warnings that they MAY lose their job at the end of the year. "But it's for the kids, and they are our most precious resource." You're really just giving them false hopes that the government will always be there and they bare no individual responsibility. Great lessons for our youth. I'm waiting for California to start teaching abortion as birth control.

Te Vaya Bien Amigos.

The three Rs: Rampant Republican Racism

Revenues have fallen, that's why we're in this dilemma. Teachers have been losing benefits. Prop. 98 funding has been cut this year and so has categorical funding.

I counted over 1000 supporters of public education in Ventura yesterday! Pictures are great and tell the story. I know Lincoln School teachers were there and one teacher told us that this means her class will likely go to 35 students from 20 next year. We need every parents voice to be heard and bring California's system up to the level of excellence we used to enjoy forth years ago.

And haha exposes Republicanism for what it is really is: racism pure and simple.

The reason for the cuts, of course, is falling revenues due to 1) tax cuts, and 2) an insistence on paying for the budget primarily via sales tax, which is most prone to boom and bust.

Teachers' salaries are low compared to the higher education necessary to become a teacher. I'm not exactly sure what conservatives who want to abolish public education think is going to replace it.

Marie,

Thanks for coming out and covering the story yesterday. It was a pleasure talking to you and the other reporter from the Star.

My perspective is fairly simple: Unless all parties can come to the table ready to both sacrifice and compromise, the chances of positive change are pretty much nil. And worse, some segments of the general public will continue to have the incomplete and incorrect perception of teachers as being greedy (now whether that perception is about the unions and whether or not that is a complete or correct perception... well, I have my doubts sometimes as to the union's ability to either represent or communicate for the average teacher).

While I was heartened by the honks of support from some of the passersby yesterday on Victoria Avenue (and neither shocked nor surprised by those showing their non-support, with screams of "no more of my money" and the occasional one-fingered peace signs), I was disheartened by the show of disrespect that some of the supportive passersby received from the non-supportive: as the traffic was stopped, I saw a man in a car (next to one that was honking in support) roll down his window and repeatedly SPIT AT THE HONKING CAR until the light changed and he could go on.

I understand we all have differing opinions (your blog is a great forum for them all, and my hope for cooperation is based on the idea that all these opinions need to be shared), but while we are in this era of demonizing and disrespecting our philosophical foes, things will only get worse... not better.

why am I a racist? I spoke Spanish at school, and everywhere else. Why is it a bad idea to hire teachers from other states? (Oh yeah, in Ca once you are hired as a teacher, you have union dues automatically deducted from your pay. You can't teach here unless you pay dues, which pay for democratic politicians.) I don't want schools to suffer, I want them to get better, but playing the blame game isn't going to help our kids. Neither will spitting at each other. I come up with something out of the box of normal california politics, and now I'm being called names?

Hi Bill, you have great ideas and I hope somebody listens to you.

Thank you for posting.

Hopefully districts over-estimated the number of teachers they have to get rid of and many of those who got pink slips will actually have a job in September.

"...exposes Republicanism for what it is really is: racism pure and simple."

That's just awesome. Maybe Marie will get more gems like this while tuning into the new radio show.

Here's a question...

When Democrats claim to be "working across the aisle", can we now charge them with negotiating with known racists?

What a joke.

None of the Republicans who I know and call friends are racist, this includes members of my own family.

David was just expressing his opinion, as is encouraged here.

But wow, I've been reading the Star's main site story blogs the last few days and there is indeed lots of racism out there from GOP voices. Let's not pretend it isn't there and doesn't exist. The comments under the Pink Friday story are making me physically ill. I finally decided to comment on it.

Is that Tony and Audra up there in that photo wearing their "cloaks of invisibility?" For HP fans only.

marie,

just because there are posts on the main site that are racist, and racism exists, how did that make me a racist?

I was commenting on things I saw elsewhere. David will have to come back here and explain what he meant himself.

We all have varying degrees of sensitivity to issues. What one person would consider racist, another might not. I once had a disagreement with a blogger over something I thought was overtly sexist. He did not see it that way.

It's just wise to consider how your words might be interpreted by others. It was pretty clear to me the bloggers on the Star's main site didn't understand how their words were interpreted by others, including me, to have racist overtones. If someone doesn't understand that to begin with, convincing them after the fact is not always successful.

Also, being anonymous encourages people to say things they otherwise would not. You get that.

Indeed, unfortunately, I do. And just for your edification jaja wasn't a typo, but that is how you spell haha in Spanish online.

State employees have already received almost a 10% pay cut. Remember that when you ask the state for more money for teachers. Should the state workers take a bigger cut so teachers don't have to take any, or could teachers consider taking pay cuts to save jobs? Wouldn't that benefit the kids more than layoffs?

HaHa or JaJa or what ever lame handle you want to use.

I didn't see where you suggested we bring in teachers from other states, just other countries. So your solution to providing a good education to the students of this state is to give them an education on par with Mexico. I don't see how that will help us be competitive with India or China for high paying tech jobs.

Here is another question for you. Did you attend a public K-12, State College or University?

Other states, other countries what is the difference they will all have to unionize and that will make the system work just like it is now, very poorly. My "solutions" are to get rid of the damn union and start from scratch. We keep digging ourselves into a bigger hole, and no one wants to accept it. India and China have better and more high paying tech jobs because there is no huge environmentalist movement there restricting growth of free enterprise and an unfair comparison.

I went to public school my entire life, graduated high school at 16 to go to a Jr. College for 2 years. I then attended a UC school in Southern California, and got my BA, and have spent the rest of my life working hard to keep myself alive, and I have never requested any help from the government. Why do you ask?

And why is my handle "lame"?

HaHa,

All public university education is subsidized by the government in California.

You took money from the government to better your life. They invested in you to help create a better state for all of us.

Stop pretending you are a modern day John Galt.

India and China have higher-paying tech jobs????

Hello? Are you serious?

Can you say OUTSOURCE?

HaHa

I guess you are an example of how education is failing right? Perhaps I should buy into your position after reading your junk.

Just as I thought, you are a hypocrite in every sense of the word and should be ashamed of yourself. Your entire education was subsidized by working Californian taxpayers. You took advantage of the system to better yourself but would dismantle it for others buy cutting funding and firing the teachers who worked hard for your education and those who work hard for California students that came after you. You are ungrateful for what was given you and do not deserve any opportunities that come from your education.

Talk about a garbage position.

Your handle is lame because you are an incredibly selfish person.

my handle is lame because I am selfish? Please explain.

My teachers were terrible, and my administrators were even worse. In college, I was bombarded by liberal ideology. If my opinions are so wrong, and I was taught by our education system doesn't that prove we need an overhaul? I don't mind paying taxes for education, I just think the system is broken, and liberals' solution is to increase taxes, and that is flawed.

To quote Brian:
"I don't see how that will help us be competitive with India or China for high paying tech jobs."

He was the one who made the claim. Not me. I was just rebutting the rest of his statements.

And the jobs we outsource are high paying compared to the other jobs available in those countries.

HaHa,

What did you major in when the government was subsidizing your education for years? Did they teach you liberal math and liberal science?

?

Along with explaining what those questions meant. Also I would like to know exactly what you meant with the atlas shrugged comparison.

You took money from the government to go to college. The government subsidizes all education at public universities. Therefore your claim to have never taken government assistance is false. You might have not asked, but you didn't need to ask.

If you were against it there are many fine private schools.

Don't twist what I say to suit your purposes. I said, "have spent the rest of my life working hard to keep myself alive, and I have never requested any help from the government." I know public education is funded by tax dollars. Why do you think I want them to be spent more efficiently? I'm not against public schools, but I am against the way they are being ran and funded in this state. If you are so happy with them, why do they need more funding?

and what about John Galt?

You did request help when you applied to go to college. The example from Atlas Shrugged was to an attempt at humor if you really were trying to say you didn't take government help.

I am not satisfied with public education and I would push for more changes.

Even though the state pays for education, and I wasn't a student on financial aid, how does that make me a hypocrite? I asked for the best piece of paper I could put on my wall to impress employers, and I had to pay and do my part to get that paper. And that worked out great for me. I want others to do the same. What I don't want is to pay even more taxes because the unions have guarantee clauses in their contracts, and it won't help our children. It hasn't helped before, and it won't help again. These people already lost 8 billion dollars for next years budget, you tell me, what are we supposed to do?

I'm for merit pay.

As far as the attempt at humor, I don't really get it, but ok it was a joke, I hope it wasn't a demeaning one because it sounds like one from your tone.

By the way,

My parents paid state taxes my entire life, and I have been working since I was 12 paying state taxes that have gone to government to pay for my education, which is unlike many who were at my schools. At university, there were more kids on financial aid than those paying for tuition. Financial aid is your tuition plus 50 percent. So, not just to have the opportunity to learn, but they pay for your beers after class. Great system there.

And now I pay taxes and the children are off at school. I'll pay tuition, and you all will call me hypocrites for using the system that our state has made illegal to not attend? You guys have everything so bassackwards.

It is not illegal not to attend. You could always homeschool your kids. I teach in the public schools and yet teach my kids at home, so I get to pay twice. Nice.

Very good point, and doesn't that make you a little upset since they want more money to pay for administrators, and pensions, when your kids education is costing twice as much because our system is so flawed?

Actually, we spend around 600 a year to educate our two kids at home. My district receives over 10,000 per kid. That is what happens when you live in the USSA.

Nobody is asking for more money for administrators and pensions! They are just trying to keep existing teachers from being laid off en masse.

Most families have two working parents (or worse, single family homes) and they need to work to keep their families fed. Mom can't stay home to provide the education. People who homeschool - just like those who send their children to private school - have made that choice. But a free education is available to them.

Private school education is much more per child. Plus private schools can pick and choose who they take. They don't have to provide special services. On top of that they ask parents to cough up even more in fundraising $$.

Tell that to the unions who won't take a cut to educate your kids.

That wasn't what you said. You said they wanted MORE money to pay for pensions and administrators. Not true.

What do they want MORE money for then?

And there is no such thing as "a free education". It is paid for by hard working taxpayers. If you don't understand that, don't bother responding anyway.

Every public service is paid for by hard working taxpayers. Our public services are the most valuable parts of our democracy. Selling them short and starving them of funds will only hurt us.

So will overtaxing families who can barely afford to live with the system in place already.