The way I see it, corporations and big business already support the candidates, just behind closed doors. If allowing them to do it openly allows us to see who is funding the candidates and to know how their decisions are being molded, then it is fine by me. Campaigns should be very public about who they get money from so that we can judge them accordingly, and if a candidate doesn't want to be judged b y a corporation name being tagged to your campaign, then don't take their money.
I agree that some won't/shouldn't go to college right away. But, as a teacher, it is my job to try and make everybody successful, and it is never my place to say who I should give up on or when should quit. I am not perfect in my job, and I don't get through to every kid, but it is not in me to quit on a kid. That's what makes a good teacher in my opinion: when they continue to try despite every reasonable clue that they should give up.
It pains me to hear many of these discussions. I am a teacher, and I treat each student as if they were my own child. I take it as a failure of my own actions when a child does not succeed, and find myself doing far more work for their success than they will do for themselves. I work with a building filled with many who see and do things the same, if not better than I do, and to hear people talk as if teachers are the source of failure in the educational system makes me cringe. I'll be the first to admit that there are individuals who should not be in education that are, but to judge the whole group based on those individuals is ludicrous. Can you tell me that there is no one incompetent in your job that finds a way to stay employed?
I love my job, and find it laughable that many of you would make attacks on the lucrative lifestyle that teaching produces. All of us leave our Jags and BMW's in the garage when we come to work every day. We are here because we want to make a difference, not a fortune. We do it for your kids. That doesn't make us heroes, or martyrs, or anything else, but should afford us the same respect you would like for your own profession.
I agree with you completely. And, if the people drive better and don't get the tickets, then the cameras will have done their job. The next argument will be that then they will lose their revenue and move their cameras, which they will, and then that intersection or area will be forced to be better drivers and that revenue will dry up as well. If you want the cameras to go away, make them useless by following the laws.
We all love technology when it does the vital tasks like letting us use our cell phones to remotely record television shows we might miss, but when it is used to enforce our rules and regulations it becomes Orwellian. They catch infractions of traffic laws, not record people sitting in their houses or the conversations they are having on their cell phones while driving down the street. It limits the things that can obviously be seen by the casual observer. I'm all for protection of privacy and individual rights, but all laws control in certain ways. This is not a new law or control, just another way to enforce existing laws.
Whether this is a source of revenue or not, there is no constitutional infraction, and I don't understand the connection to abuse of power. The cameras are the proof of guilt If you sped, or were in the intersection then you are guilty. An officer will throw out the obviously worthless tickets, but anything that shows you breaking the law in the slightest will result in a ticket. If the end result is people being more careful and less accidents due to people running lights (t-bones) then what does it mater if the city generates income?
In this case the accuser is the City of Cedar Rapids, and the witness is the camera. Since it is an actual depiction of the act, it is a pretty sturdy witness. In your argument you would fight video evidence and every other kind of electronic monitoring, so solve this case: Someone rods a convenience store and shoots the clerk. The video cameras catch the entire act, but since no one is there to report it, must they be set free? The difference is that speeding and running red lights seem like minor infractions to you, but if you are the family of someone who gets t-boned in an intersection, the crimes don't seem so small to them.
The funny thing here is this is a no win situation. Race to the Top funding is a way to extend No Child Left Behind. This system will set up national standards for schools as well as hold schools accountable for growth. The big difference is that this one will be partially funded instead of taking funds away from underperforming schools. Be that as it may, I am suspect of any measures that move away from local control of education, especially in a state like Iowa. In the end, it doesn't matter. Schools didn't want NCLB, but it happened. States don't want these programs either, but they are going to come. The public likes schools and teachers to be held accountable. They like standards and repercussions. It helps them sleep at night in a world where things look so much different than the good old days. The state voted to take the money that goes with the program they were going to get whether they liked it or not.
Wow. I find it hard to understand how you can equate our good fortune as a nation with a favorable ruling from God. God wanted us to win wars? It is my understanding that the wish of most deities in most religions is for people to love one another and to spread their words of love and peace. Not everyone who has religion has seen great rewards on this planet, just like not everyone without has suffered. If you truly believe in what you support, you will know that your book tells you that all rewards are met in heaven.
What I sow is understanding and respect for all. What I hope is peace and good fortune for all. I ask not for vengeance upon those that disagree with me, but for my own patience so that I can afford them the same respect and rights I wish for myself.
I would love to see an entirely no-cost campaign. I'd like to see a candidate that took no contributions and ran with a volunteer staff via electronic communication and viral advertisements posted on YouTube, Facebook, and such. I think it is possible. And, if we take the finance out of politics, we might be able to take out the politicians as well. You do your homework well, maybe we should have you as our first free candidate.
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