A Year That Did Truly Suck

2014 sucked. That's pretty much the consensus. Here's an (incomplete) list why, in no particular order:

> Russia attempted to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi and dark comedy ensued... 

> ...Including Russia's re-drawing Europe's borders for the first time since World War II (HA! HA! Who's laughing now, decadent West!)

> Commercial airplanes were shot down (with no repercussions), or just disappeared without a trace. 

> Global warming is definitely happening and it's probably unrealistic to do anything about it now.

> Foreign tax inversions to avoid U.S taxes officially became a cool "thing" in the corporate world.

> Old wars became young and bloody again in Syria and Iraq.

> Ebola scared the shit out of us -- no deaths though -- and killed from 5 to 15 thousand of them, over there, where they tend to be scared less and die more.

> ISIS / ISIL / Islamic State / Daesh / Those Crazy Murderers In Two Countries Where Lots of People Get Murdered.

> It became news to us (but not to them, or the people they've been shooting) that U.S. police can shoot just about anybody and get away with it.

> Although the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 5.8 percent of the labor force in November 2014, the lowest since July 2008, the labor force participation rate (i.e. excluding those too young, old, sick or beaten down by failure to work) is still below 63 percent; and wages were up only 2 percent for the year.

> Congress did not raise the minimum wage, again.

> Voter ID laws are still in effect (mainly in the South) and still doing what they're intended to do: suppress youth and minority votes.

> Red Lobster (a fav of ur's truly) became an economic bellwether instead of that place with the cheesy biscuits.

> We found out (but weren't really surprised) that up to 18 percent of NCAA revenue sports athletes read like children.

> We discovered that sandwich makers earning minimum wage are being asked to sign non-compete agreements.

> We found out the CIA is filled with sadistic, sicko torturers (and their defenders) who are nonetheless incompetent.

> The GOP held onto the House and took over the Senate.

> The GOP put taxpayers on the hook in the amount of $300 trillion in bailouts for Wall Street's derivatives bets.

> U.S. corporations are even more, uh, endowed with personhood than ever.

> Likewise, robots (AI) continued their exponential Moore's-rate progress toward enslaving humanity... or just taking all humanity's jobs.

> Still no federal prosecutions of Wall Street banks that committed securities fraud, wire fraud, perjury during Congressional testimony.... (Thanks, Obama and Eric Holder)

> Stephen Colbert put to rest The Colbert Report -- and worse -- his genius farcical Bill O'Reilly persona.

> Dick Cheney managed to stay alive -- and stay on FOX -- for another year.

Did I miss anything?

2014 sucked for conservatives as well. I hear their whining so I know. Yet few of these will sound like victories to liberals (and notice that most involve Obama):

> Obamacare remains the law of the land (because the federal government remains funded).

> 44 states have adopted Common Core standards.

> Obama escaped an impeachment vote on (take your pick).

> The Keystone XL pipeline is still not approved.

> Obama remains extremely popular abroad.

> Uppity blacks (no, they don't use that adjective anymore!) protested and rioted about police all over the country and didn't seem to be punished for it.

> The Tea Parties' power in the GOP diminished and the Establishment came back.

> The gay marriage steamroller is unstoppable.

> Obama's Ebola "czar" wasn't qualified to thwart an Ebola epidemic that wasn't coming anyway.

> Obama granted "amnesty" to approx. 11 million illegals.

> Unlike the last guy, this Pope is a flaming lib.

> Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder got to leave his job at the time and manner of his own choosing.

> Obama tightened rules for US coal power plants and made a deal with China on greenhouse gas emissions.

> And all of Obama's other "tyrannical" executive orders (yeah, you know the ones, don't get me started).

> White conservatives lost their best black spokesman for personal responsibility among African-American males when it was revealed he was a serial rapist. (On the other side, liberals lost a great stand-up comedian).

> The latest (the 10th?) GOP Congressional report on Benghazi! did not conclude that Hillary Clinton murdered those four Americans with her bare hands.

> And Hillary seems like an unbeatable juggernaut in 2016 when compared to (insert RINO or TP wacko's name here).

2014 sucked for me as well. Maybe the worst year ever. For instance, being unemployed for most of it. Of course there are always silver linings, silver linings...

Begone and good riddance, 2014!  2015, you'll have to try really hard to suck worse. Talk to you next year, folks!

Rubin: Conservatives, there's no Common Core conspiracy

To tell the truth, I haven't examined the standards for math and English/language arts (ELA) that are set forth in the Common Core.

I do know that the Gates Foundation was very involved in developing and promoting these standards to states; meanwhile some educators were left out of the development process, which sets off suspicion in some people's mind such as public education activist Diane Ravitch, who believes states and localities should be given maximum control of schools, in the American tradition, not the Department of Ed.  

In a recent blog post against Common Core, Ravitch points out two important facts: 1) "the biggest test-score gaps... are within the same state, not between states;" and 2) "the most reliable predictors of test scores are family income and family education." Fact #2 almost certainly explains #1.

Personally, I don't see how setting a high bar for achievement, by itself, can change anything, no matter who develops or sets the standards. That said, I do think it's perfectly alright and even an international best practice for the national government to set educational standards.  (Consider it from a foreign investor's point of view: if he asks what the average American high schooler -- his potential employee -- is expected to know upon graduation, the answer currently is, "It depends.")

Conservative pundit Jennifer Rubin tells us what Common Core is not.  It is not a "federal program;" and it is not tied to federal education grants.  It's basically a voluntary initiative for each of the 50 states to consider. 

So there does not seem to be any sinister conspiracy here, just a lot of Bill Gates's money and reputation tied up in this thing... Although Ravitch alleges that Microsoft stands to make money selling CC-related software and hardware.

More Common Core silliness

By Jennifer Rubin

June 11, 2014 | Washington Post

Right-wing opposition to Common Core, as I’ve written before, is partly based on a series of blatant misrepresentations (or, to be generous, misunderstandings) as to what it is. That has sent some presidential aspirants on a crusade to “repeal Common Core.” This is daft since there is no federal law, statute or regulation implementing Common Core. It was an initiative undertaken by a large number of states; some have continued with the effort, a few have left and a few never joined. If one is arguing that education is a state matter, it is not only inaccurate but bizarre to campaign for president on the pledge to get rid of it.

But, conservative critics claim that Common Core is being forced down the states throats through No Child Left Behind or via grant applications for Race to the Top grants. This is also false.

States did not have to adopt Common Core to be eligible to compete for Race to the Top funding.

Common Core proponents explain that Race to the Top was a competitive grant with different criteria whereby states could earn points in different categories.  In fact, only a very small portion of the overall application (just 4 percent to 12 percent, depending on how strictly you read it) was related to “higher standards.” States that adopted Common Core got credit for implementing standards, but states that did not want to adopt Common Core could choose to adopt other high standards if they were endorsed by the state’s higher education community.

Regarding the states that had adopted Common Core, received Race to the Top funding (where they listed Common Core on their application) and have now REPEALED Common Core, there was understandable confusion about the Race to the Top funds given that this was included in some states’ applications.

However, Education Secretary Arne Duncan made clear this week that Oklahoma, which pulled out of Common Core, would not sacrifice its funding. (“Duncan made it clear that Oklahoma isn’t necessarily on the verge of losing federal funding because of its decision. He said that Oklahoma and other states that back out of common core can stay in the department’s good graces, as long as they replace those standards with another set that will get students ready for college and the workforce.”)

Indiana, which recently pulled out of Common Core, showed how to operate with its own state standards. Its school officials tell me that the key is providing standards that are “college and career ready.” Options for states include one of two (referred to as Part B of the NCLB waiver): Common Core (or technically “college and career standards that are common to a significant # of states”) or standards that are approved  by a state network of institutions of higher education (which certify that students who meet the standards will not need remedial course work at the post-secondary level). Indiana officials engaged higher education experts for the first time in the crafting of the standards and conducted a review of the new standards by the College and Career Ready review panel (higher ed and business representatives). Participants signed off on standards, within their areas of expertise, as those that would prepare a student to be ready for post-secondary education or transition into a career field, and the appropriate officials related this process to the Department of Education. Have any critics of Common Core bothered to check with a state that actually withdrew to find out if there was a penalty? Apparently not.

In short, conservatives who are grandstanding on “repealing” Common Core have an obligation to explain what they are talking about. There is no federal mandate to adopt Common Core or evidence that any state is being penalized for withdrawing from  or failing to adopt Common Core. Right now, it’s not clear that these critics are doing anything more than pandering to the least-informed voters. States should continue to evaluate whether they want to join Common Core standards or develop their own. Instead of scaring voters, conservatives should be cheering the exercise in state decision-making and experimentation. That is what a true believer in the 10th Amendment would do.

Common Core conspiracy!

The tinfoil hat crew -- Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, et al -- are coming out against Common Core. And since the Tea Parties take their lead from the craziest of the crazy conservative talking heads, Common Core has now become the Obama conspiracy du jour for the teabaggers.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan correctly dismissed wacko conservatives' fear mongering as "a conspiracy theory in search of a conspiracy."

Since conservatives give more credence to the messenger than the message, here is an op-ed on the conservative NRO site in favor of Common Core. Enjoy.  

Personally, I haven't taken the time yet to see whether the CC program is well designed or not, but in principle I'm all in favor of establishing a national curriculum for our K-12 students. Our kids in Detroit and Des Moines are not so different that they need completely different standards, set by our elected (read: politicized) local school boards, who often have no training or experience in education. 

Local control over education is so 19th century and has long past outlived its usefulness. Let the  bureaucrats (experts) decide!

The Truth about Common Core 

By Kathleen Porter-Magee & Sol Stern

April 3, 2013 | National Review

URL: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/344519/truth-about-common-core-kathleen-porter-magee