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pppifiiil 5A OPINIONS/tCtt Ctarlotte $ot Thursday, October 20, 2005 Connecting N.C. with the other side of the world Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - “What do people in your coun try think of Malaysia?’ I have been asked this question a. hundi’ed times in Malaysia by people who are anxious for Americans to know that this small country (about 23 million people) has pulled itself up by the bootstraps to become the U.S.’s 10th lai’gest world trading partner. They are proud that they have transformed themselves fix>m a poor country exporting only raw materials like tin and palm oil into a maturing indus trial economy with a growing focus on high tech productions-willing to do business in any country in the world, and increasih^y successful at it. Ihey want North Carolinians to know. I had to tell them that most of us don’t know much, if anything, about Malaysia. D.G. Martin Maybe some of us know that the main part of the country lies between Singapore on the south and Thailand on the north. Others rranember the twin tall buildings in Kuala Lumpur that were, imtil recently, the tallest buildings in the world. We don’t know much. I got tired of admitting and explaining away our ignorance about their country and went on the offensive. ‘'What do you know about North Carolina?’ I am asking them. What do you think would be the answer? Mostiy they know about as much about North Carolina as we know about Malaysia. Not much, if anything. So how can I explain to them what is special about North Carolina? I talk about our beautiful mountains and beaches, om* worldwide banking caters, our great colleges and universi ties, our great history, and our hard-working cheerful people. They listen politely, but there is no “dick.” I have not given them anything spedal to bcaid them to Noifh Carolina, something they will remember about us. I am looking for some woixi, or idea, or person that is already familiar to the Malaysians. Then I am trying to make the coimectidn to North Carolina-so they will remember us. Let me tell you some of the things I have tried in my effort to build a lasting “mental bridge” to North Carolina for peo ple who live half way around the world. First of all, the connection that clicks almost every time is the Wright Brothers’ “first flight.” Almost everybody knows about this event. “Of course,” one of my new Malaysian friends said, ‘It was in Kitty Hawk.” But my new fiiend did not know that Kitty Hawk was in North Carolina. Nor have other Malaysians known that the Wrighfs first successful flight was here. But since they know about the event, I can use it to birUd their* “mental bridge” to North Carolina. Another ccrmective link that worked almost every time was ^chael Jordan. They knew the basketball player, but did not know his North Carolina connection. Same thing with Andy Griffith. Here are some other things I tried Research THangle Park. Surprisingly, almost no one remembered the riame of our pioneering r*esearch-based eco nomic engine, even though the Malaysians are pouting moneyinto research zones and hi-tech manufacturing parks, obviously inspired by RTF’s success. Pinehurst. Most golfers knew about Pinehurst, but not that it was in our state. “Maybe,” one of them told me, “you should persuade them to say Pinehurst COMMA North Carolina.” Winston-Salem and tobacco. I had to point to packs of Salem and Kinston brands of cigarettes before they under stood the cormection# Charlotte and Bank of America and Wachovia. Surprisingly, these names did not seem to register. “Those banks do not do much business over hero,” I heard several times. One connecrtive link that registerod very often was the Scong family name. The “Soor^ Asters” are well known in Asia because of a popular movie about them. One of these sisters married Sun Yat-sen. Another, Chiang Kai-shek The North Carolina connection comes fiom their father, who was nurtured and educated in our state-perhaps our first Asian exchange student. Now, it’s your turn. What finks have you used to help peo ple in other countries remember our state? Let me know (at dmartinl3@nc.rT.com) so I can add them to my fist the next time I travel overseas. And if I get enough gocxi ideas, I wiU share them in another column soon. D.G. MARTIN is the host of UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch, which airs on Sundays at 5pm I get tired of admitting and explaining away our ignorance about their country and went on the offensive. Literacy more than idle skill Illiteracy may not be important if you are tryii^ to win on American Idol. But for the other 99.9 pei*cent of youth who will never become famous, it should beT Recently “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, who is fiom Hi^ Point, shamefully admitted that she is functionally illiterate. She disclosed that she was able to get by on the show by listening to the other contestants sing the words to their* songs and, when she was corrected for mispronouncing something, laughed it off and said that she’s just “country”. It took a lot of courage for Fantasia to admit to having this embarrassing problem, and it is a good thing that she says she is now dedicated to learn ing how to read and write. But for other youth who are not properly educated, there will be no second chance and no viable plan on which to fall back. Under the North Carolina state constitution, every child is entitled to a “sound basic education.” But for various reasons, not all children are receiving it. By now, you have hear*d about the long-running Angela Lindsay statewide lawsuit known as the Leandro case which concerns how much North Carolina spends for education and how wdl districts are managing that money Lawyers for the parents, including famed Chai*lotte attorney Julius Chambers, argued that CMS’s student-assignment plan is linconstitutional, saying schcx)ls with large numbers of “at-risk students” can’t provide an equal educa tion. Chrrently 10 out of 17 CMS high schools are considered ‘low- performing” schools. These schools ar*e consist^tly failing to gen erate adequate test scores, and they exist in high-poverty, high minority areas. Some schools are ^cperiencdng high concentrations of poverty as one result of a federal ju(^’s order ending race-based student assignments in CMS six years ago, saying the school sys tem was suffidentiy desegregated. Wake County Superior Court Judge Howard Manning, Jr. who has been presiding over the Leandro school financing case, expressed vehement disapproval with the way CMS has handled its problems but also stated that busiiig is not the answer to solv ing academic problems at CMS’s poorest public hi^ schools—and it isn’t. Shuffling students fi’om one side of town to the other at six in the morning will not necessarily ensure that students are being ade quately educated. Students considered at risk can still fall behind no matter where they are. Busing does not guarantee that those students who need extra help reaching an adequate level are get ting it. And as Judge Manning rigl^tfully pointed out, you cannot move all students out of low performing schools, especially consid ering the numbers. According to statistics, the number of low- income students in Mecklenburg’s schools has grown, and the per centage of children qualifying for lunch subsidies rose fiom 38 per cent in 1997 to 45 percent last school year. Instead of students changing locations, the schools should be changed. Recruiting and retaining qualified, experienced educators, even if it means biinging them in firom out of state, instead of ushering in substitute teachers fi'esh out of school themselves is vital. Students can not perform up to par if the proper instruction is not there to begin with. Ifeacher turnover rates for low performing schools are high Budgetary measures need to be allocated toward offering teachers better pay, equipping schools with necessary resources, and creating an environment that is safe and conducive to learning. In addition, many students at low performing schools come fi’om unique situations that need to be taken into consideration. They are already at a disadvantage before they even step foot into school, coming fi:om unique backgrounds that may affect the learn ing process. Issues such as poverty, single parent households, pres ence of negative influences and «qx)sure to violence can all con tribute to a student’s behavior both in and out of the classroom. Many researchers have found a direct co-relation between high poverty and low performance. But several school districts prove otherwise. Students in high minority high poverty schools in Atlanta, (Georgia and Norfolk, Va., for example, both boast some of the high est achievement scores in their respective districts. The Hamilton County (Ifennessee) school district receives assistance fi’om a Chattanooga-based foundation which works with and fimds pro grams at high poverty schools. They offer innovative hi^ school programs that are a lure for students. CMS officials even invited representatives from the Hamilton County district here to cfiscuss strategies that may work for CMS. If pioneering programs and specific goals can work elsewhere, they can work here. CMS has proposed a plan which includes block scheduling for core classes, more spending power for principals, and a promise to hire more math and science teachers. These are good starts because if schools are not oiganized to rectify the issu^, they will perpetuate them. In addition, the curriculum should be more chal lenging so tliat acceptable test scores will become more attainable. Offering watered-down curriculum is not doing students a favor. If the bare minimum is acceptable, then that is what many students will put forth. After school tutoring for those who need it should also be made available. Perhaps most importantly however, is that a good education needs to be a priority again. Doing well in school was once the ulti mate measure of success, and teaching careers were highly revered in the community E-tnail columnist ANGELA UNDSAY at lindsaylaw00a yahoo x-om. The trouble with Demoeratie Party Ib the puzzlement of a lot of people, in an important Senate vote on the nomination of Judge John Robei’ts to the Supreme Court, 22 Democrats voted ‘’yes” for this long-time conservative, wliile 22 said ‘’no.” This is but the most recent example of a poorly kept secret in Washington; Demoa*ats are often equal to, or worse than Republicans in theii* ti'eatment of Black issues in the Congi*ess. Wliy? At least two things account for this. First, many Senate Democrats, especially in states where the vote is often influenced by who is louming for president, ai’e now afi'aid of the power of conseiva- tive votei*s. If you look at tlie 22 Demoa*atic senators who voted for the Roberts nomination, nine of them were in states handily won fi’om 52 pei’cent to 60 peirent by George Bush in 2004. Another group of Demoa*atic sena tors. were fi’om foiu* states won by Ron Walibrs Kerry but only nairewly So they were cautious in risking that theii’ vote against Roberts would come back to bite them in a subsequent election. This means that in addition to the 55 Republican votes in the Senate, many more Democrats ai*e vufiiei’able where high-profile votes are concerned that, touch on the senator’s ideology This is what a*eates the ‘’con servative consensus” in that body Despite this, there were foui’ other Democrats fi’om Connecticut, Delawaie, Vei*mont and Washington (states with small or non-existent Black and Hispanic populations) who apparently felt fi*ee enough to vote for Roberts. I consider these to have been seduced by his charm, his high level education, liis intelligence* and his ability to persuade them that he would coii- sidei* each issue on the merits, that he was not a ri^t-wing ideologue and that he considei’ed Roe v. Wade to be settled law. Why Senator Patrick Leahy of Vemiont, the Democratic minority leader of the Judiciai’y Committee felt this way is inexplicable, since he is an old hand and knows that nominees will say such things to gef confirmed. As the leading Democrat on that committee, he stared the consistent ri^t-wing record of Roberts in the face, then abdicated the lead ership of his party to his own faith. It was a decided ly weak historical move. The second problem with Democrats is their philo sophical confusion. This .too, is ci*eated, in paif, by the fact that there is a conservative consensus on issues that especially touch black life. 'Ihus, issues such as affirmative action in higher education and contracting, whether government should do more to help the poor, and also housing, welfare and crime issues, are all issues that are unpopular with whites, regardless of party Recently two fonner Clinton White House staffers. Dr. ^^^am Galston and Dr. Elaine Kamarck wi*ote a report for The Third Way an organization that was influential in shaping the Clinton approach to gov erning. While the Tim'd Way postures itself as a ‘’pro gressive” organization, it is directed toward the ‘’mid dle class” a term that in the political parlance has been code for the white middle class. In this, it has supported issues little different fi’om those of the Democratic Leadership Council, the right wing of tlie Democratic Party For exeonple, this report argues that Democrats can’t win the White House by relying on impreving the turnout of their base to win elections, that they need to appeal to swing voters instead. They report that the Hispanic vote was increasing slowly and also swung toward Republicans in 2004; women did not come back to the Democratic party even though mai*- ried women were taigeted; and blacks would add lit tle even if theii' turnout improved 4 or 5 percent. Their conclusion then, is that Democrats shouldn’t concentrate on their fibei’al base - and by extension liberal issues - they need to become more tolerant of conservative values such as those that put C5eorge Bush into office in the last election. The question I would raise is that, since this is a recipe for further dismissing the interests of Blacks, Hispanics and women, the base of the party then how does a ‘’swing vote party” operate to give confidence to its base that it will honor their concerns. In other words, if tiiey can win without appeafing to the base, then why do they need to cater to them when they get into the White House? This is the key to the diffiail- ty that blacks have with Democrats in this era of his tory When Democrats win the White House, we receive little in the way of public policy, and as the minority when they vote with the Republicans in the House and Senate, we don’t hold them accountable. RON WAIJERS is professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland College Park. /t Aaron McGnickn' RUFU.S “SPIELBERG” JENKINS BOOTLEGS MOVIES. Boollcyged movies. They’re worth 20 bucks for 3 DVDs.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Oct. 20, 2005, edition 1
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