Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / May 7, 2014, edition 1 / Page 2
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2A THE NEWS-JOURNAL Raeford, N.C. May 7, 2014 Viewpoints Let’s bus some kids to Hillsborough By Ken MacDonald Publisher Okay, I have a modest pro posal. See, there’s this bill before the Joint Legislative Program Evaluation Oversight Committee that would allow students in North Carolina to attend any public school in the state. So, what we need to do here in Hoke County is push for this bill to pass, and then gas up a few of our activity buses, and each day drive, say, 300 of our students to Orange County. Now I know what you’re thinking—there’s not enough deodorant at Unilever to make that trip endurable in May, but we can outfit the buses—a la Google—with WiFi, and the kids won’t even notice the smell, plus they can get some extra instruction on the way there and back. Why bus them to Hillsbor ough? Because Orange County is able to spend $4,183 per student, while Hoke just $528. Yes, according to the annual school finance study by the Public School Forum of North Carolina, that’s a discrepancy of about $60,000 per classroom. Think that makes a difference in the learning outcome? (You know, of course, that parents in Orange County already have many more advantages to offer their kids outside school, right?) Here are a few other statistics from the report to chew on: • Hoke is third from last in the state in its effort to fund education. • Hoke is next to last in funding education-even with supplemen tal help. • Based on property valu ations, Hoke is 93rd out of 100 in its ability to fund education. • What Orange County spends on each student is more than that of Hoke, Co lumbus, Greene, Clay, Graham, Robeson and Swain combined. • In 1970, North Carolina spent 52 percent of its general operat ing budget on schools for grades K-12; in 2011, it was 38.5 percent. It’s the same old story; little has changed, even with the Leandro lawsuit. And here’s an eye-opening thing. There’s nothing in our state’s constitution that says education funding must be equal. And it especially doesn’t provide for paying more in low-wealth counties where it’s hard to attract and keep good teachers. All that Leandro stuff only determined the state, on authority of its constitu tion, must provide a “sound and basic” education, which, as we’ve all seen, is highly subjective. We can make the case that it’s better to spend money on educat ing our poor children than on jails and programs to take care of them when they can’t take care of themselves, but that never really flies in Raleigh, does it? It also never flies anywhere else. Forty-two states have had their own “Leandro cases,” and just like us, many have seen victories on paper. But rather than work on TODAY’S HOMEWORK (Notes on Education) "There once was a teacher from Wake Who knew that she'd made a mistake. When she noticed the pay She'd make one state away, Well, there once was a teacher from Wake." — Patrick Reilly, English teacher at Garner Magnet High School in comment on a News&Observer op-ed column "There was once a teacher from Hoke Who wondered if it was a joke When she saw that her class Got $60,000 less Than the counties like Wake that weren't broke." — News-Journal publisher and poet Ken MacDonald "You know what's too good to be true? The idea that we can take kids who live in terrible conditions (which, by the way, we consciously choose to permit and incubate) and-without lifting a finger to improve those conditions-we can inject this or that instructional technique and get comparable academic results with them as with healthy kids who live in stable homes nestled in neighborhoods with libraries and little leagues instead of drugs and dysfunction." — Jake Matthews, "The Reformer's Orthodoxy" Objection to ‘ObamaCare’ is the name Could it be the objection to a national health plan is not an objection to the health plan but the name? When many hear “ObamaCare”, two objections come to mind, political and racial, because of its name. For more than 50 years, administra tions of both parties have intro duced health care bills for this country, because the majority of the public understands that there is a need for some type of medical coverage for EVERY citizen of this country. There have been many ob jections, the majority coming from those that have medical coverage through insurance by their employer or through some government programs such as Medicare. But there are millions who do not fall into these categories. Because of the recent economic recession, many who have been let go from their jobs now are without any health coverage for themselves or their families. In some instances, those who had coverage through their employment had to declare bankruptcy because of a medi cal problem with themselves or their families. The majority of bankruptcies in this country are caused by medical problems of people who do not have health insurance. Many object to a national health plan because they feel it is too costly, and the government should not tax the public to pay for a health program. These are the same objections that were raised when Social Security was introduced. It was said it would never work—the government should not have the right to take from a worker’s paycheck to save for their retirement. It would bankrupt the country they said. Yet today, millions are able to live comfortably because of the Social Security program, and the program did not bankrupt the country, The thing that is difficult to understand is that there are countries in Europe that have a much smaller economy than our nation that are able to offer health care for EVERY citizen. The main objection from the people in this country is that our taxes will be higher. That is right. But I think that there are a large number of people in this country that are willing to pay higher taxes if they no longer had to worry about a medical emergency. When there is an announce ment that there is a free medical program, people stand in line, sometimes overnight, to be seen, because they have medical prob lems and no means of addressing them. In every doctor’soffice you visitthese days, you will see a sign that says, “Payment of services is expected the day of service.” The emergency rooms of our hospitals are crowded with people who do not have medical insurance. This cost is passed on to the taxpayers, so the public has to pay for these services one way or the other. A national health program would be a benefit to everyone—those who need medical services, and those of us who are forced to pay higher taxes for services rendered in our hospital emer gency rooms. No one should care what name is used. It is not Obam aCare. It is a medical program that will ensure that EVERY American citizen is able to receive the medical care he or she needs, regardless of his or her financial situation. Paul Burnley can be reached by email atplburnley@aol.com. qoi\2 6ll\t\0 2\ooi\3E .O.Vl the root issues—I’m talking about poverty—legislators, influenced by corporations and special inter est groups, blame teachers and teacher unions, and give wealthy constituents a way out (charter schools and vouchers to private schools). They’ve created an elaborate system of standardized testing to divert attention from the issues to numbers often removed from reality, leaving students, and now teachers, as the road kill on paths to favorable public opinion and won elections. It’s hardly a mere distraction, but when N.C. legislators take a whack at teacher pay and improve it slightly in the upcoming session, let’s hope they don’t go home with their chests puffed out like they’ve liberated France. We need real at tention to education in this state, for them to someday bring back jobs now overseas, to give more attention to our poorest children and break the cycle of poverty. BULLy IN A CHINA SHOP Ready to forsake technology and its troubles RS. You know, come to think of it, regardless of whether the “open enrollment” bill passes, one Monday morning we really should send a couple of activity buses full of students to Orange High School in Hillsborough. Imagine the publicity when they roll up to the front office. When I first heard of the con cept of a digital video recorder that can be accessed from several rooms, I thought this had some merit, and when we abandoned the old clunker TV in the great room for a new high definition flat screen, the time seemed right. After getting roped into another two-year contract with the provider and being lied to by two representatives regarding the monthly cost, we settled into the bliss of the multi-room DVR. The main unit soon began to act up, but after a painful round of reporting the incident, receiving a replacement unit in the mail, and packing and sending the defective unit back, it seemed that things were okay. A couple of days ago, Charlotte complained that the TV in the great room was freezing up and reportedly “searching for server.” After stalling a couple of days and questioning why a server would even be involved, I took the plunge against my will and called the provider. It was half an hour before dinner was anticipated and I foresaw problems. The guy on the phone was very nice and took my sarcasm and obvious displeasure with good humor. Surprisingly, he spoke very good English, saving me the embar rassment of constantly having to ask him to repeat his instructions. I hate having to feel inadequate while speaking my own language. After a comical, but not funny, hour of tightening this, resetting that, holding a phone in one hand, a flashlight under my chin and Frog Holler Philosopher Ron Huff fishing for wires in dark spaces while standing on a ladder, we got the thing to work. During the long pauses while the satellite reloaded the information to reset the system, this guy and I got to be pretty good friends. While I lamented the complication of trying to keep all the electronic devices in the house working, he stated that he did not have a computer at home and just liked to relax at home without all the distractions. Duh!! What irony as the cold dinner was being reheated and my nerves were about shot. We both submitted to the reality that we were slaves to the technol ogy. At least he was getting paid. Upon wrapping up his spiel with the standard question about my satisfaction with his work and the overall service, he mentioned that in the event that this fix did not last, a technician could come out at a “copay” of fifty dollars! Let’s get this straight. I pay an exorbitant price for a service, do the work of the provider when a unit needs to be changed out, spend an hour of my leisure time on the phone troubleshooting their system, and if “I” fail, I get the privilege of paying one of their guys to fix their system. What a deal! The next morning I stopped in at Lowe’s to pick up a couple of items. One was a small piece of hardware that cost $1.48. After waiting for a checkout line to open, the system hit a glitch on this small item requiring a manager. Here are three people, including me, standing around waiting for the purchase of a $1.48 item to clear the system while the line behind me is building. I must say that I took this incon venience with fairly good humor, although three more minutes would have provoked me to leave my items at the counter and walk out in protest. Leaving the parking lot, I decided to fill up at a station that was in sight. My windshield was dirty from the sprinkles of the day before and I was comforted by the fact that the washing station was well stocked with cleaning mixture and towels, a condition never to be taken for granted. As I scrubbed the windshield, the mixture exploded with enough suds to wash a coal miner’s clothes. My fears were realized when the squeegee was the cheap (undoubtedly made in China) kind that does ahorriblejob of accomplishing the only simple task it is designed for. It took many towels to clean up the soapy mess as the frigid wind made a mockery of spring. I was chuckling at the absur dity instead of cussing, until the dreaded message appeared that I would have to see the attendant in order to get a receipt. I don’t know why I hate this so much. Is it only me? Horses and buggies anyone? More later. Republicans are picking up youth too “Just be patient,” some North Carolina Democrats are telling each other. “The demographics,” they say, “are on our side. The older white conservative Republicans are dy ing off. They are being replaced by younger, multi-ethnic, social liberals who tilt Democratic when they go to the polls. It is just a matter of time until these factors give the edge in North Carolina politics back to the Democrats.” Before Democrats celebrate their coming return to power, they must deal with another set of factors outlined by Nate Cohn in recent articles in The New York Times. One on One D. G. Martin Cohn explains why President Obama’s landslide victory in 2008 has not led to a new na tional Democratic era as many predicted. “Six years later,” he writes, “there is not even a clear Demo cratic majority in the country, let alone one poised for 30 years of dominance.” Cohn concedes that Obama’s 2008 coalition of young and nonwhite voters again turned out in record numbers in 2012. But something else is happening, he says. “The Democratic majority has failed to materialize because the Republicans made large, countervailing and unappreciated gains of their own among white Southerners. From the high plains of West Texas to the Atlantic Coast of Georgia, white voters opposed Mr. Obama’s re-election in overwhelming numbers. In many counties, 90 percent of white voters chose Mitt Romney, nearly the reversal of the margin (See MARTIN, page 3A) The News-Journal Published every Wednesday by Dickson Press, Inc. Robert A. Dickson, President • Anne Dickson Fogleman, Secretary/Treasurer 119 W. Elwood Avenue, Raeford, NC 28376 • (910) 875-2121 Home Page: www.thenews-journal.com Ken MacDonald (ken§lhenews-joumal.coni) Publisher Catharin Shepard (cshepar(l§lhenews-journal.coiii) Reporter Hal Nunn (lial@llienews-journal.com) Sports Writer Hal Nunn (hal@thenews-journal.com) Sales Representative Wendy Tredway (wendy@thenews-journal.com) Sales Representative Sheila Black (sheila@thenews-journal.com) Office Manager Robin Huffman (robin@thenews-journal.com) Composition Design/ Legal Advertising email ads to: ads@thenews-journal.com email classifieds to: classifieds@thenews-journal.com email legals to: robin@thenews-journal.com Periodical Class Postage at Raeford, N.C. (USPS 388-260) Postmaster: Send address changes to: P.O. Box 550 Raeford, N.C. 28376
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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May 7, 2014, edition 1
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