Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

The Smarter You Are, the Less Likely You Are to Vote for Trump (I have proof!)


I never thought I'd say coming in second, and even third place, is a great victory, but for ‪#‎TeamMarco‬, it is. I'm thrilled with his results tonight. 
Something very interesting to note about the VA returns. Rubio won Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Prince William, Fredericksburg City (but not Spotsy), Henrico, Richmond, Goochland, Radford, Albemarle, Chesterfield, James City, Winchester, and York counties. Notice anything interesting about those counties?
Let's reword it like this instead-
He won the homes of GMU, UVA, William and Mary, JMU, Patrick Henry College, Mary Washington U, Liberty University, Radford, VCU, Shenandoah Conservatory, Christendom College, and U of Richmond. (Not listed in same order as the counties.)  Not to mention all of the people who live in NoVA, but attend GWU, GU, and JHU, or are known for having post-graduate degrees.
Also known as the most affluent and educated counties in the state. Apparently, the smarter you are, the more likely you are to not vote for Trump!
It's interesting to also note that in Montgomery County, home of VA Tech, Rubio lost to Trump by a mere 29 votes. So we can sort of pretend that county followed suit too. (And after the final tallies have been truly certified, that number could possibly tip in Rubio's favor.)
(I'm a little disappointed that Rubio lost by nearly 1,000 in Roanoke County. However, he only lost by 200 in Roanoke City. Cruz had a stronger showing overall in the county than in most areas in the state.)

I applied my education theory to a few other states that I have some knowledge of as far as major universities go. It holds up in GA, NH, AR, SC, and IA. It didn't hold up in Massachusetts. I tried to apply it to AL, but the data was inconclusive and skewed due to a tornado touchdown in the specific counties I was interested in. And admittedly, I know nothing about Minnesota universities or counties. Texas went overwhelmingly for Cruz. 6 counties went to Trump. Notably, not one has a major educational institution in it. (Which is saying something. Texas has universities and colleges every 10 feet!) My knowledge of OK was also too limited, but I did see that at least in 1 of the 2 Rubio counties, there was a major state university!
So apparently the smarter you are, the less likely you are to vote for Trump! And now we have proof! 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Going Team Fiorina


It's still early to really, 100%, completely go all-in with a candidate. After all, there is still way too much time left for skeletons and dark marks to appear. Unless, of course, you are Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, and you are your own skeleton.
But as much as you can get behind a candidate this early on, I've decided I'm Team Fiorina.
I like Carly Fiorina's stance on abortion. I feel it's level, fair, and moral.

She's strong on education, and practices what she preaches. She has a master's degree. "You know one of the things this president loves to do is to distract us so I think he is trying to distract us from the fact that we have too many failing high schools in this country by offering community college for free. If we want to educate our children let us make sure that every parent has a choice and a chance to educate their children so that they can fulfill their potential." (Source: Forbes Magazine on 2015 Conservative Political Action Conf. , Mar 24, 2015)

Religious liberty is one of the most important topics on my list in this election cycle. Again, I think Fiorina has one of the most level, honest, and balanced answers to the gay marriage questions.



And personally, this interview on CBS This Morning sums up everything I feel about biased media questions and reporting. She completely nails exactly how I feel about voting and women. (And I can't stand Rush Limbaugh!)



So put me down in the Carly Fiorina column. I'm sold!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Gingrich: Laws preventing child labor are 'truly stupid'

Newt Gingrich, Virginia
Newt Gingrich Source: www.newt.org

Before I get into discussing Newt Gingrich's points on child labor and education, I have to make another point. What I am about to discuss is an absolutely perfect example of why it is important to get your news from more than one source. To read just the CNN story on Mr. Gingrich's speech at Harvard, you would think that Mr. Gingrich is proposing we do away with all child labor laws, and employ poor kids. Talk about a very biased and negative slant. If you read the NY Times take on the speech, you'll actually discover that Mr. Gingrich has made a fascinating suggestion for ways to improve work ethics in schools (for all students, not just the poor ones), and he is trying to find a way to help students by making college more affordable. All the words put into bold are mine and mine alone- to prove the point about media bias. 
The CNN Version: 

Newt Gingrich proposed a plan Friday that would allow poor children to clean their schools for money, saying such a setup would both allow students to earn income and endow them with a strong work ethic.
Speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the former House Speaker said his system would be an improvement on current child labor laws, which he called "truly stupid."
"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in child laws which are truly stupid," Gingrich said. "Saying to people you shouldn't go to work before you're 14, 16. You're totally poor, you're in a school that's failing with a teacher that's failing."
Now, for the same exact speech as reported by the NY Times-
“You say to somebody, you shouldn’t go to work before you’re what, 14, 16 years of age, fine,” Mr. Gingrich said. “You’re totally poor. You’re in a school that is failing with a teacher that is failing. I’ve tried for years to have a very simple model. Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”
Interesting, isn't it? Bias from the media can really change the tone of a story. The CNN makes him out to be all for child slave labor. The NY Times just presented the facts.
Now, for the rest of his speech-
He wants every state to open a work-study college where students work 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time in the summer and then graduate debt-free.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called Mr. Gingrich’s proposal “absurd.” “Who in their right mind would lay off janitors and replace them with disadvantaged children — who should be in school, and not cleaning schools,” Ms. Weingarten said. “And who would start backtracking on laws designed to halt the exploitation of children?”
Personally, I think this idea is phenomenal. I absolutely support it. Except, I wouldn't pay the children. I think all students at every school should have to pitch in and do the cleaning. Teach everyone about taking care of the school and public property. How many kids would stop scribbling on walls or in bathroom stalls if they knew it might be their turn tomorrow to go in and clean them?
And as for a work-study program to get through college- BRING IT ON! Absolutely! How very different would our economy be if students weren't graduating with more debt than they will even make in their first year's salary? And why should parents have to take out loans to put kids through college? First, make colleges more affordable. Second, give students the chance to earn their way through!
Newt just moved up in my personal estimations. Liberals will absolutely hate this idea. And it goes against everything Occupy Wall Street wants. But personally, I think it is brilliant!


Source: CNN "Gingrich: Laws preventing child labor are 'truly stupid' "

NY Times "From Gingrich, an Unconventional View of Education"