Missouri goes for approval of denial (?) of "No Child Left Behind"

That's some good news. Of course, I don't understand how that's working, that the Federal Government has approved 10 of the 50 states to get waivers from the "No Child Left Behind" law but it's an improvement, nonetheless, and Missouri and everyone else should go for it, too. The NCLB law was and is so monumentally stupid, it's difficult to say how much so. Seriously, since when was any human being, let alone a group, let alone a group of children, supposed to get to "100% proficiency" in all areas of education? How was that going to happen? Suddenly we were to be blesssed with perfect children? An entire generation, nationwide, coast-to-coast that were going to do 100% on all subjects? What planet did these people live on? That provision alone doomed the entire law and effort. You're going to cut back on financial support for schools because they can't and don't reach 100% proficiency with all their students by 2014? Right. Great idea. Why don't you just set the bar even higher (not that that's possible) and then set the trigger date for completion as, oh, I don't know, TOMORROW? On top of that, the whole thing was UNFUNDED. How do you set higher standards for schools and states for their kids but not give any additional funding for things like better teacher-to-student ratios? I'm not saying or suggesting money gets you higher grades every time, either. It doesn't. But if you set impossibly high standards and then don't fund improvements (again, like the teacher-to-student ratio), don't expect better results. And that's just a little bit of what's wrong with the NCLB Act. The bad thing is that it came from Democrats and Teddy Kennedy. (Honestly, how he thought this was a good idea is beyond me). The completely unsurprising thing is that it also came from the George W. Bush administration, as so many insane things did--like his chosen, illegal Iraq invasion and war, for one, and tax cuts only for the wealthy being another. Au revoire, NCLB. We surely won't miss you. Links: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/21/3442579/missouri-board-approves-no-child.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind_Act

With Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lawford? And Sammy Davis, Jr??

You may have noticed that the secret files the FBI had on the Kennedy family were just released. Yes, they were. And since there's no great hue and cry coming out due to this, you know it must be pretty dull stuff. But after reading The Daily Beast yesterday, I came across this little tidbit: Were There Kennedy Sex Parties? The Smoking Gun turned up one scintillating memo describing the report of sex parties involving the Kennedy brothers, in-laws, three members of the Rat Pack, and one Hollywood bombshell. The source of the report is unclear. The memo reads, “It was reported that Mrs. Jacqueline Hammond”—the ex-wife of the former ambassador to Spain—“…has considerable information concerning sex parties which took place at the Hotel Carlyle in NYC, and in which a number of persons participated at different times. Among those mentioned were the following individuals: “Robert F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Teddy Kennedy, Sammy Davis, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe.” I'm sorry but I remember Peter Lawford (not naked, mind you) and Sammy Davis, Jr., and all I can say is, ICK. And believe me, I'm trying to be mature, adult and sophisticated in my response. Now go turn on the TV and get this image out of your head. Link to original post: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-06-14/kennedy-fbi-files-death-threats-sinatra-monroe/

President Obama--a one-termer?

Think about this.

President Barack Obama has been in office almost exactly one year.

He did make some small progressive changes to our country. He reaffirmed--verbally, anyway--that we aren't supposed to torture. He called for honoring the Geneva Convention--again, verbally, because apparently, we might still be torturing, we can't be sure, and we haven't reinstituted Habeus Corpus...

Anyway, he got some things going back on a better track.

But the American people have a very short memory and now too many of us believe he created the huge spending we're experiencing right now.

Forget that the George W. Bush Administration started all that nonsense.

It was that previous group that thought up the 700 billion dollar bailout plan.

Forget that our economy crashed on W's watch, largely due to the Conservative's and Republican's desire for and love of deregulation and free markets.

At least they do until they screw up our banking system and the big banks all nearly collapse. Then they're all for government.

Anyway, so now, here we are, on the cusp of getting a bit of health care reform and what happens? One pivotal Senator dies and gets replaced--surprisingly--by a Tea-bagger (that would be Scott Brown, at least a sympathizer) and there goes our 60 strong, filibuster-proof vote for the reform we need so badly.

Then, early today we get a ruling from the Supreme Court, doing away with campaign contribution limits for corporations.

And the only conclusion I can come to is that this President's productive days may well be over.

I hope I'm wrong but I doubt it strongly.

We're about to go into election season and it's likely we'll lose at least some seats in Congress this Fall.

Too many Democrats are Republican-lite and/or can be bought off by corporations in their districts and voila'--the President is shackled.

Then, after this Fall's elections, it's time for the President to again start running for office and still more time when nothing of substance gets done.

The Republicans have done it. They have said "no" and stalled and blocked and stymied progress for America all they could and they've won.

Nothing of substance will get passed in the next 3 years.

Prepare, now, for repeated comparisons of this President to Jimmy Carter and his inability to get things done. I've heard it already and there will be a lot more of it.

It's going to get ugly.

Heck, it's already depressing.

The African-American President was/is hated enough just for being himself.

Then he was hated because they said he was too liberal. Then a Socialist.

His Presidency may, for all intents and purposes, be over.

This may be a one-term Presidency.

God, I hope I'm wrong about all this.

But I sure don't think so.