Hall County GOP Chairman Blog

Read the pitiful story here–> Georgia ranks near the bottom in SAT scores.  IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN OR EMPLOYEES THERE IS NO MORE IMPORTANT CONCERN FOR YOU THAN THIS.

OK, we are losing ground educationally, so now what are we going to do about it?  Our children are all we have.  If we abandon them, we abandon everything. 

The usual answer in education is that we need more resources. However, we are paying more per student for education than some of the 46 states that are better than we are. More money and more government is NEVER the answer to a problem. Personal responsibility, hard work, and ingenuity solves problems. The government did not invent the light bulb, Thomas Edison did. (And he did it to get rich. And he spent HIS own money to do it, not a government handout.)

I don’t buy the argument that Georgia has more people take the test and that makes our average go down. On average, it will work out the same (unless you believe that in Wyoming they lock up the dumb kids so they won’t take the test and drive the scores down for the 311 who took the test).  This “average” argument shows a math problem in and of itself. Average = Total Score / Number of Students Taking the Test. The “bell curve” of average probabilities says that students will score along a curve with a peak at the middle. Without getting into mean, mode, median, chi squared, and statistical significance, the average score should be at the peak of the curve. Statistics 101. A higher total number of kids taking test should make the average a BETTER indicator of overall educational performance not worse.  Come on!

The answer has to be one of four things: (1) The curriculum is not adequate (not even meaning to teach what is needed to score high on the SAT); (2) The teachers are not teaching properly (either not teaching the curriculum or don’t know how to teach); (3) The students are not learning the material (lots of reasons like attendance, parental responsibility, drugs, extracurricular activities, organic brain disorders, etc.); or (4) the SAT is inaccurate.

For years curricula has been make more politically correct and “dumbed down.” I’m not sure it is any better.  Kathy Cox says that the math curriculum needs to be adjusted.  What else needs work?  Does each parent have to get an SAT study guide and check to make sure that someone is teaching the basics?  Are our teachers or students dumber than all the students and teachers in 46 other states?  Are ALL our teachers unable to communicate with their students?  I can’t believe that. There has to be at least one state ranked above us (e.g. California or Ohio) with dumber people than us, right?  (After all they are voting for Hussein Obama right?)

The SAT is not skewed.  The political correct police have already been fly specking that test for years.  Next!

Bottom line is that unless someone can show that the average Georgia student has a low IQ and is unable to learn the material, then the answer has to be curriculum first.  If not the curriculum itself, the way it is implemented from the State level down. 

I was an instructor in the Air Force.  We often just taught the answers on the test to our students.  It was not hard to teach ABC (airway, breathing, circulation).  The material WAS the answer to a question.  Simple.    The SAT is not so simple.  You can’t just teach the test answers (e.g. “C”), you have to teach the theory and how to take tests.  Kids have to know what a triangle is, and how triangles are named in order to understand the mathematical relationship between the length of the sides  of certain triangles (the dreaded a squared + b squared = c squared for right triangles for example).  Then they have to be able to read and understand the question, pick the right answer, and bubble in the right circle to get credit.  If the student misses any one of those, they miss the question.

Hall County is BELOW the abysmal average for the state as a whole.  It is the responsibility of the school board to correct this.  No blame can be shifted to the State for the curriculum UNLESS the local local school board can show they told Kathy Cox of the curriculum issues. 

I’m afraid that education is seen by some administrators as an assembly line and as long as the line is running and product is coming off the line, they are doing a good job.  Not true.  Only quality products off the line count.  If the design (in this case curriculum) is flawed, then the product (e.g. student) will be flawed.

No whining or finger pointing or saying that scores are lagging what we did earlier.  These are children today who deserve to learn what they need to excel in the world.  With those crappy scores they won’t get into the college of their choice.  Without that college they will get the same old job the rest of us have working for the smart folks.  This is real important, and it is time everybody (including parents) start pulling on the oars together to fix it right dang now!

Don’t worry about other state programs that get money (no matter how silly they seem).  Don’t worry about budget shortfalls.  Test scores have gone down steadily while the education costs have risen steadily.  This is not a money problem.  Teaching is one person passing knowledge to another.  It only takes a willingness to teach and a willingness to learn.  We have smart dedicated teachers that are up to the task.  Fix the curriculum and stay out of their way, and their dedication, skill, and ingenuity will propel us up the ranks.

We had a good turnout at the 8-9-08 Conservative Forum where Rep. Doug Collins was the featured speaker. Doug is heading to Iraq as an Air Force Chaplin. Our prayers go out to him for taking The Lord to that country and coming back home safe. Doug gave a rousing talk about duty, honor, and County (my words not his). Doug also expressed the need for our party to constantly change to get better and move forward.

Sen. Hawkins, Rep. Mills, and Rep. Rogers all discussed legislative issues. Carl reported that Diversion Center will be converted to a “day reporting” facility not closed as previously reported. James talked aoubt the need for poof of citizenship to register to vote. Currently no birth certificate is required to register. No telling how many fraudulent voters we have recently registered in Georgia. You have to show you birth certificate to play soccer with other kids–I don’t think showing the certificate to vote is such a big deal (unless you are a fraud of course).  James also talked about the need to collect money from deadbeat homeowners who seem to have been able to keep $8M.

Calendar of Events:  Lee Hawkins Fundraiser 5:30 PM on August 21, 2008 at Milton Robson’s “Garage.”  James Mills Fundraiser on September 20, 2008 at the Ag Center.  Conservative Forum at 8:30 AM on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at Ryan’s on Browns Bridge Road.

I wanted to say a special thanks to J-Net Viera.  J-Net was our McCain cordinator until her sister took ill and she had to step aside.  Our prayers for healing go out to her sister and I ask you to put her on your personal prayer list as well.  At the forum she came up to me and told me that she was proud of me and that I was doing a great job as Chairman.  J-Net is a special person to the party who has always been here for the party and has always served when asked.  Her compliment touched me very deeply.  Thanks J-Net!

Elected Official Present Were: Senator Lee Hawkins, State Rep. James Mills, State Rep Carl Rogers, School Board Member Craig Herrington, State Court Judge Charlie Wynne, and Gainesville City Councilman George Wangemann. Also present was Helen Powell (County Commissioner Billy Powell’s wife and chief-of-staff).

Former Hall GOP Chairman Present: Gordon Sawyer, P. Martin Ellard, Kerry Cook, and Joe Cwik. These are the men who helped make the Republican Party dominant in Hall County.

Other Officials Present: Don Walsh (Hall County Coordinator for Saxby Chambliss Campaign); Chris Yardley (Hall County Coordinator for McCain Campaign); Associate Magistrate Court Judge David Burroughs; and Chief Assistant Solicitor General Jennifer Scalia.

Candidates Present: Judge Charlie Wynne and his opponent William I. “Sonny” Sykes.

Typical Democratic position:  Do as I say, not as I do.  And at least one Al Gore fan wants $8/gal gasoline.  See how Democrats are looking out for your best interest (even if it kills you).

Watch Al’s hyprocisy here—>YouTube - See Al Gore’s Hypocrisy!

I try to keep this blog about local issues, but with the fate of the free world resting on the shoulders of a McCain victory, expect me to start talking about the Dali Bama and National issues with more regularity.

A moment of silence before looking at this picture—->Navy NewsStand - Eye on the Fleet  This is WAR brought into the streets of New York City by foreign soilders.  Your street WILL BE next if you do nothing.

July 31, 1981, U.S. Military MEPS Station, Jacksonville, Florida: 

“I, Paul Stanley, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

I have never been relieved of this oath.

This will be my only response to Mike and other Democrat fascists.  What service were they in?  Like the Dali Bama, none, I’m sure.  To liberals, soilders are just guys in funny hats with guns that take up money that could be used for social programs.  Like a good pickpocket, liberals want you to watch one hand while the other goes for your wallet.  As long as liberals or their friends profit from any government program, they are satisfied–no matter what the program does to you.  Liberals squeal like pigs about their rights, but they are ready to spit on yours for a dollar (or a fish or turtle).  To liberals, the Constitution is a “living changing document” that is “variable” based upon the “social norms” that 5 people in Washington impose upon you.  And Liberals, lead by the Dali Bama want to choose which 5 people make the decision.  (HINT:  You are not one of them.  Jesus would not be on their list either.)

The American Fighting Wo/Man is the only thing that stands between your quiet pursuit of happiness and death.  Vote Republican or prepare to surrender.  Surrender your rights.  Surrender your church.  Surrender your wallets.  Surrender your home and property.  Surrender the lives of your family.  Worse yet, surrender your heart and mind and soul to a bunch of heathens bent on self aggrandizement who are driving electric cars, wearing sandals, and smiling at you the whole time.

Of course not all Democrats are heathens–but almost all heathens are Democrats and their Democrat leaders are all heathens (OK, I’ll give you Jimmy, but even they ignore him unless he says something silly).  Believing in God is not the same thing as following Him.  Even Satan believes in God.  Your friendly next door neighbor Democrat you go to church with is not going to get appointed to the Supreme Court any more than you are.  Neither is Jimmy.

VOTE RIGHT, VOTE REPUBLICAN

VOTE MCCAIN: NO SURRENDER

You thought that gas prices were high, right?  Did you know the Federal gas tax is 18.4 cents of each gallon (almost 25 cents for diesel)?  Did you know that instead of lowering the Federal gas tax, the Democrats are going to RAISE the tax by 10 cents per gallon?  Yes, RAISE the tax.

Read the story here–>No gas tax holiday: Congress considers raising pump tax to help repair crumbling highways — Newsday.com

Anything that takes money out of our pockets and puts it into Government pockets is a “tax” to me.  That means all fees, surcharges, and hidden government costs (like business licenses, building permits, etc where the cost is passed along to us).  This gas tax is justified by building roads for us to drive on.  Look how great our roads are!

Other taxes seem to have no justification whatsoever.  Gainesville has one of the HIGHEST telecommunication tax per telephone line.  According to AT&T when I complained about my billing, Gainesville tax is higher than New York City (say it with me now—NEW YORK CITY?!)  Do you think our telephone lines cost more than New York City?  Does the Gainesville City government help with your telephone more than New York City?  No and no.  They are just gouging each of us $8 per month per line or so for no added value.  What else does the government add a few pennies to without any justification?

What do they do with all the money?  Waste most of it.  It is time for government to tighten its belt and provide services on an efficient basis.  Not where they pay their buddies hundreds of thousands of dollars and the rest next to nothing.  Too many employees for too little work (except in schools where we have just the opposite).  Contracts need to be scrutinized by citizens not bureaucrats who are paid no matter how well (or poorly) they do their job.  Everyone has to pull on the oars on this boat.  You work hard for your money, so should the government work hard to justify taking it from you.  That means if you don’t want to wind up getting the short end of the stick you need to get involved.  It will be too late after you have been robbed by the government.  They don’t give anything back.

Just when you thought that $9M was a bad, now we are up to $33M in budget adjustments… but that is just through 2007.  It will take auditors another few weeks to fix the books for 2007!  Even the auditors don’t know if the school system is in a deficit or not.  Don’t they have last month’s bank statement?  That might provide a clue don’t you think?

Read the story in The Times here–>Audit of Gainesville schools results in $33M worth of adjustments.  

When you read news remember that good writers learn the importance of primacy and recency.  The reader tends to remember what you read/hear last (recency) followed by what you read/heard first (primacy).  Those presenting information to you will attempt to put the most important points in those two positions, with the rest of the stuff sandwiched in between.  That way the story looks like it tells both sides, but if one side is at the beginning and the end, you are more likely to just remember that side.  That last paragraph of the story was too silly for printing.  Who cares what the auditor thinks about what the people who are responsible for this mess think?  What else is the auditor going to say to the paper before they are finished with the audit?  They are accountants (I hope!)

I had appointed criminal case once where the Defendant though he wasn’t legally responsible for selling crack cocaine.  An undercover officer asked the defendant for the crack and he got some crack from a drug dealer and gave the crack to the cop who gave him the money and then gave all the money to the drug dealer.  Since he didn’t make a profit, and he was asked to get the crack by the cop, he reasoned in his own mind that he did not commit a criminal act of sale of cocaine.  He was wrong. 

People who commit malfeasance or misfeasance in public office often convince themselves they are in the right because they are owed what they took.  People who commit nonfeasance in public office are too lazy to know what they did wrong so they think they are in the right.  You often hear them cry out: “But I did the best job I could.”  When you are entrusted with public money and public trust and our children, the only job that is good enough is a flawless job that follows all the proper procedures and is completely reasonable under the circumstances.

In the Gainesville City School fiasco we KNOW that some money is missing.  We KNOW that the accounting practices are horrible.  We KNOW that expert financial auditors don’t know what is going on yet and they need WEEKS to figure it out.  We KNOW the school board is going to raise taxes to pay for the mess.  We KNOW that all the time the quarter-million-dollar-man and his staff have been getting money and writing checks and making the bad entries into the accounting system every day.  We KNOW the same people who caused the mess are still at work making almost $1,000 per day.  Wouldn’t you hang out and “cooperate” for $1,000 per day too?  Especially if you had a $.5M golden parachute?  Besides I never had a white collar criminal case where the Defendant didn’t have a well thought out story before he/she was arrested.  You can’t be a good “con man” unless you are a convincing and engaging actor.

Democrats = Tax Increase * infinity.  Do you see the proof now with the Gainesville School Board? 

I guess the old addage that absolute power corrupts absolutely is at play in our small town.  The quarter-million-dollar man and his handlers appear to think that they are above reproach.  Way to go Carl Rogers for reminding the city school board that they can all be “fired” in February when the General Assembly gets in session if they don’t get their act together.  Do we really want to be put in the same pot with Clayton County?  Do we want to lose accredidation?  Don’t we deserve more for our money?  Ballew and his crowd don’t think anything can happen to them.  They now know differently.

How many weeks have we gone now without an answer to the question of the missing money?  The only answer we get is that taxes have to be increased, but no idea where the money went or where it is going to go.  Ballew might as well have taken the 5th Amendment when he gave The Times an interview.  He SHOULD have had a lawyer before he did that.

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Why is is that none of the yard signs for Democrats say “Democrat” on them.  Not just in Hall County, but in my travels around the state.  If you are not proud enough to put Democrat on your sign you need to change parties.  If you are liberal then you should trumpet it to the world!  Don’t hide your tax-and-spend light in a basket!  Let it shine.

We welcome all reformed Democrats in the Hall County Republican Party.  We have a tent that is big enough for everyone.  But in our tent you have to order from our menu.  And bigger government, more taxes, more services, and more regulations are things that ARE NOT on the menu.

UPDATE:  While in Atlanta I saw some yard signs and one door sign that actually had the “D” word on it.  Clayton County DA is one I recall.  And I saw some dude running for Senate on TV proudly touting that he was a Democrat and that he would help the middle class.  How?  By raising taxes on the “rich” I suppose.  Oops.  To the Democrats “the rich” is anyone who actually pays taxes.  I don’t think that will help the “middle class” much, do you?  Playing the definition game got the Democrats where they are today.

Maria Caulkins said: “We [the school board] all completely agree with the success of this administration in the quality of education with Gainesville city schools.”

I know there is a lot moral relativism going on and the hand holding and cheerleading for everyone no matter how badly they perform, but under no usage of the English language can the administration of the Gainesville City Schools be considered a success.  Unless by “success” you mean in the red several million dollars,  a couple million are just plain missing, and you are raising taxes 20% (this year alone).  If the kids are getting educated properly it is DESPITE the administration not because of it.  If the administration is teaching math to our kids, then there is no way they will ever pass the CRCT.

I’m glad that the quarter-million-dollar man got back from vacation in time to see his largest tax increase ever through, however.  It is a shame he missed the lynch mobs during the public hearings.  Hope he has his golden parachute at the ready.  But since his bosses think he is a “success,” his job is secure.  Hope the voters disagree.

Practice Tip:  By the way voters, here is a secret:  Republican voters outnumbered Democrat voters in Gainesville this year.  So if a real Republican were to run for school board he/she would be likely to win even if every Democrat voted for the opponent.  Maria Caulkins is not a member of the Hall County Republican Party.

Read the whole story here–>Gainesville schools weigh budget cuts; deficit is $6.6 million.

Apparently if you are a fireman and molest a child, you get 18 months of pay without having to work while your case gets ready for trial.  According to The Times story (Man pleads guilty to sex charge), the Defendant John Bond was put on administrative leave with pay in November 2006.  He was fired on May 23 [2008]?  So that is 18 months free money for nothing?  How can we get that money back?  Why put him on leave with pay?  Isn’t there some administrative procedure to fire someone that commits a felony offense?  Wasn’t there something that he could have done that would not have put him around children?  AND… get this… no jail time.  He almost got to keep his name off the sex offender registry too!  But for Judge Gosselin, he would not have been identified as a sex offender.

I know some cases are just about impossible to prosecute. Sex crimes are the hardest.  I have to believe that the Assistant District Attorney Juliet Aldridge had her back against the wall and got what she could out of the case despite having witness / evidence problems.  But no jail time, no sex offender registry, first offender treatment AND 18 months of pay without having to work!!!!  Its like we were rewarding him for molesting children.

Warning:  Legal Content Follows.  First Offender sentencing allows someone without a felony record to get convicted of a felony and after they complete their sentence they get their record wiped clean.  In all cases, it means that the offender can possess a firearm and vote.  In sex cases that means that after completing their sentence the offender can get their name removed from the sex offender list.  Their records are sealed.  So you might see a nurse that has a felony conviction for prescription drug forgery, a doctor with a conviction for drug possession, get prescriptions from a pharmacist that went to prison for selling illegal drugs, or have your hair cut by someone who committed a vehicular homicide.  Once their probation is over and the record is sealed, you won’t ever know about it… unless they offend again.  It is a good program to give someone a second chance, but it has been stretched beyond its initial reasons for being.