How do we reform education?

Hi

This is a follow up on earlier writings about education. For purpose of blogging I will split my thoughts between higher (college and above) and Grade school through high school. The first issue is how to fax the non college portion.

As the law now stands we have a weird hodgepodge of rules and regulations. Who needs them? The vast bureaucracy called the Department of Education is nothing more than a monitor. The Tenth Amendment to our Constitution reserves the right to regulate education to the states, not the federal government. I know that education will improve if the control is in the local school boards as opposed to Washington. To get the federal government out of education is simple, repeal all federal laws regulating education. It makes sense to me that if a school needs a new building as opposed to teacher raises the school should make that decision.

How to get federal aid to education to the states, I am opposed. If the majority choose to keep funding schools then we need a sensible plan. With modern technology it is easy for schools to do a clerical job of creating a census of school attendance. This census should contain the social security number of the student. Today most people obtain a social security number at birth so that part is already in existence. The federal government can compile a national listing of VALID attendees based on the social security number. The next step is simple, add the total student census for the country and divide into the funds allotted for education and determine a per capita amount of subsidy. This amount is block granted to the state, no strings or other conditions attached.

I see two improvements which will come of this system, first being that only students validly in the United States will count. Bogus social security numbers will be weeded out. If the local school board wishes to continue educating "illegals" then it must do so at local taxpayer expense. The second plus is that the bureaucracy of the Department of Education will be cut and the costs will be saved. Win - win.

I hope that our politicians in Washington will fix the problem. We need it.

Pray for our troops.
GOD Bless

Assertion of States Rights

Hi

Today I will concern myself with the question of states rights versus a central federal government.

When the founding fathers formed the nation the intent was to have a loosely defined federal government, limited in powers. That is evident in the catch all wording of the Tenth Amendment, all powers not given to the federal government are hereby reserved for the states. Unfortunately we have come to the point where the federal government has become a vast over reaching bureaucracy. The tenth amendment is shrinking. Much of this has been done by decisions of the Supreme Court, especially by justices who feel the need to legislate from the bench.

As usual the problem is how to reverse this trend. When President Obama named Sotomayor for the Supreme Court his intent was to continue the trend. The Senate should have asked her how she felt about making decisions based on emotion and political correctness rather than interpretation of the Constitution. Of course Obama named her because he wants a rubber stamp court which will find ways to justify his socialist takeover of our economy. Sotomayor fits the bill exactly.

There is a grassroots movement starting in several state legislatures, namely, the reassertion of the Tenth Amendment. The states are passing state laws which fly in the face of the decisions of the Supreme Court. The legislatures are basing their claims on the belief that if brought before the Supreme Court, states rights will triumph. Let's hope so.

More to come.

Pray for our brave service people.
GOD Bless