All purpose news and politics thread part v: The quickening

[JackDaw]

When a public figure I like acts the asswipe like Paul, then yeah, I will. Don’t you DARE think you and your shitstain party can hold the moral high ground.

But I guess the point Mr M was making is that there’s no really plausible reason to suspect “Karma” exists.

Certainly the corona virus won’t do a moral audit before it afflicts somebody.The good, the bad, the indifferent will all suffer.

[worstblogever]

Will this be an acceptable response when a bad thing happens to a public figure you do like?

Were you also surprised when people chuckled when his neighbor beat the s*** out of him and put him in a hospital?

People aren't making jokes about this because Rand Paul is a Republican. Or a Libertarian. It's because he's a real ***hole.

But I can understand why you might not be able to see the nuance between that, considering Trump has turned the GOP's brand to, "Be an ***hole."

[numberthirty]

Acting however you want isn't suddenly justifiable because the person involved is a jerk.

Being better than Republicans(or jerks) ain't exactly a high bar to get over.

In addition, being better is about you and not them.

[aja_christopher]

Acting however you want isn't suddenly justifiable because the person involved is a jerk.

Being better than Republicans(or jerks) ain't exactly a high bar to get over.

In addition, being better is about you and not them.

"They" showed up at the voting both while you didn't -- so now the "jerks" are running the country and choosing Supreme Court judges.

All that talk about being better is just talk without any action to back it up.

[numberthirty]

"They" showed up at the voting both while you didn't.

All that talk about being better is just talk without any action to back it up.

This one has nothing to do with voting.

How you conduct yourself when it comes to someone actually being ill has to do with being better. That is the action.

Not exactly a complicated matter.

[XPac]

No, I believe it. Trump is still hoping for his Nobel Prize by making nice with Rocketman in the vain hope he’ll give up his nukes (spoiler alert: he won’t).

This is sort of a damned if ya do damned if ya don't sort of situation though.

I'm not sure if cordially trying to open up lines of communication will work either, but if Trump (or any leader for that matter) takes a more aggressive hardline stance he can credibly be criticized for escalating things too. Given what the whole planet is going through at the time, if there's anytime to try the former over the later I suppose it's now.

[Mister Mets]

Good Biden ad comparing his response to a question to Trump's response.

https://twitter.com/dandrezner/statu...52140344893441

[aja_christopher]

This one has nothing to do with voting.

How you conduct yourself when it comes to someone actually being ill has to do with being better. That is the action.

Not exactly a complicated matter.

It can be about both: I'll go with the person who votes against Repbublicans and laughs about Paul on a message board when it comes to "actions".

As opposed to chastising others while doing little to nothing positive in comparison.

Great if you might think both is the better option, but then practice what you preach instead of just preaching.

[numberthirty]

It can be about both: I'll go with the person who votes against Repbublicans and laughs about Paul on a message board when it comes to "actions".

As opposed to chastising others while doing little to nothing positive in comparison.

Great if you might think both is the better option, but then practice what you preach instead of just preaching.

Again, try shoehorning what you like in.

Still won't make this complicated when it isn't.

[PaulBullion]

So I'm curious if you can have privilege for non white people if the majority of a community is non white?

Pretty sure there is Hang privilege in China. Compared to, say, the Uigurs.

[PaulBullion]

I'd also have an idea of solutions that don't require spending additional money.

Will this be an acceptable response when a bad thing happens to a public figure you do like?

How many of those will have stalled legislation designed to soften the blow of the pandemic for the American people, though? Five? One? Less than one?

[PaulBullion]

Acting however you want isn't suddenly justifiable because the person involved is a jerk.

Being better than Republicans(or jerks) ain't exactly a high bar to get over.

In addition, being better is about you and not them.

I hope he is going to be ok. He does not look like he leads a healthy lifestyle.

[Jack Dracula]

This one has nothing to do with voting.

How you conduct yourself when it comes to someone actually being ill has to do with being better. That is the action.

Not exactly a complicated matter.

I believe the idea is that you check the state of your own moral compass before giving others directions.

[aja_christopher]

I'd also have an idea of solutions that don't require spending additional money.

Why is spending additional money on the education of future generations inherently a bad thing?

Especially as opposed to unnecesarily increasing military spending instead -- like funding a War in Iraq for instance.

If it is shown that investing more money in education leads to better results both short and long-term -- which it does in many circumstances -- then why is the default argument for Republicans that less money should be spent in the area of education?

----
"The Evidence is Clear: More Money For Schools Means Better Student Outcomes"

"As every educator knows, the last thing states should be doing is decreasing school funding. Yet, In 2015, 29 states provided less school funding than in 2008. Education budgets in other states have, at best, barely recovered from pre-recession levels a decade ago.

Educators have had enough and are mobilizing around the country, demanding lawmakers adequately fund our public schools. As hard as it is to believe, the perception that funding makes little or no difference in student success persists. These are beliefs, says Bruce D. Baker, professor of education at Rutgers University in New Jersey, that are based on outdated and faulty research.

Baker is the author of a new report from the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) that confirms what educators know to be true — students benefit from more school funding. The report, “Money Matters,” surveys a large body of national data to determine the impact financial inputs have on student achievement, particularly for minority and economically-disadvantaged students.

“Right now, in many states, schools with the highest-need students receive fewer resources than those serving the most affluent, which translates to less experienced teachers, larger classes, and, ultimately, lower graduation rates and lower achievement levels,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, President and CEO of LPI.

“While money alone is not the answer to all educational ills,” Baker writes in the report, “more equitable and adequate allocation of financial inputs to schooling provides a necessary underlying condition for improving the equity and adequacy of outcomes.”

"Baker draws three main conclusions in “Money Matters”:

Per-Pupil Funding Improves Outcomes

Aggregate per-pupil spending increases student outcomes in every situation, an effect that was larger in some studies than others, and mattered more for low income students. A specific study cited by Baker showed that a “21.7% increase in per-pupil spending throughout all 12 school-age years for children from low-income families is large enough to eliminate the education attainment gap between children from low-income and non-poor families.”

Even smaller levels of spending made a significant difference in educational outcomes, inlcuding test scores and graduation rates.

“Increasing per-pupil spending by 10% in all 12 school-age years increases probability of high school graduation by 7 percentage points for all students, and by roughly 10 percentage points for non-poor children,” Baker writes.

Resources Count

Money matters for smaller class sizes, additional instructional supports, and early childhood education outcomes. These critical resources improve outcomes dramatically, especially for poor and minority students. In addition, when school districts increase teacher pay, the benefit for students are clear, especially in districts with less favorable working conditions.

“Increases in teacher wages have also been found to be associated with increased student achievement—presumably because more capable teachers are recruited and retained,” Baker writes.

Funding Distribution is Important

In Baker’s analysis, sustained improvements to level and distribution of funding across local public school districts led to improvement in level and distribution of student outcomes. While funding alone cannot provide improved learning outcomes, it provides an underlying condition that makes them possible. Schools in high poverty neighborhoods, in particular, need additional funding to help students succeed.

“As poverty increases, costs of achieving any level of outcomes increases significantly,” the report states.

And yet, high poverty students aren’t getting the necessary funding. In fact, in most areas, high wealth areas get significantly more funding.

Baker looks at finance reforms in several states that led to a comparatively more equitable distribution system, increased revenues for schools in high poverty areas, and improved student outcomes.

“Our nation’s economy depends on a well-educated, high-quality workforce and that means investing in all students,” says Darling-Hammond. “Investments in these students are investments in their future and ours. If we don’t ensure they have the quality schools that their wealthier peers have, we deny far too many of them the opportunity to succeed and to contribute to society.”"

http://neatoday.org/2018/08/01/money...-in-education/

[Darkspellmaster]

Thanks all for your responses to my question. I'll shoot her the responses.☺