I wanted to thank an anonymous commenter to yesterday's posting for today's LOL of the Day
Actually, when it comes to issues of class and lack of compassion for the struggling working people of this community--there can be no greater Right-wing fringe than your loud, gossipy, mean-spirited minority who suggest people should just get out if they can't afford a massive tax increase. In terms of what is best for the children--economically and academically--Pennsbury would be ideal. Not only does it offer greater educational opportunity- but lower taxes and increased property values as well. I have to wonder at the agenda of those who would stop at nothing, despite repeated electorial rebuke (ignoring democracy--now there is a Right-wing strategy), race-baiting sensationalization (don't think for a moment that Anne Perry's letter to the editor with thinly-veiled gangster innuendo regarding Mr. Radosti escaped the notice of other Italian-Americans) and constant drum-beating as if this was the most pressing issue of these times. Must be nice to have such a luxury. Either you are teachers worried about being unemployed (in that case the old, If-you-can't-afford-it-tough-luck argument applies,doesn't it?) Or, you are intent on snatching up properties (I believe Jon Perry mentioned just "how easy" landgrabs were)and flipping them say for 735K, huh? Or, you know, it is just infantile sour grapes because you got your asses handed to you. But, don't ever assume to speak for the Left, unless you fly that banner as a DLC appropriation.
Thanks for your input. If you want to see mean spirited in action, look in the mirror.
The seniors should NOT get out because they cannot afford to live here. If you really read through things posted here, you would have seen my comment about my grandmother and her one-bedroom apartment after losing the longtime family home to inflation, lackluster investments, and taxes. A thriving community includes all age levels. I submit that you want the children gone to enjoy your new Morrisville (an age 55 and over community) home. That's an equally repugnant idea.
I believe the "mafia" references were due to the police coming in to a school board executive session and were a reference used by the reported who wrote the story. I don't think anyone pushed John Jordan into speaking the other night, and if Al Radosti said those things, then he should be held accountable. If he didn't then the false reporter and/or Jordan should be accountable.
I am not a teacher. There are days my own kids are more than I can handle. I can only imagine having thirty kids in my charge.
When was the last time you were in a Morrisville classroom since you graduated? The small class sizes and the focused teacher attention are a godsend to many of the students. I'm also pleasantly surprised by the sharp caliber of teachers in this small community. Most of them can probably do much better elsewhere in terms of pay, but yet, they choose to come here. Same with the Gateway project. They could probably do better elsewhere, yet they chose Morrisville. Ask yourself: What brighter future do they see for Morrisville that is invisible to you?
And as for a landgrab, the taxes are oppressive, there's a crumbling school system soon to go bankrupt and taken over, the borough budget is failing, and new business development is vainly left knocking at the door waiting to be let in. Who would buy a home in this crazy place?
I don't speak for the left or the right. The left wing loonies are just as ridiculous as their right wing nut counterparts. The truth, as always, lies more in the center, where we're supposed to meet and hash things out.
We did get our asses handed to us. We foolishly assumed that the fallacious and incoherent arguments that were the centerpiece of the Stop the Schoolers campaign would be dismissed by serious thinkers. Boy, were we wrong.
PS ADDED NOON Jan 29 2008: WOW! I cannot believe the dialogue that this has generated. These are exactly the points of view that need to be publicised!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
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11 comments:
Things will not get better-the economy is spiraling downward and it is going to be more than seniors on a fixed income who will be fearing the wolf at the door. You keep claiming that it is all in the best interests of the children, but I have lived in the area for over 40 years and I know the reason young families don't move to Morrisville--despite interesting and affordable neighborhoods, is because the schools are inferior. Why the hell would any parent who wants what's best for their children, choose lousy schools and high taxes?
Yes, as the recession deepens, food and fuel prices increase, rents rise, job security is threatened, and young families lose their homes, I ask you:
What about the children?
I ask again: You have been here for 40 years. What did you do in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s to make Morrisville a better place?
What about the children? I'm fighting for them.
And believe it or not, I'm fighting for you as well. I'm supporting a cease fire in this ridiculous generation war and willing to get down to work to find a way to keep the small Morrisville school system AND the valuable seniors. What about you?
"In terms of what is best for the children--economically and academically--Pennsbury would be ideal. Not only does it offer greater educational opportunity- but lower taxes and increased property values as well."
These statements may be true if we were talking about a merger, but we're not. We've been down that road and they do not want us. The problem with "out-tuitioning," as it's been called, is that [1] it would be on a contract basis. What happens after we shutter our failing buildings and the receiving school, whether it is Pennsbury or someone else, decides they no longer want, or perhaps do not have room for our students and do not renew the contract? Then we'd be in a serious bind. Or, [2] the receiving district decides to up the tuition on us. And, [3] we would have no voice whatsoever what happens in that district because we wouldn't be part of the district, we'd just be paying rent.
Not only that, what makes anyone believe tuition would be cheaper than what we currently pay? Yes, their cost-per-pupil may be lower, but if we ship out 1/3 of our kids, guess what... we'll lose 1/3 of our funding too. When you consider the current cost, reduce the revenue, it is likely to be MORE EXPENSIVE than today. And this does not include transportation costs, etc. And then the seniors really might get "out-residenced."
I would entertain talks of merger by the current board, as it addresses issues 1-3 above, but absolutely NOT to discussions of farming. Farming out is just bad, short-term thinking. This, of course, is just a by-the-numbers comment, and does not reflect the fact that I personally prefer to keep our district intact.
STS, if interested in posting it, I can send a spreadsheet that shows how farming could be more expensive.
"there can be no greater Right-wing fringe than your loud, gossipy, mean-spirited minority"
Steve Worob and Marylys Myhock set the standared for mean spirited, so laying this back on the people who are fighting for a better (not CHEAPER) Morrisville is a low blow.
As for the minority being the "Right-Wing fringe", I'm proud to say I am left of center, and I dare-say you will probably find many who are in support of the schools to be the same. Don't dare call me right-wing fringe!
"In terms of what is best for the children--economically and academically--Pennsbury would be ideal."
Don't you think that is for the parents to decide? If they thought a monolithic impersonal educational system like Pennsbury would be best for their children, they would have bought a house a few streets over. It is highly more likely that if parents chose to buy in, move to, and live in Morrisville that they thought the small school setting was in the best interest of their children. And they are in a MUCH better position to decide what is best than this writer is.
"but I have lived in the area for over 40 years and I know the reason young families don't move to Morrisville"
If you have lived in town that long, then surely you must know that there have been many times when young families HAVE flocked to Morrisville (early 80's, mid 90's to name a few). When the whole town works together for the betterment of Morrisville (not just the reduction of taxes to spare the seniors), Morrisville moves forward. But currently there is a council that wants the school district out of its hair, a school board that is more interested in liquidating assets than in finding ways to improve education, a loudly vocal group of citizens who want to stop all progress (both economic and educational) in order to preserve some nostaligic ideal of a 1950's Morrisville, and a few people here and there who have truly innovative ideas on how to help Morrisville progress, but who are being ignored by this political war that is going on.
What young family WOULD want to move to Morrisville with all of this going on? It really has little (not nothing, mind you) to do with (as the writer puts it) the schools being inferior.
And by the way, back up your broad and sweeping claim that Morrisville schools are inferior.
Until Morrisville takes ownership and stewardship of what it has, no progress will ever be made towards a better standard of living.
Ya got us red-handed, anonymous! Anyone can see that my January 14th post about the 1953 Alan Ladd movie Shane was a completely serious dissertation about the ease of a land grab. My other postings that day were equally as serious.
And my wife's Oct. 23, 2007 letter to the editor of the Courier Times ("Mean Spirited Tactics Don't Produce Healing"), which can be found on the Nov. 2, 2007 entry on this blog, is indeed rife with thinly-veiled gangster innuendo directed at Al Radosti. Everyone read it for yourself and see how obvious it is. But with her father's side of the family coming to this country from the Marche region of Italy, and her paternal grandparents spending their first years in America toiling in the cotton fields of early-1900's Jim Crow Mississippi side-by-side with African-American sharecroppers, it's understandable that she would want to slam Italian-Americans.
I think I know where the $735k comes from. I believe that's the approximate asking price of Sandy & Jed Gibson's house. Now listen up, because this makes perfect sense: since we're merely automatons remote-controlled by Sandy Gibson's thought waves, we told her to sell the house and exactly how much to ask for it, and we will receive a handsome share of the profit on this house-flipping if and when the house sells. Isn't that right Sandy? Sandy? Darn honey, I knew we should have gotten that in writing!
"I have to wonder at the agenda of those who would stop at nothing, despite repeated electorial (sic) rebuke"
So, if you don't like the results of an election, you should just sit idly by? Sorry, can't do it. I've been whining about President Bush for 8 years, I complained about the Bush before him for 4 and I grew up watching my father yell at Ronald Reagan on the television, so no electoral victory is going to beat me into silence.
John Stuart Mill had some interesting words about the 'tyranny of the majority', but most germane to this discussion are the words of Peter Zenger who said in 1736 that "No nation, ancient or modern, ever lost the liberty of speaking freely, writing, or publishing their sentiments, but forthwith lost their liberty in general and became slaves" (thanks to Wikipedia).
That said, the letter writer sounds like an utter and complete fascist to me.
In response to (and support of) Peter's comments, [1] contracting out the education gives up control of expenses, [2] selective acceptance drains us of the brightest and leaves us with the most expensive educational costs of supporting special needs students, and [3] completely removes local control by eliminating voter input.
And NO ONE is going to entertain the pleas of a pauper; Morrisville crawling on our knees begging other districts to take our students. We have let everything of value deteriorate, and have nothing to offer. What would ANY district gain by taking our students, besides a larger student population? The vocal minority has already advertised the sale of our district as: rundown buildings containing underperforming teachers and underachieving students.
Our only choice is to fix the problems at home.
I suppose anonymous hasn't been paying attention to all the good that has been happening in our district. Principal of the year for the State of PA, the top scores in the county at the elementary level. Is that what anonymous believes is inferior? I believe that Morrisville is it's own worst enemy in spreading the falsities of the borough. How about taking some pride in yourself, getting off your butt and learning the facts. And if anyone still believes that Pennsbury wants us after the past four years of news on the subject, then they must be living under a rock. Why don't we take what we have and keep getting better so others will come begging for us. We could do it if everyone would just stop whining.
Slightly off topic: did anyone catch Bush 43 pushing for vouchers in the SOTU last night? He called them "Pell Grants for Children" and said that they would help pay for tuition to "Faith based schools" in the inner city; but once you get past the code it becomes "Vouchers" to send children to Religious schools.
Either way, it's dangerous, unconstitutional, and needs to be stopped.
Don't look behind the curtain though, you might see the Ultra Right Wing/No Tax Extremist Ideological underpinning of the mighty Q.
And so, "meet the new board, the same as the old board..." It is saddening that the cycle continues. Those in power charging ahead with their agendas, regardless of the concerns of the unwashed masses. These same masses, flinging their vitriol back at those who opress them. As has been mentioned, simply substitute the names, and you see how this self-imposed cycle of negativity keeps Morrisville, the town with potential, from ever realizing this potential. Every so often, some new blood enters the fray, and there is renewed hope for change, but these people are beaten down and beaten out by those who disagree with them. Those who manage to fight through are left to join this camp or that camp, and nothing really has changed except the names of the players. This is certainly not unique to Morrisville, but what could be unique is breaking from this cycle, and finding a solution palatable to all. OK, OK, so we could also hit the lottery and get struck by lightening, but it's worth trying, isn't it? It's got to be better than what we have now.
WOW, for once I am speechless! How many times has the anonymous letter writer become emotional at the thought that their children won't be educated in Morrisville.(Assuming he/she/it has children) All of this has been an emotional roller coaster for me! I live in the house my great-grandparents and grandparents lived in, my mother was raised here. It is so damn disheartening to me to hear that the seniors don't want the children here.
And to point out why parents don't move their families to Morrisville anymore.....all that is ever put out there is the negative things.
What a lonely negative world "the people" live in.
One good thing to note....they are reading what we write, regardless of weather or not it sinks in. Don't people tend to get angry when they feel pushed up against the wall. Uh huh..I thought so!
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