tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post8178726240743895926..comments2024-03-28T19:47:39.985-04:00Comments on CURMUDGUCATION: Dancing Straw Men Reformster Video FestivalPeter Greenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16511193640285760299noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-3581717474197925822015-10-14T16:10:14.855-04:002015-10-14T16:10:14.855-04:00As for my first comment, the first set of quotatio...As for my first comment, the first set of quotation marks is because I'm quoting Peter. The second set is because it's an invented expression.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-71482204794827626592015-10-14T15:51:35.748-04:002015-10-14T15:51:35.748-04:00Sorry. I assumed this was in the realm of common k...Sorry. I assumed this was in the realm of common knowledge.<br /><br />Wikipedia says: "The film regards teachers' unions as the cause of the problems (they are "the cartel" of the title), due to, among other things, the obstacles they put in place to firing bad teachers, through tenure. It also makes the case for school vouchers and charter schools,[3] suggesting that the increased competition will revitalize the school system, leading to improved efficiency and performance in all schools, both district and charter." <br /><br />Also "Construction costs and related corruption also represent a major cost according to Bowden" and "Bowden points out Malcolm X Shabazz High School, which he describes as one of the many under-performing schools in the state, which spent 6 million dollars on constructing a brand new "state of the art" football field,[5] rather than spending the same money to improve academics."<br /><br />Wow. Corruption in New Jersey? Who'd have thought?<br /><br />What about the corrupt charter system in Ohio, where the state head honcho of "choice" schools had to resign because he lied about how badly for-profit charter school chains were failing?<br /><br />Aren't for-profit charter chains "entities profiting from the education industrial complex, or education establishment"?Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-81395322527783611372015-10-14T15:15:09.977-04:002015-10-14T15:15:09.977-04:00No, Rebecca. (Perhaps you're commenting about ...No, Rebecca. (Perhaps you're commenting about a film you've never seen?) <br /><br />As I made clear in the film, "The Cartel" was not the teachers unions, per se. It's all the status quo entities profiting from the education industrial complex, or education establishment. In fact, I even took pains to make that distinction on TV:<br />https://youtu.be/ks_UTrVzozE<br /><br />As for your first comment, in the future, you should probably only use quotation marks when you're actually directly quoting someone, not when writing your own narrative. <br /><br />Regards,<br />-- BobBob Bowdonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05885303527077595715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-69676259643772149732015-10-13T17:38:14.892-04:002015-10-13T17:38:14.892-04:00Bowdon released a film in 2009 called The Cartel a...Bowdon released a film in 2009 called The Cartel about NJ public schools. The premise is that the teachers union is the "cartel" and is the source of all woes.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-85004071416501814892015-10-13T17:22:30.151-04:002015-10-13T17:22:30.151-04:00I wish I had not watched it. Here is the person be...I wish I had not watched it. Here is the person behind it:<br />http://choicemedia.tv/about/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05168566567751854277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-82784543958188199282015-10-13T17:16:38.590-04:002015-10-13T17:16:38.590-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05168566567751854277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534665086749553287.post-81890404021979848882015-10-13T08:52:41.797-04:002015-10-13T08:52:41.797-04:00"smarter people than us will tell us what to ..."smarter people than us will tell us what to do without actually involving us" -- here we have the classic ploy of "accuse-the-opposition-of-what-we're-actually-guilty-of".<br /><br />I wonder who the target audience for this is supposed to be, because it sounds like it's geared towards five-year-olds.Rebecca deCocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13168718846105012814noreply@blogger.com