Fort Collins, Democrats, Overpopulation, and the Denver Broncos

George Bush

Any of the candidates that are now in the running would be better than this man. Right now I'm pulling for Barack Obama, but I have serious doubts about his electability nationally. I would vote for Giuliani before Hillary, though it would be nice to get Slick Willy back in the white house as first . . . gentleman. He could focus more on the interns and the diplomacy and use some of his famous charisma. As a fringe benefit, of course, he could resume being the most powerful (sorry Hillary) man in the world instead of being so bogged down in actual policy-making decisions like he was during the greatest decade in history.

Iraq

Three peoples forced into a unity that doesn't make sense by the British after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The only solution is to explain that the use of the word "peoples" in the previous sentence is perfectly accurate under the rules of standard English, and that the Iraqi people are not one people. They are clearly three separate entities who need a central ruling government to facilitate the transfer of oil resources that must take place between the Sunni and Shi'ite (Shea) in order to create a lasting peace. The Kurds have already created a de facto Kurdistan, and the exodus of Turkish Kurds has not only been less dramatic than previously imagined, but even the Turkish government is beginning to see that those Kurds who do not leave Turkey will not clamor for their own nation--they will either emigrate to Kurdistan or quietly continue to live as Turkish citizens. The only workable plan on the table is to partition Iraq into three nearly-independent states and maintain only a peace-keeping force to protect the Kurds and to monitor the transfer of oil revenues between Sunni and Shea.

Education

I'm an actual teacher. I mean, seriously. I teach ninth and tenth grade English every school day in Loveland, Colorado. So what do I know about education? Here in the United States we have the worst public schools in the industrialized world and the best universities in the world. How long can we maintain the latter if we cannot account for the former? I believe in the power of education; which is why I worry so much about America's future.

No Child Left Behind is forcing schools to find ways of bringing up their standardized test scores. Obviously, any student who is not enrolled at your school doesn't count against your test score. So why is the national drop out rate close to 40% according to some estimates? Why are schools increasingly pushing kids out? Now, as a teacher I believe that students who are violently aggressive, or outrageously disruptive, and who aren't taking the basic steps to learn don't belong in a classroom with students who are trying to get an education. But why do we keep calling it No Child Left Behind? The policy is to expel or allow students to drop out in order to raise scores on standardized tests in an attempt to reach an impossible goal of "100% proficiency" by the year 2014.


I believe that raising the bar is a good thing for America's schools. But not every kid is cut out for studying Shakespeare, advanced Biology, and Calculus. One of the biggest flaws in education in the United States is that we provide only one style of education--an outmoded model that doesn't account for the specialization of modern society. The world leaders in education (Japan and Germany) carefully and purposefully track their students from a very young age, so that they take classes and subjects suited to their ability level and interests, not just their age. Yes, let's push the kids who want to reach the top and help them compete in the new global economy; but let's not forget about the kids who are dropping out but could still get an education and work an honest, well-paying job--if we give them that opportunity in a setting a little bit different from a traditional high school.


The Denver Broncos

I have been a fan since before I was born. Sports in general only interest me in a peripheral way--I keep track of the Nugget's games and Tiger Wood's records in the newspaper, but I watch every single snap of every Broncos game. I must make it clear to anyone who wants to contact me about the Chiefs or the R------ that I am not an NFL fan. I am a Broncos fan first, an AFC fan second, and a football fan as a result. And John Elway is the greatest athlete ever to wear a Broncos uniform. His place in the ultimate standings is irrelevant--the best player ever on the greatest team in sports is good enough for me.


Fort Collins

I love this town. Best place to live, anywhere, ever.


JC Clarke