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Common Core is Uncommonly Bad Ed. Policy
Townhall.com ^ | March 22, 2014 | Chad Mathis

Posted on 03/22/2014 9:13:54 AM PDT by Kaslin

You cannot be a rational, true conservative who opposes Obamacare but supports Common Core education standards.

There, I said it.

I’ve chosen now to run for public office because I don’t want to see my kids inherit an America worse off than the one I inherited – it gave me the freedom to get an education, practice medicine, start a business, and raise a family.

Unfortunately, all of our constitutional protections from an intrusive government are under attack by the Obama administration. The Washington mindset of tax, spend, regulate couldn’t be farther removed from common-sense Alabama values of fiscal restraint and freedom.

Health care is one arena we’re seeing this play out in today. Education is another.

That’s why it’s beyond me how anyone calling themselves conservative could support Common Core. Obamacare, which I’ve read cover to cover, is a blatant assault on free-market health care that puts government between doctor and patient. As a physician, I’ve lived the consequences of this bad policy.

Similarly, Common Core is a blatant assault on free-market educational choice; it puts government between parents and children, wiping out school choice for the sake of uniform standards dictated by bureaucrats, not the needs of the child.

I’m the founding board chairman of the Alabama Coalition for Charter Schools. In that capacity I’ve been on the frontlines of the battle for school choice.

I was in the gallery of the state Senate last year when a bill repealing Common Core went nowhere, and like so many other Alabama parents, I fumed with anger at seeing Republicans keep this terrible policy in place.

Frankly, that’s got to change. We need Republicans in Alabama, and especially Washington, who’ll enact real conservative reforms when given the chance, not pay lip service in election years or spend more time putting their foots in their mouths than delivering results.

We need common-sense education reform, not Common Core. What we need are reforms that leave education at the local level, empower parents with greater choices, and help children trapped in failing schools.

We need to unleash the power of American innovation across the board instead of locking government-run failure into place. That goes for both health care and education. Google Common Core and one of the first results you’ll get is an article called “Eight Problems with Common Core Standards.”

The government’s products are failing – in both spheres – and it’s going to take true conservatism to get it out of both the doctor/patient relationship AND the classroom.

Which goes back to what I mentioned earlier; we need conservative leaders who can deliver. One of my opponents in this race, state Senator Scott Beason, introduced the Alabama bill that I watched go down in smoke last year. He offered it again this year, and it again failed.

That’s 0-2 on actually getting conservative policies enacted. When it comes to Beason, he’s known more for shock value than actual results for the people of Alabama. That’s why Ken Blackwell recently compared him to Dean Young – we all remember how that one went.

In times like these, we can’t afford politicians cut from either cloth, be it the status quo or putting on a show rather than winning the war of ideas.

I’ve got no interest in reforming Common Core or diluting it enough just to say we’ve done something so we can then leave it alone.

Like Obamacare, I want it sent to the scrap heap of history.

Real education reform starts by getting Washington out of every parent’s business. Local control, expanded choice, and an experience that fits the need of every student – not some government metric that takes none of these things into account – is what I’ll push for in Congress.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: commoncore; education; educationreform

1 posted on 03/22/2014 9:13:54 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin


2 posted on 03/22/2014 9:17:06 AM PDT by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: Kaslin
I’ve chosen now to run for public office because I don’t want to see my kids inherit an America worse off than the one I inherited – it gave me the freedom to get an education, practice medicine, start a business, and raise a family.

Too late for that. ObamaCare is enough to destroy America, and Common Core will speed that destruction if both are allowed to stand. The best we can hope for is to repeal ObamaCare, reject Common Core, and put America back on the right path after the antisemitic communist leaves our White House.

3 posted on 03/22/2014 9:23:51 AM PDT by Pollster1 ("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
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To: Kaslin

Looks like I’m in for a Common Core battle at my daughter’s private school.

They switched tout this year, and my daughter is doing poorly in 11th grade History.

The class does all these group projects because that is one of the objectives.

They never do normal worksheets. There’s tons of strange writing.

My daughter has speech problems and a brain injury. She’s not a writer.

She normally likes history.

I had her take the Texas US History practice assessment just to see how she would do. She git a 96% without studying.

However, she has a C in this history class, and I can’t even figure out how to help her. I can’t tell a tutor what to work with her on.

Ugh!!


4 posted on 03/22/2014 9:31:36 AM PDT by luckystarmom
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To: Kaslin

Any way you cut it, this candidate is spot on. Hope he wins


5 posted on 03/22/2014 9:36:59 AM PDT by Nifster
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To: Kaslin

Public schools are by far the most invasive feature of the socialist federal government. If you want to have an impact on the national political path, get together with your conservative neighbors and take over your school board. It is the ultimate grass roots opportunity.


6 posted on 03/22/2014 9:37:11 AM PDT by Born to Conserve
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To: Kaslin

Great for Chad!

II Chronicles 7:14....it would work if we just had Faith and Works!!!


7 posted on 03/22/2014 9:38:39 AM PDT by YouGoTexasGirl
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To: Kaslin

Someone needs to speak to Jeb Bush about this; he just endorsed Common Core - what’s up with that?


8 posted on 03/22/2014 9:42:26 AM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: JoeProBono

CommieCare bump


9 posted on 03/22/2014 9:44:00 AM PDT by newfreep
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To: Kaslin

Great article on Common Core, via Berit Kjos’ Crossroads site-

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/mary-grabar/common-cores-little-green-soldiers/print/


10 posted on 03/22/2014 11:04:02 AM PDT by mrsmel (One Who Can See)
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To: Kaslin; All
Common Core evidently does not address the federal government's constitutionally limited powers, so we aren't learning from our mistakes.
Common Core State Standards Initiative

11 posted on 03/22/2014 12:04:47 PM PDT by Amendment10
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To: Kaslin
I've posted it before, but...this is a brilliant takedown of Common Core:

Bill Whittle "Afterburner: The Cookie Cutter Curriculum".

Please take the time to watch this. It is a stunningly brilliant and entertaining commentary by Bill Whittle on Common Core.

And send it to everyone you know...

12 posted on 03/22/2014 2:04:47 PM PDT by rlmorel ("A nation, despicable by its weakness, forfeits even the privilege of being neutral." A. Hamilton)
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To: Kaslin

Placemark.


13 posted on 03/22/2014 3:02:05 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)
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To: Kaslin

It’s backed by many “Republicans”, including Jebbie and “Bobby” Jindal. People won’t be able to figure out how another failure will smack them in the face.


14 posted on 03/22/2014 4:42:43 PM PDT by Theodore R. (It was inevitable: Texans will always be for Cornball and George P.!)
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To: Born to Conserve

The American people won’t usually vote for conservatives to school boards; they prefer the liberal names they recognize, those at least who come out to vote.


15 posted on 03/22/2014 4:44:13 PM PDT by Theodore R. (It was inevitable: Texans will always be for Cornball and George P.!)
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To: Theodore R.
It’s backed by many “Republicans”, including Jebbie and “Bobby” Jindal.

Bullshit

16 posted on 03/22/2014 5:25:10 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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