Posted on 09/07/2005 8:45:00 PM PDT by Old_Mil
What would you have done?
This evening the wife of a gentleman running for our local school board stopped by my house (well situated on a corner) to ask if she could post campaign signs for her husband who was running for the local school board.
I didn't know either of them, so I said, "if you don't mind, first could you tell me what platform he's running on?"
"Oh," she said, "it's nothing strange. We moved here from out of state and have three girls and want to make sure that the school doesn't cut programs because of budget cuts. We're doing it for the children."
"Are you guys Republicans or Democrats?" I asked?
"Nonpartisan" she said.
"Hmm," I said, "I'll tell you what. I'm a fairly conservative Republican. I think that property taxes are already out of control and we're spending too much money on a failed system of public education. The last thing our schools need are more 'programs'. So thanks for stopping by, but I honestly don't think that I can support your platform."
She seemed shocked - but left.
What would you have done?
Before you can put a sign in my yard you get run over the grille.
Where do you stand on the 2nd Amendment?
Do you stand with the US constitution as written? (ESP. if they are on the school board, are they going to TEACH the Constitution???)
if it is School board, what kind of curriculum do they want? Where do you stand on vouchers?
Condoms on bananas? no history? no founding fathers? No sign on my yard!!!!!!
You better want reading, writing and math REAL math. AND the goal should be teaching the kids, not a jobs program for incompetent teachers.
Bravo! Nicely done.
Great response. I would've had my Rottweiler escort them off of my property.
You handled this great. You can respectfully disagree with neighbors and still be civil. Make them a batch of chocolate chip cookies, take them by and show them the TRUE conservative Republican attitude.......maybe they will convert!!! LOLOL
I would have done what you did, but might have asked them why if they had moved someplace from out of state they were running for office? I personally think the idea of learning about a place before you start telling everyone how to run things might be a good idea.
And then, I would have cited Mark Twain's famed remark:
''One day, G-d made a jackass, for practice. The next day, He made a school board.''
LOL - I'm reminded of my mother (now deceased) who some years ago received a telephone call from a representative of the local teachers' union, urging her to vote for a bond issue regarding the schools. My mother said to the caller, "Why thank you so much for calling. I wasn't aware there was a special election for this bond issue. From what I see, the kids are never in school here anyway so how can they be learning anything. Now that I know about the special election I will make sure I vote and I will vote to defeat it. Thanks again for calling to let me know"
We always got a kick out of that and could picture the look on the caller's face when she/he heard what this little old lady said.
Way to go!
That sounds exactly how I would have handled it. As long as you aren't rude, being straightforward and honest is the way to go.
Yes, you did the right thing. I wouldn't have been so polite, but I rarely do the right thing.
Whenever any politician says, "It's for the children.", you can bet your last dime it ain't for the children.
I don't think i_dont_chat was directing that in a negative way towards the poster.
I think he was saying he coudn't write on a family web site what he would have said to the person asking to put signs on the lawn.
But I could be wrong.
I would have informed her that education neither begins nor ends in school.
Unpack your panties, we have hall monitors running out our trouser cuffs.
Sounds to me like you did exactly the right thing.
Did the people move there from Ithaca?
;-)
Lifting My glass to you.. Old Mil
I'm sure someone will be coming around asking to put up signs on our lawn cause our town is so small. Thanks for all the suggestions for good answers to questions like that. I'm NEVER good at quick comebacks; I think of them three days later. I need to plan in advance what I would say in a situation like this and hope I don't forget.
Good post. There is no guarantee that she would even have had answers to those questions but at least it would make her think.
It is really unfortunate that so few choose to run for/vote for school boards. That is how the radical left is able to seize control.
Please, let me post on your lawn
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