Posted on 08/05/2006 5:11:22 PM PDT by Graybeard58
Coming to every school in Connecticut: a state-mandated swimming pool? The idea is not that far-fetched if you follow the thinking of people alarmed by the recent spate of drownings in Connecticut.
Here's the road map: Several young people, mostly minorities who were non-swimmers, drowned this summer. In Connecticut, this constitutes a moral crisis requiring -- what else? -- a government solution.
An analysis of selectively culled and tortured data from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reveals America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "(M)inority groups have historically been underrepresented in swimming lessons for a variety of reasons, including economics. Pools are sparse in the urban areas where so many minority families live."
This apparently compels the state to go off the deep end. One solution being bandied about would add to public-school curriculums a requirement that students get five hours of swimming lessons per year beginning in kindergarten. Of course, that would require the construction (with union labor) of hundreds of new school pools at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, plus the hiring of many more (unionized) gym teachers/swimming instructors. It's a state mandate waiting to happen. Opponents will be condemned as racists, and if that fails, there's always the old saw: "If it saves one life, it would be worth it."
No one would argue children should be taught to swim, but no drowning crisis exists. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 782 American children 14 or under drowned in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available, but drowning rates have been declining steadily in recent decades. Each drowning is a tragedy, but the National Safety Council says the average American child is more likely to die in a plane crash than drown accidentally.
Just about every municipality, as well as YMCAs and other nonprofit groups, offer swimming lessons at reasonable prices; most provide discounted or free lessons to low-income families.
The responsibility for teaching children to swim belongs to their parents, not the state. It's saner, simpler and far less expensive than another massive government debacle.
ping
Theres another way...
Like myself and most of the kids I grew up with.....
Boy Scouts
Girl Scouts
(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)
Boy Scouts?
Not in Philly:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678495/posts
aw jeez...
Let's have special jumping instruction for the white boys.
I agree. We should compensate any former slaves that have drowned in these public swimming pools.
Nonsense. IF the state determined it had an interest in swimming instruction (gotta start with some premise ...), then give the families a voucher for Red Cross swimming lessons, and verify that the student had taken the course before admitting him to the new school grade.
Ipso facto, all over.
Don't be so sure. If the Democrats win control of the Congress this year, we will be a Socialist country before you hit 50!
Oh. They're probably referring to people with net worths under a million dollars.
Many years ago I taught drownproofing to poor kids -14-17 yrs old.
It was hard with blacks. Many black males were "sinkers", that is with a full breath, lying motionless in the water, they sank. Very few whites are. Even some black females sank, whereas I don't think I ever seen a white female sinker.
I don't know the reason for the difference but it is pretty obvious to anyne who has taught swimming.
America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "
The Hartford Courant is full of it. That is typical liberal white guilt pandering. The reason why of those statistics is that with a 70% illegitimate rate, there are no fathers around to teach their kids to swim.
I've swum at inner city public pools. There was very little actual swimming to be seen -- mostly just coarse horseplay.
They tend to be dirty, dangerous places. The lifeguards are shouted at, ignored and abused. Some are victims of sexual harassment and even assault.
When do we institute the gun safety and shooting classes?
What makes you think putting the pools in the schools will change that?
ROTFLMAO
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