Lawmakers seek to break laptop pact/Maine

The Bangor Daily News ^ | 11 July 2002

[SheLion]

AUGUSTA — Two lawmakers have asked the attorney general’s office to determine the state’s liability if it breaks a contract with Apple Computer for thousands of laptop computers.

Reps. Phil Cressey, R-Baldwin, and Brian Duprey, R-Hampden, asked Attorney General Steven Rowe to determine if there’s an out in the $37.2 million contract. They said the money would be better spent to offset a looming $180 million budget shortfall than on computers.

“This laptop program here in the state of Maine does not have the support of all the people of the state of Maine,” said Cressey. “When we’re trying to deal with the state budget, everything should be on the table.”

Legislators last year approved a $30 million plan to provide laptop computers to every seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine.

In December, the state signed a four-year deal to lease 36,000 wireless iBooks from Apple. The Legislature later cut the laptop plan to $25 million.

Two thousand of the computers have been delivered, and 16,000 more are set to be shipped next month.

The Apple contract includes an escape clause that says the state “is not obligated to make payment under this agreement” if the money is not available, but that does not necessarily mean the state would be off the hook if it broke the contract.

That’s because the agreement also says the state’s failure to pay up “shall be deemed to be a default under this agreement.”

Whether that would trigger hefty penalties or fines for breach of contract is what Cressey and Duprey want to find out from Rowe. A spokesman for the attorney general said that Rowe probably will respond to the lawmakers’ letter within a couple of weeks.

While both legislators want to know what could happen if the state breaks the Apple contract, they do not agree on whether the laptop program should be eliminated.

Cressey wants more research to show that the laptops would truly enhance education. He would like a two-year continuation of the pilot program that ran this spring at nine middle schools.

“I’d rather see us try to get out of [the contract] and stay with the demonstration schools,” said Cressey.

Duprey wants the laptop program gone.

“We don’t need laptops in Hampden. We can use the cash,” he said.

If Rowe concludes that the state can break the contract without having to pay penalties, that could build support in the Legislature for gutting the laptop fund, instead of shrinking it from $25 million to $15 million, as King has proposed.

[SheLion]

Governor King shut down Maine's government on the 5th of July to "save money." He could have done away with this lap top program and paid his workers intead.

[SheLion]

,

[dts32041]

I books, yet.

Who in the business world except graphics artists use I books.

Looks like steve job's vacationing in maine paid off.

Anguish King's legacy, and ICe Storm, a deficit and laptops for kiddies.

Of course next weekend I will be back at the gravel pit for the Hiriam Maxim's celebration.

[lelio]

What are 7th and 8th graders doing that requires a laptop? Shouldn't they be spending time thinking and reading and not wasting time creating a powerpoint presentation for history class? Computers just give kids short attention spans anyway. Bah!

[drjoe]

Millions of people use ibooks. The entire educational system in Henrico county VA uses ibooks. Apple computers sell some 3 to 4 MILLION Macs a year.The point is NOT Mac vs PC. The point is troglodytes vs people who have the interest of student at hand. These guys ought to give it up and get a life. When they hold the clearance sale on the State of Maine and auction it off to the highest bidder, as the last job disappears from sight and the literacy level sinks below the event horizon, these self same ignoramuses will still be heard complimenting each other over their triumph of bringing this all to pass. "Boy we showed them, didn't we. Now lets send the kids out to the broccoli fields, cranberry bogs, mussel shoals and tree farms and get them into REAL work."

[dts32041]

Of course as anybody really knows, the Maxim Birthday party is 19,20,21 July.

I apologize for screwing up everyone's weekend.

[Cable225]

The point is troglodytes vs people who have the interest of student at hand. These guys ought to give it up and get a life.

I read your reply 5 times and I am embarassed to say I don't understand your perspective. Who are the troglodytes? Who needs to get a life?

I'm not being facetious, I really don't understand where you fall on this. Thanks.

[Frohickey]

Millions of people use ibooks. The entire educational system in Henrico county VA uses ibooks. Apple computers sell some 3 to 4 MILLION Macs a year.The point is NOT Mac vs PC. The point is troglodytes vs people who have the interest of student at hand. These guys ought to give it up and get a life. When they hold the clearance sale on the State of Maine and auction it off to the highest bidder, as the last job disappears from sight and the literacy level sinks below the event horizon, these self same ignoramuses will still be heard complimenting each other over their triumph of bringing this all to pass. "Boy we showed them, didn't we. Now lets send the kids out to the broccoli fields, cranberry bogs, mussel shoals and tree farms and get them into REAL work."

How about this idea instead?

Eliminate the laptop fund, and give the $30 million back to the Maine citizens in the form of tax breaks.

[ozone1]

Tax Breaks, BWAHAHAHAHA
The rats and rinos have run up a 600 million plus deficit for next year. We are looking at a 6% sales tax (NH as 0%)
a 10% income tax (NH has 0%). And you know what, The rats are proud of what they have done in Maine and want to spread our good fortune to the rest of the country.

30 million for laptops, The tobacco settlement is sponsoring race cars and luncheons and King is fiddling himself while the state collapses.

[drjoe]

Sorry for being unclear. The trog's [who are those who ought to get a life] are those who oppose the laptop deal. The state is in dire financial straits because of an archaic economy, an antique, though well meaning educational system and a tax base dependent upon the harvesting of local products [seafood, vegetables and lumber-stuff] which then promptly gets shipped out of the state for post-processing. As to Frohickey's splendid suggestion to give the money back to the citizen's in the form of a tax break I would only respond by saying that, for better or worse, we all have state educational systems and have made the decision to support the education of our children through this system. We ought to spend the money as wisely as possible. Spending money on education is a deferred form of spending money on ourselves. I believe that this is a wise choice in the form of an investment in the children's and eventually the state's future. ozone1 correctly points out that contiguous states have FAR lower tax rates and seem to be able to move into the 21st century. Not for nothing then does one hear about the Peoples Republic of Maine. Mongrel economies [a combination of a command and a populist system] don't seem to work very well.

[SheLion]

What are 7th and 8th graders doing that requires a laptop? Shouldn't they be spending time thinking and reading and not wasting time creating a powerpoint presentation for history class? Computers just give kids short attention spans anyway. Bah!

This has been a thorn in my side for what seems like two years now with this stupid lap top program. Then King comes out crying the blues that "he can't balance the budget," and had to furlough the government employees without pay. This, to me, is a blatant slap in the face to all tax payers in Maine. Which is MOST of us.

[SheLion]

Eliminate the laptop fund, and give the $30 million back to the Maine citizens in the form of tax breaks.

Why don't you move to Maine and run for office? I LOVE your way of thinking!!!

On second thought, better stay where you are. You don't have near the state government problems there yet. I do like your idea though.

[SheLion]

30 million for laptops, The tobacco settlement is sponsoring race cars and luncheons and King is fiddling himself while the state collapses.

ozone! Get this! Bubba just renewed the sticker for our 2000 SUV............and paid over $380 dollars for EXCISE TAX! Where does THAT money go???!!

[SheLion]

[Frohickey]

On second thought, better stay where you are. You don't have near the state government problems there yet. I do like your idea though.

She don't know me very well, do she?

SheLion... I'm in Kalifornia. State government problems... we are full of it.

[Frohickey]

The rats and rinos have run up a 600 million plus deficit for next year. We are looking at a 6% sales tax (NH as 0%) a 10% income tax (NH has 0%). And you know what, The rats are proud of what they have done in Maine and want to spread our good fortune to the rest of the country.

Kalifornia has Maine beat, hands down.

We have a 8.25% sales tax, and a 9.6% state income tax on top of that!

[SheLion]

SheLion... I'm in Kalifornia. State government problems... we are full of it.

Oh God, I am SO sorry. I checked out your FP site real quick, and mistook your flag for Texas. ~sigh.....

So sorry. And yes, I sure know the problems Kookifornia is having. I think Davis and King are related. UGH!

[aruanan]

Who in the business world except graphics artists use I books.

Everyone who's not mindlessly following a PC-meme acquired randomly from his computing environment?

[gulfwarvet]

I'm wondering just how responsible these 7th and 8th graders are going to be with their new computers. This age group is not exactly known for its responsibility.

And, something just GIVEN to them will not be as well cared for as something you have to earn yourself. Maybe the families should get a super great deal, even $10/month, just something that they contribute to the "ownership".

I can picture Apple laptops being forgotten under seats on the schoolbus, or even being taken down to the local pawn shop. I know that sounds terrible, but I'm just considering possible sanarios.

I think a better solution would be to make Apple laptops available in every school library, where students could check one out just as they would a book. They would then be responsible for returning it to the library on time and in the same condition. If the purpose of this program is to make technology available to students at all income levels in the state, then a library check-out program would accomplish that without the high cost and nightmare situations that will be brought on by student irresponsibility.

I can also tell you what these new laptops will be used for more than anything: games and chatting.

[Old philosopher]

This Laptop program has to be one of the most hairbrained boondoggles, that I have ever heard of, a pure waste of millions of dollars. In the first place children of that age are too irresponsible to be entrusted with taxpayer funded equipment of that kind, if they want laptops let them buy their own. If they really need computers then Desktops would cost about 60% less, and would be more suitable for real computing loads. Secondly if they are going to learn to use computers, they should learn the system that is almost universally used in business, not a system that is used by a small percentage of users.

The fact is that most of these kids are not mentally prepared for real computing, the laptops would be mostly used for playing games. Since we have a functional illiteracy exceeding 25% among High School Graduates, how will their education be improved? Laptops will not teach them how to write, spell,nor compose a simple paragraph, let alone an essay or lengthy composition. Everyday in reading internet messages I see some of the most horrible examples of lack of language education that can be imagined. Neither will computers teach them to think, as is required in higher mathematics, science, etc. When I was a boy one of the best math teachers I had always said that one of the reasons for studying math was to develop the ability to reason. I learned in the real world that he was correct in his premise. Learning to reason in any form is not a skill that can be taught by a computer, yet it is one of the most necessary skills in the busiess world.

I graduated from High School 61 years ago, and computers as we know them today had not even been invented, yet my education at that time was better than that of most of today's holders of BA degrees. I spent a lifetime working in Industry at job levels from entry level to that of top management. In retirement I have written and published a book, and I am Listed in Who's Who in America. Guess what? I never used a computer until I was 62 years old. Do you believe that a computer would have given me a better education? Not likely. Even today I can do math problems in my head, that most current College Grads of today would require a calculator to solve, not because I am brilliant, but because I had a solid grounding in math as a young boy.

The use of computers and calculators in the classroom are only crutches for lazy and incompetent teachers. Let the teachers first learn the subjects they are to teach, and prove their competence in their chosen subject (note I do not use the modern euphemism "Discipline", I suggest you look up the definition of that word). If a Teacher knows his or her subject well he or she will have no difficulty teaching it without computers. If the Teacher is incompetent, the students will not learn the subject with or without a computer. I can remember two of my High Shool teachers who met that description, and I learned nothing of value from them.

Scrap the Laptop Program, and use the money for more important needs.

That's my opinion.