Free Republic

During the 1950s the world became familiar with the phrase “planned obsolescence.” The basic idea was that manufacturers change the appearance of products in order to sell more products. Customers are encouraged to want a new look, and to disdain the old look. A similar concept is called “intentional product failure.” If you design products to wear out quickly, customers will need more replacements. There have always been rumors that lightbulbs could last almost forever. Apparently it’s true. No question, both techniques increase sales and raise a country’s GDP. You probably need cynicism and maybe some criminality to practice these...

The argument that Scott Walker Supports Common Core is false A few months ago, I received the following Eblast (provided in italics) from another PAC supporting a different presidential candidate. Some of the information is misleading at best, and false to its core at worse: Dear Fellow Conservative: You’ve probably already heard of Common Core—the latest federal “education” program being rammed into local schools from coast to coast. Common Core is gaining more traction as a bad program, one which states have already rejected outright or opted out of altogether. Even New York State is pushing back against the further...

It’s not for lack of humility that Big Guy gave his eponymous healthcare law a rating of 8 out of 10. “And the reason I don't put it at a 10 is because you can always improve something," he said in an interview with ABC News published Wednesday. It’s because it’s magnificence hasn’t been fully actualized yet. Watch out when that happens! Until then let’s just say it’s one of the more interesting applications of the 80/20 rule: having achieved 20% of the desired results we’re taking 80% of the credit.The high scoring is most likely due to one of...

A few months ago, I received the following Eblast (provided in italics) from another PAC supporting a different presidential candidate. Some of the information is misleading at best, and false to its core at worse: [snip] The argument that Scott Walker Supports Common Core is false, and in fact demonstrates the measured, reform-minded nature of the governor of Wisconsin, who does not simply take pot-shots at unpopular, liberal ventures, but provides leadership and skill in removing the obstacles to provide something better.

“Where did Common Core come from?” is a question I often hear from parents as I travel the country speaking about the Islamic infiltration of America. ... The short answer is that resident Obama’s push for “hope and change” translates into completely transforming America — for the worse. Common Core is but one of many parts of an intricate plan to infiltrate every area of American society with Islam. Which is why, Common Core’s origin and funding came from Qatar, Libya and Saudi Arabia. Globally, Common Core originated from the “One World Education” concept, a global goal orchestrated by the...

Scott Walker was in favor of a legal pathway for illegal immigrants, then he was against it. And then he was for it again. Maybe. On so-called Common Core national education standards? He once touted them, now wants to repeal them. On federal ethanol mandates cherished by farmers, particularly in Iowa? Once opposed to them, he now embraces them. His record of shifting stances also applies to abortion, and “right to work” legislation that makes it harder for workers to unionize. As the Wisconsin governor continues to consider running for president, he appears to be following the playbook of Mitt...

Opposition to the Common Core education reforms embraced by the Obama Administration is growing, and not just on the political right. The latest issue of the decidedly left-wing journal Rethinking Schools carries two items on Common Core protests in, respectively, Long Island and New Mexico. “Beth Dimino is an 8th-grade teacher and president of the Port Jefferson Station Teachers Association in New York,” RT reported in Spring 2015. “She announced in February that she would not administer the Common Core tests to her students.” “Dimino is one of the leaders of a growing opt-out movement in the area and throughout...

Ted Cruz vows to repeal “every word” of Obamacare and Common Core if he becomes president. He would “abolish” the IRS, flatten the Tax Code so Americans can fill out their taxes on a postcard, and “finally, finally, finally” secure the border. To which Lindsey Graham says: not going to happen.

PHOENIX -- The head of the Senate Education Committee is blocking the confirmation of one of the governor's picks for the Board of Education because the nominee supports the Common Core academic standards. Sen. Kelli Ward, R-Lake Havasu City, refused to schedule a hearing on Tim Carter. He is the Yavapai County school superintendent. More to the point, he was involved in crafting the standards. And that was too much for Ward to take. "There's a large outcry against Common Core,'' Ward told Capitol Media Services Tuesday. And Ward has made it quite clear she wants them scrapped. The move...

Big Business pressure played a big role in reducing two "tough conservative" Republicans to bowls of mush this week, but it isn't just gay marriage and religious freedom where the Corporate Elites wield influence over Republicans and Democrats. The US Chamber of Commerce and some of the big corporate names attacking religious freedom this week have also been in the forefront of calling for "comprehensive immigration reform". Those are the code words for Amnesty for illegal immigrants and or a massive increase in work permits for people from foreign countries. The biggest cheerleader for Common Core educational standards among GOP...

Over the past few months in cities throughout the country, we have seen harsh moments that have been characterized as "racial incidents." Whether it be Ferguson, Mo., New York City or Los Angeles, these events continue to occur in states regardless of which party dominates the political landscape. The three cities previously mentioned are considered Democratic strongholds, which shows us that this is a problem regardless of who is in charge. But what exactly is the problem? What are we missing, or is there something that we are not talking about enough? Can we say it is just one thing...

The Arizona Senate rejected a bill Monday that would have abolished the controversial Common Core standards in that state. Some Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat the bill, 16-13, a fact that underscores that while Democrats could be expected to vote in favor of keeping a federally-funded initiative like the Common Core, the worst enemy of the conservative base of the GOP is actually other Republicans.As the Associated Press notes, repeal measure HB 2190 earlier passed the Arizona state House and the Senate Education committee, but the full Senate rejected the bill as it did a similar proposal last month...

My heart is broken right now realizing that harm has been done to LGBT people in this country. Much of it is real involving bullying and sexual abuse, among other things. But much of it is also imaginary leading to imaginary notions about 'enemies'. Those who have conservative religious beliefs about sexuality have been defined by activists that include major business leaders like Apple CEO Tim Cook as bigots, racists, KKK and Nazis. With that notion in their heads and with business- political-media support, one shudders to think what is happening at this moment in the attack on the Indiana...

Though Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona ran as a candidate opposed to the Common Core standards in 2014, he claims a bill that would abolish the controversial initiative in his state is not “necessary” and wants, instead, to “fix” the standards.Arizona Capitol Times reports that Ducey has “walked a fine line” in the debate over the highly controversial standards, and, rather than call for repeal and replace the Common Core – rebranded as the Arizona College and Career Ready Standards by his predecessor Gov. Jan Brewer (R) – he has called on the Arizona Board of Education to review...

Now that Gov. Bobby Jindal is actually engaging the Legislature in his fight against the Common Core (mis-)educational standards, it’s time for a refresher course on why the standards are so misguided. First, though, there’s this: Some usual Jindal allies, such as Speaker Chuck Kleckley, say they particularly object to Jindal’s idea of reverting back (temporarily) to the testing regime of the old Louisiana Educational Assessment Program, which the state used for two decades before the state’s board of education fell prey to the airy groupthink of Common Core. But why? What was wrong with LEAP? For years Louisiana pointed...

Even though Virginia is one of only a few states not having to deal with the alleged "dumbing down" of the controversial Common Core, many parents statewide are now concerned with the proposed ban on zeroes from the classroom so that students' feelings aren't hurt. A Closer Look"Protecting" students from knowing about their subpar performance is different from school to school. "[Students cannot receive a score lower than 50 percent] unless they did not actually do the assignment or put in effort to do it," Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Dana Tofig told The Washington Post....

An anti-Common Core budget amendment passed a Senate vote Thursday, allowing states to opt-out of the educational standards without penalty from the federal government. The amendment would also prohibit the federal government from "mandating, incentivizing, or coercing" states into adopting Common Core or any other standards, instructional content, curricula, assessments, or instruction programs.

ThinkProgress has not one but two articles bashing this tweet from Sen. (and now presidential candidate) Ted Cruz: Federal Govt has no business sticking its nose in education. We need to repeal every word of Common Core! #nhpolitics #MakeDCListen The headlines pretty much sum it up: “Ted Cruz Makes Impassioned Plea For Repeal Of Federal Legislation That Does Not Exist” and “Every Claim In This Ted Cruz Statement Is Completely False.” The second critiques this statement from Cruz’s spokeswoman: “Common Core is a federally created curriculum that the state’s ‘Race to the Top’ grants are tied to. So if the...

No way to know when Common Core will die or whether No Child Left Behind will suffer a similar fate but the trend nationwide is obvious. Parents, teachers, schools and districts want the federal government out Americans are learning the hard way that the federal government should not be permitted to impose one-size-fits-all standards to education. It was never intended to play a role in education and the absence of any mention in the Constitution is proof enough that education was intended to be supervised by the states where the school districts, schools, and parents are closest to the process....

... “New Day” anchor Alisyn Camerota asked Atwell, “What do you say to kids out there that are trying to figure out what they want to do when they grow up and might be considering teaching?” “Um, honestly, right now I encourage them to look in the private sector,” Atwell replied. “Because public-school teachers are so constrained right now by the Common Core standards, and the tests that are developed to monitor what teachers are doing with them. It’s a movement that’s turned teachers into technicians, not reflective practitioners. And if you are a creative, smart young person, I don’t...