here is the democratic party platform on education

contrast and compare, bitch

Quote :

"EDUCATION North Carolinians have a right to a quality education. Our State must have an outstanding educational system in order to produce an informed community, to promote economic development, and to build for an economic future characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment. We agree with Thomas Jefferson in that "any nation which expects to remain both ignorant and free expects that which never has been nor ever shall be." We should strive for educational excellence for all persons, regardless of their race, age, gender, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, developmental disability, primary language, location, or station in life. We should make sure that every North Carolinian is guaranteed a full and unfettered opportunity to develop his or her abilities to the greatest possible extent and that all of our people have access to lifelong educational opportunities. We continue to support efforts to raise academic standards and close achievement gaps for all North Carolinians. We recognize the many outstanding public and private schools, colleges, and universities that already exist in our State and believe that these institutions should be held up as models for others to admire and emulate. We endorse the continued election of the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the enactment of legislation making the Superintendent of Public Instruction the Chair of the State Board of Education. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: We support superior educational opportunities for all North Carolina children, including efforts to reduce class size in the early grades, and increased support for home-to-school transition programs such as Head Start and Smart Start. We support emphasizing the fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic while exposing children to innovative ideas, information about other cultures, and advancement in technology. We applaud the teaching of effective citizenship, civic involvement, and legal and social responsibility. We believe that every child in North Carolina should have equal access to all educational opportunities. We support the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and believe that racial segregation of our schools is incompatible with equal opportunity for all. We support adequate funding for construction and maintenance of school facilities. Additionally, we support adequate funding for equipment and support services for at risk students and for after school programs in our public schools. We oppose any under funded or unfunded federal mandates. All children have the right to a public education that respects their religious freedom and traditions. EDUCATIONAL REFORM: Education must be in a continuous state of reform in order to permit our students to remain competitive in a changing world and to ensure that our public education system is accountable to the parents, students, taxpayers, and communities it serves. We encourage and support the efforts of school systems to promote and maintain diversity. We support the continued decentralization of decision making in our public school system so that educators will have the flexibility to adapt and react to changing circumstances without undue bureaucratic interference. Local parents, teachers, and administrators deserve a stronger voice in the establishment of educational priorities. PRESCHOOL AND AT-RISK CHILDREN: We support the principles behind Head Start, Smart Start and More at Four programs: Our young deserve the tools they need for success in school and in life. SCHOOL VOUCHERS: We oppose the implementation of private and religious school voucher programs. Such a program would amount to "welfare for the rich" in many instances. Such a program would also harm our public schools by diluting the financial support for those institutions and encouraging students to abandon the public school system. Consistent with our unequivocal support for the public school system, we cannot support a voucher program that will harm our public schools. HIGHER EDUCATION/UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES: North Carolina's universities have achieved an international reputation for excellence in many fields. We wish to preserve this important part of our State's educational environment. Consequently, we support adequate funding for our public university system, the preservation of academic freedom at those institutions, equal access for all North Carolinians, maintaining low tuition for in-state students and the availability of financial aid for all qualified students with low and moderate incomes. HIGHER EDUCATION/COMMUNITY COLLEGES: North Carolina's community colleges – begun by and fostered by North Carolina Democrats - play a vital role in enhancing the lives of our people and in paving the way for a brighter future for our State. We support adequate funding for all community college programs, including basic literacy programs, technical and vocational programs, new and expanded industrial training, small business centers, and occupational retraining. COMMUNITY COLLEGES/VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: We support the establishment of a 4-year residential post-high school high-tech academy under the jurisdiction of N.C. State University as an important initiative to prepare a skilled workforce for the future. TEACHERS: We believe good teachers - including college and university professors, instructors, and licensed classroom professionals - are among North Carolina's most valuable resources. We support continued efforts to produce, recruit, and retain highly qualified educators at all levels to ensure that our citizens receive an outstanding education. The way in which we compensate our educators should reflect our respect for the teaching profession. We support proposals to improve professionals’ salaries and working conditions within the schools. We recognize diversity in our society and believe our educational systems should reflect and honor that diversity, and to provide appropriate role models for our students. SCHOOL SAFETY: We believe that every child and educator has a right to be safe when attending school. "

5/9/2006 6:37:20 PM

Yea, same old same old. The republicans want public education, the democrats want socialized education. I don't see how anything you have posted defends your basic tennet that Republicans want to do away with public education.

Of course, as usual, the crap the Democrats published is nothing but platitudes: "Our State must have an outstanding educational system" and "We should strive for educational excellence" and "We support the principles" with not much about how to achieve them. Both platforms engage in this, I suspect it cannot be otherwise given the limited space available, but at least the Republican platform contained actual reforms, good or bad, compared to the Democrat's "Education must be in a continuous state of reform."

Again, it seems I must state again that I am not really a Republican but a die-hard Libertarian, so I personally find both platforms reprehensible.

5/9/2006 9:22:05 PM

NPR says Easley wants to use the NC tax surplus on raising teacher’s salaries by 8% (and other state professions by 4%) I believe to make NC teachers paid above the national average... rather than on some of the other pet projects people have out there. I think that’s a pretty solid plan to help improve our quality of public education on the democrat’s part. Now a NC democrat isn’t exactly the same thing as blue state democrat/kerry democrat and NC is red when it comes to the president, but we elected and re-elected a blue to governor recently for good reason.

5/9/2006 9:31:55 PM

really, because I was struck by how focused the GOP was about certain topics while paying lip service to higher ed. I've added some interpretive edits for clarity.

Quote :

"1. The Republican Party of North Carolina believes strongly in the value of maintaining a good system of public education. Good public education is impossible unless parents, not the state, have control over how far away from negroes their lily-white children will be educated. 2. Choice and competition have served the state well in higher education and we believe choice and competition should be used to improve public education at primary and secondary levels as well. We oppose regulatory attempts to deny learning options for our white children away from negroes. For these reasons, we support tax credits for parents who relieve the burden on our public schools by lawfully educating their white children in private or home schools away from negroes. We support charter schools and we urge the legislature to remove the cap that limits the number of charter schools away from negroes. Parents are the best judges of what kind of schooling (e.g. non-negro) is best for their white children. There should not be any additional legal restrictions on parent’s ability to lawfully educate their white children at home away from negroes."

Quote :

"12. North Carolina has provided affordable higher education to its citizens during its reckless Democratic history. But taxpayers should not be required to fund higher education for illegal immigrants or negroes."

5/9/2006 9:36:39 PM

Wow, you're dead on.

All Republicans are rascist.

Yep.

Uh-huh.

I tell you what.

Every Republican thought: How do I maximize my distance from the nearest negro?

5/9/2006 9:57:49 PM

the roll eyes and sarcasm have convinced me that you're more right than he is

truly

5/9/2006 10:09:10 PM

aha

Woodfoot saying that sarcasm isn't a valid way to make a counterpoint

classic

[Edited on May 9, 2006 at 10:29 PM. Reason : 2]

5/9/2006 10:28:17 PM

Quote :

"HOLY SHIT THIS IS SCARY STUFF I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY PUT THIS IN WRITING I am so glad I live in a blue state now"

dont you guys have Rick Santorum? hellfire and brimstone doesn't get much redder.

5/10/2006 12:37:47 AM

Quote :

"Wow, you're dead on. All Republicans are rascist. Yep. Uh-huh. I tell you what. Every Republican thought: How do I maximize my distance from the nearest negro? "

A lot of folks in NC don't want their children going to a school with too many black peers. Nobody's saying all Republican's are racist. But I wouldn't put it past Republican politicans to use the promise of racist changes in policy to appease and attract racist current and potential voters.

5/10/2006 1:28:11 AM

Quote :

"Nobody's saying all Republican's are racist."

perhaps, but it is true that republicans are a subset of the set that contains all racists.







[Edited on May 10, 2006 at 2:36 AM. Reason : ]

5/10/2006 2:32:42 AM

Post party platforms all you want, but when it comes down to it, in the last century, the State of North Carolina has had 2 Republican Governors. Two.

Both spent their fair share of money and were moderate/left-leaning when it came to the cause of education.

[Edited on May 10, 2006 at 4:25 AM. Reason : add]

5/10/2006 4:25:06 AM

Quote :

"perhaps, but it is true that republicans are a subset of the set that contains all racists"

You're forgetting the black supremacists in the ghetto and gangbangers that hate whites.

They probably don't vote, but if they did, they'd be in your corner.

5/10/2006 10:21:01 AM

Quote :

"Woodfoot saying that sarcasm isn't a valid way to make a counterpoint"

the best part was i used sarcasm to say that!!!

5/10/2006 10:27:27 AM

Quote :

"You're forgetting the black supremacists in the ghetto and gangbangers that hate whites."

no i wasn't:



brush up on your basic set theory.




[Edited on May 11, 2006 at 1:34 AM. Reason : ]

5/11/2006 1:34:12 AM

anyone know those type of conservatives that like think nc should be democrat but loved republicans in 2000 and 2004

[Edited on May 11, 2006 at 1:36 AM. Reason : presidential races]

5/11/2006 1:36:35 AM

Quote :

"in the last century, the State of North Carolina has had [only] 2 Republican Governors. Two. "

true, but both governors Holshouser and Martin have been 1970's and later. during the transition period where the traditionally-democratic south has swung republican as the republicans have simultaneously become increasingly racist, anti-civil rights, and pro-fundamentalist christianity.

as more and more family farms are are consumed by multinational corporations, farm subsidies have become unimportant. and Abraham Lincoln and the Carpetbaggers are (almost) gone from the collective memory. Democrats have all but lost the South.

5/11/2006 1:44:54 AM