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Title: "National Review": Still unbearably smarmy and even more out of touch
Source:
Boston Libertarian Examiner
URL Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-3665-Bost ... rmy-and-even-more-out-of-touch
Published: Feb 17, 2010
Author: Christopher Dowd
Post Date: 2010-02-18 22:19:26 by F.A. Hayek Fan
Keywords: None
Views: 232
Comments: 7
I don't often visit the online pages of "National Review" much less their blog page "The Corner". But its interesting (and useful) to know what DC approved, vetted, and wholly owned "conservatives" are focusing on these days and how they see things. Someone needs to tell the gang on "The Corner" that being smarmy is not the same as being irreverent- which is indeed the tone they are going for on that blog- as young Turk "conservative" rebels- bucking the "powers that be" . . . . . . when, of course, they sit on the laps of the "powers that be" begging for biscuits. I was struck by how John Derbyshire < A HREF="http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NTBmNzBiZGNiYjRkZTliMzVhMjlmN2NmNzI0ODM0NGU=">responded to the news of teacher firings in Rhode Island. This headline brightened up my breakfast: Unionized Rhode Island Teachers Refuse To Work 25 Minutes More Per Day, So Town Fires All Of Them Yeee-HAH! "Yee-HAH!"? Really? That's the first thing a DC vetted mainstream "conservative" thinks when he reads about 100 teachers being fired in some school district? "Yee-HAH!"? Oh right. I forgot. It is a standard of right wing lore that all the unionized teachers who make whopping 70 and 78 grand salaries are to blame for about 90 percent of all that ails the school systems in this country. So that is how this event is seen by a "mainstream" conservative? He even manages to imply how the "liberal" media isn't covering this story out of the usual "bias". This is a "success" story for John Derbyshire and for "conservatives"? The community of Central Falls Rhode Island is a desperately poor city, that like thousands of other cities across this country, has been slashing services to the bone in the last several years. Almost all of its education budget comes from the state. And deep budget cuts in Rhode Island's spending are being felt by the poorest of the poor of that state. But John Derbyshire is "Yee-HAHing" that because money is so tight in such a city that all of their high school teachers are being fired over a contract with more responsibility, more work, and more hours but with no extra pay? So what is the "conservative" fantasy here? That this school system is going to now hire really good non union teachers for far less pay who will be better than the Union teachers? Is that what they imagine? Actually- they probably imagine that local "leaders" will step up and just teach the kids for free and everything will work out just fine. But the main issue here is seeing how these DC stooge "conservatives" misrepresent the budget nightmares of an impoverished city - that is forcing them to slash services and aid to the most desperately poor among them- as some sort of groundswell fight against teachers unions. Local towns and cities all over this country are gutting the most basic of services, like even street lighting at night, and the fake DC conservatives see these horrendous cuts that are made not out of choice but necessity as groundswells of support for "small government"? The feds can spend forever on Wall Street bailouts and wholly unnecessary wars of aggression as local governments all over this country slash and burn the budgets for the most basic of government services and our fake "conservatives" cheer this on? What else gripped "The Corner" yesterday? The capture of some Taliban second in command. Are they for real with this? How many times are they going to gush like naive school girls at the "capture" or killing of Taliban or "Al Qaeda" "second in commands?" And of course they refer to Taliban fighting in their own countries against foreign invaders as "terrorists"- mouthing that government/military ridiculous designation of the enemy like the little pathetic DC Stalinists they have morphed into over the last ten years. Oh yeah- they gabbed back and forth about "how important" this guy is (whom as usual none of them even knew of the name of a day before most likely). How many times have they giddily passed on military propaganda like this over the years? How many "top leaders" and "Top commanders" have their "sources" spoon fed them complete lies about over the years only for them to NEVER question anything the military says to them- EVER- ON ANYTHING? Oh right- that is another article of faith among these "conservatives" for hire- the military never lies and it should always be trusted completely- else you are a "leftist". So to sum up- local governments slash budgets in desperate times- "mainstream conservatives" cheer. Meanwhile the Feds print money out of thin air to fight sickening, useless, and wholly unnecessary criminal wars of aggression that will never end in our lifetimes and these same "conservatives" offer up their services as pathetic propaganda cheerleaders for the DC warfare state. Got it. NR is still a DC whored out propaganda rag for Beltway oligarchy.
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#1. To: F.A. Hayek Fan (#0)
While maintaining all their perks, their posh offices, and luxury items that were grabbed in better times. Setting a budget means setting priorities. Underperforming teachers are not a priority they are a liability. It is not merely that they are overpaid but that they are not producing a valuable final product i.e., educated students. It is not the pay it is what they are providing in return for the pay. That said there are a lot of things that should be cut before one gets to schools and streetlights - like fewer thugs on the streets i.e., cut the police force down to patrolling for actual crime and do away with the Paramilitary Death Squads and Helicopters.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Well duhhhh! Look at who founded it Bill, CIA Asset, Buckley. Outside of presenting a preponderance of pedantic polysyllabication his contribution was to mislead two generations of conservatives.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Jeeze, I'm glad to finally see someone write that down. Of course, it will never be allowed to happen. It's just nice to know I'm not completely alone, I guess.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Speculation. You have no idea what these towns are or are not doing. If you have proof that this is happening in this town, please provide the link. Underperforming teachers are not a priority they are a liability. Nothing in the article indicates they were under performing teachers, and just because they are union does not automatically make it so. They were not fired for under performance they were fired because they refused to work for free. Do you work for free? My son goes to public school and he's on track to begin taking dual credit courses in Calculus, physics and chemistry in his junior year. I'm quite happy with my son's school performance. They are union. Also, I do not consider people holding Master's Degrees making 50-60k as being overpaid. They may get paid more in RI but that is a liberal state with a high cost of living. You are making a bunch of generalized statements which may or may not apply. That said there are a lot of things that should be cut before one gets to schools and streetlights - like fewer thugs on the streets i.e., cut the police force down to patrolling for actual crime and do away with the Paramilitary Death Squads and Helicopters. I can agree with that.
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." ~ William Colby, Director, CIA 1973–1976 Nothing in the State, everything outside the State, everything against the State - Jan Lester, Escape From Leviathan "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." - Frederic Bastiat
Speculation. You have no idea what these towns are or are not doing. If you have proof that this is happening in this town, please provide the link. When was the last time you saw any government executive reduce and streamline their own persona fiefdom? It doesn't happen. There was a separate news article on it posted - it is one of THE, if not THE, worst performing school districts in the state - with about a 50 percent drop-out rate.
"One of the least understood strategies of the world revolution now moving rapidly toward its goal is the use of mind control as a major means of obtaining the consent of the people who will be subjects of the New World Order." K.M. Heaton, The National Educator
Thank you. I was unaware of that. That being the case, you are right.
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media." ~ William Colby, Director, CIA 1973–1976 Nothing in the State, everything outside the State, everything against the State - Jan Lester, Escape From Leviathan "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that justifies it." - Frederic Bastiat
Local towns and cities all over this country are gutting the most basic of services, like even street lighting at night, and the fake DC conservatives see these horrendous cuts that are made not out of choice but necessity as groundswells of support for "small government"?
#2. To: F.A. Hayek Fan (#0)
NR is still a DC whored out propaganda rag for Beltway oligarchy.
#3. To: Original_Intent (#1)
That said there are a lot of things that should be cut before one gets to schools and streetlights - like fewer thugs on the streets i.e., cut the police force down to patrolling for actual crime and do away with the Paramilitary Death Squads and Helicopters.
Mike Flaherty: Yeah, it's been there a long time. I wish I knew which corner.
My Man Godfrey (1936)
#4. To: F.A. Hayek Fan (#0)
The capture of some Taliban second in command. Are they for real with this? How many times are they going to gush like naive school girls at the "capture" or killing of Taliban or "Al Qaeda" "second in commands?"
Lord Acton
#5. To: Original_Intent (#1)
While maintaining all their perks, their posh offices, and luxury items that were grabbed in better times. Setting a budget means setting priorities.
#6. To: F.A. Hayek Fan (#5)
While maintaining all their perks, their posh offices, and luxury items that were grabbed in better times. Setting a budget means setting priorities.
Underperforming teachers are not a priority they are a liability.
Nothing in the article indicates they were under performing teachers
#7. To: Original_Intent (#6)
There was a separate news article on it posted - it is one of THE, if not THE, worst performing school districts in the state - with about a 50 percent drop-out rate.
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