"Successful" Politicians Don't Lead ... They Pander ... Look at the CRAZY AND RIDICULOUS "HIRE MORE TEACHERS" Debate Today

Productivity in the public schools has declined by more than 90% in the past 40 years. So President Obama wants us to hire more teachers by borrowing more money from the Chinese to pay them.

In plain language, pandering to get votes enables politicians to get and stay elected. That's their job --- to be popular enough to win elections.

On the other hand, genuine and often unpopular leadership efforts by those running for office will often get them defeated. So they don't try to lead. They pander, too.

But our government wasn't designed for the political class to lead.That's the responsibility of We the People. So let's stop looking for leadership from the political class. At least that's the way I see things.

Romney Schools Obama has the story on the need to hire more teachers:

"Mitt Romney got slammed by the Obama campaign recently for suggesting that the country doesn't need more public school teachers. The president's team says that more spending to hire educators is essential to better student outcomes and overall economic growth.

The number of job losses that teachers have experienced nationwide "is dramatically bad news for the country [and] it's certainly not good news for our future," said David Axelrod, President Obama's senior campaign adviser, earlier this week. "We're not going to win, and our kids aren't going to win, unless we invest in education."

Invest in education? Federal per-pupil spending rose by an inflation-adjusted 375% between 1970 and 2010, yet test scores in math, science and reading remained essentially flat over the same period. Moreover, much of that money has been directed at increasing the size of the education workforce. Over the past 40 years, public school employment has grown 11 times faster than student enrollment, according to federal data compiled by Andrew Coulson of the Cato Institute.

The Obama administration and their teachers union allies tell voters that education spending is all about the kids. The reality is that liberals see public education, first and foremost, as a jobs program for adults. The problem with public schools is not that we're attempting to educate children on the cheap. The problem is that our policy makers put the interests of public school employees ahead of the interests of students."

Summing Up

Public schools are a jobs program and not a place where educating children is priority #1.

Needless to say, taxpayer value for money paid is not a consideration at all.

Look at the facts descibed above: In the past 40 years, (1) public school employment has grown 11 times faster than student enrollment; (2) spending per-pupil has increased by 375% in inflation adjusted dollars; and (3) test scores in math, science and reading haven't improved meaningfully.

That's a trifecta, albeit a painful one.

Now will somebody please stand up, discuss the facts, tell the truth and recommend real solutions for students, parents and taxpayers, one and all?

Our politicans need to stop wasting money and time on pandering to We the People so they can win elections and perpetuate the losing ways of today. We the People are the only ones who can make that happen.

So let's do it, because our kids, grandkids and fellow citizens deserve no less.

Thanks. Bob.