Alabama gubernatorial candidate Tim James is under fire for a campaign ad wherein he states “...this is Alabama, we speak English…if you want to live here, learn it.” The statement references state driving exams which are available in multiple languages. As governor, James proposes to end this practice.
While smacking of xenophobia and borderline racism, it reminds us that the official language of the United States is not English. On a Federal level, there is no official language. Although English is the de facto national language, there are over 300 languages spoken within the United States and its territories. Some states, including Alabama, have passed legislation making English the official language. It is certainly unlikely, however, that a state would risk losing federal funding by enforcing English-only legislation.
New York does not have English-only legislation. In fact, government documents were written in both English and Dutch through the 1920s. With over 170 different cultures represented in New York City alone, it would be disastrous to even consider a proposition like that of Tim James. In a country of immigrants (James’ family included) it is equally ignorant, arrogant and insulting. He should take a page from his father’s book. The two time governor, Fob James, played football for a French-speaking Canadian team in Montreal. I guess the apple does fall far from the tree.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wal-Mart tries again in NYC
Wal-Mart is at it again.
The mega retail giant is setting its aim on the Gateway II shopping development in Jamaica Bay. This comes after a failed attempt at entry into the New York City area earlier last year. During that iteration of Wal-Mart’s attempts at buying into the New York market, then CEO H. Lee Scott said that it was “…not worth the effort’.
The unique nature of the New York City retail market is antithetical to that of the Wal-Mart blitzkrieg approach, wherein they set up shop next to smaller retailers in the hopes of driving business under. New York City is made up of mom and pop operations, with strong advocates for their continual success. This is the crux of the issue when it comes to building a Wal-Mart anywhere near the City. People don’t want the behemoth gobbling up businesses and taking away a part of what makes New York unique. Many also detest the employment practices of Wal-Mart, claiming that employees are underpaid and exploited.
Protests are planned in the coming days, supported by labor unions and citizens alike. The Gateway II shopping plaza already has two big box realtors, Target and BJs. There is fear that the addition of a Wal-Mart would undermine future development. Wal-Mart is keeping quiet on the issue, opting instead to fly under the radar to avoid the same scrutiny from the public it encountered in the past.
The mega retail giant is setting its aim on the Gateway II shopping development in Jamaica Bay. This comes after a failed attempt at entry into the New York City area earlier last year. During that iteration of Wal-Mart’s attempts at buying into the New York market, then CEO H. Lee Scott said that it was “…not worth the effort’.
The unique nature of the New York City retail market is antithetical to that of the Wal-Mart blitzkrieg approach, wherein they set up shop next to smaller retailers in the hopes of driving business under. New York City is made up of mom and pop operations, with strong advocates for their continual success. This is the crux of the issue when it comes to building a Wal-Mart anywhere near the City. People don’t want the behemoth gobbling up businesses and taking away a part of what makes New York unique. Many also detest the employment practices of Wal-Mart, claiming that employees are underpaid and exploited.
Protests are planned in the coming days, supported by labor unions and citizens alike. The Gateway II shopping plaza already has two big box realtors, Target and BJs. There is fear that the addition of a Wal-Mart would undermine future development. Wal-Mart is keeping quiet on the issue, opting instead to fly under the radar to avoid the same scrutiny from the public it encountered in the past.
Monday, April 26, 2010
A real NYC urban legend
One consistently hears horror stories about dead men sitting on New York City subway cars for hours without people noticing, or the upstairs neighbor who passed away months ago without anyone coming to collect the body until the stench became too much. For the most part these can be chalked up to urban legend, but one tale came true over the weekend.
A Good Samaritan, Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, came to the aid of a woman who was being assaulted on the streets of Queens. A video shows Mr. Tale-Yax being stabbed as the assailant runs away. What happens next is horrific and chilling. The video continues, and shows scores of passers-by ignoring the body as it lay bleeding on the street. A couple takes a camera phone picture; another man shakes the body and notices the blood. Neither does anything to help. It took nearly an hour and a half for respondents to be called to the scene, after which time Mr. Tale-Yax had already died.
Some have claimed that the cold response was due to the high illegal immigrant population in the neighborhood. Nobody wanted to risk giving their names to police. Others say that there are drunkards on the streets all the time, and didn’t give the body a second glance. It is scary to think that this could have been any one of us. It also gives pause before coming to someone’s aid. The assailant is still on the loose.
A Good Samaritan, Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, came to the aid of a woman who was being assaulted on the streets of Queens. A video shows Mr. Tale-Yax being stabbed as the assailant runs away. What happens next is horrific and chilling. The video continues, and shows scores of passers-by ignoring the body as it lay bleeding on the street. A couple takes a camera phone picture; another man shakes the body and notices the blood. Neither does anything to help. It took nearly an hour and a half for respondents to be called to the scene, after which time Mr. Tale-Yax had already died.
Some have claimed that the cold response was due to the high illegal immigrant population in the neighborhood. Nobody wanted to risk giving their names to police. Others say that there are drunkards on the streets all the time, and didn’t give the body a second glance. It is scary to think that this could have been any one of us. It also gives pause before coming to someone’s aid. The assailant is still on the loose.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A simple solution to the New Jersey education budget deficit
More than half of New Jersey school district budgets up for vote this week have been rejected, forcing many schools to come up with new ways to make ends meet. Of the 541 budgets on the special ballot, 316 or 58 per cent were rejected. As discussed on Monday, these budgets would have increased property taxes by as much as 12 per cent per household, which is a massive amount in such troubled economic times.
Now school administrators are scrambling for solutions. Some have recommended cutting after school programming, advanced placement classes, school hours and increasing class sizes to make up for the new deficits. I have a much easier solution…
New Jersey has 22.5 per cent of the nation’s 13,506 school districts to only serve a population of 8.7 million. Based on population, that is equivalent to New York City having 600 districts (we currently have only 31). Each of those districts needs a set of administrative staff, as well as a superintendent, with salary and overhead included. Is it really necessary to have so many districts? Instead of cutting courses for advanced students, perhaps New Jersey should consolidate a couple superintendent salaries. That would surely help to alleviate some of the burden the schools seem to think they have. By consolidating districts, funds could also be used to pay teachers an appropriate living wage.
Now school administrators are scrambling for solutions. Some have recommended cutting after school programming, advanced placement classes, school hours and increasing class sizes to make up for the new deficits. I have a much easier solution…
New Jersey has 22.5 per cent of the nation’s 13,506 school districts to only serve a population of 8.7 million. Based on population, that is equivalent to New York City having 600 districts (we currently have only 31). Each of those districts needs a set of administrative staff, as well as a superintendent, with salary and overhead included. Is it really necessary to have so many districts? Instead of cutting courses for advanced students, perhaps New Jersey should consolidate a couple superintendent salaries. That would surely help to alleviate some of the burden the schools seem to think they have. By consolidating districts, funds could also be used to pay teachers an appropriate living wage.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Master's programs to expand
It has been quite the week for the tri-State educational system. Monday saw a deal closing disciplinary rubber rooms for teachers. Yesterday, I discussed the proposed tax hikes in several New Jersey school districts to go towards educational programming. Today, the Board of Regents approved a measure that would allow non-accredited institutions to grant master’s level teaching degrees. This move is aimed at giving groups like Teach for America and the New York City Teaching Fellows the opportunity to create their own master’s programs. As it stands currently, educational instructors must receive their degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.
Proponents of the measure say that it will allow non-traditional means of educating tomorrow’s teachers. Groups like Teach for America tend to work in lower-income areas, places underserved with instructors of any level. Now those groups can formalize the training given to their members, which many say will make for better teachers.
It is obvious that the current educational system for teachers is allowing many to fall through the cracks. Adding another layer to this process does little in the way of streamlining and preventing poor performers from becoming educators. Without proper facilitation and guidance, these new programs will run the risk of creating tiers of degrees much like those currently for law schools. A job as important as that of a teacher should receive the same training across the board, regardless of where one gets their degree.
Proponents of the measure say that it will allow non-traditional means of educating tomorrow’s teachers. Groups like Teach for America tend to work in lower-income areas, places underserved with instructors of any level. Now those groups can formalize the training given to their members, which many say will make for better teachers.
It is obvious that the current educational system for teachers is allowing many to fall through the cracks. Adding another layer to this process does little in the way of streamlining and preventing poor performers from becoming educators. Without proper facilitation and guidance, these new programs will run the risk of creating tiers of degrees much like those currently for law schools. A job as important as that of a teacher should receive the same training across the board, regardless of where one gets their degree.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
New Jersey taxpayers to receive hit
New Jersey currently spends more than any other state in the nation on school costs, and yet ranks near the bottom on all performance evaluations. Even after the governor cut funding to several programs at a whopping $820 million statewide, some of New Jersey’s 600 school districts are trying to raise taxes. The areas proposing increases include: Edison-8.6 per cent local property tax increase; Teaneck-10.2 per cent increase; Randolph-6.5 per cent increase; Woodbridge-4 per cent. This amounts to the local taxpayer shelling out hundreds of extra dollars over the course of the year to fund district programming.
While I do not disagree with the governor’s plan to reduce education spending in his state, especially as the return on investment is so low, I do not see why the local taxpayer should be forced to front the extra money. Perhaps they are unaware that infusing billions of dollars has done nothing to help increase performance. In times of economic weakness, where millions of Americans are having to tighten their belts to make ends meet, the education system should do the same. It is full of such unnecessary pork, instigated by the teacher’s unions themselves, that cutting a few dollars here and there will ultimately do the greatest good. As I said in my piece on the NYC rubber rooms yesterday, it is time that we devote more attention to the education of our children than the lining of teacher’s pockets.
While I do not disagree with the governor’s plan to reduce education spending in his state, especially as the return on investment is so low, I do not see why the local taxpayer should be forced to front the extra money. Perhaps they are unaware that infusing billions of dollars has done nothing to help increase performance. In times of economic weakness, where millions of Americans are having to tighten their belts to make ends meet, the education system should do the same. It is full of such unnecessary pork, instigated by the teacher’s unions themselves, that cutting a few dollars here and there will ultimately do the greatest good. As I said in my piece on the NYC rubber rooms yesterday, it is time that we devote more attention to the education of our children than the lining of teacher’s pockets.
Monday, April 19, 2010
NYC to close teacher rubber rooms
They sit for hours in trailers separated from the rest of the classrooms on campus, watching the clock for the time when their punishment will end. Sometimes there are up to 20 in a trailer, all with assigned seats. One would assume these are misbehaved students in detention, but they are actually some of the 550 New York City tenured teachers being held in ‘rubber rooms’ while they away disciplinary action. Some have waited for years in these trailers, all the while getting the same salary as if they had been teaching all along. This has cost the City more than $30 million a year, and is testament to a failing education system that cares little about our children.
Mayor Bloomberg and the teacher’s union have agreed to phase out these rubber rooms over the remainder of the year. The overall plan with this is to increase the speed of disciplinary proceedings to either get teachers back to the classroom or out of the classroom for good.
Charges for these teachers range from incompetence to corporal punishment against students. It is astounding that the system has had to discipline 550 tenured teachers. This reveals not only negligence on the part of the education department, but also an endemic culture of impunity for those entrusted with the development of our youth. While personal professionalism is certainly a factor, the main blame has to fall on the teacher’s union. They have obviously placed greater emphasis on making sure the pockets of these teachers were lined than on education itself.
Mayor Bloomberg and the teacher’s union have agreed to phase out these rubber rooms over the remainder of the year. The overall plan with this is to increase the speed of disciplinary proceedings to either get teachers back to the classroom or out of the classroom for good.
Charges for these teachers range from incompetence to corporal punishment against students. It is astounding that the system has had to discipline 550 tenured teachers. This reveals not only negligence on the part of the education department, but also an endemic culture of impunity for those entrusted with the development of our youth. While personal professionalism is certainly a factor, the main blame has to fall on the teacher’s union. They have obviously placed greater emphasis on making sure the pockets of these teachers were lined than on education itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
