It's DeVossy!

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Bernie Sanders on College

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Van Jones talks to us about how mass incarceration is hurting our communities

“If rich folks' kids get in trouble, they go to rehab. Poor folks' kids get in trouble, they go to prison.”

Van Jones talks to us about how mass incarceration is hurting our communities.

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Creationist Teacher Who Claims Obama’s A Gay Prostitute LOSES Texas Education Board Race (VIDEO)

Meet Mary Lou Bruner, a now-former GOP candidate for the Texas State Board of Education. Back in October, she raised eyebrows when she claimed that President Barack Obama used to turn tricks as a gay male prostitute to pay for his drugs.

http://americannewsx.com/elections/mary-lou-bruner-loses-tx-boe-race/

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Why U.S. Education Needs Major Improvement

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Hillary’s emails reveal lucrative ties to for-profit colleges

Student loan debt continues to be one of the largest economic issues plaguing the U.S., with the total amount topping $1.3 trillion. Hillary Clinton’s higher education policy touts debt-free degrees for underprivileged students. But is she being genuine in her efforts to address the issue?

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/hillarys-emails-reveal-lucrative-ties-to-for-profit-colleges/

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Two crazy liberals, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush talk about immigration

Two crazy liberals, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush talk ab...
This video is shocking. The way that Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush talked about immigration and the US/Mexico border in 1980 -- during a presidential debate -- you would think that they were Democrats. What has become of the Republican Party?
Posted by Gavin Newsom on Sunday, February 28, 2016

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A Texan who called Obama a gay prostitute may soon control what goes in children’s textbooks

Mary Lou Bruner stood before the Texas State Board of Education in 2010 to talk about textbooks. She was concerned, she said during her testimony, that the state’s curriculum was being controlled by outside forces.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/04/a-texan-who-called-obama-a-gay-prostitute-may-soon-control-what-goes-in-childrens-textbooks/

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US: Utah language school fires blogger for writing about ‘homophones’

A social-media strategist at a Utah language learning center claims to have been fired for a blog post about homophones, due to concerns that it would lead the school to be associated with homosexuality.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Tim Torkildson was fired from his job at the Nomen Global Language Center in Provo, Utah, for writing a blog post on the Center’s website about homophones.

A cached version of the post, which has now been deleted, starts by explaining: “In English a homophone is a word that has several different meanings and spellings, but always sounds the same.” It then lists a handful of examples starting with the letter A.

Writing in a post on his own blog, Torkildson described the conversation between himself and his former boss, Clarke Woodger, during which he was let go.

According to Torkildson, Woodger told him: “I’m letting you go because I can’t trust you. This blog about homophones was the last straw. Now our school is going to be associated with homosexuality.”

He added: “We don’t teach this kind of advanced stuff to our students, and it’s extremely inappropriate.”

Woodger offered Torkildson “a good reference” for his next job, but reportedly said: “I would advise you to try something clerical, where you’ll be closely supervised and have immediate goals at all times. That’s the only kind of job you’ll ever succeed at.”

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Woodger claims he fired Torkildson because he would “go off on tangents” in his blog posts.

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John Austin: Governor Snyder putting right wing in driver's seat with right-to-work law

John Austin is president of the state Board of Education. Austin, D-Ann Arbor, was elected in 2000 and re-elected in 2008. He is director of the Michigan Economic Center at Prima Civitas Foundation.

By John Austin

I am saddened and chagrined that Governor Snyder is giving the keys to the state’s car over to the ideologically driven right wing of his party. Acquiescing to right-to-work legislation and empowering a right-wing education reform agenda threatens to damage both education and a Michigan economy that needs to run on talented, highly-educated people.

“Right-to-work” has little to do with improving Michigan’s economic prospects, and everything to do with disabling Michigan unions, including its largest, the teachers union. None of the states we most want to emulate, where well educated people earn their money the old fashioned way (they earn it in the private sector) are right-to-work states.

Of the top ten states in private-sector personal incomes (that aren’t oil and gas rich like Wyoming), none are right to work states. But they are the best educated, including: Massachusetts (39.5% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher), Colorado (36.4%), New York (32.5%), Minnesota (31.8%) and Illinois (30.7%). Compare that to Michigan’s 24.6% bachelor’s attainment rate.

Are our kids fleeing Michigan for Indiana because it is now “right-to-work”? No, they are going to Chicago, New York, Minneapolis, and Denver because they have a better chance to take their talents (and too often their Michigan education) and either create, or take a job for themselves.

While we are signaling in Michigan that we don’t value our workers and our teachers, and competing with right-to-work states like Alabama and Mississippi to be the “low-cost” producer, other states are eating our lunch by building a knowledge economy, and employing Michigan’s talent to do so.

The Governor is also empowering Richard Mcllellan (who last brought us the 2000 school voucher plan) to float radical education “reform” trial balloons that would facilitate a new competitive marketplace for education, with lots of on-line and for-profit education providers replacing our public schools (and their unionized teachers), without concern for educational quality, or the financial impact on our already struggling neighborhood schools.

So, as with right-to-work, we are picking a fight, and demoralizing the very people we need to lift up, better support, and help to improve education: “the workers” — our teachers and educators, who feel like the rug is being pulled out from under them, again.

I expected better of a moderate governor, committed to reinventing Michigan, and avoiding debilitating food fights that could, as in Wisconsin and Ohio recently, distract us from improving education, and our economy.

It’s not too late to take back the wheel.

Michele Bachmann: To Fight School Bullying, Eliminate U.S. Department Of Education

Speaking at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) responded to an audience member's question about what she would do about teen bullying in schools by reiterating her oft-repeated call for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education.

"I think that this is an issue that needs to be handled at the local level," Bachmann said. "I don't like to have the federal government involved in telling the local schools what to do. For one thing, there was no federal Department of Education until the late 1970s. So, I don't want the federal government involved. I actually want to end the federal Department of Education."

Republican presidential hopefuls have long expressed their desire for less federal intervention in American public schools, and most agree that the U.S. Department of Education should play a smaller role than it currently does. But Bachmann and Ron Paul are the only two that are calling for the department's complete elimination.

She had also said before at a California rally last month that bullying "is not a federal issue,"according to CBS News.

Bachmann said Friday that "bullying is a bad thing," and the way to address the issue is by lessening the federal role in public schools to empower parents "so they can have a stronger hand to stand up for their kids."

She added, "It's $1.8 billion that we spend on the federal Department of Education, and I want to send that money, I want to make sure that money goes back to the schools so that the schools can handle these issues."

The presidential hopeful was cast in the spotlight on issues surrounding school bullying as nine teens in a school district that falls in her Congressional district had committed suicide over the last two years. Several of those students were gay and reportedly acted as a result of being bullied, according to The Minnesota Independent.

As stories and lawsuits against the districtunfolded through the summer months,Bachmann stayed silent on the system's teen suicides.

But last month, the mother of a gay suicide victim submitted to Bachmann's office a boxcarrying 141,000 petitioning signatures to request that the congresswoman denounce the anti-gay bullying that the mother said led to her then-15-year-old son's death.

Marking the first official public statement that Bachmann had issued that addresses gay bullying in Minnesota's Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Bachmann's response to the mother's petition said that "bullying is wrong"and that she is "very aware and concerned about the cases of bullying and suicides that have occurred."

Recently, the death of Jamey Rodemeyer has cast a national spotlight on gay bullying in schools,particularly the complex emotional and social issues that lead to extreme measures like 14-year-old Rodemeyer's suicide. The teenager killed himself after posting a viral "It Gets Better" video, and his case drew further national attention when Lady Gaga vowed on Twitter to make bullying illegal --even going to the president himself to address the issue.

A recent video shows a school bully waiting inside a classroom for a gay student, so he could beat the victim to the ground. To combat bullying, victims are taking to other measures -- like plastic surgery -- just so the harassment stops.

Joining Lady Gaga in the public fight against school bullying is a host of prominent figures and organizations, including rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Tyra Banks and popular children's showSesame Street.

From CNN, watch what else Bachmann had to say:

Conyers Calls 6th Circuit Decision Overturning Proposition 2 a Key Step Toward Restoring Equity in Michigan Higher Education

Conyers Calls 6th Circuit Decision Overturning Proposition 2 a Key Step Toward Restoring Equity in Michigan Higher Education (Washington) – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) called today’s Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to overturn Michigan’s ban on affirmative action a victory for equal opportunity in higher education.  The court ruled Proposition 2 violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.   The 2006 law required Michigan’s public university system to abandon its affirmative action programs despite a series of Supreme Court decisions in 2003 that had upheld the policy’s constitutionality.  “As an opponent of Proposition 2, I am heartened by today’s decision from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals,” said Conyers.  “After losing in court, forces from outside our state attempted to gain a victory through the referendum process, like they did in several other states.  This ruling stops their momentum and gives us the opportunity to restore an admissions process, approved by the same courts, that will give all students an equal opportunity to attend our state universities, while still recognizing the unique hurdles overcome by those from racial or ethnic minority groups.” “This victory should be considered a key step toward restoring equity in Michigan higher education.”

VOL 1: Paul Lepage? He Said What?

RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Maine Children's Services Administrators Need To Be Pubicly Flogged

I am deeply disturbed by the tone of this article.  


The Maine program experiencing this magnitude of cost overruns has nothing to do with quality of services as most families struggle to access basic services for children, it has to do with basic incompetency of administration.  


Maine is notorious, as well as many other states, to shift the burden of child welfare services to child welfare services.  Yes this is redundant so allow me to expound upon this.


The basic revenue-maximization scheme is to place the child under the auspices of the state to access more financially beneficial funding streams. 


Simply put, Maine will put a kid in foster care for reimbursement of administrative costs to provide basic services that should have been provided in the first place if there was leadership who was in possession of rudimentary elements of public administration.


Then, as kids, particularly special needs children, are snatched and placed into foster care services, national statistics become skewed showing how horrible parents are in the state.  In reality, this is how Maine thought it would get away with trying to balance it budget on the billable souls of kids.


Here, reactively, the state begins to cut services provided to the community.


MaineCare Medicaid Policy Revision
Due to woefully inadequate management, the state must take away from the community to make up for its budgetary shortfalls.


So why are there shortfalls to begin with?  Well, when you have child abuse propaganda machines conditioning public opinion to justify placing a child in foster care, for billing purposes of Medicaid Targeted Case Management, of course, on the idea that the state is providing educational special needs services due to child abuse and neglect, you have the fundamental elements of fraud, waste and abuse of federal and state funding.


And, if you dope these special needs kids with psychotropic meds, the state thinks that the rate of administrative payment increases.

Mainecare, its Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services and its contactual partnerships need to be publicly flogged.  If no one wants to flog them, then, contractually debar them.


See, an official of the State of Maine (a fan) informed me that the legislature, with advice and consent of the child abuse propaganda machines, was to "ease the rules" a bit when it came to accessing certain educational services.  It seems parents were challenging the liberal application of psychological diagnosis (ADHD, Bipolar), so the "easing of the rules" allowed for greater access to educational services for children at a higher rate of reimbursement.


HHS Appellate Decision on Maine Department of Health and Human Services 2009 Targeted Case Management

Child services program over budget by 70 percent

AUGUSTA,  Maine — The state’s Child Development Services program is over budget and will need more than $13 million to get through the current budget year. The state appropriation for the program is $14.9 million for this budget year.

“CDS has overexpended their account by close to 70 percent,” said Rep. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake. “The demand for CDS funding is for more than we appropriated.”

He said the overspending reinforces his opinion that the state should abolish the program, a move he supported 10 years ago.

James Rier, finance director for the Department of Education, said CDS has been undergoing a major reorganization required by the Legislature and standardizing services across the system has left the budget for the program short this budget year.

Rier proposed filling the hole by taking $5.7 million from a section of General Purpose Aid to Education that pays for the education of state wards and $7.4 million from an appropriation of cash from the general fund.

He said the agency is preparing a request for the supplemental budget that is expected to go to lawmakers in January that shifts some funds and asks for additional funding.

CDS provides both case management and direct services for children through age 5, with needs ranging from learning disabilities to mental health services. Some services can be covered under the state’s Medicaid program, called MaineCare, which means the federal government pays roughly two-thirds of the cost for those children that meet the eligibility standards.

The reorganization of CDS that took effect July 1, 2010, was in part a response to federal concerns that some of the services being billed to MaineCare were not allowed and there were inconsistent regulations between CDS sites across the state.

Both Education Commissioner Angela Faherty and Health and Human Services CommissionerBrenda Harvey were questioned by members of the outgoing Education Committee earlier this month.

“Whether or not they get services is determined by the eligibility criteria under the education act,” Faherty said. “If they are not medically necessary, they cannot be reimbursed by MaineCare.”

The loss of MaineCare funding is projected to cost the CDS program about $8 million in each of the 2012 and 2013 budget years and will be part of the next two-year state budget discussion.

Complicating an already complex situation is the DHHS shift to a new bill-paying system on Sept. 1, which has not gone as smoothly for school districts and CDS as it has for other MaineCare providers that bill for services through the system. Several districts told lawmakers earlier this month that they were experiencing billing problems and in some cases had yet to receive reimbursement for services billed in September.

“We heard a lot of concerns and we know they are going to have to be addressed,” said Sen. Justin Alfond, D-Portland, co-chairman of the outgoing Education Committee and assistant Senate minority leader in the new Legislature.

David Stockford, director of special services at DOE, said while there are concerns with the way the system has operated and its costs, it has been successful in preparing children for school and avoiding costs for school districts in future years.

“There are numbers of these children who, having received early intervention services, are able to enter the school-age programs with little or no service,” he said.

A study released in September found the problem of children with learning disabilities should be addressed early, but many are not being diagnosed until they start school. It indicated more money may be needed in the future to meet the need.

Only 22 percent of Maine children are being screened before starting school, according to census data. In the last school year, 812 children were first identified as needing special services when they started school. There were already 875 children receiving services through CDS.


Administration of Maine and Michigan were the inspiration for this educational video:

Rand Paul: I Don't Want Washington Deciding 'Two Mommies Is An Appropriate Family Situation'

In arguing for why the U.S. Department of Education is unnecessary and should be abolished on Thursday, Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul cited concerns he has about the issue of gay marriage to make his case.

"I would rather have the local school districts decide things," explained Paul at a debate against Democratic rival Jack Conway in the Bluegrass State. "I don't like the idea of Suzie has two mommies being an appropriate family situation to talk about to kindergartners. That's what happens when it gets to the federal level."

The Tea Party-backed contender said he'd prefer that "local school boards, teachers, parents" and residents be the ones making such decisions.

Challenging Paul, Conway fired back and underscored his belief that federal funding of schools is crucial.

"The cost of education is going up," explained the Democratic hopeful. "This is no time to run from our students. We need to become a more educated society to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow."

Via ThinkProgress comes video of Paul's remarks.

In arguing for why the U.S. Department of Education is unnecessary and should be abolished on Thursday, Kentucky Republican Senate candidate Rand Paul cited concerns he has about the issue of gay marriage to make his case.

"I would rather have the local school districts decide things," explained Paul at a debate against Democratic rival Jack Conway in the Bluegrass State. "I don't like the idea of Suzie has two mommies being an appropriate family situation to talk about to kindergartners. That's what happens when it gets to the federal level."

The Tea Party-backed contender said he'd prefer that "local school boards, teachers, parents" and residents be the ones making such decisions.

Challenging Paul, Conway fired back and underscored his belief that federal funding of schools is crucial.

"The cost of education is going up," explained the Democratic hopeful. "This is no time to run from our students. We need to become a more educated society to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow."

Via ThinkProgress comes video of Paul's remarks.