Style Weekly
'Rick Gray
Member since Apr 23, 2009
Recent Comments
Re: “Bolling's Last Stand”
I hope Mr. Bolling makes the race. But if he does, he's going to have to reach out to people he hasn't talked to much - especially for ideas. As your article notes, our LG doesn't have the charisma of a typical insurgent. He's a good guy, and a competent manager, but if he hopes to win, he's going to need to balance Main Street, fiscal conservatism with a few progressive positions. And perhaps a few actual new ideas. Otherwise, voters will decide that he's irrelevant, and we'll have a two-candidate, two-party race. And Virginia will be the loser.
Re: “Learning Curve”
Mr. Anderson, I enjoyed everything you wrote until the last few sentences, which - besides lacking empathy - are inaccurate. True, I don't know many nurses who whine. But I don't know many teachers who do, either. I didn't.
I was, for many students, one of those teachers who contributed. I taught for eleven years, in several different schools, and - for the most part - I enjoyed it thoroughly. I left when the SOLs became burdensome.
Many of your criticisms are valid, but let me suggest this: The fundamental problem with our educational system is not the teachers, but - as with most failing enterprises - the "leadership". It has been decades since our schools had a clear mission. Simply, no one knows what the schools are supposed to be producing. It's difficult for people on the line to win battles when the generals have no strategy or war aims.
One more thing: You seem to hold a value for your opinions. You write - when you avoid the personal - quite well. Somewhere along the line - in public school, as a liberal arts major, or elsewhere - you learned to think, adduce evidence, create arguments, etc. Perhaps it wasn't quite such an utter waste?
Re: “Learning Curve”
MJ12 evinces precisely the sort of - let us say - "factual innocence" which makes it so difficult to discuss educational reform in meaningful terms. To begin with, of course, most teachers work ten months, not nine. And any dedicated teacher works so many unpaid hours after (and before ) school that their total hours, annualized, easily account for the two remaining months at 40 hours/week.
More important, of course, is this: While the US spends an absurd amount on "education", it does NOT spend extravagantly on teacher pay. This accounts for the fact that half of all teachers leave the schools within five years or so of beginning.
In short, while we spend too much on "education", we spend too little on teachers.
We have enormous administrative superstructures - and the well-paid people at the top never see a classroom, except on a "visit". We have committed, as a nation, to educating all children - even the ineducable - which imposes huge costs. And, like most large employers, school systems pay huge amounts for benefits which - in any of the other countries mentioned - would be greatly reduced by a rational health care system.
Most important, from the perspective of this piece, we burn billions on testing and other supervisory schemes which would be unnecessary if we paid our teachers as professionals, treated them as professionals, and stopped trying to "teacher-proof" our schools.
Re: “My Last Democrat”
Paul, It's always nice to get one right. And I'm working to get beyond mere advocacy - slowly collecting the critical mass of folks actually willing to start a third party. If you're interested, check out Commonwealth Party on FB. 'Rick
Re: “My Last Democrat”
Perhaps "anonymous" would demonstrate the courage of his/her convictions more convincingly by signing his/her name.
As the author of this piece, I must say that I take umbrage at being accused of "rationalization", when the simple fact it, I don't agree with much that the Green Party stands for.
As I've tried to make clear, I come from the old, nationalistic, liberal Republican tradition. I don't favor demilitarization, college for all, or (gawd-help-us) democratizing the control of the money supply.
I do admire much in the Green Party platform, but overall, I find that party a bit too "goo-goo" (in TR's wonderful description). So I'll keep working for a third party a bit closer to the center-left.
Re: “Three’s Company”
Robo, I actually think the Right's intransigence is to our advantage. If there's a body of disenfranchised Americans with actual political know-how, it's probably the old liberal or "citizen" Republicans. They simply don't have a party any more. Start with that core - add practical Greens and serious reformers of the electoral and campaign finance system - and you might be able to carry 40 or so House seats and pick up a Senate seat or two in New England or the Northwest.
Other Publications
Re: “Best Unused Local Stage”
The problem, actually, is that the Gottwald is NOT Richmond's best unused stage. And it wouldn't be if it were Richmond's ONLY unused stage. The Gottwald is a "camel", an awkward compromise without character, interest or anything else.
Well, okay, its acoustics are acceptable.
Having played the space in several Richmond Shakespeare productions - including the Gottwald's debut - I never warmed to it. Richmond abounds with underutilized spaces which could be converted - temporarily or permanently - into interesting performance venues.
Which is something the Gottwald will never be.