Brian "The Coward" Greenspun, the whacked out editor of the Las Vegas Sun, who refuses people to comment on his editorials and refuses to answer a simple question put forth by a humble blogger, writes a very strange editorial today in the Sun.
First, he starts talking about the uprising in Egypt: Mubarak’s Egypt should be one of the most enlightened countries in the world by now. It isn’t. And the people in the Arab streets, many tens of thousands are in the streets as I write, realize that they have been shortchanged when it comes to opportunities — for advancement, for education, for human rights....
I mention all of this because at the base of this unrest, at the core of the peoples’ insurrection against tyranny, at the heart of their unhappiness is education. Yes, the more people learn about the world, the more they understand how life can be and the more they contrast that with the life they have. Whether it is people naturally yearning.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan/30/good-education-key-change/
So, the people are in the streets of Cario, Suez, Alexandria Egypt because they lack education. Ok, I guess tyranny, a dictator who has been in power for 30 years, unemployment and inflation had little to do with the uprising? Hmm, ok. But Coward Greenspun isn't finished with his diatribe: It may seem a bit of a stretch because I don’t for a moment think anything like Egypt will ever happen in the United States, again, but there is a point to be made: The lack of a good education can lead otherwise decent people to do some very indecent things. And the failure of a population to educate itself will, inevitably, lead to conclusions based on fancy and not fact.
It is that second part that concerns me most about the current state of affairs in this country. If you don’t believe me, turn on the radio or cable television.
It is in this context that I want to contrast the leadership styles of two, self-professed education leaders: President Barack Obama and Gov. Brian Sandoval...
On the other hand is Gov. Sandoval. He mouths the right words when it comes to education. But when it comes to putting his money (read that, our money) where his mouth is, he falls short. For whatever reasons he chooses to profess, his failure to step up by investing in education is in marked contrast to his desire to be an education leader.
To illustrate the absurdity of his position, he has even suggested cutting teachers’ salaries by 5 percent!
I understand freezing salaries, bonuses and, for certain, longevity pay. That is reality. I also understand cutting salaries and overtime of highly paid workers for a time while the economy struggles to right itself. But it is impossible to lay claim to “education leader” when you are so quick to cut the salaries of teachers who are earning just a bit more than poverty-level salaries. It just doesn’t compute...
Nevadans have a choice to make as our Legislature prepares to convene. Educating our young people requires a leader who will walk the walk. That means making changes that are necessary but also investing money where it is required.
Everything else is just talk, and real leaders do so much more than talk.
So, I guess in the feeble mind of Brian Greenspun, if we lower salaries on teachers (something that should be done only as a very last resort) we will become a nation of the uneducated, like those in the Middle East.
Of Greenspun doesn't mention the fact there is fat in the CCSD budget and the Superintendent of CCSD just took $400,000 meant for empowerment schools to pay for his friends from Colorado.
I think Brian "The Coward" Greenspun needs to put down the crack pipe he uses before he writes his editorials and actually put some thought into what he says instead of blabbering like a drug addicted fool.
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