On March 10, President Obama spoke vaguely of his intentions to improve the system of public education in America. Some may view this as a worthy goal; but those of us who have kept our eyes on the Department of Education will see the numerous faults committed by the gradual increase of bureaucracy in the area of education. Despite the cries of the populace to restore public education, are Obama's ideas really going to solve anything? Perhaps a better question is should the federal government be the one to carry out the solution, whatever it may be?

A major part of President Obama’s education plans revolve around "recruit[ing], prepar[ing], retain[ing] and reward[ing] America's teachers." Consider the following outline, taken from the President's campaign website:

Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.

There are several disturbing positions made in the statement. Let's look at each case:

1). "Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them." On what basis will pay be increased? As former Milwaukee public school teacher Kurt Williamson expressed in his most recent article for The New American, bonuses awarded based on student grades or test scores end up rewarding those teachers who give their students high marks. What happens to the unseen educator who works solely for his/her students; who teaches them how to learn and not just what to learn; who expects his/her students to perform at their very best and doesn't hand out A's just because it is "good work"? Having a father as a high school science teacher, I have witnessed his frustration when administrators try to interfere with his interaction with the students. For example, when school authorities require him to follow the generic district goals instead of the specialized requirements of his area of expertise, the real learning needs of the students are lost behind a thick fence of grades and technicalities. Remember, the true purpose of public education is to expertly guide and train, not to advance any socio-political agenda.

2). "Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities." Local public school districts are suddenly, for the first time in decades, enabled to provide for their own? And all thanks to the Department of Education! Wait just a minute—the states and the counties are the ones who should be in charge of their districts. It would take a load of money and work off the hands Washington if all these district difficulties were solved on the level where they originated: local. The "underserved districts" would likely benefit from being in control of their own resources and finances. Here is one additional thought: what is the interpretation of an "accomplished educator?" Teachers with a Ph.D. in their field of choice? Or perhaps teachers with the highest student popularity?

3). "And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well." Again, what defines consistent excellence in the classroom? There are so many possible variables for success all interpreted so differently that the rewarding of such success is too enormous a task to be delegated to the federal level of government. Additionally, by what standard or scale will teachers' work be evaluated? Can one ever really measure in concrete terms the extent of an educator's touch upon the minds and lives of their students?

Truly, the Constitutional method of solving the public education dilemma comes down to handing jurisdiction over education back to the states where it originally resided.

For more on this issue please visit the Education Issues page for The John Birch Society.

Writing for fun and for profit since childhood, Belinda Z. is a homeschooled high school student who is a strong advocate for constitutionally-limited government and hopes to make a difference in politics someday.

When we think of 14 year old boys, we may envision a backyard game of football, being played in the mud. We may imagine young lads forming a club with the major club rule being “No girls allowed!” But Jonathan Krohn is not your typical mold of an eighth-grader. Recently featured in The New York Times, Jonathan has become known as “The Little Mr. Conservative” as his primary attention is focused on government and politics. From analyzing President Obama’s stimulus plan to speaking on C-SPAN and CNN, he has become highly revered and respected by numerous Conservative icons. Not only is he a political activist, but as of late he has published his own book titled "Define Conservatism" and is at the moment preparing to write a second book. One of Jonathan’s proudest moments was when he gave a three-minute speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, in which he brought the thousands of attendees to their feet.

Jonathan became interested in the governing of America and its political system when he was 8 years old, upon hearing of a filibuster that had taken place. This intrigued Jonathan, and thus began his enthusiasm for politics. Being homeschooled and raised in a family with Christian morals has shaped Jonathan into the kind of person he is today: a person wise beyond his years. When younger, Jonathan contemplated traveling to the Middle East as a missionary, so he began to study the language of Arabic. Because of his new found political fame, Jonathan may be changing his mind about his future, but still has a heart for the Middle East and continues to study the Arabic language.
 
Jonathan is quite aware and very serious about his ability to influence many thousands of people. He openly admits that he has much to learn and work and improve upon, such as hand motions while delivering speeches. Jonathan also confesses that there are those who may criticize him because of his young age, and that he should save these ambitions for his political future. But with Jonathan Krohn speaking pure and simple Conservative principles at such a pivotal time as today, perhaps this country could use some of that future now.


Nathan Prahst is a 20-year-old college student who resides in Strongsville, OH. Nathan is actively involved with local politics and is currently running for the Strongsville City Council – At Large. Visit Nathan's website by clicking here.

(Please pardon my sarcasm on this issue.)

Not surprisingly, major politicians around the world have released reports arguing for the presence of an enlarged International Monetary Fund. If you've ever played with rubber bands on a geometry board, you know what happens when you try to fit the rubber band—in this case, the Federal Reserve—around too many pegs on the board, or beyond its Constitutional limits.

Snap!

Among these top political leaders trying to fit all their great ideas on the geometry board is the infamous G20, or Group of Twenty, who will convene in the United Kingdom's capital in a few short weeks. Their mission is explicitly nothing less than "contributing to the strengthening of the international financial architecture and providing opportunities for dialogue on national policies, international co-operation, and international financial institutions." Note the pretty ugly word found three times in that statement: international.  With the G20 on the case there is practically no way to change the globalist flow of thought. As William Jasper points out in an article published in The New American magazine:

What they are proposing is economic central planning on a global scale, a sort of international Federal Reserve, which would be a major step toward world central government [emphasis added]. These new global powers are necessary, say the advocates, because the economic crisis we face is global.

An international monetary crisis is indeed sadly upon us; there can be no denying that. But what is even more unfortunate is how the media is slowly molding the minds of the American people to believe that bigger is better; that sophisticated systems, taxes and techniques will solve such an intricate crisis; and that we must take the supposed intellect of "the experts" at face value and not question their plans, considering that we are simply citizens, powerless to understand the vast nature of economics.

Hold fast to your pegs on the board, my friends—the financial rubber bands are stretching beyond their normal structure, and there's no telling when they'll snap.

Writing for fun and for profit since childhood, Belinda Z. is a homeschooled high school student who is a strong advocate for constitutionally-limited government and hopes to make a difference in politics someday.

When now-15-year-old McKay Hatch realized that some of his friends at school had a problem, he took measures to help them. As a result, this young California native started a movement to help people with a similar problem nation-wide. In fact, McKay’s group boasts about 30,000 members in the U.S. with additional groups popping up in Argentina, China, and France.

And just what sort of prevention does McKay advocate? Quite simply, he believes in a no cussing world. The official website for his No Cussing Club explains how the endeavor to rid cuss words from the every-day-vocabulary of his friends led to a much bigger project that brings awareness to the power of language, especially for young people.

How does one become a member of the No Cussing Club? Those who are interested take the No Cussing Challenge, which is an individual commitment to use better and more positive language:

I won't cuss, swear, use bad language, or tell dirty jokes.  Clean language is a sign of intelligence and always demands respect.  I will use my language to uplift, encourage and motivate.  I will Leave People Better Than I Found Them!

Because of the uniqueness of his club, McKay has been interviewed by such people as Jay Leno and Dr. Phil. But the No Cussing Club recently made headlines as Michael D. Antonovich, a member of the Board of Supervisors for Los Angelus County has announced his intention proclaim March 2-6 a “no cussing week” in honor of McKay and his excellent example of leadership. The proclamation challenges people to clean up their language just like KcKay and other members of the No Cussing Club have done.

In part, the proclamation reads:

"[McKay] continues to spread the No Cussing Challenge and encourage the use of clean language, which is a sign of civility and respect that will uplift, encourage, and motivate." 

Some mistakenly believe that this proclamation limits free speech. In fact, McKay and his family have been personally attacked for their work including death threats, prostitutes appearing the Hatch residence, grossly obscene voicemails and e-mails attacking McKay, and more.

McKay and his family stand firm on their commitment to spread the No Cussing message that promises to have a “powerful affect on your life”:

Your words become your thoughts.
Your thoughts become your behavior.
Your behavior becomes your character.
Your character becomes your destiny.

The concept for the No Cussing Club is appealing…especially for one who will admit the occasional slip-of-the-tongue in anger or frustration. The No Cussing Challenge is a fun way to make a personal commitment to not only become a more positive person, but to sound more intelligent while you’re at it!

Kudos to McKay Hatch on a job well done!

Today is President’ Day, a day designated to pay tribute to all the men who have served as President of the United States. Originally President’s Day was known as Washington’s Birthday, and officially it still is. However, this day has become known as President’s Day in honor of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

In honor of this day I thought it would be appropriate to spend a few moments on the history of American presidents. If you’re like most people in this country, you may find it difficult to name all 43 men who have served 44 presidential terms from George Washington, our 1st president, to Barack Obama, our 43rd (Grover Cleveland served as our 22nd and 24th president).

If you like, give it a try right now!

How did you do? If you’re like me you could go from the first president and work your way up, or from the current president and work you way back, but there is a large gap between the two!

Very few people know who all our presidents were and in what order they served. I recently became aware of the song “The American Presidents” which provides a fun way to learn and commit to memory the presidents of the United States. This creative song was written by then-13-year-old Genevieve Madeline Ryan as a present to her father on Father’s Day.

To hear the song, click here.

In short, here is a list of all the American presidents to date:

George Washington (1789-1797)
John Adams  (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
James Madison (1809-1817)
Monroe, James  (1817-1825)
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
Andrew Jackson  (1829-1837)
Martin Van Buren  (1837-1841)
William Henry Harrison  -1841
John Tyler  (1841-1845)
James Knox Polk (1845-1849)
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
Millard Fillmore  (1850-1853)
Franklin Pierce (1853-1857)
James Buchanan  (1857-1861)
Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)
Andrew Johnson  (1865-1869)
Ulysses S. Grant  (1869-1877)
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1877-1881)
James Abram Garfield  -1881
Chester Alan Arthur  (1881-1885)
Grover Cleveland  (1885-1889)
Benjamin Harrison  (1889-1893)
Grover Cleveland  (1893-1897)
William McKinley (1897-1901)
Roosevelt, Theodore (1901-1909)
William Howard Taft  (1909-1913)
Woodrow Wilson  (1913-1921)
Warren Gamaliel Harding (1921-1923)
Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)
Herbert Clark Hoover  (1929-1933)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933-1945)
Harry Truman  (1945-1953)
Dwight David Eisenhower (1953-1961)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-1963)
Lyndon Baines Johnson  (1963-1969)
Richard Milhous Nixon  (1969-1974)
Gerald Rudolph Ford  (1974-1977)
James Earl Carter (1977-1981
Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981-1989)
George Herbert Walker Bush  (1989-1993)
William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001)
George Walker Bush  (2001-2009)
Barack Hussein Obama  (2009-present)

If you are interested in learning more about the American presidents you can click here to access an interactive display of the history of our presidents.

Have a happy President’s Day everyone!