huh?Yesterday I read this article in the Chronicle and could only shake my head in wonder. As a long time Bezerkeley resident this isn't the first time I've seen the City Council formally express an opinion on world politics and I have to say it drives me crazy. While I'm all for freedom of speech and even agree with the sentiment of this 'non-binding' resolution, I want my local tax dollars spent on local issues!
This resolution is particularly absurd given my daily insiders report on the state of some local schools. It's a well kept secret that this is a special time of year in many Bay Area public schools, perhaps best named 'End Of Supplies Season'. While there are still three months left on the academic calendar, schools are running out of basic supplies. No more pencils, no more copy paper, no more standard forms and even toilet paper can be in short supply. Effective public school teachers have a hard enough job under normal circumstances. Without supplies it seems impossible. Rather than rail against the bureaucracy, many teachers bite the bullet and pay for supplies out of their own pocket, effectively reducing their already modest salaries. WTF!!!
Given our community value of education and high expectations codified in NCLB, this situation is mind boggling to me. ...and makes City Council resolutions like the one described above even more absurd. Come on Council members, pull you heads out of the clouds and look around. There are plenty of local issues that need your attention!
4 comments:
Think globally, act locally. I often wonder how much better the whole world would be if people actually did both.
AMEN! Really. I am a Berkeley girl, born and bred, but I experience moments when I cannot stand the town. It's ridiculous. Like the election last fall: the people of the world already know Berkeley hates Bush -- so why try to pass a resolution calling for his impeachment?? An utter waste of thousands of dollars.
And as a kid at Jefferson, King, and BHS, I remember how frequently an entire bathroom would be out of TP. Or soap. Or paper towels. I feel SO lucky to have been educated in the Berkeley school system, but the city's gotta prioritize...
I have a sister-in-law that is a school teacher in MA. It is the same there. She is always buying stuff out of her own pocket for the kids. The difference is, she teaches at a private catholic school.
Run for office and put an end to all this crap.
Kind of like rearranging the furniture on the Titantic. I got a kick out of our politicians last year when they were investigating steriods in baseball. That's exactly why we elected them. Keep our economy strong, defend our borders, make sure we fit into the world cog, make sure baseball players are playing fairly, etc. Seems to follow. Government is nothing but layer after layer of waste. And we still have the best one going. Go figure.
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