I WISH THIS GUY WAS OUR PRESIDENT 

i know!

this guy is awesome!

I can always respect someone who stands up for what he believes in. He also mentioned one of my favorite oddities of the American political system - how democrats supposedly believe in big government while republicans supposedly believe in small government, and yet both sides support social issues that are exactly the opposite. Their economic policies and, in the case of this school voucher bill, DO seem to stick to that, though. Weird, huh? If you don't know what I mean, I go on about it link.

I didn't hear the tone that was supposedly confrontational. But he's definitely a confident guy, and he's to the point and knows what he wants. I'm unfamiliar with him outside of this video.

SINCE this was about the school voucher bill, I would like to say a few things about that.

On the surface, I think it's a good thing to give scholarships to private schools. And I think it should pass. But I don't think it should pass at the expense of funding our public school systems. Private schools are generally better than public schools because they have a private source of income. They can afford computers and supplies and doctoral teachers for their students. I might end up teaching in a private school. I think they're excellent institutions.

However, I do get defensive of our public school system. Because they can't afford all of those things, but they try their hardest. I know this because I've seen it. The public school I volunteer at had a walk-a-thon on Thursday to raise money for basic school supplies. Budget cuts have led to salary reductions, firings, and other such things, which is not helping to improve our public schools. We need to stop taking money away from public schools. I guess that makes me a supporter of big government in this instance.

These scholarships for private schools are treating a symptom, not the problem. Yes, it may help people who otherwise couldn't afford private school attend. But what about the rest of the students that don't get the scholarships? Are we just going to leave them behind?

What we really need is funding for teacher training. If some public schools have poor teachers, train them. If they're still poor teachers, well then let them go. Not everyone was meant to be a teacher. It's hard. But sometimes, it's not all the teachers faults. Classroom sizes are another problem. Also, some children in poor neighborhoods don't have their basic needs met, so they can't concentrate. Lack of money for updated textbooks is another problem. It all comes down to funding.

I don't know if I would have supported this bill or not. I'll be interested to see how it turns out for New Jersey. I guess I would support the initiative, if it didn't take funding away from public schools.