Brad Smith, the Utah State Superintendent of Public Education, is quoted as saying, during the closing sessions of the 2015 Utah legislative session, "It reminded me of when my kid was 3 years old and they started crying on Christmas morning because they didn't get one more thing," (SL Tribune, March 24, 2015). He has since retracted this statement in “An open letter to all Utah educators”, posted not in a public forum, but instead on the Utah Public Education website. (http://utahpubliceducation.org/2015/03/23/an-open-letter-to-all-utah-educators/#.VRFN8_nF_ng)
I am calling him out on both his statement at the legislature and his “apology.” Utah is dead last in the United States for per-pupil education. We have the largest class sizes in the Union, and a teacher in our state can qualify for welfare based upon wages paid. Both of these FACTS should shame the Utah State Superintendent of Public Education into advocating for more money for public education. . . and to do away with charter schools.
Like most parents in Utah, I have raised children who benefited from public education. I have listened to well-trained, qualified teachers as they gave advice to us regarding ways to help our children to gain as much knowledge as possible from their education; and also how to provide opportunities outside of school to assist in their education. Teachers work hard; they are unfortunately paid very poorly in Utah, and yet they continue to give it their all. To have the State superintendent accuse them of behaving poorly is a slap in their faces.
The rally to which you were referring, sir, consisted of not only teachers, but included parents concerned about their children’s education, and the level of funding given to the public schools. We, as a State, spent time this legislative session commemorating a device dedicated to killing, and spent money to have non-existing wolf-packs delisted from the endangered species act. We have, as a State, funneled money into charter schools that can pick and choose the students they want, to the detriment of public education.
I am sure you are familiar with Thomas Jefferson, the founder (and first major financial supporter) of the University of Virginia. Here is one of his comments regarding education:
“The tax that will be paid for the purpose of education is not more that the thousandth part of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.”
You, sir, should have been begging, cajoling, and lobbying on behalf of Utah public schools and educators. You should have been crying foul on every attempt to limit or control money spent on public education. You should have been supporting the public schools, and the educators.
Instead, you chose to compare those advocating for education to the bleating of 3-year old offspring of goats.
My children, grandchildren, indeed all the children in Utah, deserve better from the State Superintendent of Education.
You, sir, owe an apology -not only to Utah public education teachers- but to all the parents, children, and children’s advocates in Utah. Perhaps you even owe them your resignation from office, as your very public comment indicates a distain for public education.
Your comments upon my thoughts are welcome.
RM “Bob” Hartman 3/24/15
This blog contains some of my personal, political, moral, and social views of our society today. All of the posts here are copyrighted, and may not be used, copied, etc. without the permission of the author. Comments are welcome! All comments must be in a family-acceptable verbiage. Feel free to share this blog with anyone that might be interested in reading and/or discussing the material I present. Thanks for visiting. R.M. "Bob" Hartman
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
An open letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
An open letter to Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Senator, to say that I was disappointed to see your signature applied to Senator Cotton’s “Open Letter to Iran” would be a severe understatement. I am one of your voting constituents, and feel you could have served me, and the citizens of Utah, better.
First, I find it interesting that the Junior Senator from Arkansas (and, by your signature, you, the senior Republican member of the Senate) feels the need, or is qualified, to educate the Iranian government on the process of treaty ratification in the United States (or other countries). A simple Google search can yield information on the number of treaties that have been proposed and never ratified by the Congress of the United States. While the reasons for non-ratification may vary, the process has been in place for years and continues to work for our government, for our people, and for the betterment of our Union. The government of Iran, and of other countries, understand our system, of that I am positive. If the treaty obtained is acceptable, then ratify it; if it is not, then vote against the treaty. It’s that simple, Senator. Advance the goals of the United States of America. Don’t throw the treaty under the bus before we have a chance to discuss it.
Second, I find Senator Cotton’s attempt to inform the Government of Iran on our system of elections and constitutional processes to be child-like and very immature. He may be, in fact a lawyer, but he must be too young to remember the Iran Hostage Crises of 1979-1981, when the government of Iran released the hostages the day after Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. Not the day of his election, Senator, but the day after he officially took office. (In fact, Senator Cotton was less than 5 years old when the hostages were released.) You, Senator Hatch, are not too young to remember that event, and in fact you were in your Senate office throughout that entire period of history.
To further progress the argument, a thinly-veiled threat about the potential strength of the treaty (as regards the United State’s commitment to the treaty) serves only to undermine the progress, albeit slow, in bringing Iran to the table for honest, verifiable discussions regarding their nuclear ambitions, and their ability to move to a nuclear arsenal. This process, as you are aware, Senator, has been ongoing for many years; it has involved world-wide sanctions and criticisms of Iran’s goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Those sanctions and criticisms have had the desired effect of bringing Iran to the table to talk, which is the first of many steps the world’s various governments have taken to control the ability of non-nuclear States, such as Iran, to obtain nuclear weapons.
Senator Hatch, you are, for better or worse, the senior Republican in the Senate. You should be a voice of reason, of patience, of understanding. For someone of your standing to denigrate yourself to the lower level exhibited by Senator Cottons reflects poorly on your statesmanship, and your leadership. I would, and do, expect much better of you.
This is a time for America to heal some of her conflicts in the Middle East. Frankly, we need them, and they need us. We made a mess of Iran when we propped up the Shaw, and we bungled again in Iraq (both pre-and post-Saddam). Now we need senior statesmen to step up and work, with our elected President and within the channels of diplomacy, to correct our past mistakes, to work towards a more peaceful world, and to end the threat of nuclear annihilation.
With all due regards to your office, and to the service you have given to our country, I ask you to move into more positive steps regarding the on-going negotiations with Iran.
I am posting this to my blog, Senator, and if you respond, I will also post your response.
Readers- if you missed the Republican's letter to the leaders of Iran, here is a link: http://go.bloomberg.com/assets/content/uploads/sites/2/150309-Cotton-Open-Letter-to-Iranian-Leaders.pdf
As always, your comments are welcome.
Bob Hartman
Some of my readers have asked why I targeted Senator Hatch and not Mike Lee, the junior senator from Utah, who also signed this letter. Frankly, in my opinion, Mike Lee is still a baby senator, he has no clue about what is happening. He will do, or say, anything to prove his right wing tea party allegiance. I will not waste time on him. From Senator hatch, I expected better.
RMH
Senator, to say that I was disappointed to see your signature applied to Senator Cotton’s “Open Letter to Iran” would be a severe understatement. I am one of your voting constituents, and feel you could have served me, and the citizens of Utah, better.
First, I find it interesting that the Junior Senator from Arkansas (and, by your signature, you, the senior Republican member of the Senate) feels the need, or is qualified, to educate the Iranian government on the process of treaty ratification in the United States (or other countries). A simple Google search can yield information on the number of treaties that have been proposed and never ratified by the Congress of the United States. While the reasons for non-ratification may vary, the process has been in place for years and continues to work for our government, for our people, and for the betterment of our Union. The government of Iran, and of other countries, understand our system, of that I am positive. If the treaty obtained is acceptable, then ratify it; if it is not, then vote against the treaty. It’s that simple, Senator. Advance the goals of the United States of America. Don’t throw the treaty under the bus before we have a chance to discuss it.
Second, I find Senator Cotton’s attempt to inform the Government of Iran on our system of elections and constitutional processes to be child-like and very immature. He may be, in fact a lawyer, but he must be too young to remember the Iran Hostage Crises of 1979-1981, when the government of Iran released the hostages the day after Ronald Reagan was sworn into office. Not the day of his election, Senator, but the day after he officially took office. (In fact, Senator Cotton was less than 5 years old when the hostages were released.) You, Senator Hatch, are not too young to remember that event, and in fact you were in your Senate office throughout that entire period of history.
To further progress the argument, a thinly-veiled threat about the potential strength of the treaty (as regards the United State’s commitment to the treaty) serves only to undermine the progress, albeit slow, in bringing Iran to the table for honest, verifiable discussions regarding their nuclear ambitions, and their ability to move to a nuclear arsenal. This process, as you are aware, Senator, has been ongoing for many years; it has involved world-wide sanctions and criticisms of Iran’s goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Those sanctions and criticisms have had the desired effect of bringing Iran to the table to talk, which is the first of many steps the world’s various governments have taken to control the ability of non-nuclear States, such as Iran, to obtain nuclear weapons.
Senator Hatch, you are, for better or worse, the senior Republican in the Senate. You should be a voice of reason, of patience, of understanding. For someone of your standing to denigrate yourself to the lower level exhibited by Senator Cottons reflects poorly on your statesmanship, and your leadership. I would, and do, expect much better of you.
This is a time for America to heal some of her conflicts in the Middle East. Frankly, we need them, and they need us. We made a mess of Iran when we propped up the Shaw, and we bungled again in Iraq (both pre-and post-Saddam). Now we need senior statesmen to step up and work, with our elected President and within the channels of diplomacy, to correct our past mistakes, to work towards a more peaceful world, and to end the threat of nuclear annihilation.
With all due regards to your office, and to the service you have given to our country, I ask you to move into more positive steps regarding the on-going negotiations with Iran.
I am posting this to my blog, Senator, and if you respond, I will also post your response.
Readers- if you missed the Republican's letter to the leaders of Iran, here is a link: http://go.bloomberg.com/assets/content/uploads/sites/2/150309-Cotton-Open-Letter-to-Iranian-Leaders.pdf
As always, your comments are welcome.
Bob Hartman
Some of my readers have asked why I targeted Senator Hatch and not Mike Lee, the junior senator from Utah, who also signed this letter. Frankly, in my opinion, Mike Lee is still a baby senator, he has no clue about what is happening. He will do, or say, anything to prove his right wing tea party allegiance. I will not waste time on him. From Senator hatch, I expected better.
RMH
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