College ad protests Bush visit

[Doc Emmett Brown]

This isnt just any old college though (you know how university professors are being trashed).  This is a Christian college, so I thought it was interesting.

- from: http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050516-103313-9190r.htm


One-third of the professors at an evangelical Christian college in Grand Rapids, Mich., are taking out a large ad in a local newspaper Saturday to protest President Bush's commencement speech.

    "As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort," the ad will say. "We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq."

The 130 signatories, which include 20 staff members, work at Calvin College. Founded in 1876 as a school for pastors of the Christian Reformed Church, it now is one of the nation's flagship schools for a Christian liberal-arts education.
"No single political position should be identified with God's will," says the ad, which also chastises the president for "actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor."


Christians are to be characterized by love and gentleness, it adds, but "we believe that your administration has fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees."
Moreover, says the letter, set to run in the Grand Rapids Press, the Bush administration's environmental policies "have harmed creation," and it asks the president "to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy."

Although Calvin College President Gaylen Byker called the Bush visit "an extraordinary opportunity," the Chimes, the college newspaper, urged the 900 graduates to wear armbands protesting the visit. The publication pointed out that the president had been looking for a speech venue in Michigan, a state he failed to carry in 2000 and 2004.

After U.S. Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers, a Republican whose district includes Grand Rapids, got an offer from presidential adviser Karl Rove, the college sidelined its previously scheduled commencement speaker, Yale University professor Nick Wolterstorff, in favor of the chief executive.

"Some think we should be honored to have the president here," religion professor David Crump said. "We're excited by the opportunity to show people that evangelical Christianity is represented by a much broader spectrum of opinion than is depicted by the religious right and the media."


In a 2001 poll, 25 percent of Calvin's faculty described themselves as politically liberal, according to the college. Forty-five percent considered themselves centrist, and 28 percent said they were political conservatives.
In 2003, the evangelical weekly World ran an expose on Calvin, scolding it for having "drifted away from Scripture" on "theology-rooted issues such as origins, feminist theology and homosexuality."

Calvin officials contested the characterization, saying the college is trying to set an example for its 4,186 students.
"We are a serious theological and intellectual school, and we try to have our students informed by thoughtful reflection about the concerns," said history professor Randall Jelks, who is rounding up signatures for the ad.
"We are not Lynchburg," he said, referring to the more conservative Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., founded by the Rev. Jerry Falwell. "We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."

[SLCPUNK]

I saw this and thought it was great.

A true Christian is not a war-wonger and liar.

***

Another related article I read yesterday was about Utah (HUGE bush supporter) who was so mad at the lack of funding for the "no child left behind" bill that they scrapped it.

They literally refuse to participate in it anymore and other states are begining to follow suit. The article explained how Utah was overwhelmingly Right Wing (duh) and felt betrayed by Bush and his "no child left behind" bill. It was all talk while Bush cut funding at the same time.

Let me tell you something, I know Utah, the people are ultra-conservative, and if they are turning their back on Bush, that really says something.

[gilld1]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.  I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.  The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.  I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.  Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.  HMMM....

[SLCPUNK]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.  I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.  The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.  I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.  Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.  HMMM....

Thankyou.

People tout this bill as an achievment and deny that he cut funding by millions at the same time. None have children or care to read past the headlines either.

Again, if bush loving, conservative old Utah is turning their back on this plan, that says it all!

[GnRNightrain]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.? I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.? The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.? I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.? Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.? HMMM....

If anything Bush hasnt done enough to make change.  Perhaps the biggest barrier to change are the teachers unions.

The education system is a fucking joke and it happened far before "no child left behind."

[SLCPUNK]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.  I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.  The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.  I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.  Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.  HMMM....

If anything Bush hasnt done enough to make change.  Perhaps the biggest barrier to change are the teachers unions.

The education system is a fucking joke and it happened far before "no child left behind."

haha, right.

Who knows more about what is going on in real life?

The person in the trenches?

Or the guy who hasn't bothered to read anything past the headlines.

[GnRNightrain]

This isnt just any old college though (you know how university professors are being trashed).? This is a Christian college, so I thought it was interesting.

Just because it is a religigious school means absolutely nothing:

Ill bet the faculty at Notre Dame, Georgetown, USC, and Harvard all have a marjority of faculty that is against Bush and the war. ?


The fact that it is one-third of the faculty goes to show that it is hardly the consensus at the school. ?One thing I have learned from my years in college is that some of the Christian schools are far more tolerant than to differing view points in academia than the state schools. ?How ironic is that?

[GnRNightrain]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.? I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.? The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.? I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.? Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.? HMMM....

If anything Bush hasnt done enough to make change.? Perhaps the biggest barrier to change are the teachers unions.

The education system is a fucking joke and it happened far before "no child left behind."

haha, right.

Who knows more about what is going on in real life?

The person in the trenches?

Or the guy who hasn't bothered to read anything past the headlines.

My mother has been a teacher for over 30 years, and I know plenty of teachers.  You tend to know people that go into teaching when you go to college.  That is why I'll bet you know nothing about the subject SLC.

[Walk]

Romans 13:1-2

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

True Christians vote for the incumbent, and will respect Bush for being our leader. Democrats should be ashamed of how they act towards Bush. Republicans only bothered Clinton about his unacceptable immorality, but Democrats are upset at Bush for doing the right thing. It's sad that even Christian schools are full of poseurs these days.

[pekstein]

no child left behind???

isn't that the bill that bush worked on with ted kennedy?  the one that increased education spending by 40%?(SLCpunk, bush did not "cut funding" as you say.  you need to do better research) the one that enraged fiscal and states rights conservatives?   thats right it is.  yet the dems illogically badmouth this clearly liberal bill, just because it came from bush.  10 years ago the republicans wanted to eliminate the department of education. in his first term, bush increased its spending and enlargened the government stranglehold on public schools, while doing virtually nothing to eliminate bureaucratic teacher unions.  yet he is still labeled an evil conservative

what is most likely happening in Utah is that bad teachers are being held accountable for the performance of their students under NCLB (one of its few good points) and they think they deserve higher pay.  thus you hear the democrats screaming about "underfunding" of NCLB, meaning worthless, bureaucratic teacher unions should be getting more money simply for being held accountable for their quality of teaching, which is something that should be done without a NCLB law in the first place.

[sandman]

school funding has increased fairly consistently every year for quite some time now. not sure how anyone can claim to know what they're talking about, but not know this FACT.

teachers will always want more funding. more funding = bigger paychecks. but the reality is that as spending goes up, grades do not necessarily increase as well. so bush came up with a solution. improve your standards and prove you are making a difference.

and this bill passed with a HUGE majority in both parties. and yes, with an increased federal involvement over state's issues, it has aspects of a "liberal-like" bill.

[Will]

You tend to know people that go into teaching when you go to college. That is why I'll bet you know nothing about the subject SLC.

I see the atmosphere here hasn't changed a bit in 6 months. Please avoid these lame personal attacks and comments on this board. Thanks.

[GnRNightrain]

You tend to know people that go into teaching when you go to college. That is why I'll bet you know nothing about the subject SLC.

I see the atmosphere here hasn't changed a bit in 6 months. Please avoid these lame personal attacks and comments on this board. Thanks.

He is questioning the depth of my knowledge on the subject.  In addition, he takes a shot at me by saying I dont read past the headlines.  I thought the post was completely justified and true.

[SLCPUNK]

No Child Left Behind is leaving every child in the country behind.? I see it as a teacher on a daily basis.? The entire school is ran through the special education department at the expense of the mainstream kids.? I guess the Bush line of thinking is that if we can't make them all smart, we'll make them all dumb.? Thomas Jefferson once said that a successful democracy can not survive without an educated people.? HMMM....

If anything Bush hasnt done enough to make change.? Perhaps the biggest barrier to change are the teachers unions.

The education system is a fucking joke and it happened far before "no child left behind."

haha, right.

Who knows more about what is going on in real life?

The person in the trenches?

Or the guy who hasn't bothered to read anything past the headlines.

My mother has been a teacher for over 30 years, and I know plenty of teachers.? You tend to know people that go into teaching when you go to college.? That is why I'll bet you know nothing about the subject SLC.

Wow a personal insult. What a suprise.

I didn't ask if you knew teachers, I know plenty of teachers.

My reference is to those teachers working today and affected by this bill.

You ain't so smart bein' all edumacated and all that....boy. Why I gotta spell it out for ya?

[SLCPUNK]

SLCpunk, bush did not "cut funding" as you say.  you need to do better research

The Utah story is not even close to what you are guessing, but of course you point the finger out at the victim instead of the criminal. Typical Right-wing-hogwash. Like I said, if tight-assed Utah is against (lawmakers vote to allow school districts to participate only when adequate federal funding is available)  his BS program, then he's in trouble. Plenty of other states are following suit.

Wow, totally unreal. You can sit there and tell me I need to do better research, while really avoiding the truth of the matter here.

******

The President Has Repeatedly Broken His Promise to Provide Federal Support for Education. In the two years since the President signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, none of his budgets have come close to meeting the level of funding authorized in the Act. The FY 2004 budget submitted by President Bush fell $9 billion short of the amount authorized for 2004 and his FY 2003 budget fell $7.2 billion short of approved funding. [Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03; Associated Press, 2/24/03]


Federal Education Reform Taxes State and Local Governments With Unfunded Mandates. In February 2003, the bipartisan National Governors Association voted unanimously to label Bush's No Child Left Behind Act an unfunded mandate, along with special education, homeland security and Medicaid. A November 2003 survey of nearly 2,000 superintendents and principals found that 9 in 10 viewed No Child Left Behind as an unfunded mandate. States and localities have struggled to keep up with the new requirements. Between fiscal years 2002 and 2004, education spending in 35 states was unable to keep pace with increases in inflation and enrollment. [The Wallace Foundation, www.wallacefoundation.org; Education Week, 1/7/04]

Bush Failed to Provide Purchasing Power For His No Child Left Behind Act. The FY 2004 funding failure is $1.4 billion below what would be required to maintain 2003 purchasing power next year. Bush's FY 2003 budget proposal was little better, falling $7.2 billion short of funding approved for FY 2003 in the original legislation. [Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03; National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 2/03; CongressDaily, 2/3/03; National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), 2/5/03; New York Times, 2/5/03; Washington Post, 4/1/03]

Bush Fails To Support Children From Low-Income Families, the Centerpiece of No Child Left Behind. The President's budgets since the enactment of No Child Left Behind have repeatedly failed to fund Title I funding, the key federal mechanism for educating poor children and encouraging reform at the state and local level. The President's FY 2003 budget was $ 4.6 billion short of that authorized by his own No Child Left Behind Act. Bush's FY 2004 budget called for $6 billion less in Title I funding. The President has already admitted that his new FY2005 budget set to be released shortly will fall $7 billion short of the amount authorized, meaning that 4.6 million children nationwide will not receive the education the President promised them. [Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 12/13/02; House Appropriations Committee Minority Staff "President Bush's FY 2004 Budget, Department of Education, A Preliminary Analysis, 2/3/03; Office of Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle, 1/7/04; Associated Press, 1/8/04]

Bush Administration Inaccurately Claimed Budget Increases In Title I Funding. The Washington Post reported that the Education Department distributed a fact sheet that claimed "if President Bush's 2004 proposed education budget is enacted, Title I funding will have increased 41 percent since No Child Left Behind was signed into law." In fact, "when the 'No Child Left Behind' legislation was signed in January 2002, spending on the Title I education program was $10.35 billion (Bush had requested $9.06 billion). The president's proposal for 2004 is $12.35 billion, a 19 percent increase." Even this falls fall short of what Bush's program promised [Washington Post, 4/8/03; www.nclb.gov]

Bush Administration Spends Fifty Times More on Tax Cuts Than Increased Education Spending. Federal tax cuts over the past two fiscal years totaled $478 billion, while Department of Education spending increased $9.4 billion -- a ratio of more than 50 to 1. Overall spending by the Department of Education increased from $56.2 billion in FY 2002 to $60.4 billion in FY 2003 to $61.4 billion in FY 2004 (projected) leaving a total of $9.4 billion in additional spending over the past two fiscal years. During that same period the federal government handed out $186 billion in tax cuts in FY 2003 and $292 billion in FY 2004 for a total of $478 billion in lost tax revenue. [www.ctj.org; www.ed.gov]

Funding Shortfalls Undermine the Goals of No Child Left Behind
Despite A Mandate In "No Child Left Behind" To Qualify All Teachers, Bush's Budget Cut Teacher Quality Programs. Bush's FY 2004 budget proposed $3.1 billion for teacher quality programs, 7.9% ($268 million) below 2003 enacted levels. A year earlier, Bush proposed freezing teacher quality initiatives for the 2003 budget. Yet Bush's own No Child Left Behind Act called for every teacher to be have obtained a state certificate or license to teach by 2005. [House Budget Committee Minority Staff, 3/9/03; House Appropriations Committee Minority Staff "President Bush's FY 2004 Budget, Department of Education, A Preliminary Analysis, 2/3/03; House Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2/5/02]

Important "No Child Left Behind" Programs Were Eliminated In Bush's FY 2004 Budget. Important programs for comprehensive school reform, rural education, dropout prevention, school counseling, training teachers to use technology and a program to provide resources to reduce class size were all eliminated from Bush's FY 2004 budget. Each program was part of Bush's own No Child Left Behind Act. [www.ed.gov; Office of Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 6/9/03]

Bush Refuses to Fund Vital School Modernization Projects. In 2002, President Bush fought for the repeal of a new federal initiative to modernize America's schools and provide safe, modern places to learn for all children. His budget plan fails to include any dedicated resources to address the $127 billion backlog in school repairs. America's schools are, on average, 42 years old; nearly 25,000 public schools, almost one-third of all public school buildings, are in a serious state of disrepair. As a result, more than 15 million students learn in facilities that have substandard heating, ventilation, plumbing, and roofing systems. [National Center for Education Statistics, How Old Are America's Public Schools?, 1/99, www.nces.ed.gov; GAO Report, School Facilities, 3/00; American Institute of Architects, Good Enough for Congress?; www.e-architect.com; House Democratic Staff of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2/5/02

[SLCPUNK]

school funding has increased fairly consistently every year for quite some time now. not sure how anyone can claim to know what they're talking about, but not know this FACT.

"fact"

[SLCPUNK]

Romans 13:1-2

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

True Christians vote for the incumbent, and will respect Bush for being our leader. Democrats should be ashamed of how they act towards Bush. Republicans only bothered Clinton about his unacceptable immorality, but Democrats are upset at Bush for doing the right thing. It's sad that even Christian schools are full of poseurs these days.

Wow, what a joke.

A true Christian wouldn't attack a country and kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Put that in your little pipe and smoke it.

[pekstein]

http://edworkforce.house.gov/press/press108/02feb/educationbudget020303.htm

some notable parts:



EVEN MORE MONEY FOR ?NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND? - FOCUSED ON RESULTS

    *

      The President?s budget increases funding for Title I aid to disadvantaged students and schools, the central funding program in the No Child Left Behind Act, by $1 billion for FY 2004, on top of the $1 billion increase requested by the President for Title I for FY 2003. If enacted, the President?s FY 2004 Budget will result in a 41 percent increase ($3.9 billion) in Title I spending since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act.
    *

      Major increases are also provided in the President?s FY 2004 Budget for Reading First, teachers, and other priorities under NCLB.
    *

      These dramatic increases for NCLB priorities are made possible by streamlining dozens of smaller, duplicative and/or ineffective programs, in favor of major increases for accountability-based, flexible programs that focus directly on America?s most urgent education needs - improving student achievement, supporting teacher quality, and empowering parents.
    *

      The President?s budget increases overall spending for the No Child Left Behind Act by more than $500 million, continuing and building on the dramatic increases set in motion when the President signed NCLB. The President?s FY 2004 Budget increases overall spending for NCLB from the $22,002,418 requested for FY 2003 to $22,508,018 for FY 2004. This increase comes on top of the 24 percent increase in ESEA spending ($4.3 billion) provided during the first year of the No Child Left Behind Act. [The No Child Left Behind Act authorizes Congress to spend ?such sums as may be required? overall to implement the education reforms in FY 2003, FY 2004, and beyond. Democrat claims that $29.2 billion in funding was authorized or promised by NCLB for FY 2003, FY 2004, or any other year beyond FY 2002 are based on invalid assumptions that have no basis in the law.]
    *

      When the President?s FY 2003 request for Title I is enacted, federal Title I funding will have received a larger increase during the first two years of President George W. Bush?s administration than during the previous seven years combined under President Bill Clinton. The President?s FY 2004 Budget adds $1 billion on top of that for Title I.



and slcpunk we can argue about the specifics all we want.  the bottom line is this:  bush has increased federal education spending by over 40%.  he did not cut funding.  any cuts he did make were cuts to programs within NCLB, programs that never existed before NCLB.  the net gain still results in a dramatic increase in education funding between the time he took office and now. 

[jgfnsr]

haha, right.

Who knows more about what is going on in real life?

The person in the trenches?

Or the guy who hasn't bothered to read anything past the headlines.

By the same token, SLCPUNK, who knows more about whether the Iraq war is justified or not?

The American soldiers in the trenches? (Who overwhelmingly support the war)

Or the guy who's seemingly sole purpose in life is to bitch about it day after day on a GN'R fanboard?

[sandman]

Romans 13:1-2

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

True Christians vote for the incumbent, and will respect Bush for being our leader. Democrats should be ashamed of how they act towards Bush. Republicans only bothered Clinton about his unacceptable immorality, but Democrats are upset at Bush for doing the right thing. It's sad that even Christian schools are full of poseurs these days.

Wow, what a joke.

A true Christian wouldn't attack a country and kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Put that in your little pipe and smoke it.

so basically bush is doing a great job keeping his religious beliefs out of his political decisions (despite what all the liberals try to portray).

if you think utah is turning their backs on bush, you must have missed the election last year. bush won utah's 5 electoral votes in a landslide (and the NCLB concerns had already been going on for quite some time at that point).