My idea of private schools comes from the area where I live. The local private schools have a higher standard and more DECIPLINE than the public schools. Public schools have become breeders of Socialism and Liberalism. Unless more good conservative teachers get into the system this will continue, therefore, if we could get vouchers so that people with kids could put their kids in good public schools or private schools, they would get a better education. This is choice, not manditory public school. The middle class has already voted by moving to suburbs and rural areas for better schools. I live in Auburn, Alabama with the best public school system in the state. There are several thousand people who live here and commute to Montgomery or Columbus, Georgia to work just because of the school system. The state highway department local engineer, who is a friend of mine, told me that traffic count is 40,000 vehicles a day on I-85 between Mongtomery and Auburn. Montgomery spends about $740 a year per pupil on public schools, Auburn spends $4,200. Smaller classes, better surroundings, etc. Montgomery has about 5-6 private schools, but the cost to commute is less than the cost of the private schools. It is about a 45 minute drive at about 75mph.
Newt Gingrich was right all along, LOAN the money at low or no interest, let the businesses sort out their own problem. The government getting partial ownership is a waste of money and time. Since when does a politician know what cars to build, or how to build them. Same with the banks and lending institutions. LOAN them money, but don't take them over like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. When government starts owning companies or parts of companies, it becomes socialism fast. Even Karl Marx admitted that capitalism was the fastest way to prosperity, but he thought it left too many behind an poor. We have social nets for that. In my opinion it is their own fault. You can't make people who party, spend all they make, having fun, not taking responsibiliy for their actions, not saving for the future or retirement, bascially blowing their oppoturnities, become thrifty, responsible, builders of homes and communities. You can't always expect the ones who are to continue to support those who don't.
Newt also wanted a rotating school system for high school and Jr. high. Boys go to school every other day, Girls the next. Give them all computers to do homework etc at home. Classes would be cut in half, so teachers would have more control and give more individual attention. The money saved from not having to hire more teachers and build more classrooms would be spent on the comptuers and systems. Teachers would have to become computer literate, and well as students. The Auburn school system gives computers to all 9th graders, who have all their books loaded on them with very stringent controls on internet use. They do their homework on the computer. Math, english, history, and some science. They said the cost of the laptops given out is about the same as new books. They take them up every summer and rebuild them and reload them. We have to pay $50 a year for insurance for loss or damage. Not too bad. Back to what Newt said. By keeping boys and girls seperated except at social events, it would cut down on teen pregnacy, disease, etc. They would concentrate more on their school work. Those kids who live in bad environments where their computers would be stolen or vandalized, they could expand librarys and computer centers for the kids to go to to do their work durning the day. Makes a lot of sense to me.
If the Republicans want to regain control, they must be against government take-over of private industries, loans and legal guidelines only for operating their business, which is what the SEC is for. (Not sports, but Securities and Exchange Commission). They must be for a closed border with Mexico, fence, guards, etc. Send illegals home, like Ike did in the 50's with 2,000,000 Mexicans. Rounded them up, put them on busses and boats, and put them out 200 miles below the border. Let them figure out where they came from. Republicans must also must prepare a comprehensive energy plan that would be minimum cost, but maximum benefit, promise to eliminate imported oil. They must also put tarriffs on cheap goods from overseas from countries who are not improving their work conditions and environment like we must do. If they improve and continue to improve, the tarriffs can drop off. Free trade must be fair trade. No tarriffs should be placed on Canadian goods for instance, because their standards are so much like ours. But from third world countries, before we trade with them, these stipulations must be put in place. They must also get rid of the patriot act on American citizens, vow never to use American troops on American citizens, nor have foreign troops stationed on American soil, except for cross training purposes at military bases.
Basically:
English the official language of the USA.
Deport illegals.
Eliminate imported oil and energy, especially from OPEC.
Build solar, wind, tide, and nuclear electric production facilities to replace coal, natural gas, and fuel oil.
Use coal for synthetic fuel, eliminate tarriffs on imported Brazilian sugar cane alcohol fuel.
Eliminate excise tax, income tax, etc, on hybrid vehicles. Offset by increased tax on standard vehicles to level the costs to encourage hybrids.
Give tax breaks for insulation, or solar installation on your homes, and for buying a hybrid.
As far as infrastructure goes, how about the government building an elevated high speed rail system in the mediuns of the interstates. This could eliminate short haul air transportation. Airlines and railroads and bus companies can buy high speed trains to operate on this system and pay taxes to use it for maintenance. For instance instead of catching a plane flight from Montgomery to Atlanta, then changing planes for overseas or cross country, catch a high speed train from Montgomery to Atlanta. Trains going 200 mph and having stops about every 100-150 miles would solve a transportation gap, which is the gap from about 70mph interstate to 600mph airlines.
If the Republicans would address these issues, this would promote domestic job production, raise taxes with these better paying jobs, eliminate money going overseas to potential enemies, and make us more secure and independent from the world.
