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O pinion
Siege from Within
|uly 5. 2006
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
t' • •
The assault on our government
m J im H k . htowek
W hile George W . the congress, and the media have us all
looking south to what they call the "in vasio n" o f America by
impoverished illegal immigrants, or looking east to what they
call an "endless threat" Io America from hordes o f fanatical
Islamic terrorists - there's another, very real, but very quiet,
siege taking place on our people’ s government... from w ithin.
Far from being a movement o f desperate poor people, this
assault on democracy is being mounted by extremely wealthy
anil powerful guys in pinstripe suits. T he ir's is a corporate
assault on our public resources, public institutions, public
functions - and the very idea o f the common good. They fly
the Hag o f "privatization.'’ and their goal is to take over our
public sector, essentially elim inating it and substituting corpo
rate governance.
In an important book titled, "The Fox In the Hen House." Si
Kahn and l.lizabeth M innich document the startling extent to
1 They fly the flag o f
'privatization ’ and their
goal is to take over our
public sector, essentially
eliminating it.
which this takeover has already happened. Corporate lobby
ists, corporate-funded think tanks, and corporate-owned
politicians have been pushing privatization (which is nothing
but a euphemism fo r corporatization) fo r decades, w ith
N ixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan. Bush, and C linton w illin g ly
turning over public purposes, assets, and control to these
private, anti-democratic, profit-seeking interests.
As Kahn and M innich show, the privatizers hit the mother
lode w ith the BushCheney regime. W ith their extremist, anti
government ideology, the administration is gleefully sell ingout
the public good by selling o ff whole chunks o f our govern
ment. We know about their push to privatize Social Security
and schools - but few are aware o f the massive turnover o f
power to corporations in such areas as the m ilita ry, our parks,
prisons and social programs.
T o help keep our democracy from being devoured by the
corporate foxes, check Kahn and M in n ic h 's w ebsite:
w w w .thefoxinthehenhousc.com .
Jim Hightow er is the best-selling author o f "Thieves In High
Places: They've Stolen Our Country And It s Tim e To Take
It Back.”
High Stake Tests Unfair to Students
School dropouts
We owe it to our students to
on the increase provide them with a fair,
unbiased educational system.
many young people across the country
weren't able to take part in the recent
commencement ceremonies going on
around them. And it wasn't be
cause they weren't bright enough
to complete their courses. These
students w on't be receiving their
diplomas because o f a controver
sial and biased approach to educa
tion: high stakes testing.
Designed to hold schools ac-
www.kijz.com
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BOBBY CALDWELL* PONCHO SANCHEZ • NILS •
• TOM GRANT • MINDI ABAIR •
PATRICK LAMB • CRAIG CHAQUICO • N' TOUCH <
Sunday, July 23rd • PGE PARK
Gates open at Noon • 1st act on at 1 PM
while 90-percent o f white students
passed. The picture around the rest
o f the country is not much differ
ent. As high stakes tests increase
in popularity, the dropout rate in
creases.
Many students feel it's simply
not worth their time to struggle
countable, high stakes testing only through their courses only to have
serves to hold students back and their future determined by a few
dilute the quality o f education they hours o f testing.
receive. It’ s an unfair practice that
According to a study released
disproportionately affects low -in last year, many educators admit to
come students o f color. Anil it having actually slopped teaching
should be changed.
subject areas that weren't going to
For years, in some form or an be on the standardized tests. In
other, school systems across the stead. they "teach to the test" and
country have routinely used stan focus on the material and formats o f
dardized tests. But. with the 2002 those exams. Critical thinking skills
passage o f No Child Left Behind, are n't used and real learning
President Bush's sweeping educa doesn’ t take place.
tion reform bill, the tests went from
Study after study has shown
being an assessment o f student that American students leave high
progress to, in many cases, being school unprepared to compete in a
the deciding factor in whether or fast-changing global economy;
not they'll graduate.
whether they goon to college or go
For students in underfunded, i.e. straight into the workforce, these
poor, school districts, passing students are destined to struggle.
these tests is next to impossible.
It is im p ractica l to base a
They are stuck in overcrowded student's future on one element o f
classrooms, with inadequate text the educational experience.
books and. possibly, have teach
We owe it to our students to
ers that are uncertified in the sub provide them with a fair, unbiased
jects they are teaching. Add to that educational system. School reform
any personal issues they may be is needed, but high stakes tests
dealing w ith-poortest taking skills, aren't the way to change schools
trouble at home, etc. - and the odds for the better. Legislators need to
are stacked against them.
address this before we begin to
Many o f those affected by this lose more o f our students.
biased system are black. Data from
Judge dreg Mathis is national
California shows that only 63-per- rice president o f Rainbow POSH
cent o f African-American - and 68- and a national board member o f
percent o f Hispanics - students the Southern Christian Leadership
passed the state's graduation exam. Conference.
Solution to Schools Crisis
unnatural disaster and national dis
grace has received little response
from the U.S. government or the
black community and is largely ig
nored by the media, foundations,
faith-based organizations
by P h ii . i . ip J ackson
and other institutions.
In the U n ite d
States, 55 percent o f
The Black Star Project
strongly encourages gov
young black men do
not graduate from
ernm ent,
c o m m u n ity
groups and schixil districts
high school accord
ing to a study by the
across the country to de
Schott F oundation
clare this the emergency that
for Public Education
it is and work in concert to
Dropping out o f high school sen remedy this situation.
tences black males to menial jobs,
The answer is simple: Get into
street-corner hustling, illic it ac action w ith workable solutions.
tivities, fathering children out o f We can no longer afford to blame
wedlock, drugs, gangs, prison, others fo r our problems and wait
and death - activities that de fo r others to give us solutions.
stroy our communities.
We must act now w hile this prob
Whether it is to establish a ca lem is s till solvable because in a
reer or start a fam ily, these students few years it w ill not be.
need a high schixil diploma and a
For information on the “ 10 Solu
college degree to succeed in the tions" compiled by The Black Star
2 1 st century. The lack o f a quality Project. Pleasecall 3 12-842-3527 or
education leads to the destruction visitwww.blackstarproject.org,
o f the black fam ily and causes the
Phillip Jackson o f Chicago is
social and economic fabric o f the executive director o f the Rlack Star
black community to unravel. This Project.
Declare an
emergency
I,