Answering

The Zealots

To the Editor:

The Bee has been stuffed to the gunwales lately with editorial and commentary about our budget referenda process. The pro-education zealots have been as vocal a group as any, continually droning on about the importance of increasing educational funding, how it benefits “the children,” how “the children” suffer when their parents can’t resolve their differences...and throw more money at education.

Their twisted logic is uniquely unsatisfying. Resolve education shortcomings by advising the administration, “Here… buy some better teachers, more teachers, more supplies, more SmartBoards... just improve our kids’ chances at a better path in life” do not address the structural problems of educators protected by employment contracts that insulate mediocrity and promote failure. Do not mandate change in curricula which prioritizes Kardashian-quality analyses of society’s ills over ardent exploration of the classics. Just spend more, the tried and true sure-fire plan to failure used in so very many government programs including public education.

We are watching the greatest country, the greatest opportunity at life the world has ever seen crumble before our eyes, go down in flames at the hand of the incompetent, America-hating dolt who presently denigrates our White House. Mr Obama and his band of intellectual trollops similarly scream for more money at every turn, lest we short change “the children” or “the poor” or whomever they choose as victim du jour. These are the children they have willingly slaughtered at a clip of one million plus per year for four decades in defense of a woman’s right to choose. These are the poor they continually lure into financial dependence with their immoral handouts.

The similarities between local zealots and Washington’s zealots are becoming indistinguishable … maybe they share a liberal worldview? Last week, Chief Justice John Roberts chose, rather than do the right thing, the moral thing for the country, instead to take the coward’s route and blow a sloppy kiss to the left in exchange for their affection. Many on the left, such as full-time societal irritant and professional endomorph Michael Moore praised this coward’s decision supporting Obamacare. The left’s indifference to the financial disaster this decision will inevitably and inescapably cause this country, including all children in this generation and many more to come, not to mention the deplorable health care standards that will ensue from it should be rewarded with a good old-fashioned thumping at the polls, God willing.

To the logic-blind education zealots in town, some advice... provide a reasoned analysis of Newtown’s education performance including metrics illustrating what our taxes buy (cost per college admission; cost per ivy-league admission; cost per dropout; cost per SAT/ACT point; cost per AP college credit granted) and lose the “we’re 9th in per capita income and 133rd in education spending” mantra. The country is broke, the state is broke and people have had enough with the government. Justify it or you ain’t getting it.

Absent a satisfactory justification for an increase, you’ll have to pry my budget increase vote from my cold, dead hands.

Brendan Duffy

4 Chestnut Knoll Drive, Sandy Hook                           July 5, 2012