Jack
4 Mar 2010

9:53 am
Whether soda, saltine, club and topped with cheese whiz, colby jack or gouda a cracker is a cracker is a cracker.

Look guys, when you live with mob rules you have to live with the mob. Democracy is plane and simple, “The Mob Rules”. When you realize that protecting the individual serves everyone equally the we’ll have the school systems that we want in NC.

That fact of this situation is that busing children all over the map is not the cure for social equality, a quality education, and an opportunity for economic success.

The fundemental fact is that the success of the school, the success of providing children with a quality education, the success of providing them with a platform for a solid future, begins with the child’s parent or parents. Without that, no amount of school resources is going to make a material impact across the broader landscape of our society.

The fact is that many of our children are coming from home situations that no matter how much effort a school system puts in, too many are failing because of a lack of a stable, supportive home environment.

Until we begin to recognize that there are fundemental problems with the family structure in many of these communities, we will continue to see the same problems.

Until we bring into this discussion that fact that far too many of our children are losing an opportunity to participate in economic prosperity because of the explosion in single parent households, we will never meet a goal of creating an all inclusive society.

We can not expect our schools and our teachers to be replacements for stable homes and invested parents.

Government resources can not supplement personal responsibility.

I post my real name. I support the new board’s agenda, but that doesn’t mean I agree with how Margiotta is acting. It is the chair’s job to conduct these meetings in a business-like manner. School board meetings are non pep rallies, they are a time to conduct the people’s business. His first mistake was to allow applause. I live in Cary and have attended many meetings filled with angry people. But the mayor makes it clear up front that we are conducting business and that there is no room for crowd participation unless they are at the podium. He lets people know that the room will be cleared if necessary. Once you allow applause, you then have to allow boos. The boos quickly deteriorate into hurled insults. It is a slippery slope which must be avoided.

I do not at all think that Margiotta’s comment was racist, but it seems that some opportunists who oppose the new board direction are thrilled to play it that way. That said, the chair is expected to set the tone for these meetings, and comments like this one are completely inappropriate.

It breaks my heart that we have young children in these meetings hearing adults call adults “animals,” “white racists” or “mafia members.” This is no example of the proper way to run a democracy.

I also think the heavy-handed tactics in general have been uncalled for. Margiotta has been at the receiving end of this for several years, but that doesn’t make it right. Prior to the last election I was a long time school board dissenter. I worked very hard with a lot of people to drive change in our board leadership. That change was accomplished, a new majority exists, and there is no need for some of the tactics I’m seeing. As a longtime dissenter, I’m reminded of how many times I was told “Just because the board doesn’t do what you want, it doesn’t mean they didn’t listen to you.” It still applies.

There was a day when segregation was considered a key component of racism.

You still got a job???