Tag: Privatization

Feb 02 2010

Tests: Garrison’s “A Measure Of Failure”

Book review: Garrison, Mark J.  A Measure of Failure: The Political Origins of Standardized Testing.  Albany NY: SUNY Press, 2009. 140 pages.

Essentially Garrison’s book critiques standardized testing in the public schools as a power trip — what type of power trip a particular test is for, Garrison argues, depends upon the standards which are erected and the purposes to which the final scores on the tests are used.  It is argued, then, that standardized tests have had different purposes in different historical periods.  The high-stakes testing regime of the No Child Left Behind Act (of the Bush administration) is argued to be destructive (in this regard) of public schooling in general.

(Crossposted at Orange)

Apr 10 2008

Calderón’s Privatization Plan for Mexico’s Oil

A story that has been bubbling up in Mexico finally has made its way back to the surface in the U.S. news. The New York Times reports State oil industry’s future sets off tussle in Mexico.

A bitter debate over what to do about Mexico’s ailing state oil monopoly has dominated national politics here in recent weeks, tapping strong emotions on both sides and resurrecting the political fortunes of the leftist leader who narrowly lost the 2006 presidential election.

The corporate framing is immediate in the opening graph of the story, but that’s not unsurprising from the NY Times. What is surprising is that normally stories from Mexico do not often make the news in the United States. This story is different, because: “At stake in the debate is not only the future of the Mexican economy but also the supply of oil to the United States.” Even news from Mexico is framed by the interests of the United States. As of 2007, Mexico still had an estimated 12.4 billion barrels of untapped oil reserves, or 10 percent of the world’s crude, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

Jan 28 2008

It’s what they do

It’s what they do

college loan fiasco – new york

willie sutton of gov’t

inspector general on iraq c. 4/30

Principi

Norwood

baroody  cpsc, incl. $150,000 bonus

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18…

smihsonian, national parks,

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

FEMA’s Brown and his predecessor

Rumsfled, Cheney, Bush

EPA people

excellent political cortex on rogue’s gallery

http://www.politicalcortex.com…

another good list

http://crap713three.blogspot.c…

original(?) ap list april 2007

http://www.boston.com/news/nat…

supreme court rules SEC is enough; no stockholder anti-trust suits on IPOs june 18

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

investing in infrastructure

http://www.progressivestates.o…

check out the millennium challenge

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

Minneapolis bridge repair

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

kagro x’s augu 19 story on rove

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

Noarth American Union – Granny Doc’s diary august 20

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

fdr speech

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

rumsfeld and aspartame

http://www.mercola.com/article…

http://www.google.com/search?q…

http://www.conspiracyplanet.co…

Amid this controversy, Rumsfeld was hired as Searle CEO on March 8, 1977 and immediately began cleaning house. Rumsfeld, who had no previous business executive experience before becoming CEO of Searle, reorganized several departments in the company and fired many of its high-level managers, replacing them with other politically-connected Washington, D.C., insiders.

http://www.assatashakur.org/fo…

ralston turkey lockheed

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

earmarks, incl. defense

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

from diary on visiting iraq mercenary compound

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

The first question here is always “who are you with?” rather than “where are you from?” The contractors hold their corporate identity above their national identity. Indeed, they come from many nations and the common corporate culture bonds them and allows them to work together for their mutual benefit. It is eerily reminiscent of the post-nation state futures depicted in dystopian corporatocracy science fiction or anime. To a person, the contractors we talked to were confused by us because we were with an NGO and not a corporation.

fedex loses independent contractor suit

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

repubs rely on money to hold Iraq, afghanistan together

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12…

cs monitor on parks budget

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/…

really good article on national parks

http://www.alternet.org/story/…

good site: http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/

nrdc page

http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord…

mention yosemite – new cabins for vendor, not govt. employees

nbc news

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

jerome’s story on defiance of lenders in light of subprime fiasco jan 2008

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

sirota on class warfare jan 2008

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

It is important to bear in mind that this worldview will not die with this presidency. This is a worldview that is older than the Magna Carta; its manifestation during the Dark Ages we now call “feudalism.”

money? or people?

downsizing, outsourcing newspaper work

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Remove the profit motive.  Examples: military service, police protection, highways, all of the government programs that work.

powell memo 1971

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/co…

h/t Christopher Day

http://www.dailykos.com/commen…

elaine chao at labor feb 2008

http://shameonelaine.org/2008/…

Jan 28 2008

Who says government programs don’t work?

Who says government programs don’t work?

For the diary it’s what they do talk about public education being a success.  Compare the success rates worldwide for US students for a time period covering all the way back to before Reagan.  Other successful programs 911.

From MissLaura 10/18/07:

http://www.governmentisgood.com/

highways under Eisenhower, when taxes were 91%

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