We need good teachers

I am writing you as a member of the community and parent. As our summer is winding down, and school is gearing up, I have noticed news articles about teacher shortages across the country. In a basic Google search I was able to find articles related to teacher shortages in the states of: Idaho, Utah, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and South Dakota.

Bonuses are one of the main ways to attract new teachers. San Francisco is offering $4,000 to special education teachers who take a job in the city. “California is facing a significant teacher shortage, and that means we have unprecedented competition for credentialed teachers across the state,” San Francisco Superintendent Richard Carranza said.

Areas in high demand are high school math, middle school geography, special education, school psychologists, speech language pathologists, art teachers, and agriculture. The University of Georgia last year graduated around 515 students with teaching certification, about 140 fewer than five years before. With technology advancing so fast, will more online programs be available to help combat the shortage? What other options can states offer for attracting new teachers? Two ideas: continuing education credit, and reimbursements for attaining certifications in other areas.

As the new school year starts, let us be thankful for the teachers we have, and make the 2016-2017 school year the best year for our Muscogee County school teachers.

Firm legal ground

The refusal to indict Hillary Clinton’s use of private emails while serving as Secretary of State was rooted in the seminal legal precedent reported in Gorin v. United States (1940), involving prosecution for violation of the Espionage Act of June 15, 1917.

Gorin established that prosecution requires intent or reason to believe that the information is to be used to the injury of the United States, or to the advantage of any foreign nation. It requires proof of acting in bad faith, and the recently concluded federal investigation found no basis under such criteria for any prosecution.

That satisfies the informed among us, but the idiot savants, aka Trump, Palin, Hannity, all of Fox Schmooz and the underlying Republicant morons leaning on social media and the feckless press, claim it is an outrageous “fix” based on privilege. If any of these intellectual dolts ever read anything of substance, I’d be shocked because there is no evidence that any of them completed remedial courses in English comprehension or American history.

Trump and the Republicants have nothing to offer to anyone and cannot agree themselves about who they are and why anyone should give a damn about them.

Enough stupidity, please, if you have nothing to say that will benefit all Americans then shut up. The issues in 2016 are complex and require informed thought to reconcile. Hatred, stupidity and no substantive solutions serve no purpose to mankind. (cf. Jesus, Sermon on the Mount). Selah.

Gross indifference

I believe in justice. I believe in law and order. I support the honorable men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line doing a very dangerous, very difficult job. I believe in equal treatment under the law. I also believe in transparency and accountability. I was a member of the first Public Safety Advisory Commission after the death of Kenneth Brian Walker. I was one of those deeply concerned citizens of goodwill equipped to help.

But whenever citizens of goodwill sincerely concerned about genuine, improved community/police relations have approached city officials who are supposed to be open-minded and forward thinking, those very city officials dismiss every helpful idea. They are completely closed-minded. Community policing is the joke.

Regrettably, we have people holding these respectable positions who shamelessly demonstrate they are more interested in their own public images and doing whatever is politically expedient than doing the right thing for the actual good of all citizens. They already know that certain citizens have no help if they have a negative encounter with Columbus police.

The councilors will just say the mayor is public safety director. The mayor will tell you just about anything, but take no corrective action. The newspaper will skip the story and civic leaders will parrot the mayor's words verbatim.

But don't ever mistake this for ignorance. It's more a nice little set-up for the privileged in the form of irresponsible leadership and gross indifference to others because their rights as citizens mean nothing. The injustice, disrespect, and disregard of citizens as practiced must come to an immediate halt. It's truly disgraceful. Columbus can be better and do better.

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "We need good teachers."