Monday, October 27, 2008

School's Out in Chester

The Chester Upland School District is canceling all classes tomorrow so that students, teachers and administrators can attend a political rally for Barack Obama at Widener University.

Brilliant.

Partisan politics over books. There's a lesson for Chester's children.

UPDATE: Springfield GOP leader Mike Puppio called me and said he was issuing the following press release:

"The closing of the entire Chester Upland School District for a campaign rally that is not even on District facilities is outrageous and indicative of what an Obama administration would hold for the taxpayers of Delaware County.

"Unfortunately this district is one of the most troubled in the state. What are the direct costs for this day off in terms of teachers and staff? What are the indirect costs, such as parents who have to take off from work to care for their children or have to find child care?"

"This is a disgraceful misuse of taxpayer dollars. Is this an example of the redistribution of wealth that Obama is talking about? Who is paying for this? The answer to that question is every hard working tax payer in Pennsylvania since the district is distressed and under the control of the state."

There's more but you get the picture.

17 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a crybaby. It's no wonder Weldon lost with Puppio as his campaign manager. Of course, the GOP was all to happy to have the McCain/Palin rally disrupt the courthouse as the overwhelming GOP patronage job holders went. Or election day when the patronage people have the day off to work the polls or turn out voters.

Obama is the "Kennedy" for this generation. It's a great moment for kids to get to see not only the next President, but such an historic one.

Are we going to have eight years of all this GOP whining? I should invest in tissues and handkerchiefs.

October 27, 2008 at 7:22 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You would prefer to deprive the children of Chester the chance to be witness to history in the making? To have them stand before, and listen to someone who is an example of what an education and hard work can accomplish? I can't think of a better way for these children to spend a school day.
We're not talking about some overpaid sports figure, or a rap star. You probably wouldn't think twice about letting your kids take off to go to a World Series game, or world series parade with you, would you? What are your priorities? It amazes me that the people most likely to complain about the misdirection of black youth, would deprive them of the chance to listen to the real thing.

Off subject- Where's C. Scott been? Haven't seen him post lately.

October 27, 2008 at 7:49 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So what are you apologists saying? That it’s ok to skip school (and have us pay teachers, etc, a day off) just because they and Obama are black?
Funny how no whiter districts close so the students can go to McCain rallies.

October 28, 2008 at 12:07 AM 
Blogger whynotus said...

I am tired of the talking points. Mr. Puppio's statement is the worst example of trying to fit something into a talking point (a false and misleading Mccain taking point at that). If it is redistribution of wealth to give working families that make less than $250K/year a tax-xut to put more money in their pocket to pay bills and buy food, and making those who make more pay what they were paying before the disastrous Bush tax give-away, then I am all for it.

I agree wholeheartedly with the posters who say this is history in the making, and the children of Chester and the teachers deserve to have an opportunity to participate in it. When is the last time a presidential candidate came to chester to campaign?

If the children of Chester are given the opportunity to see someone running for President of teh United States who looks like them and comes from a non-leave-it-to beaver background, the HOPE is that some of them will be energized and will try harder and be better. I guess McCain-Palin coming to excite and energize Republicans who had more advantages than the residents of Chester was more important.

As a county taxpayer, can someone tell me who paid for the stage set-up for that rally? Who paid for the county workers to be dismissed early? who paid for the Media police force to work overtime? Who paid for the buses to and from the Springfield Mall? Maybe the bill has not been sent yet to McCain Palin or the RNC, ala Craig Williams and National Realty Corp?

Finally, I do not see this as a "redistribution of wealth," Mr. Puppio. This rally by Barack Obama in the City of Chester is a REDISTRIBUTION OF HOPE to a group of people that really need it.

October 28, 2008 at 12:57 AM 
Blogger Pro Christ Pro Gun said...

I'm back. Puppio has it wrong in stating that this is the redistribution of wealth, but he is right that those children in Chester need to be in school learning. That said, the scariness about Hussein is that he is going to redistribute wealth through class envy. The Bush tax cuts increased the Treasury revenue, and that is a good thing. Tax increases reduce treasury revenue as it cools growth. That is the point, Hussein has no plan to grow and expand our economy. Don't fire back that government creates prosperity either, because it doesn't. Opportunity in a free market creates prosperity.

Name one nation that had great prosperity when it tried to make the poor rich by making the rich poor.

C. Scott Shields

October 28, 2008 at 8:59 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

now what are the kids doing?? rally's over

October 28, 2008 at 10:58 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scott - Palins fame in Alaska came from just that. Redistribution of wealth. Each Alaskan gets $3000 a yr., confiscated from big oil. The Palin family alone gets a pretty sizable chunk of change from this. I guess that makes her a socialist.
And isn't taxation a method of redistributing the wealth? It's pretty basic. But getting back to the discussion of Chester students. I would think that you would be in favor of such a thing.
Don't you see the importance of these children being exposed to a role model like Obama? A man who plays the father role, has stayed with the same woman, who came from humble beginnings and excelled in school? If you compare McCains personal relationships, and lifestyle with Obama's, which one represents the more traditional, stable family that you champion?

BTW, welcome back

October 28, 2008 at 12:28 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

When is the last time a presidential candidate came to chester to campaign?

They didn’t close school when Reagan came in ’80. But then, he was white.


If the children of Chester are given the opportunity to see someone running for President of teh United States who looks like them

Aren’t we supposed to look past color and concerning ourselves not with “who looks like us” but instead judge by the content of their character (of which Obama is lacking)? Or is that just for whites?


Name one nation that had great prosperity when it tried to make the poor rich by making the rich poor.

Or a city! Philly is staring at a nearly $1 Billion deficit thanks to the LibDems who have run that place into the ground. Same for NJ… Every state and city run by LibDems is suffering. So with a record like that, why the heck would anyone let them do the same to our nation?


now what are the kids doing?? rally's over

Yep. Trouble. But at least they got to see the Black Candidate.

October 28, 2008 at 12:30 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The “so black kids can see a role model that looks like them” is the same racist argument/ excuse used to hire more black teachers and such. If whites were to use such an argument –not that they ever do- it would rightly be called “racism”. And apologizing for it/ excusing it only serves to validate their ugly racial attitudes that seem present in everything anymore and reinforces the Racial Double Standard.

But then, Obama’s entire campaign has been marked by the RDS start to finish, so this “blacks get a day off from school to see the Black Candidate” is a good fit with that.

A vote for Obama is a vote for the despicable Racial Double Standard.

October 28, 2008 at 1:44 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It will be nice to hear scott, randal and "r" call Senator Obama Mr. President.

October 28, 2008 at 3:27 PM 
Blogger Pro Christ Pro Gun said...

Bob:

Where has socialism ever worked?
What crisis was Biden referring to?
Why isn't Hussein (or any democrat) denouncing the Palin hanging in West Hollywood?

October 28, 2008 at 9:02 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Scott - where has socialism worked? Social security, the post office, public education, Palins redistribution of the wealth in Alaska. And hopfully the socialist bailout proposed by the president that you love. Bush. Scott, like it or not, we have integrated socialism into our government, There are plenty of European nations that also have socialist programs. Biden? - I have no idea what crisis Biden was referring to. It was a stupid thing for him to say.
Hussein? - As far as I know, Hussein was captured and hung last year in Iraq. I have no idea what you are talking about. West Hollywood?

October 28, 2008 at 10:09 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Laurels - to the Times editorial staff for agreeing with me on this Chester school issue.

Dart - to the desperate Republicans who are now trying to convince voters that Obama is a Marxist. What's next? Hitler? The anti-christ? Oh wait. The anit-christ is already in the White House. Never mind.

October 30, 2008 at 8:51 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yeah, like that’s not shrill, BB. Lol…

Sure the DT Libs wiggled and dismissed the Chester kids getting the day off to go and see a candidate just because he “looks like them”. Expected. Apologists will do that. That doesn’t make it right. And, once again, Rose Tree Media didn’t give their students the day off to go see the old white guy when he came to town. No white districs have.

October 30, 2008 at 12:35 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gil - If you get a chance, could you give me Randals address? I'd like to have a case of extra absorbent bounty paper towels delivered to him on Nov. 5th.

October 30, 2008 at 5:37 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/10/30/1616435.aspx

At Ohio McCain Rally:
"A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses."

October 31, 2008 at 1:43 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That’s ok. The Obama visit shut down an entire school district too. But unlike McCain, Chester was shut down so the students could go see a candidate that “looks like them”, which clearly carried racial intentions. Ugly stuff. I am certain there was no talk of the white students going to see the “white” candidate. So it's not the same. Not by a long shot.

October 31, 2008 at 1:44 PM 

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