The dumbest idea of the year; a RichRod buyout clause for each Promise Scholar January 10, 2008
Huh?
That was my reaction to the Governor’s speech tonight.
First, I will always say the Governor delivers a good speech. He is likable. He is affable.
But, holy cow, what a yawner of a speech. Was there any substantive proposals that actually will change the direction of our state?
The only thing missing from the Governor’s speech was some mention of candy canes and rainbows.
I wanted the lady from the 1980’s commercial to yell “Where’s the beef?”
OK, a couple points…
*****
Bullying? A commission on bullying? Yawn. I mean, who supports bullying? You’re not going out on a limb by being opposed to bullying (which every school already has a policy on). The Governor proposed the government solution to all problems - a Commission - to study bullying. Geez Louise.
*****
Making Promise Scholars pay back their scholarship if they choose to take a job out of state?
Huh?
On the surface is sounds like a good idea? But, it’s a simpleton’s solution to the problems we have in this state.
Most students here would like to stay. It’s not their fault our economy isn’t competitive and jobs abound across our borders.
No one wants our students to go to other states, but, hey if they find a wonderful job outside the state, good for them.
And, let’s face it, sometimes it’s a good thing for our state for our students to move out, experience other areas of the country, and bring those learnings back to the state.
And, it’s good for our state to attract students from other states here to West Virginia.
So, the Governor wants to make the students of our state sign a contract, with an iron-clad Rich Rodriquez-esque buyout clause. You if MUST leave the state to make a living, you have to pay the scholarship back. I’m sure we’ll tack some interest on there as well.
I’m sorry, but this may be the dumbest idea I have ever heard.
And, another problem this RichRod buyout plan within the Promise Scholarship has is what about “needs-based’ Scholarships? Shouldn’t they also have the same requirement to pay back their scholarship if they don’t stay in West Virginia? Why should they be off the hook?
Actually, let’s calculate the educational costs, K-12, for every student. If you don’t stay in the state, well, then, let’s make them pay the costs of their education back to the state if they aren’t LOYAL enough to stay in the state.
Crazy kids daring to move to better their lives, we’ll show them for even THINKING about moving to Bluefield, VA.
I’m sorry for my sarcasm, it’s a kooky idea.
You are now going to make parents decide whether or not their child should take the scholarship because their potential field may take them out of state and heck, if they want to get a student loan, they can already do that, probably for a smaller rate of interest.
No, no, no, no, no. So, we want to reward the best and brightest in our school system, well, ONLY if we put a gun to their head and make them stay here in the state.
All the while, we are trying to attact out-of-state students here to our state. Sorry, like I said, it’s a silly idea.
****
My favorite part of the speech (and, doesn’t he have speech writers that check this stuff), was when the Governor talked about the increased flexibility he wanted to give counties and school systems. Wonderful.
Wait…
Then, about 10 minutes later, he said that he was going to require the school systems to spend 100% of the extra money they are getting back in property taxes on teacher salaries.
Huh?
How do you give more flexibility by requiring them to spend 100% of their money a certain way? A few Senators were cracking up about it.
This proposal is DOA. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine any legislator tying the hands of their school systems by imposing a daunting mandate on them. No, that isn’t going to happen.
*****
Was it me, or was the Legislature’s response to the Governor’s speech tepid at best. Maybe it was because the speech was 90% fluff and 10% substance, but still, I think there was one standing ovation, and there simply wasn’t much enthusiasm. In fact, it felt like a Year 6 speech, instead of an election year fire up the troops.
I think the lack of competition for Manchin hurts him. He, and his speech, are almost taken for granted.
I’m sorry, but competition makes you better. And, with Joe not facing any serious opponent in either party, it felt like a speech he coasted through.
That’s why I said what I said. Manchin was wrapped during his last campaign because his campaign was made up of “sunshine, candy canes, and rainbows.” In other words, he didn’t say anything specific about anything.
*****
OK, a few nitpicky items.
Why, oh why, oh why, do we have to go through this same cookie cutter speech year after year. Goodness, change it up a little bit.
In fact, Joe is so used to giving the speech, that he launched right into it without really any pause. He shot straight into it.
He never did really say “The State of the State is Good… or Strong… or It Sucks.”
And, do we have to trot out the obligatory person who got a better job and the company who created three jobs and this person and that person?
I mean, it’s the same thing year after year.
I don’t know who started it, maybe Caperton, and certainly Wise ‘perfected’ it, by that I mean, since he didn’t have anything else to say, he spent the entire speech making people stand up for some reason or another.
But, come on, it’s the same old, same old.
****
One final point, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but smile seeing former Delegate Cindy Frich sitting at the news media table reading the speech along with the rest of them.
I mean, you know it had to irritate the reporters a little bit.
But, to me, it was great to see the line-up of journalistic equals - Larry Messina, AP; Anna Sale, PBS, Tom Searls, Charleston Gazette, Cindy Frich, Dominion-Post.
Yes, there were few things that could make me smile as much.
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27 Responses to “The dumbest idea of the year; a RichRod buyout clause for each Promise Scholar”
Can we put this notion that the likes of Manchin and the other Democrats want the “talented, educated” people to stay/come back to WV to rest?
It simply is a ploy to keep us thinking they really care. They do not. In fact, educated West Virginians are their worst nightmare.
I have personal experience in this area. I left WV after completing my BA in botany in 1966 and entered The University of North Carolina, Chapel to work on a master’s degree in botany. W/ that degree, I moved on to the Washington, DC area and worked in the US National Herbarium of the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1978, I returned to WV for 2 reasons. I wanted to have my aging parents live in their own home AND I loved my State and believed the garbage that the educated/talented should come back. I had to work at WVU as a secretary as my master’s just did not cut it w/ them. Finally, I went back to UNC in 1981 and completed my PhD in 1987. My committee at UNC cautioned me not to ever take a secretarial position again.
I taught a couple of times at FS for a friend when he had projects out of the country and I assisted teaching a large tree identification course in forestry. When the forestry prof. retired he suggested my being hired to run the course–that did not even get more than a smile.
In 1994 I had an interview for a position for which I had experience from my Smithsonian and graduate school days. During the interview, I was told (in a phony phone call) that they did not believe a WV woman could have a legitimate PhD and questioned WVU’s “giving of that kind of degree to women”. When I said my degree was from UNC, the voice informed me that “they must have different standards”. By-the-way, THEY DO.
Needless to say, I was not hired. Further reasons were given to me–also by phone: “You are the wrong politics” and they did not beleive that I would do and find exactly what environmentalists wanted w/o question. The chairman of the dept. did suggest to me that he could always use secretaries.
I stayed and took care of my mother for 7 years. During that time I turned down a chance to teach at a college in Virginia. Afterwards, I was too old to be hired.
The final irony is that the person who undoubtably dictated the tone/outcome of that interview, is the one who, as Provost, is frantically trying to sweep Heathergate under the WVU carpet. I, as a WV woman, could NOT be hired when I actually DID have the degrees I claimed (and the diplomas, grade reports and transcripts to prove it), BUT Joe’s daughter, Heather, IS hired when she clearly DOES NOT have the degree she claims to have.
West Virginia–open for business (as usual).
What a snoozer! Was it me, or did I actualy see the speaker nod off a couple of times only to wake up when everyone was clapping?
His speach maybe was 90% fluff so that he wouldn’t force the Dems in the legislature to take on any issues that may hurt them this year when their records are brought out in public.
Sometimes, though, when goverment does nothing, it’s a blessing. The less they do, the less they can screw things up even more.
Hopefuly, the Republicans will work hard to push their agenda this year forward and get some of the bills forced on the floor for a vote.
One thing I did notice in the address was that he wants to give 50 million to research to “plat a seed” Is it me, or is it everytime Mojo plants a seed, it’s the government that grows and not our household budgets?
It’s called sitting on a lead. Maybe Joe took advice from Don Nehlen?
Joan, thanks for sharing that story on Metro News Talk Line yesterday. (I am 99.999% sure that was you.)
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, Please
When Wise and the Democrats were selling gambling, they used the need for the Promise scholarship to that end. Did they not sell the Promise as college tuition to every child with a B average ?
(I remember Wise coming to Winfield High School selling the Gambling - Promise and had all the kinds including mine chanting.. “keep the promise, keep the promise”)
Anyway, after the Dems got the gambling and the revenue, they have been cutting on the Promise and here Photo Op Joe goes again.
Making kids stay in the State to get the Promise is stupid. It would work fine for kids getting Law degrees (plenty of work in Wv for them) but for kids with business, medical or engineering degrees, making them stay and work at Walmart is a waste of talent.
Chicken - Egg debate Joe.. fix the tax code and tort reform and business will come and those kids can stay.
I read in this morning’s Intelligencer that the teachers’ unions say “the governor doesn’t go far enough” in proposing pay raises. Del. Joe DeLong said he was surprised Manchin “didn’t say more about a pay raise proposal” for teachers in his speech. Del. Tim Ennis was quoted as saying the same thing.
BUT … also in this morning’s paper: an AP story about how West Virginia’s school children get an “F” for classroom achievement. The state’s eighth-graders rank 47th in math, 43rd in reading; fourth-graders rank 40th in both areas.
Why should teachers get rewarded via payraises for FAILING TO DO THEIR JOB, namely, educating West Virginia’s children? One-fourth of the freshmen entering W.Va.’s state colleges have to take remedial classes because they have been inadequately educated by government schoolteachers. When will we expect public employees to earn their pay through competent job performance?
AMEN Mikey - strike at the root, fix WVs Tax Code (worst in country).
Vic is right - the Gov and Dems offer more fluff - at best, treatment of Symptoms, not of the Disease - more band-aids and no Cure. more same ‘ole, same ‘ole - if they have their way - nothing good will happen for WVs.
methinks Vic thinks like a doctor
Come on Vic, give Joe a break, you know that Governor Gail has been busy going to all those ball games, appearing on TV, and putting the big tent up she hasn’t had time to give Joe the game plan for next year and Joe wasn’t going to let it be known that Governor Gail hasn’t done her job, again.
Responding to L, WV teachers deserve every raise they get. I am a high school Social Studies teacher for special education students who has a master’s degree plus 45 hours and I have spent a fortune on my education. Because of No Child Left Behind, I had to take a another 3 hr. Social Studies class to complete a required certification for Highly Qualified Teacher status. This was an undergraduate class that cost $609.00, not counting the cost of books.
I am not complaining as I think the class will be useful to me in teaching my students, I am just tired of the general public thinking we don’t deserve our raises. Our school has had at least 3 different people teach at our school that came from an industry background (DOW) and they left after 1-2 years, because they thought teaching was more difficult than their previous jobs. The general public has no idea what a teacher’s job entails. Most teachers either stay after school to complete their work or take work home. A teacher’s job is never done. And I know we chose this profession, but do we also have to be degraded by the public who thinks we don’t deserve our pay?
As far as the manner in which our students perform, I agree with Joan that our legislators and government don’t want an educated populace, or perhaps some of these people would be voted out of office. When people are ignorant, they are easier to control.
Teachers can only do so much. Most of the time I am more of an advocate for my students than their parents are. This is mostly because of their parents lack of education. They don’t value education because they own parents didn’t. It is a vicious cycle. What this state needs is tort reform; less lawyers and fivious lawsuits and more jobs and training.
Jeremy, you can add 00.001% to your certainty.
The Governor’s speech last night, and Mr. Sprouses response to it show that nobody in West Virginia’s leadership actually “gets it”. Most of the jobs the governor touted were in and of themselves yawn-inspiring manufacturing jobs. That’s all well and good for the folks who nenver went to college. But what about the young collgee grad who actually has some ambition in life, and wants to use his educated brain?
This is not the 1950’s when everybody was thrilled to death to be working in an assembly line for 8 hours a day. It’s not the 1980’s when everyone is conent to sit in a cubicle churnign out reams of meaningless paperwork. It’s 2008. News flash for West Virginia’s Over The Hill Leadership!! Young people who have graduated college in the past 10-12 years want more out of life than just any old job. They want more even than just a job with good pay and benefits. They are not going to jump up and down and “Hooray! A boring, tedious job with a salary of $35,000!”
Young people who have come out of American colleges since the mid-90’s are a new breed. They actually want to be fulfilled in their careers. They want a job that they enjoy, and that they look forward to going to each morning and that they are allowed to use their minds and creativity and their imaginations. They want to be proud of what they do, and want to be doing something that matters.
You can bring all the factory jobs you want into this state, but young people with ambition are still going to be drawn to the big cities where opportunities are broader and where they can be challegend and fulfilled.
Second, young educated people today want to live in a place that allows them to enjoy their time off. young educated people want to live in a place that is “hip”. Mayor Jones in Charleston seems to understand that because he has done alot to make Charleston a little more hip, with the Festivall replacing the old worn out Regatta, and some of the other innovations he has introduced. Maybe this will help stanch the blood flow of population decrease that Charleston has experienced since 1960.
Until the rest of West Virginia’s leaders get a little more hip, we’re going to keep losing our young folks, no matter how many midnumbing factory or clerical jobs we create.
L, I read your comments. I am a teacher. I would like a pay raise but I would also like to remove the incremental food tax and all the other taxes that keep business out of WV. As for the failing students, I have some students making A’s, they would make an A where ever they went to school. I have some students failing. They would fail where ever they attended school. They will continue to fail until their family or someone instills the need for an education in them. They sleep, talk, dance, yell, laugh…anything they can to keep themselves from learning. We send them out of class and they are returned so they will not be left behind. Send me your child with a willingness to learn and they will learn from my teaching. Send me your child who has no interest in learning and then “you can lead a child to an education but you cannot make him think”.
I could not believe our govenor was serious about making students stay in the state if they accept the promise scholarship. If the students are going to have to borrow more money to go to school, they may just go to school somewhere else. He is so driven to keep people in WV, but fails to address the reason they are leaving. (Better Jobs) Is he promoting education or punishing students that need the funds?
Frank, I am a big fan of good teachers, I owe my career and limited success to a 11th grade Physical Science teacher in Parkersburg.
I was one of those Kids who didn’t think an education was of any value and in fact spent much of early High School in a THC drug haze.
This teacher saw something in me (other than red eyes) and had the ability to make me understand Physical Science to a point that I was inspired to learn more in all subjects. To make a long story short, I went from a future felon to a degreed Engineer and it was 100% this Teachers fault.
WV Teachers can not fix the State however. No matter how much talk of “Education” fixing the States woes goes on, if there are no opportunities for our Kids then all we are doing is educating our young for opportunities elsewhere and we are draining the States coffers and taxpayers for the benefit of DC, North Carolina, Ohio, etc.
WV Teachers also deserve more money but with the State in 48th - 50th position in economic matters, those “should be” pay rates are just not doable.
What needs done is a re-write of the tax code making WV competitive (go read Ohio’s new business tax laws, the CAT tax), throttling of the litigation industry, reduction of ever growing State regulations and moving “open for business” off the signs and into practice.
When WV moves up the economic rankings then teacher pay will raise accordingly. Unfortunately, as I see it, this isn’t going to happen anytime soon… did you read or hear Joe’s agenda ?
Here is a clip of the “where’s the beef” lady from the 1980’s commercial…if she is still living we should hire her as a spokeman for the WVGOP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug75diEyiA0
Here is a clip of the “where’s the beef” lady from the 1980’s commercial…if she is still living we should hire her as a spokeman for the WVGOP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug75diEyiA0
I couldn’t agree more, Vic! The Gov’s proposal to make Promise scholars stick around is far too simplistic and does not touch on the true reason we are losing our youth. Why punish a recent college grad because we have failed as a state to provide the opportunities needed to keep our youngest and brightest at home? If this proposal is adopted, which I hope like hell it is not, we will soon have the most highly educated group of Wal-Mart greeters, Supermarket cashiers and 7-11 clerks in the country. Or better yet, maybe we can toss enough incentives around to build another Cabella’s so they can earn $7 per hour rather than minimum wage.
By the way, it is not too late to change your mind and run for re-election (or another office for that matter). Kanawha County simply can not afford to lose one of its only rational members of the State Legislature.
Vic - you made me laugh out loud with that last comment… yes, I’m sure Kabler, Messina, Searls, et. al. love having their “journalistic equal” Cindy Frich at their side.
I wish I could see a line up around the Senate Prez with Messina, Kabler, and Frich all pumping the President with questions. Or Cindy standing up in a Gov’s press conference asking questions.
I must agree……….if they don’t stay in WV, then students should have to pay back for their scholarship………..I’m not worried about the parents………how about someone caring about the taxpayers.
I was thinking the same thing last night when he mentioned the Promise change. The problem is West Virginia doesn’t have thousands of vacant jobs annually for college grads. They would have to flip burgers for four years and then move out to avoid the Rich-Rod Promise buyout.
Our top executive is supposed to see the big picture. Too bad.
I got a kick out of your post,after listening to the governor’s speech i think the legislature should take all the profit from tammarack and use it to widen all the bridges and tunnels leading into the state. After manchins speech about getting all the west virginians to move back into the state im sure they are piling up waiting on the border trying to get in.
Did you notice how he used the (high tech) bit like underwood trying to get people worked up?
All bs aside,another year no solutions.
My solution is stop penalizing people for having a business in the first place.
Every year we watch business’s close down for inventory,there should be no tax on inventory. Small merchants wind up buying the same merchandise twice,the first when they purchase it from a wholesaler,secondly from the government if it doesnt sell.
You have the inventory tax,and then you must pay a employee to count what you have so you can pay the state for it.
The B&o tax,the state outlawed it,but they let municipalities keep it. This penalizes small business. having money alloted to cities from state coffers would be better. Think about it its a double income tax. You pay the state income tax,then you pay a city income tax called a b&o tax. why has it not been ruled unconstitutional?
Now we have user fees,actually another b&o tax. isnt it any wonder why nothing grows in west virginia?
Since you have been in the senate can you remember anyone trying to untax the people of the state?
I see no change here,its the same as it was when i was young,my father was young,and my grandfather. generation after generation of people in this state getting screwed.
This comment is in response to the one by RC above.
RC, you hit the nail right on the head. Young people are not leaving West Vigrinia just for better jobs. They are leaving for a better quality of life.
My 25 year old son recently quit a good paying job in Charleston to move to Raleigh to take a job with slightly LOWER pay. Why? Because it is a helluva lot more fun to be 25 in Raleigh than it is in Charleston. He said to me “Dad, I want to associate with people who think a good day off is more than a 12-pack of Bud and NASCAR race on tv.”
More power to him. I don’t regret his decision, in fact, I envy him and wish I had had the guts to do the same thing 30 years ago. I wasted my youth in the backwater of Charleston (at pretty good, not great, but pretty good pay) and I don’t want to see him do the same.
I’ll be honest, I hope he NEVER moves back here. This state is no place for an intelligent youth with ambition. And it would be selfish of me and his mother to insist that he stay here to hold our hands as we get older.
My advice to any young person who has chance to move into a new and exciting location, and make an interesting life for themsleves is: “Go forth and do good!”
The state educational system is broken…teachers should be held accountable…good teachers should get raises, those with more advanced teaching skills (eg science and math) should be paid more…and those who are duds shouldnt get anything. Thanks to the teacher unions. The bullhorn photos in the gazz and dailymail says it all. It’s shameless.
My first remark was that we need tax reform. I truly believe that. #19 and others are concerned about taxpayers paying for Promise Scholarships. If the gambling profits were used to fund the Promise Scholarships as we were told they would, no taxes would have to be used. The controlling Democrat politicians are using gambling profits to fund anything and everything they want, thus shorting the scholarships.
One more remark. Where are the few Republican legislators we have? Why do they not introduce intelligent legislation? Watch the movie “Amazing Grace”. Intoduce good legislation again and again and again until it is passed. Don’t sit back and complain about the legislation being introduced by King Joe and his knights.
What’s really sad is this party and its inability to get its act together to seriously challenge him. Rasmussen Reports a couple of months ago or maybe longer, had poll showing his approval rating at 83%- do you know who gave him the highest approval rating? REPUBLICANS, by several points above the Democrats- thats insane.
DUH!!!!! I’m confused…..Back in my day a scholarship meant something paid with no debt incurred…….An educational LOAN was to be paid back with some interest. Was I sleeping when they changed the meaning of these words????