Will The School Board Continue To Sue The Beaufort County Taxpayers? | Eastern North Carolina Now

"What's So Fun About Peace, Love and Understanding?"

    Elvis Costello once wrote this questioning refrain in his song, "Peace, Love and Understanding." He may have meant it as a rhetorical question. I do not know for sure; however, I use his refrain as a rhetorical question to the Beaufort County School Board, and all of their phalanx of supporters, who will often do their bidding, regardless of their inability to envision the broader view.

That broader view is at what price do they challenge and educate our most intrinsic resource - the youth of our American Republic? The answer to some is that there is no ceiling; for others there will always be the responsible approach. The “there is no ceiling” approach does not merit discussion, so let us examine the responsible approach. That philosophy acknowledges that our children are important to our families, but moreover, they are vital to our society at large. Furthermore, we folks of sensible intellect recognize that nothing comes free, so how do we effect a solid education for a reasonable expenditure?

    That question must be a conundrum to some; however, the explanation is much simpler than one might expect. The problem for us and a conundrum for the local school board, and to a much larger extent, the North Carolina Board of Education, is that these institutions are veiled in so many layers of politics and its accompanying subterfuge, that they have the difficult task of making the correct decision, when logic should rule that directive.

    The internal problem with this group is that the majority of those who benefit from the largesse of this well financed entitlement - the public education system - is that they best understand the more liberal solution to educating our youth, which is let's spend through the ceiling. After all, it all comes from the "Magic Pot of Money."

    Having a Leprechaun on staff, not withstanding, I grow tired of breaking it to these well meaning, but "not too quick on the uptake" folks, that there is no "Magic Pot of Money." There are only the taxpayers at three levels of governing: federal, state and local. I am of the part that represents the taxing authority at the local level, and I well understand where that comes from, where that money has to go as per mandate, and otherwise, where it can best and most practically be spent. It has been my history that this higher level of understanding has, and will continue to run afoul of those who benefit from that public largesse.

    Inevitably those that spend your public largesse and those that benefit from that receive the benefits of that spent public largesse have an insurmountable divergence of thought process from me and those voters that I represent. From the parent who is led to believe that her child will receive a better placement, to the educator who wants the higher paying administrative job, to the hard working teacher that is force to donate the ultra liberal unions; NEA (National Education Association) and the NCAE (North Carolinians Against Education), they are used, as a tool, to effect the more desirable political solution when uncooperative office holders, such as myself, stand in the path of this "spend through the ceiling," group.

    Because there is this political tether upon the decision making apparatus (school boards and administration, state and local) by the various synergies of special interest, these supposed decision makers find it difficult to experience the logical deductive process of making the better decision. In this conundrum of ineptitude, the hierarchy will not only seek to punish free thinking politicians, such as myself, they will punish those within that group that buck the political subterfuge, that this morally bankrupt system engenders. This statewide system, which has been in place for at least for the 13 years I have been a county commissioner, is so corrupt it is reminiscent of the familial cancer of revolving physical and mental abuse. Often, the only path to stop the spread of the disease is to cut away the tumor, and yet, at this point, this is not a realistic option.

    Why, one might query? The special interest as the privileged proletariat, as I mentioned earlier; from the well connected parents that parrot the conventional rhetoric to the state administration at the head of the snake, the wayward path by the leaders down to the followers is so entrenched, and vapid in scope, the system can not be mended; however, it cannot be revamped without a total commitment from the General Assembly, the Governor, and to some extent the North Carolina Supreme Court. And if history could be our guide, one should consider the corrupt leadership over the majority of the last 40 years of North Carolina's political past to understand that there will not be an overall of that Democrat system, until you eliminate the insidious the payoffs to those to those consider themselves influential, players.

    As long it is socially accepted that these players should continue to receive their rake-off, we will not change the political system that is waging a furtive war against the wisdom of a properly educated public, and currently our children that deserve a clean, safe, responsive environment in which to learn. I ask once again, "What's So Fun About Peace, Love and Understanding?" In revamping our political system to one that actually cares about the education of our public, the will be no peace, love and understanding. Only bloodless war, until we throw the self-serving rascals out of office.