It must be nice to be able to sit at 104 Park St., donning rose-colored glasses and being insulated from the outside world.
The Sun Journal editorial “Education, taxes and generosity,” April 14, criticized my ire over using CBDG funds (taxpayers’ money) to provide services to individuals who failed to take advantage of an expensive, taxpayer-funded program that takes 13 years to complete. It is known as the public school system.
That shows that not only are you out of touch with what is happening in Lewiston, but also that you are enablers.
In order to solve problems, we must define and act to correct them. We cannot turn away from them. We cannot pretend that they don’t exist or, worse, ignore them and let them fester for fear of public ridicule.
I stand by what I said, then, now and tomorrow. It appalls me that, year after year, different groups of miscreants blow in and out of the local schools, treating them as a social club instead of an institution of learning.
It “is just unfair.” It sure is.
It is unfair that fixed-income seniors face yearly increases in property taxes to give those hoodlums a place to hang out. It is unfair that students coming to school to learn are denied their full daily learning time because of disruptive behavior. It is unfair when the bullying of honor students turns a place of safety and knowledge into a place of fear. It is unfair that those thugs create a negative public perception of Lewiston’s outstanding teachers.
If they feel they need an education, let them pay for it. Kaplan University, University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College and Central Maine Community College provide a laundry list of courses, for a fee, designed to provide skills needed in the working world.Tuition out of their pockets gives them a financial stake in their education and, hopefully, a desire to succeed.
There is also the CareerCenter on Mollison Drive in Lewiston. Programs at that taxpayer-funded center are free and designed to get people into the workforce.
I was elected by Lewiston taxpayers to bring dialogue and solutions to the public forum. I serve their needs, not the philosophy of the editorial board of the Sun Journal.
Robert E. Macdonald, Lewiston, mayor
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Hang in there, Mayor. It's a
Hang in there, Mayor. It's a lonely job being the only one making sense these days. Adult Ed is little more than a liberal fantasy of sub-collegiate competence. It adds nothing to a person's marketability and provides little more than an evening or two of hobby learning.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mayor Mac
Mayor MacScrooge has decided that Adult Education funding should be cut because the taxpayer has already paid for 13 years of education. Adult Education is one of the most successful education programs helping many earn a High School Diploma, GED ,Job Skill Certificates brush up on skills, learn new skills and remain life long learners . Mayor MacScrooge needs to attend an Adult Education graduation or go talk to the director to find out who is being served and how this helps the community. Labeling people negative stereotypes will not make things better but a good education will. Adult Education is a shining light of hope for many looking to make a better future. Mayor Mc Scrooge needs a visit from the Adult Ed. successes of the past , present and future
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mayor Mac
Mayor MacScrooge has decided that Adult Education funding should be cut because the taxpayer has already paid for 13 years of education. Adult Education is one of the most successful education programs helping many earn a High School Diploma, GED ,Job Skill Certificates brush up on skills, learn new skills and remain life long learners . Mayor MacScrooge needs to attend an Adult Education graduation or go talk to the director to find out who is being served and how this helps the community. Labeling people negative stereotypes will not make things better but a good education will. Adult Education is a shining light of hope for many looking to make a better future. Mayor Mc Scrooge needs a visit from the Adult Ed. successes of the past , present and future
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mayor Mac
Mayor MacScrooge has decided that Adult Education funding should be cut because the taxpayer has already paid for 13 years of education. Adult Education is one of the most successful education programs helping many earn a High School Diploma, GED ,Job Skill Certificates brush up on skills, learn new skills and remain life long learners . Mayor MacScrooge needs to attend an Adult Education graduation or go talk to the director to find out who is being served and how this helps the community. Labeling people negative stereotypes will not make things better but a good education will. Adult Education is a shining light of hope for many looking to make a better future. Mayor Mc Scrooge needs a visit from the Adult Ed. successes of the past , present and future
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mayor Mac
Mayor MacScrooge has decided that Adult Education funding should be cut because the taxpayer has already paid for 13 years of education. Adult Education is one of the most successful education programs helping many earn a High School Diploma, GED ,Job Skill Certificates brush up on skills, learn new skills and remain life long learners . Mayor MacScrooge needs to attend an Adult Education graduation or go talk to the director to find out who is being served and how this helps the community. Labeling people negative stereotypes will not make things better but a good education will. Adult Education is a shining light of hope for many looking to make a better future. Mayor Mc Scrooge needs a visit from the Adult Ed. successes of the past , present and future
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Pay for it
Oh it must be the fault of the city, state or country that those that now don't have an education through their own fault now must have their education paid for again by taxpayers and provide nursery care if they even in fact choose to complete their education and if they don't should be supported by the ones that did work and paid for the chance for them to go in the first place. Back when the now baby-boomers were that age this didn't happen or was allowed to happen and it started in the home which in alot of cases does not happen anymore. Some parents will show up at school to defend their misbehaved child and the child knows they will and then its the school or teachers fault cause their bully or disrespectful child doesn't get an education and can't get a job which some choose not to even look for. The ones that should be getting the help are the ones that are willing to at least try to help themselves and that is not happening. The correction that needs to be made is "if you go to work the assistance stops. If you are offered a job you shouldn't be able to turn it down cause it pays less then not working but take it and get the difference in assistance. Their is no encouragement and also a lack of ones self-respect for wanting to make their own way in life. It should be a handup and not a handout. The deserving ones are being cheated by the deadbeats.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Pay for it
Oh it must be the fault of the city, state or country that those that now don't have an education through their own fault now must have their education paid for again by taxpayers and provide nursery care if they even in fact choose to complete their education and if they don't should be supported by the ones that did work and paid for the chance for them to go in the first place. Back when the now baby-boomers were that age this didn't happen or was allowed to happen and it started in the home which in alot of cases does not happen anymore. Some parents will show up at school to defend their misbehaved child and the child knows they will and then its the school or teachers fault cause their bully or disrespectful child doesn't get an education and can't get a job which some choose not to even look for. The ones that should be getting the help are the ones that are willing to at least try to help themselves and that is not happening. The correction that needs to be made is "if you go to work the assistance stops. If you are offered a job you shouldn't be able to turn it down cause it pays less then not working but take it and get the difference in assistance. Their is no encouragement and also a lack of ones self-respect for wanting to make their own way in life. It should be a handup and not a handout. The deserving ones are being cheated by the deadbeats.
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I can see where it would be tempting for an ex-teacher to want to punish all those lazy, uncooperative, mean and loudmouth students from the days of yore, but it also makes sense that some of them would later mature and realize the errors of their youth. Not funding the GED degree program makes no sense. Usually these are students who, because they could not or would not succeed in school, failed to graduate from high school. Without that degree they eventually learn that there is no possible way to have a decent job nor to qualify to get training at CMCC or Kaplan or anywhere else. To expect these guys to now pay for their education is not logical. It is the "I don't give a damn about you" kind of logic that is not seemly in an elected official who is supposed to serve an entire community. The more the community can do to help these guys out of the hole they have dug for themselves the fewer problems they will cause for the community later. Law enforcement, jails, welfare, non-payment of child support , vagrancy: none of these are free. And education is the only tried and true way to solve the problem. The same is true of ELL programs. The sooner these people learn the language the sooner they will become employed tax-payers. "I don't care about you" is not the answer.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Claire, How long should
Claire,
How long should society carry dead weight and at what expense? There is a point where you have to cut people lose.
Instead of looking to government for a solution to this problem as you frame it, you, with teaching background, can help the community with volunteer GED training.
Just because the government can’t or won’t solve a problem does not mean the people cannot. Moreover, the solution will likely be much more cost effective than government can provide. Perhaps you can turn this into a business to make some money - low cost GED training!
Now go seize the moment!
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.One more thing
You know, the ones in these programs are trying to fix it. I mean, if you're not trying to get your GED, why would you go to the adult GED programs anyway?
The ones taking advantage of the program are the people trying to do right by themselves and their community.
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Jason,
I smell a business opportunity for you. Teach GED qualification training for a cost lower than local colleges. That is if the state does not have prohibitive regulation that prevents you from doing so.
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I think he's pissed!!!
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.How short sighted of you, Mr
How short sighted of you, Mr Mayor.
Not every poor person living on the streets becomes Governor you know. They actually tend to commit crimes. Crimes which cost your taxpayers far more than any adult education program ever will.
By the way, I love how you say this:
“In order to solve problems, we must define and act to correct them. We cannot turn away from them. We cannot pretend that they don’t exist or, worse, ignore them and let them fester for fear of public ridicule.”
And then propose we DO EXACTLY THAT. You propose that instead of dealing with the problem, we give up on em.
“If they feel they need an education, let them pay for it.”
Your whole solution is to “pretend that they don’t exist” and “let them fester”. Those people you want to stop helping will just take the easy way out, just like you are. Many will turn to a life of crime, because if you have nothing invested in the system, you are less likely to work within it. Others will just exists on welfare, leaching off the system.
Put it this way – how rare is Governor LePage? Wasn’t part of his allure that he is so rare?
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