[Local-Maine-Schools] Do Something Even If It's Wrong (was: take 2 today's BDN)

[Dick Atlee]

Nice summation, Paul!  Probably they put that phrase in as the magic key 
to unlock the BDN's seeming shut-out of anti-gross-consolidation 
letters.  You might not have seen the letter at all if they hadn't, nor 
would all the other people who will now have one more nail driven into 
the mental coffin of that too-much-administration idea.

This is probably the appropriate time to bring out a song sung by Gordon 
Bok -- Do Something Even If It's Wrong.  It applies to this situation as 
tightly as I've always felt it applies to Mr. Bush's approach to things 
(utter simplicity).  The only piece of this song that doesn't fit 
Bush/Gendron is that eventually something does work.

------------------------------------------------------
DO SOMETHING EVEN IF IT'S WRONG
By Captain Dave Kennedy

I've got a partner by the name of Sam
That squarehead pilot's quite a man
Here's what he says when he gets in a jam
"Do something even if it's wrong"

CHORUS:
Do something even if it's wrong
This'll make sense before too long
What am I gonna do with this crazy song
Do something even if it's wrong

The first thing Sam tries, it never works
The second thing only makes it worse
But the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth -- something works
Do something even if it's wrong

CHORUS

The next time that you're up a tree
You just don't know what your future might be
Take a tip from Sam and me
And do something even if it's wrong.

CHORUS


Paul Murphy wrote:
> Have you seen the article in today's Bangor Daily News entitled 
> "Overhaul Maine education, but carefully" by Reps Henry Joy and Jeff 
> Gifford? It's a good article and speaks to some of our issues but 
> certainly not all of them. My biggest problem is that it caves on a key 
> point from the get go: "We all understand that our school system is 
> overly costly, thanks to excessive administration....".
>  
> Who is "We all"? Everyone in the Rural Caucus? Please tell me that's not 
> so. Does the rural caucus not question the underpinnings of this phony 
> rush to consolidation? Does no one in Augusta understand that not all of 
> the school system is broken and that we need to step back, look in depth 
> at what is working and what is not working, fix what isn't and model 
> after what is?
>  
> There may well be some systemic problems with education in Maine. I 
> would argue that most of those find their origins in Washington and 
> Augusta and not in communities. Please turn your attention to those 
> sources before you come fix us. There are certainly problems that are 
> local as well. Fix them locally.
>  
> Complex problems require complex thinking and complex solutions. Don't 
> you folks get it yet? Our legislature has followed the advice of John 
> Porter who says in his op ed piece in the Maine Sunday Telegram on 
> Sunday April 1, 2007 (I almost thought it was an April Fools joke), 
> "Step back from all the minutiae of school district consolidation and 
> think in straightforward, logical terms. If you want school savings that 
> result in lower taxes, then you require the districts to combine and cut 
> staff and penalize them if they don't pass the savings to taxpayers. Any 
> plan that strays from that should set off your cow-pie detector."
>  
> Who cares whether it's right or wrong? Who cares whether it improves or 
> damages education? Who cares if we throw the baby out with the bath 
> water? That's all minutia for us obfuscators.
>  
> Please have the courage to think in complex terms about this complex 
> matter. The very foundation of this whole rush to global change is 
> faulty. Save our schools by just killing this bill. That's not 
> obstinance or obstructionism. It's just good common sense.