The Ignorance Is Multiplying: Lawmaker Opposes Education Funding: "It would go to Blacks"

It seems that, here in the US, and elsewhere, ignorant racism amongst stupid white men isn't just not going away, it's proliferating in exasperating ways. In Mississippi, bastion of inbreed intolerance, state Representative Gene Alday is opposing an increase in education funding targeted at increase reading proficiency in elementary school students. His rationale is that education funding for children in black families is pointless.


Lawmaker Opposes Education Funding Because It Would Go To ‘Blacks’ Who Get ‘Welfare Crazy Checks’

A Mississippi state lawmaker said he opposed putting more money into elementary schools because he came from a town where “all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call ‘welfare crazy checks.’ They don’t work.”
...
Alday continued, saying that when he was mayor of Walls, MS, that the times he’d gone to the emergency room had taken a long time. “I laid in there for hours because they (blacks) were in there being treated for gunshots,” he told the newspaper.

Miss. third-grade gate: Fear of failure

A survey of superintendents by the Mississippi Association of State Superintendents predicted 28.4 percent of Mississippi's 38,074 third-grade public school students — about 11,000 — would fall short on the third-grade level reading proficiency test, barring them from entering fourth grade.

Alday says he's not racist; GOP leaders decry statements

"Rep. Alday is solely responsible for his remarks," said Gov. Phil Bryant. "I strongly reject his comments condemning any Mississippian because of their race. Those day are long past."

But the former mayor, former police chief and current first-term legislator said he had no idea his remarks would appear in a story and, if he had, he wouldn't have made them.

(Emphasis mine)


So, here we have an ignorant bigot, who has been in public office for some time, not realizing that his comments to a newspaper reporter might find their way into print. Amazing. It's important that he didn't deny the statements, but tried to pass them off as casual off-the-cuff comments.

Isn't that even worse? "Casual off-the-cuff" comments tend to be the indicator of how someone really feels.


ATS: is this fixable, or are we doomed?

Doesn't have much faith in his freedom of speech if he would have refrained if knowing it was public.


Poor guy, had to wait around in ER because those darn black folks were being treated for gunshot wounds...

Priorities people, make sure yours are in order!

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

What a vicious cycle! "We don't want to fund provisions for better education to (black) kids from welfare families, because they're just going to go on welfare!"

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord

ATS: is this fixable, or are we doomed?

Mississippi isn't fixable.

Are we doomed... TBD.

We are doomed if people keep acting like this doesn't exist and keep saying we just need to stop talking about it.

Time heals all and we are just not far enough separated from our dark past as a country where only certain people were considered people and anything else was sub human.

Like how he says it is no wonder the school system is failing but then says he doesn't see any school hurting...
Not sure how that works out.

Sad part is this man will probably get reelected when the time comes

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I disagree that the situation is becoming worse. This is generally the generation that grew up with massive bigotry and racism in the southern states (and elsewhere) and it is diminishing on the whole.

Just look at ignorance in general, it is declining. There will always be backwater sh*t holes where lack of education and religious delusions are still creating an indoctrinated youth, but these are always diminishing. Even in fifty years there will still be some places where the level of intelligence is far lower than the national average.

Societies are moving on, they are evolving, and cretins like this man are becoming an extreme minority.

originally posted by: Rocker2013
a reply to: SkepticOverlord

I disagree that the situation is becoming worse. This is generally the generation that grew up with massive bigotry and racism in the southern states (and elsewhere) and it is diminishing on the whole.

Just look at ignorance in general, it is declining. There will always be backwater sh*t holes where lack of education and religious delusions are still creating an indoctrinated youth, but these are always diminishing. Even in fifty years there will still be some places where the level of intelligence is far lower than the national average, but that doesn't mean they'll be stuck in some perpetual dark age, they'll just be behind everyone else.

Societies are moving on, they are evolving, and cretins like this man are becoming an extreme minority.

Not that I'm agreeing with this fool cuz I'm not. But will giving the schools, let's say twice as much funding as they have now make any difference in how well Johnny can read?
My father went to school in a one room schoolhouse and they were all broke and he is one of the smartest people I have ever met.
I think most of us over 40 learned to read and do math with books. We didn't have all the fancy gizmos the schools use today.

Ray Woodard if a group or sub-group is always the ones commiting the crime or stealing from other tax payers there is nothing wrong with it, its a truth,, the fre ride by american blacks need to end, either start doing something with your lifes or become extinct..if they killed every black in this country america would not skip a beat,, they offer nothing positive to this country..

Bold is mine, this is one of just the many comments that agree with what this man is saying...
Maybe we are doomed

originally posted by: Hoosierdaddy71
But will giving the schools, let's say twice as much funding as they have now make any difference in how well Johnny can read?

Throwing blind money at a problem, hoping a fix happens? No.

But in this case, the proposed solution is a specific program that showed exceptional results in Florida. On the whole, I think we need to improve the amount of money we spend on education, but first, it needs to be spent more intelligently -- this appears to be an example of that.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Well if private schools are proof of anything it is that more money equals more successful kids IMO.

And how many kids were in your fathers class?
Do you think bigger class sizes change how you need to teach?

You can't expect any group of people, White, Black, Brown or whatever...

To grow up and add to the system in a positive way...


If you refuse to help them make those steps.




A lot of people will disagree and say "I made my own way blah blah"...

No you didn't.

No one ever has.



Even if you're paying back thousands in loans that payed for your education...

You still had that loan to begin with...

You wouldn't have the chane to pay that back without someone else paying for it initially.

a reply to: SkepticOverlord

A survey of superintendents by the Mississippi Association of State Superintendents predicted 28.4 percent of Mississippi's 38,074 third-grade public school students — about 11,000 — would fall short on the third-grade level reading proficiency test, barring them from entering fourth grade.

-
STRONG-OPINION:

Obviously, any 'funding' would go for additional-educators to reduce class-size and promote more one-on-one. Too/Also, any 'funding' would benefit 'about 11,000' 'third-grade public school students' ... regardless of race.

"is this fixable, or are we doomed?"

I suspect it would highly-depend upon the condition(s) of the Regional-Economy.

(i.e. If good then most-likely yes; if not then I suspect it to be more difficult)


ADDITIONAL-OPINION:

The Political-Career of this "first-term legislator" just hit its Deadend.

( i.e. many times, shooting-from-the-hip just ... doesn't work )
.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Well if private schools are proof of anything it is that more money equals more successful kids IMO.

And how many kids were in your fathers class?
Do you think bigger class sizes change how you need to teach?

Private schools don't have to put up with disruptive students either. They boot out the kids that cause problems. My daughter is in public school and tells me all kinds of stories about what the autistic kid in her class did today. He would not be allowed in to a private school. So really there is no comparison between the two. The economics of the kids at home likely has more to do with the education the kids get at school.

And my dad was in school in the 40s so I have no clue how many were in his room. He did say that having older kids with him was a good thing though.

More idiots in the world...
SKIN ...MEANS...NOTHING.

a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

Alright fair enough, more then just money that goes into what a private school is able to do but I am sure the increased funding sure does help to get better teachers and use better techniques.

The economics of the kids at home likely has more to do with the education the kids get at school.

Totally agree here, which is why it is paramount that we get kids good education so they don't get stuck in a cycle with their own kids.

And I am willing to bet your old man didn't have classes of 30 kids, people have been calling for smaller class size for years.
Funding always seems to be the issue.

a reply to: Sremmos80


Its easier to get and keep good teachers when you can pay them more. But you also have to be able to handle the kids in your class. Student behavior is a huge factor in keeping teachers.

What does the fact that blacks are getting welfare checks and food stamps have to do with anything?
So just neglect a better education for the children, who by the way aren't even of age to obtain any gov. assistance?
Forget about the racial aspet, it's just flat out stupid anyway.

But the former mayor, former police chief and current first-term legislator said he had no idea his remarks would appear in a story and, if he had, he wouldn't have made them.

Well it's good to know that had he been aware that he was showing his true colors to the public, he wouldn't have. So not only is he a bigot, he's a liar and a dumbass.

How much do we drop into the public schools before we understand that money != solution to the problem?

Sorry, but in a sense he's right. You can put as much into those schools as you want, but until you address the real problems, it won't educate those kids. They have problems that don't have anything to do with the lack of money in their school system.

Private schools with far less money do a much better job educating the kids they get. You can argue that it's because they can pick and choose, but the reality is that the parents of those kids CARE about the educations their kids get which is why those kids are in those schools in the first place. The truth is that most of those kids neither care about the opportunities they might have nor about how much money their schools do or don't have. And neither do the parents of those kids, and until that changes, you can p*** away money all day long and it won't change a thing.