The Future: Tea party gets involved in local school board elections

[Kathianne]

Most of tea parties are going for local offices. Things grow from bottom-up.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15241030


April 21st, 2011 @ 1:55pm
By Mary Richards

UTAH COUNTY -- Tea party activists are getting involved in school board elections across the country, including here in Utah.
"The goal is to have well-educated children. In order to have well-educated children we need well-educated voters and we need well-educated people running for those school board offices." -David Kirkham

Utah tea party organizer David Kirkham says most of the time, it's more about being good citizens than victory for specific candidates.

"I really believe, and I think most tea partyers believe, if we have good people running for office and educate the voters, they will vote the right people into office," he said. "Our schools will be better, our city councils will be better, our Legislature will be better -- the whole state will be better for it."...

[sundaydriver]

Where were these people in the past 30 years or so at all the school board, supervisor, and zoning meetings that only a small hand full of the same people have taken the effort to attend?

Aren't they DECADES too late to be called activists when they could have been doing what they should have been doing as part of a community?

Good that people want to do this now but what we do not need is for them to bring their "politics" along, just helpful ideas and support to better our communities.

[Kathianne]

Where were these people in the past 30 years or so at all the school board, supervisor, and zoning meetings that only a small hand full of the same people have taken the effort to attend?

Aren't they DECADES too late to be called activists when they could have been doing what they should have been doing as part of a community?

Good that people want to do this now but what we do not need is for them to bring their "politics" along, just helpful ideas and support to better our communities.

Seriously? Think for a long time people thought others were doing politics, didn't concern them, other than voting. The political elite have finally managed to energize many.

[fj1200]

Good that people want to do this now but what we do not need is for them to bring their "politics" along, just helpful ideas and support to better our communities.

So the folks that have been there for the past 30 years did NOT bring their "politics" along? Seems to me they need to bring their politics to counter the politics that have become entrenched.

[Psychoblues]

I think what sundaydriver is saying is that these johnny-come-lately teabaggers don't seem to demonstrate anything new or useful to the educational equation. Whenever I think of the teabaggers I think of those ridiculous old women running around with teabags pinned to their bonnets, reporters asking the teabag protesters what they were protesting and there was never any credible or consistent answers given. Of course I see right here where I live the north Mississippi version of the teabaggers. These cats are the old time almost libertarian inclined but mostly they are just idiots that don't recognize any need whatsoever for government, taxes or niggers. They are just a lovely bunch indeed.

Psychochoblues

[fj1200]

I think what sundaydriver is saying is that these johnny-come-lately teabaggers don't seem to demonstrate anything new or useful to the educational equation. Whenever I think of the teabaggers I think of those ridiculous old women running around with teabags pinned to their bonnets, reporters asking the teabag protesters what they were protesting and there was never any credible or consistent answers given. Of course I see right here where I live the north Mississippi version of the teabaggers. These cats are the old time almost libertarian inclined but mostly they are just idiots that don't recognize any need whatsoever for government, taxes or niggers. They are just a lovely bunch indeed.

I don't think he said that at all. Maybe there has been less interest than there should have been but his resentment at new ideas that don't buy into the existing educational dogma, where the failure is clear BTW, is quite evident. Maybe you had a chance to notice some media attention during your Atlanta stay on the pathetic state of Dekalb County schools where reform is well nye impossible, the cheating scandal in the Atlanta district, the accreditation problems of Clayton county... I could go on but the stories are all alike.

It is nice that you admit your view of the Tea Party is based on one media impression of old women and the idiots that you happen to live near who probably have no idea that you've pegged them into the Tea Party anyway. Certainly those idiots you live near aren't the sole reason for a 60+ pickup in the house. ;)

[logroller]

Where were these people in the past 30 years or so at all the school board, supervisor, and zoning meetings that only a small hand full of the same people have taken the effort to attend?

Aren't they DECADES too late to be called activists when they could have been doing what they should have been doing as part of a community?

Good that people want to do this now but what we do not need is for them to bring their "politics" along, just helpful ideas and support to better our communities.

If something is of pertinence to a locale, by any reasonable means deal with the issue in accordance with grassroots measures; hell, its better than having Congress deal with it! IMO there has been too mch weight given tofederal jurisdiction in determination of right/wrong-doings. This is a government of "We the people", not we the representatives. The closer the voice to the reason, the closer the will to the action.:salute:

[sundaydriver]

So the folks that have been there for the past 30 years did NOT bring their "politics" along? Seems to me they need to bring their politics to counter the politics that have become entrenched.

I have not been an elected official although I donate my time to projects and committees. What I have done is be in the audience at many school board and other meeting for a few decades where I could count the interested community members attending on one hand.

So now The Tea Bag Party wants to get involved. Welcome but leave the national and personal beliefs at home that don't address the local issues at hand.

[Kathianne]

I have not been an elected official although I donate my time to projects and committees. What I have done is be in the audience at many school board and other meeting for a few decades where I could count the interested community members attending on one hand.

So now The Tea Bag Party wants to get involved. Welcome but leave the national and personal beliefs at home that don't address the local issues at hand.

The idea of diverting local discussion to national issues, I've not seen at School board meetings or city council meetings. Truth is I've always lived in areas that have pretty good turnout to local government meetings, crowds when there are costly issues being discussed.

Contrary to those who've attempted to preempt the tea parties, ala Palin, Beck, Gingrich; most of the organizers are concerned with only a few principles:

Lower taxes
Smaller government
Federalist system revived
Checks and balances restored

[fj1200]

So now The Tea Bag Party wants to get involved. Welcome but leave the national and personal beliefs at home that don't address the local issues at hand.

Please provide example of their bringing up of national issues at local meetings.

[Psychoblues]

The idea of diverting local discussion to national issues, I've not seen at School board meetings or city council meetings. Truth is I've always lived in areas that have pretty good turnout to local government meetings, crowds when there are costly issues being discussed.

Contrary to those who've attempted to preempt the tea parties, ala Palin, Beck, Gingrich; most of the organizers are concerned with only a few principles:

Lower taxes
Smaller government
Federalist system revived
Checks and balances restored

Aren't those everyman aspirations, Kath? As a liberal I have always striven for all of those principles with the addition of justice for all, equal opportunities, the prohibition of corporations as persons and a fair, competent and independent Supreme Court. Like you I am not pleased with what we have and I encourage you to pursue your ambitions with the Teabaggers whilst I pursue on my own level within the Democratic Party. Given recent history and statements, one of us is 180 out from correct thinking. I don't think it's me.

Psychochoblues

[red states rule]

I think what sundaydriver is saying is that these johnny-come-lately teabaggers don't seem to demonstrate anything new or useful to the educational equation. Whenever I think of the teabaggers I think of those ridiculous old women running around with teabags pinned to their bonnets, reporters asking the teabag protesters what they were protesting and there was never any credible or consistent answers given. Of course I see right here where I live the north Mississippi version of the teabaggers. These cats are the old time almost libertarian inclined but mostly they are just idiots that don't recognize any need whatsoever for government, taxes or niggers. They are just a lovely bunch indeed.

Psychochoblues

Hey PB are you better off then you were four trillion dollars ago?

[red states rule]

Aren't those everyman aspirations, Kath? As a liberal I have always striven for all of those principles with the addition of justice for all, equal opportunities, the prohibition of corporations as persons and a fair, competent and independent Supreme Court. Like you I am not pleased with what we have and I encourage you to pursue your ambitions with the Teabaggers whilst I pursue on my own level within the Democratic Party. Given recent history and statements, one of us is 180 out from correct thinking. I don't think it's me.

Psychochoblues

The problem is PB being a liberal you think all of those ideas can ONLY be solved with a government program which requires to redistribution of someone elses wealth

[red states rule]

I have not been an elected official although I donate my time to projects and committees. What I have done is be in the audience at many school board and other meeting for a few decades where I could count the interested community members attending on one hand.

So now The Tea Bag Party wants to get involved. Welcome but leave the national and personal beliefs at home that don't address the local issues at hand.

It does go back to local issues. Obama and the Dems want to create a underclass dependent on government.

We have federal, state, and local programs that do nothing but keep the cycle of dependency going

That bill continues to grow and has to be paid

It ends up being paid by those of us still working

So it is logical for the Tea Party to also get involved at the local level

[Kathianne]

It does go back to local issues. Obama and the Dems want to create a underclass dependent on government.

We have federal, state, and local programs that do nothing but keep the cycle of dependency going

That bill continues to grow and has to be paid

It ends up being paid by those of us still working

So it is logical for the Tea Party to also get involved at the local level

Actually has much more to do with a learning curve, the kind education Obama has pretty much skipped time at. Local and county governments are dwarfed by state and national. It's in the local trenches, that experience and missteps are gained and learned from.

[Kathianne]

Aren't those everyman aspirations, Kath? As a liberal I have always striven for all of those principles with the addition of justice for all, equal opportunities, the prohibition of corporations as persons and a fair, competent and independent Supreme Court. Like you I am not pleased with what we have and I encourage you to pursue your ambitions with the Teabaggers whilst I pursue on my own level within the Democratic Party. Given recent history and statements, one of us is 180 out from correct thinking. I don't think it's me.

Psychochoblues

No PB, they aren't 'everyman's aspirations' certainly not yours. You don't want local governments as the main source of governmental initiatives, the costs are too low. Much harder to play, 'Move the bucks.'

You certainly don't want smaller government, in fact from all signs you've posted in past years, there's no government expansion that wouldn't meet with your approval.

Checks and balances? Doubt you really want to force each branch to take responsibility for their actions.