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Remember that Republican donor? Well, it turns out that he was also paying for one of Justice Thomas’s dependents to attend private school. Some Republicans say that this is no big deal, that this is all a part of an agenda to de-legitimize the courts. Rather than arguing that we should ignore this because Democrat Justices also do it, isn’t it better to demand that everyone on the courts who break these laws should be held accountable—and removed from office if the offense is egregious?
Four leaders of the Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy charges because of what they did on January 6, 2021. The leaders of the Oath Keepers were convicted on the same charges last December. Is this justice, or is this just another sign of a court system biased against conservatives?
Ryan Burge says that younger members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are more liberal then the older group. Some people argue that this is a temporary blip caused by Trump, but Republicans like Utah Governor Spencer Cox will bring them back to the Republican Party. Others see it as a more fundamental shift. We all have kids in this age group, what do we think is going on?
Big Question:The US education system seems to be failing. Scores in U.S. history and civics for eighth-graders are down across the U.S. The results follow recent national declines in reading and math among students in grades four and eight. Only 14% of students reached at or above "proficient" mark in history, and in civics only 22% of students met the same benchmark. To me, this is absolutely insane. We cannot have a well-functioning representative democracy when the citizenry lacks basic knowledge about our own history, and their civic obligations to society. I blame three things: 1) Low teacher pay. We are asking teachers to do more than ever and we are not compensating them for their work. Their pay does not reflect the training required to get their job. Average teacher salary in Utah is $53,000. Someone working 40 hours per week at a $22/hour job makes $45,000 per year. First year officers in the Army make $43,000 and they get additional money for housing, free health insurance, and a food allowance. 2) Local school boards. We have the best University system in the world in large part because we allow experts to run the Universities. Scholars and professors decide the curriculum, salaries, pretty much everything in the college system. It is world-class because it gives control to those who know what they are doing. Local school boards give local communities control over curriculum, salaries, etc.. and public education suffers as a result. 3) Politicization of K-12 programs. The public demands that schools provide psychologists, nurses, nutritionists, counseling, athletics, extra-curricular activities, and a curriculum that reinforces the parents values. We are asking too much from publi