TheAgitator.com
New Doc The Cartel Exposes Mass Corruption in NJ Public School System
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009So as I mentioned, over the weekend I spoke at a conference in Philadelphia hosted by Students for Liberty, the really impressive, rapidly growing national affiliation of libertarian-minded college students.
One of the other speakers was Bob Bowdon, the occasional “reporter” for the Onion News Network (where he goes by the character name Brian Scott) and host of a forthcoming talk show on PBS.
Bowdon was speaking to promote The Cartel, a serious documentary he produced exposing some jaw-dropping corruption in the New Jersey public school system. New Jersey spends more education dollars per pupil than any other state, which Bowdon says made the state ideal for a documentary showing how much of that money goes to waste—and how little it buys in terms of actual education.
Here’s a trailer:
A couple years ago, Reason published a dizzying illustrated flow chart showing how difficult it is to fire a public school teacher across the river in New York City. Have a look here.
I would love to see the film. Maybe he should submit the film to Netflix.
This is a great trailer. It strikes the right mood of activism without coming off as zealotry. Definitely looking forward to the film.
I wish there was one on Chicago public schools. The administration building is a city block square. The tax money goes to holding that place up not education. Kids don’t even have text books. They hold class in closets and hallways. But, Chicago had money for the Olympics!
interesting timing for this documentary, with Elinor Ostrom winning the nobel prize in economics. I think Ms Ostrom’s model for small govt would work well for schools and address many of the issues brought up by the Cartel. Hopefully, her ideas and the documentary get a wide viewing.
Hey Radley, it looks like the link to that flow chart is blocked off — it’s asking me for a username and password. Any chance we could get a good link?
Also, second Dave’s idea for Netflixing this bad boy.
Not sure if anyone else here has seen this, but thought you all might be interested. Apparently scientology is using the Vegas P.D. to harass protesters.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov/10/scientology-foes-arrest-puts-vegas-big-clash/
No, the anti-terror laws where -never- going to be used against Americans.
A note of appreciation from the world bankers and global elitist…
Let’s be honest: you’ll never win the lottery.
On the other hand, the chances are pretty good that you’ll slave away at some miserable job the rest of your life. That’s because you were in all likelihood born into the wrong social class. Let’s face it — you’re a member of the working caste. Sorry!
As a result, you don’t have the education, upbringing, connections, manners, appearance, and good taste to ever become one of us. In fact, you’d probably need a book the size of the yellow pages to list all the unfair advantages we have over you. That’s why we’re so relieved to know that you still continue to believe all those silly fairy tales about “justice” and “equal opportunity” in America.
Of course, in a hierarchical social system like ours, there’s never been much room at the top to begin with. Besides, it’s already occupied by us — and we like it up here so much that we intend to keep it that way. But at least there’s usually someone lower in the social hierarchy you can feel superior to and kick in the teeth once in a while. Even a lowly dishwasher can easily find some poor slob further down in the pecking order to sneer and spit at. So be thankful for migrant workers, prostitutes, and homeless street people.
Always remember that if everyone like you were economically secure and socially privileged like us, there would be no one left to fill all those boring, dangerous, low-paid jobs in our economy. And no one to fight our wars for us, or blindly follow orders in our totalitarian corporate institutions. And certainly no one to meekly go to their grave without having lived a full and creative life. So please, keep up the good work!
You also probably don’t have the same greedy, compulsive drive to possess wealth, power, and prestige that we have. And even though you may sincerely want to change the way you live, you’re also afraid of the very change you desire, thus keeping you and others like you in a nervous state of limbo. So you go through life mechanically playing your assigned social role, terrified what others would think should you ever dare to “break out of the mold.”
Naturally, we try to play you off against each other whenever it suits our purposes: high-waged workers against low-waged, unionized against non-unionized, Black against White, male against female, American workers against Japanese against Mexican against…. We continually push your wages down by invoking “foreign competition,” “the law of supply and demand,” “national security,” or “the bloated federal deficit.” We throw you on the unemployed scrap heap if you step out of line or jeopardize our profits. And to give you an occasional break from the monotony of our daily economic blackmail, we allow you to participate in our stage-managed electoral shell games, better known to you ordinary folks as “elections.” Happily, you haven’t a clue as to what’s really happening — instead, you blame “Aliens,” “Tree-hugging Environmentalists,” “Niggers,” “Jews,” Welfare Queens,” and countless others for your troubled situation.
We’re also very pleased that many of you still embrace the “work ethic,” even though most jobs in our economy degrade the environment, undermine your physical and emotional health, and basically suck your one and only life right out of you. We obviously don’t know much about work, but we’re sure glad you do!
Of course, life could be different. Society could be intelligently organized to meet the real needs of the general population. You and others like you could collectively fight to free yourselves from our domination. But you don’t know that. In fact, you can’t even imagine that another way of life is possible. And that’s probably the greatest, most significant achievement of our system — robbing you of your imagination, your creativity, your ability to think and act for yourself.
So we’d truly like to thank you from the bottom of our heartless hearts. Your loyal sacrifice makes possible our corrupt luxury; your work makes our system work. Thanks so much for “knowing your place” — without even knowing it!
Actually, BamBam, some of us blame class-baiting idiots like you.
So you deny there is any classes in society? At all? None?
@BamBam
Sure, I think there are classes. I subscribe to the agorist concept of class as Marx’s ideas on class where obviously idiotic. I also agree with you that it just doesn’t seem fair that some people are born with every chance to succeed and others aren’t. Unlike you, however, I haven’t turned my petty jealousy into a burning hatred for people who just happen to be born to different parents then me. You should really do something about all that anger, it just doesn’t seem healthy.
While your at it, you might want to look into some basic economics and political philosophy, maybe some history as well. I mean, hell, if your going to run around complaining about how bad your life is during what I can only assume is your free time on a machine that is literally mind-blowing in it’s complexity on a system that connects the world (at least the western world) to all other parts instead of trying to scrape out an existence on subsistence farming….well who am I to judge you complaining like a spoiled child that someone else has more toys then you.
Seriously, at least the socialists who clothe their jealousy in other arguments don’t come off like whiny babies, but damn you where that out there like a badge of honour huh? Grow up.
It was a copy/paste message whose intention is to encourage people to think. Keyboard warriors engage in name calling and insults … try to refrain from that and think a bit. It’s too easy to hurl invectives at people, and not generate meaningful thoughts. You judge so easily, and make a lot of assumptions. I look forward to some thoughts that have some merit.
i remember when i went to a school function with my middle school step daughter, hearing all the teachers explain how their won all sorts of awards for excellence. but i was thinking, “we scored 49 out of 50 in schooling tests.” i looked around and people we’re accepting this load of BS.
i live in georgia, i don’t know what state falls below us.
Bambam, you are amazing.
Why is it not fair that some are born with better “chances” than others? I’ve worked since I was 13, studied rather than partied, waited to get married and have kids until I was in my late 30s (to improve financial position), and I spend money like someone making 1/20th of my income. I do this SO THAT MY KIDS HAVE BETTER CHANCES THAN OTHERS.
I worked hard and always lived responsibly. My payoff is making my kids’ lives better. Now some twerp wants to cry about how it isn’t fair. Bullshit. I didn’t steal…I worked…HARD.
No, you cannot intelligently organize society. You can free society.
Yes, you can collectively fight for freedom. But not to just sign up for a different master…which is what you propose…based on your post.
Feakin’ planners.
Bambam,
Watch “Trading Places” and you’ll see how easy it is to fall out of a class (or be accepted into) based on merit. Winthorpe loses everything! Billy Ray is the new belle of the ball! No way Mr. Valentine gets accepted if what you write is true.
I look forward to your thoughts of merit on this subject. Also, how do you view Mortimer Duke’s enticement of whiskey to Billy Ray in the limo? And, is the man-rape by the gorilla just a metaphor for nature’s disdain for the plans of mankind? Or is it a Marxist statement?
Most importantly, the impact of Ophelia’s boobs in American cinema cannot be overstated.
@BamBam
What else do you want me to say about your post? It was an entire waste of time, it was one long appeal to emotion, jealousy and greed specifically. If your entire argument against a free market is someone else has more then you do, well, what can I say to that?
#11: It was a copy/paste message whose intention is to encourage people to think.
More precisely, a threadjack intended as lazy trolling for negative reinforcement. Well done.