Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Texas GOP Moves to Ban Critical Thinking in Schools

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist


The Republican Party of Texas had just released its 2012 party platform, and, not surprisingly, it is a patchwork quilt of craziness.  One of the more memorable planks in this redneck manifesto deals with the subject of public school curricular offerings.  Lone Star Republicans have gone on record as opposing the teaching of critical thinking skills in Texas schools.

Seriously.

The Texas GOP reasoned that they don't want challenges being presented to the "fixed beliefs" of students -  or anything else that would "undermine parental authority."  Stupid, uniformed parents have a right to keep their kids stupid and uninformed.  Of course, if the two most recent governors of Texas, George W. Bush and Rick Perry, are any indication, critical thinking skills have never been much of a priority in Texas schools anyway.

But the elimination of teaching critical skills in public schools is only one small piece of the craziness in the new platform of Texas Republicans.   Here are some  of the other positions that the group is endorsing:


  • Abstinence-only sex education
  • Trying juveniles as adults
  • Emphasis on faith-based drug rehab
  • Opposition to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • Flat-rate income tax
  • Repeal of the minimum wage
  • Opposition to homosexuality in the military
  • Opposition to red light cameras
  • Opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (because firms should be able to fire people for what they consider "sinful and sexually immoral behavior")
  • Continued opposition to ACORN (which hasn't existed since 2010)
  • Opposition to statehood or even Congressional voting rights for citizens of the District of Columbia
  • No-questions-asked support of Israel - based on biblical considerations
So if the Republicans of Texas have their way, the children of that state will get knocked up or enter into fatherhood early because they have no access to birth control, work for less than minimum wage to support their young families - and when they necessarily turn to crime to make ends meet, they will be subject to incarceration in the adult penal system.  However, even with all of those handicaps, Texas youngsters might still stand a chance of success in life if they possessed some critical thinking skills - but the good, God-fearing Republicans of Texas aren't having any of that either!

Some people respect and value children,  Others don't.

2 comments:

Xobekim said...

It will be interesting to see where the line on the right is. The line Texas Republicans cross and drop off the cliff, separating themselves from the electorate.

How much too much? This may be it.

Don said...

It's not surprising that the ignorance shown by Rick Perry during the GOP primaries has earned him several terms as governor of Texas