I combed through McCain's website in search of his proposal for improving the abysmal state of education in the US. Finding any plan was like trying to locate the minorities at the Republican National Convention. What I did find was grammatical errors, recycled ideas, empty words and platitudes.
McCain's treatise on education labors through seven paragraphs of fluffy words and passive voice to make a single, predictable point: he believes in school choice. In paragraph eight, he writes:
John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing school (sic).
Never mind the irony that punctuates the incorrect grammar in his education manifesto...
...the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing school (sic).
Editor's Note: Oh for G-d's sake. Why can't they take the time to edit the part of their Website that's about education?! After eight years of Bush murdering his native tongue, it's the bare-f--king minimum a voter could ask for!
Never mind that. Eight paragraphs about school choice without a single specific. Or anything that distinguishes his ideas from the existing charter school system (the one that Barack Obama has brilliantly proposed doubling funding for).
His website also has a page dedicated to early childhood education programs. In Wikipedia fashion, the first eight paragraphs trudge through a description of existing programs such as Head Start. His ideas do include the following, though:
We should build Centers for Excellence in Head Start that actually leads to excellence in all of the pre-K and early learning programs that taxpayers support.
OK, but what does "excellence" really mean to a campaign that's so D+ it can't even bother its education platform with a simple copy edit (see second example below)?
Where ever (sic) federal funds are used in providing early childhood education programs,
I smell a platitude. McCain the flunky wants me to trust him with my kid's schooling, yet he can't even show the English language the basic respect and deference it deserves? McCain's running mate said it best when she lied, "thanks, but no thanks."
Unfortunately, my analysis stops here. If McCain's campaign can't find the ten minutes it takes to proofread his Website, I don't have time to read it.
(cross-posted on MYDD)
An astute fellow English Rights Activist observed the following on MYDD.com:
WTF? Re: McCain Website written by Borat (2.00 / 2)
The page is fucking unreadable. What a GD joke. I had to stop at the second paragraph, I was getting a grammatical migraine, and wanted to attack my screen with a red pen.
Example paragraph below...This is an insult to the electorate.
There is much to be achieved by leveraging and better coordinating these programs to increase availability of high quality programs. When used effectively this approach has had a tremendous impact on the wellbeing and educational outcomes of children.
I might be crazy... but are you seeing what I'm seeing?
by mydailydrunk on Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 10:40:23 AM EST
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