IM2Opinionated - Common sense views on politics

The higher standards that some of our leaders place on their constituents never ceases to bewilder me, because these same standards don't seem to apply to them.   As I was driving to drop the kids off at school this morning, I kept hearing stories about the impending FCAT.   For those unfamiliar with this acronym, F.C.A.T. stands for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which was initially intended to measure a student's academic achievement.   Recently however, it also serves as a basis to rate the quality of the education at public schools as well as the quality of the teachers at those schools. One of the problems, as was reported in a story I listened to today is that the F.C.A.T. or at least version 2.0 which will be administered this year, has questions that are not accurate or are misleading.   An example is provided here: * This sample question offers the following observations, and asks which is scientifically testable. The petals of red roses are softer tha

Mission Statement And Statement of Values and Beliefs by Chris Stanley Ossman Mission Statement I believe that the country in which we live currently is not the one the founders of this nation sought or proposed when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.  I believe that our Democracy has been undermined and over-taken by plutocrats who have been reshaping America based on an ideology that only seeks to; further the fortunes of the few, eliminate the will of the majority and segregate us all by the standards that they set regarding an individual’s status. I refuse to allow what has happened, over the past twenty five to thirty years, represent the next few decades.  In this regard, I will fight to usurp the authority of any person group or organization that seeks to do harm, purposefully or accidentally to the United States of America. I am of the belief that those who lead a sovereign nation should hold, above all else, t

    I've heard many people say that we should dwell on the past and by the past, I'm speaking about GW Bush. The problem I have with not dwelling on the past is, as the old saying goes, dooming one's self to repeating the mistakes of the past.     With the presidential election coming up, people need to think about the presidency we got that was based on lies: In the end it was proven that Gore had ... won Florida and it was known at the time of the election that the head of the elections board worked on the Bush campaign. And then we got the war in Afghanistan (justifiable) and the war in Iraq (not justifiable) and if you believe Richard Clark, a war that was forced by Bush, based on untruths. So, in 2012, we have the republican candidates for the presidency campaigning on outright lies.     Worst than their falsehoods however is the fact that republican voters don't seem to be outraged by these falsehoods. Instead they seem to be going along for the