#sotu2015

[blootgeven]

Tears are fallen

The final BlootGeven performance of the second tour was played at Proeflokaal Butcher’s Tears in Amsterdam - NL during the SOTU (Sounds of the Underground) festival. This nice spot with great bears, warm hospitality and a critical and lovely audience.

“Touching moments... tears are burning in my eyes.”

“Buddhistic moments... Searching for the purity in life.”

“I love the repetition of the scenes and the non-narrative story-telling.”

photo: Anita Renkema

[jbbaileyum-blog]

[jbbaileyum-blog]

Will It Work?

In my earlier post from today, February 11, I posted the White House's proposal for America's College Promise. Although, I already knew most of the clauses, I figured some of you might want to read about them. I actually am learning more everyday by reviewing over this material, like who knew high school wasn't always free. A century later and there doesn't seem to be a huge problem with it. Maybe free community college wouldn't be such a problem either as long as it is ensured everyone does their part. Once you start getting the states involved and making their own decisions, that is where the problems start. Of course, it will take years to pass and even more years for all the kinks to work out. The proposal looks good on paper but there are several clauses that have to be met. States have already cut higher education budgets but this plan is asking them to pay more. So will Mississippi Community Colleges have the same education as a California or New York Community College? Will this plan lead to "private" community colleges? I know the colleges have to meet the ASAP standards but with states being able to chose from so much, I'm not sure one would get the quality education for free as they would if they paid. What do you think? 

[jbbaileyum-blog]

The Plan

America thrived in the 20th century in part because we had the most educated workforce in the world. But other nations have matched or exceeded our success. Today, more than ever, Americans need more knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a growing global economy without having to take on decades of debt before they even embark on their career. 

By 2020, an estimated 35 percent of job openings will require at least a bachelor’s degree and 30 percent will require some college or an associate’s degree. Forty percent of college students are enrolled at one of more than 1,100 community colleges, which offer students affordable tuition, open admission policies, and convenient locations. They are particularly important for students who are older, working, need remedial classes, or can only take classes part-time. For many students, they offer academic programs and an affordable route to a four-year college degree. They are also uniquely positioned to partner with employers to create tailored training programs to meet economic needs within their communities such as nursing, health information technology, and advanced manufacturing.

Enhancing Student Responsibility and Cutting the Cost of College for All Americans: Students who attend at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA while in college, and make steady progress toward completing their program will have their tuition eliminated. These students will be able to earn half of the academic credit they need for a four-year degree or earn a certificate or two-year degree to prepare them for a good job.

Building High-Quality Community Colleges: Community colleges will be expected to offer programs that either (1) are academic programs that fully transfer to local public four-year colleges and universities, giving students a chance to earn half of the credit they need for a four-year degree, or (2) are occupational training programs with high graduation rates and that lead to degrees and certificates that are in demand among employers.  Other types of programs will not be eligible for free tuition.  Colleges must also adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms to improve student outcomes, such as the effective Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) programs at the City University of New York which waive tuition, help students pay for books and transit costs, and provide academic advising and supportive scheduling programs to better meet the needs of participating students, resulting in greater gains in college persistence and degree completion.Nearly a century ago, a movement that made high school widely available helped lead to rapid growth in the education and skills training of Americans, driving decades of economic growth and prosperity.

Ensuring Shared Responsibility with States: Federal funding will cover three-quarters of the average cost of community college. States that choose to participate will be expected to contribute the remaining funds necessary to eliminate community college tuition for eligible students. States that already invest more and charge students less can make smaller contributions, though all participating states will be required to put up some matching funds. States must also commit to continue existing investments in higher education; coordinate high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions to reduce the need for remediation and repeated courses; and allocate a significant portion of funding based on performance, not enrollment alone. States will have flexibility to use some resources to expand quality community college offerings, improve affordability at four-year public universities, and improve college readiness, through outreach and early intervention.

[jbbaileyum-blog]

The Cost

The average yearly cost of community college is roughly $3,800. While that might seem like a lot for a struggling college student, the reality is it's a bargain for a college education. $3,800 is not a ridiculous amount of money. Why not make the students hold down a part-time job and pay it off? Or why not make students work harder in grade school and earn scholarships? Why stick the American people with the debt and raise our taxes? As it is, many community college students don't respect their education. Less than half of students who enter a community college graduate or transfer to a four-year college within six years, according to a report called "Reclaiming the American Dream: Community Colleges and the Nation's Future." If these community college students aren't serious when paying for their education, imagine how their viewpoint will deteriorate when it's free? And as a result, the graduation rate will continue to decline. Additionally, the President's thinking on the value of a college education is twisted. He said, "Higher education is the key to getting a good job that pays a good income and ensures you're always employable." Tell that to the millions of people barely earning $50,000 a year or found themselves out of work in recent years. Indeed, formal education has a place and is the right path for some, but it's not the answer to building a financial empire for most, and doesn't hold the weight it once did. It is almost mandatory to have some type of higher education degree to even be considered for a job and once community college is free, the demand will increase to an even higher level degree. 

[jbbaileyum-blog]

Pros and Cons

There are probably a couple hundred pros and cons to the College Promise but here are a few I have found and picked out.

Con: Partisan opposition 

The plan might already be ruined since it requires Congress to approve spending for the idea and the Republican majority is unlikely to support it. Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate's education committee, has already stated he opposes the plan and that it should be up to the individual states to provide a similar program.

Pro: It could still be accepted below the federal level

Even though the Republicans in Congress have stated their opposition, the idea has obviously gained bipartisan support below the federal level with Tennessee 's GOP and Chicago's Democratic stance. 

Con: Existing programs cover poorest students

Free tuition for colleges is already available for the poorest of students through federal Pell Grants. More than 7 out of 10 students pay less than $1,000 per year for community college tuition, including nearly 2 out of 5 students who have grants that pay their entire tuition bill. 

Pro: Free community college-level ED may be inevitable

Many already believe that universal education to the community college level is inevitable. By raising the bar and building off more two-year degrees, more people would be encouraged to seek a bachelor's degree. At least we hope!

Con: The cost

America's College Program could become a costly middle-class entitlement program, if students receive free community college schooling without regard for their income levels. The estimated cost of the program over 10 years is $60 billion.

Pro: Plenty of students likely to benefit

Judging from the results of the free community college program in Tennessee, enrollment would surge when high school students learned that their own community college would be free. 9 million students are estimated to benefit. 

Con: Increased competition could hurt four-year schools

Allocating the estimated $60 billion in federal spending required for the program over 10 years could mean that less funding will be available for higher education initiatives and financial aid at four-year colleges and universities. The program could also encourage students to go to community college instead of four-year schools, which could force some four-year schools to close. The plan also calls for states to pick up 25% of the bill, but state spending on higher education has already been treading downhill.

Pro: States may be encouraged to spend more on higher ed

From 2008 to 2012, state funding for higher education dropped to 22.3% from 29.1%, which has led to tuition increases. Obama's free community college program could help jumpstart increased commitment by states to spend more on higher ed.

Con: Community college has high dropout rates

Drop out rates in community college average between 66% and 80%. WOW, imagine if it was free.

Pro: Progress and outcomes would be measured.

The proposal would address educational quality by requiring community colleges to adopt evidence-based reforms to improve student outcomes.  

[theoishow-blog]

This week, The Switch talks the State of the Union, Selma, and the pitiful state of Boston drivers. Be sure to check us out on Twitter and Tumblr! Thanks for listening.

Please check out the companion post for corrections, links, and a transcript to the entire episode.

[theoishow-blog]

Episode 4: The State Of The Switch - Companion Post

Corrections:

Paul Webb, Selma's credited screenwriter, reportedly completed the script by 2008, not 2007 or earlier as stated on the show.

Ava DuVernay is the 9th female director to have her film nominated for Best Picture without also receiving a Best Director nomination. Whatever Wes said in the show was a product of mixing up his facts.

You can find a transcript of the episode including links to everything we talk about after the jump.

Matt: Hey everyone, welcome back to The Switch - Matt here with Wes. How are you doing this week, Wes?

Wes: Doing pretty well. This week was a long one given the storm, but not bad.

M: If you happen to be listening to this show and you don’t live in Boston or New England…

W: Be thankful that you weren’t here.

M: But that’s not going to stop us from recording our thoughts and putting them on the Internet so one day, 20 years from now, people can listen and be like, “Wow, why did they ever decide to record that?”

W: “Yeah, those idiots.” This week was terrible for me. Mostly because everything that I thought would be canceled by the storm, wasn’t.

M: Snow days used to be a thing I loved, even through high school, and now anytime schools canceled, I just think about how parents have to rearrange babysitting and stuff.

W: Yeah, you think more about the inconvenience of snow days now.

M: Now that we’ve caught you up on the state of The Switch, we’re gonna move over to the State of the Union.

W: With this one specifically, I want to think of it as how Obama got his groove back. I think this was the first time he said that the state of the union was strong. I don’t think he said it in previous years because of the economy. I mention that because back in high school, when we would watch the State of the Union, I had a teacher that would tell us to be on the look out for that phrase because it’s a show of American strength and exceptionalism.

M: It was big news, also, because it was the first time a president said “lesbian,” “bisexual,” or “transgender” in a State of the Union. In terms of a visibility thing, rather than a quality of life thing, I think that’s still an important milestone.

W: It definitely is. On Twitter, I saw a lot of praise because this was the first time he recognized lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people by name but there was also another side to it, like saying these things doesn’t mean anything. I think at first I was on that side but then I thought about even just his [Obama’s] journey to recognize marriage equality, when you think about the evolution in one’s thinking before being able to say certain words, is big. He’s tried to do a lot for the LGBT community in terms of policy.

M: Certainly, I don’t think you couldn’t compare him negatively to any of his predecessors.

W: One example is the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who signed DOMA into law. Then the government, under Obama, stopped defending it in court.

M: Also, there’s the Supreme Court, which has been influenced by judges that Obama appointed. I think those are big things. Some other things he [Obama] pointed out that I thought were huge were affordable quality childcare, free community college, and paid sick leave. Those are all huge things that probably disproportionately working class – and even probably middle class – people don’t have access to.

W: I think one of the things he spoke about in the State of the Union was that you shouldn’t have to decide between taking care of a sick child and earning a check that week.

M: I think it’s good that he’s pushing Congress to come up with holistic ways to improve quality of life.

W: He’s laying some policies and proposals out.

M: Yeah. I guess you can call this Obama’s lame duck phase. He couldn’t run for president again. I’d be curious to find out if he even wanted to after the last six years.

W: I feel like he’s said he wouldn’t run, or at least that’s the perception that I get. And I don’t blame him. Doing that job for eight years is a lot, so I can’t imagine doing it for twelve, and with what he’s had to deal with from Congress.

M: I think those were very notable things in the State of the Union, though it was kind of interesting, talking about equal wages. In a lot of the discourse that’s something that’s flattened and Obama was kind of guilty of that also, just talking about the difference between men and women. It exists when you’re controlling for race, but white men and white women earn more than black men, who then earn more than black women. It’s not a simple gender dichotomy. It’s not just that everyone needs to earn just like their male cohorts within their race, but that everyone should be earning at the earning power of the white man. And I think this is a point that’s being brought up more and more. As we have a savvier understanding of these issues and how race, class, gender, and everything else that can lead to oppression, when they converge, it can create different situations.

W: I’m happy that’s coming more into the public awareness because – I’m going to digress a little bit – in the classes I’m taking this semester and I’m slowly making my way through Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow and one of the things in that, besides the whole conversation on mass incarceration, she begins the book by talking about how race and economics have always been tied in America, how you can’t separate them out now.

M: And having a better consciousness of the multiple histories that are very much alive in this country.

W: Before we end the State of the Union, I have to give a quick moment to Obama’s “I know because I won them” remark. I haven’t read the transcript but my sense is that when he said the line about “I have no more campaigns to run,” the response from the Republicans or whoever happened and that was when he threw the shade.

M: Usually you don’t get to see those human moments in these very packaged events.

[break]

W: Welcome back to The Switch. Now we’re going to talk about Selma. What stood out to you in the movie, Matt?

M: One of the things that’s been praised the most has been the portrayal of Dr. King by David Oyelowo, and I think he did a great job in this film, though for my own satisfaction, I also really enjoyed the performances of Stephen James who played John Lewis and Lorraine Toussaint was really great as Amelia Boynton Robinson.

W: I thought everything you said about the performances was spot-on. David Oyelowo was great and, maybe this is a testament to the people who do makeup, I thought they did a reasonably good job approximately Dr. King’s look.

M: And he was the person who ultimately brought [Ava] DuVernay onto the movie to direct. The movie had been in production for a while and a couple other directors had gotten attached to it.

W: That’s right. I was reading that the script had bounced around for a while in Hollywood.

M: Even when DuVernay got the script, she had to rewrite it because the King family owns the rights to his speeches.

W: Yeah, she had to write new speeches in the style of Dr. King.

M: I can’t imagine how difficult that is. Maybe it helps that he’s so ubiquitous as a public speaker though. DuVernay came in and got snubbed. Selma is up for Best Picture, but DuVernay didn’t get nominated for Best Director.

W: The Best Picture thing is a snub, in and of itself, I think because, I was reading an article, it’s very unusual for films nominated for Best Picture to not also receive a Best Director nomination.

M: I think DuVernay used light and shadow really well. Two scenes stood out to me due to that. The first is when Coretta sees Martin while he’s in jail. Coretta’s cast in the light and Martin disappears into the shadows for a moment when Coretta mentions that Malcolm X stopped by town. Another scene was also where the state troopers crack down on the night march that culminates with the execution of Jimmie Lee Jackson. I don’t think he was actually killed inside a diner in real life.

W: I think the diner probably has a lot of historical context there. One of the scenes I really liked was the second or third time they tried crossing the Edmond Pettis Bridge. The camera pans out and you see the ridiculous number of people. It was remarkable.

M: That’s a great point you make because in the first scene at the Pettis Bridge, on what we now call “Bloody Sunday,” there’s a phenomenal shot where DuVernay and her cinematographer linger on the bridge, it makes the bridge more monumental in terms of its size and makes it meet the importance of [the bridge] as a landmark. They create a physical weight and significance there to match the moment. The entire Bloody Sunday scene was shot phenomenally. DuVernay and the people she’s working with on the cinematography side did a great job.

W: There was no scene that felt unnecessary. Sometimes in a long movie, you can get tired, but I was pretty much gripped the entire way through. And from the narrative perspective, there was never a scene where I felt like, “Why is this here?” It was paced really well.

M: Even scenes between bit players didn’t feel forced – the scenes between members of the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and even the ones inside the White House. They also bring in the FBI’s investigation of King, overlaying the reports. It reminds you of the surveillance of activists around this time and could also be commentary on the surveillance of the #BlackLivesMatter movement or Occupy.

W: I was thinking that. I felt like even if it wasn’t wholly accurate, it still applies to what’s happening today.

M: As you said, there are really no scenes that felt excessive. Meanwhile, we’ve had ten hours of The Hobbit come out over the last three years, and at least four of those hours were extraneous.

W: One thing I wanted to point out was that there was some criticism of the film by some people who worked with LBJ. There’s a Politico article and a Washington Post article I read to try and get some understanding of the criticism, particularly about how the film shows LBJ being more resistant to civil rights or not supporting Dr. King. When I was watching the movie, I felt that LBJ not only represented his own or the government’s position on civil rights, but also a metaphor for white America at large, feeling like these civil rights advances were happening too fast. I think LBJ was an avatar for those feelings.

M: There was also the quote that they incorporate into the movie where LBJ is speaking with Martin, “You have one issue. I have one hundred and one issues,” alluding to Vietnam, the Great Society, and the variety of things going on in the country at that time.

W: You can’t erase his part in the Civil Rights movement in getting legislation passed and having a good relationship with Congress so that he could push things through. As you were saying, you have to remember that as much as race is an issue now, amplify that a thousand times. To air out those tensions is not a bad thing, I think. It seems like the criticism is coming from a place of…

M: It’s very petty.

W: Exactly. It’s very petty. To me, it almost matters less what [LBJ’s] personal feelings are.

M: Knowing about the rollback of the Voting Rights Act and the protections it provides, [the criticisms] irk me that people want to cape up for a dead president. People have been disenfranchised forever in this country. It’s not like the Voting Rights Act was a cure-all, and I don’t think anyone working in the White House or Selma then thought it could be. At a time when we’re seeing these rollbacks in voting rights protections, it gets under my skin to see people fretting over the legacy of a president. No one will come out tomorrow and decide LBJ was the worst president ever. Wesley Morris at Grantland made a great point about how this movie gets at “the eternal modern question of whose history this is and who gets to tell it.” We have a black woman filmmaker and a majority black cast. That’s important and gets back to The New Jim Crow and who gets to tell these stories.

W: History is remembered and represented in different ways because people experience historical events very differently. For Selma to portray what it did, how it portrayed it, and who it was made by is just as valid as if it were the LBJ perspective.

[break]

[Outro about how Boston drivers make us fear for our lives]

M: That’s a wrap on Episode 4. You can probably catch Episode 5 coming at you in about two weeks.

W: See ya.