A question

[lazarus]

"This is not or should not be a public private issue. Quit trying to make it one. Any reason that you say private schools have an advantage, I can come up with an equal advantage from public schools. "

 

fascinating...

the public-private debate is not a public-private issue?

so whose issue is it? tobacco farmers? tamil separatists? stonemasons? it must be someone's issue, given the number of contributors to the debate.

 

and yeah, you can make an argument that publics have the advantages. you could make an argument that the sun orbits the earth. just making an argument doesnt make it credible. what you cannot (or at least have not) produce is any argument with numbers to back it up. i am game. if open zones and magnets are the problem, produce numbers, not anecdotal "evidence". you do know the difference?

[TheEgoHasLanded]

just making an argument doesnt make it credible.

 

HAHAHA you are right lazarus, the TSSAA board agreed with Volgen and Me...it seems that your argument wasn't credible.

 

 

krichunaka- I missed the part, where it was the private schools problem that your kids do not work out year round...perhaps this is why private school supporters say you should work harder? Don't even go in to this thing about not knowing who your parents are...I've lived in Memphis, TN for 20 years and every day I see worse things then most people around this state have even thought about. I've been within a birds eye view of Kingsbury, Melrose, and many other schools...I've been offered drugs, sex, and 19 inch color tv's for 20 bucks...I've almost gotten robbed numerous times...Don't ever, EVER! make it seem like you and your kids don't have it good compared to other kids in this state...I live in East TN, there is a HUGE difference between the two.

 

 

Everyone here should be thankful for what they have... (including coachT.com)

 

 

perhaps it is not a private-public issue, but a rural-metro issue, or a financial issue, or an open/ closed zone issue (which is what I think it is).

[lazarus]

"the TSSAA board agreed with Volgen and Me...it seems that your argument wasn't credible."

 

oh, did i miss the part where the tssaa issued an opinion stating that the problem was open zone schools, or that publics actually had the advantages? did i miss the part where they issued any justification at all for their decision? gee, i just thought they voted not to pass a particular proposal, without giving any reason.

 

oh, and while i didnt live in memphis for 20 years, i did live in orange mound from '74-'77. i doubt you have seen anything i havent seen (although i am not sure how you define ALMOST getting robbed). yeah, their earning potential was no better than the rural county where i am now. but guess what. none of the kids in that neighborhood were going to private schools.

Edited December 19, 2003 by lazarus

[TheEgoHasLanded]

I work in orange mound every day of the summer...my dad lived there till about 76...

 

You're right, I didn't live there in 73, I lived there in 2003, which is still oftly dangerous...

I also work in an area called Vodoo village, which is probably giving it more credit than it deserves...I usually leave these places by 7am cus of how dangerous they are.

 

I'm not comparing the incomes of the two (O.C. and East TN), but if you want thats fine...

 

Compare the safety of the two...

 

 

The Commercial Appeal did an article about some of the schools such as Memphis East, and the children that go there.

 

73% are given a free lunch every day cus their parents can't afford it...It's pretty bad here, and the whole point is, they ain't complaining, even though they do go against schools such as Maryville, Hillsboro, and other 4A schools whose incomes are much higher than the actual city of Memphis.

 

These kids ain't complaining...

[krichunaka]

Don't ever, EVER! make it seem like you and your kids don't have it good compared to other kids in this state...I live in East TN, there is a HUGE difference between the two.

Oh, and careful, Ego, screaming doesn't become you. I was talking about socio-economic regional differences; and the ability to aquire funding. And again, this is about the public single A schools compared to the private single A schools. And the advantages are very obvious. Memphis is not of interest to me; nor is the example you gave relevant here.

 

But again....try not to preach the good life/bad life contrast...not to me. First it's offensive. Second, it's simply uncalled for.

 

And for you to scream about how my kids have it: Again, don't you ever, EVER preach to me. You know nothing about my kids; and you're not qualified to discuss their well-being; especially out of complete ignorance.

 

I'd be glad to have you meet them; then, and only then should you discuss their socio-economic circumstances in a public or private forum. Last time, you leave my children out of this.

Edited December 19, 2003 by krichunaka

[ie3]

The Commercial Appeal did an article about some of the schools such as Memphis East, and the children that go there.

 

73% are given a free lunch every day cus their parents can't afford it...It's pretty bad here,

Ego,

 

Not taking sides in this one, everyone is perfectly capable of doing so for me. But your data here is really not that bad. That particular program is based on a poverty level that is well, a little unrealistic. I've seen families with several kids on the program where both parents were working good jobs.

 

Many of the very small rural schools have higher percentages, and that's without all the support mechanisms available in medium sized cities. Our local elementary school is over 80% now and grows yearly. None of the elementaries feeding our highschool is under 70%. By the way, I don't say large because there are no large cities in our state, only pretenders.

 

Anecdotal evidence: (thought I'd label it just in case no one knew)

I just took a load of Christmas gifts from my church youth group to a family that lives on a neighbor's farm. They make a good wage for farm workers, but having four kids, the ends are no where near meeting. I didn't take toys, I took clothes, soap, blankets, pots and pans, just the things necessary to survive. These are hardworking, honest folks but they have no education and cannot get a better job. I'm not bringing this up to brag, just to tell you that I have lived in Large Cities, in poor neighborhoods, but there is no poverty quite like that of a rural family with little income. Being poor in cities doesn't even compare in my own humble, personal, experience.

 

Been there, done that, have the scars.

New Orleans and Baltimore-Washington, shot once, stabbed twice, one chain, and one axe (don't ask).

Greene County Tn, ice frozen on the INSIDE walls, poaching to put food on the table (several years ago in case there are any law dudes reading), dragging firewood 1/4 mile in the snow to heat the house because we used so much we ran out, working 3 jobs, walking to town on Sunday and staying with an Aunt all week and walking home Friday afternoon (if I couldn't hitch a ride) to see my family because there was no extra money for gas or the car.

 

The Lord has blessed me greatly that this is no longer my life, but I'll take poor in the city versus poor in the country any day. I didn't mean this to be a rant, but I see such unrealistic, or at least uninformed viewpoints espoused as "truth" on here all the time and this just hit me the wrong way. EGO, please do not take offense, nothing I have said was aimed at you, just the audience in general. Many do not realize the plight of the small community. Even those of us in one need a little reminder from time to time. Anyway, every one have a Merry Christmas and remember that what we celebrate is not dead, but is living and the spirit must be nurtured. Share your good fortune, it's the best present you could ever recieve.

[Baldcoach]

Lazarus sounds very angry to me. Wonder why?

 

Laz, is there some reason why you are so angry?

[TheEgoHasLanded]

krichunaka -

 

I didn't know you had kids, I have no idea how old you are, what you do, who you are etc...I've only seen your posts for the last week, I don't get on here as much as I used to. I'm not talking about your kids.

 

By kids I'm talking about the rural 1A kids, I thought you were trying to compare there lives to the kids in Memphis...someone said they didn't know who their parents are, which is very sad, but I still do not think the hardships in East TN can be compared to Memphis.

 

Even if it can, it still is not relevant to this discussion, unless you are talking about economics and I'll give the same response I gave before...

 

"That is not the private schools fault that 1a schools do not have money."

 

The Yankees do not get punished because the Mets, or whatever team you want to insert, do not have as much money as the Yankees.

 

UT does not get punished because their athletic budget is more than the University of Memphis.

 

 

Nor does Memphis or the Mets get a break because they have less money...all of these teams play each other.

 

Just so everyone knows...

 

I'm not trying to preach to anyone, but I do not want to hear this "woe is me attitude" which is what I thought I was hearing...If I wasn't then thats fine.

 

I went to a D2 school, I could care less what you all do, but you guys think that you have it worse than just about anyone...when you all should be blessed to be playing.

 

I've said it many times and I'll say it again...My school has about 250 boys, we play MBA (Best football team in the state) and they have 700 boys...we play them in all sports but basketball...their facilities, tution, coaches (they have all american Jeff Rutledge as their coach) far surpass ours...I don't complain...and I'm not going to listen to other people complain when they are going against schools that have the same size.

[krichunaka]

Well again, Ego, you've stated your case quite well; and like ie3 said, it sometimes hits us the wrong way.

 

It's kinda like the Yankee/Confederate thing: Civil War Historian, Shelby Foote, said it best: (and I'm paraphrasing) Being born southern almost innately puts a chip on one's shoulders at birth.

 

And as I stated on another thread, you know the situation much better than me. ie3 has also pointed out that if....and it's a very BIG IF... the rural Single A schools could just get those "potential athletes" walking the hallways, with nothing else to do, to play football, then this would be a dead issue. The level of talent, community support, competition, etc, would immediately improve.

 

That said, hey, Merry Christmas. We got one of them; now if we can just get that other bearded guy, Bin Ladin (you better shave, John; that Greeneville National Guard might mistake you for someone else).

 

Had Lunch at the El Matador today. We'll get together in a couple weeks.

[ie3]

That said, hey, Merry Christmas. We got one of them; now if we can just get that other bearded guy, Bin Ladin (you better shave, John; that Greeneville National Guard might mistake you for someone else).

 

Had Lunch at the El Matador today. We'll get together in a couple weeks.

Krich, your a dirty dawg! Here I was saving up for a dinner at the Mat and your over there eating it all up! We will have to get together and bring the families, we'll have a great time. By the way, saw the A.R. on the all region, tell him I said he deserved that and more, should have been all state. Have a merry Christmas buddy, enjoy the snow. And the Bin Laden thing, remember they're looking for a skinny beardy guy, only person I could get mixed up with is Santa Claus!