Nick Gillespie Talks Federal Education Overreach on Fox Business' Freedom Watch with Judge Napolitano

Reason's Nick Gillespie appeared on Judge Napolitano's Freedom Watch to discuss the Obama administration granting waivers on No Child Left Behind and how voters are growing tired of empty promises by both political parties. Air Date: August 9, 2011.

Gillespie is the author, with Matt Welch, of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America, which has been praised by George Will, Forbes, Barron's, and others. Go here for more information.

Comments

[dunphy]

THREADJACK!!!

Search Warrant QUASHED in the Renton Police Chief seeking to violate the constition case (cyberstalking)...

http://volokh.com/2011/08/10/s...../#comments

awesome. I hope this leads to repeal of this blatantly unconstitutional law, a perfect example of the overreach we see in the War on Domestic Violence especially when it comes to the EVIL CYBERCRIMEZ!

[PantsFan]

also they are discussing RAW MILK RAIDS on Coast To Coast tonight.
Is this where Reason and Alex Jones cross paths?

[TheZeitgeist]

also they are discussing RAW MILK RAIDS on Coast To Coast tonight.

UFO's and raw milk? Who woulda thought! It all makes sense now!

[Jeffrey]

Love Reason, Love Nick, but, I have a hard time with Nick's insistence that Obama enforce NCLB as written, while simultaneously pushing for obama not to enforce federal drug laws as written.

[TheZeitgeist]

Good point.

[cynical]

Downgrading drug enforcement as a priority affects the law itself. Granting waivers places only certain people/groups above the law, while still enforcing the exact same law for others, which is much more corruptive and unjust. Plus, one is arguably within the president's powers and the other is not. As the office of president is an agent of law, legal distinctions are important.

[GILMORE]

I heard his comment about 'historic low congressional approval ratings'... and I looked up the data, and whacked up a chart, here =

http://tinypic.com/r/123v53n/7

Pretty freaking ridiculous. Between march and August, disapproval went from 60% to 80%. What confuses me is that people keep electing them.

Also notable from the chart.. when obama got elected, there was a huge dip (which doesn't really make sense...)... Clearly Team Red and Team Blue were changing their positions on Approving and Disapproving...but, as always, they both drifted back to Peak Hate of the respective officials in power.

[GILMORE]

Trivia question =

can anyone figure out what happened in October of 1998 that represented a short-lived majority approval of Congress? It broke the 50% approval mark for 2 months or so... then pooped the bed until Obama came to the rescue...

BTW, the data came from here, and I don't know why there's a 2-3 year gap...

http://www.pollingreport.com/CongJob1.htm

[GILMORE]

...and yeah, the big swing in late 2008 is actually timed to the inauguration of Obama, not to the reaction to the financial meltdown... surprisingly (maybe), the financial crisis didn't put a dent at all in Congressional Approval as far as I can see.... in fact there was an uptick of approval in Sept-Oct 2008. It was in Jan 2009 that the Approval went from 20 to 40% overnight (despite no actual action on anything? It was pre-approval of the good yet to come, I presume... sort of like Obama's 'Peace Prize')

[GILMORE]

har har... I just figured out the answer to the trivia question. Let's see if anyone else remembers.

[GILMORE]

Also funny about that chart? The 'Approval' people are now the same share as the 'I don't give a fuck and don't think about that shit'. Basically, if you Approve, you're either Ignorant, or an Idiot.

[TheZeitgeist]

You must mean 2008? So that would be TARP, right?

[GILMORE]

No, surprisingly, TARP and other acts by Bush in his last months didn't result in any dramatic changes of opinion, but reinforced the broad trend towards disapproval that suddenly changed once the chairs shifted and there was a new sheriff in town... but that, as we can see, didn't last long.

[PantsFan]

MonicaGate

[GILMORE]

We have a winner! It was the vote by congress to consider impeachment, and turn the whole thing into a daytime TV special. Even a large percentage of democrats wanted to see Clinton squirm. Funny funny funny.

[TheZeitgeist]

OK...I have to admit I'm a little confused here...you said 1998, then 2008. I would've said Monicagate and even clarified the date range picked for you. Goddamnit.

[GILMORE]

TZ = yer readin skills missed it. Yeah, I was vague about the more recent 'now' data, but I did say Oct 1998. It was anomalous. Im a chart monkey by trade and look for that kinda stuff. Its sometimes fun to see what moves things. I was actually surprised to realize that MonicaGate was a net positive for congress, but then I thought about it, and ended up with the take on it @ 11:18. Dont feel bad. There's a reason its called trivia.

[TheZeitgeist]

TZ = yer readin skills missed it. Yeah, I was vague about the more recent 'now' data, but I did say Oct 1998.

Nah man, no worries. Cool.

[GILMORE]

I think what is most interesting about that particular data point is that it was the first time that congress actually exercised it powers independently of the president and despite the fact it was a bit of political theatre and posturing, that it showed the independence of the congressional branch, and people *liked* that. People aint as stupid as they be getting treated'like.

[Timon19]

Klinsi had a decent debut tonight.

[BakedPenguin]

No, beating Mexico is decent. A draw is mildly disappointing. We used to own their worthless asses.

[PantsFan]

Probably the only way England wouldn't lose
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxso.....ots-080911

[BakedPenguin]

So that's why the chavs kept it up...

[Timon19]

Well, before 2000-ish, they owned the living fuck out of us. In case you didn't notice, they've gotten very good and very young, while Bob Bradley led the mother of all stagnations.

We actually took it to them in the last 30 minutes with Brek Fucking Shea and Robbie "I Dribble Directly Over the Endline For My Club" Rogers. And Donovan actually was allowed to come inside.

We had two legitimate penalties not given and Gerardo Torrado somehow got away with a yellow for hauling Rogers down on a breakaway.

The first half was dismal, but the second was quite good.

No Dempsey, either. An experimental side that Klinsi only had 3 days to work with. It's not definitive proof of anything, but it is progress, especially after the Gold Cup Final collapse.

[TheZeitgeist]

Soccer, funny.

[Timon19]

It certainly can be.

[TheZeitgeist]

Watching the women lose to Japan was rough to see, but at least the contest was fair and a great game. I remember seeing the headline (I paraphrase) 'Yanks up on the Japanese 2-1' in xtra time and then tuning in, working the weekend as I was, and watching the implosion.

And in all honesty, WTF is it with soccer? A world-chamionship, decided on PENALTY kicks? It'd be like Superbowl decided by endless field-goal attempts by fiat. Just play the real actual fucking game 'till someone wins. Especially at that level...seriously.

[Timon19]

If you're staying away from soccer (bar the WWC final last 10 minutes) because of something that happens in less than 1% of all competitive professional matches, you were never going to honestly give it a chance. Which is, of course, no big deal at all. Going out of your way to say so is sort of weird, though.

In any case, I can think of approximately two people who actually LIKE PKs as a decider. Soccer fans continually twist themselves in knots debating the merits of alternatives.

I would LOVE to go back to the days of a replay. Unfortunately, there are massive logistical and monetary reasons why that is no longer an option in the modern game. Between implausible options (like the replay, or playing until everyone dies, or whatever) and a tremendously sclerotic governing body, PKs are a necessary evil.

[Sidd Finch]

"something that happens in less than 1% of all competitive professional matches"

Don't most tied professional matches just end?

Why couldn't they just play sudden death, at least in the finals?

[Timon19]

Yes, most tied matches end in league play.

Sudden death was tried. It became a guarantee of penalties after 30 minutes. Both teams would shut down entirely for fear of making a mistake. Unintended consequences and all that.

[TheZeitgeist]

If you're staying away from soccer (bar the WWC final last 10 minutes) because of something that happens in less than 1% of all competitive professional matches, you were never going to honestly give it a chance.

Actually, that situation is what gave it a 'chance' as it were with me. And what a procedural disappointment to 'learn' penalty kicks decided such at that level.

Lame.

[TheZeitgeist]

On side note though, watching such physically fit gals (and I watched and paid attention more than I let on here in these posts) is incredibly sexy. No mini-skirts, sexual shticks, whatever...just gorgeous physically exceptional gals doing their thing in the prime of their God-given beauty was just spectacular to see.

They should've played Sudden Death.

Again, the rules, lame.

[Timon19]

So what is your suggestion? Again, soccer fans pretty much hate PKs. But most of us also realize that they're a necessary evil.

The NFL's tiebreaking system seems to me not much better than a coin flip, albeit they DO play the game to decide it. Hockey and basketball both lend themselves better to their particular formats for various reasons.

[TheZeitgeist]

Yeah, I don't know the solution...but I can articulate first principles of whatever solution is worth the name:

Play the game you're trying to decide. Outside of that, whatever.

Seems pretty simple, but holy shit I guess not.

[Timon19]

There are several proposals doing exactly that. They range from implausible (replay, play 'til they drop) to highly unlikely because of the IB and FIFA (removing a player every x minutes, allowing additional subs).

[BakedPenguin]

In case you didn't notice, they've gotten very good and very young, while Bob Bradley led the mother of all stagnations.

Ah. I haven't been paying as much attention as I should have.

It is amazing though, considering how huge youth soccer is in this country, that it doesn't translate to anything worthwhile at the adult level.

Except for the women.

[Meanwhile...]

Nick Gillespie Talks Federal Education Overreach

[mikey]

In my town the fields are jammmed packed weekend mornings with organized age-group soccer games. Weekend afternoons, evenings and weekday evenings the kids out there on their own are all playing basketball and baseball. Don't think I've ever seen a pickup soccer game.

[Gray Ghost]

Don't think I've ever seen a pickup soccer game.

It seems to be more of a Latin thing. That said, you can't drive through Hispanic parts of e.g., Houston, on the weekend without seeing an informal soccer game (shirts for the goals, 5-5, etc...) going on a flat piece of ground.

1-1 isn't great at home, especially since El Tri was playing w/o Chicharito, but it'll do for the moment. At least Klinsmann seems to want to broaden his search for USMNT members.

[Timon19]

They were without Chicharito, but we were without Dempsey and with a bunch of total unknowns (Brek Shea? Brek Shea???). They also BROUGHT ON Gio Dos Santos as a sub. That's a hell of a substitute! He single-handedly fucked us up in the Gold Cup final.

[Timon19]

Mexico has been on an absolute tear, and they have Chicharito. They are scary good. Back in the last qualifying cycle, you could see it coming that they were going to make some real problems for us. They've responded well (finally) to being humiliated, and have had very fortunate timing with their youth systems bearing fruit.

Their Copa America embarrassment was more of an outlier (and really all the big teams embarrassed themselves to some degree - weird tournament this year).

As for the "youth participation = footballing nation" thing...really, just stop. ODP and other pay-to-play cash-generating monsters absolutely rule US soccer at the youth level. They are TERRIBLE talent-development systems. All they do is identify which suburban, mostly white parents have the best "team players" and athletes with zero tactical awareness, creativity, or first touch.

And with as much as the womens' side depends on the NCAA, the ugly truth is slowly emerging: unless US soccer comprehensively overhauls the youth system for women (not bloody likely), we might become the Uruguay of women's soccer. The rest of the world has made up the gap in a big way and will continue to do so. Despite playing predictable, boring ball that relied on a freak of nature (Wambach) heavily, we still managed to get to the final.

Unless things change, don't expect it to continue.

[Gray Ghost]

Timon, do you think the U.S. will have to go the team academy route that you see for, say, Ajax? Or will the suburban moms you mentioned completely freak out at the idea of an educational path that avoids traditional junior highs and high schools? From what I've read, the kids at Ajax get an o.k. education (probably as good or better than a comparable American kid in public school); it's just that they immerse them in a lot of football study too. OTOH, those moms seem to have no problem with the same setup for kids in elite gymnastics or tennis.

[Timon19]

I think there will have to be something at least a little similar. And the bigger Euro clubs with youth academy reputations (including Ajax) have set up shop in the US looking for the guys we're missing.

To SOME extent, we are sort of on that path already, albeit VERY early days. Bradenton is a full-time residence academy run at the USSF level (by Nike, I think) in that vein. Donovan and Beasley were in the first class coming out of there, so it has borne some fruit. The University of Akron picks up 2nd & 3rd tier players from there all the time and turns them into something special. We need more of that.

Brad Friedel set up his own academy in the far west side suburbs of Cleveland that was to be run along these lines with no regard for ability to pay. It went belly up in a big way, but was bearing some fruit.

Now you have the MLS teams setting up no-kidding academies of their own, though without the education bit (I think they end up going to a school of their choice via agreements, along with transportation). With more money in MLS, more will be done here. It has to be done.

[dunphy]

"he was turning his life around". this meme beats the isolated incident one by a factor of WTF...

http://www.seattlepi.com/local.....838131.php

[Sidd Finch]

LOL True story: an acquaintance from college jumped off a building while high as a kite and screaming crazy ass schizo stuff. The news quoted his pastor (who I'm sure he hadn't seen in years) saying exactly that.

[dunphy]

it's unbelievable. the guy was obviously a shit bag. whenever the cops shoot a shit bag, the newspaper will quote some family member as saying "he was turning his life around"

my favorite is his buddy who bought him the bottle of liquor for his birthday complaining about the cops shooting the guy.

um, he just got out of FUCKING REHAB and his "buddy' buys him a bottle of alcohol for his birthday?

that has the awesome written all over it

[Sidd Finch]

"it's unbelievable"

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[Sidd Finch]

[rock bottom joke]

[Mr. FIFY]

BTW, was this part of the Pixies listing?

http://www.rathergood.com/pixies

[heller]

The song was, the video wasn't.