Education Matters US

Below are my notes from the Michael Medved presentation at Deerfield High School Monday night. Mr. Vedved was sponsored by a group of Conservative Students call H2O (Humble to One). This is only part 1. I will post the solutions in the next day or so.

• 9th largest number of listeners
• On WIND 560 Weekdays 2-5 pm
• Will be talking about student at Oakridge High in Muskegan, MI who was suspended for wearing “I’m Straight” on the duct tape given for students to wear on the day of silence
• Read from altered poster about the event
  • Deceptive and harmful
  • They endanger students at Deerfield High School
• “Does disagreement imply intolerance?” – If yes, then pluralism in our society then it is devastating to the heritage of this country.
• 3 Forces undermining Parenthood
  1. Influence of Media
     • Children take up more time with media than in school by the time they are graduate high school
     • Should abolish the Dept. of Education, Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Commerce – these are not the business of the Federal Government
     • Children today only spend 90 minutes in conversation with their parents per week and 21-22 hours consuming media
     • R rated movies are the largest segment at 40% of all movies
     • R Rated movies underperform overall
     • Main reason for R rating is the language
     • The more restrictive the rating the less the audience
     • Currently 34 regular/reocurring gay actors on TV
     • Can you think of 34 regular/reocurring actors who are openly religious?
     • Rosie – Doesn’t like her; not because of homophobia, but of idiotophobia
     • Latest gallop poll
       • 60% attend religious services at least once a month
       • 42% attend religious services more than once per week
     • 4 times as many people attend religious services on weekend than attend movies
     • Media has arrogant view that they know better than parents
     • Could make more money if the respected the values of parents on TV and movies
     • Picked “Incredibles” as the best movie a couple years ago
     • Like the positive role of the parents in “Meet the Robinsons”
     • 50% first marriage rate in America is a lie – cannot be found in Census Bureau statistics
     • 70% chance of not getting divorce
  2. Influence of Peer Pressure
     • Idea of discrimination is now a bad word
     • Implies racial prejudice instead of moral values prejudice
     • Kids spend more time with friends instead of parents
  3. Influence of Education System
     • Schools nourish them into the trendy ideas they need and safe haven from the old, ignorant, bigoted views of parents
     • Schools use to be consistent between schools, church, Boy Scouts, etc.
     • Today, motherhood and Boy Scouts are now controversial
     • Biggest problem with public schools is with sex education
       • Schoolsin Washington State start in 5th grade
       • California starts teaching about HIV in 2nd grade. Why do 2nd graders need to learn about HIV?
     • Model of schools has changed from protective to preventative
     • One form of talk that is now banned in schools is religious talk
     • Can talk about everything but faith and how it shaped the formation of this Republic – Kids will be illiterate if they don’t know this fact
     • We all pay taxes for schools
       • Now adverserial role between parents and schools
       • Schools sending their own agenda
       • Anti-Democratic by not allowing free and opinion debate about all topics
       • Schools don’t reflect the will of the people
       • Wife, Diane, explored this more in “Saving Our Children”
     • Sex Education
       • not particularly useful
       • hugely expensive
       • only 4 schools shown improvement in lowering teen pregnancy through sex education
       • Should not teach any form of sex ed including abstinence
     • DARE program
       • doesn’t work
       • increases drug use
       • Newt Gingrich, when speaker of the House, prevented it from being killed and providing $10 Billion to fund anti-drug advertisements
     • Don’t shatter and invade childhood