| Good morning.
In the NYTimes, Paul Krugman write that America is not yet lost, although GOP obstructionists in the Senate are sending our nation the way of 18th Century Poland.
And in the Hill we learn the odd news that House Democrats see ending the tax cut for the rich as a tough sell to voters; I'm not sure why those making less than $250,000 a year - that is, 98% of Americans - would find ending a temporary cut so objectionable.
The BDN has two editorials of note this morning, the first on deficit attention, and the second, that champions unions as the best way to protect workers' rights:
Maine is one of eight states with no exception to "at will" employment law, which allows employers to fire employees without citing a reason. Employees can file complaints with the Maine Human Rights Commission if they believe they have been discharged for reasons of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age. But if the employer is not found to have fired the employee for any of those reasons, the action is legal.
In his book "Can They Do That?" Lewis Maltby describes the sorts of things for which employees have been fired. One of the cases he cites is that of Lynne Gobbell. During the 2004 election season, she put a "Kerry for President" bumper sticker on her car. Her boss saw it and said she could "either work for John Kerry or work for me," Mr. Maltby writes. She refused to remove the sticker and was fired immediately.
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Sweeping change may not be needed, so that firing a bad employee becomes difficult and costly. But some modest measures might be taken, Mr. Maltby said. One is to make it illegal for employers to fire employees for anything they did in their private life (with some exceptions). Another reasonable step is to require that a warning be given before terminating an employee.
The logical group to champion these changes is unions; just as they won child labor and workplace safety protections for all workers, not just their members, they should take on this effort.
The PPH reports that expansion of Amtrak to Brunswick spurs interest in service for Augusta.
And Education Commissioner Susan Gendron has this opinion piece in the same paper, in which she argues that Maine well-positioned for federal Race to the Top educational funding:
Maine is putting together a strong application for $75 million or more potential funding for Maine through the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top competition.
In order to be successful, however, Maine must pass legislation that does three things or we will not be eligible for the funds.
• Allow and encourage innovative public schools. Gov. Baldacci and I supported legislation last year that would allow charter schools under strict conditions.
The bill came closer to passage than previous charter school proposals in Maine, but still failed.
Rather than fight that battle again with predictable odds, we are working to establish "innovative public schools" with charter-like flexibility, but run by public school boards and with certified teachers.
• Remove the prohibition in law against linking student performance to teachers in our data systems. This is not about rewarding or punishing teachers. It is about using real data to continuously improve teacher effectiveness.
• Adopt national Common Core standards to provide high and consistent expectations for our students.
With these elements in place, and our history of innovation, we will be strong contenders. And this is why we have waited until Round Two, due June 1, to file our application.
An open thread. |
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