NC SPIN Online

Home

About Us

Times & Stations

Panelists

Sponsors

SPIN Cycle

Subscribe now and receive a FREE weekly e-mail giving you advance notice of the topics airing on the upcoming NC SPIN. You also receive opinions, panelist info, and tidbits heard on the street.

Webcast

Click below to watch NC SPIN in Windows Media Player format. Programs are updated every Sunday at noon

View Webcast

Video streaming and closed captioning are provided by:

The Association Executives Progressive Membership Meeting
September 12, 2008.
For more information, visit http://www.aencnet.org.

Show Topics

Air Date :September 7, 2008 Program Number :516

Mental health outrage
Get ready for new road taxes
Eugenics compensation
Coastal County asks for offshore drilling

In The Soup

Here's what you say

Posted: Sunday, September 7th, 2008

Hear are some of the comments we have gotten from your responses to My Spin, Heard on the Street, and NC SPIN.

We like to hear from you....good or bad. Please keep responses short and profanity-free. We must have your name and town.
Thanks,
Tom Campbell

Comments

More on Driver's Ed
I'm Jim Hooks and I teach at East Davidson High School where I teach Vocational courses and Driver's Education. Over the course of the last 30+ years the maturity of our teen agers has dramatically changed. Today's young adults are about 1 or more years behind what they were 15 - 20 years ago. I believe that the driving age as a whole should be increased. I'm a teacher that does not believe in just passing a student on. When a young person gets behind the wheel, they seem to be very timid at first, and then as if playing a game, they want to see how fast they can make a turn or take off. I think that this is from playing video games and non real life situations.

In our school, Vocational courses that are hands on like Cabinet Making, furniture, electricity, welding, and similar courses are being replaced with computer courses. I'm all for technology but not at the expense of courses that are teaching life skills. Our drop out rates have increased since most students don't have classes that they look forward to. We need vocational centers that help our students with life skills, not just to make a living, but to be able to function and live in our society. Some of our students are not college bound and need basic math skills instead of Algebra. Almost one third of my students don't know half of seven, and I think this is terrible. One student out of my classes can't even measure on a ruler.

posted by Jim Hooks, Davidson County on 9.07.08

found your article on Drivers Ed interesting. I am not sure how it works now, but the General Assembly started funding Drivers Ed from the Highway Fund back when I was at DOT. We looked into it and found that it had gotten out of control. We found out that there were even teachers with Masters Degrees in Drivers Ed. I think that ECU had either started or were contemplating a Doctoral Program in DE. I think the attendant publicity stopped it but I can’t be certain. We offered to take the program on and to privatize it, taking it completely out of the school system. Of course, we were not successful in gaining control of it, but it might be why they started using private companies to teach kids to drive. The main thing is that state employees with their salaries and benefits are far more costly to the taxpayer than private companies.

posted by Tommy Harrelson, Raleigh on 9.07.08

I can't believe John Hood of all people could sit there with a straight face while discussing this topic! Talk about a slippery slope to Big Brother and intrusion into our privacy all in order to collect more taxes so our politicians can waste it! Also, who would pay to implement this sham of a program- oh yeah we the tax payers- that's who!
Where has all the tax money gone and where does it continue to go? The politicians spend it faster than we earn it! It's called living beyond our means. Thomas Jefferson warned us about that. They are all poor stewards of our hard-earned money. Although it is probably too late, maybe one of these days maybe tax payers will rise up with pitch forks and march on our state and federal capitals. We don't have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem! It will doom this state and this country. I'm not being dramatic. It is a reality! We have been spent into oblivion by our local, state, and national politicians. This spending problem, I believe is as serious a national security threat as any terrorist organization in the world. It needs to be addressed now!
We don't need more creative ways to collect new taxes. We need to elect politicians who will respect the American worker/taxpayer and who respect and spend the tax monies wisely and prudently! Are there any out there?

posted by Eric Ordnung, Asheville on 9.07.08

more comments >>
add comment >>

mySPIN
by Tom Campbell

Driver’s Ed Needs a Tune-up

We have enough money to do a mediocre job of training our teens to drive but not enough to do it right.

Carolina Communities

Famous names like Ruth, Beck, Floyd, Moore, and Revels highlight this Carolina Community.

Read More »

Sponsored by:

NC Spin Poll

In the U.S. Senate race I will vote for

NC Notables

NC SPIN has recognized a number of individuals who have made significant contributions to our state. To read more, click here.