The spokesman then decried the "great inequality" between "La" and "Fa" and demanded that the federal government "immediately enact policies to redistribute the wealth."
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Christmas 2012 Included Eight Times More "La"!
In a surprise to no one living in Los Angeles or Louisiana, Christmas 2012 included eight times more "La," tying a long-established record. When asked about the disturbing growth in "La"--now 700% larger--a spokesman for "Fa" admitted that they indeed had "a long, long way to run."
The spokesman then decried the "great inequality" between "La" and "Fa" and demanded that the federal government "immediately enact policies to redistribute the wealth."
The spokesman then decried the "great inequality" between "La" and "Fa" and demanded that the federal government "immediately enact policies to redistribute the wealth."
Friday, December 21, 2012
California November 2012 Unemployment Compared to 49 Other States
The November 2012 state unemployment report brought some welcome good news to California. California's overall unemployment rate dropped below 10% for the first time since the start of the recession, thanks to strong job growth in parts of California and thanks to some job seekers dropping off the official count. Tempering the good news, actual payrolls dropped by 3,800 compared to October, 2012.
California's unemployment rate dropped by 0.3% from October 2012. However, California's unemployment rate stubbornly remains the third highest in the nation, ahead of only Rhode Island and Nevada (who is heavily dependent upon a healthy California economy). California's overall unemployment rate remains well above the national average.
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California's unemployment rate dropped by 0.3% from October 2012. However, California's unemployment rate stubbornly remains the third highest in the nation, ahead of only Rhode Island and Nevada (who is heavily dependent upon a healthy California economy). California's overall unemployment rate remains well above the national average.
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Saturday, December 15, 2012
Putting Gun Violence into Proper Perspective
The horrible and tragic school shooting incident in Newtown, Connecticut prompts some to advocate for even tighter gun restrictions.
As a common-sense individual, I'm in favor of equally common-sense and balanced safeguards as long as they do not punish law-abiding citizens who are within their Constitutional rights to "keep and bear arms."
Let's examine actual data courtesy of the United States Census Bureau. Table 121. Deaths by Age and Selected Causes categorizes causes of death in the United States for 2007, the most recent year where side-by-side data is available. Low on the page, the table shows the number of murders (homicides) caused by a discharge of firearms. The total number of people killed by firearms nationally in 2007 was 12,632.
Each death is indeed a tragedy and some deaths might have been prevented. Are MORE gun laws the answer? How many EXISTING local, state, and federal firearms laws did the Newton shooter violate? Did these existing gun laws ACTUALLY make the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary any safer? Were they enforced?
Additionally, how many lives were SAVED thanks to firearms? That's a much harder number to qualify. Where I live, our excellent police protection is likely a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes away after making a call. I have a weapon for home protection and both my wife and I know how to use it. Thankfully, we've never needed to use it, much like the fire extinguisher in our kitchen or our earthquake preparation kit.
Let's put the risk of being murdered by firearms into proper perspective. Moving up the page a bit, see that simple falls kill nearly twice as many people as do murderers using firearms. Is the solution to ban gravity? No, but there are common-sense solutions to reduce the risk. As proven in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, simply banning guns will not by itself reduce gun violence.
Deaths from other causes are far more preventable than murders by firearms or people killed by gravity. For example, move near the top of the page. HIV kills nearly as many people in the United States as gun violence. A major cause of HIV is unprotected sex. Perhaps the solution is for Congress to pass a new federal law REQUIRING condoms when engaging in certain acts. "Preposterous!" will claim many civil libertarians. Yet, there is no explicit Constitutional guarantee safeguarding someone's right to unprotected sex. However, there is an explicit Constitutional protection to keep and bears arms, written in the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution.
I agree that we should act to curb violence, especially against the innocent. But again, let's put gun violence into perspective. Another almost-entirely preventable action takes nearly 100 TIMES MORE INNOCENT LIVES than firearm violence. Likely for political reasons, the United States Census Bureau does not list it along with the other causes of death. These deaths are tracked separately in Table 102. Abortions by Selected Characteristics: 1990 to 2007. In 2007, there were 1,210 x 1,000 abortions performed in the United States, equal to 1,210,000 or 1.21 MILLION. This is 95 times higher than the total number of people killed by firearms that same year--including adults and children. This is also roughly the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis at the Auschwitz death camp during all its years of operation. This also roughly equates to the entire population of Dallas, Texas--America's 9th largest city. Most of these deaths are also entirely preventable. However, even the simplest proposed restrictions against abortion are met with protest and outrage despite clear mentions of government protections for life in the Declaration of Independence and in the 14th Amendment.
We should work to prevent deaths when we can do so intelligently and without violating the Constitution rights of those who are breaking no laws.
United States Constitution: AMENDMENT II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.As a data nerd, I have some basic questions. No doubt, tragic events like the Newtown shooting are sensational and garner much deserved media attention. However, is gun violence a leading cause of death among Americans?
Let's examine actual data courtesy of the United States Census Bureau. Table 121. Deaths by Age and Selected Causes categorizes causes of death in the United States for 2007, the most recent year where side-by-side data is available. Low on the page, the table shows the number of murders (homicides) caused by a discharge of firearms. The total number of people killed by firearms nationally in 2007 was 12,632.
Each death is indeed a tragedy and some deaths might have been prevented. Are MORE gun laws the answer? How many EXISTING local, state, and federal firearms laws did the Newton shooter violate? Did these existing gun laws ACTUALLY make the victims at Sandy Hook Elementary any safer? Were they enforced?
Additionally, how many lives were SAVED thanks to firearms? That's a much harder number to qualify. Where I live, our excellent police protection is likely a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes away after making a call. I have a weapon for home protection and both my wife and I know how to use it. Thankfully, we've never needed to use it, much like the fire extinguisher in our kitchen or our earthquake preparation kit.
Let's put the risk of being murdered by firearms into proper perspective. Moving up the page a bit, see that simple falls kill nearly twice as many people as do murderers using firearms. Is the solution to ban gravity? No, but there are common-sense solutions to reduce the risk. As proven in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, simply banning guns will not by itself reduce gun violence.
Deaths from other causes are far more preventable than murders by firearms or people killed by gravity. For example, move near the top of the page. HIV kills nearly as many people in the United States as gun violence. A major cause of HIV is unprotected sex. Perhaps the solution is for Congress to pass a new federal law REQUIRING condoms when engaging in certain acts. "Preposterous!" will claim many civil libertarians. Yet, there is no explicit Constitutional guarantee safeguarding someone's right to unprotected sex. However, there is an explicit Constitutional protection to keep and bears arms, written in the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution.
I agree that we should act to curb violence, especially against the innocent. But again, let's put gun violence into perspective. Another almost-entirely preventable action takes nearly 100 TIMES MORE INNOCENT LIVES than firearm violence. Likely for political reasons, the United States Census Bureau does not list it along with the other causes of death. These deaths are tracked separately in Table 102. Abortions by Selected Characteristics: 1990 to 2007. In 2007, there were 1,210 x 1,000 abortions performed in the United States, equal to 1,210,000 or 1.21 MILLION. This is 95 times higher than the total number of people killed by firearms that same year--including adults and children. This is also roughly the number of Jews murdered by the Nazis at the Auschwitz death camp during all its years of operation. This also roughly equates to the entire population of Dallas, Texas--America's 9th largest city. Most of these deaths are also entirely preventable. However, even the simplest proposed restrictions against abortion are met with protest and outrage despite clear mentions of government protections for life in the Declaration of Independence and in the 14th Amendment.
We should work to prevent deaths when we can do so intelligently and without violating the Constitution rights of those who are breaking no laws.
See also ...
- 38 elementary school children, two teachers, and four adults killed in 1927 attack on Bath School in Bath Township, Michigan. No firearms were used.
- 92 students and three nuns killed in 1958 Our Lady of Angels fire. Suspected arson.
- More than 295 students and teachers killed at New London School in 1937. Likely cause was not firearms, but poor decisions by government.
- "Janitor tried to blow up school: Cops"
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The CalPERS Brochure Selling California SB400
Thanks to a booming stock market, courtesy of the late 1990's Dot.Com bubble, these extra benefits would be paid from the incredible (but bogus) stock market returns, freeing both employees and taxpayers from the burden of funding retirement benefits.
Unfortunately, history has proven most unkind.
The full report is available here in PDF form. The PDF file was created from an original faxed copy and has been OCRed so that most of the text is searchable.
See also ...
- "Scathing report alleges corruption at CalPERS"
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/14/business/la-fi-calpers-probe-20110315 - "CalPers offered incentives to inflate pension funds' value"
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?xid=ycaol6koumdme9 - "Schizo CalPERS ponders apocalypse while still mocking pension ‘myths’"
http://www.calwhine.com/schizo-calpers-ponders-apocalpyse-while-still-mocking-pension-myths/2669/
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
California Public School Demographics
The following charts were created using source information provided by the Ed-Data Education Data Partnership web site. The student enrollment and racial or ethnic source background data is here.
Total Enrollment (1993-2011)
The following chart shows the total enrollment in California public schools form 1993 until 2011. Enrollment peaked at 6.322 million students in 2004 and has since dropped to roughly 6.2 million students, a 1.7% drop.
Enrollment by Student Race or Ethnicity (1993-2011)
The following chart shows the student enrollment in California public schools by student race or ethnicity. The race/ethnicity categories are defined by Ed-Data. The values along the right edge show the increase or decrease of a particular population group from 1993 to 2011.
Total Enrollment (1993-2011)
The following chart shows the total enrollment in California public schools form 1993 until 2011. Enrollment peaked at 6.322 million students in 2004 and has since dropped to roughly 6.2 million students, a 1.7% drop.
The following chart shows the student enrollment in California public schools by student race or ethnicity. The race/ethnicity categories are defined by Ed-Data. The values along the right edge show the increase or decrease of a particular population group from 1993 to 2011.
Share of Total Enrollment by Student Race or Ethnicity
(1993-2011)
(1993-2011)
The following chart shows the share of total enrollment by race/ethnicity category over time. The values along the left edge are the share of a particular race/ethnicity group in 1993 while the values along the right edge are their share in 2011. For example, the share of Hispanic or Latino students increased from 36.1% in 1993 to 51.4% in 2011.
Race or Ethnic Background of California Population versus California Public School Enrollment
The California population data is form the United States Census Bureau California QuickFacts web site. The racial or ethnic categories vary between Ed-Data and the Census Bureau. The Ed-Data groups include separate Asian and Filipino categories while the Census Bureau has a single Asian category.
Based on these data sets, it appears that there is a larger share of Hispanic or Latino students in California public schools than their share of the total California population. Similarly, there is a smaller share of White students in California public schools than their share of the total California population. The share of other racial or ethnic groups are roughly equal between the two charts. Some possible explanations for the differences between the two charts include the following.
- There may be more Hispanic or Latino residents that are of school age. In other words, the Hispanic or Latino population mix may be heavily tilted toward younger people.
- There may be fewer White residents that are of school age. In other words, the White population may tend to be older.
- Due to chronic under funding and lower-than-average test scores, there may be some amount of "white flight" from the public school system into private schools.
Friday, December 7, 2012
California Public Schools and Performance on National Assessments
The following charts show how California's public schools performed in 2011 nation-wide testing under the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The NAEP tests results are published by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the Institute of Educational Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education.
State-by-state comparison data is available interactively from the NCES web site.
The NAEP data shows the bulk overall performance of California's public school system at the 8th-grade level compared to other states. It does NOT reflect the performance of an individual school, an individual class, or an individual teacher. These results also do NOT show the performance of California schools against international economic competitors.
Mathematics
The NCES provides a snapshot of California's public school performance at 8th-grade mathematics.
The following chart shows how California's public schools compared over time to the best-performing state, the worst-performing state, and to the national average of all public schools. Again, this chart uses data from the 8th-grade assessment test found in Table 13 on page 48 (PDF page 50). The two-letter abbreviation for the best-performing state appears in green above the the "Best Score" line. North Dakota, Minnesota, an Massachusetts had consistently high marks in mathematics. Washington, D.C. public schools had consistently worst marks but have been improving over time.
The NCES provides a snapshot of California's public school performance at 8th-grade reading.
The following charts use data from the full 2011 NAEP reading report, which includes data for both 4th and 8th graders. Table 15 on page 51 includes the specific data for 8th-graders. The first graph shows California's overall public-school test results compared to the results of the other 49 states plus Washington, D.C. and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The black bar indicates the national average for all public schools. The burgundy bar below the California flag indicates California's overall result. The states are arranged from best-performing to worst-performing states or authorities. Due to statistical deviation, the relative placement of states nearby one another on the chart is approximate. In 2011, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont tied for the best overall score in reading and Washington, D.C schools posted a distant last place.
The following chart shows how California's public schools compared over time to the best-performing state, the worst-performing state, and to the national average of all public schools. Again, this chart uses data from the 8th-grade assessment test found in Table 15 on page 51. The two-letter abbreviation for the best-performing state appears in green above the the "Best Score" line. Massachusetts and the Department of Defense Education Authority (DoDEA) had consistently high marks in reading. Washington, D.C. public schools had consistently worst marks.
The NCES provides a snapshot of California's public school performance at 8th-grade science.
The following charts use data from the full 2011 NAEP science report. Table 2 on page 12 includes the specific data for 8th-graders. The first graph shows California's overall public-school test results compared to the results of the other 49 states plus Washington, D.C. and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The black bar indicates the national average for all public schools. The burgundy bar below the California flag indicates California's overall result. The states are arranged from best-performing to worst-performing states or authorities. Due to statistical deviation, the relative placement of states nearby one another on the chart is approximate. In 2011, North Dakota had the best overall score in science and Washington, D.C public schools posted a distant last place.
Despite California's poor performance on the 8th-grade science assessment, the California Legislature discussed cutting the 2nd year of high-school to save money. Fortunately, saner minds ultimately prevailed and funding was preserved. The Legislature even found money to pay for a new "gay history" state mandate.
Despite California's poor performance on the 8th-grade science assessment, the California Legislature discussed cutting the 2nd year of high-school to save money. Fortunately, saner minds ultimately prevailed and funding was preserved. The Legislature even found money to pay for a new "gay history" state mandate.
The following chart shows how California's public schools compared over time to the best-performing state, the worst-performing state, and to the national average of all public schools. Again, this uses data from the 8th-grade assessment test found in Table 2 on page 12. The two-letter abbreviation for the best-performing state appears in green above the the "Best Score" line. North Dakota had consistently high marks in science. The worst score in science deteriorated between 2009 and 2011. Washington, D.C. public schools did not participate in the 2009 assessment but did in the 2011 assessment.
Why do California's public schools tend to perform so poorly when compared nationally? Is it that California is not spending enough money on public education?
The following chart comes from data supplied by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It shows the per-pupil spending on education in 2009, adjusted for regional differences in cost. Despite that all states use a common currency--the U.S. dollar--that same dollar won't buy as much in some parts of the country.
California spends roughly 26% below than the national average. California's low performance on the NAEP assessments seems to correlate with the low per-pupil spending on education in California. However, there is NOT 100% correlation. High-spending states like New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont tend to score well on the NAEP assessments. However, Washington, D.C. greatly out-spends California and most states but consistently ranks dead last on nearly all the NAEP assessments. Similarly, Hawaii and Louisiana spend more than California but produce roughly equal outcomes. Texas spends roughly the same as California, per student, but has better outcomes. Utah spends the least of all but outperforms California and other higher-spending states. Education success is NOT guaranteed simply by throwing more money at it.
Is it a teacher pay issue? Compared to other states, California generally pays public school teachers relatively well, even accounting for differences in the cost of living. However, the actual salaries vary greatly by district.
Unfortunately, public education competes with other items in California's bloated budget. Despite near record-high state expenditures, the Democrat-controlled California Legislature and Democrat Governor Gerry Brown cut the K-12 unless voters approved a large new tax hike called Proposition 30. Among the biggest donors to Proposition 13 were various California teachers unions, who will also be among the biggest beneficiaries of higher taxes. California public education deserves much higher priority in California's budget but educational and budget reforms are also required.
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