Gov. Taliban- UPDATED

Bob McDonnell has rejected federal money for comprehensive sex education in Virginia- and is only accepting money for "abstinence only" programs.

Besides being completely stupid, there is also a major financial hit the Commonwealth takes from this decision.  The real sex education money is done as a full grant from the federal government- while the "abstinence only" programs require a 75% state match.  Millions of dollars are going to be wasted because we have a Governor who doesn't think parents should be able to decide what kind of sex education their kids get in the public schools.

I'm tired of saying pathetic.  Maybe I should start saying "evil" instead?

UPDATE:  Paulie The Penis has some thoughts.

Comments

[Ghost of RWR]

You don't waste what you don't spend...you are so clueless. Typical democrat...which is why you people will have your butts handed to you in November.

By the way, I didn't need federal money to teach my kids about sex and they are all fine and very responsible too.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Ghost of RWR, so your kids went to private school, or were home schooled, or did you opt them out of sex ed in public schools?

Public schools in Virginia have been using federal funding for sex education for over 20 years, so unless one of the above is true the federal government did help teach your kids about sex.

[Not Larry Sabato]

And btw, these programs don't cost different amounts of money to run- so if you choose the one where the feds pay 25% vs. the one where they pay 100%, Virginians will pay ADDITIONAL taxes beyond what they already gave to the feds to pay for this- hence extra money being spent.

[LeeHinAlexandria]

Hmm... Instead of rehashing HuffPo hit pieces, Ben might want to read up on the subject that abstinence only sex ed does work better as many studies (including this one - http://is.gd/eNYC7 - have learned).

[McDonnell's Transgendered Family]

SEX ED PROGRAMS USE THE WORD "HOMOSEXUAL". BAN THEM!!!

[Ghost of RWR]

First our kids all went to public school. And yes they sat through all of the instruction just like everybody else. BUT my wife and I taught them first, at home, in plain language, and factual. And we taught them that God made sex (a good thing) for the benefit of men and women to enjoy and love each other, and for procreation, and yes in the bonds of marriage. They all, I am happy to report, have not disappointed us either.

And I think we did it right BECAUSE, I didn’t want to have to rely on the government to be the parent to my kids! So if we can take care of our kids, why can’t others take care of theirs? No reason except willingness.

Truth is, NLS, that as long as you use the government to be parents, parents are less likely to step up and do their jobs. Human nature, I suppose. But one hell of a sad statement on the country and you’re in the middle of it enabling all the way.

By the way, people are waking up to this and are pushing back on all of this spending. Good for them.

[HisRoc]

Ben,

When I was in high school, the only sex education we got was aboard the booster bus on the way to and from Away football and basketball games. The curriculum definitely did not include an "abstinence only" option, so I would have to agree with your point of view. However, I'm not aware of any Federal funding that was necessary...

[change]

Maybe McD will teach kids how to borrow money from their future pension fund to balance their checkbooks or how to sell some booze for fast cash.

The future be damed.. PARTY ON…
(oh wait isn’t that attitude what got us into our current mess?)

[change]

Ghost,
Re: “God made sex (a good thing) for the benefit of men and women to enjoy”
I agree, but I have to keep explaining that to my wife…

HisRoc,
I got my education in my girlfriend’s parent’s house, didn’t cost me a dime….lol…

[Ghost of RWR]

Change,

Don't give up...

[Not Change's Shortcomings]

Change-
Well, in the current case of your wife, it appears you either didn't learn well or are ill-equipped for the job!

[change]

NCS,
I suppose the adage that “some people can’t get a joke” is well founded…

But thanks for the concern about my “equipment”….
If it stops working I will sue the Obambi administration to pay for a quick fix… but if it lasts for over 4 hours I will have to get government medical attention, or call the neighbors wife… lol

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

I disagree with the governor here, but I wouldn't go so far as to call him evil. He simply disagrees with the policy here. Frankly, if parents would get off their butts and teach their kids about sex in a rational way, there'd be no need for sex education is schools at all, and that time could be better spent on things that require a teacher to actually teach.

If I can't teach my kid about how I made his butt, I've got problems.

But that's in a perfect world, so I would rather air on the side of caution and be comprehensive, teaching everything including abstinence and we should take advantage of federal funds if they're available.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Brian- "abstinence only" education doesn't include any mention of how you prevent STD's, because it doesn't discuss sex. Sex Ed isn't about teaching about sex, its about teaching about the ramifications of it and how to protect yourself. I know you might think "evil" is a strong word, but I think it's an appropriate word for denying kids the knowledge of how to protect themselves.

[Conservatives Are Illiterate Fools?]

How does one "air" on the side of caution? Or maybe it's "to air is human" in Brian's world?

[HisRoc]

Conservatives,

I suppose that you have never, ever, made a typo on a blog?

It must be wonderful to be Mr. Perfect Liberal. Good luck with that job search effort starting on November 3rd.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

This is what happens when I'm typing in class. Homophones for the lose.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

Ben, come on. Abstinence only education does include mention of how to prevent STDs because you can't get an STD without the S.

It's not denying kids the knowledge of how to protect themselves. It's simply shifting the responsibility for providing that education to parents and to the kids themselves. I personally don't think that's a great idea, which is why I disagree with what he's saying, but it's not an irrational perspective.

I don't think I messed up any homophones in that post.

[Not Larry Sabato]

Brian, here's an example. Many kids (remember, sex education starts in 5th grade) may not know that oral sex can transmit STD's. That won't be covered in abstinence only education. But it is VERY important information for those kids to have.

The responsibility is already on the parents to provide that information, which is why they can opt their kids out of these classes. The question is whether or not McDonnell should get to decide what everyone else's kids see.

[HisRoc]

Holy Crap, Batman! You can get STD from a blow-job?

Has Bill Clinton been briefed?

[HisRoc]

P.S.

Ben,

Do kids really have oral sex in the 5th grade?

Dammit. Now I know why my parents sent me to Catholic School. I didn't get my first Lewinsky until I was in high school.

[Brian W. Schoeneman]

Granted, I've never had abstinence only education, but I didn't realize that it didn't include oral sex in the abstinence part. Go figure.

As for whether he gets to decide, he's the Governor. If the GA says he can, then he can. Like I said, I don't agree with it, but I think it's pretty far from being evil.

[Gretchen Laskas]

Disappointing, but not surprising. Neither side seems to care about saving tax dollars when their pet projects are involved.

But since this is a topic I have done a lot of research in (I write for teenagers, for one thing, and am the mother of one, and have been a youth group leader, for another) I just wanted to say how disappointing that this continues to be an either/or discussion. It's either "abstincence only" or comprehensive. It's either parents teaching children only or the government having to do all the work.

When in reality, in nearly every circumstance, it's NEITHER. Abstinence only programs seem to have very good success in middle schools, where simply getting the language down in a thoughtful and knowledgeable way is just as important as scaring (scarring?) them all to death about every little thing that can and might go wrong.

A more comprehensive approach is more effective as the child gets old -- as his/her understanding of their own bodies, the language to talk about, and the relationships that are being made no matter what we say (or don't say) are coming about. A person in 11th grade who fully commits himself to waiting for marriage might really like to know how to help out a friend who did not make that same choice, but does not know who to ask, or where to find the information. They worry about their friends a lot -- being coy about the answer has a long term ripple effect.

And it isn't parents vs schools. It should be parents teaching and schools reinforcing. As a writer for teens and a former youth group leader, I'll tell you honestly that there are some subjects that they simply don't WANT to discuss with their parents, but they are DYING to talk about them with other adults that they trust. Often, this is because they know what the parent will say, and they are seeking reassurance and a counterpoint to be able to undertstand as best they can. And as a mother of a teenager, I am gratful for all of the chances I've had in his life to teach him in the way I believe he should go, hoping that he will not depart from it, but I'm ALSO grateful for those loving and intelligent adults who reach out to him every day and want only the very best in his life. My life, his life, and their lives are all the better for it.

But why actually think of the kids when it is so much fun to demagogue?

[Mossgatan2]

Ghost of RWR (Ronald Wilson Reagan I assume)

You feel pretty good about yourself, don't you. Congratulations on having sexually wellbehaved kids. However, how many parents do you think ever talk to their kids honestly about sex?

Gretchen Laskas has some excellent comments in her penultimate paragraph. Sex is a VERY difficult subject for young people to discuss with parents.

[HisRoc]

Mossgatan2,

Yes, sex is a very difficult subject for young people to discuss with parents. That is why the parents have to be the grown-ups and bring it up first. It is no more difficult than discussing alcohol, drugs, bad influence friends, unsafe driving, cheating in school, and a whole host of other subjects that parents must address with their kids.

Sheeze. Who raised you?

[Lovettsville Lady]

You have incorrectly assumed that parent have ANY say in what is taught in public schools. That couldn't be further from the truth. Educrats hate any input from parents. They're the experts, doncha know.

[Lovettsville Lady]

What parent wouldn't chose to educate their child on sex, rather than have some stranger do it? Sheeze. If you can't talk to your child about sex, your family has bigger problems than sex education.

When did parents stop parenting and turning everything over to the educrats?

[Ghost of RWR]

Mossgatan2

It’s not about feeling “good about myself”. It’s about being a responsible parent. It’s time we made government focus on its core responsibilities. Government should not have to raise your kids. Parents are to do that. And even if many don’t do this well, it’s time to start the process where that becomes (again) the expectation.

What do you think the Founders would say if they came back to see out-of-wedlock-births at 39.7 percent, the number in 2007 of babies were born to unwed Moms. This is a 21 percent increase since 2002. Government can’t stop that either.

The sad truth, Mossgatan2, is that much of what ails us in this nation has spiritual roots. We have turned against the wisdom of the scriptures and we are reaping the results. You don’t have to be a believer in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam to know that if you lead a life according to the 10 Commandments, even if you don’t worship God or take off on the Sabbath, that you would be a more orderly and responsible person.

If we actually weren’t so totally hung up on using the bible in schools to simply teach the proverbs, that alone would go a long way to giving some practical life advice to kids. But we won’t have any of that. Um-Ummm. Too close to the “evils” of religion. I’ll bet that even Aesop’s fables are unwelcomed in school as possibly too “judgmental”, although I would hope not.

[martha]

Please view " The Education of Shelby Knox" a video you can get from the PBS/POV series.
Absinence only Family Life Education is ineffective except in lower grades. High school students need more, much more!
Comprehensive family life ed is the only way to go.

[not ben]

Since when is a blogger who has never had sex an authority on sex education?

[Gretchen Laskas]

Having just spent today filling out endless forms for my son's upcoming school year in VA, I can say with great certainty that there are opt-out forms every other step for parents who want the schools to have no part in their children's sexual education.

[Mossgatan2]

HisRoc

FYI - my mother, who was born over 100 years ago, raised me. When I was school age, the word "sex" was never spoken, much less discussed. Learned the formal names of body parts in biology class taught by an old maid teacher who blushed at having to say the word "breasts".

I did pretty well with my own kids. I don't believe they abstained before marriage, but once they were out of the house, it was their business, not mine. (they didn't live at home)

Furthermore, I believe that knowledge is an asset. It's then up to each one to sift through what has been gleaned.

[Jack]

Here's a simple question:

What part of the Constitution gives the feral government the power to give money to the States for sex ed?

(Please post the relevant clause in it's entirety.)

[Jack]

"its" -- whatever.

[change]

Hey,
There is a faithful follower of brother al gore in Maryland that currently has the solution to this problem, he is holed up at discovery TV, apparently with a gun and a bomb, screaming that the little urchins shouldn’t even be born because they are destroying the planet.

That would solve the sex education problem and a good portion of the budget… (Liberal logic 101)
Gotta love those peace loving uber-liberals.. kumbaya.

[cheap jewelry]

Thanks for your share,thanks a lot.Good luck!