Check out this video of Rick Perry trying to defend the Texas school policy of teaching abstinence only sex education in public schools.
This is one of the reasons why I can never vote for this guy…no matter what the facts are, he won’t change his views. It doesn’t matter that abstinence only sex education doesn’t work, to him that’s the only way to teach it. It’s not effective, but he doesn’t care. No amount of evidence will change his mind.
I don’t have an issue with trying different approaches, but once it is determined an approach doesn’t work, it’s time to try something else. If you’re not willing to look at the data and make modifications, then you’re not interested in solving the problem.
So what is his goal? To prevent teen pregnancies? To prevent the spread of STD’s? No, he either doesn’t want to ruffle the feathers of the religious voters in the state or he truly believes it’s okay to withhold vital information that can in all reality save young peoples lives.
My daughter went through the sex education program last year in middle school here in Texas. At the end of it, I asked a simple question. Did they talk to you about condoms? She said yes they did. Ok, I said, what did they tell you about them? She said “that they didn’t work”.
Wow…not that they are effective but can fail, but just that they didn’t work. Sure, condoms have a failure rate, but that failure rate is rather small and is greatly reduced when people learn how to properly use them. Condoms have been shown to be an effective way to prevent pregnancy and to prevent the spread of disease. But that’s not what they teach here in Texas. Abstinence is the rule of the land. And I guess, as Perry says, that works….well, most of the time.
If Texas was smart and paid attention to the facts, it would realize that abstinence only education isn’t the answer. If it were, Texas wouldn’t be #3 in teen pregnancies. I would prefer Texas have a comprehensive sex education program to insure out kids know the facts and how to protect themselves from what they inevitably will do at some point in their young lives. But that just makes me a godless liberal in Perry’s eyes.
So Texas will continue with a program that has failed over and over again expecting a different result in the future.
He will be the next president.
I think the Great American Experiment is being tested and the only thing that will keep us from fully adopting Middle Eastern political fundamentalism is our slacker apathy.
I really think that Perry doesn’t care about social issues in general. They don’t resonate with him so he’ll do the bidding of whoever will fund his campaigns for the things he is interested in. Also, unfortunately, he seems the least crazy of the other GOP candidates — which isn’t saying much.
What really annoys me as well is that none of the other parties can offer up a better challenge. What’s up with that?
Also, I don’t know if this has always been the case but it seems like there is a trend for the GOP folks to sign pledges not the change their minds on issues. WTF!! I foresee a great ossification of government if changing your mind in light of new evidence or reasonable compromise is a sign of weakness.
He’s not our president yet. He still has over a year to cause havoc for himself.
And there is one moderate voice in the Republican camp, Jon Huntsman. Here’s a quote regarding Perry’s comments on climate change and evolution.
“I think there’s a serious problem. The minute that the Republican Party becomes the party – the anti-science party, we have a huge problem. We lose a whole lot of people who would otherwise allow us to win the election in 2012. When we take a position that isn’t willing to embrace evolution, when we take a position that basically runs counter to what 98 of 100 climate scientists have said, what the National Academy of Science – Sciences has said about what is causing climate change and man’s contribution to it, I think we find ourselves on the wrong side of science, and, therefore, in a losing position….I can’t remember a time in our history where we actually were willing to shun science and become a – a party that – that was antithetical to science. I’m not sure that’s good for our future and it’s not a winning formula.”
A rational voice in a sea of screaming idiots. Not sure where he stands on many other issues, but he’s at least a light in the dark for the Republicans. If only they would listen.
It’s hard to imagine that the majority of the Republican party is anywhere near where the like of Bachmann or Perry are, but then again, never underestimate the populace.