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Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | 6:49 p.m.
Ensign at Legislature
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KSNV coverage of U.S. Sen. John Ensign's address to the Nevada Legislature, March 22, 2011.
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CARSON CITY — Sen. John Ensign said Tuesday that Nevada needs to reform education and the federal government needs to control its spending, in what he said will be his last address to the Nevada Legislature.
Ensign, a Republican who announced earlier this month he would not seek another term, said he would work to control spending in the 21 months he has left in office. He called for President Obama to take the lead on entitlement reform.
He said the federal government could save money and make Medicare improvements if it switched to a state block grant program. He said taking from Social Security should be “off the table.”
Ensign said the K-12 school system doesn’t need more money to improve. He applauded Gov. Brian Sandoval’s call to end teacher tenure and called on teachers to be paid based on performance.
“We have to be honest about our K-12 system. It is not measuring up,” he said. “How do we begin to bring companies to our state when there just isn’t an adequate job pool for them to hire from? We can’t.”
Ensign said companies have told him they are reluctant to move to Nevada because of the K-12 system.
“They mention that the tax climate is desirable but tell me our K-12 system is inadequate,” he said. In a press conference afterward, he said “dozens, dozens, dozens” of businesses have expressed concern about the state’s education system.
Sandoval, as recently as Monday to Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston, said businesses have not expressed similar reservations to him.
Ensign said in a briefing with reporters that he believed Rep. Dean Heller, who announced a run for Ensign’s seat, was a “great candidate, a good candidate.”
john ensign just called brian sandoval A FRICKIN LIAR!!!
make no mistake boys and girls...
brian sandoval is A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FRAUD!!!
Reforming means more than changing teaching. Until the students and parents are held accountable, educational reform will not succeed.
The majority of teachers are hard working and consciencious individuals with the student's educational progress at heart. Teachers in Clark County spend a significant amount of their own money to improve education in their classrooms.
I am familiar with students that expect to be "given" a grade. These same students refuse to do homework and read a textbook. Learning and being considered educated takes work, not just sitting in a classroom.
Education reform should mean accountability for students too. Students should be promoted on the basis of competency. There are too many students who will not work to learn and are promoted all the same. This decreases the value of education. Many teachers offer tutoring before and after school on their own time. Students don't come.
Parents should be held accountable too. If a student fails a class, the class should be repeated at the parents' expense.
Throwing money at the situation has not helped and will not help until more people are held accountable.
An investigation of the educational system should be conducted, teachers, students, parents and administrators. Only then will a viable solution become evident.
It's currently being reformed.
Well! I am sure Sandoval is going to ponder that "no tax" pledge now. You tell him Lieutenant Junior Grade...uh, I mean Ensign.
Its always nice when someone who can't keep their own house in order offers advice of any kind to everyone else.
Please resign.
More "Holier Than Thou" speak from the Great Sinner!
God, it must be something to be so sanctimonious...
Thanks for sharing the party line with us, Johnny;
we'd never have known!!!
"Teachers & Unions; BAD, BAD, BAD!"
How are YOU DOING, SENATOR???
Rate your job performance for us, John.
Rate your overall effectiveness since the uh, naked truth hit the fan.
What about the ETHICS INVESTIGATION?
Let's decide how much Johnny should get using a merit-based pay system...
NADA!
Senator Ensign does not honor his pledges given to constituents who request constituent services. Why should John Ensign remain in office or collect retirement benefits??? Senator Ensign needs to honor pledges or resign immediately. Being un-honorable and disgraced is undeserving of receiving U.S. Senate retirement benefits for life!
PRupp B125 SP NV 89047
Wow! That is one good looking haircut.
Ensign, a man with no integrity and no teaching experience, is part of the crowd who wants to give the schools to businesses and then give them grants to run them so they can become profit machines. Why do you give this loser a voice?
Johnny E. and Gov. Spitzer should host a show together.
How about tax reform John? Dare you say it? You have spent years doing NOTHING for Nevada, who are you to tell us what priorities to set?
We need TAX REFORM. We have a revenue problem, obvious when corporations in Nevada pay ZERO into this state while your fellow Republicans are cutting our education and social programs.
Whenever I hear Senator Ensign speak, the same sound that is heard when the characters in Peanuts cartoons listen to teachers in classroom emits (that wah wah wah..wah..wah wah wah thing).
Ensign is a disgrace just waiting to either get booted out of office or ultimately wait for his term to thankfully expire.
I don't pay attention to anything he says. Nor should anyone else.
He has a credibility problem that just won't go away. Pretty much the same as a serial rapist trying to give a lecture about safe sex.
Ensign just needs to stfu and GO AWAY...
Dear John,
How can we miss you if you won't go away?
I wonder if he has ever read a book about education in his life.
Just another moron, spouting the party line.
Maybe he can get a job teaching abstinence-only sex education.
He simply needs to go away quietly. I'm sure that a lot of us agree with him on this issue (I personally wouldn't say we don't need more money, but that's the Republican agenda), but he's not doing the cause any favors by offering his support.
It really makes me sick, these people attacking Ensign. He is the ONLY Senator we have in Nevada that is trying to help the state's residents. His private life is exactly that. I'll bet these people weren't talking like this about Ted Kennedy, and he in addition, got away with Murder.
Our education system does need reforming and it needs to start with English only schools/classes and immigration laws enforced. The dollars that are available would be sufficient if we did not have to duplicate services and classes for Spanish speaking students. Also, the free breakfast/lunch programs, the additional books and supplies etc. The performance of the students that are "legal" residents of Nevada is drastically affected and he overall "end result" too is lower due to these conditions.
Our "resident" students are being cheated out of their education because immigration laws are not being enforced. So, too are the taxpayers being cheated out of other services that could/would be of higher quality if we did not have the "illegal" issue that we do.
Hopefully. this will be taken care of before it's too late.
Sadly, not only must we pay for and endure his collusion with the GOP regime until his term ends, we have to support him with a fat pension and health care in his "retirement".
Justice would require him to repay us for his free ride in Washington and force him to get a minimum wage job. But wait, maybe his parents would...nah.
Nice to know our new Governor meets with business executives in Nevada that do not believe there is a problem with education in our state. Would those business executives be in the Nevada Mining Industry Gov Sandoval?
@ Paul Rupp
Well said!
Apparently more money WAS the answer when his parents gave the Hampton's 96k to be quiet. Ensign needs to just be quiet and remove himself from the world the rest of us live in. We no longer care to listen to what this family values hypocrite windbag says with regard to what what should or should not be done with education. The gall these jackasses have is truly amazing.
Birdie needs to go to anger management classes.
Please go away and never come back.. you've made this disgraceful state an even larger disgrace.
K-12 needs a major overhaul everyone knows this! When will it ever happen? I'm not holding my breath.
The businesses are not going to come if they know the only two options for K-12 are lousy public schools or $18K+ a year schools. The Doctors, Attorneys, Gaming Executives, etc. have the money to send their kids to private schools so they will all be just fine.
Who cares what ensign thinks or says.
When Senator Ensign isn't shagging his neighbor's wife he finds time to preach "reform" to the masses.
You just can't make this stuff up.
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