Text of Jim Matheson two e-mail blast letters.

First e-mail sent:

July 28, 2011                 
 
 
Website- Contact Jim- News Room- 2nd District- Online Office
Dear Jeanne,

Leaders in both political parties agree: defaulting on our nation's bills will have dire consequences. From successful programs such as Social Security and Medicare, to defense, veterans'benefits and transportation, every American will be affected. I am working hard to ensure that default does not occur and that serious budget reforms are adopted for the future.
However, if default does happen, another paycheck for Members of Congress should not be allowed. Members of Congress should not be getting paid while veterans, seniors and those with disabilities are not receiving their benefits.
That is why I support H.R. 2653-- the "Stop Pay for Members Act". This straightforward bill says that if the U.S. Treasury is unable to meet America's obligations in a timely way, Members of Congress should be paid last.
According to a bipartisan, independent analysis, if the U.S. should default, the Treasury Department would have to choose which of the approximately 80 million payments need to be paid with the limited cash available. The "Stop Pay Act"would place Members of the House and the Senate last on the list.
As I did when the threat of a government shutdown loomed, and government services and delivery of benefits were threatened, I want to make sure that we get our priorities right during the financial disruption.
Please let me know how you feel, by responding to the brief survey. As always, I want to hear from you.
Sincerely,
U.S. Representative
2nd District of Utah

My response:

You are an evil man to continue to say seniors wont get their checks when they will. Lier. How about congress doesn.t get their checks until we balance the budget?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone.

Second E-mail:

July 28, 2011

Dear Ms. Whitmore,



Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the debt limit. I appreciate your interest in the issues facing our country and state, and I am glad for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry. By contacting me on issues important to you, I am better able to represent Utah in Congress.



The federal government's borrowing power – or debt limit – is capped by law and can only be raised by Congress. If the budget is not balanced, the debt limit must be raised in order to pay for previously approved expenditures. Currently, the government has exceeded this limit, and the Treasury has informed Congress that the debt limit must be raised by August 2, or the United States will not be able to pay its bills. These obligations include Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits, and debt payments. Economists and financial experts have warned that if the U.S. defaults on these payments, its credit could be downgraded and the strength of our nation in the global economy severely affected.



For any legislation to become law, it must be agreed to by the House, Senate, and signed by the President. For this reason, many proposals have been discussed this summer to negotiate a suitable compromise to raising the debt limit. I believe that any solution must be bipartisan and address the issue long-term. It should include structural reforms that fundamentally change the way we borrow and spend while helping us maintain a responsible, fiscally sound budget that prevents greater debt. It should be fair and equitable, requiring each of us to share in the sacrifice to reduce our federal deficit.



It is my hope that a workable, long-term plan can be developed that will protect the credibility of the federal government, maintain operation of essential programs, and set the stage for a future of financial solvency and discipline.




Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact my office.

My second response:

More lies. The government can choose what bills to pay with incoming money. There is enough money coming in to pay these SS, medicare, the debt interest and some other obligations. The treasury just released its prioritized list of payments.. You are evil to scare seniors when the treasury department will surely pay these bills after making debt payments.

Shameless

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4GLTE smartphone.

Class size and student performance

Class size reduction and charter schools

Many educators and parents support lower class sizes.  Aristotle Academy has reviewed the class size literature and has developed a best case scenario for fiscal responsibility, student achievement and teacher morale.

 1.  Class size reduction has been shown to increase student achievement when the class size is between 15 - 18 students.  Fiscally it is not possible to reduce class sizes for the entire day to this level.  Aristotle Academy will use small class sizes of 15 students per class for reading and math break out groups.  

 2. Small changes in class size from 30 - 25 or even from 25 - 20 appear to not increase student achievement.  The reduction in class sizes from 30 to a number of less than 18 for the entire day would significantly endanger the school’s ability to operate within a balanced budget. 

 3.  Class size reduction has been shown to be most effective in reading and math areas in the lower grades.  The reading and math breakout classes of 15 students will be used for 1st - 5th grades.

 4. Reduction in student/teacher ratio alone does not change achievement, only the number of children in a classroom with an educator appears to increase student achievement.  Math and reading break out groups will be held in separate rooms to decrease distraction and allow the reading and math aide to focus on individual students. 

References for Class size reduction research.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014122045.htm - Note that the benefit is only for class sizes of 13 - 17.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080228112004.htm  - Small class sizes don't close the achievement gap, those that were going to do well do even better, those that were struggling do better but don't close the gap.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Key_lessons_Class/ - Class size only works at the 15 - 18 level at the lower grades, reduced class sizes in upper grades has not been shown to increase achievement.

http://cepm.uoregon.edu/publications/policy_reports/class_size/student_achievement.html  Reducing class size from 25 - 20 is ineffective, I would guess that reducing class sizes from 30- 25 is equally ineffective. 

Teachers still remain the most important factor in student achievement (McRobbie et al, 1998).

“When certain services and technologies are available to achieve the small-class effect.
When well-trained teachers employ effective instructional techniques, students achieve more. No organizational reform, smaller class size included, will substitute for high-quality teaching, as many studies have documented (McRobbie and others 1998). If professional development that guides teachers in small-class instruction is used in conjunction with effective teaching practices, a strong curriculum, and smaller classes, researchers will be more able to examine the true effects of class-size reduction (Beall 1998; U.S. Department of Education 1998). “

http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/ReducingClass/index.html  Summary of above, only micro-class sizes matter, teacher quality matters the most. 


http://www.edweek.org/rc/issues/class-size/ Class size reduction efforts that come at the expense of quality teachers and reasonably safe and practical facilities may be a detriment rather than a help.

http://www.heros-inc.org/classsizeresearch.htm  - A great summary of class size research, again supporting the 15:1 ratio.

Findings from the current major well-designed class size studies seem to have influenced policy makers toward the institution of reduced class size. Ernest L. Boyer, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has laid out a four-point plan to ensure that all children are educated to their full potential, which includes reducing classes to "no more than 15 students per teacher" for the early elementary grades. In addition, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Delegate Assembly has revised their class size policy statement from 20 to 1 down to recommending a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.