Accountability, Over 18 Holes
2 min read
As is now painfully obvious, Oregon wasted milions of taxpayer dollars on the failed Cover Oregon site. A sizeable amount of these millions went to Oracle, the main contractor on this failed build that didn't sign up a single person for health coverage.
President Obama showed his outrage at this incompentence and waste of taxpayer money by playing a round of golf on Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's private golf course this February. Nothing says "I'm outraged!" like leaving an extra divot on the green.
Let's contrast this with the position of the Federal Government on teachers who are not performing:
But, yes, I do believe at the end of the day if a teacher is just not making it and, despite help, despite support, despite mentoring, is not improving, I think we owe it to our children to make a change there. And quite frankly, it’s better for the teacher to find another line of work where they can be more successful.
Finally, I have this straight. If a software company bilks a state out of millions of dollars and delivers nothing, that's okay - provided we can get 18 holes out of it. But if a teacher doesn't raise test scores, they're out. It's taken me a while, but I think I understand accountability.
