+1 for accuracy if I had mod points today

I get your point, but really, this is the first time they've bumped it in what, 7 years? That's not bad, like hike after hike after hike. If they bump it again next year, then we have a problem.
I just joined in late December, so I guess I get to ride out nearly a full year on the old price. (assuming we're grandfathered in). Still seems like a pretty good deal. If you've got a Kindle you can read a lot of books for free too, though sadly that doesn't apply to anyone merely using a Kindle app.

No, no it's not about that. We aren't the kind of parents that demand he get straight As or anything remotely like that. It was a bonus that he was on the honor roll, and I mentioned it only because I wanted to point out he wasn't a kid with a dull intellect. I have no problem if he gets Cs once in a while, it happens.
I'm talking about the stress and workload they're putting on kids. The material and homework I'm seeing is not appropriate for someone who is 12 or 13, it's just too high level. Example: try teaching a 12 year old about genetic counseling, meosis, DNA, and biology they used to teach at a high school level. That's what they're giving him to work on, and often homework questions aren't even covered in their book (that could be the teacher) . They even have to type blogs and whatnot. They're forced to do creative writing. You can't force or teach someone to be creative; you can encourage it, but it shouldn't be part of your language grade.
As far as dumbing down to the lowest common denominator, I totally agree with you there. Not everyone can be a winner. That's life. Teaching them otherwise is not teaching at all. The times table example is not about that though, that was about unnecessary busy work. Of all things to pound in a kid's head, I don't find the concept of multiplication all that difficult. But for everything else, CC is swinging the pendulum too far in the other direction. At least, at his school, anyway.

You jump to conclusions in your accusal of my jumping to conclusions (conclusception ..?); I only named two kids here as examples, by no means did I exhaust my experiences with the system with just two anecdotal revelations. I know of other children, and talk to other parent and teachers.
You are partly correct, in that it does vary somewhat from teacher to teacher, some are certainly better or worse than others. But they don't choose the textbooks, and I still find common core the engine behind it all.

As much as we won't ever agree on this, sorry to hear about your stalker. I know the feeling.

Right off the bat, your stats are 10 years old and thus irrelevant, and what of India?
FYI, both my wife - who used to teach - and I help our son with his homework a great deal, in fact, every single night, and there is no way in hell he could complete it on his own if we didn't. Yes its called being a parent, which is a lot better than being a presumptuous douchbag citing "excuses".
He's not the only child in this situation either: Jillian is a friend's daughter in his same class, also very bright and studious, and on the verge of tears several times a week. She too is no longer doing well.

They are stressing these kids out to the max and beyond. My kid is not even sleeping at night. They treat them like they're adults and they're not adults yet. Overly high, unrealistic expectations do not result in better performance, it does exactly the opposite, it destroys confidence, enthusiasm, and appreciation of education. And while I don't believe rote memorization is the key to learning, something simple like the times table is not the place to be getting tough. All the child needs to understand is that 5 x 3 means 5 + 5 + 5, or 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3. There is no call to make them write all that out for every single homework problem assigned, night after night, for half the school year.

It's a disaster. It's pushing the majority of young children far too hard for their age, and making them work inefficiently, where even memorizing the times table isn't good enough now, it all has to be written out ad nauseum. The detailed material they get in their books for 7th grade biology looks like High School material. All this is going to accomplish is to produce confused, bitter adults.. or the worker drones they really want. It's a beautifully evil dichotomy, talking about raising kid's self esteem while doing everything to make them feel stupid and in over their heads. Say one thing, do another. Forcing kids to do "creative writing" is another faux pau, it should be an elective. Not everyone is cut out to write creatively.
Sure, let's whine about how supposedly far behind the US is to China, India, or Japan.. and then let's look at their teenage suicide rates. Education can certainly be improved, but Common Core is not the answer. What it really boils down to is the cash cow it is to the NEA.
My kid is bright and used to love science; he used to frequently be on the honor roll is usually student of the month a few times a year. Lately, he's begun to hate school with a passion. Common core is the core of the issue. How is that inspiring him to learn or embrace knowledge? It's the scholastic equivalent of a shotgun wedding, expecting to engender true love at the end of a barrel.. / rant

This bit:

doesn't apply if the reason we're spending more on individuals is because unemployment and welfare are at record highs. No new bills are needed for that, it just makes use of existing ones. And the House has only been R since Pelosi left in 2011.

Well at least it's too late for them to muck up my Skyrim with in-app purchases. Imagine: Want that grand soul gem? $1. How about that Dwemer battle axe with a 60% stamina poison enchantment? $2. Hey, 25 cents everytime you want to fast travel... etc..

That crap nickel and dimes you to death and you wind up spending vastly more amounts than you would have if the game was just paid for up front.

Really? You think Washington of the '70s or '80s would have even dreamed of talking of supporting gay marriage, amnesty for illegal aliens, or expansion or creation of half the entitlement programs we have today that the conservatives are generally against? Would anyone have dare complained about using "God" or prayer in government, as people do today? Have you ever watched a television program from 20 years ago, compared to the things they can say and do in television currently? Good luck finding the level of sexual innuendo, or people generously saying, "bitch" (just an example) on any '80s show.. you won't.
No sir, the country has move farther left as a whole. In general, society grows more liberal over time. You just hear more about the Right because it finally resulted in a backlash, which is stirring things up.

But.. but.. you don't get to bust on " 'Murica" that way. What fun is that? Everyone knows that's the trendy thing to do.

This is a story? Rich people (read: evil people.. unless they're Warren Buffet or George Soros) donate to help kids' educations, let's denounce that and find all kinds of fault with it because it wasn't from a democrat sponsored and controlled government program. This reeks of one-sided leftist propaganda seeking to accuse the other of propaganda.
This is all about rallying against the freedom of charter schools because big government and teacher unions can't exercise the level of control over them they want to.

I'm so sick of this posturing from opposite ends of the aisle: but this is illustrative of the fact that the left is all for "compassion" only as long as they can claim exclusive ownership of it and can twist it into a PR bonanza; if the other side does anything remotely similar, it's ridiculed and belittled, items are sarcastically referred to in quotes ('research and evaluation'), you get stories like this and.. well, Melissa Harris-Perry. Amazing hypocrisy and piety at work.
I'm perfectly positive that Gates and Wallmart have some ulterior motives at work, in fact - tax write offs at least.. but this is absolutely as true of the left as it is the right. They all do things for ulterior motives.

Ugh.. nope. Classic here.

Whoa, I don't think ever seen that low a UID here before.. or I just never noticed. I thought you had all died out by now.
Why not tie a bunch of balloons to your house and float it on over to Argentina. Their banks are getting a fresh new start, mortgages should be cheap.

That's history, yes, but what of modern companies like Google, where the culture and work environment is in fact pretty cool. I'd say their workers are productive. In any case, your statement doesn't negate what the parent said. Happy workers in a modern world where slavery is outlawed are more productive than ones who are resentful and miserable but can't be whipped or beaten for it.
It's no more right to force certain workers on employers than it is to force certain employment terms on workers. Ideally, employment should be treated as a contract between worker and employer, one providing services for pay, without changes without both parties consent; and the job of law here (technically) is to keep things as fair as possible for everyone.
Granted, that doesn't work all that well; my employer has changed the terms of my employment responsibilities numerous times, without my consent. Yet, I have no ability to walk in one day and announce I will immediately take a 15% pay raise, or take every other Friday off. But, if I'm unhappy enough, I still have the option to do less work or leave, too.

I think it's a little of both, I've never believed that memory is infinite, but it is amazingly massive.
It's startling what we can remember, and how much gets jammed into our brains day after day, month after month, year after year, not just knowledge, but trivial day to day events.. but yeah, eventually that build up has to have some repercussions.
Example of memory: just yesterday, I got my eBay purchase of SNES "Donkey Kong Country" for my son; now, I hadn't played it since 1995 (I sold all my consoles and games back then).. so, here it is, 19 years later, and we're playing together, and I find myself remembering where certain secret areas were, stuff like that .. very unimportant things, relatively speaking, in the overall scheme of life. I've learned so much since then, in IT and music, and yet my memory still held on to trivial things such as that. The brain is amazing.
No wonder older people can get overwhelmed. At 51, I sometimes think I'm starting to feel it already.