"We Ain't Got the Do Re Mi" by the South Pasadena Unified Grade "A" Jug Band

[liteblb7]

so cute! :D

[LisaSimpsonRules1st]

Did any politician or whoever in power hear this? Did this video accomplish a better funding of the school?

Just out of curiosity. It was interesting and worthwhile anyway.

[Skeletonwitharaygun]

lmao

[aninglekid]

I'm sorry, bluesmoke9, you are blowing smoke you know where. The Republicans ARE responsible for playing the politics of fear, resulting our spending more on prisons than on kids. Dems are admittedly spineless and gutless.  Redistricting may help, by making districts competitive. The Governator, with his cigar-smoking macho ways, has not helped. He seems to fear the "Guards Union" more than he cares about kids. We've had choices to make. We've made the wrong choices.

[aninglekid]

Yeah, bluesmoke9, Republicans ARE to blame for that! Republicans are in the vanguard of the punitive crap that results in our spending more on prisoners than kids! .

Democrats have to "run scared" of the primitive fear-instilling tactics of Republicans.

Sure the Dems are spineless and gutless, as well as mostly on the take.

Let's redraw legislative lines, make districts competitive, so we can have a real legislature we can be proud of.

We've got choices.  We've been making the wrong ones.

[DeSantiago60]

Thank you kids for teaching me a lesson in how to make a difference. Keep on, keeping on!

[mikiewad2]

The key question is .......who got their ......... do re mi? it used to be there!!!!, before Saint Ronnie and crew imposed their trickle up theory on the economy

[kembojap]

its all politic conspiracy.. they have powers, you have to follow no matter how hurt it was.. welcome to the new world..!

[billsancha]

Great video. I agree with Sherry. Why is there not enough money for education? We pay one of the highest tax rates in the country, and we're 47th in $ spent/pupil. That is so pathetic! We need fresh blood running this state. What we have is clearly not working.

[Lorenzo8D]

Calif. is an "average" tax state, not one of the highest.

[bluesmoke9]

I live in California and you are seriously misguided if you think taxes here are "average". Oh sure, if you make 50K you're in great shape. But they wack the people making over $100,000 a lot. Of course thats why those people, the ones paying 90% of the taxes, are moving out and that's a fact.

[Lorenzo8D]

I am correct. Our taxes are "average". You are correct that our income tax rate schedule is very "progressive", meaning those making less than $50K (as you point out) don't play much, but those making over $100K do. Well if you are in the $100k+ range, you can afford to pay higher taxes. The high paying jobs are in Calif., so exactly how these people move out of the state isn't clear to me. I could have left my professional job in Calif. and moved back to Ore. for a big pay cut.

[bluesmoke9]

Ah yes, "From each according to his abilites, to each according to their needs." - Karl Marx

You are definately a California Democrat.

[Lorenzo8D]

I prefer to look to Mathew 25: Jesus: "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Jesus is my guide and my model of human behavior. You are free, my friend, to take your money and move to another state.

[djmirk]

How could anybody say no to these kids?

[free4all1776]

+I feel for ya, to the parents, move out of california, that's what I did 14yrs ago because I wanted my kids to breath clean air, get an education and be safe. GET OUT NOW!!!

[nuevaluz31]

From the mouth of Babes... I am proud to pay taxes and support the idea of taxing the oil refineries in CA to help raise revenue vs. reducing funds from our classrooms. Great job children, thank you for your hard work and for letting adults know what is important.

[motelcalifornia]

What? You ain't got the do re me???

Ya'll best get out of my school, ya deadbeats!!!

LMAO

[emdragonfly]

Excellent work by the people who put this together! Wonderful!

[shadowenglish]

Very well done.

[sylotw]

As Borat said, "Very Nice!"

[BrettHoustonTube]

Yeah!!! Nice work.

[SherryBabie9113]

Our schools have been on a downslide for years. We pay taxes out of our asses, sometimes double and triple taxed and the stupid government STILL doesn't have enough money. Especially for our kids to get a descent education? Something is wrong here!

[ilykegreenday]

Great Video!

Kudos to the kids and their Parents!!!!

This is the best kind of lobbying their is!!!!!

[gatapreta88]

That takes alot of effort to put on something like this, BRAVO!!! we really do need to stop cutting the budget!

[bluesmoke9]

Actually they need to keep cutting the budget until (gasp) it's balanced. What I also suggest is that CA teacher's unions, who donated $10,000,000 in 2008 to democrats who overwhelmingly control Sacramento, rethink their political agenda. If teachers want to stare at those most responsible for their plight, look in a mirror.

[innerealm]

Beware of children with parents in the entertainment business! Also, no black school children in California?

[californiahood]

Absolute ignorance to think that every person who lives in California is in the entertainment business! Most of us don't live next door to "people in the industry"! We live our lives every day like most people in the USA! We get up every morning and work for everything we have! Why be ignorant and make your comment about the video be a race issue? As stated, this was a video done by a group of children and their parents. California is a melting pot of all races! Don't be a hater!

[truckeetahoenordic]

I think we all know the benefits of "paying" for our kids education no matter how tough times get. Think of the alternatives...

[Reina59185]

What an awesome learning experience for our youth...Bravo!

[bluesmoke9]

A well done video and congratulations to the teachers who put it together. One more thing though. Although there is more than enough blame to go around, the politicians in Sacramento that are responsible for the current mess are largely the same ones that the CTA and other unions spent millions of dollars supporting. So, the teachers out there with pink slip in hand are getting what they paid, and voted, for.

[tig1331]

Bluesmoke9 -- Thanks for you comments, but let me make something perfectly clear. THIS VIDEO WAS NOT PRODUCED BY TEACHERS. This was a grassroots effort by a group of grade school students and their parents.

[tig1331]

The objective of the video is not to lay blame. We produced the video because in the cacophany of all the policy statements, speeches and political rhetoric, the kids wanted to make sure that their voices were heard -- by someone... ANYONE! And their simple request (and mine as a parent) is for the adults to take their own advice...Try your best to do what's right. Cooperate with others, and make a positive mark on the world.

[tig1331]

The kids learned alot making the video: they got to go into a recording studio. They learned about production. It was a fun and positive for the entire community; and the greatest benefit is that the kids feel proud about speaking/singing out. It's turned out to be a great lesson in civic activism and community involvement for the kids.

[bluesmoke9]

If the point was to teach video production, the kids certainly learned something. Other than that, all they learned was that the government was responsible for providing everything to everybody. You educated them in a cause, not moral character. I'd suggest something old fashioned instead. Something like, don't spend more money than you have and then expect someone else to pay for it. That would be a life lesson with some benefit to fit.

[tig1331]

...For example, it is so much more cost effective to educate a child than to incarcerate a child -- or an adult for that matter. Judging from your comments and the fact that you are inclined to continue the conversation, might we suggest an alternative viewpoint video from you?  Thanks again for your comments and thank you for helping us give our children another opportunity to observe democracy at its best!

[bluesmoke9]

I don't do video, but I do have something much better. I suggest you contact Senator Cedillo and Assemblyman Portantino and ask them how they've been voting the last few years while the state budget increased 40% and new revenue was flat. It was flat because of the over regulation and taxation of companies which have now left Calif. Couple that with the entitlement programs they passed and I think you will truely have what some teachers in San Francisco called a teachable moment.

[marwoo99]

That kind of teaching certainly can't be allowed if those @#$@$ kids can't pass their NCLB tests! Who's got time to teach critical THINKING skills??!

[jc99u2]

I would like to challenge you to pass the strandradized tests...get your facts straight NCLB tests...no such test....NCLB was probably the worst piece of educational legislation ever passed in the history of the U.S.!

[marwoo99]

jc99u2-

I think you missed the sarcasm in my post...perhaps my writing skills need to be improved upon so that I can convey my sentiment better. I was not clear

Of COURSE NCLB is ridiculous and damaging. I was making the point that because teachers are forced to teach to the tests, children waste time. They do not experience the joys of learning, nor how to analyze and create their own thoughtful responses to problems, nor have the freedom and time to explore their creativeness etc. etc.

[Lorenzo8D]

What you write about blaming the unions isn't true. The log jam in the Calif. legislature is caused by the entire block of Republicans who refuse to raise taxes, Democrats under Gray Davis lowered tax rates when state revenues were high. Now that revenues are low, the Republicans refuse to restore the tax rates. The rich get richer-- what you get for voting Republican.

[bluesmoke9]

Here's a newsflash for you. Californians pay the highest state tax burden, or very close to it, in the country! That's both business and personal taxes. And Republicans are to blame for that? Democrats run this state and have run it for a very long time. And here's another fact for you. Businesses and high income earners are MOVING OUT of California. I suggest you get a grip on reality pal because CA is $540 billion in debt and the idiots that run this state will not change anytime soon.

[Lorenzo8D]

If you can get the same high pay in another state, then, that is an option for you. The Republicans in the legislature block the progressive programs of the Democrats. I wish the Republicans moved to another state. This state used to be progressive in so many ways, with one of the best educational systems. Yes, good programs and social services cost money, and I am willing to pay-- this is part of being a "civilization". I care about others.

[PhedraP]

What an AMAZING video!! It is very professional in every way!!  You can be proud of all those who took part in this message. I HOPE someone sends ot to the Governor. He is so clueless about what goes on in California. I will be forwarding a link to everyone in my address book so this is going to travel to some very far away places not only here in the states, but across the pond. People NEED to know, we're not all about sun bathing here.

[antispamdinista]

This is great. If only our politicians could see this.

[CoCoNeely]

This is WONDERFUL!!! My husband is PTA President at our daughter's elementary school & he just received an email with a link to this video from the California PTA this morning. He's posted it to our school's Yahoo group & so it will keep being seen in our corner of CA. Excellent work on the part of all who created it (and the kids are adorable). Hope it helps - and soon! I MISS GOVERNOR PAT BROWN!!! It's been downhill since then - let's get back headed in the right direction!

[tig1331]

Thanks for all the great comments!!!!! Please pass this along to everyone you know because even though this was a local effort, education for our children is a national conversation.

[fitflossie]

Too bad that in the future California kids won't even know what music is. maybe we can save this video to show them what happened.

[ROGER459]

Thank you for a Great Video! Please send the LINK to.... "FOX NEWS...! Thanks, RR

[cheztano]

Telling it like it is with lots of style and charm! Letting all the wonderful new teachers go is a great lack of vision for the future.

[hyphenpro]

Excellent production - kudos to the producers and director...and those kids! Will this governor never learn?? Guess not - he wasn't taught in California schools.

[pammiep]

Great job... behind and in front of the camera!

[lisajolamere]

Great video! The message is loud and clear. You are so right that we need help from our leaders and we haven't got the do re mi. Thanks for all your hard work and creativity.

[hbmomx3]

Awesome video, very clever way to get the message to our disconnected legislators and governor. Hopefully enough people will watch it and start paying attention to just how bad the state is being run. Thanks kids! You rock!

[WunderMaus]

Hoo Dawg! That was some mighty fine a' pluckin' and a singin'!

[webmacster87]

Wow, great video! If that can't get the legislators in Sacramento to change their tune, I don't know what will.

[ezralogo]

Awesome! Keep it up!

[ezralogo]

This was awesome! You guys worked really hard! Keep working on Arnold!

[ezralogo]

This video was great! It was funny as it got out the message to people! You guys worked really hard!  - The Beadle Family