Representative Murphey Present For 99% Of All Votes

[Marko]

Shannon Sharpton
GUTHRIE - State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) made sure that he was representing House District 31 citizens by being present to vote in all but four roll call votes during the 2007 legislative session. The freshman Republican voted in 1318 out of 1322 roll call votes or 99.69% of the time.

"One of my goals of this session was to be present for as many roll call votes as possible. I want to demonstrate to the voters that I am taking their trust seriously," Murphey said. Murphey explained that his four missed votes appear to have been mostly procedural votes meaning Murphey voted on all substantive issues.

Murphey ranked second in the House of Representatives for being present during votes as only Sand Springs Republican Rex Ducan missed fewer votes.

[Midtowner]

Eh.. he's a home scool prison guard with no college degree.

-- oh wait.. he took some online correspondence course or something.

I'm not very impressed. Although he shows up to things, his writing shows that he has a very elementary understanding of the issues, something that won't be getting any better.

Full disclosure -- I'm friends with his general election opponent from last year

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Eh.. he's a home scool prison guard with no college degree.

The guy that sits next to me at work graduated HS at the last of his class, has never taken a single college course, and can't spell worth a damn. He's also probably the smartest person in the building. There's nothing he can't do with Windows or Unix servers, not to mention his guru status in the database area. The woman that sits down the way from us has a degree in CS from OU and can't send an email with an attachment. It ticks me off when people act like education has f***all to do with how smart somebody is.

Or people that care where you graduated from. Does it matter if I went to SDSU? Or should I do better if I went to OU?

MADNESS I TELLS YA!

[Okiekatt]

Ahhh Midtowner, where have you been all my life? I feel so alone sometimes on the blogs with my huge mistrust and dislike of all things Murphey.

My full disclosure is that I worked on Depue's campaign. Plus I watched Murphey on the Guthrie city council and knew he would be the train wreck he is up at the capital.

I don't have a problem with his lack of formal education, my problem with homeschooling is, and is hugely apparent when it comes to Murphey, is the zero social skills. I believe his lack of understanding is because he's a kindergartener, 5 years old on the playground, just now learning how to interact with others. His grand standing in the first months with the wage reduction bill (that never made it out of committee) showed he truly had no idea of how to get along with your peers.

I understand he is a Christian, although I do not know what church he attends, I pray for good advisers to surround him, so far that doesn't seem to have happened yet.

[Midtowner]

Yeah, I work next door to Cook (the guy who I believe Depue eventually endorsed). So I heard it all.

While Murphy has mastered the art of self-promotion, he's failed to actually do a single thing for Guthrie since being elected.

[Marko]

While Murphy has mastered the art of self-promotion, he's failed to actually do a single thing for Guthrie since being elected.

The way I have it figured, the less any politician does to "Help" me these days, the better off I am.

[Midtowner]

The way I have it figured, the less any politician does to "Help" me these days, the better off I am.

True enough

[CuatrodeMayo]

Ahhh Midtowner, where have you been all my life? I feel so alone sometimes on the blogs with my huge mistrust and dislike of all things Murphey.

My full disclosure is that I worked on Depue's campaign. Plus I watched Murphey on the Guthrie city council and knew he would be the train wreck he is up at the capital.

At least Murphey seems to be the lesser of 2 Evils. Depue seemed a bit shady in the first campaign.

I don't have a problem with his lack of formal education, my problem with homeschooling is .... the zero social skills.

I can understand how you might think that if you have met the weird ones, but studies show differently:
Homeschooling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HSLDA | Homeschooling Grows Up: Socialization
Homeschooling Has Social Advantage - William R. Mattox Jr.

[Easy180]

I'm not a fan of homeschooling...Not because of the social aspects

Just think teaching should be left to the professionals and not those who just believe they are educated enough to answer questions ACCURATELY

Sally...."Mom...Can you help me with this Geometry proof?"

Mom..."Let me look up the step by step answer....What the heck....Bunch of jibberish....Just write down what it says here and let's move on....People's Court is on in 15"

[Midtowner]

Cuatro, the Wiki article is more of a persuasive piece. Keep in mind that the article is probably written by a homeschool textbook maker or someone like that. Other than that, you cite two homeschool sites. OF COURSE they're going to come down in favor of homeschooling.

I've known several homeschool kids in my time. Their education ranged from being on-par with mine to being completely inadequate and functionally illiterate.

While figures exist which show that the average homeschooler taking the ACT scores better than his public school counterpart, however, in Oklahoma, 69% of all high school graduates take the ACT.

There is scant evidence as to the actual number of high school home school graduates in Oklahoma. CHEF, a Christian-based group estimates the number of Oklahoma home school families at 2,000. At least anecdotally, I have observed homeschool families to be on average larger than average. I think it would be safe to assume that the average homeschool family might have 2.5 kids on average (and yes, I have nothing to base that assumption on). So that would mean that in Oklahoma, it might be safe to say that there are 5,000 kids in homeschool at this very moment, which probably a very conservative estimate.

The data which we DO have is that 183 homeschool kids took the ACT last year in Oklahoma. If we assume that homeschool kids are evenly distributed by grade level, that means that 416 kids should have graduated last semester. 183 is of course less than half.

I know I'm assuming a lot, but none of these homeschool sites seem to want to provide a total picture -- just what percentage of homeschool kids do take the ACT/SAT? What percentage are college bound? My highly speculative numbers would lead us to believe that less than half end up even taking the entrance test for college. This at least confirms what I have seen personally -- that homeschooling is very hit or miss. Some kids get great educations from their parents while many others are left to "unschooling" or other ineffective flower-power B.S. types of curricula.

At any rate, all of the sites you list cite all of these favorable statistics while avoiding things which might reflect poorly on homeschooling. This is not unexpected from sites which are supposed to persuade unbelievers and to assuage the fears of parents who are considering buying the homeschool product. I can't think why none of these sites would want to tell us just how many kids are involved in the homeschool program unless, of course, they were trying to hide something.

-- I know my argument assumes a lot, but by leaving out crucial data, so does every article you cited. When there are such gaping holes in material which is written to persuade, it's a pretty safe assumption that the material left out was harmful to the case which the writer was attempting to prove.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Homeschooling can be hit or miss...just like nearly every education system.

I wasn't even making a point for academic performance. I pointed out that homeschoolers are on average, as socially adept as anyone.

If you want to dispute the studies, please feel free to find information supporting your position.

[Midtowner]

Actually, I was pointing out that the statistics which you cited (or would have cited had you bothered to do the research) don't really support the position you seem to be adopting primarily because those statistics are misleading and incomplete.

Since there aren't really any anti-homeschool groups, I doubt anyone has done the math. I felt my estimates were highly conservative.

At any rate, as long as we're talking about social skills, studies, etc., find some source which qualifies as at least somewhat neutral to hang your hat on next time.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I'm no slacker...no I am a slacker. I apologise for not completely suspending my daily activities to exhaustivly research homeschooling to refute some guy on the internet.

EPAA Vol. 7 No. 8 Rudner: Home School Students, 1998

[Midtowner]

A 10 year old study which is also conspicuously missing the data I keep pointing out that no one seems to want to talk about. You seemed to be insistent that someone provide something more than anecdotal evidence of their positions, yet you don't seem to be willing to hold yourself to the same standard.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Apparently I'm not understanding what you want. What data? If is what you mention before, then I do not see how that relates to the arguement. Please enlighten me then maybe I can answer your question.

[Midtowner]

Apparently I'm not understanding what you want. What data? If is what you mention before, then I do not see how that relates to the arguement. Please enlighten me then maybe I can answer your question.

You say that home school kids do better academically than their public school peers. The numbers the studies you linked offered (or hell.. maybe I found them.. I don't know) offered statistics based on ACT/SAT scores which showed that the homeschool kids who took those tests did better than their public school counterparts.

In Oklahoma, 69% of graduating high school seniors took the ACT. I can't find a shred of data telling what percentage of home school kids did the same. My guesses based upon the incredibly sketchy data I was able to find (and believe me, I tried) suggest that far fewer home school kids take the ACT. Since none of the home school sites brag about the percentage of home school graduates who go on to college (which you'd think would be readily ascertainable data), one is led to believe that this is a stat they don't want you to know.

As I said, my best guess based on what I consider very conservative numbers tells me that far fewer homeschool kids are college bound, but maybe you can find otherwise?

[CuatrodeMayo]

If I had more time, I would ask around, but I don't. From what nearly every article, survey and whatever else I have read, homeschool students do better than public school students. And they are generally socially adjusted (which was my original point).

Whatever information is being "left out" I doubt would radically change the outcome of such studies. I would like to see that information as well, but I do not see it as a conspiracy of MULTIPLE sources.

Why would far fewer home school students not go to college when they seem to perform higher, on average than typical public school students? Rather than a normal spread of test scores, your claim would indicate that there are a large number of both above average students and below average students with very few average. The smart ones take the ACT and go to college and the "dumb" ones don't. The average ones do one or the other, but there are so few that it doesn't affect the average test scores of homeschoolers. That is specuation at best.

Your conjectured numbers are meaningless compared to what I have read over the course of the day. You are grasping at straws to disprove what is all but an established fact.

[Midtowner]

I'm guessing because no one trying to prove the greatness of homeschooling has bothered to publish figures they almost certainly have access to. Certainly it wouldn't be difficult to know how many home school students in Oklahoma finish the 12th grade as home school students?

I know the statistic as to whether graduates go on to college is something public schools track meticulously.

The fact is that these "multiple sources" are all very one-sided in that they are either persuasive articles (like all you posted) or they are studies commissioned or performed by special interest groups -- and I should say "study" -- and a 9-year old one at that.

When they all neglect to report something that would cripple their case if negative and bolster it if positive, it sort of clues us into what the case may be.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Well whenever you find some convincing data or "study" disproving what I have posted, please post it here.

[Midtowner]

Well whenever you find some convincing data or "study" disproving what I have posted, please post it here.

What I'm saying is that what you have posted proves nothing. So feel free to fill in those gaping holes

[CuatrodeMayo]

I would gladly address it, if data exists.

If it is such a "gaping" hole, then why has no one else bothered to fill it? Why can't you or I (I've been looking) find anything? I would think the NEA would be on that like a fat kid on a Twinkie. Apparently this must be a non-issue considering nobody is as concerned about it as you.

[Midtowner]

The NEA doesn't seem to concern themselves with the goings on of the home school world. They're much more concerned with the evils of charter schools, school choice, etc. -- things which actually affect their union's reach.

A search on their site turned up TWO references of the word "homeschool." One was a reference an article used, I didn't even bother to look at the other.

I could probably come up with the number in 1998. That article gives the number of kids participating in the sample versus the actual number of kids in the state who were in homeschool programs. Unfortunately, your article is essentially ancient history.

ETA: That table isn't what I thought it was, it was merely attempting to correct the fact that the sample showed over representation in some populations by reassigning weight.

The very best I could find was what Cathy Costello said here:

Holy Family School » News 9 hates homeschoolers

-- apparently, she's a homeschool parent. I guess that makes her somewhat of an in-the-know person. According to Cathy Costello, my guestimate was WAAAY off. She says there are approximately 20,000 homeschool kids in Oklahoma. If that's true, wow.. the number taking the ACT is abysmally low. Something doesn't jive. I don't know if Costello is just out to lunch, or if the figures I have are somehow flawed. If all are correct, it does paint a rather stark reality regarding homeschooling in Oklahoma (assuming even distribution among grade levels, etc.)

Of course, many parents don't want or expect their kids to go to college. If book learnin' ain't their thing, power to 'em.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Your point being...?

Like I said...a non-issue.

[Midtowner]

183 homeschool kids took the ACT in Oklahoma. There were 20,000 homeschoolers.

We're looking at around 10%-15% percent of homeschool kids even taking the test versus 69% of their public school counterparts. I've found the 20,000 number on other sites now including the above-mentioned Oklahoma Christian Home Schooling network site. Low range estimates say as low as 14,000.

I do think that's saying something -- in other words it's hit or miss.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Can I get a link to where you are getting 183?

EDIT: I actually know Cathy Costello thru some people...she's a little odd.