Retired teacher Frank Breslin shared with me this poem by Edgar A. Guest. It seems appropriate from this time, when the people at the top seem to be intent on obliterating all progress made in the past 60 years towards a more just society.
LITTLE BY LITTLE
Inch by inch and a foot is gained.
Two feet more and a yard is made.
Little by little is much attained.
Ounce by ounce and a pound is weighed.
Day by day and a week has passed.
Four full weeks and a month has flown.
Twelve brief months and we find at last
Out of them all a year has grown.
A day seems long and a mile seems far
And you scarcely notice the yard you’ve gained,
But by that much nearer the goal posts are,
And nearer still when the mile’s attained.
Oh, the hills seem steep when you start to climb,
But upward struggle and don’t you stop,
As the acorn grows to an oak in time,
Little by little you’ll reach the top.
Ounce by ounce and a pound is weighed,
And by and by are the pounds a ton;
Though swift or slow was the progress made,
It is all the same when the goal is won.
For whether you leap or whether you crawl,
You’ll find this truth — and it’s ages old!
That success is merely the sum of all
The tedious inches in miles retold.
~Edgar A. Guest~
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Dearest Dr. Ravitch:
Thank you for posting the beautiful and meaningful poem.
I have relentlessly worked towards my ultimate goal – reaching out my inner peace.
It sounds simpler than the hard, dangerous and aching (plus it seems tedious) works to get me there.
Yes, two verses spells all out the absolute truth, and I love to repeat it:
[start quote]
Though swift or slow was the progress made,
It is all the same when the goal is won.
[end quote]
May God bless you and your partner with health and happiness to enjoy the beauty in nature and in humanity forever.
Lots of love and tons of respect to you,
May King
The poem is appropriate for me this afternoon. In the past few weeks, I’ve found think tanks, described as “liberal”, promote the Gates’ agenda. For example, CAP proposed in Forbes, “It’s Time for a Quality Alternative to College Accreditation”. And New America, posted, “Starting from Scratch or a New Vision for Higher Ed.” This afternoon, I reviewed Urban Institute. It appears TeacherPensions.org (funded by John and Laura Arnold) published an article co-written by an employee of Gates-funded Bellwether and, the pension expert at Urban Institute. Teach for America posted a summary and link to the article, March 30, 2016. The view about pensions would be at home at the Koch’s State Budget Solutions.
Not surprising, an Urban Institute board member is the wife of TIAA’s CEO. TIAA has been trying to torpedo public pensions for some time. Pete Peterson and TIAA are buddy-buddy. Pete Peterson wants to destroy Social Security. The elimination of pensions creates the playbook to dismantle Social Security.
Liz Widdicombe (I think ) who wrote an in-depth piece on Kushner pointed out an interesting dynamic the other day.
“Kushner is not a Democrat because he contributed to Democratic politicians, he did so as a political reality of doing business in Jersey”
The same may be said for various think tanks and those who provide their funding. We are well aware of the pay for play research of the right wing think tanks . Yet we dismiss this when it comes to “PROGRESSIVE ” (not) think tanks . The world view of the plutocrats who fund these “left wing “(not) think tanks differs little from the world view of their brethren who fund the right wing think tanks . They support politicians who help them maintain their wealth and power. In turn they fund research which reinforces their world view . So follow the money going into these think tanks .
Which brings me to the few economic think tanks with integrity. ones I would call progressive .
The Economic Policy Institute whose first director was Reich
The Center for Economic and Policy Research . whose director Dean Baker came out of the EPI
This mornings vomit out of Morning Joe and The Council on Foreign Relations via Richard Hass .
It is gut wrenching when right wingers hijack populism . Trump the Oligarch carrying the mantle on TRADE will set back the progressive coalition who opposed the neo liberal assault BIGLY.
Trump attacks Merkel while giving China a pass. No doubt his products are manufactured in low wage China not high wage Germany. Progressives have no problem having to compete with high wage countries . BMW is the largest exporter of CARS MADE IN AMERICA because wages in the South are lower than in Germany. A situation that has to be corrected .
Well that brings me back to a topic we have discussed here before because it is critical to how we view the role of education. ‘We have a STEM shortage’ , show it to me in rising wages or in the figures out of BLS . 325 million Americans are not going to become petrochemical engineers because Exxon had a shortage that lasted 2 years. The projection is for a decline in Coding as data moves at the speed of light anywhere in the world.
But what are Americans to do. BECAUSE THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING ALL THE JOBS (Morning Joe again)
Here is the EPI take on that and I will post it again when we are on topic.
http://www.epi.org/publication/the-zombie-robot-argument-lurches-on-there-is-no-evidence-that-automation-leads-to-joblessness-or-inequality/
“robot apocalypse “- expected from the fear-mongers.
Traitors calling themselves Democrats/liberals are merely rebranded, oligarch toadies. Examples-
(1) Urban Institute with its pension project funded by anti-pension John and Laura Arnold.
(2) New America shilling for Gates, in its defense of VAM and in the paper, “Starting from Scratch or a New Vision for Higher Ed”.
(3) Center for American Progress, “It’s Time for a Quality Alternative to to College Accreditation”.
Agreed .
Unfortunately after marginalizing the LIBERALS / Progressives since the 80s they have been able to brand themselves as an opposition party solely on identity politics . I will be the first to acknowledge that it is not “the economy stupid ” for the vast majority of Trump supporters . But it is” the economy stupid” that cost the election.
Which makes it amusing that the Center for American Progress created the “American Worker Project”. 1000 Democratic seats lost and, I’m guessing the CAP funders are gleeful about keeping the charade going.
CAP apparently still likes the hedge-fund loving, school privatizing Corey Booker. Of course. And, CAP announced, after losing the presidential election, its push of the Gates’ agenda into higher ed.
Thanks for this. The rhythms and message reminds me of a book that I grew up with: One Hundred and One Famous Poems. My parents were eager to include that book as part of our home library, along with Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia.
“Tweet by tweet”
Tweet by tweet, the foot’s inserted
One tweet more and the last is trumped
Little by little, the truth’s inverted
Conway’s hushed and Spicer’s stumped
Minute by minute and an hour has passed
Four tweets more to the NY Times
Twelve brief hours and we find at last
Out of the House, the cuckoo chimes
:0)