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The Juneau Empire has the scoop on a story about Alaska s newcommissioner for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Pat Forgey writes that Dianne Blumer "appears to not have finished highschool," though she did attend the University of Alaska Southeastfor a while. And at least one union member is trying to make hash out of herGED. Turns out Blumer, who was appointed in May and will be up forconfirmation next year, received a diploma by taking the GeneralEducational Development tests, better known as the GED, instead ofreceiving a traditional high school diploma. She apparently didn'treceive a college degree. Apparently, in a state that's trying to encourage its residents toget college degrees, a commissioner who is paid $135,000 isn'trequired to have one. Nor is a college degree required to qualifyto be elected to the U.S. Senate. Alaska's Sen. Mark Begich -- theformer Democratic Anchorage mayor who toppled the late Sen. TedStevens (the longest-serving GOP senator in U.S. history who alsoheld a Harvard law degree) by just a few thousand votes in 2008 --doesn't have a college degree, either. GED vs. high school diploma The GED is a series of tests confirming that those who pass havehigh school-level academic skills. Since it debuted in 1942, morethan 18 million adults have taken the test, according to the GED testing site . Jake Metcalfe, the business manager for the state Public SafetyEmployees Association, told the Empire that although Blumer hasexperience with public employee unions, the fact that she doesn'thave a traditional diploma concerns him. "So when I hear there's a GED it makes me wonder what thequalifications are for the job," he told the Empire. Some will remember Metcalfe as the former president of the Alaska Democratic Party. Others mayrecall how, when he ran against fellow Democrat Ethan Berkowitz to unseat Rep. Don Young in 2008, his campaign made up boguswebsites featuring Berkowitz as a gay, rich, overly educated California liberal. Parnell "rejects" the notion that "because Dianne Blumer has a GEDthat somehow she is not qualified to be a commissioner when shemeets the statutory criteria for a commissioner and she has morerelevant work experience in the field," his spokeswoman, SharonLeighow, said in an email. But back to that supposedly inferior GED. Leighow might have pointed out that there are many GED holdersamong the leaders in their fields, including Roger Moore, VidalSassoon, Alaskan Red Boucher, Jerry Lewis, Richard Pryor, PeterJennings, Frank Sinatra and Michael Caine. Former governors ofDelaware and New Jersey have GEDs. President George W. Bush'sSurgeon General Richard Henry Carmona has a GED. (Full disclosure:I have GED, as does my brother and one of my sisters. All three ofus went on to receive graduate degrees.) It should also be pointed out that if Blumer took her GED in Alaskanow, she would not qualify to receive Parnell's performancescholarship. Many in the Alaska Legislature wanted to offer thescholarship to those who had completed a GED and who took othersteps, like taking AP classes, to prove their academic aspirations. Parnell wouldn't budge, and apparently the fact that hiscommissioner of labor wouldn't qualify for the scholarship hasn'tschooled him. In an email, he repeated that the scholarship "is aboutincentivizing more kids to stay in high school and take morerigorous coursework than the minimum graduation requirements." Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, fought to include GED recipients aspotential scholarship recipients. "People have to understand thatnot everyone comes from a beautiful wealthy happy together family,"Gara said. "Why give a merit scholarship for a C student from agood family but not a GED taker who tests high and takes the rightcourses?" he asked. Some do better if they stay in high school. Some need to leaveschool to work to achieve success -- like becoming the commissionerfor Alaska's Department of Labor and Workforce Development. After,that is, they go back to school to get a college degree. Contact Amanda Coyne at Amanda@alaskadispatch.com. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Digital Ear Thermometer , China Digital Pocket Pedometer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits FM Radio Pedometer.
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