It is early Sunday morning here in the Valley of the Sun, and true to its name, the day is going to be bright, warm, and beautiful. As I sat out on the patio watching the hummingbirds come and go, and the snakes slither along the flower bed (not really, honey, but it made a good picture of a great morning), I came to a sudden realization about my adopted home state. It is totally messed up!
Now, I lived in Illinois for about 54 years, and I saw just about every governor during my lifetime be indicted for something related to his office. (I'm pretty sure that Gov. Ogilvie escaped with his integrity.) Blago was the last straw, though.
When I moved to Arizona, I thought that all that would be left behind. Here, I thought, are people with common sense and who know what the law means. I thought things here would be above board, and truthful and laid back. Man, was I wrong!
Arizona was the last of the 48 contiguous states. It once was part of the Confederacy and its boundary with New Mexico once ran along the Gila River, and the two shared an east/west boundary, not a north/south one. Abe Lincoln changed all that. The capital of the territory/state was moved about five times before deciding on Phoenix. And Arizona was one of the first states to give women the right to vote and hold office...about eight years before the US Constitution. Arizonans, it seems have always been forward thinkers and people who value law and order (ala Wyatt Earp and his brothers).
They never did value education very highly, although the first governor of the state, George W.P. Hunt, got a law passed for mandatory education of 12 days a year for kids up to fourteen years of age! Arizonans do like their guns, and the idea that they vote on just about everything. Coming up in May, we will vote on a sales tax that will be in effect for three years and help fund education and just about everything else. How much? One cent per dollar! That would bring our state sales tax up to 6.6 cents per dollar. Now I know there are places that have less than that, but in Illinois, with all the various taxes, some places were as high as 9 percent. The 48th state ranks 48th in education, but then again, they don't spend money on it. Arizona spends about 6600 dollars per pupil, while Illinois spends close to 8800 dollars.
Now, AZ is in the forfront again when it comes to immigration enforcement! I don't think I have to go into that, as I covered that in previous blogs. Suffice it to say that I approve of the measure, and hope this kicks the Feds in the butt and gets the national debate open. Arizona has gone out on a limb here, and we'll see if other states help out, or if they handle the saw.
Remember the hubbub when President Obama was running for President? The contention that he was not born in the US? AZ is taking the lead again when it comes to stepping on federal toes. It will require all people running for president to give a notarized copy of their birth cetificate to our Secretary of State to be on the ballot. No other candidates will have to do this, just those running for President. So if the Pres wants on the AZ ballot for re-election, he will have to present a notarized birth certificate. But, John McCain and JD Hayworth do not (I question the last one's sanity.).
Now, Sheriff Joe is contemplating running for governor and he has said that if elected, he will not run again. One term and done. At 78, he better get someone strong to run with him for Secretary of State, because that person will surely be governor sooner than expected.
OH, by the way. Everyone over 21 in Arizona can now carry a gun concealed.
And my wife is worried about that snake in the backyard! LOL
Dougnnut
Showing posts with label President Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label President Obama. Show all posts
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Mr. President, Give us Space
I was just looking at the calender today and noticed that last Saturday was the 49th Anniversary of John Glenn's historic three orbits of the earth. Time sure flies.
Then I realized that the space shuttle Endeavor has only one more trip into space before it is retired. What is wrong with this picture?
President Kennedy vowed that the US would get to the Moon by the end of the 1960s, and we did. Out of that endeavor came countless advancements in technology, nutrition, and everyday living. The space program gave thousands of jobs to people who were not only directly involved, but also indirectly involved. It embodied the American Spirit and the idea that Americans could do just about anything once we put our minds to it. Have we given up on returning to the moon or going on to Mars?
When President Obama cut the program, he cut hope. Sure it costs money and there are lots of needs, but the advancement of humanity is as important as the now we live in. People cannot keep stressing on the now, but have to live for a future that will be enriched and vast. To cut this program in the name of saving money or channeling it else where was inane and disingenious.
Maybe Americans and people in general have become to enamored of the enormity of the process and only look at the dollar sign. Networks no longer cover launches or landings; astronauts no longer are viewed as heroes, but rather as pilots just doing a job. To me, there is nothing more majestic or a tribute to man's intgelligence and fortitude and pioneering spirit than to see a shuttle lift off into or return from space. I have never seen one live, but people who have seen shuttles launches tell me that there is nothing like it.
Kids used to dream of other worlds, of going into space, and as Gene Roddenberry wrote, "To boldly go where no man has gone before." There are no more dreams, apparently. My ancestors opened up the Oregon Territory, but my descedents will not open up new territory or see first hand the vastness of the universe.
Americans are no longer in the driver's seat, but rather are earthbound and must hitch rides into space. We are now dependent on other nations ( and we see how that works with energy) and their generosity for understanding.
Mr. President, if you really want technology to expand knowledge and our people to keep their place in the world of science, give us space.
Doughnut
Then I realized that the space shuttle Endeavor has only one more trip into space before it is retired. What is wrong with this picture?
President Kennedy vowed that the US would get to the Moon by the end of the 1960s, and we did. Out of that endeavor came countless advancements in technology, nutrition, and everyday living. The space program gave thousands of jobs to people who were not only directly involved, but also indirectly involved. It embodied the American Spirit and the idea that Americans could do just about anything once we put our minds to it. Have we given up on returning to the moon or going on to Mars?
When President Obama cut the program, he cut hope. Sure it costs money and there are lots of needs, but the advancement of humanity is as important as the now we live in. People cannot keep stressing on the now, but have to live for a future that will be enriched and vast. To cut this program in the name of saving money or channeling it else where was inane and disingenious.
Maybe Americans and people in general have become to enamored of the enormity of the process and only look at the dollar sign. Networks no longer cover launches or landings; astronauts no longer are viewed as heroes, but rather as pilots just doing a job. To me, there is nothing more majestic or a tribute to man's intgelligence and fortitude and pioneering spirit than to see a shuttle lift off into or return from space. I have never seen one live, but people who have seen shuttles launches tell me that there is nothing like it.
Kids used to dream of other worlds, of going into space, and as Gene Roddenberry wrote, "To boldly go where no man has gone before." There are no more dreams, apparently. My ancestors opened up the Oregon Territory, but my descedents will not open up new territory or see first hand the vastness of the universe.
Americans are no longer in the driver's seat, but rather are earthbound and must hitch rides into space. We are now dependent on other nations ( and we see how that works with energy) and their generosity for understanding.
Mr. President, if you really want technology to expand knowledge and our people to keep their place in the world of science, give us space.
Doughnut
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Where is Thoreau when you need him? Probably taking a test
First off, let's understand that I know the little red school house is gone. I know we live in a technologically advanced society... I own an Ipod. And I am now fully aware that most houses have flush toilets. But what I don't understand is why education decided it needed all those tests?
I now live in the state that ranks 48th in education out of all US states. I moved from a state that was 36th. I have one question... Who cares about rankings? Most coaches will tell you that they mean nothing when it comes to ranking teams, the same holds true when deciding about how well your kids are educated.
The whole testing thing is a plot by the government to make states accountable for the money spent that is allotted to them. I found this out in the mid 1980s when I was a student at the University of Illinois School of Education. They tried to brain wash me then. I fooled them, I had mine dry cleaned and left the program.
Think about when education really started going down the tubes and getting bad marks...late 1980s early 1990s. We had just won the space race, our economy was booming. Students were learning and America was number one. What changed?
Somebody convinced the federal government that our workers were not being trained well enough and that our kids were not stacking up to those from Europe and Southeast Asia. We had to do a better job. And how do we know if we are doing a better job unless we test EVERYBODY~ that includes children who are not up to par along with those that are way above it. We had to give tests over the same material. If little John is reading at a third grade level and is doing third grade work while chroniclogically being 15-16, shouldn't he be tested at that level? Why should he be given a calculus test when he can barely say it, let alone do it?
When NCLB came into being it was supposed to be the magic cure for the virus that was killing education. It started in Texas (Where the teachers say it is holding them back) and spread across the US under the Bush administration. And is being perpetuated by the Obama administration.
To put it bluntly, it stinks and it does not work. So, what does, you ask?
Get rid of all the constraints on teachers and education. Don't let the people in the ivory towers who have never been in a classroom, or have limited knowledge about teaching decide what should and should not be taught and how it should be taught. Get rid of standardized testing. Teachers are being forced to teach only material that is on the test.
Case in point... In my last years of teaching in Paxton, IL, the administration decided to go out and spend a bunch of money on "curriculum mapping". In other words, they were going to lay out the program that would be taught from k-12. Not a bad idea on the outside. Then it was decided that teachers had to teach a certain way, and they had to cover only material that was pertinent to the tests. Handwriting? Not on the test... forget it! And we were to spend no more than 5 minutes on any topic that was off the plan for the day. Now, any teacher worth his or her salt knows that real teaching moments are sometimes brought up by student questions, not by the script. What was the result? Scores have steadily declined.
The State of Illinois is way behind on payments to schools. So is Arizona. I say, that if they are not going to give schools the money, then schools should not worry about scores. If, like in Illinois' case, the state is not living up to the state constitution and funding the schools properly, then schools should be free to do work their magic in their own way. Test scores be damned.
Teachers should not pay taxes until the state gives schools the money they owe. Sound dumb? We are supposed to pay our bills as are they, but do they? Who holds the government accountable? We should!
This whole testing thing will be the end of public education. Look around and see how much "Charter Schools" are being pushed. How vouchers are being given to private schools because public schools are not doing the job. The Leona School Group, The Ball Foundation, and Edison Learning are just three of the companies that run schools and receive public money, but are not bound by public law. According to the US Charter Schools Homepage these schools, "...provide choices for families and greater accountablity for results." They are run on a business model, not an education model. Some of the schools out here in AZ are in store fronts and in old factories. Does that say something? One school that I know of personally, the administrators are not educators at all, but rather former investment bankers...how did they do in their last career?
We need to stand up and tell Arne Duncan and President Obama to put a stop to this madness and return education to the professionals and the people who know your children best. Have the well of money dry up and start opening your voices. Civil Disobedience, my friends. That is what it is going to take. Thoreau wrote that back in 1849. Students just getting out of high school would not know that, though.
It's not in the state descriptors for learning.
Doughnut
I now live in the state that ranks 48th in education out of all US states. I moved from a state that was 36th. I have one question... Who cares about rankings? Most coaches will tell you that they mean nothing when it comes to ranking teams, the same holds true when deciding about how well your kids are educated.
The whole testing thing is a plot by the government to make states accountable for the money spent that is allotted to them. I found this out in the mid 1980s when I was a student at the University of Illinois School of Education. They tried to brain wash me then. I fooled them, I had mine dry cleaned and left the program.
Think about when education really started going down the tubes and getting bad marks...late 1980s early 1990s. We had just won the space race, our economy was booming. Students were learning and America was number one. What changed?
Somebody convinced the federal government that our workers were not being trained well enough and that our kids were not stacking up to those from Europe and Southeast Asia. We had to do a better job. And how do we know if we are doing a better job unless we test EVERYBODY~ that includes children who are not up to par along with those that are way above it. We had to give tests over the same material. If little John is reading at a third grade level and is doing third grade work while chroniclogically being 15-16, shouldn't he be tested at that level? Why should he be given a calculus test when he can barely say it, let alone do it?
When NCLB came into being it was supposed to be the magic cure for the virus that was killing education. It started in Texas (Where the teachers say it is holding them back) and spread across the US under the Bush administration. And is being perpetuated by the Obama administration.
To put it bluntly, it stinks and it does not work. So, what does, you ask?
Get rid of all the constraints on teachers and education. Don't let the people in the ivory towers who have never been in a classroom, or have limited knowledge about teaching decide what should and should not be taught and how it should be taught. Get rid of standardized testing. Teachers are being forced to teach only material that is on the test.
Case in point... In my last years of teaching in Paxton, IL, the administration decided to go out and spend a bunch of money on "curriculum mapping". In other words, they were going to lay out the program that would be taught from k-12. Not a bad idea on the outside. Then it was decided that teachers had to teach a certain way, and they had to cover only material that was pertinent to the tests. Handwriting? Not on the test... forget it! And we were to spend no more than 5 minutes on any topic that was off the plan for the day. Now, any teacher worth his or her salt knows that real teaching moments are sometimes brought up by student questions, not by the script. What was the result? Scores have steadily declined.
The State of Illinois is way behind on payments to schools. So is Arizona. I say, that if they are not going to give schools the money, then schools should not worry about scores. If, like in Illinois' case, the state is not living up to the state constitution and funding the schools properly, then schools should be free to do work their magic in their own way. Test scores be damned.
Teachers should not pay taxes until the state gives schools the money they owe. Sound dumb? We are supposed to pay our bills as are they, but do they? Who holds the government accountable? We should!
This whole testing thing will be the end of public education. Look around and see how much "Charter Schools" are being pushed. How vouchers are being given to private schools because public schools are not doing the job. The Leona School Group, The Ball Foundation, and Edison Learning are just three of the companies that run schools and receive public money, but are not bound by public law. According to the US Charter Schools Homepage these schools, "...provide choices for families and greater accountablity for results." They are run on a business model, not an education model. Some of the schools out here in AZ are in store fronts and in old factories. Does that say something? One school that I know of personally, the administrators are not educators at all, but rather former investment bankers...how did they do in their last career?
We need to stand up and tell Arne Duncan and President Obama to put a stop to this madness and return education to the professionals and the people who know your children best. Have the well of money dry up and start opening your voices. Civil Disobedience, my friends. That is what it is going to take. Thoreau wrote that back in 1849. Students just getting out of high school would not know that, though.
It's not in the state descriptors for learning.
Doughnut
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Jackass
The President of the United States was caught off microphone yesterday telling an interviewer that Kanye West was, “…a jackass…” Well, Mr. President, you hit the nail on the head! I only wish that it would not have been off mike, and revealed by some twit from ABC on twitter. I wish you would have been able to come right out and say it in an open interview.
For once, we heard a real opinion that was honest and real. Nothing phony about that opinion, and it did not take an act of Congress to form it. Amazingly, no one in the public who knows about the incident at the VMA awards with Mr. West ruining Ms. Taylor Swift’s moment in the spotlight was likely to stand up and say, “YOU LIE!” The President was speaking for himself, not his administration or Congress. He gave voice to what many in the viewing audience, including myself, thought to themselves!
Beyonce showed a lot of class and solidified her stature as not only a star, but a good person. I was truly proud of her when she asked Swift to come back on stage and deliver her speech. If you saw the video of her in crowd as West spoke, you saw her embarrassed, “Oh, MY GOD!” mouthed loudly and succinctly.
I watched as Kanye West apologized on the Jay Leno show the other night. He appeared to be remorseful, and have trouble talking. His eyes gave the appearance of being sorry. He offered to help Ms. Swift in her career and, I think she should take him up on this. He owned his error and did not make excuses for it. West even acknowledged that his late mother would not be proud of him and would have given him a lecture.
Can’t really say that for Representative Wilson, though. He embarrassed the entire House, Senate, the State of South Carolina and US with his unprofessional outburst. Yet, in some circles, he is considered a hero. Since the incident, he has raised more than a million dollars for his re-election campaign. His apology was not heartfelt and actually looked to be something akin to what a mother might make her son say to his little brother whom he hit with a hammer intentionally. Little brother might buy the apology, but mom and dad don’t. He should be sent to his room without dinner until he really means what he said in his apology.
The House voted pretty much along party lines to tell Wilson he was a “jackass,” but no one from either party said it out loud in front of an open microphone. The resolution was not binding and did include and penalties for violating protocol. Wilson has opened up the door for more boorish behavior in an institution known for disagreeing civilly.
Let me go on record as saying that I put Mr. Wilson and Mr. West on the same level. Both would be better off living on the streets of Oatman, Arizona, and old mining town in the desert which is overrun by jackasses, getting carrots from passersby and walking in and out of shops with other the burros.
Doughnut
For once, we heard a real opinion that was honest and real. Nothing phony about that opinion, and it did not take an act of Congress to form it. Amazingly, no one in the public who knows about the incident at the VMA awards with Mr. West ruining Ms. Taylor Swift’s moment in the spotlight was likely to stand up and say, “YOU LIE!” The President was speaking for himself, not his administration or Congress. He gave voice to what many in the viewing audience, including myself, thought to themselves!
Beyonce showed a lot of class and solidified her stature as not only a star, but a good person. I was truly proud of her when she asked Swift to come back on stage and deliver her speech. If you saw the video of her in crowd as West spoke, you saw her embarrassed, “Oh, MY GOD!” mouthed loudly and succinctly.
I watched as Kanye West apologized on the Jay Leno show the other night. He appeared to be remorseful, and have trouble talking. His eyes gave the appearance of being sorry. He offered to help Ms. Swift in her career and, I think she should take him up on this. He owned his error and did not make excuses for it. West even acknowledged that his late mother would not be proud of him and would have given him a lecture.
Can’t really say that for Representative Wilson, though. He embarrassed the entire House, Senate, the State of South Carolina and US with his unprofessional outburst. Yet, in some circles, he is considered a hero. Since the incident, he has raised more than a million dollars for his re-election campaign. His apology was not heartfelt and actually looked to be something akin to what a mother might make her son say to his little brother whom he hit with a hammer intentionally. Little brother might buy the apology, but mom and dad don’t. He should be sent to his room without dinner until he really means what he said in his apology.
The House voted pretty much along party lines to tell Wilson he was a “jackass,” but no one from either party said it out loud in front of an open microphone. The resolution was not binding and did include and penalties for violating protocol. Wilson has opened up the door for more boorish behavior in an institution known for disagreeing civilly.
Let me go on record as saying that I put Mr. Wilson and Mr. West on the same level. Both would be better off living on the streets of Oatman, Arizona, and old mining town in the desert which is overrun by jackasses, getting carrots from passersby and walking in and out of shops with other the burros.
Doughnut
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Be Lazy
I am back at work again after a weekend away from the blog. Batteries recharged, brain cleared, and carpal tunnel slowed down. Ready to hit it again and get after that writing process and renew motivation towards getting the book done. Yeah, right…
I have become increasingly lazy. Retirement does that, I understand. If that is the case, then I retired about 40 years ago! When I was sixteen, I was full of vip, vim, and vinegar. Quite a go getter who held down a couple jobs at time. Now, I’m lucky to remember to do one thing a day. I’m slipping, and I am looking for someone to blame.
First, I think I can blame my up bringing. My parents were lazy people. They worked 12-14 hours a day at their restaurant, five to six days a week, 50-51 weeks a year. Their idea of a vacation was cleaning the place on their days off. They never went on “vacation” where they drove to a Disneyland or even a Six Flags. Heck, a weekend at Steely’s Creek or a trip to Chicago to visit Aunt Helen was about as far as they got from Hoopeston. I never saw my parents in anything but work clothes. Dad always was in a v-necked t-shirt and khaki pants; Mom wore a white uniform-type dress that buttoned up the front, and white hosiery and white shoes. Seldom did they wear anything else. A big change for them might have been putting on a sweater. But they just seemed to never do anything…
My brother was the same way. He never worked very hard, it seemed. After all, coaching and teaching and raising a family is no work at all. He worked during the summer and in the spring at a farm, and in different stores, and for the city shoveling poo, but I did not really see him “do” anything. He must have been lazy.
But the real person I blame for my laziness is the President. I have never seen him do anything. I saw Ron Reagan chop wood, LBJ herd cattle, Even JFK steered a boat. But Obama is rarely seen doing anything, he must be lazy. His example of sitting around, talking about things and trying to get things done really sets a bad example for everyone. I mean, really, running the military, setting goals and trying to convince others to make changes they do not like, raising kids, and all the time having to sit and listen to the naysayers and people who had so much time to make change, but did not, call you names… that is enough to make anyone lazy and want to give up. He needs to do something. Work his brawn, not his brain so much.
That must be the problem with me...I think too much.
I do nothing. I have recently observed that my life is one big situation comedy. And if you look at comedy, you often find there are people who seem to do nothing and appear lazy. They sit and observe, then make one line comments that provoke a laugh track. That is what my life is like. I love comedies because they make me laugh, and they prove their point by making me look inside myself and find that little sliver that enlightens me and trips the trigger that shows me life as it is.
And it makes me laugh at myself and others.
I need to do something. I don't mow anymore, my lawn is now rocks. I don't wash my cars, we have a car wash on every corner here in AZ. No need to do windows, it never rains. So I am now officially lazy.
Do yourself a favor…BE LAZY each day. Take some time to sit back, and laugh.
Doughnut
I have become increasingly lazy. Retirement does that, I understand. If that is the case, then I retired about 40 years ago! When I was sixteen, I was full of vip, vim, and vinegar. Quite a go getter who held down a couple jobs at time. Now, I’m lucky to remember to do one thing a day. I’m slipping, and I am looking for someone to blame.
First, I think I can blame my up bringing. My parents were lazy people. They worked 12-14 hours a day at their restaurant, five to six days a week, 50-51 weeks a year. Their idea of a vacation was cleaning the place on their days off. They never went on “vacation” where they drove to a Disneyland or even a Six Flags. Heck, a weekend at Steely’s Creek or a trip to Chicago to visit Aunt Helen was about as far as they got from Hoopeston. I never saw my parents in anything but work clothes. Dad always was in a v-necked t-shirt and khaki pants; Mom wore a white uniform-type dress that buttoned up the front, and white hosiery and white shoes. Seldom did they wear anything else. A big change for them might have been putting on a sweater. But they just seemed to never do anything…
My brother was the same way. He never worked very hard, it seemed. After all, coaching and teaching and raising a family is no work at all. He worked during the summer and in the spring at a farm, and in different stores, and for the city shoveling poo, but I did not really see him “do” anything. He must have been lazy.
But the real person I blame for my laziness is the President. I have never seen him do anything. I saw Ron Reagan chop wood, LBJ herd cattle, Even JFK steered a boat. But Obama is rarely seen doing anything, he must be lazy. His example of sitting around, talking about things and trying to get things done really sets a bad example for everyone. I mean, really, running the military, setting goals and trying to convince others to make changes they do not like, raising kids, and all the time having to sit and listen to the naysayers and people who had so much time to make change, but did not, call you names… that is enough to make anyone lazy and want to give up. He needs to do something. Work his brawn, not his brain so much.
That must be the problem with me...I think too much.
I do nothing. I have recently observed that my life is one big situation comedy. And if you look at comedy, you often find there are people who seem to do nothing and appear lazy. They sit and observe, then make one line comments that provoke a laugh track. That is what my life is like. I love comedies because they make me laugh, and they prove their point by making me look inside myself and find that little sliver that enlightens me and trips the trigger that shows me life as it is.
And it makes me laugh at myself and others.
I need to do something. I don't mow anymore, my lawn is now rocks. I don't wash my cars, we have a car wash on every corner here in AZ. No need to do windows, it never rains. So I am now officially lazy.
Do yourself a favor…BE LAZY each day. Take some time to sit back, and laugh.
Doughnut
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