Who Said What?

With a short spring and a long summer ahead of us we voters should be trying to sort out facts from half-truths and outright fiction. Be careful of myths says the editor Of Vanity Fair and the author of, "Are we Rome? The fall of an Empire and the Fate of America". I quote him, "Myth is more important than history. History is arbitrary, a collection of facts. Myths we choose, we create, we perpetuate."

"The things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice." (author unknown)

New york - "Physical-Education Study Finds Shortfall in City". Only a fraction of New York City's elementary and middle schools are meeting legal requirements in physical education, according to a new report.
A study by Public Advocate Betty Gotbaum and City Comptroller William Thompson found that 80% of elementary and nearly 50% of middle schools have no sports of fitness programs of any kind.
Students in kindergarten through third grade are supposed to have physical education daily. Those in the fourth through the sixth grades are supposed to have P.E. three times a week.

I know some Peoria Schools do a good job and many don't. Also I note that by the time all kids wander into the gym during P.E. that by the time they get settled down and role taken and other interruptions, like kids with slips excusing them from any physical activity, approximately half the time allocated to actually doing some physical activity is one half over.

I'll say what others are afraid to say: some of these kids are lazy and fat and look for any excuse to avoid physical exercise including any activity that requires work. And sadder yet, none including administration and the "parent" seems to care.

Dennis Duggan McMahon of San Francisco says "As usual in government, no one in particular seems to be taking responsibility for the serial failures (of schools)- which of course is part of the problem. There is little incentive for getting it right, because no one below the level of a political appointee ever loses a job for getting it wrong."

And as a reminder as to why the RiverPlex wound up on the Riverfront, I quote Carlotta Bielfeldt (the Bielfeldts' contributed $5 million), "because I wanted it there". Couldn't have been because their son had invested a lot in properties on and near the riverfront, could it?

Some of you may recall the first time I met Gary Bielfeldt was when I was head basketball coach at Heyworth High School and Gary played for Octavia. Heyworth won 73-49 even though Gary scored 18 points. Gary was an all around good athlete who later on became an outstanding business success in Peoria.

"If we don't fill those potholes out there, no one is going to. That's our job." (one of the more famous quotes made by now former City Councilwoman Gale Thetford.

An editorial by the JSEB back on October 28, 1999 said, "If residents don't want to give up something, they should be prepared for a tax increase." As my aquaintance Jim Anderson would say "give me a break".

A sage statement similar to many statements made by politicians and pundits.

Ever wonder what happened to the land swapped for the valuable riverfront property where the RiverPlex now sits? You're not alone. It sets as an empty lot with apparently no viable commercial value. Assessed by a "professional" assessor for only $5 a square foot, any takers out there?