The Solution

Most people know the solution. They just don't take the actions necessary to the solution because they believe and often rightly know that the solution leads to another solution, that leads to another solution, that leads.............;..

Civics Education Testing a Must for all High Shcool Graduates and More

If the NEA ever did more than a few dozen things right, they could help their reputation by passing a law making all High School graduates pass a Civics Education test. Finally, some schools are making the passing of this basic civics tests mandatory.before seniors can graduate.

It's way past time when this testing should have been mandatory to graduate but better late than never. We will see if generally weak school boards across the nation; especially in the Peoria area respond to this simple testing exercise. Some TV shows have been showing how ignorant most of us are on basic civics knowledge.

Those local board members opposing the passing of these school laws will also will also show the incompetence of so many school board members

I have long pointed out the incompetence of how are school boards are selected in totally wrong as proven by the failure to truly educate our dropouts and over half our graduates.Using Peoria School
District #150 the system of selecting school board members should start with the common sense concept that most public school board members should be salaried. The salaries should be based on importance of the job of educating youths.($100,000 or more in Peoria #150 Distrit) I suggest the board consist of three members. The boundaries of these three districts from which these board members would be elected, should be determined by the local Regional Superintendent of Schools, the Mayor of the City of Peoria, the leader of Heartland Partnership and the President of the Civic Center or Angels or whatever this peer group is called today.Also, possibly the County Board Chairman but only if this chairman resides in the area served by District # 150.

Board members terms would be three years. Every three years, each member should stand for reelection. with term limits of nine years.

Radical? Possibly, but it is a well publicized FACT the the public school system is not getting the job done with that job being to EDUCATE ALL OUR KIDS equally.

Does my plan need to be fully evaluated. Of course, because it is a STARTER plan. If some have better ideas, let the be publicized  on this site or tell me where these better plans are being stymied and lets get some national debates started. We should all know that dissatisfaction with the system have led to more than 1000 Charter Schools across the country. We also know that even many of these Charter Schools are not perfect including the local Quest system which is not really a true Charter School because of it's too close connection with District #150 and Quest's ongoing internal problems resulting in a newly selected  administrator, a leading architect of what many consider to be a failing District #150.

A crazy idea? Sure, evidently many, at one time in history, thought the world was flat and recently that FireFly was the best thing that happened in Illinois is recent history.

What's the PHA Going to do?? Move Into the Dunlap School District??

Since the semi-effective PHA Board ponders why and where to locate the deteriorating Taft homes, I make this suggestion. Since Peoria Public School District #150 has absorbed all the students they can, I suggest that the Dunlap School Systems accept the relocation. Even though the Dunlap public schools are filled to the brim with students, a lot of Peoria's wealth moved to the Dunlap area, despite the warnings of the rising costs for more student space from former Dunlap School Administrator, Bill Collier.

Peoria has an overload of non-paying, non-property taxpayers. Just like Barry brazenly said. "spread the wealth".

So now reality has set in just like a pregnant 15 year old with no place to live except with mommy. And no money except from the government who in effect is largely the taxpayer. That is the dilemma Dunlap now faces. Some of whose residents WERE MY FRIENDS. Sorry folks, but I predicted this dilemma on this blog site years ago when I was a friend of Superintendent Collier.

Consider this a New Year present from once arrested, never convicted except by Jim and Jerry Stowell, some of my still living ex-friends and the local liberal media, each winter a Florida snow-bird with a 20% chance of beating my cancer..

Caterpillar is a Major Part of Peoria's Dilemma

In the past 52 weeks or less, CAT stock has dropped 25 points meaning that ownership of 1000 shares leaves the investor with a $25,000 paper loss. Some time back, on my blog site, I asked if Cat was not a $70 stock. It is now only 16 points from a price at least one analyst predicted. And the future may continue to look bleak as mining industries have also gone in a steep decline. Today, CNBC reported that home prices had flattened out which may also affect CAT. Newmont Mining, an Australian mining company, where ex-CAT president, Glen Barton was once and may still be the prime board memb, has seen it's stock prices suffer dearly while purchases from CAT may be in a decline.

It is not likely that CAT will soon make a decision on where to locate it's promised new world headquarters. With the market doing back-flips, and many analysts predicting another recession, the future for Peoria, with it's deficit balances galore and commitments extra-ordinary. may find itself in a greater dilemma than today. Under any circumstances expect use of more public body levy money (if there is any room to raise) and some tax increases, taxpayers will also see rising fees like the garbage fee to become more common as City, County, Park, Museum, Civic Center, GPSD, Peoria and Dunlap public schools, etc., face less revenue, excessive expenses and expensive, crowded public schools

I doubt that CAT is remotely interested in locating their world headquarters elsewhere, Even though it may be in the best interests of the company. Should the stockholders demand a change of world headquarters, I don't believe the board would, and CAT built their new WH elsewhere, Peoria may never recover from the loss of this Fortune 500 with their prestige, tax revenues, jobs, etc.

Little of what I write surprises me. Read all my blogs dealing with excessive public expenditures, rising fees and taxes and cost of living in Peoria, dating back to 2004, I have tried to warn of not "letting facts get in the way" of our elected officials. I stand on my own voting record over the 10 years I spent on the County Board. And the company I founded 51 years ago still stands as the leader in it's field in Peoria and possibly elsewhere.

From a deficit position in 2000, I left the board in 2010 with more than adequate fund balances. I hear and read that that is not the case today. I "toot" my own horn as the local media seldom, if ever, did.

One Solution to the Phony "Martyrdom" Problem

Anyone person claiming over and over again that they want to become a martyr by killing infidels; once these statements have been completely verified, they should be arrested, interrogated and if found guilty, summarily executed. A handful of phony "martyrdom" killers, cost some innocent lives and cost France and surrounding countries from 3 to 4 billion dollars.

So far as these killings are far from over. The killers achieved their mission and will be acknowledged by radical terrorists as martyrs while "educated" killers are being born like flies.

In the US., we are becoming a nation of wimps. so expect the events in France and England to continue to infiltrate as more radicals are born uneducated except for the Koran, sons and daughters of mainly radical Muslims. It is a crime that most of the terrorists killers arrested in the U.S. are still alive because we are a "civilized" nation.

Those who are the "teachers" and proclaimed "leaders" of radical Islam should not be allowed to exist on this earth

Do the majority of Muslims speak up against this treachery? Yes, a few brave souls who write and speak and then must hide for fear of be killed as were the editors and journalists in France/ But as a whole the answer is no. The Muslims and Muslim Nations do not.

So sad. This blog site has never been "politically correct" and will remain as such until my death.