Random Comments

An Associated Press-Ipsos poll released this August showed one in four adults read no books in the past year. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. Number of books read per year, 7, excluding those who said they didn’t read any books.

I know many of you that read my lengthy blogs, read books. If you haven’t read “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, you should and perhaps you will shed a tear and realize again how great this country is even with all it’s faults. Also, read Hosseini on the Editorial page of the WSJ, 10/24/07 issue, “Afghan Homecoming” where he expresses fear that the Taliban is regaining control of the country while the elite of the world are planning million dollars vacation homes and posturing in the media.

They caught the teacher in Mexico with the 13 year old. Possibly the 13 year old kid had asked his teacher to take him down to Mexico to visit his grandparents. Or maybe she was just taking him on an extra-curricular field trip? Maybe she was counting on her tenure or maybe the district has a strong teachers union she thinks will defend her. Or maybe she was like a few who teach that don’t have a clue. Maybe she thought if 10 year olds who are given condoms by the school – hey, maybe a 13 year old who may look like an eighteen year old, is an adult. Maybe she didn’t know the law or maybe she is just plain stupid. It will make good copy for a couple of months on TV. Might be better watching then some of the stupid, mind numbing sitcoms.

When I left the teaching profession a long time ago, I saw problems on the horizon. Too many people who couldn’t hold a job in the private sector were going into teaching. The good and dedicated teachers weren’t being paid for performance. Some stayed because they believed they could make a better world. And they did and they do. Good, better and best teachers were (and are) being lumped together by position and seniority. When I taught, teachers without advanced degrees received small yearly incremental wages increases. Tenure today keeps the system from firing incompetents, but sometimes tenure allows you to have a say in what school you are assigned.

Check the average expenditure per pupil per school in today’s JS. Some of the best performing schools had the lowest salaries and cost per pupil.

Problem with the Chicago Bulls is the game can only be played with one ball. Or maybe the coach is over doing his tranquilizers. Anyway, write another season off unless the team shows more teamwork than they have in the first 3 games. Hold the ball until 8 seconds on the shot clock and then throw the ball up in desperation? And coaches and players make millions? I really shouldn’t complain. I benefit by not wasting my time watching professional athletes get by on their athletic ability and get overpaid by millions of dollars.

So the school handbook names the colors of braids you can use in your hair. So the kid and mom want to add another color. No problem, just do it because who is paying attention to rules anyway these days. How do some of you believe that acts of disrespect of authority are of harm to anyone? Some of believe that a SMALL act of disrespect won’t hurt anybody. So take away a small part of their paycheck. Is that okay? How about just stealing a couple of dollars from some kids’ locker? Sure, the rules are, keep your hands off other peoples property but you only took 2 bucks. What’s the big deal?

Walk down the middle of the street because there may or may not be sidewalks? Why not? Why should I walk on the side of the street? Hint. Try walking down the middle of the street on Knoxville, Jefferson, Adams or University. Trust everybody to slow down or stop. Maybe do it on a dare or just play a game with those who are “victimizing” you.

Lot’s of luck.

Don’t pay attention in school? Why pay attention? Who needs to learn to read, write and compute? Who needs to learn how to have a work ethic? Who needs to work? There are drugs to take or sell, or both, welfare and disability and free food and the emergency rooms at the hospitals with free transportation, room and board. Take care of your health? Why? Socialized medicine and health care won’t cost you a dime.

Creating new departments, electing new or reelecting incumbents don’t mean a thing unless you put people in power who have common sense and the ability to perform for the benefit of the whole.

Blame the establishment for everything that goes wrong. Why not, they are easy targets. Plenty of left wing reporters are trying to make big stories on half-truths. Half of what the "blamer" is saying and half of what the reporter embellishes sometimes make a half-truth.

We need more people like Mel Ghighi, Eddie Murphy, Mary Clark, Sara Partridge and Karrie Alms to tell it like it is. I’m proud to know them.

Goodnight.