I'm perfectly fine with someone burning the flag, the Bible, or Koran. I wouldn't do it myself, but I'm fine with someone else doing it. Think about it: the flag REPRESENTS our nation. Our nation is founded on liberty. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to free speech. Burning the flag is a statement that one disagrees with this nation in some way. It is only a piece of cloth. If you take away the right to make that statement you have done more damage to liberty than the burning of that piece of cloth. What it represents is intangible. You can't hurt liberty by destroying a symbol of it.
Same with the Bible or Koran. I don't care if someone buys a copy and burns it. Doesn't matter. What did they do? They burned paper, ink, and possibly a leather binding. That's it. Christians claim the Bible to be the Word of God. It is a holy book. What makes it holy? That particular copy, or what the words represent/say? Would a copy published by a Christian company be any more holy than one published by a secular one? The Word of God is not so fragile that it will fail if a copy of it is burned. Same with the Koran. Muslims believe it is a holy book as well. Why do they get so upset if a physical copy is burned? Don't the words live beyond the printed page? Would deleting the Bible or Koran app (is there such a thing?) from your iPhone be considered the same thing as destroying a physical copy?
©
Emittravel 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Stuff My Brain Says #3
Would it change the argument any if we started calling them by the flip titles of Anti-Choice and Pro-Death?
© Emittravel 2011
© Emittravel 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Stuff My Brain Says #2
How come the gas prices are quick to go up when the price of oil per barrel goes up, but take forever (if at all) for the prices to go down when the price of oil per barrel goes down?
My point: The price of oil dropped to $112/barrel with the death of Osama bin Laden, but the price at the pump went UP ten cents! Don’t tell us that the price at the pump is related to the price per barrel only when it goes up, but conveniently ignore that supply & demand rule when it goes down.
© Emittravel 2011
My point: The price of oil dropped to $112/barrel with the death of Osama bin Laden, but the price at the pump went UP ten cents! Don’t tell us that the price at the pump is related to the price per barrel only when it goes up, but conveniently ignore that supply & demand rule when it goes down.
© Emittravel 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Stuff My Brain Says
For those who have been reading this blog will note that I tend to write sometimes long, but always well-thought out articles. I normally don't post a link to an article, or a picture, with a comment or two. The bright side is that you the reader get to read articles that try to establish a point or two. The not-so bright side is that I find that I'm posting once or twice a month.
I was having a conversation with my wife, a.k.a "my better half", and she noted that I've been posting short quips to my Facebook page that I don't post to this blog. She stated that the comments are quick, poignant, and sometimes funny, and would give readers of my blog other insights into MHBAO. In other words, give them spoon fulls instead of steam shovel fulls all of the time. Keep writing the full articles, but eliminate the larger gaps between posts.
She is not only beautiful, but extremely wise.
So, in being the good husband and actually LISTENING to my wife, I will start posting these thoughts under the heading of "Stuff My Brain Says". Some will be posted as they strike me, others will be from some of the previous comments I've made on Facebook.
So here is the first installment of "Stuff My Brain Says". Enjoy!
"What? What do you mean: 72 sturgeons?!?" - Osama bin Laden (in honor of his death and burial at sea)
© Emittravel 2011
I was having a conversation with my wife, a.k.a "my better half", and she noted that I've been posting short quips to my Facebook page that I don't post to this blog. She stated that the comments are quick, poignant, and sometimes funny, and would give readers of my blog other insights into MHBAO. In other words, give them spoon fulls instead of steam shovel fulls all of the time. Keep writing the full articles, but eliminate the larger gaps between posts.
She is not only beautiful, but extremely wise.
So, in being the good husband and actually LISTENING to my wife, I will start posting these thoughts under the heading of "Stuff My Brain Says". Some will be posted as they strike me, others will be from some of the previous comments I've made on Facebook.
So here is the first installment of "Stuff My Brain Says". Enjoy!
"What? What do you mean: 72 sturgeons?!?" - Osama bin Laden (in honor of his death and burial at sea)
© Emittravel 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Why Muslims Should be America's Biggest Supporters
I've been a Christian since the early 1990's and have read the Bible more times than I can count, read more books than I care to remember, and have listened to more sermons than most ministers have preached in a lifetime - usually more than once. The Bible says to "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15). It is with this background and understanding that I present this edition of My Humble But Accurate Opinion:
In all my years of study, I have never found the United States represented in scripture. Oh, there are the few vague inferences that some have presented. And if you close one eye, and squint the other really hard, you may actually see it. I haven't. Especially when it comes to scriptures that deal with what has been called "The End Times".
Now understand, the Bible can be broken up into several sections of history beyond just the "Old" and "New" testaments. I'm not going into a great amount of detail here, because, as the title of this article suggests, I've got a point to make. I will say that, in the New Testament, the historical records of the events that were occurring during that time, come to an end at the end of the Book of Acts. There are letters (or "epistles") that follow, but for the most part they fall historically during the times of the Book of Acts. Until you come to the book of Revelation.
Okay, I did it. I mentioned that book of books that makes people either get their hearts a'pumpin' with excitement, or makes their eyes glaze over. And to be honest, for the most part, I tend to fall into the latter group. There is an awful amount of imagery there. In some aspects those images lend themselves to the coming of the fall of Rome; in others they present a time that is historically down the road. But understand: the locations represented there are local to the areas around the Middle East. There is not even a remote reference to any nation to the west. No great "eagle" across the great pond. Nothing. The center of the world, in view of the Bible, is Israel - especially the city of Jerusalem.
There are two main books of the Bible that specifically deal in end times events: Daniel (Old Testament) and Revelation (New Testament). I'm not saying that those are the only references; just the main ones. And, read them yourself, you will not find the United States in either.
What's my point? Think about it. Nothing takes place in the world without the involvement of the United States. Our currency is the basis for the world's economy. We are the biggest ally of Israel. You can't find a peace process initiated in the Middle East without the hand of the United States all over it. Good or bad, the United States is intricately involved in everything that goes on in this world. So, how can you have an infallible book that has proven itself over and over to be accurate (historically, archaeologically, prophetically, etc.) completely miss the existence of the United States in the "current affairs" of the events taking place at the "end times"? Did God say, "Oops!"? I don't think so.
Something has to take place that removes the United States as a world power; eliminating any need for its involvement in the events of the end times.
Take a moment to absorb that. I'll wait.
Now don't get me wrong: I love this country and want nothing more than to see it prosper, grow, and be an ever-driving force for good. I believe that this nation was founded by men and women who loved God and sought His guidance in their affairs. More evangelism (a.k.a. "soul winning") has come forth from the United States than any other nation. But something has to happen in order for the end time events to take place. In other words, Jesus isn't coming back until the United States "goes away".
There are many possible causes for the removal of the United States as a world power/influencer, but I think they can all be whittled down to three possible scenarios: The Rapture takes place, economic collapse, or massive terrorist attacks beyond the scope of 9/11.
The Rapture takes place. The Bible says: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them…" That is a instantaneous mass exodus. When this takes place there is going to be an immediate and drastic drop in the population of the United States. At this point there will be chaos. The United States will implode trying to handle it. Just imagine what will happen when a large portion of our armed forces disappear - around the world! This country will pull every one back within its borders and "circle the wagons".
Economic collapse. Already the dollar has lost so much value due to the non-stop printing presses. Understand, we have a LOT of debt. Some say that we should tax the "rich" and that would solve everything. Honey, if you take the total net worth from everyone that is $250k or greater, you wouldn't even dent the amount of debt we have. And if they don't change the amount being spent, the amount recouped by taking it from the "rich" will be forgotten in a year - and then just who do they go after? The "new rich" - a.k.a. "the rest of us"! In order to pay the multiple trillions of debt due annually they crank out more dollars out of the printing presses. And the more they do, the less value those dollars have.
That's right boys and girls, you can blame the "evil oil companies" for the high gas prices, but understand that it takes more dollars to buy the same amount of oil. Ask your parents how much a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, or a gallon of gas cost them when they were kids . . .
Not only are we in such a deep hole financially, but the world is already looking at replacing the dollar as the world recognized currency. Heck! With the President's "apology tour", for one example, how can you blame them?
Massive terrorist attacks. This one is (hopefully) the least likely, but you can't rule it out. Look what happened immediately after 9/11. Yes, I know it got us fired up, but not until after we first went fetal. A terrorist attack now doesn't have to be a plane in a building. You can pretty much take out a couple of city blocks with a nuclear device in a suitcase. A dirty-bomb would take out even more - make Japan's nuclear reactor woes seem more than mild. Getting them into the country wouldn't be impossible either - we all know how secure our borders are (insert sarcasm HERE). Since 9/11 we have full-groping by the TSA at our airports. Can you imagine what this country would be like after multiple, simultaneous, attacks?
Of the three, the first two are most likely to take place. And keep in mind, the scripture referenced above does consider the Rapture "comfort". I think that the second, economic collapse, is most likely to take place first, though there aren't any prophetic scriptures that have to take place before the Rapture can.
Now let's tie this column's title into this.
Muslims believe Jesus is coming back. That's right. They believe in the end times of the Bible. I know they say they follow the Koran, but as the saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words." The picture below (and please follow the link after you finish this article to read the information that the submitter graciously provided with it) shows the East Wall of the holy city of Jerusalem. In particular one of the gates to the city known as the Golden Gate.
Notice what is front of the gate? A cemetery. There is a cemetery, of Muslim graves, put there to prevent Elijah, who is to arrive before the Messiah, from going through the gate upon Jesus the Messiah's return. You see, they believe that a holy man would never step upon the ground of a dead person - they would become defiled and "unclean". Do you get it? They planted graves to prevent this event from happening. I hate to say this, but Muslims believe Jesus is coming back more than some Christians I've talked to over the years.
My point: It is in the best interest of Muslims that the United States remains a world power. They should stop trying to take it out. They should do everything in their power to keep the United States a world power, or the Messiah WILL be coming back and they KNOW it! And when He does, an offensive cartoon will be the least of their worries!
Stop the Jihad, I want to get off!
© Emittravel 2011
In all my years of study, I have never found the United States represented in scripture. Oh, there are the few vague inferences that some have presented. And if you close one eye, and squint the other really hard, you may actually see it. I haven't. Especially when it comes to scriptures that deal with what has been called "The End Times".
Now understand, the Bible can be broken up into several sections of history beyond just the "Old" and "New" testaments. I'm not going into a great amount of detail here, because, as the title of this article suggests, I've got a point to make. I will say that, in the New Testament, the historical records of the events that were occurring during that time, come to an end at the end of the Book of Acts. There are letters (or "epistles") that follow, but for the most part they fall historically during the times of the Book of Acts. Until you come to the book of Revelation.
Okay, I did it. I mentioned that book of books that makes people either get their hearts a'pumpin' with excitement, or makes their eyes glaze over. And to be honest, for the most part, I tend to fall into the latter group. There is an awful amount of imagery there. In some aspects those images lend themselves to the coming of the fall of Rome; in others they present a time that is historically down the road. But understand: the locations represented there are local to the areas around the Middle East. There is not even a remote reference to any nation to the west. No great "eagle" across the great pond. Nothing. The center of the world, in view of the Bible, is Israel - especially the city of Jerusalem.
There are two main books of the Bible that specifically deal in end times events: Daniel (Old Testament) and Revelation (New Testament). I'm not saying that those are the only references; just the main ones. And, read them yourself, you will not find the United States in either.
What's my point? Think about it. Nothing takes place in the world without the involvement of the United States. Our currency is the basis for the world's economy. We are the biggest ally of Israel. You can't find a peace process initiated in the Middle East without the hand of the United States all over it. Good or bad, the United States is intricately involved in everything that goes on in this world. So, how can you have an infallible book that has proven itself over and over to be accurate (historically, archaeologically, prophetically, etc.) completely miss the existence of the United States in the "current affairs" of the events taking place at the "end times"? Did God say, "Oops!"? I don't think so.
Something has to take place that removes the United States as a world power; eliminating any need for its involvement in the events of the end times.
Take a moment to absorb that. I'll wait.
Now don't get me wrong: I love this country and want nothing more than to see it prosper, grow, and be an ever-driving force for good. I believe that this nation was founded by men and women who loved God and sought His guidance in their affairs. More evangelism (a.k.a. "soul winning") has come forth from the United States than any other nation. But something has to happen in order for the end time events to take place. In other words, Jesus isn't coming back until the United States "goes away".
There are many possible causes for the removal of the United States as a world power/influencer, but I think they can all be whittled down to three possible scenarios: The Rapture takes place, economic collapse, or massive terrorist attacks beyond the scope of 9/11.
The Rapture takes place. The Bible says: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them…" That is a instantaneous mass exodus. When this takes place there is going to be an immediate and drastic drop in the population of the United States. At this point there will be chaos. The United States will implode trying to handle it. Just imagine what will happen when a large portion of our armed forces disappear - around the world! This country will pull every one back within its borders and "circle the wagons".
Economic collapse. Already the dollar has lost so much value due to the non-stop printing presses. Understand, we have a LOT of debt. Some say that we should tax the "rich" and that would solve everything. Honey, if you take the total net worth from everyone that is $250k or greater, you wouldn't even dent the amount of debt we have. And if they don't change the amount being spent, the amount recouped by taking it from the "rich" will be forgotten in a year - and then just who do they go after? The "new rich" - a.k.a. "the rest of us"! In order to pay the multiple trillions of debt due annually they crank out more dollars out of the printing presses. And the more they do, the less value those dollars have.
That's right boys and girls, you can blame the "evil oil companies" for the high gas prices, but understand that it takes more dollars to buy the same amount of oil. Ask your parents how much a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, or a gallon of gas cost them when they were kids . . .
Not only are we in such a deep hole financially, but the world is already looking at replacing the dollar as the world recognized currency. Heck! With the President's "apology tour", for one example, how can you blame them?
Massive terrorist attacks. This one is (hopefully) the least likely, but you can't rule it out. Look what happened immediately after 9/11. Yes, I know it got us fired up, but not until after we first went fetal. A terrorist attack now doesn't have to be a plane in a building. You can pretty much take out a couple of city blocks with a nuclear device in a suitcase. A dirty-bomb would take out even more - make Japan's nuclear reactor woes seem more than mild. Getting them into the country wouldn't be impossible either - we all know how secure our borders are (insert sarcasm HERE). Since 9/11 we have full-groping by the TSA at our airports. Can you imagine what this country would be like after multiple, simultaneous, attacks?
Of the three, the first two are most likely to take place. And keep in mind, the scripture referenced above does consider the Rapture "comfort". I think that the second, economic collapse, is most likely to take place first, though there aren't any prophetic scriptures that have to take place before the Rapture can.
Now let's tie this column's title into this.
Muslims believe Jesus is coming back. That's right. They believe in the end times of the Bible. I know they say they follow the Koran, but as the saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words." The picture below (and please follow the link after you finish this article to read the information that the submitter graciously provided with it) shows the East Wall of the holy city of Jerusalem. In particular one of the gates to the city known as the Golden Gate.
Notice what is front of the gate? A cemetery. There is a cemetery, of Muslim graves, put there to prevent Elijah, who is to arrive before the Messiah, from going through the gate upon Jesus the Messiah's return. You see, they believe that a holy man would never step upon the ground of a dead person - they would become defiled and "unclean". Do you get it? They planted graves to prevent this event from happening. I hate to say this, but Muslims believe Jesus is coming back more than some Christians I've talked to over the years.
My point: It is in the best interest of Muslims that the United States remains a world power. They should stop trying to take it out. They should do everything in their power to keep the United States a world power, or the Messiah WILL be coming back and they KNOW it! And when He does, an offensive cartoon will be the least of their worries!
Stop the Jihad, I want to get off!
© Emittravel 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The Cleveland Curse? (Part Two)
(This is part two of a two-part blog entry. If you are reading this first, STOP!! Sorry. Didn't mean to yell. Well, actually, if you have read any of my previous blogs you probably have discovered that I yell a lot. That's what the "caps lock" effect is for. Yelling. Loud. With energy. Anyway, if you are starting with this one please stop and go back and read the first part first. Thanks.)
Disclaimer: I am married to a public school teacher, and yes, that has effected the views described in this column, but not for the reasons you are thinking. I am madly, passionately, and completely in love with my wife; not with her choice of career. I'm sure what she does has an effect on who she is, but who she is has a far greater impact on how she does what she does. Being married to her has exposed me to her career - beyond the "I remember my school teachers" and "they only work a few months out of the year and are overpaid in comparison" understanding I once held. It is not the love for my wife that changed this, but being immersed in her world. I have to tell you: after being with her for over six years, and seeing what she does, there is no amount of money in this world that would convince me to be a teacher. More on this to follow.
If you have turned on your TV lately, listened to the radio, or spent any time at an online news feed, you have had to hear about what is going on in Wisconsin, Indiana, and now Ohio, concerning public school teachers (and public employees in general) and their unions. The governors of these states (and I'm sure there are others going through the same, or will be soon) are desiring to get their states back in the black. Some are even focusing on "busting" the unions. The latter is not the focus of this article. If you have read any of my previous blog entries (No? Really? Hey, take a break and go back to the beginning and work your way here. Come on - treat yourself!) you will know that in My Humble But Accurate Opinion I believe our government (at the federal AND state levels) has spent us into a major hole. Cutting spending is a primary way of getting us out of that hole (see my "The Donkeys Have It!" article in particular). But that is only HALF of the equation.
Cutting spending is a must. There is no question there. But what are we doing about the income side of the equation? If THAT doesn't change we'll be doing the same thing again in five years. What thing? Read on.
Why, all of a sudden, are public employees in the crosshairs? Because the economy is in a major slump. Why is the economy in a major slump? Well, you can blame the banks and "evil" Wall Street, but for the root you have to go back to the politicians. (Oh J.P., there you go again with another rant on the evils of government! If the government was functioning as it was DESIGNED to function you would probably be reading more of my poetry here instead!) If it wasn't for the regulations imposed upon these establishments we wouldn't HAVE a housing crisis (for starters).
(I was listening to a podcast concerning the Japanese interment camps during WWII. Apparently, the President gave an Executive Order that created this non-Constitutional atrocity. Listen: EVERY time our government "leaders" do something that is outside the established limits set forth in our Constitution, we have "crisis". Maybe those powdered-wig wearing old guys knew what they were talking about when they wrote it.)
I have a question for our political "leaders": Since you are all so anxious to force public school teachers, and other public employees, to pay (more) into their health care plans and retirement programs, I want to know how much you are going to pay into your OWN? Leadership is from the top down. Our "public servants" have the best health care (our President made an outrageous statement that he had great health care) and retirement packages in the land. Far better than anyone in the private sector; including those "evil" CEOs they are so fond of. Many get retirement-for-life after only one term! You make grandiose speeches on how we as a nation need to sacrifice. Yet I don't hear you folks "biting the bullet". Maybe if we the people see sacrifices by those in office, we will be a little more open to making sacrifices ourselves.
(Why are teachers better than politicians? You CAN find at least ONE teacher that understands basic economics!)
Teachers are in a tough spot. Again, you couldn't pay me to do their job. I read an interesting article that made the comment that classroom size was a myth propagated by the teachers unions to hire more teachers. (I'm a fiscal conservative, but sometimes "conservative" commentators really get me riled with their ignorance!) The article referred to a statement by Governor Daniels of Indiana that class size was "virtually meaningless". I replied to the article (including a quote from the article [by Mona Charen]) as follows: "Gov. Daniels is wrong. Class size IS a critical factor in quality of education. 'As the Mackinac Center for Public Policy summarized, "(P)upil-teacher ratios have shrunk nationally for at least the last six decades, yet there have been no quantifiable improvements to student achievement nationally or in individual states.:"' does not factor much of the criteria. Six decades ago the biggest worry was chewing gum and talking in class. They didn't have metal detectors in schools. The percentage of children diagnosed with discipline/mental issues (like ADD) has grown significantly. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) baloney wasn't in effect. What teachers, especially in public schools, deal with today is COMPLETELY different than six decades ago. A disruptive class of 40 (or more) is much harder to teach than a not-so-disruptive class of 20. And no, I'm not a teacher. Just a person with a little sense."
So, let's over-regulate what the teachers can and cannot do in the classroom, make them have to follow all of the "guidelines" (read "laws") of NCLB (for starters), base everything on strict test results and complain of teachers only teaching to the test, and then expect them to be the "Mother Theresa" of the classroom or demand their punishment. Think of it this way: you hamstring your horse and expect it to win EVERY race!! Really??
What about charter and private schools? As I responded to that article: "One additional question: if class sizes don't matter so much, what are the class sizes in private and prep schools? All of the horn-honking of how much better an education a child can get there compared to public schools - are they bigger class sizes? If so, you have your argument. If not, you might better research your sources. What about teacher turnover? Charter schools have quite a bit of turnover in comparison. Is that because there are so many lousy teachers there that they keep getting rid of them (because of no unions)?" Some say that teachers leave private schools because they can't make a living there; much better opportunities in the public school arena. That may be true, but honestly, unless our government gets out of the education business you won't see much of a turnaround in our schools.
And when will these elite in office start to figure in the parent/society portion into the equation of a student's success in school? A teacher has a student approximately 45 minutes out of a day - in high school. The rest is in the hands of parents and outside-of-school influences. I've read where a broken home has more of an impact on test scores than hours of "study island".
But maybe if we accepted Jimmy has "two daddies" or "two mommies" they would be more adjusted and perform better in school. But I digress.
Our politicians should be sued for false advertising: they keep calling themselves leaders. You want to be called leaders? Then lead! Don't demand that others make sacrifices concerning their health care, pay, and pensions, without FIRST making sacrifices concerning your OWN health care, pay, and pensions! Before you demand that people like teachers, police, and firefighters take the heat for your fiscal incompetence, start showing us that you are willing to make cuts of your own. Lead by example. Don't just dictate and expect others to jump for joy.
Idiots.
In Ohio, there was so much controversy over a bill to remove collective bargaining rights from public workers that Senate President Tom Niehaus (a Republican) removed two GOP Senate committee members that were in disagreement so the bill could be voted on. That's right. A Republican abused power to stack the deck to get the vote he wanted accomplished. Funny. Isn't that what Republicans were complaining that Democrats like Pelosi and Reid were doing to get ObamaCare passed? I think that Republicans can now shut their mouths. Scum is not limited to only one bank of the river. Both sides are overflowing in slime!
One of the items being pushed in SB-5 (the Ohio Senate Bill concerning the public employee unions) is merit-based pay. Now, this has some . . . uh . . . merit, but we really need to look at this closely. I've already mentioned some of the things teachers have to put up with: NCLB, absent parents, troubled students, broken homes, and the inability to discipline for fear of being sued. These all have an impact on the ability of a teacher to teach a classroom full of students. Most things are out of their control. Does it really make sense that teachers have to "perform" under all of this, and get paid based on criteria set forth by politicians who send THEIR kids to private schools? How about merit-based pay for politicians? THAT wouldn't work; they'd owe US money!
Do adjustments need to be made? Of course. That's obvious. But let's not "punish" public employees (a major portion of the MIDDLE CLASS), who also are tax revenue generators, just to make political points.
Besides, isn't the focus supposed to be for the good of the children?
© Emittravel 2011
Disclaimer: I am married to a public school teacher, and yes, that has effected the views described in this column, but not for the reasons you are thinking. I am madly, passionately, and completely in love with my wife; not with her choice of career. I'm sure what she does has an effect on who she is, but who she is has a far greater impact on how she does what she does. Being married to her has exposed me to her career - beyond the "I remember my school teachers" and "they only work a few months out of the year and are overpaid in comparison" understanding I once held. It is not the love for my wife that changed this, but being immersed in her world. I have to tell you: after being with her for over six years, and seeing what she does, there is no amount of money in this world that would convince me to be a teacher. More on this to follow.
If you have turned on your TV lately, listened to the radio, or spent any time at an online news feed, you have had to hear about what is going on in Wisconsin, Indiana, and now Ohio, concerning public school teachers (and public employees in general) and their unions. The governors of these states (and I'm sure there are others going through the same, or will be soon) are desiring to get their states back in the black. Some are even focusing on "busting" the unions. The latter is not the focus of this article. If you have read any of my previous blog entries (No? Really? Hey, take a break and go back to the beginning and work your way here. Come on - treat yourself!) you will know that in My Humble But Accurate Opinion I believe our government (at the federal AND state levels) has spent us into a major hole. Cutting spending is a primary way of getting us out of that hole (see my "The Donkeys Have It!" article in particular). But that is only HALF of the equation.
Cutting spending is a must. There is no question there. But what are we doing about the income side of the equation? If THAT doesn't change we'll be doing the same thing again in five years. What thing? Read on.
Why, all of a sudden, are public employees in the crosshairs? Because the economy is in a major slump. Why is the economy in a major slump? Well, you can blame the banks and "evil" Wall Street, but for the root you have to go back to the politicians. (Oh J.P., there you go again with another rant on the evils of government! If the government was functioning as it was DESIGNED to function you would probably be reading more of my poetry here instead!) If it wasn't for the regulations imposed upon these establishments we wouldn't HAVE a housing crisis (for starters).
(I was listening to a podcast concerning the Japanese interment camps during WWII. Apparently, the President gave an Executive Order that created this non-Constitutional atrocity. Listen: EVERY time our government "leaders" do something that is outside the established limits set forth in our Constitution, we have "crisis". Maybe those powdered-wig wearing old guys knew what they were talking about when they wrote it.)
I have a question for our political "leaders": Since you are all so anxious to force public school teachers, and other public employees, to pay (more) into their health care plans and retirement programs, I want to know how much you are going to pay into your OWN? Leadership is from the top down. Our "public servants" have the best health care (our President made an outrageous statement that he had great health care) and retirement packages in the land. Far better than anyone in the private sector; including those "evil" CEOs they are so fond of. Many get retirement-for-life after only one term! You make grandiose speeches on how we as a nation need to sacrifice. Yet I don't hear you folks "biting the bullet". Maybe if we the people see sacrifices by those in office, we will be a little more open to making sacrifices ourselves.
(Why are teachers better than politicians? You CAN find at least ONE teacher that understands basic economics!)
Teachers are in a tough spot. Again, you couldn't pay me to do their job. I read an interesting article that made the comment that classroom size was a myth propagated by the teachers unions to hire more teachers. (I'm a fiscal conservative, but sometimes "conservative" commentators really get me riled with their ignorance!) The article referred to a statement by Governor Daniels of Indiana that class size was "virtually meaningless". I replied to the article (including a quote from the article [by Mona Charen]) as follows: "Gov. Daniels is wrong. Class size IS a critical factor in quality of education. 'As the Mackinac Center for Public Policy summarized, "(P)upil-teacher ratios have shrunk nationally for at least the last six decades, yet there have been no quantifiable improvements to student achievement nationally or in individual states.:"' does not factor much of the criteria. Six decades ago the biggest worry was chewing gum and talking in class. They didn't have metal detectors in schools. The percentage of children diagnosed with discipline/mental issues (like ADD) has grown significantly. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) baloney wasn't in effect. What teachers, especially in public schools, deal with today is COMPLETELY different than six decades ago. A disruptive class of 40 (or more) is much harder to teach than a not-so-disruptive class of 20. And no, I'm not a teacher. Just a person with a little sense."
So, let's over-regulate what the teachers can and cannot do in the classroom, make them have to follow all of the "guidelines" (read "laws") of NCLB (for starters), base everything on strict test results and complain of teachers only teaching to the test, and then expect them to be the "Mother Theresa" of the classroom or demand their punishment. Think of it this way: you hamstring your horse and expect it to win EVERY race!! Really??
What about charter and private schools? As I responded to that article: "One additional question: if class sizes don't matter so much, what are the class sizes in private and prep schools? All of the horn-honking of how much better an education a child can get there compared to public schools - are they bigger class sizes? If so, you have your argument. If not, you might better research your sources. What about teacher turnover? Charter schools have quite a bit of turnover in comparison. Is that because there are so many lousy teachers there that they keep getting rid of them (because of no unions)?" Some say that teachers leave private schools because they can't make a living there; much better opportunities in the public school arena. That may be true, but honestly, unless our government gets out of the education business you won't see much of a turnaround in our schools.
And when will these elite in office start to figure in the parent/society portion into the equation of a student's success in school? A teacher has a student approximately 45 minutes out of a day - in high school. The rest is in the hands of parents and outside-of-school influences. I've read where a broken home has more of an impact on test scores than hours of "study island".
But maybe if we accepted Jimmy has "two daddies" or "two mommies" they would be more adjusted and perform better in school. But I digress.
Our politicians should be sued for false advertising: they keep calling themselves leaders. You want to be called leaders? Then lead! Don't demand that others make sacrifices concerning their health care, pay, and pensions, without FIRST making sacrifices concerning your OWN health care, pay, and pensions! Before you demand that people like teachers, police, and firefighters take the heat for your fiscal incompetence, start showing us that you are willing to make cuts of your own. Lead by example. Don't just dictate and expect others to jump for joy.
Idiots.
In Ohio, there was so much controversy over a bill to remove collective bargaining rights from public workers that Senate President Tom Niehaus (a Republican) removed two GOP Senate committee members that were in disagreement so the bill could be voted on. That's right. A Republican abused power to stack the deck to get the vote he wanted accomplished. Funny. Isn't that what Republicans were complaining that Democrats like Pelosi and Reid were doing to get ObamaCare passed? I think that Republicans can now shut their mouths. Scum is not limited to only one bank of the river. Both sides are overflowing in slime!
One of the items being pushed in SB-5 (the Ohio Senate Bill concerning the public employee unions) is merit-based pay. Now, this has some . . . uh . . . merit, but we really need to look at this closely. I've already mentioned some of the things teachers have to put up with: NCLB, absent parents, troubled students, broken homes, and the inability to discipline for fear of being sued. These all have an impact on the ability of a teacher to teach a classroom full of students. Most things are out of their control. Does it really make sense that teachers have to "perform" under all of this, and get paid based on criteria set forth by politicians who send THEIR kids to private schools? How about merit-based pay for politicians? THAT wouldn't work; they'd owe US money!
Do adjustments need to be made? Of course. That's obvious. But let's not "punish" public employees (a major portion of the MIDDLE CLASS), who also are tax revenue generators, just to make political points.
Besides, isn't the focus supposed to be for the good of the children?
© Emittravel 2011
The Cleveland Curse? (Part One)
I'm sure that title strikes a chord in Cleveland sports fans everywhere, but since I'm really not all that versed in athletics of any sort, this article will deal with a different curse: the Cleveland (and in general, Ohio's) job market woes. If you ARE interested in the sports variation of the curse, I would highly recommend you clicking over to my friend Joan's column (after you read this one, of course). It's a fantastic read and you won't be disappointed!
(This is the first part of a two-part blog entry. I started to write it and it kind of got away from me. I chased it down for as long as I could, but eventually realized I was running around like a chicken with its legs cut off. To quote the famous Lou Costello: "I grasp it, but it keeps slipping out of my hand!" These two entries will weave together and somewhere along the line develop a coherent theme. Hopefully. If you started with part two, I hope you took the advice and stopped reading and came back to read this one first, or you might find yourself totally confused. Rather like the author . . . )
As I sat here writing this blog there was a radio commercial that said that Cleveland is the seventh hottest job market. Talk about a P.R. shout-out (the station was advertising for a sales position for itself). I mean, really! How can this be the seventh hottest job market when there are practically NO employers?!? Makes me really concerned for the REST of the country!
Here comes the curse: Cleveland is not a victim of the failing job market. Cleveland is the CAUSE of its failing job market. Cleveland, and the state of Ohio in general, has some of the toughest regulations, and the highest taxes, of any state in the union. Cleveland believes that punishing perspective employers with loads of red tape and taxes will bring them running TO Cleveland! I really believe that statement HAS to be the truth. Why else would they continue on the same path all of these years?
Ohio's public schools are in a tough spot partly due to the shrinking tax base. The housing crisis has lowered the values of homes and therefore the property taxes have gone down as well. The lack of jobs in the state have produced more foreclosed homes - which brings a big, fat, goose egg of tax income. We hear so much from our political "leaders" that they will "create jobs". I'll tell you how jobs can be created: stop stifling businesses! Let them be! Quit trying to scratch the backs of special interest groups - you end up punishing everyone!
And for crying out loud: businesses need to QUIT pushing for regulations to "protect" themselves. All that does is eliminate competition and keep prices high. The economy will have its good times and bad times to be sure, but every time politicians try to help it along, or shore it up, they end up causing a longer and deeper bad time. A free market will have its share of corruption. That is going to happen. Get over it. But the solution to corruption is not regulation: it is allowing individuals to use the power of that free market to drive those businesses out of business. Now, if it is something criminal, there should be some intervention. But make sure that "criminal" activity is not a product of regulation (see the housing market crisis and Wall Street for great examples).
Okay, so the city of Cleveland leadership has come up with a "brilliant" idea: a new convention center! Yeah, that's the ticket! One way to bring in more business is a new convention center! It doesn't matter that this has been tried in other cities with absolute failure. It doesn't matter that Cleveland's own IX Center has found itself with dwindling vendors and attendance at events over the last few years. It doesn't matter that it has already done things like baseball and football stadiums that only get used part of the year and sit dormant the rest. It doesn't matter that the majority of business in this country comes from small business owners; not some major real estate companies that build these monstrosities. Cleveland can do it better! Right . . .
How about some simple wisdom: lower the tax rates in Ohio. All of them. For everyone. "No, J.P., we can't do that! We need the tax revenue!" Really? You are going to use THAT argument? Maybe a basic economic class is needed as a prerequisite for any city "leadership" position. Actually, make that a prerequisite for ANY political "leadership" position - city, state AND federal. Lower taxes PRODUCE more tax revenue. The more money people and businesses have the more they can DO. The more they DO the more they SPEND/INVEST. The more they SPEND/INVEST the more tax revenue gets generated. When the taxes are high NO ONE spends: individuals or businesses. If I were a potential business owner and were looking to start or expand my business, do you honestly think I'm going to go to a city/state that has such high taxes? Come on! Yeah! I want to be cash-strapped and try to hire people. I want to be cash-strapped and spend months-to-years trying to cut through the red tape of a city just to build, and then dole out most of my potential revenue back to the very politicians that are keeping me FROM establishing/growing my business.
Are you kidding me?
Cutting spending is a must. There is no question there. But what are we doing about the income side of the equation? Spending cuts. Now there's a hot topic. Please continue with part two for the rest of the rant.
© Emittravel 2011
(This is the first part of a two-part blog entry. I started to write it and it kind of got away from me. I chased it down for as long as I could, but eventually realized I was running around like a chicken with its legs cut off. To quote the famous Lou Costello: "I grasp it, but it keeps slipping out of my hand!" These two entries will weave together and somewhere along the line develop a coherent theme. Hopefully. If you started with part two, I hope you took the advice and stopped reading and came back to read this one first, or you might find yourself totally confused. Rather like the author . . . )
As I sat here writing this blog there was a radio commercial that said that Cleveland is the seventh hottest job market. Talk about a P.R. shout-out (the station was advertising for a sales position for itself). I mean, really! How can this be the seventh hottest job market when there are practically NO employers?!? Makes me really concerned for the REST of the country!
Here comes the curse: Cleveland is not a victim of the failing job market. Cleveland is the CAUSE of its failing job market. Cleveland, and the state of Ohio in general, has some of the toughest regulations, and the highest taxes, of any state in the union. Cleveland believes that punishing perspective employers with loads of red tape and taxes will bring them running TO Cleveland! I really believe that statement HAS to be the truth. Why else would they continue on the same path all of these years?
Ohio's public schools are in a tough spot partly due to the shrinking tax base. The housing crisis has lowered the values of homes and therefore the property taxes have gone down as well. The lack of jobs in the state have produced more foreclosed homes - which brings a big, fat, goose egg of tax income. We hear so much from our political "leaders" that they will "create jobs". I'll tell you how jobs can be created: stop stifling businesses! Let them be! Quit trying to scratch the backs of special interest groups - you end up punishing everyone!
And for crying out loud: businesses need to QUIT pushing for regulations to "protect" themselves. All that does is eliminate competition and keep prices high. The economy will have its good times and bad times to be sure, but every time politicians try to help it along, or shore it up, they end up causing a longer and deeper bad time. A free market will have its share of corruption. That is going to happen. Get over it. But the solution to corruption is not regulation: it is allowing individuals to use the power of that free market to drive those businesses out of business. Now, if it is something criminal, there should be some intervention. But make sure that "criminal" activity is not a product of regulation (see the housing market crisis and Wall Street for great examples).
Okay, so the city of Cleveland leadership has come up with a "brilliant" idea: a new convention center! Yeah, that's the ticket! One way to bring in more business is a new convention center! It doesn't matter that this has been tried in other cities with absolute failure. It doesn't matter that Cleveland's own IX Center has found itself with dwindling vendors and attendance at events over the last few years. It doesn't matter that it has already done things like baseball and football stadiums that only get used part of the year and sit dormant the rest. It doesn't matter that the majority of business in this country comes from small business owners; not some major real estate companies that build these monstrosities. Cleveland can do it better! Right . . .
How about some simple wisdom: lower the tax rates in Ohio. All of them. For everyone. "No, J.P., we can't do that! We need the tax revenue!" Really? You are going to use THAT argument? Maybe a basic economic class is needed as a prerequisite for any city "leadership" position. Actually, make that a prerequisite for ANY political "leadership" position - city, state AND federal. Lower taxes PRODUCE more tax revenue. The more money people and businesses have the more they can DO. The more they DO the more they SPEND/INVEST. The more they SPEND/INVEST the more tax revenue gets generated. When the taxes are high NO ONE spends: individuals or businesses. If I were a potential business owner and were looking to start or expand my business, do you honestly think I'm going to go to a city/state that has such high taxes? Come on! Yeah! I want to be cash-strapped and try to hire people. I want to be cash-strapped and spend months-to-years trying to cut through the red tape of a city just to build, and then dole out most of my potential revenue back to the very politicians that are keeping me FROM establishing/growing my business.
Are you kidding me?
Cutting spending is a must. There is no question there. But what are we doing about the income side of the equation? Spending cuts. Now there's a hot topic. Please continue with part two for the rest of the rant.
© Emittravel 2011
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