AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION....DOWN THE SH*T HOLE

What was once the greatest school system in the world is now nearer to the bottom than to the top in most categories.  We now have a system where the dropout rate is approaching 33 percent.  Take that into account in why we are dropping like a rock in math and science and, we find that India has more Honor Students than we have students.  Not a very heartening batch of information, especially if we had any hope of a future for our grandchildren.  Forget for a moment that the vile, crooked politicians in Washington and our state capitals are systematically destroying in a few years, what took over 200 years to build, with their greed and their allowing this nation to lose its cultural identity.  Put all that aside and focus on the pathetic educational system we have evolved over the last 40-50 years.  We have schools overtaken academically, spiritually and physically in every respect.  We have thugs and bullies running the schools without fear of punishment, and administrators with no control over what goes on their school buildings. 
We have been more worried about cultural diversity than academics, more worried about entertainment than instruction, more concerned about justifying bad behavior instead of correcting it and more interested in tests and bureaucracy than in actual learning.  We have learned to accept excuses rather than results, medocracy over excellence and chaos over discipline.
How is it we expect this grand experiment called America to continue with a failing educational system?  Where will this path lead us?  We are certainly not on the road to a great future now are we? 

DEFENDING AMERICA......A FULL TIME JOB

This whole business of preventing a major/catastrophic terror attack here at home absolutely MUST be our first priority.  This is more important than Healthcare, more than the economy, more than the wars.  A dramatic and potent attack on the homeland would have the potential of destroying this country from the inside out.  
Look how these recent east coast snowstorms have crippled us.  Consider the effects of Katrina and the attack on 9/11.  The years it has taken to work toward recovery and we still are not there.  Imagine something ten-fold as devastating. The impact on our economy and production would be impossible to overcome.  I think we would be kidding ourselves to think that chaos would not reign in the streets and that Martial Law could be avoided.  If the behavior of people when a snowstorm is imminent is any indication, there would be massive turmoil.  Impending shortages of food, clean water and medical supplies would almost certainly cause widespread panic and violence.  Gangs of thugs would take from those who are weaker and this behavior would be so widespread as to make it impossible for authorities to deal with the resulting chaos.  Those who believe that the "good" would emerge or the "spirit of cooperation" would come into play in this scenario are only fooling themselves.
We have become a society of folks who can't do without a roll of toilet paper during a snowstorm, imagine the prospects of a long term interruption of the food supply, or electricity and running water.  If anyone believes the local police can restore order, or  even the National Guard is naive.  Remember, they too will have a family in need, or in serious danger.  Do you honestly believe they aren't going to worry about tending to them?  Imagine the biggest case of "blue flu" in our history and I couldn't blame them.  Who among us would not seek to stay at home or rush back there in the event of a national catastrophe?    
Taking all this into account, it is imperative our national leaders do everything possible to prevent this from happening.    We must use every means at our disposal, regardless of the political correctness or lack of,  in prevention.  If that means using advanced interrogation techniques, spying, military drones, preemptive attacks or assassination, it must be done.  Our survival depends on it.

WELL I GUESS HE WAS RIGHT AGAIN

     Don't get me wrong, I'm not a great fan of George Bush to the extent I believe blindly everything he did was right but, it sure looks like a lot of what he did to keep this country safe was the right thing.
Patriot Act Extended by Democratic Controlled Senate 
     Take this, along with the foot dragging, that is going on with the supposed closing of Gitmo and it doesn't take a genius to figure out the Democrats do get it, even though they would never admit it.
Closing Gitmo....not anytime soon 
Yes there are things in the Patriot Act which one could say are questionable but the overall benefits of it, far outweigh the negatives.  We are talking about survival, and even gutless, whiny liberals and Democrats want to survive.  
     Regardless what one thinks of Bush, Cheney and their administration, the fact that there have been no major 9/11 type attacks on the Homeland since 2001, and the constant backtracking of the Obama Administration  on promises to retract many of the Bush Administrations Programs , proves that many of the plans they set it place do work. I guess it's one thing to talk all the rhetoric when you are campaigning and another to actually see things from the inside.  I have to give one to the morons in the Senate, this was a good move.

MEDIA MATTERS........REALLY?

I was watching some of the news clips on the internet of the plane crash into the IRS offices and reading about the pilot and his manifesto.  I noticed one common thread in the coverage and that was how anxious those in the MSM are to portray this nut and his actions as "terrorism"  Isn't it ironic that the same media who refuses to acknowledge the Fort Hood gunman or the underwear bomber as terrorists is so quick to push the term on this man with an ax to grind against the IRS.
Terrorists seek to change our behavior, have us be afraid to go to the market or fly on a plane.  They seek the death of anyone without impunity.  This individual had a grudge against a government agency that he believed was destroying his life and that was his focus.  Pure focused revenge and anger with the IRS and he was seeking a way to make a large public display so we could all see his revenge. He is murderer plain and simple.  He was going to get the IRS in some way regardless of where they were located.  A terrorist would simply say, there is a big building with lots of people in it, let's knock it down and kill as many as we can.  It wouldn't matter if it was an IRS Office, an insurance building or a school. 
This is another example of how the media is failing America today.  They all have alliances and agendas with their politics and politicians.   I'm guessing this is why the established MSM is failing in readership, viewership and has lost the confidence of the majority of Americans.

PA PENSION GAP......A CASE OF WHINE

An article by the AP posted on Yahoo discusses the pending disaster of underfunded pensions in PA and across the country.  I will keep my comments to the case in PA since that is where I live and pay taxes.  This story and the many that will surely follow are almost certainly an effort by those that have caused this mess, to try to get out in front of the story. Naturally, the angle here is to build support for the government's efforts to make folks be more willing to accept all the taxes and fees they will have to increase to deal with this crisis,  as well as the reduction in services that will surely be needed as well.  What they fail to tell us is that here in PA the cause of all these problems regarding underfunded pensions is the fault of ......guess who?  Why the state government, our legislators and governors over the past ten or so years, the very same people that should have been managing the whole process.   When the pension system for Public Education in  PA (PSERS) was set up, the agreement was for the employers (school districts), the employees (educators) and the State of PA to each pay into the retirement system equally.  It worked well at first but, then the State decided to stop making their payments and the school districts followed suit.  Thus, the only group that continued to pay its share continually were the educators.  In the early 2000's the State suspended its payments with the promise that they would pay back all they owed in 2012-13.  Now the time is coming near and the debt has ballooned to such a large amount that the State and districts are on the line for billions.  All of this could have been avoided had the State done what it had promised when the system was put in place and not gotten greedy and raided the money from the budget for all these years.So now the goal is to blame the educators and the retirement system and to begin to create panic in the general population, in order to take over and manipulate the system by changing retirement rules and plans to the detrement of the school employees.  
As I have written in a previous post, PA is the most corrupt state in the country for so many reasons I will not get into here.  Because of this whole mess they have created their goal now is to divert the blame and thus, the wrath of the people against the school employees. The same employees who were the only ones that did what they were supposed to in the first place, by continually making their payments into the fund without interruption.    So very simply , the State of PA raided the money they should have been paying into the pension fund and used it for other purposes (probably wastefully in many cases) and put off their payment share well into the future.  Unfortunately the future is nearly here.  Pension Shortfall Looming.  Look for a slew of these stories to increase in volume and intensity as we get nearer to the date this will all come due.

THE MOUNT VERNON STATEMENT

Many thanks to Guy Average Blog for making me aware of this movement.  Check out the link below and sign the document.  Remember as we fight this fight, we are not alone.  There are many wonderfully gifted and strong leaders working toward the same goals.  Stand up for our country before it is too late.  

  The Mount Vernon Statement

Then check out Guy Average at :
http://guyaverage.blogspot.com/

FREE SPEECH BUT WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

Don't you find it funny that folks really think we have this thing called "free speech" in this country.  I can't tell you how many times I have heard that old cliche when a friend, someone on the local news or on a local radio talk show, or in the grocery store, utters that tired line making some vague reference to having free speech rights.  This is especially true after they make a mildly controversial remark (usually whispered) and follow it with their statement of justification.  "We have free speech in this country," or "I have the right to say what I want because I have, "free speech." 
But do we really have free speech?  Can we really say what we want regardless how controversial or inappropriate it may be?  Can we offend people, a religious group, an ethnic group, minority or even a blond, without having to worry about repercussions or consequences?  I believe the short answer is a resounding. "NO."   Just ask Carrie Prajean a Miss USA contestant who was asked a question and gave an honest answer and caused a nationwide firestorm.  So much for free speech in that case.
Think about the situations in your life where you might want to say something even mildly controversial or divisive.  What is the first thing you do?  You know what it is, a quick look around the room and a whisper of the words in your head, then another glance around the room to be sure only the intended party was the one that heard you.  If true free speech existed, at least the kind we pretend we have, this kind of behavior wouldn't be necessary.  Now there is no need to pull out your little booklet with the Bill of Rights inside and wave it in the air to show me it says so in the First Amendment.  Yes, I know it's written there in black and white but don't take that to mean it actually exists out there in the real world.  
Now with our government passing all these ethnic intimidation  and hate crimes laws, one must be even MORE cautious is using this so called "free speech" thing or else face the possible wrath of some form of consequences such as losing one's job, losing a friend or perhaps in a worst case scenario, facing charges of some kind.
There are many myths in America today which people grab on to because they make us feel better or give us a false sense of security  As our population becomes less educated regarding history and government, there are more people walking around with these misconceptions about things like free speech, limited government and rights to privacy.  It's time for a wake up call and a dose of reality and to realize that what appears to be, actually isn't.

SHE'S HIS WIFE SO THIS MAKES HER QUALIFIED??? WHY NOT HIS MOTHER THEN?

Recent reports indicate that the wife of John Murtha is being considered as a replacement for the long time Congressman.  
 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10043/1035443-84.stm 

What?  Why? You have to be kidding.  What makes her qualified?  This shows how pathetic these political parties are.  It's not about finding the best and most qualified replacement.  No, it's about getting a familiar name out there on the ballot to insure they can keep the gravy train going.  She may well be a nice lady and a great wife but, that in itself is not a reason to put her in such an important position.  She slept with the guy and had his children but none of that matters in the course of being a top notch political representative.  All the greed mongers in the Johnstown Democratic Machine want to do is have a Murtha in Congress.  For god sake the lady just lost her husband and now there are those that want to, for selfish reasons, push her in to political office.
I know this sort of thing has happened before but regardless of which party it is, it is a stupidly ridiculous idea.  How about we look for qualified candidates and urge them to run and not try to pass on a political office as if it were some form of noble title to be kept and passed on within a family.  Haven't we had enough bad examples of this in our history?   Power and influence passed on within a family for generations (aka Kennedys) flies directly in the face of the principles our nation was founded upon.  
My guess is the weak minded people of Murtha's district will be glad to have her, as long as she can keep the massive pork coming.
John Murtha made no effort to hide his shameless work of bringing hundreds of millions of dollars of pork projects into his Johnstown area district .  His claim that if he didn't take it, it would go elsewhere may have been true but, it shows a fundamental weakness in how our government operates in the modern era.  Instead of looking at things from a national perspective, is it good for America, politicians like Murtha only think about their own local region.  With all or most Congressmen thinking this way, it is no wonder our nation is in trouble.  Building airports and roads and billion dollar underground tunnels (Pittsburgh) where they are not really needed is a national economic disaster in the making.  The idea that funding any project you can get whether we need it or not, is putting another nail in our nations coffin. 

ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE HURRICANE

Let me begin by saying how happy I am the Saints finally won a Super Bowl.  Not many other teams deserve it after such a long wait.  As a fan of the Steelers, I can relate to waiting over 40 years for a championship.
However, I don't think I can stand another comment on how this was done "for, because of, in-spite of, or as a result of Hurricane Katrina."   I don't think I can stand another news story or TV segment regarding the Saints win, that ties the whole thing up with Katrina.  
Yes, I know Katrina was devastating, Katrina was horrible and an awful disaster but, it was also five years ago already.  It's time to move on and try to put that behind us.  It's time for the media to talk about New Orleans without bringing Katrina into the mix.  Enough is enough already.  
I know better though, the media can't help themselves because it gives them another angle to write about, another gimmick to draw upon for their stories.  In addition, I know from living near Pittsburgh, that the media can't talk about this city without referring to the "Steel Mills" or the reference to a "Blue Collar" town.  For many of us in this region, you might as well talk about the dinosaurs.  The demise of steel in this area was 30 ot 40 years ago already.  Those of us that know History know all about that period already.  Those that don't know it by now really don't care..  
Congrats to the Saints, a great football team that won a championship this year because that's what they do.  They play a game to win a championship because that is what all football teams try to do, not because a city was hit by a hurricane five years ago.

MOST CORRUPT STATE CONTEST

I propose a contest to determine the most corrupt state in the union.   Consider it a diversion from the constant focus on the national mess we are now dealing with.  At least from my perspective it gives us some where else to focus our anger and disgust.
My choice is of course my own home state of Pennsylvania.  For some background keep in mind that PA has the second largest full time legislature in the nation.  Bigger than California, New York or Texas. Not only is PA home to one of the alleged co-conspiritors in the climate gate fiasco, Michael Mann, but  PA also has a long history of corruption in the legislature culminating in numerous scandals over the years and including the present where the Attorney General has been handing out dozens of indictments in the past year that include numerous high level legislators.  Here is a brief clip from Time Magazines January 18th Edition which gives a pretty good summary of the so called "Bonusgate Scandal"
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1954271,00.html

PA has also had its share of shady characters in the Executive Branch of government including the convicted State Treasure Bud Dwyer who pulled this stunt in front of live media coverage the day before he was to be sentenced for bribery.  (***WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC-NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART)  You can get a background on Wikipedia before viewing the following link.
 http://www.buzzhumor.com/videos/3213/Budd_Dwyer_Suicide

I realize this is going to be pretty hard to top but if you can show why your state should be considered please feel free to nominate it in your comments.

THE INSANITY OF HEALTH STUDIES

Is it me or are we constantly fed a complete bunch of baloney by health researchers?  It appears that each time a study is done and a finding is given as fact, a few months or years later that study is replaced by one concluding just the opposite.  How many of us have fallen for these impressive sounding findings only to be turned around completely by a follow up finding?  Don't eat eggs, they will kill you in short order.  They cause cancer and heart disease.  Then, a couple years later;  eat eggs they are healthy and high in protein, vitamins, cure cancer and heart disease.   Don't give your kid vaccinations because they can cause brain damage, autism or death.  Later, "Oh, be sure to get your kids vaccinated to prevent childhood illnesses."   "It is irresponsible not to get your child vaccinated."
The Atkins Diet can kill you....wait no........the Atkins Diet is harmless.
All the billions of dollars spent on these research studies and we buy into the results only to find a short time later, we were played for fools.  Then the next guy gets his billion for a study  and gives us totally contradictory findings.  It has gotten to the point for me that I just play it safe and don't believe anyone.  Perhaps then I am the crazy one??    It just defies logic what they do to us in this regard.  You are pretty much on your own to think what you want because you can find a research study to prove any side.  All one must do is look at the most recent chaos with the H1N1 Flu Vaccine.  It was going to be a plague unlike any other since Biblical Times.  It was going to wipe out 20% of the Earth's Population.  Quick, we must have a vaccine!  I think I'll have mine on the rocks