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Events unfolding in Wisconsin prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the union hierarchy is more interested in maintaining the status quo so they can keep drinking at the public trough. It doesn't matter to these clowns that the states are broke and we are continually asking government to spend money it doesn't have. The result of this destructive path is to bankrupt our children and grandchildren. I guess the Unionistas in Wisconsin and those they are shipping in really don't care much about the future of this country and of their own sons and daughters.
The best part is nobody is seeking to ban unions or even (in the case of Wisconsin) stop them from bargaining for wages. The Wisconsin Governor is being realistic and along with the majority of legislators realizes that they have no money to continue to pay out all the demands to please the unions and their leadership.
The path we are on in America right now is very dangerous. Our country is slowly fragmenting and is losing its identity. The selfish and self serving behavior of those in Wisconsin who are union supporters, will only hasten the pace at which we will all fall into the abyss.
Seeing all the protests in the ME and the fact that some governments over there are firing on their citizens, it got me to thinking about how long it would be until that sort of thing happens over here. We do have a precedent you know. It was called, Kent State. So there goes the excuse that it can't happen.
Sometimes I get to wondering if McVeigh and Koresh might have been on to something. Not condoning their actions but, the lack of trust they had in the government. That for sure seems to be spreading. The only thing keeping more of it from happening is that most of those protesting (like folks in the Tea Party) are decent, law abiding citizens. With the rate and level of anger going on in America right now, we are lucky there haven't been a dozen Oklahoma Cities.
Over the past 25 years or so a great many changes have taken place in America's Public Schools and many of those changes are not for the better. U.S. students are falling further and further behind their counterparts around the world in almost every subject.
The sad thing in looking at this mess (beside the fact that it is happening) is how much time Americans spend in talking about why the problem is happening and in scratching their heads in trying to explain it. It's as if people expect there to be some sort of deep and profound reasons for the failures of the American Education System, when in reality, the reasons are rather simple and in fact obvious. Sometimes I think part of the denial process includes this desire to find some complicated and complex reasons for what is going on, instead of just opening one's eyes wide enough to see the truth before us. I have a few thoughts on what these obvious and commonsense reasons are and will discuss them below in no particular order.
First, the eroding of discipline in schools and in society in general. We have created a system where people are not responsible for their actions. Many times student misbehavior, instead of being punished, is treated by coddling the student or by trying to constantly rewarding them or in a worst case scenario like "time out." In many cases a constantly misbehaving student is given the designation of "special needs'" student. Once given this designation is nearly impossible to rescind and immediately covers the student with a blanket of protection, known as "The American with Disabilities Act," which makes them nearly impossible to discipline effectively. For example a Special Education student can only be suspended a total of ten days in any given school year, regardless of how many incidents the student may have. In some cases no behavior short of murder can be punished effectively, if it can be shown that the misbehavior is related to the students disability. They are in essence, "bullet proof."
Secondly, the general laziness and lack of caring by many students goes a long way in explaining why so many are failing and are content with being average, doing the minimum or just plain happy to be stupid. When you train kids that somebody will always bail them out of a jam or that the learning they are supposed to be doing is not important, or that the government will provide for them, you are sowing the seeds of failure. Somehow over the past 25 years it has become less important to study and learn. This is ingrained in students today in many ways in what they see and hear at home and on TV and out in society. Don't worry about failing the math class, or that science class, you'll never need that stuff anyway. All you have to do is have a couple of kids, and the government will send you the check then, maybe have a few more and get even more money. We have slowly and methodically ingrained this mentality into many of our youth and the results are devastating to our nation. We have a generation that only cares about having a good time and not worrying about being responsible.
Thirdly, the destruction of the family. This is really a big one as so many kids are living in single parent homes with no father figure or positive role models. Without the pressure to succeed that a strong family usually provides, so many students are just floating aimlessly about without any focus or direction. Many kids have lost that mentality that made us want to be better than our parents. The goal was to get a better education so you could achieve success beyond what your parents had. Now that is slowly going away
Fourth, drugs and all the problems they cause in terms of addiction, crime and the rise of gangs are having a most dramatic effect of the poor outcomes in many U.S. schools. The thug culture of life on the streets and the buying and selling of drugs is very destructive and makes our situation dire.
Another factor is the schools over reliance on test scores at the expense of actual education. Districts are forcing kids to learn how to take and pass specific state tests with less focus on getting an all encompassing education. Basic subjects are sacrificed in order to focus attention on subjects that are on the tests.
We need to face these and numerous other sad truths if we are to understand why America's schools are failing so miserably. This appears to be an un-fixable problem. Our society is sliding ever more rapidly down the rabbit hole with no end in sight.
No matter how many billions the NFL makes, it appears it is never going to be enough. The latest display is the mess at the Super Bowl in which the NFL tried to squeeze in a few thousand seats into Jerry Jones Cowboy Stadium by adding temporary seating. Now keep in mind these "junk seats" were sold at $800 a pop but, the league's dream of a few extra bucks were dashed by the local Fire Marshal, when he refused to grant a temporary permit for the added seating due to safety code violations.
Now imagine the anger and frustration of the poor folks who traveled hundreds, if not thousands of miles to the game, in lousy weather, only to find they had no seat and would be forced to watch the game on TV.
What a disgrace! Your billions aren't enough for you Mr Goodell? You need to squeeze in a couple thousand more seats into a stadium that already holds a hundred thousand? Dumb ass!
The league solution is to give those folks triple their money back for the tickets but, when you count in travel expenses, time, effort and all the other costs, it won't come close to being fair compensation. My suggestion (other than stop the greedy behavior that lead to this in the first place) is to give the people triple their money back AND an additional $7500 for their pain and suffering. What a debacle the whole event was. From the butchering of the national anthem by that ditzy blond Cyndi Lauper clone, Christina Agulira, to the poor quality halftime show, it was one of the worst Super Bowls ever.
Probably the dumbest description of a black person in America is to refer to them as an African American.
In my estimation calling someone an African American refers much more to their national background than their skin color. It's true that f you come from an African Nation and you are black then you could be an African American. However, on the other hand, it is possible to come from an African nation and be white yet, still be an African American. Now I know that this is what really irritates some of the American Black Folks. They don't want to share this special designation with anyone else regardless of the validity of the issue.
Let's say for shits and giggles you come from Egypt to the US and become a citizen. You are not black but, white, aren't you still technically an "African American." Now I know it pisses off some people to hear an Egyptian American referred to as an African American. That kind of thinking just strengthens the argument of those who say that US Blacks are more racist than any would be willing to admit. I've seen this discussion really piss off some black leaders.
It's advantageous for black Americans to be the only ones referred to as "African Americans" because it gives them an identity they can share with others of the same color, whether or not they come from Africa. They are protective to the point of anger of this sweet little scam they have going and don't want to see it hijacked by a non-black individual. It's important to keep in mind that not blacks are Africans and not all Africans are black.
Also, I don't get the thing with these names that American blacks have been coming up with. I'm sorry but naming your kid Cheniqua or Chantrell, Sashaya or Levon only proves how lame your thinking is regarding you being an "African American." These are simply not names that have any connection or relation to Africa. I
f you really were hip with your roots you would be naming your kids Abena, Abeke or even Anum.
Finally, isn't it safe to assume that if pride yourself in being of African decent and having this history that runs back to the evil days of the slave trade, you might actually know something about Africa? Next time your "African American" buddy gets on his soapbox about his roots, ask him a couple of questions about his so called homeland. I'd bet dollars to donuts you'll get a quizzical look and he won't be buying your next drink.
