Years from now, when historians look back on how our nation cratered economically, socially and literally, they will be able to point to a government run system of "education" that was far more concerned with promoting social idealism over educating students. Too many fads have flown through our schools. New Math, Open Classroom, Whole Language and now the influence of technology. All these methods are not inherently evil or wrong in and of themselves. But they are gimmicks. They are sleight of hand tricks promoted to school administrators via lush seminars. These programs cost millions to school districts and they more often than not fail to deliver their claimed goals.
Other areas that will show up down the road is how our average students-not the brightest ones, not special needs students-but the generic kid in the desk, we often ignored and allowed to twist in the wind while teachers were forced by government mandate to serve special populations first even to the detriment of the rest of the class. What began as a feelgood law to allow mainstreaming of physically impaired, but educationally capable students into classrooms has evolved into a costly behemoth that provides one on one educational handling for some students while others linger in crowded classes. Does this make any sense?
Let's take an example. Student A, emotionally charged, autistic or disabled student, is placed in a regular ed classroom. The teacher must immediately jump to honor the IEP or any other special accommodations demanded by the Special Ed department or the parents. Never mind that there are other students in class, the few and the documented get the lion's share of attention. Even students with the most outrageous behavioral patterns are often placed into classrooms with little regard for the safety of others. What student wants to stay in a room where another student may randomly attack them and get away with it?
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
A Nation of Voyeurs
“In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes,”-Andy Warhol
Let’s consider Warhol’s statement for a minute. Between reality television and YouTube, have we not reached this level of development? Where it used to be that talent rose to the top, now it’s notoriety and “hits” that determine levels of fame. I can point out any number of local singers better than Justin Beiber, but he’s the one who got millions of hits on his YouTube online videos. I have no idea what Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton really do to merit their fame other than create sleazy homemade videos for public consumption. In another age the moniker “fools names and fools faces often appear in public places” has been replaced by the concept that anything goes where nothing is too silly, too vain, too vulgar or too horrid to be widely distributed to anyone who cares to do a simply online search.
Beyond this shallow existence, we’ve developed an entire industry made up of people who spend their “professional” lives hiding in bushed trying to ambush the famous and the powerful into some trumped up charge. This has played a role not just in entertainment, but in politics. Do I really need to know what a candidate’s stepdaughter thinks about anything? Do we really need to stoop to unsealing divorce decrees, custody agreements and other painful personal histories just to score political points? What sort of insight is that supposed to reveal? Likewise, it seems that a parallel universe has developed where people make up entire facts and because their voices are louder, they seem to think this justifies the lie. The Big Lie was an old Soviet trick used to quash underground uprising and to keep the working class in check. Now it seems to be used for distributing politically aimed disinformation to keep party line voters controlled while trying to stampede the opposition into making a mistake. Perhaps I am wrong, but I don’t remember it being so publicly vile and nasty in a long long time.
More than being voyeurs, we are also becoming victims to people who cannot or will not control their addictive urges to use the internet. I’ve heard cell phones going off at meetings, at church, at weddings and yes, even at a funeral. The same general demographic that accesses the internet to know end also likes to post things, often without thinking. Even the most circumspect individual can find themselves tagged and slandered without their knowledge. Now another industry has grown up just to clear up peoples’ online reputations for PR or employment purposes. I guess the bottom line is that people who act decently generally don’t have to worry about much, unless they run for public office in which case their entire history can be changed, attacked and destroyed with little forethought. And just the fact that decent people have to worry about something like that demonstrates how deeply we’ve all headed down that slippery slope.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Vetting Joe, Vetting Paul
Much has been made of the vetting process for political office. Obama was largely given a free pass based on the media's perceptions that his ethnicity and his party affiliation exonerated him from blame. The press is now feeling the fallout as newspapers and the most strident Obama supporting networks are struggling financially.
But what of the VP picks, the guys "a heartbeat away" from the presidency. While the Democrats are trying to characterize Paul Ryan as a demon, in reality he is a well educated family man, whose interest in economics goes back to college. He is married to his first wife, has three nice kids and has regular, middle class backgrounds to rely on. Bill Bennett said the following about Ryan:
"...Over time this young budget guru, who once told me he relaxes by kicking back with actuarial tables, began to master the U.S. budget in a way that few ever have. He was appointed to be a member of the president's Bowles-Simpson Commission, but, not yielding to political pressure, voted against its recommendations because it failed to adequately reform Medicare. So, together with Alice Rivlin (Bill Clinton's former OMB director), Ryan co-authored the Ryan-Rivlin plan to seriously reform Medicare (although she didn't support the version of it he included in his all-encompassing budget).
Their plan fell largely on deaf ears, but just because Washington wasn't listening, Ryan didn't stop leading. He joined forces with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to co-author a bipartisan plan to reform Medicare. Their plan leaves Medicare intact for existing recipients and those approaching eligibility and offers future enrollees a chance to enroll in the traditional Medicare government option or enroll in a premium support plan, where seniors can choose from a variety of competitive plans that work best for them..."
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/13/opinion/bennett-paul-ryan/index.html
But what of Joe Biden? Joe, along with Obama, got largely a free pass. He likes to characterize himself as a blue collar guy, but he attended a prestigious prep school where his academic career was lackluster at best. He went to college where he graduated in the lower half of the class and his law school years, which he considered a bore, demonstrated him as a lower quality of student graduating near the bottom. To be fair, he's got a loud mouth. And he's got the same type of football player rah-rah appeal that attracts people who are either ideologues or are largely uninformed. But while the hoopla over Ryan's accepting the VP nod from Romney seems to be a position for media scorn and scrutiny, I have to wonder if and when the media will dare to investigate the background of Biden-who seems far more dubious a pick to be a "heartbeat away."
But what of the VP picks, the guys "a heartbeat away" from the presidency. While the Democrats are trying to characterize Paul Ryan as a demon, in reality he is a well educated family man, whose interest in economics goes back to college. He is married to his first wife, has three nice kids and has regular, middle class backgrounds to rely on. Bill Bennett said the following about Ryan:
"...Over time this young budget guru, who once told me he relaxes by kicking back with actuarial tables, began to master the U.S. budget in a way that few ever have. He was appointed to be a member of the president's Bowles-Simpson Commission, but, not yielding to political pressure, voted against its recommendations because it failed to adequately reform Medicare. So, together with Alice Rivlin (Bill Clinton's former OMB director), Ryan co-authored the Ryan-Rivlin plan to seriously reform Medicare (although she didn't support the version of it he included in his all-encompassing budget).
Their plan fell largely on deaf ears, but just because Washington wasn't listening, Ryan didn't stop leading. He joined forces with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, to co-author a bipartisan plan to reform Medicare. Their plan leaves Medicare intact for existing recipients and those approaching eligibility and offers future enrollees a chance to enroll in the traditional Medicare government option or enroll in a premium support plan, where seniors can choose from a variety of competitive plans that work best for them..."
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/13/opinion/bennett-paul-ryan/index.html
But what of Joe Biden? Joe, along with Obama, got largely a free pass. He likes to characterize himself as a blue collar guy, but he attended a prestigious prep school where his academic career was lackluster at best. He went to college where he graduated in the lower half of the class and his law school years, which he considered a bore, demonstrated him as a lower quality of student graduating near the bottom. To be fair, he's got a loud mouth. And he's got the same type of football player rah-rah appeal that attracts people who are either ideologues or are largely uninformed. But while the hoopla over Ryan's accepting the VP nod from Romney seems to be a position for media scorn and scrutiny, I have to wonder if and when the media will dare to investigate the background of Biden-who seems far more dubious a pick to be a "heartbeat away."
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Romney, Ryan, Right now
I like Paul Ryan alot. I think he's one of the brightest stars in Congress and furthermore with his background in economics, he is one of the few people in Congress capable of understanding what is wrong with the economy and why Obama is not the person to fix it.
It didn't take long for the DNC to sic their mad dogs on Ryan. Ryan, who is generally characterized as a nice guy, a smart guy, a family man, is already being savage in the Democrat driven media. This may be because like Romney, there are no divorces to unearth. That's been a characteristic of Obama's campaigns for a long time. So they resort to scaring seniors by claiming that Ryan wants to cancel Medicare. Even Politifact, which is run by highly liberal Annenberg, said that was a lie. But it doesn't stop idiots at Kos and Mother Jones from perpetrating the lie. I don't know many seniors that read those rags, but I suppose their grandchildren can try to terrify them into compliance.
It's going to be a rough one folks. This campaign is already a dirty one and with people like Axelrod in the mix, I suspect it will get dirtier still. Romney and Ryan must stay ON ISSUES because that is the one place that Obama cannot run.
It didn't take long for the DNC to sic their mad dogs on Ryan. Ryan, who is generally characterized as a nice guy, a smart guy, a family man, is already being savage in the Democrat driven media. This may be because like Romney, there are no divorces to unearth. That's been a characteristic of Obama's campaigns for a long time. So they resort to scaring seniors by claiming that Ryan wants to cancel Medicare. Even Politifact, which is run by highly liberal Annenberg, said that was a lie. But it doesn't stop idiots at Kos and Mother Jones from perpetrating the lie. I don't know many seniors that read those rags, but I suppose their grandchildren can try to terrify them into compliance.
It's going to be a rough one folks. This campaign is already a dirty one and with people like Axelrod in the mix, I suspect it will get dirtier still. Romney and Ryan must stay ON ISSUES because that is the one place that Obama cannot run.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
I Haven't Posted For Awhile
There's a reason for that. First, I was at a professional seminar in Illustration in Kansas City, one of thirty teachers selected from across the nation. I did enjoy it and found their museums to be amazing. The Decorative Arts from the World's Fair Show was impressive and I hope many folks go to see it during it's time there and in other cities on the tour. The Tiffany jewelry alone is worth the price.
But more than that, I haven't written because I find myself depressed and dismayed over what is going on with our nation. The ads are appalling but the open attempts by those on the Left to seize the media for their Disinformation Campaign has led me from mere dislike to a true hatred for the administration and their members. How have we come to this? What can we say about and administration that features people who use the public trashing of their opponents as a matter of standard operating procedure? What can we say about an administration that would not have a budget for three plus years, that would cook data every single month to give the appearance of unemployment improvement and hasn't even answered one single question in a press conference, during an Election year, for over 49 days?
I listen to the media, I hear the planted disinformation talked about as if it is fact and frankly, it fills me with fear. I fear for our future, I fear for my children. I don't know how we are going to survive this. All I know is that we cannot afford four more years like the last three.
But more than that, I haven't written because I find myself depressed and dismayed over what is going on with our nation. The ads are appalling but the open attempts by those on the Left to seize the media for their Disinformation Campaign has led me from mere dislike to a true hatred for the administration and their members. How have we come to this? What can we say about and administration that features people who use the public trashing of their opponents as a matter of standard operating procedure? What can we say about an administration that would not have a budget for three plus years, that would cook data every single month to give the appearance of unemployment improvement and hasn't even answered one single question in a press conference, during an Election year, for over 49 days?
I listen to the media, I hear the planted disinformation talked about as if it is fact and frankly, it fills me with fear. I fear for our future, I fear for my children. I don't know how we are going to survive this. All I know is that we cannot afford four more years like the last three.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Nature of Evil and Insanity: Aurora
If you ever doubted that evil is tangible, that it exists, the Aurora theater shootings were a clear reminder. Every nation has had it's history of evil. Particularly heinous are those acts that take innocents unaware. When you see war torn nations, you know that those children exposed to violence are no longer unaware. They have learned to look over their shoulders. But when an event like the shootings at Aurora, or the Giffords shooting, or the shooting at Virginia Tech or the shootings at Wedgewood Baptist in Ft. Worth or Columbine occur, you realize that the very safety that most of us enjoy makes us blissfully unaware. And being unaware of your surroundings makes you an easy target.
All these events featured shootings. But that doesn't make guns inherently evil. In places where police and neighbors are far away, having some method to defend yourself is not just a frill, it is necessary. People who cannot defend themselves become targets. In a way, designating any area as a gun free zone has the opposite effect, making the population fish in a barrel. Evil has also been done with bombs, such as the domestic terrorism of groups like Weather Underground, with poison like Jim Jones in Jamestown or through intimidation and brainwashing such as the mass suicide at Heaven's Gate. Just because guns were not involved doesn't make these acts any less violent.
So what do we do about evil? Do we cower in our homes and avoid all public places? That's been the result in some locales but it's a mistake. Stories abound of Paris cancelling this movie's debut or parents saying their kids won't go to the movies anymore. When you cower, you let evil win. Do we ban all guns? By doing that we open ourselves up to greater intimidation because the same people who plan and act in evil ways will not be stopped by abstract ideas like laws and social conventions. So what can be done? We can enforce our laws on acquisition of paramilitary gear assertively. In Aurora, the shooter obtained body armor and other materials that require special permits. We must make this more difficult.
It is also possible that the shooter in Aurora was mentally unstable. Insanity itself is not evil but can push the individual into living out their delusions. Laws that were aimed to prevent unlawful institionalization of the insane have created a situation where mentally unstable people walk among us, terrorizing their families and the community. It's not a huge secret that along with economic need, mental instability is a key factor in homelessness. While more likely to become victims, the mentally ill can lash out. It's early days yet, but I think that the Aurora shooter will be found to be insane, on drugs or both. And furthermore, I think people in his life knew about this and knew there was no way they could do anything legally with existing laws in place. And that's a tragedy because insanity often opens up the doors to evil and allows it to impact our lives.
All these events featured shootings. But that doesn't make guns inherently evil. In places where police and neighbors are far away, having some method to defend yourself is not just a frill, it is necessary. People who cannot defend themselves become targets. In a way, designating any area as a gun free zone has the opposite effect, making the population fish in a barrel. Evil has also been done with bombs, such as the domestic terrorism of groups like Weather Underground, with poison like Jim Jones in Jamestown or through intimidation and brainwashing such as the mass suicide at Heaven's Gate. Just because guns were not involved doesn't make these acts any less violent.
So what do we do about evil? Do we cower in our homes and avoid all public places? That's been the result in some locales but it's a mistake. Stories abound of Paris cancelling this movie's debut or parents saying their kids won't go to the movies anymore. When you cower, you let evil win. Do we ban all guns? By doing that we open ourselves up to greater intimidation because the same people who plan and act in evil ways will not be stopped by abstract ideas like laws and social conventions. So what can be done? We can enforce our laws on acquisition of paramilitary gear assertively. In Aurora, the shooter obtained body armor and other materials that require special permits. We must make this more difficult.
It is also possible that the shooter in Aurora was mentally unstable. Insanity itself is not evil but can push the individual into living out their delusions. Laws that were aimed to prevent unlawful institionalization of the insane have created a situation where mentally unstable people walk among us, terrorizing their families and the community. It's not a huge secret that along with economic need, mental instability is a key factor in homelessness. While more likely to become victims, the mentally ill can lash out. It's early days yet, but I think that the Aurora shooter will be found to be insane, on drugs or both. And furthermore, I think people in his life knew about this and knew there was no way they could do anything legally with existing laws in place. And that's a tragedy because insanity often opens up the doors to evil and allows it to impact our lives.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Predictions for 2012: Stuxnet, Biden and more
If you have not yet done so, I highly recommend reading the Richard Clarke interview in the April 2012 Smithsonian. I'm not a huge Clarke fan, but he is a master spy and knows the ways of Washington well. What I found the most interesting about this article was that it clearly points the finger at Washington leaks for the information regarding the Stuxnet virus that shut down Iranian certifuge refiners. He also analyzed the inclusion of lawyers, American lawyers, in the composition of this little game. So in spite of the Israeli code in the virus, it is a Washington Creation. Why this matters is that this is a weapon that in their zeal to boost Obama's image was handed over to the Iranians. They aren't stupid. They will rework the virus and turn it back on Europe, on us and on a world where they intend to impose their own perverted brand of shariah.
Richard Clarke Interview in 2012 Smithsonian Magazine
I am going to make a prediction here. Just today Senators McCain and Lieberman said they had a lead on who leaked the classified information to the press. There are several people who could be part of this with Obama, Biden,Clinton, Axelrod, Jarrett and their subordinates all having clearance to access. But regardless who actually used national security to bolster the sagging presidential image, they are going to pin the deed on Joe "Ted Baxter" Biden. Biden has become a political liability and frankly I think there's little love lost between the president and vice president. But here's the problem, Washington is NOT Chicago and Joe Biden is NOT Blagojevich. Having his own presidential aspirations (no matter how misguided) Biden won't take one for the team like Blago did. And as for the vacant VP position, I believe that Obama, using Jarrett as agent, will offer it to Hillary Clinton. The idea is it will appeal to the wounded Clintonistas who feel they were robbed last time as well as attracting the usual set of goopy minded idealogues that will posture that "now it's time for a woman in office." I guess Palin didn't qualify. But I digress.
My personal view is that Clinton will be torn. She loves power. LOVES IT. And she wields quite a bit right now as Secretary of State. You will notice that there are few photo ops of Hillary with Obama. I think that's intentional. She's putting as much distance as she can between herself and this administration. While her first inclination will be to accept, she knows how divisive this administration has become. And her strength is not in Washington. I believe that knowing the taint of the Obama administration could stifle her own attempts for nomination in 2016 that she will say no. So where does this leave Axelrod, who needs someone far more solid to anchor down his ethereal and somewhat aloof POTUS? Don't be surprised to see some governor or even a mayor plucked from obscurity not because of their abilities but because they fulfill a critical socio-economic-ethnic niche.
Richard Clarke Interview in 2012 Smithsonian Magazine
I am going to make a prediction here. Just today Senators McCain and Lieberman said they had a lead on who leaked the classified information to the press. There are several people who could be part of this with Obama, Biden,Clinton, Axelrod, Jarrett and their subordinates all having clearance to access. But regardless who actually used national security to bolster the sagging presidential image, they are going to pin the deed on Joe "Ted Baxter" Biden. Biden has become a political liability and frankly I think there's little love lost between the president and vice president. But here's the problem, Washington is NOT Chicago and Joe Biden is NOT Blagojevich. Having his own presidential aspirations (no matter how misguided) Biden won't take one for the team like Blago did. And as for the vacant VP position, I believe that Obama, using Jarrett as agent, will offer it to Hillary Clinton. The idea is it will appeal to the wounded Clintonistas who feel they were robbed last time as well as attracting the usual set of goopy minded idealogues that will posture that "now it's time for a woman in office." I guess Palin didn't qualify. But I digress.
My personal view is that Clinton will be torn. She loves power. LOVES IT. And she wields quite a bit right now as Secretary of State. You will notice that there are few photo ops of Hillary with Obama. I think that's intentional. She's putting as much distance as she can between herself and this administration. While her first inclination will be to accept, she knows how divisive this administration has become. And her strength is not in Washington. I believe that knowing the taint of the Obama administration could stifle her own attempts for nomination in 2016 that she will say no. So where does this leave Axelrod, who needs someone far more solid to anchor down his ethereal and somewhat aloof POTUS? Don't be surprised to see some governor or even a mayor plucked from obscurity not because of their abilities but because they fulfill a critical socio-economic-ethnic niche.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Free At Last-Until August 17th
Last day of school for the 11/12 school year.
It's been a very tough year. Frankly the students I had, especially in the sophomore level, were actively seeking to be as distracted and disengaged as possible. This was because of a new policy called Bring Your Own Technology or BYOT for short. It's not a bad idea, but the way it was implemented left teachers trying to monitor engagement of thirty students. And what's worse, is that next year they plan to use our evaluation system as a brickbat to punish teachers whose students aren't engaged. It's a sucker bet. I could grow antenna out of my head and turn purple and whatever is being texted by Susie in the next hall is going to get precedence. One thing I will do is stop allowing students to charge phones in my classroom. What I've observed is kid bring their smart phone to school, use up the battery sending texts and photos then run out of battery life around 1:00. Then they want to charge their phones. If this scenario plays out in every seconadary classroom, that's a good amount of money being spent to power phones which by and large are simply wireless distraction devices. Next year, phones being plugged in will be taken up. Sorry, but when my job's on the line, I get serious.
But right now, having cleared my grades and cleaned my room...I'm tired.
It's been a very tough year. Frankly the students I had, especially in the sophomore level, were actively seeking to be as distracted and disengaged as possible. This was because of a new policy called Bring Your Own Technology or BYOT for short. It's not a bad idea, but the way it was implemented left teachers trying to monitor engagement of thirty students. And what's worse, is that next year they plan to use our evaluation system as a brickbat to punish teachers whose students aren't engaged. It's a sucker bet. I could grow antenna out of my head and turn purple and whatever is being texted by Susie in the next hall is going to get precedence. One thing I will do is stop allowing students to charge phones in my classroom. What I've observed is kid bring their smart phone to school, use up the battery sending texts and photos then run out of battery life around 1:00. Then they want to charge their phones. If this scenario plays out in every seconadary classroom, that's a good amount of money being spent to power phones which by and large are simply wireless distraction devices. Next year, phones being plugged in will be taken up. Sorry, but when my job's on the line, I get serious.
But right now, having cleared my grades and cleaned my room...I'm tired.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Why Does This Not Surprise Me?
Because my district is on accellerated block, we go five additional days than those mandated by the state of Texas to allow for state testing. So we are already starting earlier and finishing later than every single district in our county, in our region and in our state. For some reason, our new superintendent, the same guy who implemented Bring Your Own Technology, decided we should have MORE in-service days. I don't know about you, but after twelve or so years, sharing ones best lesson plan becomes an exercise in monotony. It's not that I don't want to do it, or can't do it, but it is rather that I have done this so many times before that it's become routine. So today, in the last full week of school, our coordinator, who I have seen for about 10 minutes this entire year, informed us not only will we have two additional REQUIRED in service days, but that we cannot comp them with other workshops. This is problematic because I was awarded a grant to study illustration at Kansas City Art Institute (not the for profit, the real art school) this summer. But I had to pay my own flight. I accepted with the understanding that it would be accepted for comp time. But now, nooooooooo, it won't.
And on top of that we once again, for the fourth year in a row, will not get any sort of raise, all stipends are ended. So now we go ten days more for the same pay. If school districts don't want unions-and believe me, I don't want them really-they need to stop pulling stunts like this.
And on top of that we once again, for the fourth year in a row, will not get any sort of raise, all stipends are ended. So now we go ten days more for the same pay. If school districts don't want unions-and believe me, I don't want them really-they need to stop pulling stunts like this.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Gay Marriage vs Real News
Excuse me if I am underwhelmed. Obama's announcement of his "evolving" support for gay marriage strikes me as just a tad bit self-serving. In the past three and a half years, I have noted that these guys love the Friday night news dump. Quite often, they provide themselves with political cover by launching some noisy non-issue into the media frenzy. I think this is EXACTLY what Obama has done with gay marriage. It wasn't all that long ago that he proclaimed to a largely Christian audience his disdain for gay marriage. Now it seems he's had some sort of epiphany. Either way, it comes conveniently after Joe "Ted Baxter" Biden was on Sunday talkers blathering about gay marriage and I have to think that there's some nasty Friday night news story waiting to be dumped onto an unwary public. What will it be? Holder gets indicted for contempt of Congress for Fast and Furious? Homeland Security takes over public law enforcement in Arizona over the objections of citizens? Another attempt to force a Dream Act? Of course we won't know unless we read it in a blog because the guys and gals in the media only work during the week.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
So Very Confused
I do my own taxes. I see no reason to pay someone to ask me the same exact questions that I can read for myself. So I've used Turbotax in the past. This year, originally, Turbotax imported the wrong amount for my total income. That's pretty disturbing because since Texas teachers don't pay into Social Security, that's a big difference in the total amount. In addition, it didn't pick up the taxes I had paid in. As a result, Turbotax had use owing money-very disappointing considering that my husband hasn't had a job for over 18 months and our income has been slashed by over 55%.
Just for the sake of argument, I tried H&R Block online. This is not an ad for them. But they did end up getting us nearly twice what Turbotax said we owed. I have gone over the data THREE TIMES on both programs and the input information is exactly the same. So why does one make us pay and the other does not? Now keep in mind, on both our audit risk is low because frankly, we don't make that much. But, having used Turbotax for the last five years, I am going to be mad as hell if we overpaid our taxes for years.
Yeah, yeah, I know, accountants want us to go to them. But I took my Mom to a clinic where there were a roomful of retired CPA's and depending on who you talked to this deduction or that was disallowed. This leads me to my final observation-our tax code is far too unwieldy. Millions of dollars are spent on trying to avoid paying taxes when by simplifying taxes and lowering them, MORE people will willingly pay. This also gets into the area of needless accumulation of paper. Why must we collect and retain copies of paper for years and years when the IRS has them on file? Why must we send them in? It's ridiculous. It's busy work.
Just for the sake of argument, I tried H&R Block online. This is not an ad for them. But they did end up getting us nearly twice what Turbotax said we owed. I have gone over the data THREE TIMES on both programs and the input information is exactly the same. So why does one make us pay and the other does not? Now keep in mind, on both our audit risk is low because frankly, we don't make that much. But, having used Turbotax for the last five years, I am going to be mad as hell if we overpaid our taxes for years.
Yeah, yeah, I know, accountants want us to go to them. But I took my Mom to a clinic where there were a roomful of retired CPA's and depending on who you talked to this deduction or that was disallowed. This leads me to my final observation-our tax code is far too unwieldy. Millions of dollars are spent on trying to avoid paying taxes when by simplifying taxes and lowering them, MORE people will willingly pay. This also gets into the area of needless accumulation of paper. Why must we collect and retain copies of paper for years and years when the IRS has them on file? Why must we send them in? It's ridiculous. It's busy work.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Glimmers of Hope
So if I work it out right, I may not work a full week for the rest of the year. We get Good Friday and the Monday after Easter off. Then I head with three kids to State Art competitoin on the 13th. The following week I head to Texas A&M Commerce for a studio symposium for teachers. The following week I go to work on the general schedule for next year. The following week, in May, I have AP testing. The following week I am taking my advanced classed to the Kimball in Ft. Worth. That leaves two weeks and I have to have my blood work done sometime during that period.
Busy time.
PLUS...and this is great news....I won a grant for a Teachers Summer Workshop at Kansas City Art Institute. It's a seven day summer intensive in Illustration . And except for transportation-IT'S FREE!! I am so excited!!!
Busy time.
PLUS...and this is great news....I won a grant for a Teachers Summer Workshop at Kansas City Art Institute. It's a seven day summer intensive in Illustration . And except for transportation-IT'S FREE!! I am so excited!!!
Thursday, March 08, 2012
The Nose Knows
Being the epitome of grace, I fell on my face two weeks ago. Yesterday I had reconstructive surgery. Because Workman's Comp delayed on approving things, they had to go in an rebreak it. Needless to say I look like the victim of a mugging. I admit, I needed to have the surgery because I could not break through my nose at all after the fall. But having gone through this procedure, I do not understand anyone putting themselves under the knife for anything other than purely reconstructive purposes. I don't know how the Hollywood types do it repeatedly subjecting themselves to surgery. All I can say is they must do it for the meds....but frankly they gave me a script for painkiller and I haven't taken one since last night. I think I feel better without the brainfog.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Klutz
I am a klutz. I admit it. I tend to trip or run into things mainly because I am so easily distracted by more interesting ideas, people and things. Yesterday was a big one. I was walking from my car into school. It's a trip of no more than 100 feet and one I have made daily for more than ten years. I had my laptop in its case, my bag with my sneakers and lunch and my purse. I don't know how or why, but one minute I was up, the next I was face down on the ground. I have (perhaps) a broken nose, two black eyes and a headache to beat the band. I didn't teach yesterday, I did today. I let my injuries be a springboard for my kids' warmups. I asked them what they thought had happened, if it was ninjas, my secret full contact karate sparring group or....? The answers were amusing and I would laugh more if it didn't hurt so much. And now to add insult to injury, I have misplaced my cell phone. I was forced to do a mass email to the entire staff hoping that somehow it would turn up. The phone could be replaced, but photos of my grandson could not. The upside may be that since I was on school property on my way into the building, workman's comp may cover at least some of the bills. That's good since rhinoplasty is expensive to say the least.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Tolerance vs. Acceptance
In my younger days, I worked in two different businesses that were owned or managed by gay men. In one instance I did not even know the manager's personal preferences until after I left the job. His personal life had no bearing on the way he chose to do his job. In the other case, the gay lifestyle was what it was all about and every holiday, gathering, meeting or discussion was just another opportunity to push the gay lifestyle on a group that while tolerant, saw no reason to inject sexuality into the running of a design firm business. That was thirty years ago when gay rights were in their early days. Some of the hedonism I saw in those days before AIDS was shocking, deliberately so. Many of the behaviors viewed in the office were provocative, so much so that had they been attempted by someone not gay, the person would have been written up at the very least or possibly fired outright.
You cannot legislate acceptance. You can legislate tolerance. I tolerate those who don't share my beliefs. As long as they don't try to impose them on me, what do I care? My mother is all hot and bothered about a second, or perhaps it's third, cousin who converted to Mormonism and is going back to rebaptize dead relatives. That's her thing. My mother is outraged, but my belief is that while it is odd and probably not particularly respectful, if you don't believe in another faith, whatever they do doesn't affect you in any way. So if voodoo practicioners try to put the Evil Eye on me, that's fine. But I don't believe in them and therefore I don't believe what they try to do will impact my life in any one way.
Tolerance is another word for civility. Manners are passe to the modern crowd, but in earlier days manners were defined as the grease that made society function smoothly. While it doesn't matter much which fork you use or whether your servants have the proper color of livery (I used to love reading my grandmothers copy of Emily Post's first edition book on ettiquette) it does matter that you don't bring unwarranted attention to yourself by making a scene. Divas are common in our culture. There are those who seem to crave the limelight and grab it by making everyone unnecessarily comfortable. Let me say right here that I am old school-I am not happy seeing heterosexual couples grope each other in public, but for some reason there are those of various genders who think it is their God give right to make the rest of us collectively gag. It's not the act itself, but the lack of respect for everyone else. It's selfishness on a public scale.
Having said all of this, as a long time conservative, I have no problem with coworkers who are gay, with ministers who are lesbian or with same sex couples married or not. My daughter is getting married in a few months. The guy she is marrying is great. But I know some of our invited guests will be put off by the minister, an out of the closet lesbian who is one of my daughter's best friends, and by several of her male college friends who happen to be gay. She was a dance major, she didn't know many straight guys. That's the way it goes. Although I don't accept their lifestyle, for her sake I will tolerate them and make them as welcome as any other guest. But see, that's the difference, I am choosing to tolerate their behavior as most well mannered decent people would do. What I hope is that they don't demand I accept their lifestyles because while they are adults and free to choose, I can't do that.
Isn't it time we get beyond the idea that everyone MUST blindly accept everyone else no matter what? Do I have to accept the racist guy down the street? Do I have to accept the snarkly clerk at the grocery store? Do I have to accept every criminal just because someone says so? Or can I choose to tolerate them without having to surrender my will?
You cannot legislate acceptance. You can legislate tolerance. I tolerate those who don't share my beliefs. As long as they don't try to impose them on me, what do I care? My mother is all hot and bothered about a second, or perhaps it's third, cousin who converted to Mormonism and is going back to rebaptize dead relatives. That's her thing. My mother is outraged, but my belief is that while it is odd and probably not particularly respectful, if you don't believe in another faith, whatever they do doesn't affect you in any way. So if voodoo practicioners try to put the Evil Eye on me, that's fine. But I don't believe in them and therefore I don't believe what they try to do will impact my life in any one way.
Tolerance is another word for civility. Manners are passe to the modern crowd, but in earlier days manners were defined as the grease that made society function smoothly. While it doesn't matter much which fork you use or whether your servants have the proper color of livery (I used to love reading my grandmothers copy of Emily Post's first edition book on ettiquette) it does matter that you don't bring unwarranted attention to yourself by making a scene. Divas are common in our culture. There are those who seem to crave the limelight and grab it by making everyone unnecessarily comfortable. Let me say right here that I am old school-I am not happy seeing heterosexual couples grope each other in public, but for some reason there are those of various genders who think it is their God give right to make the rest of us collectively gag. It's not the act itself, but the lack of respect for everyone else. It's selfishness on a public scale.
Having said all of this, as a long time conservative, I have no problem with coworkers who are gay, with ministers who are lesbian or with same sex couples married or not. My daughter is getting married in a few months. The guy she is marrying is great. But I know some of our invited guests will be put off by the minister, an out of the closet lesbian who is one of my daughter's best friends, and by several of her male college friends who happen to be gay. She was a dance major, she didn't know many straight guys. That's the way it goes. Although I don't accept their lifestyle, for her sake I will tolerate them and make them as welcome as any other guest. But see, that's the difference, I am choosing to tolerate their behavior as most well mannered decent people would do. What I hope is that they don't demand I accept their lifestyles because while they are adults and free to choose, I can't do that.
Isn't it time we get beyond the idea that everyone MUST blindly accept everyone else no matter what? Do I have to accept the racist guy down the street? Do I have to accept the snarkly clerk at the grocery store? Do I have to accept every criminal just because someone says so? Or can I choose to tolerate them without having to surrender my will?
Sunday, January 08, 2012
New Year
Like the start of school, a new year is a clean slate. We make resolutions, we make bargains, we make plans. This year is no different, except many of us find our resolutions to be pale repeats of last year's wishes. Many of us are making do with less, much less. And most of us are either unemployed or have someone close to us that is unemployed. With all the breathless enthusiasm of a New Year's toast I really, really hope things change. Sure it could result in Obama getting another four years, but seriously the American people are smothering in the slough of despair.
That being said, I don't think things will change much. When even Obama apologist Eleanor Clift of Newsweek only predicts an eight percent unemployment by the end of the year, we can be sure reality will be much worse. Obamacare is one reason. It sucks up profit into government agencies instead of out in the economy where it can multiply and grow. Another reason is the rising fuel price. Have you been to the pump lately? Between last Friday and this Friday the cost per gallon jumped 28 cents. And that's not all. Go to the grocery story. I have found groceries to be a great indicator of price change. I am not a random shopper. I buy pretty much the same thing every week. What I bought three weeks ago that cost $90 now costs $124. That's a huge leap. And this is not a meat or luxury food laden list. What is more I noticed that the store, Kroger, is discontinuing some lines from various cheeses, snacks and more. Whiel that may not matter to you directly, keep in mind that lines removed from the shelves are lines that will downsize production by laying off more workers and closing more plants.
Let's say this together, this president is a failure. Obama is a political and academic theorist who believes all problems can be solved using a formula. Sorry to disappoint you, but all the bright boys and girls with Ivy League street cred haven't done a darned thing for our nation. It's time to let someone else take over.
That being said, I don't think things will change much. When even Obama apologist Eleanor Clift of Newsweek only predicts an eight percent unemployment by the end of the year, we can be sure reality will be much worse. Obamacare is one reason. It sucks up profit into government agencies instead of out in the economy where it can multiply and grow. Another reason is the rising fuel price. Have you been to the pump lately? Between last Friday and this Friday the cost per gallon jumped 28 cents. And that's not all. Go to the grocery story. I have found groceries to be a great indicator of price change. I am not a random shopper. I buy pretty much the same thing every week. What I bought three weeks ago that cost $90 now costs $124. That's a huge leap. And this is not a meat or luxury food laden list. What is more I noticed that the store, Kroger, is discontinuing some lines from various cheeses, snacks and more. Whiel that may not matter to you directly, keep in mind that lines removed from the shelves are lines that will downsize production by laying off more workers and closing more plants.
Let's say this together, this president is a failure. Obama is a political and academic theorist who believes all problems can be solved using a formula. Sorry to disappoint you, but all the bright boys and girls with Ivy League street cred haven't done a darned thing for our nation. It's time to let someone else take over.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Where Did the Time Go?
In looking, my last post was over two months ago. It's not like I haven't been reading or writing online. It just seems that this is almost like a journal and frankly, I have always been lousy at keeping a journal. Here on the eve of a truly American holiday, I find myself reaching to be grateful. Before we left school, I taught a quick lesson in calligraphy and then had my art students write about something they were grateful for. We posted them. Some were silly, but most of the students listed their families as being the most important aspect of their lives. That is comforting in this age of technology and violence.
I question my own attitude regarding the holiday as well. I am grateful for my home, which we can still afford (barely) on one paycheck. I am grateful for my kids, although I wish someone had told me earlier that you NEVER stop worrying about them. I am oh so ultimately grateful for my grandson because it is possible that had his mother chosen to shut us out of his life, we would never know the deep joy of having a grandchild. He's a joy and the light of my life! I am grateful for my children's significant others. We have at least one wedding, maybe two, in the forseeable future. That is a double edged sword because while I want my kids to have beautiful weddings, without two incomes that isn't going to happen.
What I fear is that we have a future that is built on a foundation of sand. I fear for my kids, so young, so hopeful, wanting houses and kids and jobs. I worry for my one son who has struggled for over a year thanks to a LIBERAL WASHINGTON COMPANY THAT USES YOUNG PEOPLE UP LIKE CHEAP KLEENEX and yes I am talking about Zumiez. I worry for my grandson who is so loved, so darling and living in less than wonderful conditions which I cannot afford to change right now. All I can do is pray and hope. And I guess for most of us, that's pretty much the sum total of Thanksgiving.
I question my own attitude regarding the holiday as well. I am grateful for my home, which we can still afford (barely) on one paycheck. I am grateful for my kids, although I wish someone had told me earlier that you NEVER stop worrying about them. I am oh so ultimately grateful for my grandson because it is possible that had his mother chosen to shut us out of his life, we would never know the deep joy of having a grandchild. He's a joy and the light of my life! I am grateful for my children's significant others. We have at least one wedding, maybe two, in the forseeable future. That is a double edged sword because while I want my kids to have beautiful weddings, without two incomes that isn't going to happen.
What I fear is that we have a future that is built on a foundation of sand. I fear for my kids, so young, so hopeful, wanting houses and kids and jobs. I worry for my one son who has struggled for over a year thanks to a LIBERAL WASHINGTON COMPANY THAT USES YOUNG PEOPLE UP LIKE CHEAP KLEENEX and yes I am talking about Zumiez. I worry for my grandson who is so loved, so darling and living in less than wonderful conditions which I cannot afford to change right now. All I can do is pray and hope. And I guess for most of us, that's pretty much the sum total of Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Thanks Obama
I'm a public high school teacher. My husband is unemployed. This means that the burden of both income and insurance falls on me. Wages are frozen courtesy of our current economic unpleasantness. To add insult to injury, because teachers have their insurance run from September to September, we are now currently "in" the 2012 insurance year which means we are subject to the higher premiums costs, copays and deductibles that are the byproduct of the Obamacare debacle. We are currently barely squeaking by with around $16 to spare after bills are paid and groceries bought. Thanks to Obamacare, now we are getting $180 LESS in the paycheck than last year. I used to be middle class. Right now I am sliding rapidly into lower class. And since my husband wasn't a union wage slave or a government office worker, but instead a sales rep that qualifies as contract labor, he can't even get the comparably rich unemployment check. And what do you want to bet that just like the last three very bad years, we still end up having to pay taxes? Color me bitter.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Validating Mediocrity
My district has begun a new initiative. Rather than penalizing students for using phones in class, we will now celebrate them. We are supposed to allow phones, cameras, Ipads, Ipods, laptops and all other kinds of gizmos, gadgets and gewgaws to be accessed for the concept of what is labeled as "deeper understanding." In talking to teachers in other districts, this initiative seems just as trendy as Whole Language was back in the day. In short, someone has attended a seminar which has promised to solve all problems and insure good test scores. The words a teacher fears most is "The Board has been to a seminar." It's a precursor for all kinds of mischief under the guise of improvement.
Don't get me wrong. I like technology. I have a smart phone, a laptop and courtesy of a grant, all sorts of scanners, printers, cameras and digital devices. I understand that the kids in school today are not like those even five years ago. They have been steeped in the stew of digitalism from birth. And that's not a bad thing. But it is also a type of placating act to simply throw up one's hands and let them rule the school with their electronic things.
What disturbs me the most is the varying messages we get from administration. Last year there was a fine for having a cell phone. I got griped at for letting my AP students listen to music on the Ipods while they worked on independent projects. We had filters that limited access to sites like Facebook and Sodahead. In theory, the students will only access the internet via a network for them. But almost anyone with a 4G phone can subvert that. So what's the point? In the same manner when this was introduced teachers were told IN WRITING that "teachers should not be overly concerned with monitoring students' internet activity." Today we were told that we need to make sure all students are on task. Now I ask you, with thirty plus kids and their devices in class, what do you think the odds are that the average teacher is going to be able to catch all kids on task?
Another troubling aspect to this is something I observed from a film created by middle school kids in our district and shown across the district as an example of prime work. In that film, students essentially said they should be allowed to do what they want to do. In one vignette a question was asked "What were the causes of the civil war?" All the students had different ideas from different sources. That's fine, I am a fan of research. But what was not fine was the following statement "All of our opinions are valid." Really? So if I said the civil war was started by people who liked dogs better than cats, that would be equally valid? The implication is that there is no right or wrong and I take issue with that. I think in this world there are some things that are either right or wrong. Murder, right or wrong? Wrong of course. This seems to be just more of the celebration of esteem over content and that is what is wrong with our schools and our graduates today.
My future son in law read a recent article, which he's supposed to send me, that discusses how video games now are different than those even five years ago. It seems that games like "Myst" where there are no cheats, no shortcuts and no freebies which are pure mental problemsolving are gone. Today's games give hints, cheats are prevalent and the problemsolving element has gone down greatly. One man who wrote code for game systems had his son ask for Nintendo Connect. The father asked why and the son said he wanted to play games with his friends. This was a preteen kid, the ripe age for video games of all kinds. So the father said that if the son could beat one of his old Nintendo games, he would get him the system. The son has worked on it for three months and has not even leveled up one level. What does this say about the soft bigotry of making things easier and academic achievement? What does this say about our future?
Don't get me wrong. I like technology. I have a smart phone, a laptop and courtesy of a grant, all sorts of scanners, printers, cameras and digital devices. I understand that the kids in school today are not like those even five years ago. They have been steeped in the stew of digitalism from birth. And that's not a bad thing. But it is also a type of placating act to simply throw up one's hands and let them rule the school with their electronic things.
What disturbs me the most is the varying messages we get from administration. Last year there was a fine for having a cell phone. I got griped at for letting my AP students listen to music on the Ipods while they worked on independent projects. We had filters that limited access to sites like Facebook and Sodahead. In theory, the students will only access the internet via a network for them. But almost anyone with a 4G phone can subvert that. So what's the point? In the same manner when this was introduced teachers were told IN WRITING that "teachers should not be overly concerned with monitoring students' internet activity." Today we were told that we need to make sure all students are on task. Now I ask you, with thirty plus kids and their devices in class, what do you think the odds are that the average teacher is going to be able to catch all kids on task?
Another troubling aspect to this is something I observed from a film created by middle school kids in our district and shown across the district as an example of prime work. In that film, students essentially said they should be allowed to do what they want to do. In one vignette a question was asked "What were the causes of the civil war?" All the students had different ideas from different sources. That's fine, I am a fan of research. But what was not fine was the following statement "All of our opinions are valid." Really? So if I said the civil war was started by people who liked dogs better than cats, that would be equally valid? The implication is that there is no right or wrong and I take issue with that. I think in this world there are some things that are either right or wrong. Murder, right or wrong? Wrong of course. This seems to be just more of the celebration of esteem over content and that is what is wrong with our schools and our graduates today.
My future son in law read a recent article, which he's supposed to send me, that discusses how video games now are different than those even five years ago. It seems that games like "Myst" where there are no cheats, no shortcuts and no freebies which are pure mental problemsolving are gone. Today's games give hints, cheats are prevalent and the problemsolving element has gone down greatly. One man who wrote code for game systems had his son ask for Nintendo Connect. The father asked why and the son said he wanted to play games with his friends. This was a preteen kid, the ripe age for video games of all kinds. So the father said that if the son could beat one of his old Nintendo games, he would get him the system. The son has worked on it for three months and has not even leveled up one level. What does this say about the soft bigotry of making things easier and academic achievement? What does this say about our future?
Friday, July 08, 2011
A Tragedy of Unintended Circumstances
A Tragedy of Unintended Circumstances
People in Arlington Texas thought they were going to see a baseball game yesterday. Instead they saw a man die. And now the rest of the world is trying to find fault and nail blame. People have been going to baseball games for decades now. But life’s a funny thing. Sometimes through the fault of nobody a whim, an odd twist of fate causes bad things to happen.
How it happened was this. Toward the end of the second inning, Josh Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder, saw an unaccounted for ball in the outfield. On an impulse, an impulse inspired by generosity and a desire to please the fans, he tossed it into the outfield bleachers. Back in the old days, the wall underneath the bleachers was the edge of the outfield. But because of the interference of overzealous fans with balls still in play, many fields, including the Ballpark in Arlington established a buffer zone that would prevent fans from snatching a fly ball that maybe could be caught. When Hamilton tossed the ball into the stands, it was with the idea I am sure that someone would catch it and take it home as a cherished souvenir.
Instead what happened was that a man, with his young son in the front row, reached for the ball, caught it briefly and then lost his balance going head first over the railing to the area between the stands and the outfield wall. Fans and players watched in horror. Fans near the young boy held him to prevent his view of his seriously injured father. A relief pitcher heard the man ask someone to take care of his son as he was carried away on the gurney by EMT’s. Sadly, the man died of cardiac arrest.
To say the man’s family is distraught is an understatement. But in this case the fans and players were also witnesses to the tragedy. Knowing the basic decency of Nolan Ryan as a person, it’s a sure bet that the Rangers organization will take care of this boy and his family. Unfortunately down the line lawyers are going to come into play. They will sue the Rangers. They will sue the Ballpark in Arlington. They will sue Josh Hamilton. And because of the way our courts are these days, they will win. The end result will be that other than homeruns hit into the stands, major league baseball, and maybe even other sports as well, will cease launching tee-shirts, souvenirs and yes, baseballs, into the stands. Those days are gone.
In the aftermath, we are going to have to start thinking about how far we are going to provide a safety net for the individuals at sporting events or in life in general. Nobody ever wants to see anyone hurt, but people get run over by cars every day with nobody suggesting we stop driving. People do bear some responsibility for their actions even when things turn out badly. Life is a chancy thing. Anyone can be hurt at any time. And while this does fit the definition of freak accident, it’s not the only one. People have fallen, been pushed or stumbled over railings at almost any ballpark or stadium you care to name. Going to any event has its own inherent risks. That so many of us seem ignorant of that fact points to how safe our society in general must be. But it’s not perfect and short of wrapping us in bubble wrap and locking us in our houses, there’s no way we can prevent every single accident. That’s the nature of accidents. Life comes with no guarantees. Lawyers and courts and countless others try to mitigate that fact. But it is a fact and the sooner we all stop seeking to blame, the sooner we can move on as a society.
By Ellen K, July 8,2011
People in Arlington Texas thought they were going to see a baseball game yesterday. Instead they saw a man die. And now the rest of the world is trying to find fault and nail blame. People have been going to baseball games for decades now. But life’s a funny thing. Sometimes through the fault of nobody a whim, an odd twist of fate causes bad things to happen.
How it happened was this. Toward the end of the second inning, Josh Hamilton, a Texas Rangers outfielder, saw an unaccounted for ball in the outfield. On an impulse, an impulse inspired by generosity and a desire to please the fans, he tossed it into the outfield bleachers. Back in the old days, the wall underneath the bleachers was the edge of the outfield. But because of the interference of overzealous fans with balls still in play, many fields, including the Ballpark in Arlington established a buffer zone that would prevent fans from snatching a fly ball that maybe could be caught. When Hamilton tossed the ball into the stands, it was with the idea I am sure that someone would catch it and take it home as a cherished souvenir.
Instead what happened was that a man, with his young son in the front row, reached for the ball, caught it briefly and then lost his balance going head first over the railing to the area between the stands and the outfield wall. Fans and players watched in horror. Fans near the young boy held him to prevent his view of his seriously injured father. A relief pitcher heard the man ask someone to take care of his son as he was carried away on the gurney by EMT’s. Sadly, the man died of cardiac arrest.
To say the man’s family is distraught is an understatement. But in this case the fans and players were also witnesses to the tragedy. Knowing the basic decency of Nolan Ryan as a person, it’s a sure bet that the Rangers organization will take care of this boy and his family. Unfortunately down the line lawyers are going to come into play. They will sue the Rangers. They will sue the Ballpark in Arlington. They will sue Josh Hamilton. And because of the way our courts are these days, they will win. The end result will be that other than homeruns hit into the stands, major league baseball, and maybe even other sports as well, will cease launching tee-shirts, souvenirs and yes, baseballs, into the stands. Those days are gone.
In the aftermath, we are going to have to start thinking about how far we are going to provide a safety net for the individuals at sporting events or in life in general. Nobody ever wants to see anyone hurt, but people get run over by cars every day with nobody suggesting we stop driving. People do bear some responsibility for their actions even when things turn out badly. Life is a chancy thing. Anyone can be hurt at any time. And while this does fit the definition of freak accident, it’s not the only one. People have fallen, been pushed or stumbled over railings at almost any ballpark or stadium you care to name. Going to any event has its own inherent risks. That so many of us seem ignorant of that fact points to how safe our society in general must be. But it’s not perfect and short of wrapping us in bubble wrap and locking us in our houses, there’s no way we can prevent every single accident. That’s the nature of accidents. Life comes with no guarantees. Lawyers and courts and countless others try to mitigate that fact. But it is a fact and the sooner we all stop seeking to blame, the sooner we can move on as a society.
By Ellen K, July 8,2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)