Learn 'em Good

OK – Let’s ruffle some feathers today. When I was a student in Northern Indiana in the 50’s and 60’s, we had our share of problems with teachers.  My 4^th grade teacher had a nervous breakdown. My 7^th grade history teacher would beat us over the head with her lesson book if we were not paying attention. Many of our teachers were deemed too tough on us by giving us reams of homework and forcing us to learn things that seemed over our heads or too unimportant at the time for us to worry about. But, on no occasion with any teacher in my entire K – 12 career, did I ever run into a teacher that was just plain too dumb. Being a stupid teacher seems to have become more commonplace in the 70’s and beyond. I remember a friend’s son bringing home a short paper he wrote in 8^th grade English to show his father. His grade was an F. But the teacher explained why with the following sentence. “This don’t make no sense!” Ironically, I read the paper and it was pretty well written for an 8^th grader and it made perfect sense. But, of course, that’s not the point here. That teacher teaches English!

Conventional theories tend to lay the blame directly on the teacher’s union for the problems in education today. That may be a little harsh. There are a large number of problems. The most glaring is the fact that we leave it up to government to educate our children. I realize that is a rather general statement, but do the math. How many really successful government businesses are there today? Yet we expect the Federal Government to properly educate our children. It ain’t going to happen.

However, I think we do need to look at the union when it comes to the diminishing quality of educators in America today. We have seen it in so many industries through the years. It is a natural effect of raising salaries, raising benefits and quite simply upsetting the balance of a company’s business model. Something has got to give. With the UAW, it resulted in a lower quality of automobiles. With the American Federation of Teachers, it has resulted in a lower quality of teachers educating our children.

Is it any wonder that private schools and even home schooling has a much higher success rate of educating young people than government, union backed teachers? I recently read that they are finding inaccuracies in resumes where applicants falsely state that they were home-schooled because they are embarrassed that they actually received a government-based education.

It’s sad, but inevitable. The government does not usually run a business based on profits or growth. They base their models on creating a businesses or bureaucracy that will result in votes. They do not need profits because they have Americans, through taxes, to support the business. It has been that way since Teddy Roosevelt, and maybe even before. It is just one of those things that will probably never go away. But should we be using our children’s education as a vote-buying tool or a means for protecting inept teachers from themselves?

But then again,

“I’m Just Saying”

That's Just Rude!

This is quickly becoming the decade of rudeness. I once drove across town to a Sears store to buy a lawn mower. I promptly asked for assistance from a man that was touted as the expert in all types of mowers. My first question was about the difference between the reasonably-priced mower and the over-priced one. As he was beginning his explanation, the phone next to the cash register rang and he excused himself and walked over to answer it. He then began to discuss chain saws to the person on the other end of the phone. After he walked past me to check to see if they had the model chain saw the person who called was seeking, he went back to the phone and continued his discussion with this person who - 1. Was probably sitting on the phone in his Barcalounger and boxers and 2. Did not drive across town to stand in the Sears store and wait until all phone queries were taken care of, as I apparently did.

That was about 10 years ago; before I-Phones, I-Pads and laptops. Today that sort of rudeness has taken on a level beyond my imagination when I was growing up. Where is it written that – No matter who you are with at any given time, the person on the phone is more important to talk to – or text, or email, or Facebook, or Twitter?

I arrived at a nice restaurant a few weeks back to see an old friend and do a little catching up. It had been five years since we had seen each other after he moved away. I thought we were equally excited to pick up where we left off and share the good and the bad. Even before we ordered drinks, his I-Phone blared the Indiana University fight song and he immediately began to read his latest text. After he chuckled, he started texting back. Not long after that, he told me what drink to order him, excused himself and went outside to make a call. I finished my first drink, ordered another and waited, and waited . . . and waited. I’m guessing thirty minutes later he came in and sat down. He explained that it was too noisy in the restaurant to talk on the phone before but now the place had cleared out a bit and he could hear better. How wonderful for him. We ordered dinner. The I.U. fight song again jolted me to attention. This time he looked scornfully at the text, said something nasty about his ex and began texting with authority. OK . . .you know where this one is going. When I left him walking to his car, he was reading his email on his I-Phone. I know nothing more about his life now than I did before our dinner; except that he is really pissed at his ex-wife.

I am aware that when I write these little rants, I should offer a solution or two to help with the problem. I really do not have an answer to this one. So I’m going to throw it out to the few people who are currently reading my blog and ask for help. What can we do or say to politely remind our friends that we took the time to be right there in front of them and would like to spend some quality time visiting them without sharing our visit with their ex-wife? I know. I think I just answered my own question.

As usual, if you do not want to "join" this Google Blog, you can email me with your thoughts at:
cdrake1@hotmail.com 


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Thanks -

Just Suppose

Let’s role play; just for fun. Let’s say you are a good friend of mine. Let’s say I recently found out I have diabetes and lung cancer. Now, let’s say I need $650,000 worth of medical care to live past next year. Well, I have no money. So I call you up. I remind you that we are friends and tell you that I need help. If you would just cover 90% of my medical expenses for the next year, I will agree to pay you $200.00 a month for the next year. What’s that you say? You can’t afford to do that? You say you would go broke yourself if you do that? Well . . .wait just a minute, “friend”! Our federal government says because I live in America, the greatest nation on earth, I deserve to use your money for my medical expenses (even though it is a guaranteed loss to you since I’m already sick) What’s that? Why do I deserve it you ask? Because you have a lot more money than I do and that’s not fair. You are a lot more fortunate than I am so I deserve your money. Oh really? You don’t want to role play anymore? Well, just damn.

As ridiculous as that scenario sounds, that is exactly what the insurance companies in the United States are being asked to do. Like so many other bills that get passed in Washington by people who do not even understand the economics of running a paper route, the offer of goods and services through the use of supply and demand, doesn’t make sense to them when they have the power to plunder. Amazingly, they seem to be scratching their heads as to how the companies that were given millions or billions of dollars in the stimulus program are already going out of business. As they continue to demonize the concept of profits, they don’t understand that a business has to grow, or die. Breaking even is not an option. I sometimes feel that the bunch of idiots with their Ivy League degrees need to take 9^th grade econ. 101. It is all there.

Insurance companies are not the bad guys as so many progressives want to imply. All they do is make an offer for individuals to enter into a contract; this for that. If you agree with the terms of the contract, sign it and pay your premiums. If you do not agree, do not sign it and that’s that. Yes, premiums are very high. Gee, I wonder why that is. Is it because insurance companies are greedy and want you to die? Probably not. If an insurance company could charge the lowest premium in the country, they would be on cloud nine since they found a way to beat their competitors. Their sales would rocket up and they would grow. If you die, there’s no more growth for the insurance company. So what in the world (or in America) could it be? What about the strangling regulations handed down by an overzealous government? What about the horrendously exorbitant lawsuits which are encouraged because congress and the Administration will not even consider tort reform? Oh, and maybe it would be nice to allow all “national” insurance companies to do business in every state in the “Nation”. Nope, there are way too many lawyers in congress for that one.

OK, those are just three, but that is enough. Open up state borders to all insurance companies, cut the bureaucratic red tape significantly and implement tort reform (all three things would not hurt one citizen of the United States or cost a dime) and you would see health insurance premiums plummet. It would save individuals on their monthly bills, give business the ability to offer higher salaries through insurance savings and save countless lives by opening up new private funds for medical research and cheaper drugs.

But . . .

I’m Just Saying

Tell me what you think.

cdrake1@hotmail.com