Why another $50 billion, Mr. Obama?

The Coast Guard has given BP a 48 hour mandate to show improvement or else. Not sure what that or else will be. At the same time President Obama is pushing congressional leaders to pass additional $50B to assist states and local governments. The additional money will be used to keep layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters. I know when the original stimulus bill was passed many, including myself, warned that it was a temporary fix. When will the Obama administration understand that government spending will not bring us out of the recession?

Government needs to re-prioritize their goals. Hamburg faced a threat of losing Local Government Assistance (LGA) from the state of Minnesota in order to balance the budget. After the dust settled, Hamburg did see a cut in LGA funds but not as deep as originally anticipated. The ripple effect we experience is that local governments have become dependent on LGA, the state government dependant on Federal handouts, and where does that leave the Federal government?

I know that people rail against the TEA Party movement for their demands of smaller government. The extra money that Obama is looking for is the exact reason why TEA Party supporters are demanding smaller government. Now, smaller government does not have to mean less government; rather it means smarter government. We cannot sustain the trajectory of government employment, we cannot sustain the trajectory of spending that we have seen over the past four year, and we cannot sustain the trajectory of lost freedoms in a free society. Congress is correct to ignore the extra money Obama is requesting of them. The United States cannot continue to bailout poor financial decisions of all levels of government. Hard choices need to be made and it is time for Americans to demand that of government at every level.

New Jersey deficit fight may become Americans deficit fight

While sipping on some Chai Tea this morning and watching Morning Joe, Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey was on explaining the cuts being made to balance the budget. An ad was also shown that is being run by the teachers union in New Jersey stating that cuts being proposed by Governor Christie will hurt the children in the state. Currently New Jersey is facing a $10.7 billion deficit and teachers are outraged with the proposed cuts to education. On Morning Joe, Governor Christie mentioned that part of his plan is to ask the teachers of New Jersey to freeze their pay for a year and contribute 1.5% of their salary toward health care. Currently the teachers in New Jersey pay nothing toward their health care benefits. Earlier in the year Governor Christie successfully implemented a similar 1.5% contribution from all state workers so why are the teachers balking?

Madeline Avery of Absegami High School said, "He could fix this problem by reinstating the millionaire's tax and restore the money Trenton has promised New Jersey schools" (http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php?id=12844). David Rosen, legislative budget and finance officer, does not believe that reinstating the "millionaire's tax" will result in wealthy residents leaving the state and points to Maryland's 2008 tax increase on millionaires as proof (http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/04/new_jersey_analyst_says_rich_s.html). Can one make that assumption from state to state?

Many of you may be asking yourself why I am talking about budget deficits in New Jersey when I live in Minnesota. The reason for bringing this to light is that New Jersey has a Governor that is making tough decisions and is not looking for a Federal government handout. With other states, like California, teetering on the brink of Greece like trouble and looking for the Federal Government to intervene is alarming. Taxes are not the answer in every case. Residents of these states and Americans in general need to demand more accountability from our elected officials. Just as each of us understand that we cannot run our households with maxed out credit cards. When I was laid off last year, I didn't turn to the government to pay my bills or ask my neighbors to chip in extra to make my house payment. Instead, along with my wife, I sat down and looked at my savings, checking and budget to determine what changes were required.

Why do we not expect and demand the same from our government? Why do some feel the answer is just to tax the rich? States, to not fall like Greece, need their residents to buck up and demand more from their elected officials to be fiscally responsible. No longer can our States rely on the Federal Government for a bailout. That form of a bailout will impact every America as it will be States that are responsible to pay the bill. Or are we giving up on State Soverienty?

Californians: LGBT issues do not belong in the K-5 curriculum

According to KCBS News in San Francisco, elementary school teachers in Alameda, CA, plan to add lesson plans that will address gay and lesbian issues. The goal of the plan is to introduce students to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) issues in hopes to mitigate bullying and teasing of LGBT children. The classes will be offered to K-5 students. Parents who oppose the addition complain their children are too young to be exposed to the material.

Elementary school is not the proper place to discuss the complex topic of LGBT issues. Since the Alameda school district’s legal team deemed the curriculum not health or sex education prevents parents from allowing their children to opt-out which is something California schools require for all health or sex educational classes. Requiring all students to participate in LGBT issues is not core to the elementary curriculum.

The LGBT issues, at least at this age, ought to be left to the parents. Understandably there will be a set of parents, for various reasons, oppose the LGBT lifestyle and will not educate their children as others may. American schools already see their budgets stretched thin and face new threats as budget cuts loom. The public school system needs to get back to the basics and re-think the system.

Public schools, especially K-5, need to focus on math, reading, writing, and science in order to create a solid foundation. Once the foundation is established complex classes, like LGBT issues, can be understood. For K-5 a shift away from the tradition classroom setting needs to take place. Too many kids are restless in class then ultimately get labeled. Part of the reason for the restlessness is boredom.

Bring back the one room school house. Having a single teacher responsible for K-5 studies that concentrate on the basics will allow students to progress at their own pace. For instance, a 6 year old entering Kindergarten may already be at a 2nd grade reading level. Why not allow that child to learn what the 2nd graders are learning while participating with in math, writing, and science at the Kindergarten level? It is time for teachers to become educators.

Classes dealing with LGBT issues have no business being taught to K-5 students; rather the proper place is during normal sex/health education classes. Educators are required for our K-5 students that have the ability to move the child along based on their abilities.

ADD Children are not the problem, Education system is.

The weekly Friday night recreational fire took place again last night. Prior to igniting the wood we did check with the local fire crew to determine if any fire ban was in place. The only restrictions was to keep it to 2x2. Not a big deal for us since our fire rarely gets larger then that. Just in case, the hose was primed and ready. The wind was very still, evident by the smoking escaping the flames going straight upward.

The usual suspects appeared and discussion of the week events ensued. As the fire dwindled down conversation switched to ADD children and teachers. While the conversation intesified at times, decorum remaind respectful.

All to often "trouble" children get labeled with ADD and teachers push them off onto others to assist. The problem, in most cases, is not the child nor does the child have ADD. The trouble falls on the education system and the teachers that allow it to continue. Most children with ADD are bored with school because it does not offer the challenge they seek.

America already spends more money per capita then any other industrialized nation. Why? It is not that we do not spend enough; rather how we allocate it. Smaller class sizes and more teachers is not the answer either. Recognition is the answer. We all learn at different rates and absorb information differently. Why is it then that our educational system is not geared toward that.

Teacher's Union is the stumbling block. Don't get me wrong, unions have their purpose while at the same time create bureaucracy that stifles change in our educational system. Charter schools are slowly getting on the right track to educating our youth. More effort needs to be made in the acceleration of learning of kids deemed "ADD".

If Albert Einstein started school today he would be quickly labeled a trouble children and been sent down the road of ADD. Imagine the loss to science and the world. Now this does not mean all children with ADD will become Einstein. What it means is that they will not be encourage to become Einstein.