Here's a quick video showcasing the clear and powerful message of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. It was taken from the final moments of a Townhall in Robbinsville. Where's Robbinsville you ask? I don't know. But this video is so good. Take a gander:
Bring it!
June 3, 2010
May 14, 2010
The Cartel
Cory and I attended the same junior high and high schools, and while we did not have many of the same teachers, we shared very similar experiences. Unfortunately the majority of these "formative" educational experiences left me feeling as if I was being babysat and not taught.
Why were we babysat? Why were expectations so low? Well, the truth of the matter is that in order to pass the students from one grade to the next, the teachers and school systems dumbed down the curriculum and lowered expectations. You see this is a win-win situation when it comes to working with adolescents and entrenched teachers. Let's look at the mindset of each of the actors in this "play." The kids are like cows searching the pasture fence for any opening, any area of escape, and any way to get by with the least amount of work. The teachers including administrators are afraid of risk and have to justify their existence through the "success" of their students. You put these two mentalities together and it is a perfect storm for a teaching system that makes the failing tail of the normal curve passing, while giving the majority of the students who are the middle and overachieving tail of the curve little incentive to do anything other than passively witness the crazy daily events of school-like some skinhead kid getting his head stomped by three "large" LVL girls, etc.
Cory's videos point out that the teachers, and more their unions call for increased funding to raise the level of teaching and positively change student outcomes. What this infers is that the teachers are either purposefully holding back their best instruction for more money, or that magically an additional 20 or 50 dollar bill in their back pocket will change them into master-teachers. Either way these justifications really support the ouster of these self-serving molders-of-young-minds. (Think of that, these are the people that are influencing our kids on school days!) Additionally, if all it takes is a larger salary, why not pull toothless-Joe, or Colt-45 Smith off of the streets, put the money in their pockets and "bling" magically they are master-teachers raising the level of education leading to better educated young people.
Of course we aren't going to put toothless-Joe or Mr. Malt Liquor into the classroom, but why do we allow those who teach at the level that Joe and Malt would teach at to remain? The answer is because the teacher's union is a cartel that works for the teachers best interests irrespective of the needs of the students. Watch the trailer to the new documentary so appropriately named "The Cartel."
While we have to be pragmatic-we can't fire all teachers, nor would we need to, but we should fire between 10-25% of all teachers (those that we can realistically expect to be failing) (pragmatism tells us that it's not possible for 100% of teachers to be successful). Fire the bad, give raises to those who are exceptional, and develop those who are good. And as for the teachers unions...shame on you! You rob the taxpayer while delivering a poor product! What should they get for their deceit? Let Willy Wonka tell-ya!
(An aside, the teachers union and teachers in general supported the public option of healthcare reform, and why not, they are the ultimate public option-a failing and inept public option. The only option for too many students).
The decision is ours, the course is before us, and the votes that will make a difference are upcoming. We must support and elect true leaders who will support school reform (not leaders who send their daughters to private schools while supporting the removal of the voucher program for kids in the same DC area-but what do you expect from Mr. O). Leaders like NJ gov. Chris Chistie who is kicking butt and taking names in battling the teachers union for the NJ kids and families. (Check out this link for Teacers Unions Exposed)
In the words of world famous artists, we need to fight for our right, to "education."
Why were we babysat? Why were expectations so low? Well, the truth of the matter is that in order to pass the students from one grade to the next, the teachers and school systems dumbed down the curriculum and lowered expectations. You see this is a win-win situation when it comes to working with adolescents and entrenched teachers. Let's look at the mindset of each of the actors in this "play." The kids are like cows searching the pasture fence for any opening, any area of escape, and any way to get by with the least amount of work. The teachers including administrators are afraid of risk and have to justify their existence through the "success" of their students. You put these two mentalities together and it is a perfect storm for a teaching system that makes the failing tail of the normal curve passing, while giving the majority of the students who are the middle and overachieving tail of the curve little incentive to do anything other than passively witness the crazy daily events of school-like some skinhead kid getting his head stomped by three "large" LVL girls, etc.
Cory's videos point out that the teachers, and more their unions call for increased funding to raise the level of teaching and positively change student outcomes. What this infers is that the teachers are either purposefully holding back their best instruction for more money, or that magically an additional 20 or 50 dollar bill in their back pocket will change them into master-teachers. Either way these justifications really support the ouster of these self-serving molders-of-young-minds. (Think of that, these are the people that are influencing our kids on school days!) Additionally, if all it takes is a larger salary, why not pull toothless-Joe, or Colt-45 Smith off of the streets, put the money in their pockets and "bling" magically they are master-teachers raising the level of education leading to better educated young people.
Of course we aren't going to put toothless-Joe or Mr. Malt Liquor into the classroom, but why do we allow those who teach at the level that Joe and Malt would teach at to remain? The answer is because the teacher's union is a cartel that works for the teachers best interests irrespective of the needs of the students. Watch the trailer to the new documentary so appropriately named "The Cartel."
While we have to be pragmatic-we can't fire all teachers, nor would we need to, but we should fire between 10-25% of all teachers (those that we can realistically expect to be failing) (pragmatism tells us that it's not possible for 100% of teachers to be successful). Fire the bad, give raises to those who are exceptional, and develop those who are good. And as for the teachers unions...shame on you! You rob the taxpayer while delivering a poor product! What should they get for their deceit? Let Willy Wonka tell-ya!
(An aside, the teachers union and teachers in general supported the public option of healthcare reform, and why not, they are the ultimate public option-a failing and inept public option. The only option for too many students).
The decision is ours, the course is before us, and the votes that will make a difference are upcoming. We must support and elect true leaders who will support school reform (not leaders who send their daughters to private schools while supporting the removal of the voucher program for kids in the same DC area-but what do you expect from Mr. O). Leaders like NJ gov. Chris Chistie who is kicking butt and taking names in battling the teachers union for the NJ kids and families. (Check out this link for Teacers Unions Exposed)
In the words of world famous artists, we need to fight for our right, to "education."
The Lottery
It's been a while since I've posted anything here...been busy. Here's something I thought was interesting though, and I thought it was worth putting up.
Also, an old favorite of mine:
You have to appreciate what big government, heavy bureaucracy can do to us. God bless America. May we rid ourselves of this sort of crap very soon.
Also, an old favorite of mine:
You have to appreciate what big government, heavy bureaucracy can do to us. God bless America. May we rid ourselves of this sort of crap very soon.
February 23, 2010
Healthcare Reform for a Heterogeneous Society
Remember when you were young, and your parents gave you your first puzzle game? You know, that wooden box with different shapes cut out of the top, and similarly shaped wooden pieces that could only fit into a corresponding hole. Remember how you kept trying to put the triangle or square piece into the circle hole, over-and-over again. You would put it on it
s side and try to pass the piece through...nope. You would try twisting it in an attempt to squeeze it through...nope. Then you would try to ram the piece through the hole by placing both of your little carny-like hands over the piece while delivering as much force as your tiny body and over-sized head could deliver...but nope. Then, just when you were about to give up, you noticed another hole, just to the right of the one you just learned to hate...and you tried again. Maybe that was the right hole...maybe it wasn't, but eventually you learned that you have to put each piece into its corresponding hole, and that it doesn't work out well if you try to force a square through a circle hole, or a triangle through a star shaped hole.Most adults can claim that they learned that principle when they were young, however, there remain those who don't understand that the block fitting game is not just a lesson impacting how we treat circle, square, or triangle pieces of wood, but that it is a metaphor for how we should approach our interactions with one another. I
speak specifically regarding how specific political leaders have proposed, and are bent on enacting legislation, in this current case, healthcare reforms, that move the federal government and the provision of healthcare in the direction of treating each American as if he or she were a circle-piece. This mistaken outlook on governance and warped view of America stems in large part due to the hubris and elitist mentality of some of our elected leaders( cough-cough Reid, Pelosi, cough Obama) .These elitists truly believe that it is their right to construct legislation that protects us from ourselves...because the truth is that we are a very stupid populace, that had sufficient mental capabilities to mark next to a name or two on a ballot, yet cannot make any additional decisions for the remainder of our lives. You see, this small group of men and women are so much smarter than us that they can, with one awkward lefty swoop of the
president's pen, enact legislation that will create a utopian society for you and me, where the vibrant colors of every union will mark our new national flag. Of course this is their imperative duty, which if omitted, will lead to the destruction of our society due to the mismanaged actions of the common folk (eww wash your hands, you just touched one of the common).In essence, these elitists see us as 300 million Homer Simpsons, whose only purpose in life is to drink Duff Beer (OH YEAH!) and eat donuts. And somehow, these elitists, are immune to the cause of our homeritis, and have some type of royal line of blood, which enables them to be omniscient.
Well, Mr. and Ms. Elite...since you know all, you must know what I think about you? No, not that you are the messiah...but that you think you are king and queen...able to dictate what should occur in your kingdom while you sit on your throne. Well, the only king I'm ok with at this point, is the o
nly king w
ho gets it because he serves me, and knows I want to have it "my way." I'm glad that the colonists weren't down with King George III, and that the majority of the population is demonstrating that they are not down with king Barack. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like he is getting the message, as he is still trying to build upon the work of other king-types such as FDR and LBJ, both of whom dreamed of a utopia while their 
legislation in reality leads to government-sanctioned 
mediocrity.So why shouldn't Obama be impeded in his pursuit of a "more fair and just" healthcare safety net? Doesn't this safety net fit along-side the social security and medicare safety nets? The answer to the later question will help answer the first. The problem with the Obama healthcare reform proposal is that it aims to establish the federal government as the responsible party in protecting the dumb masses from themselves...just like we cannot be expected to save for of our retirement nor for our medical bills once we are older adults...we really can't be expected to make healthcare decisions for ourselves currently. Unfortunately, when we concede our right to provide for ourselves, including for our future, to the federal government, we also concede a great deal of our individual freedoms, and as postulated previously we will be treated as if we are homogeneous blocks and forced to both buy into a system that the government regulates (a circle hole), which will never meet our individual needs.
It is i
mportant that the structure you position yourself to "fall" into is really a safety net and not a spiders web because the architects of the two have very different outcomes in mind for those who fall into their nets or should I say, webs. While
these safety nets are proposed as keeping individuals and families from hitting "rock bottom," as well intended as they might have been, they in many cases act as webs entrapping more people than actually helped.We must tell the elitists that we don't want them to try to smash us through th
e same hole! We must tell them that we want freedom to choose! And, if they continue to not listen, or even worse, hear us but obstinately move forward in "ruling" us, we will be forced to get them the hell out of office, and elect leaders who respect the American people and their individual right to freedom!In regards to healthcare reform, it is true that we do need reform-just not reform that harms more Americans than it helps. We need to allow competition across state lines (allowing individuals to purchase insurance from states that don't have as many cost-increasing unnecessary regulations), by allowing individuals and families to have the same tax breaks as companies when it comes to purchasing healthcare/insurance (currently a company can purchase health insurance on your behalf using pre-tax dollars-money that is figured into your total compensation-while you must use post-tax dollars if you buy health insurance on your own), and reforming malpractice law so that practitioners don't have to practice as much defensive medicine and start dedicating themselves to aggressive and efficient medicine (about 1 out of every 4 dollars goes towards defensive med). Of course there will still be individuals and
families that cannot afford insurance even though they work hard and want to purchase it. Appropriate reforms would allow these individuals to use as much of their own funds as possible, with assistance from the community, to buy into the same policies as you and me. Otherwise, they are stuck in a government run system that leads to poorer quality care and less access to care. These are reforms that protect the ability of the individual to choose what works best for him or her and his or her family. Since we aren't all circles, we must allow each to find and choose what works best for his or her own needs and wants.
February 1, 2010
Balance the budget the easy way
Last week I got back from a trip. Like always, I enjoy flying. It is a great way to travel. How can you beat it? You get to sit there, watch a few mindless movies and they bring you food and drink. You don't have to think about anything or do anything. Great right? Well it used to be better.
Back before 9/11 was the good days of flying. You could show up to the airport 30 minutes before your flight and still be able to board the plane. They were days that we didn't worry about the terrorists or if we had to much liquid in our carry on. There was not fear about someone using the cutlery to kill you or if you had bombs that wouldn't blow up even if you tried. They were days when you didn't have to take your coat off to go through the metal detector and didn't have to take your laptop out of your bag. They were great days without loads of mindless rules that even a small child could circumvent.
Then 9/11 happened. I remember it well. I was in shock as I am sure you were. As a result we all willingly gave up some of our freedom. Along with it went the joy of easily catching a flight. All in the interest of "safety."
Are we any safer today than we were then? I propose that we are not. In the news we find regular examples of bad guys getting through our airport security only to be caught by the last line of defense, no not the air marshals, they are caught by the other passengers. (The Christmas day bomber)
So what do we get from having the Department of Homeland Security? More security? No, fear mongering. What do the colors they use really tell us? They tell us that we should be even more paranoid about a threat that they repeatedly demonstrate they know absolutely nothing about and know even less about how to stop. Aside from the peddling of paranoia, what do we get? More bureaucracy. I don't like to use buzz words like bureaucracy but that is exactly what it is. Just a piece of history, we took the very same government agency in place who was charged with our airport security pre 9/11, and yet was not able to stop it, and make them the single largest US government agency. I am sure that whoever thought up the idea sits around late and night chuckling to themselves thinking "haha all we had to do was give them a new name and different color shirts and people are thanking us instead of blaming us. "
Mr President- Lets cut the least productive parts of government out. When agencies repeatedly demonstrate that they do not preform the job they are established to provide we should remove them. We need to get rid of the department of Homeland Security. Aside from creating lots of high paid and high pensioned government jobs we all have to pay for now and well into the future, do they benefit America? NO! Any value they add is undone by all of the unintended negative consequences they create.
Lets free these workers. Let them into the work force of America and ask them to provide value to others by providing a service that adds value.
I propose that we get rid of the entire Homeland Security group and allow the people with the record for making our flights safer take charge -the regular passengers. Lets start balancing the budget the easy way.
One more rant before I go. Why cant the TSA (a part of the Homeland Security umbrella) manage to get your bag on the plane after they dig through it? I understand it is their right to invade our privacy when we fly, but it is not their right to invade your privacy, delay your bag to dig through it then force you and the airline to fill the gap. But don't worry they will make up for it by sticking a little note in your bag that lets you know they dug through your underwear. Next time I should leave a well soiled set of underwear inside my suitcase as a surprise. :)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this or on other ways we can eliminate government waste by eliminating the agencies that add no value.
Back before 9/11 was the good days of flying. You could show up to the airport 30 minutes before your flight and still be able to board the plane. They were days that we didn't worry about the terrorists or if we had to much liquid in our carry on. There was not fear about someone using the cutlery to kill you or if you had bombs that wouldn't blow up even if you tried. They were days when you didn't have to take your coat off to go through the metal detector and didn't have to take your laptop out of your bag. They were great days without loads of mindless rules that even a small child could circumvent.
Then 9/11 happened. I remember it well. I was in shock as I am sure you were. As a result we all willingly gave up some of our freedom. Along with it went the joy of easily catching a flight. All in the interest of "safety."
Are we any safer today than we were then? I propose that we are not. In the news we find regular examples of bad guys getting through our airport security only to be caught by the last line of defense, no not the air marshals, they are caught by the other passengers. (The Christmas day bomber)
So what do we get from having the Department of Homeland Security? More security? No, fear mongering. What do the colors they use really tell us? They tell us that we should be even more paranoid about a threat that they repeatedly demonstrate they know absolutely nothing about and know even less about how to stop. Aside from the peddling of paranoia, what do we get? More bureaucracy. I don't like to use buzz words like bureaucracy but that is exactly what it is. Just a piece of history, we took the very same government agency in place who was charged with our airport security pre 9/11, and yet was not able to stop it, and make them the single largest US government agency. I am sure that whoever thought up the idea sits around late and night chuckling to themselves thinking "haha all we had to do was give them a new name and different color shirts and people are thanking us instead of blaming us. "
Mr President- Lets cut the least productive parts of government out. When agencies repeatedly demonstrate that they do not preform the job they are established to provide we should remove them. We need to get rid of the department of Homeland Security. Aside from creating lots of high paid and high pensioned government jobs we all have to pay for now and well into the future, do they benefit America? NO! Any value they add is undone by all of the unintended negative consequences they create.
Lets free these workers. Let them into the work force of America and ask them to provide value to others by providing a service that adds value.
I propose that we get rid of the entire Homeland Security group and allow the people with the record for making our flights safer take charge -the regular passengers. Lets start balancing the budget the easy way.
One more rant before I go. Why cant the TSA (a part of the Homeland Security umbrella) manage to get your bag on the plane after they dig through it? I understand it is their right to invade our privacy when we fly, but it is not their right to invade your privacy, delay your bag to dig through it then force you and the airline to fill the gap. But don't worry they will make up for it by sticking a little note in your bag that lets you know they dug through your underwear. Next time I should leave a well soiled set of underwear inside my suitcase as a surprise. :)
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this or on other ways we can eliminate government waste by eliminating the agencies that add no value.
January 28, 2010
I have a dream...
It is not news that the US National debt is burgeoning out of control and there is no end in site. As of Sunday January 25, 2010 the national debt is 14.3 Trillion dollars. According to the 2007 US census there are 111,162,259 million American households. Dividing 14.3 by 111 thousand give us the grand total owed by each and every US household, $110,790 US dollars from the national debt alone. More info here
Think about this: the US national median household income is $48,200. That means on average each household would need to have each income earner work for over two years just to pay off their current portion of the US national debt!
Don’t worry, it gets worse - Since 2007 our debt has increased by 3.88B a day. At the end of 2005 our national debt was barely over 8 Trillion. In less than 5 years we have almost doubled our debt burden! Yet no one seems to worry. If anything the politicians continue to pander legislation that will requires the government to spend more money on new pet projects without even attempting to propose how they would be paid for. (Taxes or cuts)
The Senate race in Massachusetts last week sent a message to politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike. Suddenly those seeking reelection in the next round are all talking about being fiscally responsible. Great right? No, because talk is not enough and that is all they are doing, talking. We as the American people must hold our elected officials to their campaign buzz words. If they don’t do as they promise and have promised in the past it is time for a new group of elected officials. Here is a good article on the shift in the campaign rhetoric but not in actions.
I have a dream that politicians will worry about the future of America more than being reelected. I have a dream that the people and the politicians alike will worry more about how to solve our problems rather than what party they belong to. I have a dream that we will elect people that actually do what they promise rather than what gets them more money. I have a dream that we will be willing to make hard decisions today that will provide the foundation for a great future.
Every day there are more people who begin to live this dream. They do so one letter and phone call to elected officials at a time. They do so by talking to their friends and neighbors and making them aware of the problem. They do so by blogging on the Sons of Liberty. They do so by not accepting the fiscal recklessness that is rampant is unchangeable.
When we unite we will force a change to fiscal responsibility.
Think about this: the US national median household income is $48,200. That means on average each household would need to have each income earner work for over two years just to pay off their current portion of the US national debt!
Don’t worry, it gets worse - Since 2007 our debt has increased by 3.88B a day. At the end of 2005 our national debt was barely over 8 Trillion. In less than 5 years we have almost doubled our debt burden! Yet no one seems to worry. If anything the politicians continue to pander legislation that will requires the government to spend more money on new pet projects without even attempting to propose how they would be paid for. (Taxes or cuts)
The Senate race in Massachusetts last week sent a message to politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike. Suddenly those seeking reelection in the next round are all talking about being fiscally responsible. Great right? No, because talk is not enough and that is all they are doing, talking. We as the American people must hold our elected officials to their campaign buzz words. If they don’t do as they promise and have promised in the past it is time for a new group of elected officials. Here is a good article on the shift in the campaign rhetoric but not in actions.
I have a dream that politicians will worry about the future of America more than being reelected. I have a dream that the people and the politicians alike will worry more about how to solve our problems rather than what party they belong to. I have a dream that we will elect people that actually do what they promise rather than what gets them more money. I have a dream that we will be willing to make hard decisions today that will provide the foundation for a great future.
Every day there are more people who begin to live this dream. They do so one letter and phone call to elected officials at a time. They do so by talking to their friends and neighbors and making them aware of the problem. They do so by blogging on the Sons of Liberty. They do so by not accepting the fiscal recklessness that is rampant is unchangeable.
When we unite we will force a change to fiscal responsibility.
January 24, 2010
Precious Moments from Days Gone By...
This past week marked the one year anniversary of George W. Bush leaving office. I remember that day well. The way he and his wife remained dignified and polite, even though there were harsh insults being thrown at them from the first several rows of the inauguration attendees (stay classy people). I must admit, I miss President Bush. I admit, I wasn't a fan of his 2nd term fiscal policies, nor of his first term "No Child Left Behind" act, but overall, I did appreciate his unwavering fight for our safety and freedom.
Today, I had a lull in my busy schedule and ventured onto You tube to see what funny videos there were of George W. Bush. There were some funny ones, but this one I found was the funniest of all. This video isn't even of President Bush, it's of Kanye West. It was some sort of telethon for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Take a gander - watch especially Mike Meyers' face at the end.
Just beautiful, isn't it?
Now, I'm not trying to bring up any race arguments, or bring to light any commentary on our society now vs. 2005. What I am trying to say though, is that Kanye West is an utter moron - yet there are sure enough tens of thousands of people, if not more, who actually listen to what he has to say about politics. Granted, most of those people can't vote...because they're either 15, or in jail, or both...so I guess K. West isn't the worst purveyor of retarded liberal tripe, he's just the worst at it.
For a look at another moron - here's Brian Williams on the Today show talking about his interview with President George W. Bush.
I miss W.
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