Take Your Daughter/Son to Work, Etc.

I was flipping through the channels the other night and I saw a discussion regarding the merits of the "Take Your Daughter/Son to Work" day. Some guy, who thinks he knows everything about education, said that it is just a day off for most kids. Obviously, this guy hasn't been in a school recently. Most school districts allow certain grades 7th, 8th, or 10th, for example, to use the day for career exploration. Related assignments are given and students report on their findings. The assignment usually involves a questionnaire and a written report. Some teachers will even arrange the particular visits for those students who cannot/will not have a pre-arranged visit. I have seen many of these visits turn into real motivators for some students.

By the way, when was the last time you were in a school? With new security in the schools, random visits are not acceptable. However, if you contact a teacher or principal, you might be able to see what is really going on in the classroom. Schools are very different from the days I was in elementary or even high school. Teachers today have to teach, counsel, beg for books and supplies, keep up with certification, maintain records for the No Child Left Behind Act, grade papers, call and e-mail parents, meet with parents, keep order in the classroom while meeting the needs of every child, and other fun stuff.

A teacher has to develop eyes behind her/his head. A good teacher has to be prepared for the unexpected in the classroom: a fight between students, a student having a seizure, someone refusing to work, etc., etc., etc. Some people think that giving parents school vouchers is a good thing. Many of the charter schools are understaffed and poorly supplied. Many of the teachers are not even properly certified. We need to provide enough funding for schools ---- not for wars and tax breaks.

Remove Radical Republicans

The next election can't get here soon enough. We MUST vote out the Radical Republican extremists. Tom DeLay's party wants to put a federal agent at every death bed. He wants to participate in the most intimate decisions of sex, birth, and death. Do you want Tom DeLay, Senator Frist, and the radical republican extremists showing up at your bedroom, hospital bed, or death bed???? I don't. The image of those extremists makes me ill. Who do they think they are?

If you haven't checked out rawstory.com's article about Jeff Gannon/Guckert, get over there fast. How was Jeffie-boy able to get in and out of the White House so easily and so frequently? Who was he visiting? Amazing!

Separation of Church and State

When our forefathers and foremothers created this country, they do so with the idea of separation of church and state. No church would be the "official state church" and decisions would be made without the help of the church. Many immigrants came to this country to flee religious persecution. Today, however, we have people who want to impose their religious beliefs on others.

I am a Roman Catholic and I do not agree with Senator Frist, Mr. Dobson, and their ilk. I can hold my religious beliefs but will not impose them on others. Bush and his right wing wacko supporters are upset because only 10 judges have not been confirmed. Bush and his supporters say it is because these judges are people of faith. Bull! The 10 judges are far right wingers whose verdicts and decrees are not within the beliefs of normal Americans. When the right wing republicans were in charge of the senate when Clinton was President, 60 people were barred from even having hearings for judgeships. 60>10!!!!!!!!!!!! Some loon on Faux News said that the filibuster has never before been used except by these Democrats. Lies. Mr. Frist has employed the filibuster but apparently he doesn't want the otherside to use it.

What is the thing about Democrats against people of faith? Ridiculous! Democrats are against these loony judges that Bush has put up for lifelong federal judgeships. Frist and the righties need to shut up because they already control the House, the Senate, and the White House. What more do they want?

Numbers

Tom DeLay's party has claimed that the Democratic Party members have blocked votes on 10 Bush judicial nominees. However, when President Bill Clinton was in the White House, republicans refused to bring more than 60 judicial nominees' names to the senate floor. For those of you who are unsure about the math equation, it would be the following: 60>10.

I saw a great bumper sticker the other day which said "A federal agent at every deathbed." This is what we all want. There you are at your loved one's deathbed, and Tom DeLay and Rick Santorum show up to interfere in this personally emotional time.

Undercover Democrats

The Watergate investigation brought down Nixon and investigative reporters Woodward and Bernstein were partly responsible for digging up tons of dirt. Are there investigative reporters today? I don't think so. Many reporters just repeat the information handed to them from the government and corporate public relations firms. This is why bloggers have had such success reporting the news.

I saw a great story at rawstory.com. Apparently, there is a big fundraiser for DeLay going on tonight in D.C. and it is being thrown by Fluor, an energy company, and Jack Abramoff. It is being held at 403 East Capitol St. SE. Wouldn't it be cool if we had "undercover democrats," disguised as waiters, working the event and taking pictures? What if there were real investigative reporters in D.C. who could infiltrate the room and guest list? I could dream!

Done With It

Today I have decided that I'm done with the following items:

1. American Idol-- I don't care. These people are not my idols because I am over 40 and most of them are terrible. Two of the guys need to brush their teeth more often.
2. People who drive SUV's. Get over yourself. Stop using all the oil and gasoline for future generations.
3. Stock market analysts. They are all full of it and they are only guessing what has or may happen.
4. Social Security Reform. With the stock market falling to new lows, the plan touted by the president is absolutely gone from serious consideration. Of course, it wasn't any good from the beginning.
5. Wal-Mart------You won't get any money from me.


I am still strong on the following:

1. Air America Radio- It is intelligent, thoughtful, funny, and a great additon to the radio.
2. Honda Civic Hybrid Cars- I love mine! I have gotten as much as 53mpg on the highway. I am doing my part to save the planet! What are YOU doing?
3. Speaking my mind- I will call or e-mail those people who piss me off.

Don't forget to get after those conservatives because they have never been right.

Monday Money

Pastor Rod Parsley of the World Harvest Church had a big shindig this past weekend with special appearances by Ann Coulter and Alan Keyes. For a small donation of $1000, or $2500, or $5000, a person received reserved tickets, a chance to meet the special guests, and free books. That really seems excessive. It would have been better for a person to donate that money to a local soup kitchen to feed the poor and unemployed. It would have made a greater impact on someone's life.

As of this minute, a new pope has not been selected. We watch and wait.

In today's New York Times, there is a story about Ralph Reed, former Right-to-Lifer, and now a republican candidate for lt. governor in Georgia. Unfortunately, Mr. Reed's "consulting firm" took $4million from Tom DeLay's friend, Abramoff. Are there any republicans who did not receive money from Abramoff?

I have a few blogs that I check a lot: mydd.com, rawstory.com, dailykos.com. I think they are all very well done.

Sunday's Thoughts

Tomorrow the cardinals will begin voting for a new pope. I wish them good luck because it cannot be an easy job.

More American service members were killed in Iraq this weekend. As a person who remembers the politics and the controversy of the war in Viet Nam, it pains me to hear of these deaths. These young people are someone's father, mother, sister, brother, or friend. This whole war was an effort by this administration to pay back Saddam for attempting to kill president # 41 and get oil. Our people are dying for oil and some neoconservative idea. It is ridiculous. We need to bring our people home from Iraq now!

Saturday

Ohio's unemployment rate for March was 6.2 percent. That is a very inaccurate statistic. There are so many people who are unemployed and have given up looking for work. How do I know that people are out of work? More and more individuals and families are showing up at food banks and church soup kitchens for food. When you can't feed the kids, you know things are bad.

Our state legislature keeps giving tax breaks to businesses to try to attract new companies to this state. However, few companies are moving here and even fewer are hiring people. The state legislature cannot figure out how to manage school funding even though they are under a court order to create a new method other than using property taxes. The legislature members will brag about all the great things they have done like build good roads and pass the DOMA (why can't everyone marry?), but they cannot and will not work on a fair school funding program for this state. One technology company wanted to move to Ohio with plans to hire hundreds of people. However, the company wanted to know what rights gays had in the state. Were gays permitted to have insurance for life partners and other things? Our state leaders said they did not support rights for gays and life partners. Of course, the company located to another place. It is refreshing to know that the republicans are so draconian!!!!!!

Did I mention that governor Taft (a republican) and his republican party control the state government? They are a bunch of idiots!

On the upside, the Ohio State Buckeyes will have their spring game next Saturday, the 23rd.

Republicans

Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA, but really of VA) is such a hypocrite. He has the Penn Hills school district reimburse an online charter school $100,000 when he is not even a resident of the state. I hope that the people of Pennsylvania vote him out because he does not deserve to represent them. Did you know that when he appeared at the hospice where Teri Schiavo was a patient that he made his trip on a Wal-mart corporate jet?


According to the April 3rd, 2005, Toledo Blade, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation has invested money in rare coins which just happens to be managed by a republican contributor! Why didn't they invest the money in Beanie Babies or carnival glass? For additional information, check http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050403/NEWS24/504030349. The article written by Mike Wilkinson and James Drew, has some startling information about the stupid people in the Ohio republican administration.