Give2Attain

Are you Right, Left, Up or Down?

2012-01-27T13:22:00.000-06:00

After years of people trying to fit me into the Left or the Right, and watching the SC surveys that broke Republican voters into many categories, I decided to do some research and add some dimension to the topic. Ironically I still land somewhere between Reagan and Clinton on this chart. (seems about correct)

What are your thoughts on these type of charts or do you believe it is simpler than they make it? I found it interesting that they put Democrat and Conservative both on the Totalitarian side of the line... Seems about correct given their desire to impose their beliefs on others.

Politisite - Take the Test
CIVICA US Political Categories
COBSlog Nolan vs Asplund Chart
NCSU Left / Right
Freedoms Phoenix Nolan Info
Transcend Include One Chart

Unions in the Global Work Force

2012-01-25T07:03:00.000-06:00

It looks like a new topic has found us per my last post and I am very busy, so here we go.

"As for my Union comment. As long as compensation is based on "Years of Service" instead of "Results and Effectiveness", companies in competitive fields are doomed to failure. This is why Unions are only proliferating in the Public sector." G2A

"Republicans have a problem. There economic policies fail when they are put into practice. Eight years of the Bush Administration cost this nation millions of jobs and plunged us into the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. How, exactly, do you spin that? The Republican answer is to find scapegoats. So they blame the housing crisis. Not of course the free market environment that led to the easy money policies that they so fervently supported, and which inflated the budget. Instead, they blame Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose major blunder was to join the party late. Republicans also blame, basically us. We shouldn't have bought homes, we shouldn't have taken out mortgages. We should have been content with our lot in life. And finally, Republicans blame unions. The fact that the union movement is in irreversible decline, a decline which, by the way curiously coincides with the decline of the middle class begun with Ronald Reagan's assault on PATCO, doesn't seem to faze them. It's better even for the Republican attack on unions, that unions are in such a greatly weakened position. It means that they find it very difficult to defend themselves." --Hiram

"Religious" People Confuse Me

2012-01-23T09:45:00.001-06:00

This post was almost called, Attack of the One Issue Voters. Now I am not sold on Romney yet, but how can these "Evangelicals" totally ignore Mr Gingrich's past transgressions? He isn't on his 2nd marriage... He is on his third !!! On top of that he has a questionable ethics record at best. And according to Wiki, he is on his 3rd version of Christianity.

Whereas Romney appears to be a devout Mormon, Husband, Father, etc. Yet somehow the pious church members want to support the individual that aggressively broke one of the top 10 twice. Thoughts?

WP Gingrich and Evangelicals
Huff Post Gingrich Ethics
Wiki Romney
Wiki Gingrich

Pirating Content: SOPA / PIPA

2012-01-18T17:51:00.000-06:00

Well if you have not heard about this topic, I think you had better turn in your web user card on the way out the door. Wiki SOPA and PIPA Apparently our government is considering some laws that would make it challenging and expensive for many web sites to operate.

Being a supposed "Small Government Libertarian", I really do not want the government putting anymore rules on the web or spending my tax dollars enforcing them. Yet due to my strong belief that people should pay others for their work, I am fully in support of doing something. As usual, I AM CONFLICTED !!!

A brief story: when I was younger I would pirate "free" music from my friends by copying it onto cassette tapes. I mean I was broke and my friends had some cool tunes. Yet when I got a job and matured (slightly), I started to truly understand that it was wrong to steal people's intellectual property without paying for it. So I discontinued the practice and began paying for all of my tunes, movies, software, etc. By the way, we do still "share" within the family. (I think that is ok, though I may be rationalizing...)

Now compare this with an acquaintance of mine who has 30,000 songs, another who watches "free" movies instead of renting or buying them, another that rarely buys software, and dozens of other examples of freeloaders extraordinaire. And the scariest part of this is that most of these folks are at least comfortable with their pilferage, if not down right proud of how good of a deal they are getting. On top of this... Many of them are neither young nor broke...

I wonder if these folks would be willing to slip into a bakery and grab a "free" roll while the baker wasn't looking. Or how many go to church on Sunday morning and pledge not to steal, just to come home and download that "free" content.

One more story: In a book named Predictably Irrational by Dan Arielly, they discuss some social experiments they ran and how the results did not always make sense. (a fascinating read) One related to this post is when they placed bottles of pop in a shared college dorm fridge. Not surprisingly, within a few days they were ALL gone. So next they placed a plate with the same number of dollar coins in the fridge. Surprisingly, all coins were still present at the end of the test. Apparently we can rationalize taking things, but have a harder time with cash.

Thoughts? STEALING or A GOOD DEAL?

Mitt Romney?

2012-01-16T09:27:00.000-06:00

I have been spending some time with my peers over at MNPublius, who of course are vilifying Mitt Romney. Which seemed interesting, since I am getting the feeling that he is more of a moderate than the other Republican candidates. Maybe that concerns them since this may allow him tro get more votes, maybe even stealing some from Obama.

So what do you think of Mitt and his candidacy:

Will his Mormom beliefs prevent the Conservative Christians from voting for him?
Is he the evil corporate raider that MNPublius is trying to paint him as?
Are his views on healthcare reform acceptable?
Other important issues?

If he gets the Republican nod, I am thinking he probably has a high likelihood of beating Obama. Probably definitely worth discussing.

MNPublius Romney and Understanding
MNPublius Romney Capitalism goes Wrong
Wiki Romney
Mitt Romney site
Romney Weakness

Correlation Does NOT Imply Causation

2012-01-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

Since the terms Correlation and Causation have come up in our discussions, I decided to provided some serious and humorous links to help folks learn about this concept that is so critical in our normal discussions.

Any good or humorous examples that you would like to add of where people have abused this?

Dilbert Correlation does not imply Causation
Qualtrics Correlation and Causation
Prudent Investor: Correlation vs Causation Cartoon
Wiki Correlation does not imply causation
Stats Help Correlation vs Causation
Youtube: Correlation and Causation - Employee Satisfaction
YouTube: Correlation Does NOT Imply Causation

As it applies to our recent discussions. We know that many things are Correlated to poor test scores. Meaning that they tend occur at the same time. Some include:

Lower incomes
Minorities
Urban
Public Schools

However it is irresponsible to say that lower income, minorities, urban or public school Causes poor test scores.

It is likely that there are a number of additional factors that are not listed that may actually Cause the poor test scores. Some may be:

Less access to books or other supplies
Ineffective Teacher(s)
Too much screen time
Not doing homework / studying
Parents irresponsible / Poor modeling

Questions?

Compensating for Demographics

2012-01-08T21:08:00.000-06:00

J recently left this comment back at G2A Blame vs Contributions and I thought it was worth more attention than it would get back there.

"The school funding formula is SUPPOSED TO "fully compensate" for demographics. If it does not, it is simply one more failure of government to solve the problem that some kids are being systematically deprived of the education "guaranteed" them. I would like to think that, if you started every kid out with the expectation he could learn, and properly nurtured that desire to learn we all have, it wouldn't cost more to educate a poor kid than a rich one. Other than the free lunch.

Of course, I'm willing to see the high differential of the current formula stay in place, so long as results are brought up to somewhere near equal. I mean, I can understand poor results if I'm getting by cheap, or paying more to get better results, but spending more and getting less just does not compute, not to mention the tragic loss of human potential. J. Ewing"

So what are your thoughts on this?

The 2 & 7 School Model?

2012-01-07T10:54:00.001-06:00

I proposed this crazy idea in the previous post's comments.

"I had a creative idea. How about we convert all but 2 of the RAS elementary schools to Magnets? And the only way students can get and stay in is by having Parents that are willing to prove their academic support of the child. This way we can co-locate all the unsupported kids in the 2 "community" schools. Thoughts?"

Currently RAS has 9 Elementary schools. (Forest, Lakeview, Meadow Lake, Neill, Noble, Northport, Spanish Immersion {RSIS}, Sonnesyn, and Zachary Lane) Only Zachary Lane and RSIS are currently meeting AYP. And this Fall RAS will open the new STEAM school.

My rationale is that if we take a rule from the Charter and Private school rule book, we could make the education experience more effective and controlled for the majority of RAS students. And quite likely only 2 schools would be failing AYP when we were done. Imagine if 7 of the schools had admission and continued enrollment requirements that the students and parents both had to meet. And if they slipped from the path, they would be expelled back to the "community" schools.

Now I know that there are probably laws against this sort of thing, but it is an interesting concept. I mean it seems in line with the Conservative's parent choice concept, it gives the Liberal and the Public school folk a way to succeed with the majority that are willing to work hard and perform, and finally it identifies the non-conformists early, and it may enable them to obtain the specialized help they need. And it really is just an extension and sharpening of our current reality.

Of course the cost per student in the "Community" schools will be quite high, but there won't be too many kids there. By the way, I just guessed at 2 of 9 in our district, this may vary by community... Thoughts?

Conservatives Stumped?

2012-01-03T18:51:00.001-06:00

We didn't get very far on this, so I will put it out there again.
G2A Why Neighborhoods Decline?

Repeatedly the Conservative folks point at the "Government" and "Public Schools" as social systems that are failing the Poor citizens of our country. In fact, often it seems that they believe these entities are causing or encouraging the poverty.

Often their solution is to make it easier for the Lucky kids to segregate from the Unlucky kids. (ie open enrollment, vouchers, charters, home schooling, etc) All this being above and beyond the normal means. (ie living in more affluent communities, private schools, etc)

So how does this all apply to our local RAS community? We have elementary schools where the majority of the kids receive free and reduced lunch, and many are not meeting academic expectations. Many middle class and affluent families have run already or they are flocking to the Magnets. This chicken or egg discussion seems pretty important if we intend to reverse some the decline we have been experiencing. Thoughts?

Can a school really compensate for the situational realities of these students and communities? Do we need to do something else above and beyond the schools? Or are we just in the gravitational pull of a growth and decay cycle that most inner ring communities experience?

See Pg 9 of this Link for a Graphic View

For more detail see the links in this post

Another Plea for Support

2012-01-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

In a search for new opinions and commentors, every so often I ask my readers to forward information regarding give2attain to their friends, enemies, anyone that may find the site interesting or those that think differently. Just create an email, address it to your whole contact list, copy the address below and hit send. Or tell them to web search give2attain !!!

Send That Email NOW !!!
http://give2attain.blogspot.com/

And just think, you can support a good cause without even needing to provide a credit card number.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

G2A Super Hero
G2A The Joy of Blog
Jokes Prank New Years Funnies
Saturday Evening Post Funnies
MSNBC NY Resolution Cartoons

Why Neighborhoods Decline?

2011-12-28T09:11:00.000-06:00

We have a chicken or egg discussion going on at multiple locations, so I thought I would post some links and move the G2A discussion to this post.

Speed Gibson Full Steam Ahead
Speed Gibson Does Open Enrollment Work?
G2A Blame vs Contributions

G2A's View
"I don't think I have ever heard of someone open enrolling or moving because of a bad curriculum, bad building or poor Teacher."

J's View
"Of course not, because most of the other problems, the "social problems" and their side-effects, are secondary problems caused by the failure of schools to focus on education."

To add to my view, the older and smaller housing available in these neighborhoods also contributes to the flight to the suburbs.

What do you think? Did poor schools cause the Urban decay or did the Urban decay cause poor results in Urban schools?

Happy Holidays !!!!

2011-12-24T09:47:00.000-06:00

I have to agree with J that it is time for family and the celebration of whatever holiday you and yours celebrate at this time of year. And if you do not have one, check out the links below for some ideas.

Holiday Insights
December Holidays
Education World - December

And for some fun, here are some morse amusing links.

Funny Pics Holiday
Cartoon File Holiday
Glasbergen Holiday
Whipnet Christmas

Merry Christmas !!! Happy Hanukkah !!!
Joyous Time Off !!! or Enjoyable "fill in the blank" !!!

John and Family

Blame vs Contributions

2011-12-20T21:40:00.009-06:00

Since I got a sense that some thought we were picking on the Teachers excessively, I want to talk about another favorite book of mine. Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S., 1999) Thankfully some folks wrote up summaries that I have linked to below.
Peace: Difficult Conversations Summary
Frumi: Difficult Conversations Summary

This is another incredible book if you want to work productively with people that see the world differently than you do. The area of interest for me today is the concept of "Contribution Systems". I have found this to be one of the simplest and most profound concepts. Before learning this I may have "blamed" someone or some group for some unfortunate turn of events, and from my viewpoint it was usually pretty clear who was at fault and it typically was not me.

Now when something goes wrong, I take a little time to think about all the factors and people that may have contributed to the event, and often I do carry some of the burden of responsibility. Finally, if it is important I can then attempt to apportion the blame/responsibility amongst the factors/parties. Now I usually do not do this so that I can club someone, though sometimes it may be useful when negotiating a settlement.

I typically apportion the responsibility to the factors and people so that I can learn from the incident. With this information I can change a policy, train someone, give directions differently, add some checks to my list, fix a flaw, etc, etc, etc. The truly bad mistake is one that people do not learn from, and are therefore doomed to repeat over and over.

Now if we were to create a list of contributing factors with regard to why "so many children are left behind?" What would you add to this starting list I have created?

Parents

Irresponsible, yet they have children
Do drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc. (ie harm child)
Have more children than they can afford
Poor parenting due to laziness or ignorance
Propogating victim / entitlement mind set
Can't speak English (Laurie)
Parents are illiterate (Laurie)
Working 2 or more jobs (Laurie)
Single parent household (Laurie)
Belief systems, behaviors and actions not aligned with "typical American culture"
???

Children

Choose to behave poorly or resist learning
Child is academically or behaviorally challenged for physical, mental or emotional reasons
???

Public K-12 Teacher / Union System

Protect the time served and education based comp system
Resist firing of poor performers
Resist standardized curriculum
Resist competition / limiting options and availability
???

Public K-12 Administration

Protect the time served and education based comp system
Resist firing of poor performers
Resist accountability measures
Resist competition / limiting options and availability
???

Charter and Private K-12 Administration

Fiscal and Result Reporting scandals that damage reputation
Cherry picking good determined students and leaving the others for the public schools to deal with

Belief Systems/Philosophy (may apply across categories)

Soft bigotry of low expectations, expected to fail (JE)
That universal public education is a public good AND entitlement. (JE)
That education can not be run as a business. (JE)
Belief that the Public School model is the only viable model. (JE)
Education is entitlement and social service (JE / NG)
???

State Policies and Laws

Inadequate funding
Too many regulations
Inadequate early childhood education
Inadequate parent training
Inadequate health care
Inadequate social and nutritional systems
Limit competition
Too much or little accountability focus
???

National Policies and Laws

Inadequate funding
Too many regulations
Too much or little testing and measuring
???

American Culture

Too socialist - coddling lazy people
Too capitalistic - coddling rich people
Values Football more than Education
Self centered with little thought of others
Too few volunteers to help the unlucky kids
Rich and Middle Class parents run from Poor neighborhoods and kids. Leaving high density neighborhoods of poor and unlucky students. (ie less funds, fewer volunteers, fewer good role models, more problems, etc)
???

Other Countries/Parties

Foreign infiltration plot (JE)
???

Now this one I am going to do a little different. When you give me ideas I will add them to the list, so start brain storming... Additional sub-headings are also welcome.

Whose Children have been Left Behind?

2011-12-15T16:25:00.002-06:00

One of my Facebook Friends posted regarding the blog post linked below. The thoughts we discussed in Liar Liar seem very related. Here we have a woman that claims to have been a Conservative expert and ardent NCLB supporter claiming that she has seen the evil of her ways and switched sides.

So in this article she in essence says that Charters, Privatization, Testing, Incentive Pay, etc are NOT WORKING, and that we should focus on what seems to me as the typical Liberal / Public School agenda. She references many facts and makes a convincing case.

Being an ardent NCLB supporter, of course I disagree with her. If we don't have active system monitoring that drives system adjustments, we have no idea where we are relative to the goal and no way to correct the system. It would be like a furnace without a thermostat, which makes no sense.

Now I do agree that NCLB does need some tweaks. Below are some links from our previous discussions on the topic. Some of her improvement points definitely make sense, like more early education and hire/keep only highly qualified Teachers. Though I am sure we would disagree regarding what a qualified Teacher is... She seems to like years and degrees... (ie pro-Union?) And I am not sure how she would implement and pay for her ideas.

It seems she believes that if we give the Educational and Social Services groups more money, they'll take care of the problem. Which I find funny since we tried that for decades before NCLB, and the result was a huge gap and a burning platform that allowed NCLB to get passed. (Note: NCLB was a Ted Kennedy bill (ie Liberal), Bush just signed it... She forgot to mention that.)

So what do you think, was she ever "Conservative"? Is she trying to manipulate the information and us? If so, what is her intent/motive? What are your thoughts regarding the article and the topic?

Whose Children have been Left Behind?
by Diane Ravitch on Parents Across America
Parents Across America

G2A AYP, NCLB, PDCA
G2A No More NCLB?
G2A AYP Pick your corner
G2A AYP - The Top 10 List
G2A Sir, The Class is to Hard
G2A High Stds Reqd
G2A Dead Beat Parents
G2A Teaching to Test?

Diane's Top 12

Every pregnant woman should have good pre-natal care and nutrition so that her child is born healthy. One of three children born to women who do not get good prenatal care will have disabilities that are preventable. That will cost society far more than providing these women with prenatal care.
Every child should have the medical attention and nutrition that they need to grow up healthy.
Every child should have high-quality early childhood education.
Every school should have experienced teachers who are prepared to help all children learn.
Every teacher should have at least a masters degree.
Every principal should be a master teacher, not a recruit from industry, the military, or the sports world.
Every superintendent should be an experienced educator who understand teaching and learning and the needs of children.
Every school should have a health clinic.
Schools should collaborate with parents, the local community, civic leaders, and local business leaders to support the needs of children.
Every school should have a full and balanced curriculum, with the arts, sciences, history, civics, geography, mathematics, foreign languages, and physical education.
Every child should have time and space to play.
We must stop investing in testing, accountability, and consultants and start investing in children.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

2011-12-13T21:25:00.000-06:00

I know there must be something more important to discuss out there, but this concept still fascinates me to no end. Here is one of J's quotes from the last post.

"If you're getting your news from CNN you have no idea whatsoever what those who get their news from Fox know, because you will never hear it. Most studies find exactly the opposite, in fact. Remember, people CHOOSE their sources for news, and they do so intelligently, contrary to liberal belief. Lying to them or slanting the truth loses you audience. Compare Fox News and CNN and you will see it, plain as day."

Now what do you think, is there really a huge conspiracy out there where the Liberals, Conservatives, Whole Organizations, etc are actually working to twist FACTS and state LIES? Or do they truly believe what they are writing, saying, etc is the TRUTH / FACTS?

If you answer twisting and lying, who do you think is the biggest LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE and why?

The reason it fascinates me is because it comes down to intent. Are they really evil tyrannical manipulators or honest well intentioned engaged citizens, news people, politicians, etc? That is a pretty big difference that seems very important to me.

As you are aware, I like to peruse all types of information sources so that I can understand the play from the perspective of all seats in the theater. Be it from the Left, Middle, Right or some other country. Overall I think most folks are being honest based on their perspective of reality, and I find it amusing when folks call these fellow citizens liars.

Finally, what important sources did I miss below?

G2A Snopes and Relativity
Blind Spots
CNN
FOX News
Aljazheera (English)
BBC News
Huffington Post
EIB network
The Nation

Republican Candidates Weak?

2011-12-11T09:25:00.000-06:00

After browsing these 2 links, I am wondering how the Conservatives will ever find a great candidate? It seems many of them are seeking a Far Right pious Christian who has not sinned. Which is unlikely since sin and humanity tend to go together. And I am thinking that even Jesus was more of a moderate on social issues.

My Mom and Dad were at the debates last night, so I will need to get the inside scoop later. Of course Mr Carville would not think much Mom's choice of radio stations. (see below)

Questions of the day:

Who do you think should be the Republican nominee and why?
Is the current candidate pool weak?
If so.. Why? How can they improve this?

Since I will likely vote for the Republican candidate, I hope the party works toward offering a better option than they did in 2008. I liked McCain except for his advanced years, but had no faith in Palin. And yes I voted for them anyway given the Socialism advancing alternative.

CNN Carville
CNN Belief Gingrich

""We have watched GOP debates where audience members booed gay soldiers and cheered the prospect of someone dying without health insurance. We've seen a candidate who wasn't penalized in the least for not knowing that China has had nuclear weapons since 1964 but had to drop out because of a consensual sexual relationship. We have seen a member of the House Intelligence Committee who apparently didn't realize that we haven't had an embassy in Iran for the last 30 years, candidates who don't believe in evolution, and a candidate that didn't even know the voting age in the United States. Maybe Bush, Daniels, Christie, Barbour and Thune figured out ahead of time what Fairleigh Dickinson University uncovered just recently: that people who watch Fox News are actually more ignorant than people who watch no news at all. Could you imagine what they would have found had they studied people listening to talk radio?

Perhaps the Republicans are getting exactly the kind of candidates that best match the intellectual composition of the majority of the people in their party -- just a thought, but it's my only explanation of our low bidders. Looks like their chance at the presidency is going, going, gone."

RAS STEAM Magnet

2011-12-08T22:58:00.000-06:00

You have just got to check out the video of the school board meeting where they approved moving forward with the STE(A)M school. The presenter (Lori Simon) gave the recommendation and asked for questions. At which time our Board members asked the HARD questions... NOT !!!

Their questions were simply verbal leaders that allowed Lori to pump up the sales pitch. Then Gayle and Aldo got into the act, the Board Members started posturing, and the rest is history.

Now I don't get frustrated/angry too often with the Board, but this has got to be one of the most bone headed things the district has done since I have been watching these district politics. The district community schools have many challenges, and here we go "de-worsifying" and losing focus. What are they thinking?

Let's see...

demographics are shifting in the wrong direction in our neighborhood schools
so we set up another "escape pod" to drain off more of their engaged parents/students
closing the "gap" is supposed to be critical, and here are dropping those kids again
the district staff is tight, so we start them working to set up a new school, with new curriculum
we are tight on money so we open another school which means another school staff
an 8 yr payback, who would make that investment other than a gov't entity
etc, etc, etc...

I will give Helen credit for at least asking some more interesting questions. And Tom asked a little about the budget and payback at the end.

I sure hope these folks know more than I do. By the way, being an Engineer I totally support the STEM curriculum concept, so let's upgrade the community schools... Not set up one more odd duck to maintain. Thoughts?

Agenda with links to supporting docs
Dec 5th Meeting Video
RAS STEAM Magnet
Comm Solutions STEAM
STEM School Blog
STEAM site

MN Surplus $876 Million - Now What?

2011-12-06T22:49:00.000-06:00

Being anti-debt, I am hoping they pay back the school shift and any other piggy banks they raided before they start raising spending or cutting taxes again... Thoughts?

Independent Good News for Schools
MPR Surplus
KARE11 Surplus
Washington Post Surplus
MN Politics Good news

RAS Truth In Taxation

2011-12-02T12:58:00.000-06:00

Since there seems to be some passion here, let's take a look at these documents. And remember the meeting is on Monday, Dec 5th if you are interested in sharing your opinions with the Board.

One of my concerns right now is a rumor I have heard that there may be cuts in the budgets of Middle School after school activities. It seems unwise to me since there seem to be a lot of reasons to ensure these activities stay in place. (ie build students tie to school, bored kids create issues, learning opportunity, prep for High School activities, etc) Also, I have not found it written down anywhere... Anyone know if this has been proposed or not?

A lot of information and data linked below. Thoughts?

RAS Truth in Taxation Presentation
RAS Truth in Taxation Agenda
RAS Truth in Taxation Worksheet

RAS Recommended Budget Adjustments
RAS Spreadsheet on 2012/13 Expenses

RAS 2011/12 Budget
RAS 2011/12 Budget Presentation
RAS Audit Summary
RAS Accountability in Finance Pg
RAS Financial Advisory Council Pg

A Question from NumbersGuy

2011-11-30T13:07:00.000-06:00

Since this got buried in the past, I thought I would resuscitate it. See quote below.

As I said previously, I think they should keep it in house for at least the short term if they can compete. If not, it should probably be contracted out ASAP. Though I would prefer it be part of a bigger improvement where they sold off the ESC and Bus Garage facilities. That is a lot of Capital/Overhead that could probably used more effectively. (maybe New Hope wants a Walmart since Plymouth is dragging their feet...)

Of course, "compete" has to include both the Quantitative and Qualitative aspects. (ie not just the money) So Numbers, what are other criteria at stake other than the $600K?

"NumbersGuy said...

Any thoughts on the bus transportation issue in RAS??

Does anyone think it is worth an extra $600,000 per year for in-house bus transportation or should that money be used in the classroom/touching the student to help get better performance and learning? "

Sun Sailor Disservice
Sun Sailor Middle School Format
Sun Sailor Bus Drivers Plead case
G2A RAS 14Nov11 Work Session
G2A Full STE(A)M Ahead

Could I be Mistaken?

2011-11-27T22:10:00.002-06:00

I am taking some time to revisit my number 1 & 2 books. G2A Booklist They do an excellent job of helping the reader to understand the challenges we all face when we strive to be self aware. And how hard it is to challenge our own beliefs, especially when discussing a topic we feel strongly about.

An important first step is as follows.

“Have you ever been in a conflict with someone who thought he was wrong. If you are not wrong, then you will be willing to consider how you might be mistaken.”
― Arbinger Institute, The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict

Good Reads Arbinger Quotes
Arbinger Site

I thought this was a worthwhile note because it seems we all continually fall into our historical position instead of even considering the other possible shades of gray. Then again, maybe each of us knows better than everyone else... To believe that would be normal.

Interesting how us humans can believe so differently and yet we insist adamantly that our truth is the only correct truth. I guess that must mean we are incredibly smart and everyone else must be stupid...

So my challenge to all: try being willing to look for how you may be mistaken... It can provide for an excellent experience.

Thoughts?

Per J's comment, here is more of the quote:

"“Okay, first of all,” Lou began, “I asked whether it makes any difference in a conflict if one side is in the right and the other in the wrong. So I ask again: doesn’t that matter?”

“Yes,” Yusuf replied, “it does matter. But not in the way you think it does.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, Lou,” Yusuf responded measuredly, “have you ever been in a conflict with someone who thought he was wrong?”

Lou thought of Cory and the boardroom meeting with his five mutinous executives.
“No,” he answered coolly. “But that doesn’t mean they’re not.”

“True,” Yusuf agreed. “But you see, no conflict can be solved so long as all parties are convinced they are right. Solution is possible only when at least one party begins to consider how he might be wrong.”

“But what if I’m not wrong!” Lou blurted.

“If you are not wrong, then you will be willing to consider how you might be mistaken.”

“What kind of twisted riddle is that?”

Yusuf smiled. “It only seems like a riddle, Lou, because we are so unaccustomed to considering the impact of what is below our words, actions, and our thoughts.”"

Higher Tax Rates Are Good?

2011-11-23T23:12:00.000-06:00

Les Wes asked an interesting question when I posted a link to the historical tax rates while commenting on the Patriotic Millionaires post over at MN Publius. "G2A, I realize the rate was officially 90%. What I'm asking is if any individuals ever ACTUALLY paid 90% of their income?"
Almost Classical: 90% Tax Rate
MN Publius Patriotic Millionaires

He pointed me to the Almost Classical post to help me understand his question better. And my initial answer was as follows:

"Just one quick note from the link. "The reality? On earned income, the richest U.S. taxpayers paid close to 40 percent of their earned incomes in taxes in 1944." It looks like the author jumped back to effective tax rate for this statement...

The rich could have paid a marginal rate of 94% on income above "top rate started at $200,000, which today is equal to $2,413,059.90 ", and still had a ~40% effective rate. (ie $2.4 @ 35% & $.22 @94%) Just a thought. I'll review further...

One more note: those right offs likely included a lot of charitable giving and other spending that help keep the economy churning. Not a lot of sense re-investing if you'll only have 4% to invest after paying 94% to Uncle Sam."

Now I have not done anymore research on the topic, however I would like to get the feedback from my readers. Since it seems to relate to the discussion we were having on G2A $1.2 Trillion. I am thinking that Les Wes has a point, a 90% top marginal rate would definitely promote certain behaviors. Wealthy investors may be highly motivated to:

avoid dividend paying stocks
give deeply to charities
buy capital goods that could be depreciated
spend on expenses that can be written off
avoid short term investments (ie regular income)
other

Here is the latest from MN Publius on the topic.
MN Publius 76% Optimum Tax Rate

Maybe this is why the Rockefeller's, Carnegie's, Getty's and their peers were so charitable. I mean 90% to the government, or 100% to your preferred charity and your name on a building. Seems like a simple choice.

And how can invest and hold be a bad thing... It seems it would drive people and companies to make better choices.

Thoughts? Happy Thanksgiving !!!!!

RAS 14Nov11 Work Session

2011-11-22T21:08:00.000-06:00

Video from our friends at Community Solutions.
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

$1.2 Trillion in 6 Days

2011-11-17T17:15:00.001-06:00

So what do you think will happen here?

Who do you think is being rational and why?

Who do you think is being irrational and why?

Other thoughts?

Of course, I am for significant cuts and tax increases. I wish they were going for a lot more than the $1.2 Trillion. So I think both the Left and Right are being a bit irrational... The National Debt has apparently exceeded $15,000,000,000,000 !!! I think I got all those zeros right. Just servicing it at 4% is be $600,000,000,000/yr !!! Cut up those credit cards people !!!

CNN Deficit talks to Blame Game
FOX News $15 Trillion and Counting
FOX News Taxes,Benefits stall committee
Huffington Post Move to Somalia
PBS News Hour Stymied
MinnPost Found Middle?

RAS: Full STE(A)M Ahead?

2011-11-14T12:09:00.001-06:00

Well, the work session looks like it will have something for everyone tonight.

Budget Adjustments, 2012/13 Expenses
Transportation Survey
Middle School Schedule Changes
STE(A)M discussions

So what are your thoughts:

Should we cut deeper? If so, where?
Should we outsource the transportation? Why? Why Not?
Does changing schedules really make sense? Why? Why Not?
Do we really want another Magnet in RAS? Why? Why Not?

RAS Board Work Session Agenda Packet

Kelli's Hope for Children

2011-11-10T09:08:00.000-06:00

My bright, beautiful and creative 8th grade daughter was recently recognized at the New Hope Mayor's Prayer breakfast and at last night's RAS Board meeting for a recent art project that she entered into a contest. The topic was "Hope for Children". She has agreed that I can share it with you. Enjoy.

What percent are you?

2011-11-08T13:15:00.004-06:00

Here we go again. A co-worker just showed me this cool calculator...

Wall Street Journal Calculator

Here is their data graphed. Similar to the Hennepin County data, but different.

Abortion and Conservatives

2011-11-05T23:19:00.000-05:00

Here we go again, some religious right group is trying to take another swing at it. And in my opinion it is hard to argue against the premise that would "define life as beginning at the moment of conception".
CNN Mississippi Amendment

The problem I still have is that the Conservatives seem to want to take responsibility for the life of the unborn fetus. (ie force it's birth) Yet when that unwanted child is born, abused, impoverished or neglected, they seem to run for the hills. Worse yet they take their wallets with them.

I was having a discussion with a Conservative that was so happy that the Republicans were making headway in cutting the funding for Planned Parenthood. However when I asked about additional funding for Early Childhood Education Funding, Parent Education Funding and other things that could help these kids, they in essence said that that was the Parent's responsibility...
Life Romney

Now let me repeat this again to help you see the hypocrisy:

The Conservative says that I am responsible to make sure your child gets born and will use the Government to do it, since you the Parent are incapable of making the Right decision.
The Conservative says that once the child is born I bear no responsibility for the life and well being of that child, and that the Government has to stay out of it because it is the Parent's job and they know best.

Now I whole heartedly agree that Men/Women or Boys/Girls should be capable of abstinence or contraception. And if they screw up and conceive a child, they should be responsible for their actions. But I am sure not smart enough to decide if abortion or neglect/abuse/poverty is the better of 2 bad alternatives.

Now if the Conservatives were Pro-Life before and after birth, I would probably have more in common with them. But the bullets above are so inconsistent that I wonder how they sleep at night. Then again we humans do have an amazing ability to rationalize our flawed logic.

What is a Good Net Worth?

2011-11-03T21:59:00.000-05:00

So if incomes are somewhat taboo. How about thoughts regarding this net worth data?

As a reminder, the median is the point where half the families are above and half below.

The median is where you add up all the net worths, and then divide by the number of families. These mean values are higher than the median values because the distribution is not normal. It is skewed to the right by the minority of families that have very high net worths.

The scariest thing I see in this data is that median net worths are very low for the baby boomers that are likely thinking to retire. For their sake I hope Social Security will stay solvent, otherwise they will likely be working until their final days.

Beware these calculators and use at your own risk. They may cause you to become despondent...
CNN Retirement Planner
AARP Retirement Calculator

Census Table

What is Middle Class?

2011-10-30T09:34:00.003-05:00

I am thinking that we need some common definitions to help us have better discussions. I did some research for Hennepin county and found the following demographics regarding household incomes. My peers and I often begin to think that we are normal, since we are almost all in the same situation. (ie 1 or 2 incomes, college educated technical professionals) Therefore we kind of forget that we are average for the upper 25th percentile (ie orange) and certainly not normal for the total population. (and many in the top 4%)

With these $100+K incomes in mind it is easy to say, "why isn't everyone saving more???" Whereas if they had half that income, they may sing a different tune. And with 25% of it they would certainly become more empathetic.

When my friends and colleagues start expressing that they are middle class, I start pointing out all of the adults that serve them at stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc in an attempt to help them appreciate their current status and income. Though I accept it is hard to feel well to do while trying to "keep up with the Jones's". Maybe they need to find some new "Jones's" to compare themselves with. This would likely breed more gratitude and less jealousy.

So do these numbers make sense to you? What is your definition of middle class? How can that lower 25th percentile breakout? Thoughts?

City Data Hennepin County (source of graph above)
Census Quickfacts Hennepin County
Hennepin County Fact Sheet 2006

The pdf below is a bit dated, but it has some great info.
Hennepin County Demographics

The Rich Get Richer

2011-10-26T21:18:00.001-05:00

Just think, I found this on foxnews.com.... So much for them being biased...

Of course this seems somewhat like common sense, since assets/investments typically compound in value. This is why we save and invest.

Fox News Rich Outpace Middle Class

WonkBlog CBO Income Inequality

NY Times Top Earners Doubled

CBO Study Links

Robbinsdale Schools Info

2011-10-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

Honestly I have not had a chance to digest all of this, but it looks like a lot has been happening. And some important decisions are about to be made. Thoughts?

Sun Sailor 2 Make AYP
Sun Sailor Decision Time
Sun Sailor $54 million Levy
Sun Sailor Redevelopment
Sun Sailor Business Council

Oct 17th Meeting Materials
Oct 17th ACT, MCA, AYP Presn
WMEP
North Education Center

Conservatives Hate the Environment?

2011-10-18T13:11:00.000-05:00

I recently heard that someone had said "all Conservatives hate the environment".

Then I spoke with several friends that had just gotten back from China. All of them said that the air pollution was awful.

So it seems to me that though China is supposedly Communist, they seem to embrace the Conservative belief that little or no regulations is the way to go. I mean we want growth, right? I mean people will make the right decisions, right? And we want low cost solutions, right?

Thoughts?

Facts and Details: China Environment
Google Photos

Women Driving USA to Socialism?

2011-10-15T08:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I am visiting my incredibly Conservative parents. I told them a little about Would Shoulda Coulda. In particular, I discussed the hypothesis that our society's choice to give "Women the Right to Vote" could have led to more Liberal results over the past ~90 yrs.

My rationale is totally based on stereotypes and wild assumptions. So take this with a few grains of salt... Very simply, sometimes women tend to be more community based and nurturing than men. There are exceptions and this may be changing, however historically this seems to have been the case.

Of course I was met with shocked disbelief... I am used to that... Thank God they Love me anyway...

So what do you think of this crazy hypothesis. Possible or not? Rationale?

People Unite !!!

2011-10-09T20:07:00.000-05:00

I can almost here the Wall Street and Conservative crowd saying "Let them eat cake"...

So is this the rebellion the Liberals have been talking about or just another passing fad?

Do you think the cell phones of the protesters say Motorola or LG/Samsung?

What about their cars? GM/Ford or Toyota/Honda?

How would us established citizens feel if our portfolios were cut in half because Wall Street stopped worrying about corporate profits?

Thoughts?

HP: Occupy Wall Street
CBS: Occupy Wall Street
CNN: Occupy Wall Street
TC Daily Planet: Occupy Movement in Mpls
Minnpost: Occupy Wall Street

Peace Activists Confuse Me

2011-10-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

As I drove past the corner of Rockford Rd and Winnetka last night, I saw some folks out holding up various signs. (ie PEACE, GET OUT OF AFGANISTAN, etc) This along with all the news and commentary of late (see example below) got me thinking...

Would getting out of Afganistan really serve the cause of PEACE?
Or would it serve the cause of VIOLENCE?

I can think of many reasons for getting out of Afganistan, some include:

Stop the wounding and death of American soldiers
Stop the excessive spending of American tax dollars
Butt out of a foreign nation's internal strife
They've been fighting forever, unlikely to change anytime soon

However I can also see potential negative consequences, some include:

Women's rights in Afganistan disappear again.
Tribal killing increases again.
Drug production and terrorist training proliferate again.

So I am unsure what we should do?

As a test of the Peace protester's beliefs, I think we should remove all Policeman from the Minneapolis streets for 6 mths. I would be interested to see if the city would be more or less peaceful after the 6 months. Of course, Mexico may give us some indicators of what may happen. (Mexico)

I am thinking that pulling the troops out of Afganistan may be the right thing to do for America, but I am not naive enough to think that it will enable peace in Afganistan.

CNN Afganistan

No Taxes No Vote !!!

2011-10-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine asked me to propose this to you folks, just to see what kind of comments this would generate. To give you some background, he is pretty conservative however he has someone close to him that is on the "public dole". (ie got a refund for more than they paid in...) The rationale is pretty straight forward, if you are not smart or driven enough to earn a modest taxable income, should you really help guide the country with your vote?

Though it is probably illegal for some reason, do you think people should lose the right to vote if they do not pay Federal Income Taxes for a period of time?

An analogy that comes to me is my local PTA, I do not get to vote on how the funds are spent if I do not pay dues... Even though my child attends the school and I contribute to the fund raisers. Should the USA be any different? If so, why? If not, why? Thoughts?

A different topic... Cupboards and countertops are installed... Everything looks great !!! All I have left to do is to blow more insulation into the attic where I shoveled it off when installing the recessed lights... Though I'll probably do the whole thing while I am up there... I mean it is ~26 yrs old and settled, and natural gas isn't getting any cheaper. Yippeee, I may get back to my hobbies at some point !!!

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

2011-09-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

It seems that "hindsight is certainly 20/20" in the case of bloggers. Here are a few turning points of interest. I wonder how a few slight changes may have impacted our country???

The citizens of the US Colonies had decided not to rebel against England.
The citizens of the USA had decided to accept slavery and not fought the civil war.
The citizens of the USA had not given women the right to vote.
The citizens of the USA had decided to enforce prohibition instead of repealing it.
The citizens of the USA had not become involved in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Middle East, etc.
The citizens of the USA had left the plight of the poor, weak and needy to the private charities and work houses.
The citizens of the USA had banned Unions.
The citizens of the USA had not made Public Education mandatory.
The citizens of the USA had converted the country to a full fledged Socialism or Communism.
The citizens of the USA had chosen to not support the progressive tax system.
The citizens of the USA had not chosen to set and enforce pollution limits.

Personally, I am not smart enough to pretend I could have made a better choice than the citizens made back at that point in time. (especially w/o the benefit of hindsight) However I am certain that some of you are willing to try. So what would you have changed? What other turning points did I fail to note?

Overall this self governing thing has worked out pretty well it seems. Or maybe you would have preferred a "Benevolent Dictatorship" that hopefully shared your beliefs? Or my co-workers in China seem to like their efficient Government, just think of a Fall with NO political attack ads...

National Debt - Summarized

2011-09-20T18:10:00.000-05:00

I found this fairly straight forward, though of course they blamed only the Politicians and not all of us Constituents. Maybe it is hard to look in the mirror, and it is probably a bad idea for a writer/news organization to blame its readers...

CNN - National Debt 5 Minute Primer

Another interesting link.
GAO: Debt Ownership

The Rich Spend Poorly?

2011-09-17T08:17:00.000-05:00

To my question: "Do they save or spend too much?"

I found Hiram's answer fascinating: "They tend to invest too much, and spend in ways that are wasteful."

Primarily because I have no idea what it means.

In my personal life I keep 2 sets of books. The first is the income and spending side. These are the funds I earn at my job and spend way too fast. The second is the long term savings or net worth accts. Thankfully my Parents beat it into my head to start saving some of the "income" early and often. Of course, this meant I had to be willing to live "below my means" in order to start that nest egg. Now that nest is pretty sizable, usually growing and I am certainly not touching it until the "income" side starts to decrease.

I don't see it as terribly different for most of the "Rich". Bill Gates has a huge nest egg that he has grown over the years. This nest egg funds the ongoing operations of likely hundreds of companies. He really isn't going to break into it, and would we really want him to?

As for spending "unwisely", is there such a thing? I mean no one would benefit if one went out and burned a pile of money. Other than that it seems that someone always benefits from most other transactions.

Being a "buy and use" it guy, I have never understood collectors and what they choose to buy. Yet even in this seemingly senseless transaction, many people gain. Look at the Antique Roadshow... Someone with excess money buys an old painting for $10,000. The agent gets a cut and the seller get cash. Then these folks can reinvest their gains or use them to pay employees, go to the D\dentist, buy clothes and even pay taxes.

I will never understand how folks think the Government spends more wisely... Thoughts?

Trickle Down Doesn't Work?

2011-09-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

I was going to write some thoughts regarding "trickle down" and then I ran into this link over at MNPublius.

NY Times The Limping Middle Class
NY Times Prosperity/Regression Graphic

It definitely has some interesting graphics, though I am pretty sure I disagree with a fair number of his comments. In particular with regard to his thoughts that we should be more like Germany. Though us Minnesotans surely do like sending our money to VW, Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz.

So what do you think of the graphics and his comments/analysis?

As for my trickle down story. Last winter I commented on MNPublius that I had seen some excellent examples of "trickle down" while snowmobiling on Lake Mtka. (ie several mansions were being remodeled) Of course one of the more Liberal commenters took exception to this... He thought it was WRONG that people had to SERVE the wealthy to get their money... It was very strange considering we live in a service economy. I assume he thought higher taxes and more handouts were in someway more ethically correct. (strange values out there)

The reason this came up was because though I am upper middle class, I have been spending a great deal of money on home improvements this Summer. To me this what trickle down is all about. And it really hit home when I was up at the cabinet maker's shop and saw that he was employing some neighbors to build our new kitchen cabinets. It occurred to me then: the Large Corporation that pays me, I pay the Cabinet Maker, and he pays local employees and suppliers.

Now if we all bought USA goods and services, trickle down would work much better. Instead we buy VW, Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz, and send the money flow to Germany. (or Korea, China, Japan, etc) Maybe we could fix our economy and improve the worker incomes by just changing our buying habits. No Governement intervention required...

It was interesting that the graphs shifted in ~1980, which is about the time buying "non-American" became fashionable. Before that most folks would not have been caught dead with that "foreign junk" product.

G2A Made in America: The Myth?

Shutdown, or Cassellius & Dayton?

2011-09-04T08:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been checking occasionally for the updated MN School Report Cards and they are still not there. Last year they were posted by early July. And this year the kids did them on a computer... So why the delay??? Did the 3 wk shutdown delay the posting by 2 mths? Or is their a political conspiracy afoot?

In the mean time, here are some interesting links. Enjoy... I am going back to sanding cabinets...

MN Dept of Ed RAS Report Card
Star Trib New Grad Rate Formula
Asian Scientist US 32nd in Math

EPA Moratorium and Ads

2011-08-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

I just heard a radio ad that was attacking Erik Paulsen for siding with the lobbyists to in essence "pollute our air and harm our children". I found this hard to believe since he has kids also...

See the first link for some thoughts regarding why we should slow down the EPA's good works. And the second to listen to the ads.
WSJ An EPA Moratorium
Environmental Defense Action Fund 2011 Ads

I find it interesting since the EPA has been overwhelming our industry for 10+ yrs by requiring cleaner burning diesel engines. And it is going to continue for another ~5 yrs. By the time we are done we will need very clean fuel, lots of expensive hardware on each machine, and the air coming out of the stack will sometimes be cleaner than that going into the air cleaner. EPA Tier Timeline

The upside is that it has given Engineers some great job security. The downside is that the equipment keeps getting more expensive, which is passed on to all of us citizens via higher construction costs and taxes.

So when is good, good enough? How much are you willing to pay for excellent?

RAS STEAM and Transportation

2011-08-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

First off... Sorry for being an irresponsible and inconsistent blogger lately. Hopefully in ~3 wks my life will return to somewhat normal. This Summer has been CRAZY... (ie built paver patio, boat damaged/repaired, family member with ruptured disk/surgery, and finally a kitchen remodel, and work as crazy as ever....) Lord I hope it slows down soon. The upside is that I am learning a lot of information and developing some new skills. (ie paver prep/installation, fiberglass repair, recessed lighting install, the mechanics of the spine, sanding and staining of Maple, etc, etc, etc)

The topic of today is STEAM... And NO I did not say STEM... Apparently the Magnets committee has decided that STEAM is the best alternative. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) It kind of reminds me of the sales tax increase we passed awhile back. "If you can not get enough votes, throw someone else's concerns into the mix" (ie sales tax = environment and arts) Worked well for the Sales Tax, not sure it makes a good school strategy. Thoughts?

The second topic is the potential outsourcing of RAS Transportation. It is definitely a decision that needs to be considered, but researched carefully. There could be some very interesting consequences for the better and worse. The definite upside is that it would pave the way to selling off the current ESC/Bus Garage site. Then the District personnel could be placed in or distributed across other less expensive already owned sites. Thoughts?

8Aug11 Worksession packet
15Aug11 Board mtg packet
Sun RAS could save $1 million
Sun RAS STEAM

Please Let Me Lower Stds

2011-08-16T22:14:00.001-05:00

Well, if not raising funding each year is considered a cut... Is not raising standards each year considered cutting standards?

If so, then our Commissioner of Education is asking permission to do just that. Standards were supposed to increase until 2014 when "No Child Was to Be Left Behind". Of course this was difficult at best and impossible at worst given the lack of control we have over Parenting or the lack thereof, and the Households these kids come from.

However it was an admirable goal. Too bad the Educational establishment spent more time and energy vilifying it instead of trying to attain it. (been there, discussed that)

So what do you think of the waiver request? Is it a good move or permission to leave kids behind? (Oh, those poor "Unlucky" kids, we forget them again???)

KARE11 MN Seeks Waiver for NCLB
Star Trib MN Wants Waiver from NCLB
MPR MN Seeks Wauiver from NCLB
MinnPost Educators Cheer Waivers
Ed Week Waivers Offered
Dept of Ed Flexibility and Waivers

The Emeperor's New Clothes

2011-08-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

When I heard the news the weekend, I thought it is about time... There have to be some consequences to this "spend more than we raise" or "raise less than we spend" mentality. There would be in our personal finances, and there should be for our Society as a whole. (aka USA)

CNN S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating

And of course the Administration is looking to manage the spin.

CNN Obama Official: Move "Way Off"

And the nervous investors are off and running.... Since I am a couch potato investor that stays pretty much invested all the time, I am sure this will do terrible things to my on paper net worth... (note to self: don't look for a year or so...) Good thing I am 15+ yrs from retirement...

CNN Sell First, Ask Questions Later

So what do you think?

Are you dumping your equities as fast as you can? Or staying put?
Is this the beginning of the end? Or just another bump?
Was S&P correct in taking the action they did?
Were they naive like the child, or very brave to say what they did?
Will there be retribution against them? What?
Who is to blame? The spenders? The no tax hikers?

Debt Mgmt and Women's Health

2011-08-01T17:35:00.000-05:00

I found these comments by Daniel Mitchell very interesting in a cynical sort of way.

CNN Debt Deal: Politicians Win, Middle Class Loses

And of course the posturing and spinning is continuing...
Fox News Tax Hikes Impossible? Think again...

So what do you think? Who is winning and who is losing in this deal? Will it work?
_____________________________________________
On another topic:
Fox news: Women's Health
HP Free Birth Control

Doesn't this just make sense? Or promoting moral decay?

I think it makes a great deal of sense... If unlucky kids are severely taxing our Social Systems and Public Schools, then let's help those Unlucky Moms not have as many kids... Seems pretty simple and logical...

Please Help Me !!! I'm Powerless !!!

2011-07-26T18:39:00.000-05:00

I'll make this one short. I thought it was odd that the President of America asked for TV airtime to plead his case to raise taxes and somewhat villify the GOP folks... What did you think of the plea to the public? And the comments made by Obama and Boehner?

Another thing I thought was odd that Obama tried to imply that raising the debt ceiling has historically been no big deal. And that the GOP blocking it is somehow inappropriate...

My thought is that maybe if others had blocked it more often, we wouldn't be in this mess.

Parents United Liberal Editorial

2011-07-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

I know I should not have expected any different, yet I had hope. However as is often the case, PU is taking shots at the GOP.

Parents United 22Jul11: The Liberal Editorial...
Parents United Home

From our Finland discussions, I find it interesting that the USA has one of the most expensive educational systems and yet lack luster results. Yet the Liberal folk that praise the Fins, would say that the USA's poor academic performance is because we are providing inadequate funding...

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS !!!! If our funding is high and our results are not, then the Educational System is broken !!! Not our funding of it !!!

With this in mind, if Finland spends less and gets more... What is our Educational System doing wrong and how are they going to change to fix it? Other than asking for MORE MONEY? (ie apparently we are already number ONE in spending...)

Who is paid too much? Who is not productive or effective? Do we have too many ineffective personnel? Too good of benefits? Are we teaching too many subjects? Is are curriculum totally ineffective? Too many or too nice of buildings? Too many buses?

If we are spending more the the Fins and getting less, where is it going?

Star Trib: Big Changes

Finland and Education

2011-07-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

Annie posted this link and comment recently:

Salon: How Finland became an Educational Leader

"A new documentary is being released on how Finland has achieved educational success in the past 30 years or so. I'm looking forward to the film; here's an interview with the director about the high level of accountability required of the teachers, and the virtual absence of tests.

Basically, they put a vast responsibility on the teachers' shoulders, but they then afford them respect, prestige, compensation, and autonomy.

No, you can't compare Finland to the US. But you CAN compare it to Minnesota. And you CAN find important reforms that will work here."

I read the article and I was curious:

How they made the transition to only 1 out of 10 applicants were deemed qualified to be hired as a Teacher?
What did they do with all the "existing Teachers" that did not meet the new criteria?
How do they attract these very qualified to this "high prestige", yet not necessarily "high compensation" career?

Because if we were to adopt this model in Minnesota, these are some of the Change Resistance issues we would need to address.

Thoughts?

Other Links:
BBC Finland's School Results
History of Finland's Reform
Ecoles: Limitations of Finnish Ed
Wiki Finland Demographics
Note: looks like Finland just started to allow immigration in last ~10 yrs. Not sure what that means.
Wiki Minnesota Demographics

Kitchen Table Economics and Natl Debt

2011-07-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

This sounded kind of familiar... Any thoughts where this potential train wreck is headed?

MSNBC Kitchen Table

I always enjoy leading teams when they run into significant hurdles, people are fixed in their view of reality, and the end of the train track comes into view. It is at these times when the team members usually pull their heads out their lower extremities and some "Creative Conflict" takes place...

Remember that it is hard for teams to truly "Perform" until they have successfully passed through "Form", "Storm", and "Norm". Wiki Team Dev

Compromise Reached in Minnesota

2011-07-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like compromise was finally achieved in Minnesota. I may get to see those MCA II and AYP results sooner than later...

Now based on the 15Jul11 ParentsUnited update, it looks like the Liberals will be viewing this as a loss for their side. In fact the quote by Sen Tom Bakk is priceless...

"But let’s be very clear about what this budget deal means for Minnesota: rather than asking the richest 0.3% of Minnesotans to pay their fair share, Republicans instead chose to solve the state’s budget crisis with a borrow-and-spend proposal that does nothing to solve the long-term financial challenges."

As we have discussed before, it seems to me the "rich" are paying their share and that of about another 40+% of the MN population... As we know of course, someone has to be paying the fair share of those that pay little or no taxes. (since those individuals certainly are not)

I of course see it as a true compromise, in maybe the worst way... The LEFT and RIGHT are again agreeing to SPEND MONEY THEY DO NOT HAVE !!! And since they can not take out an operating loan or create a true "State Operating Debt", they make the school districts and others do it for them. They force the schools to do this by increasing the payment shift to a WHOPPING 60% upfront and 40% at the end, vs the historical 90/10 split !!!.

Well let's just pray that the MN economy booms in a good way soon so that the State revenues start increasing sooner than later. This reliance on debt by our Federal and State governments is REALLY BAD and CONCERNING...

Thoughts regarding this "compromising" agreement to take out loans and keep spending like drunken sailors?

Parents United Wants to Revise NCLB ?

2011-07-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

What Timing... I post regarding the Gold Std yesterday (ie MCA, AYP, NCLB, etc) and some folks from Parents United drop me an email asking me to lobby for significant changes to NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND today. Of course being a huge advocate of NCLB and PDCA I will be deleting this, or lobbying folks to reauthorize NCLB with few or no changes.

Or maybe we should go back to the 1990's where we just trusted the Educational Establishment to take care of the kids... Oh yeah, I forgot that that led to a very large group of students being passed through the system that were not capable of Reading, Writing or doing Math !!!! While Educational Spending just continued to increase and Productivity was stagnant at BEST !!! The Lucky students got more and the Unlucky students were forgotten ...

REMEMBER:
If you are not measuring something and taking aggressive action based on that result, you will probably NOT attain the GOAL. PDCA is not OPTIONAL, it is REQUIRED to drive System Improvements. NCLB and AYP are NECESSARY to hold the Educational Establishment ACCOUNTABLE and to force them to PRIORITIZE around the NATION's needs !!! (ie responsible young adults that can read, write, do math, know science, communicate, solve problems, etc)

Schools can not do this without good Parenting and Community Support, but the Schools must meet their obligations and focus appropriately. Below are the letter and some related links... What are your thoughts regarding NCLB and its reauthorization?

"Dear friends of public schools,

Congress is discussing reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. We have been in contact with members of the Minnesota delegation encouraging them to replace the current law with policies and resources that will better serve our children and their schools.

Minnesota’s leaders are positioned to play a significant role in writing the legislation.

Congressman John Kline (R-MN 2nd District) chairs the Education Committee and Senator Al Franken is a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

We invite you to contact Congressman Kline and Senator Franken as well as your own Congressional representative.

To assist you, we have crafted a letter you may tailor, sign and send. Please help us encourage others to take action by sending a copy to Parents United for Public Schools at parentsunitedmn@gmail.com or 1667 Snelling Avenue North, St. Paul MN 55108.

Thank you."

Parents United NCLB Lobby Letter
Parents United: NCLB in MN Pg

Dept of Ed: Strengthening NCLB
G2A AYP, NCLB & PDCA
G2A No More NCLB ?
G2A NCLB and Teaching to the Test?
G2A Sir, The Class is Too HARD
G2A Why High Educational Stds are NOT OPTIONAL !!!

A Reason to End the Shutdown...

2011-07-11T22:02:00.000-05:00

RAS MAP Results: Promising

Now I am anxious for the end of the shutdown... I mean MAP testing is beneficial in some ways... But the gold standard in MN are the MCA's, and usually they are published by the MN Dept of Educ about this time. I assume we will just have to wait patiently to see how the local Districts performed this year !!!

While we wait, here are the links to some of last years posts on the topic.

Poor Kids: Stupid or Unlucky?
Just One More
A Comparison
One More Try
Data Manipulation
MCA Reporting OOPs

Minnesota Critical Services ?

2011-07-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

Like the Energizer Bunny, the gridlock keeps going. I find the discussions regarding "Critical Services" and "Self Funded Entities" most interesting. Some questions that come to mind....

Why shut down State Parks on the one week/weekend when User Fees probably exceed actual cost?
Why the delay in keeping the Zoo open? You are continuing to feed the animals anyway...
Do more things become Critical the longer the State is shutdown?
Why are Politicians given the choice regarding turning down their salary? Shouldn't that have been one of the first things cut?

Thoughts?

Star Tribune Same gulf divides
Star Tribune What's Open/Closed?
Star Tribune MN Zoo Open
Star Tribune More Things Critical
MinnPost Impact on Non-Profits
Forbes MN Gov't Shutdown
MinnPost Soving Shutdown
CBS News MN Shutdown Commentary

Email Etiquette

2011-06-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I am cursed with the responsibility of creating and distributing minutes/updates and action item lists for each of my ~9 active projects. The teams are ~7 people, the subject matter experts consist of another ~6 and the stakeholders add another ~15. And of course there is only limited overlap, so the total number of unique names across these lists is ~177.

Of course there was always some Manager somewhere that thought their question was important enough to "Reply All". Then of course this led to a geometric growth rate of Replies in all directions. So I finally got smart and put a note in the email that said, "All Subject Matter Experts and Stakeholders are BCC only in order to reduce excess email responses." Not amazingly, the recipients and other Team Leads thought this was a great idea and were thankful not to hear from the one questioning Mgr...

So this article made me smile.... What do you think of politicians sending out to the State Mailing lists? What humorous email stories do you have to share? The cartoon at the bottom of the 2nd link is FUNNY...

Star Tribune Koch and Zeller's email

White Email Etiquette and Funny Cartoon

RAS FAC Maintains Independence?

2011-06-23T13:23:00.001-05:00

I looked through the Financial Advisory Council's year end presentation and found it a bit anemic. Now I have not sat in on a mtg for over a year, so I really can not speak with authority on what they have been doing. However I do know enough to question one of their suggested next steps:

Maintain Independence

I mean the Board seems to only pick members that are unlikely to rock their boat... By this, I mean that I know some qualified boat rockers who are repeatedly turned down. And I really don't see any communication from the FAC to to the Citizens, so they don't seem to be helping us understand how or what the District spends on. This is probably important considering the school closures, school renovations, potential sales, potential Magnets, Funding challenges, etc. And almost half the attendees are Board Members and Administrators, so how can they be in anyway "independent"?

I guess I'd just say that they are a group of hand picked individuals that report directly to the Board with their thoughts regarding what is presented to them. I am not sure if this qualifies as "independent", especially when you are in a room with School personnel. It seems hard to believe that group think is not the rule. (G2A Group Think) I still greatly appreciate the efforts of the citizens that do get involved, I just "independent" is a bit too strong of word.

A quick story: someone asked me to get more involved with a local Organization that has some pretty strong opinions regarding our schools. I replied that it would be better if I stay on the fence on this one. (ie independent) They jokingly responded that "as long as it wasn't a picket fence..."

Speed once wrote about an Ombudsman being a good answer, but I just can't see how they would be independent if they report into the Public or the Org they are investigating... (ie FAC) Thus I will stay on my picket fence... Anyone got a pillow?

By the way, there are also links to some interesting MAP and Enrollment presentations.

FAC Year End Report 20Jun11
Grade 3-5 MAP Analysis 20Jun11
End of Year Enrollment 20Jun11
Board Agenda 20Jun11
Board Summary 20Jun11
RAS Financial Web Page

Fund It All or Else !!!

2011-06-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

I found this statement by Mary fairly amusing. Apparently she believes Minnesotans will only be truly happy if "EVERYONE" gets as much money as they desire. And she seems to see this as a very positive quality. It is a fascinating, though very alarming, perspective...

"While it is true that the GOP is sweetening the pie by adding dollars to the overall K12 budget, they are still refusing to consider increasing revenue. This means, the additional dollars for K12 will need to be taken from another part of the state budget. Their largesse in adding K12 funds is built on the premise that K12 advocates will grab the money and not care where it comes from. I have a much higher opinion of Minnesotans and simply don’t think that’s true! The Governor has certainly made it crystal clear that he will not sign a budget that pits Minnesotans against each other. So—the impasse continues."

Parents United 17Jun11 Update

Dayton Press Release via Parents United

The Dam Finally Breaks in Wisconsin

2011-06-14T20:46:00.000-05:00

Finally, due process has prevailed...

First the Democrats unprofessionally left the State and their jobs to resist due process. By this I mean that the Voters elected their political Representatives, who are the Democrats to decide they can take their toys and go to Illinois?

Then the Democrats file this silly charge to delay the due process further. Like the Republicans would have had to be creative if the Democrats had come to work like any other employee would have been expected to !!!

Well thank heavens the Voter's representatives finally were able to do what they believe is correct. And if their actions do not represent the wishes of their constituents, then God help them during the next election cycle. The process works....

Thoughts?

LA Times Court allows Wisconsin's union law
HP Wisconsin Union Law

Education Updates

2011-06-12T04:29:00.003-05:00

Parents United continues to push the spend more agenda and it looks like the RAS Board meeting agenda was rather calm.

Parents United 6/10/11
RAS Board Minutes 6/6/10

For your interest, someone sent me an email regarding this little problem that occurred in Kansas awhile back. Maybe following the rules and procedures all the time may be a bad thing in some cases.
Snopes - A Bridge Too Far

Dayton Holds Strong and GOP Blinks?

2011-06-08T12:56:00.003-05:00

This headline seems so misleading as to appear inaccurate or possibly politically motivated.(ie imply GOP blinked first) If someone tells me I can spend $110M in one place if I cut $110M in another, it seems we are no closer. Though I may be somewhat happier because my priorities are being valued.

It looks like Dayton is holding strong. Anyone that picked a quick resolution date in our pool was incorrect. Any updated prognostications?

Thankfully my 4th of July plans involve no State parks or services... (I hope...)

Star Trib GOP Moves $110M closer to Dayton
G2A This Could Take Awhile
G2A Mandates and Consequences

No Money for Druggies...

2011-06-05T22:07:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I agree with the ACLU, however many times I do not. In this case they are suing over mandatory drug testing, and thinking about suing because Florida has decided that it would prefer to ensure state funds intended for kids are not being given to an addict.

If they are an addict, the kids can still get state funds. However the recipient needs to be drug free. Seems pretty common sense to me... Thoughts?

CNN Florida Gov Defends Law

Wind, Waves and Insurance?

2011-06-02T22:35:00.003-05:00

Well, I spent Saturday and Sunday preparing Mom and Dad's lake home for a Summer of family fun and bonding. I was very happy that everything seemed to be in good shape and that I would not be spending a lot of time fixing things like usual... (rare if you use/rent/own lake property...) The docks went in, the lifts were good, and the boat & jet ski were running. Life was GREAT when I came back Monday !!!

Oh what a difference a day makes !!! About noon on Tuesday, the folks call me to say that the wind is severe and coming straight down the lake. (~40 mph w/ near 50 mph gusts) About 3 PM they call and say that I should run out there because the front cross beam on the lift broke and dropped the front of my boat into the water/whitecaps. And worse yet, the jet ski dock caught the boat rub rail on the way down and peeled the top of the hull away from the bottom.

I got there around 7:30 PM to find my boat like the pictures below. Somewhat worse than I imagined... The upside was that the electrical, engine, battery and stern drive seemed pretty safe, secure and relatively dry. I was surprised but not dismayed. (ie my pragmatic just fix it self...) My parents, my friend (Tim) and I got to work. (thanks for the help !!!) We turned on the bilge pump, lowered the back end, bailed with a bucket and thankfully the boat started up and was operational!!! We put it on the trailer and I was back in the cities by 12:30 in the morning.

Now... In general, this post is just an interesting story. Yet there is a topic involved. On Wednesday I spent a few hours agonizing over whether to call my insurance agent and claim the damage. I know it is strange, but the potential for increased premiums made me stop and think. Is it really worth it? I mean I can fix it with some pop rivets, fiberglass, resin, gelcoat paint, sand paper, etc.

I finally did decide to claim it due to the extensive nature of the body damage. Now I am waiting to see what the Adjuster thinks, and to see if it negatively impacts any of my premiums? (hopefully not) Now isn't it odd that we buy insurance to handle accidents like this, yet we have to be concerned that some actuary is going to jack our rates for claiming our rightful portion of the insurance pool? Thoughts?

Marbles in a Jar

2011-06-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

I am reading "The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player" by John Maxwell. Often I find him annoying, but so far this book is pretty good. In the chapter regarding living an intentional life, he referenced this very interesting story. It resonated with me because I often refer to "How many years until a parent is an empty nester" as a reminder that the kids will be gone all too soon. So you'd better stay involved with and make time for the kids.

By the way, I am ~8.3 yrs from being in the empty nest category. Though most older adults tease that it will be longer than that given the rash of adult kids that keep returning home for short or extended stays.

Finally, my other favorite saying is that we have ~2.3 years to develop my oldest teenager into a capable independent adult. You know that gets me some good eye rolls and head shakes... Enjoy !!!

1000 Marbles !
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

Let me tell you about it.

I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".

I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital."

He continued, "let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."

"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."

"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear."

"Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."

"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 73 Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"

You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.

I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.

Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

Jeffrey Davis

What's a Parent to Do?

2011-05-26T21:56:00.003-05:00

As I get older, I occasionally hear stories with a similar theme. They sound something like this:

Seemingly normal Parents work to raise their children "right".

Sometime along the way, things start to go wrong with one of the kids.

Be it permissive behavior, failed relationships, addictions, excessive spending, criminal behavior, etc.

Often this continues on into, or starts in adulthood.

Often these life choices lead to financial hardship for the adult child, and possibly the grand child(ren).

Often the Parents are asked for financial assistance, with a low likelihood that the adult child will change their ways.

In your opinion, what should these parents do? How much money should they spend? At what risk to their own financial well being? What should be done about the grand child(ren)? When do the Parents just say no more and break the cycle of co-dependency? Thoughts

Blogger Known Issues Link

2011-05-25T16:14:00.002-05:00

It looks like Blogger is having some problems today. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Blogger Known Issues

Anyone Can Teach Well?

2011-05-24T13:49:00.001-05:00

Laurie’s last comment included some quotes that seem “oh so wrong” to me that they deserved their own post. Here is Laurie’s comment/quote:

“A principal's comment shared on Ravitch's blog:

"He said that we must remember that one has a moral obligation not to terminate someone's livelihood and career without long and hard deliberation; to do so, he said, required taking responsibility for ruining someone's life. We talked about the "reformers" who are almost gleeful in their zeal to fire teachers. He thought that they failed to recognize the moral dimensions of leadership."

later in the blog post:

"One of my fellow panelists was John Jackson of the Schott Foundation for Public Education. He said that he had recently visited some high-performing nations, and at each stop he would ask someone from the ministry of education: "What do you do about bad teachers?" The answer invariably was, "We help them." And he asked, "What if you help them and they are still bad teachers?" And the response was, "We help them more."”

First: When did firing an incompetent employee become equivalent to “ruining someone’s life”!!! Give me a break. It’s a job, and there are plenty of other jobs out there for qualified hard working personnel. In fact, throwing someone out of the nest that does not fit their skills, personality and capabilities may be the kindest thing you can do for them.

Imagine that 20 yr veteran Teacher that has not improved their knowledge and capabilities adequately, or has become so burnt out that coming to work drains them. Yet they keep coming because the misery they know is better than taking the risk of attaining something better. Who is succeeding or happy in this situation? The Teacher’s students, peers and mgmt are burdened by them, and the Teacher is stressed and bitter…

Second: According to the second paragraph, the author seems to think that anyone given enough training can be a very good Teacher, which I whole heartedly DISAGREE with. That’s like saying that anyone given enough training could be a good Surgeon, Quarterback or Engineer. This implies that Environment can overcome the power of Genetics, which off course is silly… Or it implies that Teaching is so simple that ANYONE can excel at it, which is silly…

I do agree that improvement efforts should be taken to help good Teachers that have slipped in their capability or attitude, however the turn around had better happen within a couple months. Not a few years… Can you imagine nurturing and protecting for years a Surgeon that was harming all of their patients? Probably not… Yet you would nurture and protect a Teacher that is harming their students through incompetency or laziness…

As always, I think Teachers have a very vested interest in getting their poor performing peers fired as soon as possible. These individuals are their passing work and poorly prepared students on to their capable peers. Also, they damage the Professional standing of all Teachers by still being allowed to Practice their Profession. How respected would Doctors be if they protected the poor performers and allowed them to keep treating patients?

My only guess is that Union pressure, empathy and a fear that they may be that poor of a performer someday are keeping them from doing what is right for the Students and their Professional standing. And if they choose to not self regulate High Professional Stds and Performance, then the customers/citizens will….

Thoughts?

Teacher Evaluation Forms (pt 2)

2011-05-22T21:36:00.004-05:00

Here is a late comment regarding Class Evaluation forms... What do you think?

I'll stick with my original opinions. The evaluations would be part of an overall evaluation system. And these are standard in the education industry. Just not in Public Schools... Strange the way that works.

Clayton wrote: "An idea that sounds good but is too simplified. Often the highest rated teachers would be the ones that did not push them academically but told a good story. My experience with parents is that they have little idea what is going on in class as long as their kid is doing well. The parents are to busy worrying about traveling soccer and if their kid is getting playing time. Other parents are completely unaware of what there kid is doing in school because they have marital problems or finical problems, etc. Still some teachers are very good with certain groups of students and have high success rate with these students but they may be students who's parents are uninvolved with school I could go on and on with examples, a popularity contest for teachers is an extreme over simplification of who to judge a teacher, in over 20 years of teaching I have never had a parent spend more than 10 minutes in one of my classes yet I have worked with their child everyday for the whole year. I have not had more than 3 parents visit my classroom during class in over 20 years. I have students in school and I listen to what they have to say about the teachers usually positive but not always, teachers make mistakes and some are probably better for some kids than others but the truth is when I listen to my own kids talk about teachers I realize how little they understand about what is going on. What would be the point of a simple teacher evaluation when there are so many variables including how the student feels that day."

MN and RAS Education Updates

2011-05-21T06:32:00.003-05:00

You have to read the second paragraph of the Parents United update. As usual it says that the poor will bear the burden of all the cuts. Somehow they miss the point that there are many bureaucrats, systems and public employees that could absorb some of the "slower rate of budget growth. Oh well, the Liberal mantra continues. By the way, they do note that the Ed bill is ready for Gov Dayton to sign or veto !!!!

Also, it looks like the last RAS board meeting was full of interesting presentations. Any thoughts on them?

Parents United 20May11
RAS FAC Applicants Apply
RAS Minutes 16May11
RAS Equity and Integration Presn
RAS Student Opinion Survey
RAS Rigorous and Fine Arts Courses
RAS Special Ed Reductions
RAS 16May11 Mtg Video Access

MN Budget Excitement

2011-05-19T06:33:00.004-05:00

Gridlock definitely makes for some exciting headlines... Any thoughts on these?

My only thought is that all this talk of cuts when the budget is growing is fascinating... It is amazing to me that the GOP can't make better use of that info.

Parents United: Gov Dayton's Letter

Kare11 Capitol Blame Game

Minn Post: Chambers of Commerce want LGA

Parents United David Jennings OpEd

Mandates and Consequences?

2011-05-16T21:53:00.002-05:00

During the Pawlenty terms, we Conservatives thought we had the public's mandate to prevent new taxes and spending... Now that we control the Legislature and not the Governorship, we think we have the mandate to prevent new spending and taxes... Can we really expect to have it both ways?

As I listen to all the news coverage of this budget battle, I wonder what the consequences will be?

Will the GOP's NO COMPROMISE strategy gain more supporters than it loses?
Will Dayton's willingness to COMPROMISE gain him more supporters than he loses?

Thoughts?

Star Trib Dayton Offers Deal
Star Trib GOP $33.8 mil
Star Trib Blended Solution

American Poverty ?

2011-05-11T08:43:00.001-05:00

To follow up on Jerry and my discussion on racism and poorism, I would like to ask 2 very simple questions that likely has some very complex answers.

How do you define poor?

Why do we have poor people and families in our communities?

They may seem to you like stupid questions with crystal clear answers, yet I am interested in how my reader’s view this… My guess is that the answers will be very diverse…

Since the “poor” often work their way into our discussions, it seems some positional perspective may be useful. We live in America, the land of opportunity, yet many seem to be unwilling or unable to claim their portion of the bounty. And this has significant consequences for all of us. Thoughts?

Education Update

2011-05-08T23:25:00.003-05:00

An interesting note from the RAS LAC. I am not sure why the range is as big as it is, but it looks like the reduction in Integration funding is going to bite us in the Robbinsdale school district. If you support our oppose this, now is probably a good time to weigh in with your Legislator... Thoughts or more details?

"Legislation being considered in the state house and senate right now could mean anywhere from $300,000 to $3,000,000 in cuts to our Robbinsdale Area School District."

RAS Legislative Action Committee Request

Parents United 6May11 Update

Osama bin Laden and Capital Punishment

2011-05-05T12:11:00.007-05:00

My buddy asked me to post regarding the death of Osama bin Laden. In particular, he is wondering what my more Liberal readers think regarding his death and how it relates to Capital Punishment.

My simplistic "Conservative Capital Punishment Supporting" summary is:

Osama was tried via the media for many violent murders.

He was then deemed guilty in large part due to his own recorded testimony.

Therefore his execution was ordered, he was then found and executed.

Finally he was promptly buried with little ceremony where no shrine can be erected by his supporters.

With no trial or grave, a great deal of time, money and risk of martyrdom was saved.

Here are some links to different views and information. I think the situation was handled very well. What do you think...

Should he have been given a trial?

Should his people have buried him?

Was it a legal action?

Did his actions justify Capital Punishment, or should he have spent life in prison?

CNN Castro slams Assasination
CNN Killing of bin Laden: Was it legal?
Fox News: Within Reach of 2 Weapons
The Australian: Al-Jazeera Mourns
PBS: Many Angles

MN Gay Marriage Amendment

2011-05-03T12:03:00.005-05:00

Here we go again... The GOP is faced with academic achievement gaps, sky rocketing medical costs, a looming MN budget war, etc... As if that isn't enough, they choose now to throw their Religious views back into our supposedly secular Government.

I personally do not have any Gay friends that I know of... (or none that are out of the closet to me, or possibly to themselves) However I do have close friends that have had to deal with the reality that some of their closest friends were Gay. Most took it in stride, however it was quite a blow to my Right Wing Christian friends. They really had to weigh the friendship against their beliefs. The good news is that they chose the friendship, and rationalized their beliefs...

You can probably guess my views on this one:

If you want "Marriage" to be defined as a domestic union between a man/woman, then keep it as a subset under "Domestic Union". (DU)

Then immediately change all legal documents to specify "DU" instead of "Married". (As in "Are you in a DU?")

Then immediately allow M/F, M/M and F/F Domestic Unions.

Of course, all 3 types of these Domestic Unions should be given equal benefits and constraints under the law.

There is no good reason that only M/F couples should be allowed the trials and tribulations of a legally binding long term relationship.

If you naively actually still believe that they freely choose this life style, wouldn't you want them to be constrained in a relationship? Then it would be less likely that they would corrupt someone else?

Thoughts

MinnPost: Gay Marriage Amendment
MN Independent: ... Aren't Bigots
LezGetReal: God and Gay People
MN Independent: Kreisel Opposes
G2A C,F,S,C
G2A: Abortion War - Proof of Fascism

EPI Teaching Penalty

2011-05-01T15:47:00.006-05:00

First: Parents United 29Apr Update

Next: Laurie posted this interesting link and comment the other day. I printed it, read the whole thing and really do not know what to make of it. So I'll make some comments and let's see where this goes.

EPI The Teaching Penalty

"Teacher earnings have fallen below that of the average college graduate in recent decades, losing considerable ground during the late 1990s,as earnings of college graduates grew 11% relative to the much lower 0.8% growth in teacher earnings........Trends in weekly earnings show that public school teachers in 2010 earned about 12% less than comparable workers."

My random thoughts are as follows:

A typical employee with a business degree often starts with some lowly Buyer, Assistant Manager or Line Supervisor position. Though many will argue, often these pay less than starting Teachers. (w/o the time off benefit) However, as their experience grows, they begin to be responsible for more employees, products, projects, customers, etc. Thus their compensation goes up accordingly with their growth in responsibility and influence.

Now a Teacher starts their career with one classroom full of students, and typically ends their career with one classroom full of students. Teacher's that choose to increase their sphere of influence and responsibility work and study their way into an Administration positions. Thus they are now an Asst Principal, Principal, District Administrator, Superintendent, Head of the MN Dept of Education, etc... Which means they are no longer a Teacher... The questions then are:

Did the EPI data include all people with Teaching degrees (including School Administration, Union Officials, Dept of Ed, Consultants, etc) in their evaluation or did they just pick Teachers? This would skew the results terribly...

Should the difference in income between starting and 30 yr Teachers really be 2 to 3 times? Since their responsibilities are not significantly different? (ie 1 classroom full of students...) I think starting Teachers should make somewhat more and experienced Teachers should make somewhat less, just for this reason.

If you want to make more as an Engineer... You have to become a Consultant, Project Mgr, Spvr, Executive or a Specialist that works on ground breaking research. You don't get a lot more for just being a 30 yr experienced Engineer. In fact, as an experienced Engr you will probably only make ~60% more than an entry level engr.

Then for the next question... What college grads should Teachers be compared to and who was in EPI's sample? People in the Arts, Bus'n, Sciences, etc?

Finally, they use compensation per week... How does that adjust for Summer's off ?

So what thoughts do you have regarding this?

Taxes used to Raise Tax Bill

2011-04-28T11:49:00.003-05:00

Well, I was curious how the "raise the tax bill" efforts of the various Unions were going. It looks like they are still focused on using their forcefully collected tax generated funds to bribe their local officials to raise their compensation, job security and power...

Now I don't mind when individuals use a portion of their income to support their political candidate. And I understand that it is likely that the money would flow towards similar candidates. However this mandatory Union membership with mandatory dues that are spent at the discretion of the the Union leadership seems oh so wrong, and against our concept of American freedom. (especially when paid to their employer.. ie Government officials) Where is the citizen's freedom to donate as they wish, and the effort to avoid conflict of interests?

Assuming the "Unions" give $1,000,000 to their selected "DFL" candidates, here are some questions:

If members had to write the check directly to their selected candidate, how many dollars would be donated?

What % would go to DFL, GOP, Independent, other?

If the employees had a choice, what percentage would be part of the Union and pay dues?

Fox News Unions Take Fight to States

CNN Money Union Fight to Congress
TPMDC Massachusetts and CB
Defend Wisconsin

Made in America: Really?

2011-04-26T11:31:00.005-05:00

I thought this would be interesting for the folks that rationalize that they are supporting American workers by buying their Toyota that is "Made in America". Apparently Toyota has already lost the production of 260,000 vehicles due to the Tsunami in Japan. This would imply that a large number of critical components are single sourced from Japan.

ABC: GM Likely to Retake Global Sales Lead

And apparently the Government is going to extricate itself from GM ASAP. If some of my friends are any indicator, this would be a good thing for GM. They feel so strongly that the Government should not be invested in companies, that they were refusing to consider buying GM vehicles. Though I am puzzled that they seemingly would have been happier with GM being sliced into it's parts and sold off.

Forbes: Treasury to Sell GM Stake

By the way, it looks like Ford is doing great. Though they may be impacted by the Japanese sourcing issues due to their high commonality with the Mazda product.

Reuters Japan Impact on Ford Earnings
Busn Std Motoring Ford Mazda Relationship

So what do you think will happen with regard to GM and Ford, and the stiff competition they face from over seas? What impact will this have on the American employees and their pursuit of the American Dream? What do you think the Government should have done regarding GM and it's bankruptcy? (ie you have the benefit of hindsight) Other?

G2A Made in America: The Myth
G2A Korean Challenges and USA Wealth
G2A Is a Recession a Bad Thing?
G2A American Dream

This Could Take Awhile...

2011-04-24T23:09:00.002-05:00

I am thinking we should start a pool regarding when the the Special Session will end??? Not whether there will be one or not... Any bets?

Parents United 22Apr11
Star Trib K-12 Mtg
Star Trib Budget Plan

Class Evaluation Forms

2011-04-22T07:27:00.003-05:00

For years I have been wondering and commenting about why Public schools do not have the kids or their parents evaluate classes and Teachers through a simple one page questionnaire at the end of the school year. This is something that I have done in almost every training or college course that I have ever taken. You know the drill...

Was the Instructor prepared and organized?

Was the Instructor knowledgeable in the class content?

Did the Instructor encourage participation?

Did the Instructor answer questions adequately?

etc, etc, etc

I had finally accepted that they did not know how, or did not value this basic key tool for improving staff or courses... I mean they must know something that the rest of the Educational industry does not...

Then, to my chagrin I learn that our local RAS community education classes do have the kids fill out class and Instructor evaluations. Now this is part of the Public School district, and they value the student /parents perspective... So why doesn't the majority of the District? Thoughts?

G2A Attacking Unions or Saving Students?
G2A Policing Our Own?
G2A AYP: Pick Your Corner
G2A Why High Educational Stds are NOT OPTIONAL !!!
G2A Better Public Educations
G2A Report on Equity

MCA Testing

2011-04-20T12:17:00.004-05:00

For those of you without kids in Public school, I thought I would notify you that it is test time again. Our little ones are being crammed with last minute sample tests and questions. The class routines are being disrupted to allow for the test taking blocks of time. And some level of anxiety, anticipation, chaos and excitement abounds in all the schools.

Of course I am talking about the MCAs (MN Comprehensive Assessments)... These are the mandatory assessments that evaluate how well our children and their schools, Teachers and Administrators are doing... A key step in the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle.

So what do you think, is all this effort and anxiety a good thing or a waste?

MN Dept of Educ MCA Pg
MN Dept of Educ AYP Pg
MN Dept of Educ NCLB Pg
SG Controlling Legal Authority
G2A Teaching to the Test
G2A Sir, The Class is Too Hard
G2A No more NCLB ?

First Things First

2011-04-18T21:17:00.002-05:00

If you have not read this before, it is definitely worth the time.

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again
if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things that if everything else was lost
and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --
The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are
important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand
and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

Please share this with other "Golf Balls

Health Care Rating Factors

2011-04-16T09:19:00.004-05:00

Continuing somewhat with Laurie's experiment. What is a Successful Healthcare System? Here is the Mission Statement from The Commonwealth Fund Organization that she referenced.

"The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults."

By this we know very quickly that their facts will be suspect. Since they will be consciously or unconsciously looking for interpretations that fit their Worldview and Mission. With this in mind, what grading factors would you propose for a Successful Healthcare System? And how would you weight them? Not how to attain it, or what is wrong today or with ACA, but how would you grade one?

See Decision Matrix links... We are not scoring, discussing options or fixing... Just discussing the ~10 key factors that we see as important.

The Commonwealth Fund
CW Fund Criteria
G2A Decision Matrix
G2A Decision Matrix 2

Education Updates

2011-04-15T22:09:00.005-05:00

Here are some interesting links. Thoughts?

Parents United 15Apr11
MinnPost Budget Forum
Star Tribune Charters Hit by Funding Hit
PB Parents Aware ratings
Star Tribune State Ignores Violations
Star Tribune Students Deserve Licensed Teachers
Star Tribune White Guilt
Star Tribune White Guilt Counterpoint
Star Tribune Racial Disparities
JvonKorff on Education (New to G2A Links)
Piece of the Truth by Laurie (New to G2A Links)

RAS Magnet School Mtg

2011-04-14T12:01:00.005-05:00

Back to one of our favorite discussions within the Robbinsdale School District. What to do with all those empty school buildings that we are paying to maintain? How many years ago did we close them? Man, gov't entities move slowly !!!

RAS will hold an informational mtg regarding the proposal to open another Magnet school in the Olson Elementary building. (ESC Building, 27Apr11, 6 PM) The front runners are STEM or Spanish Immersion. They decided to delay the start and pay for the empty buildings until 2012, even though they have an RSIS waiting list and experience with Spanish Immersion. Man, gov't entities move slow !!!

As an update, Beacon Academy (the charter school that was interested in renting/buying PLE) ended up moving to Maple Grove and is now located in a Church. (ie Open Door) What a shame that we have a perfectly good Tax Payer paid for Public School building sitting idle, and a local Public School that is liked by many ends up moving out of our community because RAS is scared of some competition... I guess unique school offerings are okay as long as RAS is the one providing it. Man, gov't entities are monopolistic !!!

On the upside, the Hosterman Building is no more. When I drove by I noticed that it is now a big pile of aggregate. Good thing District 287 had the Tax Payer funds to do some new construction. North Education Center Oh I forgot... They get their funding from member district like 281... Well, I guess it is job creation.

RAS Magnet Informational Mtg Flyer
Enrollment Committee PDF
Magnets January
281 Exposed Here Ye Here Ye
Star Trib Magnet schools lose pull
G2A RAS Conspiracy or Not?
G2A RAS Projections
G2A Spanish Immersion vs STEM
G2A RAS Areas Vanishing Children

Problems with Blogger?

2011-04-13T20:30:00.002-05:00

Since J, Laurie and Jason have reported having problems posting comments, is anyone else having problems? If so, is there any logic to it:

Only when you post with links?

Only when the posts are long?

Only at certain times during the day?

Only on a certain computer, operating system or browser?

Only when you are anonymous? Or logged in?

Now that I am officially earning a pittance for Google, I would be happy to ask them for assistance if we can narrow the problem down.

After challenges at other sites, I understand how frustrating it can be. (ie MNPublius/Disqus has me doing the same thing) Now, I try to make sure my links are solid, my comments are only a few paragraphs long and I wait for awhile after hitting post. Also, I simply post a few consecutive times when I feel the need to write a book.

As for Blogger, I have always been able to comment successfully. Even those I copy and paste from my notification email. So I'll need your help understanding what you are encountering.

MN Education Bill Updates

2011-04-10T19:57:00.007-05:00

At least it is not dull in MN right now. Thoughts?
Parents United Update 8Apr11
Parents United Update 1Apr11
Parents United News and Events
MPR Dayton Objects to GOP Plan
MN House HF934
HF934 Summary 1Apr11
See below Ad for a new post from Laurie

Facts, Opinions and Values: Health Care Edition

2011-04-10T17:18:00.003-05:00

Guest Post by Laurie:

Health care policy is an area that is as divisive and polarized as anything between liberals and conservatives. I recently offended regular commenter J. Ewing, by asserting conservative leaders and the voters who elect them lack compassion for the uninsured. I also commented that opposites sides tend to operate from completely different sets of facts and suggested that he would dismiss whatever facts I presented out of hand. So my goal / experiment is to see if there is any common ground to be found on the facts related to the American health care system. I am also curious what facts people use to support their opinions about the benefits or drawbacks of the ACA act. Lastly, I'd really like to understand the values of conservative Christians who seem to advocate for health care policies that make absolutely no sense to my value system, but I am not too hopeful on this last one.

So to start off the discussion I would like to posit what I consider fact. The U.S. spends the Most On Health Care, Yet Gets Least. The linked study rates the US low on access, efficiency (cost), equity, life expectancy, infant mortality and even quality. I was going to argue that the USA has high quality care for the majority, but according to this study we are 6 out of 7 here as well. For further discussion the linked article ends with the following opinion, "About the only good news for America,.... is that the new health law could put the U.S. on a path towards improvement," which sounds about right to me. As the ACA act will not be fully implemented for a few more years, comments on it will necessarily stay in the realm of opinion. I suspect opposite sides will rely on very different sources of expert opinion of its likely impact.

Thoughts?
Contradictory information?
Explanation of why affordable access to a full range of health care services in a country as rich as ours should not be considered a basic human right?

Best of G2A

2011-04-08T22:59:00.004-05:00

Just like Public TV, I interrupt my broadcasts occasionally to beg for your help... I don't ask for money, or offer to give you a travel DVD for $200. All I ask is that you send this address to 10 people that you think will find this site interesting. http://give2attain.blogspot.com/2011/04/best-of-g2a.html

Or just tell your friends, office mates, etc to google give2attain. My goal is to get people thinking about what they believe and why they believe it... The more the merrier, and the greater the impact.

So, STOP NOW, MAKE THE TIME, AND SEND THAT EMAIL !!!

Thanks as always !!!

Related Links and Reminders:
G2A Magic of They
G2A Snopes Relativity
G2A Beliefs and Environment
G2A Barstool Economics
G2A Crisis of Credit
G2A Recession Bad?
G2A American Dream
G2A Conflict and Collusion
G2A Conflict and Collusion Break the Cycle
G2A Conflict with Heart
G2A Gratitude and Happiness
G2A Principles

That Stubborn Achievement Gap

2011-04-07T13:03:00.004-05:00

An interesting post for your review... Speed Gibson Happy Hour

Some comments to discuss:

I have to agree with Speed on this one. The unlucky kids come into Kindergarten behind in academic and behavioral skills. And with a lower level of support and/or discipline at home. And it logically only gets worse from there. Here are some of the root causes I see based on watching some neighbor kids.

- The number of in-school hours are about the same for all the kids. The Lucky kids get additional learning hours via their Parents after school. (ie that homework diligence that kids dread, that effort makes a huge difference) The same Parental behaviors that made the Pre-K difference just continue to magnify for both the Lucky and Unlucky kids. (ie spread widens)

- The Lucky kids are often more academically gifted and capable. It is not fair, but genetics plays a role.

- Reading and Math are definitely subjects where future gains are highly dependent on past proficieny. If you can not understand basic math, you will be ever so screwed in advanced math. Similar for reading.

- Parents of Unlucky kids see failing grades, extra homework and Summer school as bad or proof that their kid truly is stupid. (confirms their beliefs, demotivates) Parents of Lucky kids see these as an opportunity to dig in and help their kids overcome the difficulty. (conflicts with their beliefs, motivates)

With these and Speed's note that holding kid's back until they are truly proficient in a subject is socially and financially unacceptable. It is no wonder the gap persists.

I once had a school Administrator tell me that they wished the school year was longer. They felt this would help close the gap, but were frustrated that constrained budgets and union inflexibility made this impossible. I then raised the point that this would actually increase the gap, which surprised the Administrator.

Then I explained that only the Unlucky kids need much longer school years, and that the Lucky kids really do not need any more time in school. It seemed that a light kicked on for them at this Brilliant Glimpse of the Obvious.(BGO)

What do you think Parents, Teachers, Citizens, Lawyers, ACLU, Politicians, etc would say if we went to mandatory 12 month school years for every child that was not meeting the proficiency requirements. Seems like common sense to me. (who has the money to fund this?)

Ironically, from what I have seen it is the Unlucky kids (ie losers...)that sign up for study hall... This is unfortunate since they need the most class time. Also, the Schools seem to use the Study Halls as part of the Teacher prep time... Therefore if there are fewer study halls, they need to hire a few more Teachers to cover the additional class hours... So they seem to actually try to encourage/force kids to take study hall if they are not in band, choir or orchestra... Supt Sicoli's statement seems at odds with the District practice.

Kathy's Hint

Bad Students Not Bad Schools

BSNBS Review

BSNBS Review 2

BSNBS Review 3

RAS Agenda with Links to Gap Closure report outs

Middle School 4Apr11

GAP Projections 21Mar11

Secondary Math Science - New Reqts 7Mar11

RAS Mtg Video and more

Thoughts?

Can Politicians be Efficacious?

2011-04-04T20:03:00.007-05:00

First things First: efficacious - adj "capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.: The medicine is efficacious in stopping a cough. " Now that we have a common definition. I would like to discuss the following quote that J Ewing made in a recent comment string. And some thoughts regarding Wants and Needs that were triggered by Speed's 2 Nickel Post.

"There are four kinds of spending, listed here in order of decreasing efficacy – that is, productive of the desired results for the least cost.

The most efficacious form is spending is when you spend your own money on yourself. You know exactly what you need or want, how much you have to spend on it (and all other things), and thus what you are willing /and able/ to pay to get it.

The second most efficacious form of spending is when you spend your money on somebody else. You know exactly how much you are willing to spend, but you have little or no idea of what the other person needs or wants. Most private charity works this way, where you give cash to a charity rather than directly to an individual. If, on the other hand, you give directly to an individual, for example offering transitional housing to an abused woman and her kids, it's even better, almost as good as spending your own money on yourself.

Less efficacious still is when you spend somebody else's money on yourself. You don't consider how much is being spent because your incentive is to simply spend it all. You don't necessarily care about the price you pay and whether or not what you buy is a need, a want or completely frivolous. This is characteristic of those who receive government checks. For example, when building a new taxpayer-funded building, do we really NEED marble fountains, gold statuary, and pearl-inlaid floors? If the money is there, why not? A better example: would anybody in their right mind build a light rail system with their own money, even if they had the billion dollars?

The least efficacious form of spending is when you spend somebody else's money on a third party. you have no idea what the third party needs or wants and you don't care what it costs. The sole incentive seems to be to rid oneself of the responsibility for the spending as quickly as possible. THIS is what all government wealth transfer programs are. [Note: government programs that provide essential services to the general public, such as courts and law enforcement, are closer to category three. Not necessarily as effective as private business would be, but if they can't be contracted out they should be scrutinized occasionally for inefficiencies.] "

The key to measuring how efficacious a spend was, is that someone has to know what the DESIRED RESULT is... Otherwise one can not tell how effective the spend was in helping to attain the DESIRED RESULT... The problem with this based on the G2A WANTS vs NEEDS comments, is that there seems to be a SUPER WIDE RANGE of desired results. We have Liberals that say they think everything in the budget is a NEED. (and we NEED it NOW) And on the other hand we have Conservatives that would probably let folks starve before they voted for a tax increase. (ie "aren't their work houses???") So is efficacious then like beauty? (ie in the eye of the beholder) And if the Liberals truly can not separate WANTS from NEEDS, then how do they seem to always threaten the NEEDS first? Does this not mean that they are intentionally MANIPULATING the citizens? Here are some examples:

School districts always threaten or enact larger class sizes before chopping the electives, choice programs, arts, sports, bad teachers, busing, etc. Is this because class size is only a WANT and the others are NEEDS, or because their goal is to get parents excited so that a referendum will be passed.

The cities threaten that reduced local aid will mean fewer cops, firemen, etc instead of proposing chopping park maintenance, activities, administration, etc. Is this because safety and security is a WANT and the others are NEEDS, or is it because FEAR motivates citizens to become involved more than unmowed parks?

The State threatens lack of health care, increased starvation, increased homelessness, etc instead discussing fewer bike paths, less light rail, less arts /DNR funding, etc. Is this because HHS is only a WANT and the others are NEEDS, or is it because fear and empathy are a very powerful combination when you want to sway public opinion and raise tax rates.

So, I think the Liberals are playing us. They truly do know what the majority of citizens see as NEEDS, however in order to get their WANTS funded... They are willing to prey on our NEEDS, FEARS and EMPATHY for others... It is either this or they truly have no clue that feeding people is more important than a bike path... Thoughts? Note: I'll likely go after Conservatives later this week...

MN School Legislative Updates

2011-04-02T20:31:00.005-05:00

Here are some useful links to the K-12 discussions that are going on. Most are from Parents United because even though they are somewhat pro-status quo Public School, they do a good job of keeping track of what is happening.

Parents United Home Page

Parent Leadership Summit Flier Parents United April 1st Update

Parents United 2 Results 1 Bill Sen Olson - New format (pg. 1-14) Sen. Stumpf - Trad'l format (pg. 15-28)

Summary of Differences Dayton's Letter to Legislature

HP: Targets Poor

MP: Formidable Group

CBS Funding and Tenure Cuts

Pol in MN:Ed Committee Passes Bill

Inforum: Senate Bill

Education News: House Passes...

MPR: Dayton Objects

So what do you think?

Have the Republicans lost their minds or are they on the right track?

Are they doing the right things? If so, your rationale?

Or just grabbing money for their constituents?

What will Gov Dayton do when these unacceptable bills hit his desk?

What does your crystal ball show happening?

Just a reminder, I am a fan of spending more on K-12 education if the Unions and Administrations stop protecting inefficiencies and ineffective personnel. Until then... Let the cuts continue... It must not be too bad if they haven't offered up that poor performing 5% to appease the funding Gods... Thoughts?

Needs vs Wants

2011-03-31T16:38:00.002-05:00

The upside of participating on MN Publius is that I find some ideas that are so fascinating that they need to be shared and discussed further. Below is one such discussion... It seems the definition of Wants and Need seem to vary greatly... So what do you think? See the original discussion at the linked site. _____________________________________

"The reality though is that Democrats and Liberals seem to be supportive of Government / Society costs growing significantly faster than the GDP and incomes. (ie CPI, inflation)" The realilty is that Democrats do not support spending for its own sake. You seem to think that the goal is just to increase the budget (or, to use the familiar whine, "spend my money") without any particular reason. That is a distortion. Democrats and liberals generally support spending to meet legitimate social needs. Fiscal responsibility means that taxes are levied to meet those needs, rather than merely borrowing, or shifting funds, or, as Irving Kristol once put it, leaving it to the other side to fix (don't remember the exact quote, but that's the gist of it). Conservatives favor cutting taxes as an end in itself. This is where the distortion comes from. Republicans and conservatives have fallen into the seductive fallacy that all opposition to them must be complete, 180 degree opposition to everything, including the premises of their thinking. The syllogism, if you want to call it that goes something like this: We oppose raising taxes, because taxes are evil. Democrats want to raise taxes. Therefore, Democrats believe all taxes are good and should be raised. Yes, politicians have to prioritize. They also have to serve constituents, and do so responsibly. Waiting for the Money Fairy to leave several billion dollars under the state's pillow is not responsible. ________________________________________________

Randy, I think this statement is the core of all the challenges between the Left and Right... "Democrats and Liberals generally support spending to meet legitimate social needs." It implies that the "Republicans and Conservatives generally DO NOT support spending to meet legitimate social needs." Now doesn't that seem a bit condescending and judgemental? The reality is that they each truly define SOCIAL NEEDS differently. In truth, neither is Right or Wrong. Gov't/Society providing via wealth transfer vs Citizens being Self Reliant is a continuum, and it is only healthy when the pendulum swings back and forth near center. (either extreme would be very very bad... USSR vs Egypt) This link shows that the cost of Gov't / Society is increasing faster than the GDP. This is not sustainable over the long run. G2A Promote Effectiveness By the way, you did not take a shot at answering my questions. By the way, when did bike paths, light rail, buying land for pheasant habitat, offering many languages in HS, maintaining 370 school districts, etc, etc, etc qualify as a social NEED? I think Democrats just have a hard time saying NO to anyone or Anything... I mean it is hard when the Lobbyist/Citizen is in your face and its not your money... By the way, same for the Republicans... ______________________________________________________

Yes, perhaps it is not entirely accurate to say that Republicans don’t want to spend money for social needs. On the other hand, they have shown an unhealthy reluctance to raise taxes to pay for those needs. The solution has been either to borrow money, whether through actual deficit spending or through bookkeeping legerdemain, or to water-down the definition of “needs” to avoid raising taxes. There is a choice that is being made. When we let preservation of the wealth of the richest members of society take precedence, we have created a social need that is unacceptable. Your last paragraph is telling. The programs that you question are easily defended. Bike trails and light rail are important parts of the transportation infrastructure, and will become more so in the future. The current reliance on private cars and untrammeled highway construction is unsustainable. Pheasant habitat is a part of a spectrum of environmental protection measures. The marketplace has been a poor way to protect the environment (green marketing notwithstanding). Schools have always been the bête noire of conservatives. Teaching a range of foreign languages in high schools is more than just an intellectual ornament, it is a necessity (don’t make me repeat the tire clichés about globalization). As far as the number of school districts go, isn’t that about local control vs. a centralized bureaucracy? When you lay out programs like that, and sneer at them, you are writing a recipe for stagnation. If we, as a society, intend to progress in the future, we have to start now. The marketplace responds mostly to short-term trends and wants. It has been a poor place to look for long-range planning.* I did not take a shot at answering your question. Away from the context of actual expenditures, saying how high taxes should be is a pointless exercise. *No, I do not advocate a planned economy. I do advocate a realization that it isn’t going to be 2011 forever, and that we have to prepare for change.
______________________________________________________

I think you are stretching the definition of Social NEED... These sound like Social WANTS... And if you want to support them, please write out a separate check at anytime. I am certain the Gov't will be happy to take additional contributions. Globalization is a fascinating thing. My peers from all over the world keep reminding me that I am lucky. I have an American passport and am fluent in English. 2 things they strive for because of the ability it gives me to travel to and do business in all modern countries. (Thank God for the British empire and the USA) I'll post some of our discussions on G2A after I am done torturing my far right readers. We'll see what they think of NEEDS vs WANTS... Have a great week!!! _______________________________________

MN Publius Ingenius Fix

Do More Equal Societies Work Better for Everyone?

2011-03-28T18:09:00.014-05:00

A guest post by Laurie (previously known Nokomis). By the way, I am happy to extend this courtesy if you have thoughts that you would like to get feedback on.

____________________________________
While reading my spring issue of American Educator today, I came across this interesting article, Greater Equality the Hidden Key to Better Health and Higher Scores. In it the authors provide a graph showing the relationship between social/physical health and level of income inequality for about 20 developed countries. Not surprising to me was that the USA ranked highest in income inequality and worst in a composite score of social/ physical health measures (i.e. life expectancy, mental illness, drug abuse, education, obesity, homicides, imprisonment rates, teenage births, social mobility.)

The point of this article written for teachers was that decreasing levels of inequality would increase educational achievement for students of all income levels. This is illustrated in a graph showing literacy levels for adults of differing education levels in countries with different levels of inequality. In short, it shows that Paul Wellstone spoke the truth in his well-known quote "we all do better when we all do better."

For an interesting look at more graphs and discussion of the evidence that more equal societies work better for everyone, check out The Equality Trust website. Here, when I clicked to learn more about education and equality, I was pleased (and not surprised) to see that Minnesota ranked among the states with lower levels of inequality and this corresponded with our low high school drop out rate. Of course this idea about the negative effects of inequality seems very logical and even obvious to a strong liberal such as myself.

I am curious what others with a different worldview / political ideology think of the idea /evidence. Questions:

Do More Equal Societies Work Better for Everyone?

While the greatest gains go to those at lower income levels, would the wealthy benefit, as well, from greater income equality (as authors argue)?

Would decreasing the inequality in the USA through a progressive tax code save $ on things such as prisons, health care, drug treatment, welfare (fewer teen mothers) etc?

In a wealthy country such as the USA, will more economic growth lead to a happier, healthier, or more successful population (especially if the gains keep going to the few at the top)?

Thoughts?

Abortion War - Proof of Fascism ?

2011-03-25T11:33:00.012-05:00

As Nokomis said... "I guess I have implied that these "characteristics of fascism" are to be found to a much greater extent in the GOP : but, as they say, if the shoe fits....." After watching the news of late, I have to whole heartedly agree with Nokomis. It may even push me over to voting Democrat... (God Help Us...)
The Elm - Women Under Siege
YDR Wave of Anti-Abortion Legislation
Boston GOP Candidates Court Christian Conservatives

The characteristics we are discussing today are:

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights
5. Rampant sexism
8. Religion and ruling elite tied together

Now I have no love for the concept or act of abortion. I truly believe it is usually a "bad choice made to prevent people and their pending child from dealing with the consequences of a prior bad choice or total lack of personal responsibility". The reality is that it is a "CHOICE" that should be made by the Mother. And definitely not made by some Church folk that are far removed from the situation !!!

For some reason, many in the Republican party that I typically support decided to hitch their wagon to the "Far Right Christians". Therefore they keep trying to push laws that are based on Religious beliefs, rather than focusing on supporting the American Constitution. So much for the separation of Church and State.

In the name of these Religious beliefs, they would force all women to conform to these particular Religious beliefs and bring an unwanted child into our society. Kind of reminds me of the Taliban, they apparently KNOW BETTER and want to save this poor woman from sin. (maybe burqas come next) Seems to be terribly sexist and a violation of rights, since only the woman is required to bear the consequences of carrying the fetus to full term. And worse yet, only poor and some lower middle class women could not buy their way out of the situation in the old days.

Here are some other thoughts:

Though Republicans / Conservatives /Religious folk insist that these children be born, they consistently block the Parent Education and Early Childhood Education funding that is needed to raise the children correctly. Therefore trapping the kids in whatever world they are born into.
The unwanted children that are born to unprepared or unfit parents cost society a small fortune during their lives. Especially if the Mother or Father have significant addictions or physical / psychological issues.
Crimes rates dropped significantly in the 1990's. The largest factor was that Roe V Wade was enacted ~20 yrs before. The criminals were never born. (Freakonomics, Levitt & Dubner, 2005)
Millions of "indisputably alive fully self sustaining humans" die in developing countries every year. Where is the outrage and contributions from the Republican Religious Right folk. Maybe they just like "control" more than actually saving lives. Our is an American fetus worth more in God's eyes than a Mexican or African toddler?
If the kids are unwanted, not going to be properly cared for, going to cost society money and suffering, etc. How can "Pro-Life" be in the best interest of the USA and her citizens?
Fellow Christians, give it up and start saving the kids that are truly self sustaining and alive outside the womb. There are plenty of them dying every minute all over the world.
Besides America is a land of Religious Freedom, so let these Women have the freedom to choose !!!! It is God's responsibility to judge them, not yours...

Below is a comment that one of my good friends, Jason, left on the G2A Fascism post. It is too good to let it disappear into history so soon, and in my opinion it applies to this post.

"I am compelled to post: First of all, what is in a word? Fascism will forever be equated with Hitler and everything seen as evil in the world. Therefore, all 14 points as described must be inherently evil in some way? In fact all of the 14 points indicate methods used to establish control within a country. Is control bad? Certainly "out of control" is not good. Anarchy would likely fit the opposite of all 14 points. Anarchy would be unabated freedom right?

So the real point here is not to have methods of control, but to have the right level of control in the right areas so that people "feel free."

A problem arises when we are attacked. The current level of control has made us vulnerable and has had poor consequences. Therefore added controls are put in place in order to ensure that the poor consequences are not repeated. Unfortunately, this leads people to "feel less free."

Control is a method to bring the current state back into alignment with the desired state. Unfortunately, (or fortunately in a case to promote diversity), the desired state strongly differs between individuals and groups of people.

I consider myself to be a freedom loving person. I express this in the form of fiscal conservatism (please spend my money wisely and on things that are universal common goods) and as a social liberal (please allow me to believe what I want, and I will do the same).

What I find dangerous, is not so much the controls that are put in place to protect my safety, and the safety of our country, but those that enforce a specific doctrine or world view.

Coming from Minnesota, it is easy to see the Republican party from a non-religious standpoint. It is not tied to religion as strongly here than in other parts of the country. However, in other parts of the country, it is the party of Fundamental Christians and if there was not strong opposition, I believe they would love to remove freedom of religion from our Constitution and replace our Government with a theocracy.

Yes, this is closely tied to George W (Not George Sr. I might Add) Any of the 14 points that is imposed strongly by a group that would like to control religion and the beliefs of their citizens in this way is a direct threat to our Constitution, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

So where are we now? Are we free? Are our thoughts free and unhindered by the media and television we watch? Certainly not! However, our media is relatively unhindered by government, The bias here is generated based on cyclical reference. For example, the reporter's circle of influence leans conservative, therefore their reports are conservative, their circle watches/listens to their reports, cycle repeats. Same goes for liberal bias. The best way to remove some of this bias is to watch reports from varied sources that are not in your normal influence circle.
In closing, it is not the 14 points that we should fear so much (in moderation I’d say). What is dangerous is the promotion of a single ideology or religious view as “American.” This is why George W and Sarah Palin are not good for America. In my opinion, George Sr, Obama, John McCain, Bill C, all would be just fine. My point being, this is not a party line decision. It is a matter of personal freedom."

After this relatively contentious post, here is some comic relief. Monty Python's Every Sperm is Sacred... At least this Father could apparently sell the kids that he could no longer afford...

MN Tax Incidence Study 2011

2011-03-23T12:45:00.005-05:00

Another thanks to MN Publius. I may disagree with their interpretations, but they provide some great links. MN Tax Incidence Study 2011

The Liberal folks continually mention that the "Rich" don't pay their fair share... (links below) Let's try some math by saying that Brad, Bob & Bill are brothers with different incomes. (see pg20 of study)

Brad $20,000/yr (MN eff rate: 12.1%)=$2,420/yr
Bob $60,000/yr (MN eff rate: 12.1%)= $7,260 /yr
Bill $600,000/yr (MN eff rate: 9.7%)= $58,200/yr

Now all 3 of them use the same roads, utilities, county services, state services, etc. In fact Brad probably qualifies for and uses more additional services due to his low income. Now who is not paying their fair share? Note that Bill pays 24 times what Brad does and 8 times what Bob does for the same services. An interesting spin... And this does not even include the more progressive Federal taxes...

As you know, I am happy looking at this topic both ways. (G2A Entitlement or Gratitude) What frustrates me is that Liberals seem to feel they are in some way Entitled to a portion of the Wealth earned through an individual or family's hard work, saving and investment. Then they imply the "Rich" are villains who are not Paying their Fair Share... When in reality, Bill is paying at least 8 "Fair Shares". Maybe they should kick Brad in the butt, and tell him to start contributing more to America's Society and Wealth.

Being pragmatic... I understand that you can not get money out of an empty piggy back, and that raising Bill's taxes may be necessary and correct given the situation. But I think the Liberals should at least show gratitude and thankfulness as they are lifting more of "HIS" cash out of "HIS" wallet to pay for programs for other people. (ie paying their share)

MN Publius Richest 10% don't pay fair share
MN Publius Rich (still) pay less
MinnPost End Well?

Then there is the Local Aid argument... (see links below)

Now here is one of those very strange ideas of mine. Maybe instead of raising local taxes when Local Aid is reduced. They could improve their efficiencies or cut some low priority services...

Now, don't you want your local officials deciding how your local tax dollars are raised and spent... I truly do not understand how the State ever got involved in supporting all local communities. I can understand a few instances. (ie poor communities w/ little prop value base)

Finally, don't the rich and businesses have the most valuable property? (ie pay biggest taxes) Besides, the rate increases with the home's value... Seems progressive to me.

MN Publius LGA Declines, More Property Taxes
Speed Gibson LGA

American's Want Taxes and Cuts

2011-03-22T15:11:00.004-05:00

I always find it interesting when Blogs or Articles note only the data they want you to see... I thank MN Publius for the link to this article and site. They found it important to note that people support a surtax on people making over $1 million. (Q26 pt 1) However they did not mention that people support freezing annual domestic spending for 5 years...

Personally I would support doing ALL of these things at the same time. (ie Tax and Save) And pass a Balanced Budget amendment while we are at it. What do you think?

Washington Post Americans Want
Complete Survey Results

Source: HART/McINTURFF Study #11091--page 16
February 2011 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey

"Q26 Let me you read you a number of other things that might be cut or eliminated as a way to reduce the current federal budget deficit. For each one, please tell me if you would find this totally acceptable, mostly acceptable, mostly unacceptable, or totally unacceptable as a way to help reduce the federal deficit."

"Q25 Let me you read you a number of programs that could be cut significantly as a way to reduce the current federal budget deficit. For each one, please tell me if you think significantly cutting the funding for this program is totally acceptable, mostly acceptable, mostly unacceptable, or totally unacceptable as a way to help reduce the federal deficit."

How to Promote Effectiveness?

2011-03-19T17:21:00.003-05:00

I posed a question over at MN Publius Unexpected to the Liberals that keep vilifying Conservative "CUTS". (G2A Slow Growth Down) Unfortunately I have gotten no real answer yet. I have received some examples of why more money is needed, but no ideas for influencing an improvement in effectiveness. (ie effectiveness = doing right things efficiently)

Below are the lead in comment from CommonSense and my reply.

"One observation I have of the right, where they have a major misperception (or maybe I mean misconception- shades of GW) of the left, is that the left wants to take all their money and give it away to people that don't deserve it. The typical person on the right needs to understand that taxes are lower now than at any point in their lifetime and that you do not get anything for nothing!

When governors cry budget problems right after they cut corporate taxes (again), of course a reasonable person will ask how ANYONE can think it is ok to hack away at government to the point that it doesn't work, then cut more funding BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK! The proposals put forth by the right are absolutely ridiculous- turning local government over to private companies - firing ELECTED OFFICIALS; selling power companies at the governor's whim,.... each day gets more outrageous.

The thing about taxes is that there is a minimum that is necessary to run a government responsibly and deliver good services. When money is tight, you don't cut family expenses until you starve and freeze to death- you INCREASE revenue by asking family members to contribute according to their means.
We just want the rich, yes I said rich, to contribute to the government that has made it possible for them to live the high life while the rest of us hope we don't get fired or perhaps have our union rights legislated out from under us."
That said, which state parks should we close (which is your favorite, let's start there) and just how should we adjust the public school budget that has been cut, cut, cut?

My Response and Question:

If you do not like controlling the budget? (manage and slow growth, ~ CPI)

How would you proposed we citizens promote wise prioritization and year after year productivity gains from our Government/Social systems?

I truly believe that we could double their budget and they would find "good" ways to spend it all.

An example in Schools, exactly how many foreign languages need to be offered? Or exactly how many bike paths do we need in out state MN? Or why is the Public supporting radio broadcasts? Or why is the DNR buying land for wildlife habitat?

I like Common Sense's analogy, except I think we are cutting back on the family's cell phone and cable usage. Not their food and heating. Probably don't need that second job yet."

Thoughts?

Libya No Fly Zone

2011-03-18T16:34:00.003-05:00

Is our decision to help enforce the "No Fly Zone" a sign of our Fascist ways or something else. I vote for something much better and more compassionate... Maybe not Smart, but surely compassionate and maybe a bit idealistic. Thoughts? Obama Warns Gadhafi

From Ellen's Places: 14 Points of Fascism
4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

What about Afganistan? Or Iraq? Or Korea?

Wisconsin: Temp Restraining Order

2011-03-18T15:11:00.002-05:00

I'll file this under another waste of Wisconsin's public funds... Just like when the Democrats delayed the inevitable by leaving the state. A temporary restraining order based on whether adequate notice was given seems wasteful and pointless. (WSJ Wisconsin Blockage) Here are the possible results I see happening:

The court says they violated procedure and rules the law not valid. At which time they do it again while paying more attention to the clock. Then it is a law again.
The court says "close enough" and it is still a law.

Unless of course you think those "recalls" will happen sooner than later. Which of course I do not see happening at all. The Liberals continue to say how much support they have. However I did a little looking and found that Wisconsin has 5,000,000+ citizens, and the Public employees only number ~120,000. That means there are 4,800,000+ citizens that may like lower taxes more than higher paid Public employees.

Now there is apparently one benefit of delaying the inevitable. The School Boards and Teacher's Unions have a few more weeks to conspire against their tax payers... (otherwise known as set their Contracts) Thoughts?

Wisconsin Race to Contracts