Opus 2017-098: Snowflake Popcorn

I witnessed another reason why the current generation is going to be worthless in the workforce.

Popcorn.

I noticed a tide of students walking down the hall with hands full of popcorn.  I recognized them because they are one of my best examples of academic basket cases.  I followed the popcorn back to their previous class and saw the teacher standing in the door pouring popcorn into outstretched hands.  She was buying them off.

One of the ways that some people control their class is bribery.  They give out candy.  They take them to Burger King.  They have pizza parties.  I have had half my class come late with large drinks and pizza containers because the previous teacher was buying them off.  Guess who ends up with soda and pizza on the floor?  It isn’t the previous teacher.  Guess who pays for his bribery.

It becomes a mind set.  I have students who have done no work for two months ask me if they can have “extra credit”.  Can you imagine someone who has not been to work all week coming in on Friday afternoon and asking for overtime?  They learn it in school.  We just had a meeting with a parent.  We are nine weeks from the end of school, in the second semester.  The student had three failed classes first semester and is failing three now.  In my class he started with a D- and currently has an F.  His highest moment was a D.  The parent comes and demands to know what we are doing wrong.  Why is his son failing?  Civility and slander laws prohibit us from answering honestly.

Another snowflake in the making.

Brace yourselves.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-097: Ignoble, Ignorant, Incompetent

I usually say “evil, ignorant or stupid” but I think I have used those terms before.  Whatever the words the choice is still there.  I keep hearing people make excuses for others.  They will talk about how they are really good people but they don’t understand.  When the person being described is well educated and well read that doesn’t wash. 

Take any issue from global warming to abortion.  There is plenty of evidence.  It can be found with a little looking and a little thinking.  That is true even in a day of fake news.  When someone claims that voter ID is a racist idea you need to ask yourself who is the racist.  Is the racist the one who wants honest elections or the one who assumes that minorities are too helpless to have ID?  How in the world do you think they cash checks?  I had to show my ID three times yesterday just going through the business of the day.  It seems racist to me to think that because someone is black and poor they can’t function without the Democrats to protect them.

I am sorry.  Many of these people are either evil, ignorant or stupid.  Take your pick.  If that is too insensitive then go with ignoble, ignorant or incompetent.  They are not just nice people who are wrong.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-096: Greed or Power?

Relax.  America’s health care system will not collapse overnight.  The sick will not be laid out on the street like Lazarus in front of Dives house.  Get over the hysteria. 

Why?  Because the profit motive will still be in effect.  Supply and demand will still be the controlling factor.  Doctors will still need to make a living.  Those huge hospitals will still need to pay the utilities.  What will happen is that you will spend less time filling out all the paperwork that the government demands.  You will get to know your doctor and he will find a way to treat you.

I remember when I was young and foolish.  Notice I said “foolish” not “stupid”.  I had a problem.  I had lost the hearing in one of my ears and I was working a less-than-minimum-wage job for the summer.  I had no insurance.  That didn’t bother me because I had never had insurance.  The nurse where I worked made a phone call, I went to a doctor’s office, they told me what they usually charged and based on the reference of the nurse, charged me what I could afford to pay.  I am not sure it covered the cost of the materials for the treatment but I was taken care of.

Some variation of that will take place if the government goes back to following the Constitution.  Will some people suffer?  Probably.  Life happens.  People suffer now.  No bureaucrat will be able to take care of all pain in life.  If they get out the way then the doctors will be able to get into patient care instead of dodging government regulations.

Most doctor are just like you and me.  They have prepared to serve their community.  All they really want is a chance to do so without going to jail or bankruptcy court.  They will lower rates because that will be necessary to sell their service.  We will pay more out of pocket because that will be necessary to get our share of what is available.  The needle will meet in the middle and everybody will be better off.

Let the power hungry tyrants of the nanny state get out of the way and let the natural greed of the profit motive get into gear.  I trust greed more than power.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-095: Repeal Does not Demand Replace

I, for one, am glad the Republican health care bill was pulled.  It is not a failure of conservative principles it is a victory of liberty, debate and an open process of developing laws. 

The Ryan Republicans (RR) were trying to go Pelosi lite.  Remember how she said we needed to pass the bill so we could find out what was in it?  That is the same thing the Republicans were trying to do.  The problem for the RR’s is that Republicans are not mindless, lock-step zombies like the Democrats.  We don’t need a miniature nanny state in congress where certain anointed elites tell us what to think and how to vote.  It is good it did not pass.  It reminded the Rino’s and RR’s that there are still people who insist on thinking for themselves.  There were enough courageous congressmen to make it impossible to get the bill rubber stamped.

It is now time to go ahead and start really working on a health bill.  We need to do away with anything that smacks of socialism.  We need to allow the free market to determine what happens.  I would be in favor of a simple statement saying that the government will no longer be involved in health care after July 4, 2017.  Make it a new kind of independence day.

We need to roll with the punches.  We need to not worry about setbacks.  Trump is not perfect.  He has some serious wrong ideas but seems to be on the right track.  Congress and the word perfect only work together if you throw in the word “idiot” somewhere.

Cheer up and get back to the drawing board.  Meanwhile Drudge points at a congressman I wish I could vote for.  He simply wants to repeal Obamacare. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-094: Venus Ascended

John Gray became famous with his book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.  At least he appeared on my radar at that point.  When I Googled it to make sure I had the author’s name right I was interested to see that it was available at something called Textbooks.com.  That is a type of fame.  I tried to listen to the book on tape but after a while I got the point and did not finish it.  It is a very useful insight.  I am not sure that he was the first but he expressed it with pith. 

I find Mars and Venus useful in discussions because they really describe attitudes not genders.  In our politically correct day it is not acceptable to talk about feminine and masculine.  It has gone so far that schools are beginning to do away with homecoming king and queen titles.  So instead of referring to someone as a real man we can say they are very Mars-like.

When we look at the problems of our culture I have noticed a trend.  We are becoming too much Venus and not enough Mars.  The problem is not necessarily too many women in leadership.   The problem is to much feminine perspective in leadership, excuse me, too much Venus perspective.  Recently I attended a meeting concerning a student who was having some problems.  At the meeting we had a psychologist, a speech therapist, a therapist, a nurse, a special education teacher, a regular education teacher (me), and an administrator.  I was the only man in the room. 

I have been teaching at the same school for almost 30 years.  In that time we have only had one male principal.  I don’t think that is an accident.  Venus rules education as much as other areas of our lives.

Venus drips compassion, sensitivity and caring.  If you want one word, feelings.  It does not matter what the issue is, feelings are the most important measure.  Facts are nice but are always interpreted by how we feel about them.  I found it amazing that I was the only one in the room who seemed to think he was capable of bringing his book to class.  I really didn’t care how he felt but I knew it is impossible to do work without tools. 

My point is that if we don’t get Mars back into the equation then we are doomed to be overwhelmed by cultures that subjugate Venus.  It is amazing how the feminist and homosexual communities are so supportive of the Muslim cultures that will kill them when they are able to implement Sharia law. 

It isn’t that I am insensitive, I just care.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-093: Reference Material

One of the trends I see in modern contemporary worship is the absence of Bibles in the hands of the congregation.  I see coffee and water bottles.  Those are never forgotten, but not Bibles.  The pewsitters are willing to sit and let the Bible verse to be displayed on the screen with the translation chosen to reinforce the speaker’s opinion and edited to avoid anything that would cause conflict.

It reminds me of the reason for the reformation.  The medieval church made it impossible for the average believer to access the word on his own.  It was illegal to translate the Bible so the common people could read it.  In fact, John Wycliffe had his bones dug up and burned because he had dared to do just that. 

Christians in the Roman Catholic era had to take the priest’s word for it.  To their credit the Catholic church has come around.  They now have a modern translation called the New American Bible which is quite acceptable.  I am sure they are happy I approve.

In case you were wondering, we see the same thing in Islam.  Muslims make a big deal about being able to read the Koran.  That simply means that they can phonetically pronounce the words and repeat memorized phrases.  I can read the Latin Vulgate too.  I just don’t know what I read.  Islam leaves it to the local teachers to tell the Muslim believers what they should know.

One of the reasons that modern education is weak comes back to the reason to educate.  If you do not want people to be able to think for themselves and be genuinely creative you get them hooked on video games and computer programs that are “easy” to use.  Technology does their thinking for them, dulls their minds and keeps them ignorant of all the options that used to be available.

Read for yourself.  Don’t take the Imam’s word for it.  Don’t take the pastor’s word for it.  Don’t take the teacher’s word for it.  Don’t take the reporter’s word for it.  And of course don’t believe everything you read on a blog.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-092: Life Medicine

My day is a constant cycle of manic-depressive.

This morning the students were asking me why I was so happy.  I was singing to them and other nonsense.  In the morning there is so much spring in my step I have been known to bounce.

In the afternoon the spring has turned to winter.  Yesterday when I left I could hardly make it to the car.  Part of it is old age and a long day.  A bigger part of it is having to act like a lion tamer without a whip or pistol. 

I wonder if there is a medication for life?

homo unius libri