Education

This is going to be the first in a series of political posts. I realize that, due to my financial situation, I can never run for political office. Besides my education is the same as the majority. When you watch the news and they are talking about house and senate bills in legalese I am just as confused as the next man. But I do feel that my way of thinking is closer to the common man. So my first post is: What would I do to change the education system?
My answer is as follows: We need to use education to broaden and expand the minds of the future generation. We need to train the next great thinkers. That involves exposing them to worlds, ideas, thoughts and ethics of not just our world but the world around us.
So my thoughts are these:
Foreign Language Education that starts in elementary school. The more foreign languages that they learn the better. I would start them with Latin/Greek, then move to Spanish or French then to German or Russian then in high school they can learn Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic, Italian or a multitude of others. The learning of foreign languages will not only stimulate their brain, but reading a foreign language will open them to a world of experiences outside of their hometown.
Math and Science education needs to become more advance. If we are going to teach computers lets use them to aid in the teaching of math, algebra, trigonometry, statistics, economics, biology, chemistry, the natural world, the sea, the sky, and all of natures wonders. We need to expose them to the wonders of math and science earlier. Math and science needs not to be scary but an avenue to a world of wonder. Yes I believe that we need to be teaching the young about ecology, botany, and creating a green world.
Shop/tool training needs to start earlier as well. If we can teach the young to use tools to build and fix things at a younger age then they will grow to appreciate things. Woodworking can start @ 5th grade. Electrical @ 8th grade. Auto shop in middle school, Computer shop in High school. Let's start showing them how things are made and maybe they will appreciate their toys more. No separating the boys to home-ec and the boys to shop. Let the children decide.
History needs to include more state history, US History, World History, Military History, Religious History. Need to know history so that we can learn from it.
More Business education is needed. Economics, Statistics, Business Math, General Business education. I believe this can be started as early as middle school.
Engineering training can begin in high school. Drafting, Construction Skills, Welding This way for those who can't afford or do not wish to go to college they have some job skills that can help them obtain work and get the better pay. Obviously the farmer kids need to start receiving agricultural training as early as possible.
Now let's discuss teachers. More scrutiny in the hiring of teachers and coaches. We need to ensure the safety of the children. Just because they have education and certification does not necessarily qualify them as educators. Why not pull from the professionals that actually do the work, much like the colleges do. There are a shortage of teachers yet there are men and women who were laid off of their jobs who could easily teach their trade to children. They would become valuable teaching tools to our young and encourage other teachers to obtain some life experience as well as education and certification. We need to also create some type of physcological screening and polygraph screening for teachers. It will not catch all of the bad ones, but just might scare some away.
These are just my ideas. Will they solve all of the problems with the education system? No. Are all of them perfect or without fault? No I can agree that these are just starting points and some need tweaking, but at least I am willing to state what my position is concerning education and what I would do to fix the education system. What a concept. Stay tuned! Maybe, one day if I win the lottery, I will be Governor of Oklahoma.

Been a Long Time

I have tried to put some ideas on this blog, but some things keep coming up. Well I want to share with my friends how I am doing with my novel. I have completed my "second draft" and am currently looking for volunteers to read and critique my second draft so that I can make the necessary revisions on my "third draft" I have contacted family and friends and my local junior college, where I was an alumni. So am just playing the waiting game. Can only wait and hope for the best.

State of the Union

Well the president has given his first address to congress. He gave great lip service to accountability, and how "he will hold everybody accountable for every dime that that they receive from the stimulus." He has great ideas to strengthen the economy, regulate banking, reformat health care and education. It was a very moving speech. I found it ironic that he is willing to bail out the financial and banking industry, yet he insists that the auto industry will not be bailed out for "their mistakes". That is ironic to me, but I will table that discussion for later.
Anyway while he is holding every one else accountable for their spending, who is holding him and his cabinet accountable? Who is holding congress accountable for their spending? Why does the president get to spend billions on a new presidential limo and helicopters, when he demands that the CEOs be held accountable for their private jets and high salaries? How can he smugly stand there and tell the American people that we are all in this together, when they are given carte blanche to spend for themselves?
I used to be an executive assistant to the President/CEO of a small business. The executive got to fly the expensive airlines, stay in fancy hotels, and drive expensive SUVs. The rest of the employees had to fly Southwest, stay at the Holiday Inn and did not drive the fanciest of cars. I think of that when I hear the executive and legislative branch talk about struggling families. They are not the ones who are struggling, yet they want us to believe that they feel our pain. They do not feel or understand our struggles.
So why do you believe that the answer to our questions is to put our trust in the government? What makes you think that they will solve our problems? Why do you still trust them?
The day that they are held accountable for their spending, their budgets, and how they are spending our money is the day that I will put my faith back in them.
God Bless America
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A New Direction

I have decided a better way to get my work published and that is by entering writing contests. Probably an easier way to get published but I just don't think that I should have to pay to get published. As long as I have an avenue to have my work read then I am happy. So still waiting to hear from the literary agents and publishers, but I am currently gearing up to enter a few contests.

January Reads and updates

Sorry I am late posting this. I have submitted my manuscript to a couple more publishers and queried some literary agents, so I am still playing the waiting game on that. I am currently putting together a entry into the L Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest, hopefully can get a first draft done this month so I can edit it and redo it by the deadline.

Anyway here is my January list:
1) Journey to the Center of the Earth'
2) Many Bloody Returns
3) Great God Pan
4) The Christmas Sweater
5) Misteltoe Mysteries
6) Tale of Beedle the Bard
7) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

keep on reading and writing

Finally some movement on the publishing front

I have heard from a couple of publishers. So at least I feel as if something is being done on that front. So all in all it was a good day.

Political Rant #1

This is to be a political blog, so those of you who do not like politics can turn away now. Last year I wrote an op-ed and submitted it to several news publications: Wall Street Journal, Daily Oklahoman, New York Times, and others that I can not remember. I guess that I hit a little close to the vest because to my knowledge it was not published.

Then I get my February 2009 Reader's Digest and there is an article on page 49 concerning Congress and their earmarked pork belly projects. It was along the same line of my own thoughts. The true enemy of the American People is not the President, as the liberal mass media would have you believe. Instead .... wait for it .... THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS is to blame for our current situation. They sell their votes, and their souls, to the highest bidder. They do not have our best interest at heart. Nope, they live and die by the polls and who is lining their pocketbooks.

These are some things to think about

1. Who does not have to depend on Social Security for their retirement benefits? That's right the United States Congress!
2. Who does not have to depend in Medicare benefits when they reach the proper age? Again it is the United States Congress
3. Who automatically gets a raise due to cost of living? You guessed it the United States Congress
4. Who lives on, and spends, our tax dollars YET PRODUCES NOTHING? .... do I really have to say it? OK Yes it is the Unites States Congress!

Wake Up America the change does not need to be among the Administration or White House, no no it needs to be in the House and Senate. Doesn't matter whether they are Democrats, Republicans, or Independents. Money talks, and Joe Six-Pack and Suzie Salad potato doesn't make enough to matter.

Don't Believe, then visit the following links:

• cagw.org
• taxpayer.net
• earmarkwatch.org

Get involved!