Archive for September, 2009

Dan Sherrier

President Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan both want children to spend more time in school.

Adding and/or lengthening school days isn’t the worst idea Obama’s ever had. No doubt, some kids could benefit from more instructional time. I’m not dismissing the notion entirely just yet, but I do have a few thoughts:

1.) Throwing more hours into the school day sounds like a slightly better version of throwing more money at a school system. Some of it might fall into the right place, but there’s potential for waste.

Kids, these men want to keep you in school longer.

For some kids, their lack of academic success has to do with factors beyond the classroom. The extra time might help, or it might not, but at best, it would only be a partial solution–step one, perhaps.

2.) The decision on whether or not to adjust the school year calendar is best left to individual localities. Each community knows the needs of its children better than Obama and Duncan. Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

Surely the warning not to get your economics news from the Associated Press can and will be used over and over again, especially when Jeannine Aversa writes one of her famous “This or that is up or down more or less than expected” type stories, but for now we’ll focus on health care.

The AP’s latest headline plaintively asks, “Older people pay more for health insurance; is it fair?”

All propaganda

If you have some intelligence to spare, go ahead and read the story. You will be much stupider by the time you finish it.

The AP, like most of the mainstream media, views all questions through the prism of politics. The story is rife with references to Democrats’ desire to see a 2-to-1 ratio cap on the disparity between premiums paid by the old and those paid by the young.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

It’s hard to imagine he will ever have to pay a dime or incur any sort of penalty, but given recent court decisions, John Ashcroft may wonder why he ever agreed to become attorney general.

Federal courts have thus far refused to dismiss personal lawsuits against Ashcroft and former White House lawyer John Yoo by individuals claiming the two violated their civil rights as a result of policies they supported and/or implemented in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

Thanks for your service, sucker.

The Associated Press, of course, can’t wait to tell us that the judges making these rulings are Republican-appointed, as if that gives them some modium of credibility. If you’ll remember how impossible it is to get an actual constitutionalist judge confirmed by the Senate, you’ll realize this doesn’t mean much.

Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Batz

I wanted to write myself a note the other day so I asked Sally if she knew where the pens were.

“Top drawer on the right side of the kitchen cupboard,” she replied.

That’s when I found the pens we own. All 3,675 of them.

I suddenly found myself wondering what other people were doing when they had to write themselves notes because we are obviously the proud owners of every single pen in America.

As near as I can tell, every single pen in America has somehow ended up in the top drawer on the right side of our kitchen cupboard. They come in every color of the rainbow, too, and in every size and shape imaginable.

Does anyone really need this many writing utensils?

Most of our pens aren’t ordinary pens, either.

They are also ink-filled advertising gimmicks for everything from nursing homes to health clubs.   We have pens touting the merits of used car dealerships, too, and travel agencies, hospitals, banks, veterinarians, telephone companies, ambulance services, fire departments, police departments, political candidates, cities, towns, villages, service clubs, radio stations, long-dead TV series and prescription medicines with unpronounceable 32-letter names. Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Sherrier

Political correctness needs to go on vacation, indefinitely.

Apparently, some of today’s adults feel that the earliest episodes of Sesame Street–from 1969 through the ’70s–are inappropriate for children. This saddens me.

If you’re not already aware, Google “Sesame Street inappropriate,” and you’ll see. The DVDs collecting the first several years warn parents that the content may not be suitable for today’s preschoolers.

Would you subject your child to this?

This isn’t news, but the overarching issue of political correctness gone crazy is as enduring as Sesame Street itself.

Look at the product description on Amazon.com: “Were some of your first friends named Grover, Mr. Hooper, and Bob? Do you remember the Ladybug Picnic? How about Pinball Number Count? Sesame Street Old School is a time capsule of the early days of the ground-breaking series you grew up on. Take a trip back in time with Bert, Ernie, Big Bird and Snuffleupagus. Sing along with classics like ‘C is for Cookie,’ ‘I Love Trash,’ and ‘Rubber Duckie.’ For the first time on DVD, the music, memories, and mayhem from Sesame Street’s first five seasons can be enjoyed again and again!” Read the rest of this entry »

Andy Hefty

I’ve got an idea for President Barack Obama and his Education Secretary, Arne Duncan:  Rather than increasing time spent in government indoctrination centers (oops, public schools), how about canning all the extraneous horseradish being dished out and serve up the “Three R’s”?

You remember those, don’t you?  Reading ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic?  Add in a little history, science, and perhaps a touch of physical education, and you just might be able to better educate students.

Off to indocrination, er, school

In other words, cancel the sessions where kids sing praises to “Dear Leader Obama.”  Stop sex education entirely.  Drop the environmental brain-washing.  Put an end to political indoctrination, poorly disguised as feelings-based education.

And for the love of your children, quit teaching kids how to take tests!

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

If you’re a malefactor on the world stage, what do you have to fear from Barack Obama?

Iran seeks nuclear weapons. North Korea apparently already has them, and wants to use them to blackmail the world into all kinds of favors and aid.

Russia, which does not accept the events of 20 years ago, seeks a way to bring former Soviet republics and Eastern Europe back into its sphere of influence.

Weak.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban seeks to reassert itself, regain power and restore that nation’s one-time status as a staging ground for terrorists. Next door in Pakistan, like-minded radical Islamists seek to undermine and ultimately topple that nation’s frighteningly wobbly government, and take control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal in the bargain.

And in Iraq, where the U.S. has turned seeming disaster into a promising, U.S.-friendly constitutional democracy, Baathists and Al Qaeda surrogates lie in wait for the opportunity to once again rise up and instigate violence and chaos.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dan Calabrese

Clearly the Iranians are really concerned about alleviating the fears of the western world about their aggressive intentions. Because when you want to reassure everyone that you have nothing but peaceful intentions, even though it’s just come out that you had a secret nuclear facility dealing in weapons-grade activity, what else would you do but become uber-provocative and do a missile test?

Up yours, America

CNN reports:

Earlier, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces’ defense capabilities.

The tests, which are expected to go on for the next 10 to 11 days, are codenamed “Payghambar-e Azam 4″ or “The Great Messenger 4,” Press TV said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mark Watson

As national leaders from around the world descended upon the United Nations this week, the world heard words of banality, as well as words of brilliance.

One national leader told the assembled crowd, “What seemed impossible a few years ago is already outdated, and we can scarcely fathom the changes that are yet to come… I am proud that my country… is at the forefront of these advances – by leading innovations in science and technology, medicine and biology, agriculture and water, energy and the environment. These innovations the world over offer humanity a sunlit future of unimagined promise.”

Auschwitz . . . perhaps you've heard of it, Mahmoud

Another leader took a different path for his words. “For those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken in just nine months… We have also re-engaged the United Nationss. We have paid our bills. We have joined the Human Rights Council… In an era when our destiny is shared, power is no longer a zero-sum game. No one nation can or should try to dominate other nations. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed.”

Read the rest of this entry »