Boy, Time Flies

Grrr......   I had about 90% of this done and then, for whatever reason, my computer burped and I lost it all.  And, I can't find it.  Now, if I can only remember what I wrote ten minutes ago!

Last Sat, Up North, the AM greeted us with 15 degrees, below zero!  That was actual temperature, not windchill.  There was a thermometer right outside the window.  Of course I had to go running--of course. So I layered up, put on two masks and two pairs of insulated glubs/gloves, and out I went.  No, I don't think that was crazy.  It was a nice run, about 4-5 miles and I was never cold, not even remotely chilly.  The next AM, it warmed--to about 11 or 12 below.  I managed to get in almost 14 miles that day.

I received a message from one of the gods today.  It was in the form of an e-mail from one of my Amherst professors.  I had some great teachers there, very great.  And if my physics professor wasn't my best, he was right near the top.  He's coming to an event my class is having during our Reunion in May and I get to be his "host."  I don't use the word "honored" very often, but I am very honored to be hosting.  I find it interesting that a history major (me) who loves history had a physics teacher who I found so terrific.  It wasn't just that he taught me physics (and back when I taught AP Government in the high school, on far more than one occasion I put away the government stuff for the day and helped students with their physics problems).  He taught me more than that--how to learn and how to love learning.  How cool, that since retiring, he's taken to local history, even writing a book of history!

I've been thinking about how schools, at least in Michigan, now require two years of a foreign language, although I think there are some options out for one year.  I have nothing against that; learning a foreign language is good, although I don't put it as necessary as English (reading and writing), math, science, and history/government/economics.  A one-year requirement is fine; two years seems excessive.  If students want more than one year, the options should be there for them to continue.  But my concern comes with this, while the schools seem intent on foreign language requirements, the rest of the gov't isn't nearly as insistent that immigrants become familiar with English.  I know, I know......  That likely makes me some sort of bigot or racist or......

A Metro newspaper has had quite a few editorials/op-eds insisting that the state legislature come down hard on striking public employees, namely teachers, Detroit public school teachers.  Now, no teachers have gone on strike, not at all.  But many have called in stick to protest and publicize the deplorable conditions in far too many Detroit schools.  I have written about the rodents, the black mold, the leaky roofs, the holes so big rooms have to be locked because people can fall through them, the daily threats of assaults, etc.  Funny, I don't recall many editorials or articles from this newspaper regarding the deplorable conditions.  Where have all their crackerjack/ace investigative reporters been?  Aren't conditions in the schools important, noteworthy--esp with rats and black mold and assaults and.....?  So, are we to believe the newspaper is more concerned with "sick-outs" than with rats and black mold and assaults and.....?  I wonder how many of those editors have kids who go to school in Detroit.  I wonder if they hammer out their work on computers with rooms having black mold, rampant rodents, etc.  Right......

I think that is the same newspaper that supported the right-to-work (for less) legislation a few years ago.  Oh, so vehement it was against unions, particularly public employees' unions.  But back in the '90s (?), this newspaper was very quick to run to the legislature to get a joint operating agreement, sort of a union for newspaper publishers (?), to keep it from going under.  Heh Heh......  Some of us remember.  I guess it's whose ox is being gored, huh?

It's no secret I think Obama has been a rotten President, one of our worst.  (It's hard to be worse than Buchanan or A. Johnson, but he seems to be trying.  And remember, I think W. Bush was no prize either.)  Apparently one of his political ploys is to divide the people.  His two administrations seemed to have focused on divisiveness.  Although I don't think he's done it intentionally, as Obama has, the Michigan governor Snyder has divided people, too.  Again, it's not part of his political plan, but he's nonetheless created a divisiveness here.  Listening to one of his talks this AM, I couldn't help but think the man is dense.  He still thinks he can run a government like a business, with all the "best practices" and junk.  Government isn't a business.  It wasn't created to be one and isn't intended to be one.  I guess he was a successful businessman, but I wonder how that came to be.  To him, it isn't the customer who comes first, but the bottom line.  Running the state, with a legislature that begs for some kind of leadership, he doesn't seem to have changed that view.  Can you say, "Flint water?"

I refuse to take any Bernie Sanders (I think I forgot his first name; besides, a Michigan Congresswoman continues to mispronounce it.) supporter seriously unless he/she admits he/she would be willing to pay the same percentage of his/her income in taxes as he/she wants others, notably the ones he/she identifies as "the greedy rich."  In fact, I think it's "greedy" of the Sanders supporters to expect others to pay for things they want.  Remember, it's always the other guy who should pay more.

Michigan's minimum wage has gone up about 60% since 2001.  (Whew.  I so thankful to have my trusty calculator handy!)  In that same time, unemployment for youths ages 16 to 19 has increased, too, from 26% to 45%.    Hey, let's raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

More about the death of Justice Scalia and the appointment brouhaha (already?) later this week.