Interesting Video on Charity

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4478336/charitable-giving-democrats-vs-republicans?playlist_id=87185

When I post this, I don't mean to brag or boast, or turn charitable giving into a contest. What I want to do is combat false assumptions that so many people believe to be true. Again and again, I hear that Conservatives are wealthy and greedy, while Liberals are generous. You can hear that sentiment in the opening of the video posted above. But study after study shows that the opposite is true. I don't mean to say that democrats don't care--I think they do--but they are more comfortable with turning "charity" over to the government. But that is problematic in at least two ways. First, charity isn't charity when it's forced. And secondly, half of the money intended to "help" ends up in the pockets of government workers, who generally earn more money than the average worker. (There are studies about that, too.)

Some links about recent studies:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703766704576009361375685394.html?KEYWORDS=Charitable+giving

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704774604576036010174911064.html?KEYWORDS=Charitable+giving

http://anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=402

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18218

http://dailycaller.com/2010/09/23/surprise-conservatives-are-more-generous-than-liberals/

Good quote

Too many people debate as if the point is to show who is smarter, rather than which conclusion is correct.

Thomas Sowell

Food Safety Modernization Act (SB 510)

The Daily Caller featured this article. I'm not seeing much said about SB 510 anywhere else, except for a youtube video that talked about some of the possible scenarios we could end up with in the event of a national crisis.

Like most bills that ever go through Congress, this one has a nice name that really doesn't mean anything. We all believe in food safety. Most of us like modernization, although in the context of growing and preparing food, I'm not sure I do like the sound of it that much.

SB 510 advocates say that this bill will help protect us, by ensuring that farms and food manufacturers follow safety procedures that will prevent future scares like the recent egg recall. Opponents say this is just more government overreach that will hurt small farms and local farmers markets.

I've read that Monsanto is a huge lobbyist behind this bill. Just the first paragraph in the link is enough to convince me that I do not want Monsanto behind anything regarding food safety. They're all about pesticides and growth hormones and genetic engineering.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not an environmentalist by any means. I'm a free-market girl, and I believe that we should have the choice to support Monsanto, or to support our local farmers' market. Living in Boise, there are a lot of ways to buy fresh, local, organic food. This bill will make it harder for those local farmers to produce food, and could possibly make it more difficult to buy heirloom seeds for our own gardens. It will likely end the sale of raw milk (there's a place that sells it a half mile from my house), and I think that I should be able to buy raw milk if I want to.

TSA

I'd post a link, but there are too many already--you'll see if you haven't already, about the new security measures being forced upon ordinary travelers. I don't know which airports around the country have installed these measures, but they include an x-ray machine that allows an agent to see your naked body. If you don't like that, you can "opt out," and receive an invasive and uncomfortable pat-down--the kind you see police officers give criminals on TV.

This cannot be the best way to promote security and safety. If you think that invading my privacy or molesting my body increases your security, then you must think that I'm a terrorist. And I'm not. (DUH!)

With all of the ways the government keeps tabs on us (ever try to get out of paying taxes?), don't they have a way of identifying those who might pose a risk--say, those with criminal backgrounds, previous arrests, anyone who has spent a significant amount if time in a nation that sponsors terrorists? How about, when you buy a ticket and show up at the airport, they check to see if your identity matches the one you supplied when you bought the ticket. How about--if someone buys a ticket with my husband's credit card, and doesn't look like my husband--they stop that person from boarding! (A couple of years ago, someone took a trip to Jordan and Egypt on Dave's credit card. I'm appalled that neither the credit card company nor the TSA noticed anything amiss.)

Instead, you and I, our grandparents, parents and children are violated in the name of security. It's madness.

Pass it on!

http://fee.org/articles/great-myths-of-the-great-depression/

Long, but excellent and informative article about the Great Depression. Though I say it's long, it is shorter than the many important books written on the subject, so don't be intimidated!

Glenn Beck has been saying this for a while, and I agree with him, and that is that we need to be truly educated in order to make wise and prudent decisions in our daily and civic lives. After reading the above article, one will want to ask, "But why do we keep electing officials who do so much harm?" And I believe the answer lies in the fact that most of us simply don't know our history, or we've learned it from biased sources, such as textbooks written by those very people who benefit from our not knowing the whole story.

So, if you read this article and like it, pass it on!

I don't need to blog when there are writers like Thomas Sowell. While I have never read an article I didn't like, and wouldn't recommend, his last set, "Dismantling America" are worth special mention.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
I wouldn't be surprised if Part 4 comes out tomorrow, so keep checking his site. Even if there isn't a next part, whatever he will have written is sure to be brilliant.

Education stimulus

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704164904575421613093659730.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

This new stimulus is worse than I understood--it's not only going to increase the debt and reward unions, it is going to force states to spend money they don't have in their budget, and leave them even more beholden to the federal government. I hope Idaho rejects this money and all the strings attached, like it did "Race to the Top" money.

Idaho ranks #2, not #49!

Some big study ranked Idaho 49th of 50 in money spent per student in public education, for it's spending of $7000 per student. Utah ranked 50th. New York ranked No. 1, with the state spending a whopping $17,000 per student!

Most of Idaho's news media outlets are reporting this as an embarrassment for us, when in reality, shouldn't New York be embarrassed for wasting so much taxpayer dollars on it's failing education program? This is a case in which there is an inverse relationship between spending and results, but news reports fail to make note of it.

Honestly, I can't tell you how Idaho ranks compared to New York in actual results. But I know that I would rather send my kids to school here. There's a reason that thousands of parents are vying for limited spots in charter schools in New York, as depicted in "The Lottery." But for spending the 2nd lowest amount of my involuntary tax donation, I applaud my state!

And another idea...

about how to solve the education problem in America without demanding even more Federal (read: Taxpayer) dollars.

I read about the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in the WSJ, but the article is locked for subscribers only, so I won't link it (I did link to the high school's web site).  

What it is, is a private school attended largely by students from low-income families who want out of the public school system. The way they pay for it is interesting. From what I understand, kids go to school four days a week, and then work a full day once a week, alternating with other students, so companies who buy into this program will get the equivalent of a full-time worker for the entire week. The school also receives money from donations from philanthropists. Remind you of anything...say, the PEF? It's not exactly the same, but it's a religious organization helping to provide a quality education for kids who contribute to their own education with the help of volunteers.

The Lottery

WSJ previews a documentary opening soon, "The Lottery".

Teacher Lore

One of my education classes at the College of Idaho included one in which we studied teacher lore. Studying teacher lore can be a valuable learning experience, even though it's not quantifiable and measurable--it doesn't have studies and statistics to prove whether or not it's true. Since studies and statistics can be altered and adjusted to fit the goals of those asking for the study, who can say what is true? I've posted arguments for and against charter schools and school choice. Here's an article that is entirely anecdotal, but convincing in its portrayal of charter vs. public schools.

My fun morning

I got an urgent phone call late last night--a ticket to see Sarah Palin had become available. With thoughts of the impossibility of finding a babysitter for an event less than 12 hours away, I almost dismissed the call. I can see Sarah any day on the news if I want to, right? But just in case...I sent an email to a friend who thinks she owes me babysitting (and she doesn't--she's way too nice about watching my kids), and to my utter surprise, she emailed me back, saying she was available!

So this morning, to my surprise, I found myself attending a Vaughn Ward rally, in which Palin was to be the guest speaker. (My husband likes Ward, I've been a supporter of his opponent, Raul Labrador, in case you're wondering.)

Here is a photo of the group I went with:

Dave and Tara Nielson, Suszette Rockwood, and Greg Ogden

Suszette and I have been Palin groupies since McCain picked her to be his VP. Suszette grew up in Wasilla, and has a particular affinity for Alaska and it's former Governor. Greg Ogden there on the right is the one that scored the tickets for us.


At first, this was as close a shot as I could get of Palin:


oops, that's Vaughn Ward! Just kidding--sadly for Ward, I think people were there to see SP more so than support his candidacy. He seems like a good guy, though.

OK, here's Sarah:


But after the rally--look at how much closer I was able to get!


The person holding the other camera you can see in this picture is Suszette, who, with my help (I have to steal credit wherever I can), was able to talk to Sarah, get an autograph, a hug, AND a photo with Sarah! You'll have to hear her side of the story--it's so fun! (She actually asked Todd Palin to take the photo before the security guard grabbed the camera and took it for her!) I knew that other people were there who wanted to see Sarah as much as I did, so I got out of the way after I took some close up photos. But before I left, I wanted to tell Sarah and Todd how grateful I am that they put up with so much garbage to do what they do. I barely squeaked out "Thank you!" before I turned to go, and I doubt they even heard. But my girl Suszette got to hang with her "Sista from Wasilla" so it was a good day!

Taxpayer dollars vs. Federal dollars

When will people realize that there is no difference between "Federal dollars" and "Taxpayer dollars?"

Just saw a quiz asking who will pay for the BP Oil disaster, and the choices were
A. BP
B. Federal Government
C. Taxpayer dollars

I think it's because people think of federal money as something different than taxpayer dollars that Greece is in the mess that it's in, and why the U.S. is headed down the same path.

Happy Guilt Day

A good friend asked why so many Christians were opposed to "Earth Day," when we have been taught to love and take care of God's creations. Good question.

Maybe it's because Earth Day is promoted by people who believe in population control as one of the ways of taking care of the Earth. This is a conflict for those who believe in God's commandment to "multiply and replenish the Earth."

God made the Earth for Mankind. While He commanded us to take care of it, there are some things over which we have no control. Earth's temperatures have been changing since the beginning of it's creation--whether or not it was created in 6 days or through the process of evolution, it's no matter--man's presence on the Earth has had little to no impact on its temperature. Thanks due to "Climate-gate," more people are starting to hear evidence that supports this, and not one-sided, politically-motivated fabricated numbers pointing the finger at us evil humans.

Another reason I oppose Earth Day is that I don't like being told what to do by celebrities who have a "Do what I say, not what I do" mentality. Sure, it's fine for them to own mansions and estates, and travel around the world (in planes that use fuel), they've earned that right, who am I to criticize that. But for them to turn around and criticize ME for not using a mercury-filled fluorescent light bulb, or for using toilet-paper and flushing each and every time I use the toilet (tmi!!!) is utterly ridiculous.

more campaigns to watch

Oklahoma Governor Race: Randy Brogdon

He says, "Education is the responsibility of the parents." He is also in favor of protecting the 2nd and 10th amendments.


California Congressional race: Star Parker

She says, "We have a Peter versus Paul dilemma: we have too many Peters willing to rob from Paul. In order for our country to survive, the Peters must get a message about freedom and want to be free."

California Senate Race (against Barbara Boxer): Tom Campbell

A google search reveals that not all conservatives are fully on board. That said, I think he is the best option to beat Barbara Boxer, and to his credit, his previous voting record shows that he is fiscally responsible. According to the Fox news article: "Campbell was rated #1 by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation for frugality with federal dollars."

Someone to watch

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303348504575184120546772244.html

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey is shaking things up! This should be good. Very good.

Two articles on Education Standards

http://biggovernment.com/tmoore/2010/04/04/dressing-up-standards-dumbing-down-schools/#more-91250

http://bigjournalism.com/cderussy/2010/04/04/race-to-the-top-is-great-unless-youre-a-charter-school/#more-43382

Regarding the first article--very interesting. I had not considered the issue of how to teach reading or literature any differently than how I had been taught. But now that I think about it, I can relate exactly to what the author is talking about. Growing up, I loved reading. I wanted to be an author some day. I dutifully filled out my graphs and sentence structure charts, and got good grades, and was led to believe I was on my way to achieving the goal--though it's funny that the disconnect between enjoying reading and the busywork of making charts, which I didn't like, wasn't apparent to me at the time.

When I was accepted into AP English, I struggled a lot. I was not prepared to analyze literature in a meaningful way. I found all of those little connections structurally speaking, and understood grammar and punctuation, but my teacher wanted to hear my voice, for me to have an opinion and to be able to back it up.

Having been a part of a few book clubs since then, I think that those discussions are more valuable than any I had in school. I wonder if a book club format is in actuality the best way to "teach" literature. We pick books we are interested in reading, and then we get together, and freely agree to disagree on the merits of that particular book. I've gained a lot of insights that way, and I've become a lot more vocal in expressing and defending my opinions.

The second article is more about charter schools, and how so many people are blind to the destructive Unions which stifle competition and refuse to think outside the box in order to find solutions to our failing public education system.

Demonizing the "rich"

I heard that Al Sharpton recently used the "S" word referring to President Obama, saying that Americans voted for socialism when they voted for Obama. (While I'm sure that many did, I also think the media did an outstanding job of covering for Obama, and he did a pretty good job of convincing everyone he was "moderate" as well.)

And Max Baucus just came out and said that ObamaCare was about more fixing the "mal-distribution of income" than fixing health care.

This, and imposing limits on bonuses, the progressive tax hikes, the rhetoric about "spreading the wealth," and complaining about people who earn too much money sounds so nice and good, so kind. But let me ask, when did it become right to confiscate something that someone has earned. Think of the definition of "earn." When someone earns something, it means that they've worked for it, they've earned it, they deserve it. Do we really want to say that someone shouldn't keep what they earn? In our new great society, who will want to put in the effort to gain an education, to work hard, if they will be forced to pay for inefficient Government entitlements?

A friend of mine recently lamented that she wished that she had more money, so that she could do more good with it. I wanted to say, "You can still do good without it," which is true. But it is also true that you can do more good if you have more to give. And when you do give, wouldn't you like to know that the money is being spent wisely? That the money is actually going to those in need, and not in the pockets of union leaders, corrupt bureaucrats, that it isn't going to pay for abortions, or Viagra for sexual offenders?

While yes, some are greedy, I believe that people generally are good, even the wealthy ones. Those "evil" rich people are the ones who give employment, who donate thousands upon thousands to humanitarian aid, who create educational foundations and give scholarship money to deserving kids who have earned it.

I actually heard Eleanor Clift say that ObamaCare was a reversal of Reagan era policies. She said that Reagan redistributed the wealth from the bottom up--that he served the evil rich people. First of all, that isn't true, he simply eased the burden of the wealthy to pay taxes for everyone else. And even if it is true, it obviously worked because the 80's were a prosperous time for America! Our current recession is largely due to acts by Congress to give handouts to those who haven't earned anything.

More for my collection on Education

Two articles recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal. One that argued against school choice and charter schools, and one that refutes the first article. Which one is more convincing to you?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704869304575109443305343962.html?KEYWORDS=Diane+Ravitch

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703909804575123470465841424.html

Hillsdale college

I've never heard of it before, but this piece in Big Hollywood gives a very nice description.

I don't care so much about its theater arts department (I'm a little irritated by the entire theatrical community at the moment), though it sounds like a place that you could maybe go as a theater major and not have to strip or smoke on stage. What is more interesting to me is the fact that the school does not accept federal or state taxpayer money. I wonder how much tuition is?

Meanwhile, students attending public-run universities are seeing their tuition go up significantly, and their protests have gotten some news coverage lately.

So while we're at it...

And because no one is paying attention because of the health care debate, let's sneak in something else:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704187204575101663745849200.html

Bad Congress, Very bad, indeed.

Outrageous

Obama is determined to stuff his Health Care bill down our throats at any cost.

After voters sent Obama a very clear message with the election of Scott Brown, Obama pretended to be open to listening to ideas from the Republicans. As I suspected, it was just a show. When he says he is open to "substantial" ideas from the GOP, I guess what he really means is that he is open to ideas that increase Government substantially, because he HAS been presented with numerous ideas that are closer to addressing the real problems with health insurance than any one of the some thousand pages submitted by Reid and Pelosi.

I can't wait to get this guy out of office. Unfortunately, he will see to it that he does as much damage as he can in the short time he serves as the President.

FDR all over again

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704533204575047720489119784.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTSecondBucket

McCain-Feingold

While I am glad of the Supreme Court ruling that found the McCain-Feingold Act unconstitutional, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding on both sides as to what the law meant, and what is gained by the Supreme Court's ruling. The biggest complaint seems to be that the ruling will allow Companies with lots of money to influence elections--that it rewards the "haves" and punishes the "have-nots."

There are so many facets of this issue that I can in no way summarize in my own words. Please, I beg everyone, read up on this issue, and not just from the New York Times or CNN or MSNBC. And make sure and look out for "Lawmaker's Race to Limit Corporate Spending."

Here are some points of view I recommend:

John Lott

Bradley A. Smith

Chris Berg

Paul A. Rahe

Robert Frommer

James Taranto

E.V. Bone

James Hudnall

Ken Klukowski

Just to name a few...

Good luck, Scott Brown!

Watching the Senate race in Massachussetts is like watching the Fiesta Bowl in uber-slow motion as the under-dog seeks to overtake the big party machine. I have been on the edge of my seat for days as I have watched Brown's momentum build. And it won't be over after tomorrow--because if he does win, we'll all be in suspense to see Democrats pull every trick in the book to keep him from being seated, and/or pass their vastly unpopular and oppressive ObamaCare bill.

Joy

by Julie Cadwallader Staub

Who could need more proof than honey—

How the bees with such skill and purpose
enter flower after flower
sing their way home
to create and cap the new honey
just to get through the flowerless winter.

And how the bear with intention and cunning
raids the hive
shovels pawful after pawful into his happy mouth
bats away indignant bees
stumbles off in a stupor of satiation and stickiness.

And how we humans can't resist its viscosity
its taste of clover and wind
its metaphorical power:
don't we yearn for a land of milk and honey?
don't we call our loved ones "honey?"

all because bees just do, over and over again, what they were made to do.

Oh, who could need more proof than honey
to know that our world
was meant to be

and

was meant to be
sweet?

home schooling

Big Journalism article on homeschooling.

I have not made the leap of faith into home schooling territory myself, but I admire those who do, and believe that their decision should be defended.

Meanwhile, news stations in Idaho are spreading alarm about education cuts proposed by Governor Otter.

Personally, I am not worried about this. I fail to see why education costs so much--so much can be done with pencil and paper, good teachers and involved parents. (As of yet, I don't know that there is a connection to pay scale and quality teaching in Idaho, but if there is, then I will allow for the need of money to keep good teachers.)

I think that in home schooling, the role of teacher and involved parent is combined--how efficient is that?! Instead of the media bashing home schoolers, and the government trying to regulate home schooling, they should be trying to incentivize it. I propose tax cuts and vouchers for any parent who willingly takes their child out of the over-crowded, "under-funded" public school system to train their own children.

Revisiting the issue

To blog, or not to blog (politics), that is the question.

Cons:

-It is time-consuming.
-It is an uncomfortable subject.
-Staying up-to-date on the issues leaves me discouraged, cynical and pessimistic.
-I fear offending people who disagree with me.
-Doubt I'm reaching anyone here.
-Getting bullied.

Reasons to continue:

-Going public has helped me find like-minded friends.
-The responsibility to be informed, so I can make informed decisions.
-Desire to counter the negative stereotype given to conservative women--no, I'm not an uneducated, backwood-sy, greedy, barefoot and pregnant, toothless woman in a gingham dress--though if I were, I'd have rights, too.
-The wish to counter my fear with action--even if insignificant.


Perhaps it is the hormone imbalance, but perhaps it is rapid pace at which I am watching the Government spend money it doesn't have to buy things we don't need or want, or the controversy over same-sex marriage and abortion, or the threat of terrorism that has me feeling genuine fear for the future--my children's future. If we gave 100% of our money to the government, I don't think it would be enough to pay for the debt we have accrued. And yet, we keep digging ourselves deeper in the name of education even though test scores continue to drop, in the name of welfare even though the poverty level remains the same, in the name of Planet Earth even though science has to be distorted to "prove" climate change.

This blog is a safer place to share my thoughts--I haven't been trolled here yet--as opposed to facebook, where I was told to "stop fearmongering and go back into the kitchen." You know what is sad to me about that? That telling someone to go into the kitchen should be considered an insult. Perhaps if more mothers spent more time in the kitchen, at home, with their children, the trolls wouldn't be clamouring for Big Brother to buy their health insurance, their meals, their homes and their self-esteem. Should I "go back into the kitchen" and take care of my little brood instead of trying to save the world?

Oh, sad...

Here is tne conclusion of a story I had been following--that of the D.C. voucher program. The WSJ had been reporting on this story some time ago, but I haven't seen any follow-ups until just now, on Big Government. I can only assume it has been buried by bigger stories like health care, terrorist attacks, and Tiger Woods. But for children who had taken advantage of the voucher program, this is a life-changing event, and not in a good way.

I hate how the power-hungry government not only tries to fix things that aren't broken, they deliberatly break the programs that are successful. Kids whose parents had taken the initiative to improve their chances of a better education will now be compelled to enroll in D.C.'s famously failing schools.

It reminds me of what I have recently learned regarding women on thyroid medication. For years, women have had choices as to what kind of thryoid replacement to take, according to what worked better for their body chemistry. But as of 2009, because of FDA regulation, all but one of these drugs have been discontinued. And women who had been thriving are experiencing the symptoms that they first had before they had learned how to treat themselves. Once again, not only did big government interfere to "fix" something that wasn't broken, it has caused a great deal of harm to people it is supposed to represent and protect.

So, as we go into 2010, as President Obama and his socialist friends promise to save us all from ourselves, I wish to remind us all that whatever the Government giveth, the Government can taketh away.