Educate Not Evaluate!

At least here in Florida the education system is more concerned with standardized testing, that grades schools rather than students. Lately, we have as a society have missed the boat when it comes to education. Many Teachers have for the most part, been more tuned to prepping students for taking the standardized tests than teaching them anything, and not without cause. The school systems have been forced to implement standardized testing to generate a yardstick on how schools are performing. These results will have no impact on the student's grades. You want a true yardstick of how well the students are performing as well as the school itself? 1) Make standardized tests that judge, weather the student passes the class. 2) Utilize those scores to determine how well the school was able to perform. 3) The subject matter on the tests must reflect the class the student took. 4) Your required courses only, will determine if the students passes or fails the class, these core classes (English, Math, History, and Physical Education and 1 year of political awareness to be taken during their senior year) are required to advance to the next year. All other classes are elective and not required to advance to the next year but, would count towards overall grade point average. Physical Education would be required of all grades, students participating in Sports type extra curricular activities would satisfy this requirement. However, only participation would be required to pass, not proficiency. Electives would be up to the students and their parents. Students wishing to attend college (after their 2 years national service {see an earlier post "Dropouts, Voters, and Voluntary Conscription"}) would be required to have a minimum of 3 years foreign language added to their last 3 years of core classes. Students wishing to enter a trade would have their core classes the first 4 classes of the day and then attend an Apprenticeship program for the remaining school day. Schools would last a minimum of 220 days each year, the four grading periods would be 55 school days or 11 weeks leaving the students 8 weeks off each year.

None Of The Above

There are times, when voters are faced with an election where they are not particularly enthusiastic about voting for either candidate, and in rare cases throughout the country they are faced with a single candidate. At times like these they will do one of two things; 1) vote for the lessor of two evils (in their minds), or 2) staying home and not voting at all. Every ballot should have included another option, NONE OF THE ABOVE. When the majority of voters pick the "None of the Above" choice then the political parties would be required by law to select new candidates and the election would be re held.

Space, The Last Frontier

It is time we get NASA back to work! The technological harvest reaped by the private sector from the space program fueled some of our greatest achievements of the last 50 years. John F Kennedy, jump started the space program, with his "We will go to the moon" speech in 1961. America needs a mission to get behind, America needs a goal, America needs to reach to the stars. America needs to spur the economy create new jobs, energize our youth to get an education so they can be part of an exciting future. The Space Shuttle program is on it's last legs, with nothing to replace it. President Obama wants private sector to develop space, this is one area that is not ready for private industry. The prohibitive cost of R & D, alone will keep industry on the launch pad. Usually I am not a proponent of Government spending, but when it comes to space exploration the rewards outweigh the costs. We need to develop a permanently manned base on the moon, where the costs of launching large payloads into space is less, due to the reduced gravity. Not to mention the mineral resources, which could be mined, and brought back to earth. Perhaps if the right minerals are available, we could mine, refine, and manufacture the next generation of rockets and satellites. With the right attitude and the right challenge, Mars is just a hop away. Perhaps a terraformed Mars, will provide us with a martian colony, who will one day become an independent country and a trading partner. I don't know if "Warp Drive" is possible, or to say travelling outside of the Solar system. But we will never know with our feet stuck on the ground and our heads buried in the sand.

The American Foreign Legion, France Has a Foreign Legion Why Not Us

One way for people wanting to become American citizens, is to allow them to serve in the military for a period of time. Upon completion of their faithful and loyal service, reward them with citizenship. This period of service should be no less than 6 years, and should incorporate, minimum requirements. These minimum requirements would include; 1) a conversational command of the English language, to include the ability to read and write at a minimum 7th grade level. 2) Having served honorably, maintaining a socially acceptable record of discipline (i.e. doesn't get in too much trouble). 3) By the end of their enlistment they have at least the equivalent of an American High School Diploma. 4) No felony records in their country of origin, equivalent to corresponding crimes in the US. In addition to achieving citizenship Legionnaires could be granted Citizenship under Heroic conditions, by achieving recognition through demonstrated Valor under fire (earning either a Purple Heart, Silver or Bronze Star, Medal of Honor, etc… etc…). American Legionnaires, would be in their own specialized units, serving autonomously much like the separation of the First Cavalry and Third Armored from each other able to operate together as units yet independently of each other. The major difference would be that Legionnaire units would be comprised of enlisted soldiers, serving under regular Army Officers. Initially Legionnaires would not be permitted to serve as Officers in their own units until they attained Citizenship. Upon honorable discharge those serving would be eligible for all benefits and rights associated with regular Military Veterans. I believe this would be a great way for those persons not normally able to integrate into American society, to become productive citizens without becoming an initial burden on the country, upon their entry.

Provided below is an adaptation of the code of the foreign legion as it might apply to An American Foreign Legion.

Legionnaire, you are a volunteer serving America with "Honor and Fidelity".

Every legionnaire is your brother-in-arms, regardless of his nationality, race, or religion.

You will demonstrate this by strict solidarity which must always unite members of the same family.

Respect of traditions, devotion to your leaders, discipline and comradeship are your strengths, courage and loyalty your virtues.

Proud of your status as Legionnaire, you display this in your uniform, which is always impeccable, your behavior always dignified but modest, your living quarters always clean.

An elite soldier, you will train rigorously, you will maintain your weapon as your most precious possession, and you are constantly concerned with your physical form.

A mission is sacred; you will carry it out until the end respecting laws, customs of war, international conventions and, if necessary, at a risk of your life.

In combat, you will act without passion and without hate, you will respect the vanquished enemy, you will never abandon your dead or wounded, nor surrender your arms.

Undocumented Workers? Why Can't We Call Them Illegal Aliens?

I am sick and tired of the Politically Correct crowd, whining about the poor undocumented worker. First of all, they are Illegal Aliens, with emphasis on ILLEGAL. That's right Illegal aliens are outside of the law. They should be arrested, thrown in jail, and afforded every comfort granted to them by their country of origin. Now, if you want to get rid of the problem of illegal aliens taking jobs away from Americans, using up our resources, (hospitals, welfare, and state aid) you have to dry up the attraction for them being here. Jobs, that's right they come here and work for those employers who will hire them and since they are undocumented they are paid way below what, legal Americans will work for. Thus the employers get cheap help they don't have to give benefits to, nor have to match their, taxes, which they don't pay in the first place. They don't have to pay them vacation or sick pay. Therefore if you want to get rid of the problem of illegal aliens, you have to get rid of the reason they come here... jobs. To get rid of the jobs you have to prosecute the source of our problems, the people who hire them! If you hire an illegal alien, you should be prosecuted, plain and simple. Tough measures must be employed, Prison terms 2 to 5 years per illegal job hire, 10 illegals working for you means 20 to 50 years in prison, plus fines. Fines equivalent to what the income tax would have been collected, during that illegals time at work at a comparable rate of pay, times 10. As for the undocumented worker, if no one hires them they have two choices go home or turn to a life of crime (which by the way, they already have by being in this country illegally). In addition to all this you cancel the anchor child problem by not extending citizenship to persons born in this country, if their parents are not citizens. Illegals should not be afforded driving privileges, health care, welfare, housing or education. When illegals are discovered they should be arrested and escorted to the nearest border and dropped off. You will find however, if they cannot get employment, or benefits, they will go back on their own. Right now the illegal alien environment is so much more inviting than the country of origin. It is no wonder they sneak across the border to work for less than we will, because it is better than what they have available. So to sum it up, punish those who hire, dry up the job market, end benefits for illegals, and end anchor baby citizenship. Then the problem goes away.

Congress Takes Away

It used to be in this country, when someone dedicated 20 or more years in the service of this nation (Military Service); He was rewarded with retirement pay equivalent to 50% to 75% of his base pay. In addition to that, he was given base privledges with medical, dental, and optical benefits, for him and his dependants, free of charge. As time has passed, out illustrious politicans have wittled these benefits away. Today even active duty service members have to pay for supplemental insurance for their dependants to get what used to be available for not only active duty, but, for retirees. Yet Congress, gets all these benefits for themselves and for their families. In perpetuity, even if they have only served 1 elected term. Congress has taken away from the men and women of our armed services, a benefit they have put themselves into harms way for. and kept it for Congress... SHAME ON YOU! SHAME ON THE CONGRESS! SHAME! SHAME! SHAME! On top of everthing else, the medical benefits were space available, where congressmen have had and still have front of the line privledges. If you think the government will take care of you with a new health care bill think again, they won't take care of the men and women who have served our country.

Charity At The Point Of A Gun or Robin Hood Was A Socialist

Point of the matter is this; If you reach into your pocket, and donate to your fellow man, that is Charity. If the government takes your money and gives it to another person, that is wealth redistribution. Wealth redistribution is not charity, you do not have a say so in who gets your money, or for what purpose it is used for. It is highway robbery literally, Robin Hood, was a highwayman; dispite what he did with his ill gotten gains, he was a thief, a robber, and a highwayman. What he did with his money made him a socialist, a liberal and a democrat. Redistributing wealth as he saw fit. I am not saying that the rich in Robin Hood's day were fine upstanding members of society. I am not saying that of the rich today. The point is, if socialism doesn't work once people know, that when they are idle, someone will give them something. We have people today, who have made a career out of gathering hand-outs. The main reason why democrats give money to the poor is to buy their vote. They don't care, if those people could become productive members of society. As I said in an earlier post, "If the poor couldn't vote, the politicans wouldn't give them anything". In accordance with the Preamble of the Constitution "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." In particular, promote the general Welfare These words do not require the government to create the general welfare, but to promote it. This in it's self means to give everyone an equal opportunity, to develope the best lifestyle they are capable of creating, for themselves! Not, to give it to those who are not interested in doing it for themselves. It is up to we the people to care for one another. Charity comes out your own pocket, and goes to whom you want it to go. Taxes are to run the government. We need to tell Washington D.C. to stay out of our pockets. If Congress gave away their own money, instead of ours, you can bet, Welfare would be more under control.