Bad news first! Education bureaucracy continues to be irresponsible in relation to the Trust we would like to see in the people selected to educate our students. Faced with large budget deficits limiting funds to support education as well as other public services, large raises (19% to some) have been given to MANY high officials in the tax supported California Universities. Then in this morning’s paper (Thanksgiving Day) I see that large severance payments (at least one more than $100,000) have been granted to supervisory personnel that have left one administrative position only to take another in the same university system at an even higher salary than they have been receiving. Then because of budget problems it is easy to see higher fees to students.
My good friends Chuck Whitt, Gene Wright, and I, all Rotarians, all widowers, all from Fresno, have dinner together most Friday evenings, then watch a sporting event on television together. Chuck is conservative, Gene is liberal, and I am a Libertarian. We agree to disagree on many things. For instance, neither of them can see that the use of drugs should be decrimalized, a subject for a later blog, perhaps. Then Gene and I disagree on the subject of educators (not education.) Chuck is silent on this one!
We agree that dedicated educators are extremely valuable, especially teachers/professors, but when it comes to administration, I believe this is a typical bureaucracy, with the majority more interested in “perks” than the education and welfare of individual students.
I could elaborate on “what is education,” and “how do you achieve education,” but not in this blog.
Chuck was for McCain for President, Gene for Obama. Not wanting to completely disappoint either one of them, I voted for Senator Barr, the Libertarian candidate. (I didn’t think Obama needed my vote!)
Now, the good news relates partly to Obama’s election.
Reading about Paul Volcker’s selection to lead Obama’s Economic Panel, I find I might have been wrong about Jimmy Carter as President, although I have admired his conduct since leaving office. I was most upset about interest rates during his administration. It seemed he did nothing. Now I find that Paul Volcker was the man responsible for that situation, and it was being done in an effort to slow down inflation, a goal I have always supported. If Paul Volcker is a “Milton Friedman” type economist, this is very good news. Time will tell on this one!
Other appointments seem to be headed in the right direction, also.
Then this morning’s paper had a story about “The Wheels of Freedom,” a bicycle shop that adapts bicycles to fit individual disabilities, including one for a woman without hands (or at least without the use of her hands.)
Also, an article about the Season of Sharing Fund finding an apartment for a woman and her three children that were being evicted from their apartment because the landlord had defaulted on the loan on the property.
Then in the obituaries, reporting on the death of Gerald Schoenfeld who as the head of the “Shubert Organization” has been primarily responsible for the success of “theater” in New York and other cities, including plays such as The Chorus Line,” “Cats,” a personal favorite and MANY OTHERS.
We can be thankful, also, for the many great non-profit organizations, such as the Rotary Foundation, the Bill Gates Foundation, the Reason Foundation (libertarian, more in a later blog,) the Salvation Army Nature Conservancy, and locally the RotaCare (free medical care,) Grey Bears, the Second Harvest Food Bank, Cindy’s Celebration (bus and lunch for old people, many with Alzheimer’s disease,) and many others.
