I kept thinking of the George Carlin quote about reading and questioning, but it didn’t quite fit. I went with Jack Prelutsky instead.
Meanwhile, I shared this post with the online world.
It was a test – only a test, but a test that could have mattered. I’ve taught science for many years, perhaps to the detriment of my knowledge of social studies including geography, history, and you guessed it, civics. When we started a day of staff development and meeting with the New Required for Graduation Civics Test, I worried. What if I didn’t do well? What if my teacher self couldn’t handle a test we’ll administer to all high school freshmen starting this year?
I passed. Heck, I more than passed. Out of 100 multiple choice questions, I got 99 right. Maybe I haven’t taught a lot of United States history and government units, but I’m politically active and reasonably well informed. I read (and write for) The Broad Side. I contribute to, among others, Emily’s List.
I passed the test and discussed a few discrepancies with the teacher sitting next to me. We looked at the question asking us to identify the Speaker of the House, and asked “Isn’t the new guy (Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan) getting sworn in today?” The question asking the students to identify their Representative in Congress will need to be open ended; our virtual school students live all over the state of Wisconsin. We also identified a few poorly worded questions that, while far from being par for the course, really needed updating.
What did I get wrong? I thought I could avoid answering that. Deep sigh. Oh, all right. I did not identify James Madison as an author of The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays that supported the ratification of the Constitution.
Readers (and voters), could you pass a 100 question civics test? What do you think?
You heard the news, folks. Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan is now Mitt Romney’s running mate. Speaker of the House. But who is this guy? What’s his vision? What is Paul Ryan really like?
Paul Ryan represents a district in southern Wisconsin in Congress. He is 42 45 years old, the fourth youngest candidate on a major party ticket when he was Mitt Romney’s running mate in 2012..
Paul Ryan is an economist by trade. He graduated from college with a double major in economics and political science. On the surface, this could be a plus on his balance sheet. He is articulate and intelligent, and he can expound upon economic theories at length.
But let’s look deeply into this economist’s vision for the country. His budget plan, nicknamed the “Path to Prosperity,” didn’t really propose to increase prosperity for the average middle class American. His plan as introduced last fall (2011) included major changes in the programs known as entitlements, most notably replacing Medicare with a voucher program. His overall plan also relied on severe spending cuts. These cuts, and the austerity policies that would result, promised to be extreme and far-reaching.
The Ryan Budget bill did not become law. It passed the House, but the Senate voted it down.
What’s next, moving forward? Well, blog readers, that’s where the problem sits. Paul Ryan’s plans would move our country in reverse, back to the archaic values of the 1950s. His plans are extreme, severe, and austere in all the wrong places.
Ryan describes himself as being “…as pro-life as a person can be.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t include pro-women who need birth control, empathetic toward women who become pregnant by rape or incest, or supportive of women who have a legitimate need to terminate a pregnancy. He doesn’t value their lives at all.
Rep. Ryan’s budget proposals favor privatizing public education and using public funding in order to do it. His austerity measures and cuts will harm public schools – schools that are suffering financially already. A full generation of students are at risk. These students, unfortunately, are too young to vote.
Rep. Ryan likes the idea of for-profit colleges. He ignores the years of evidence that show for-profit colleges’ students’ poor payback record for federal student loans. Defaults on loans like this – well, where does the money come from to make up the missing dough? Ryan hasn’t answered that question. He has a history of voting against increasing amounts or availability of Pell Grants, grants that target low-income students pay for college. In general, his policies show that he views education as a privilege for the wealthy rather than an opportunity and a right for all.
Three years after the Romney/Ryan loss, I still question Ryan’s priorities. I’m glad to see him insist on family time, but I’m disappointed that his voting record doesn’t support middle income and low income families. Readers and Voters, what do you see in this new Speaker of the House?
This post takes me back to La Petite’s college days. If you’re celebrating, have a happy and fun Halloween!
On the left is Captain One-Eyed Joe.
Chuck has a collection of lanyards and credentials from special events he’s attended for his job. He is often the one pulling cords, making sure the satellite uplink will work, and in general, preventing chaos. Sometimes his special events are Packer games at Lambeau Field, golf tournaments at Whistling Straits, or political campaign events. In 2012, the security folks for both parties knew him by name.
In the theme of Halloween, he came home with a scary credential.for an upcoming event.
My gardening glove is masquerading as a paperweight.
Can you read it? He’s working at the November Republican Debate. Scary? My reaction was a shudder and a very loud “Ew!”
It’s sure to be a shiver and shudder type of event. Frankly, I’d rather watch Jeopardy. At least the contestants on Jeopardy demonstrate common sense and intelligence.
And I’d better stop right there. Readers, would you work an event like this if you had the chance? Or would you run, screaming, in the other direction? If you had a choice, that is.
Let me expand on the title. What is the Badger Pledge, and why was it easy for Russ Feingold to sign it? And why won’t Ron Johnson even acknowledge its presence?
On June 12, 2015, nearly seventeen months before Election Day 2016, Russ Feingold (former Senator, D-Wisconsin) proposed the Badger Pledge and invited Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) to join him in signing it. The Pledge is an agreement that discourages third party involvement, even as it admits that neither candidate can truly control those third parties. The Pledge states that any time a third party ad airs, the campaign on the side of the candidate involved will pay 50% of the ad’s cost (including air time) to a charity or nonprofit of the opposing candidate’s choice.
Sound complicated? It could be, but it’s not. The last of five bullet point sums it up best.
The candidates agree not to coordinate with any third party on any issue advocacy advertisements for the duration of the 2016 election cycle.
Russ signed it immediately.
Ron? Nope. In fact, he won’t address the pledge. He won’t say yes, and he won’t say no. Why not?
Let’s make some educated guesses. Maybe, just maybe:
Readers, what do you think? Why was it easy for Russ Feingold to announce and commit to the Badger Pledge while the other guy won’t even look its way?
For a complete read of the Badger Pledge, go to the Russ for Wisconsin site and click on Badger Pledge, or click this little hyperlink.
We have a small football pool at work. We call it “Wings” because when all is done, we’ll go out together for wings, and the winner will not have to pay. So far, I’m only in the running for the longest losing streak.
It’s a good thing I’m doing better in the home picks. The irony here is that I’m tied for the lead with (wait for it) the rabbit. The rabbit “picks” based on the team name – the mascot, mainly. Bunny prefers teams with names/mascots that are friendly to (you guessed it) rabbits. Packers play the Vikings? Packers, of course. Seahawks play the 49ers? San Francisco. Falcons play the Eagles? That one is difficult. No rabbit in her right mind would like an eagle or a falcon. For that matter, no rabbit would truly enjoy NFL football. So what is my pet rabbit doing in the family football pool? Never mind. Don’t ask.
I spent time on this beautiful day with no Packer game tending to the fall garden chores. Took down tie strips from the tomatoes, pulled up tomato and pepper plants, stashed the tomato support poles next to the storage shed. Tripped over a board, skinned one knee, and now the other knee and ankle are throbbing. Took ibuprofen. Held ice pack on joints.
To top it all off, laundry is still thundering through its cycles. I managed to combine everything into four loads, and I enlisted Amigo in helping move loads from washer to dryer. With his help, I might actually be done by the time he throws his own laundry in on Monday.
Time to look forward. To really prep for Monday, I should check my emails and grade tests and quizzes online. Should. I’ll give it my best effort, though. I try. You know I really try.
Here’s what I said on an autumn day nine years ago. Photo credit goes to La Petite. She was already talented with a camera back then.
Things I can do now until the cold weather strikes:
*Clean the bunny litter boxes outside with the hose
*Take small amounts of easily digestible compost out to the bin
*Shake rugs out on the deck in my stocking feet
*Take out garbage and recycling without a coat or jacket
*Rake leaves (a simple pleasure)
I can’t:
*Harvest from the garden, the last frost did it in
*Sit out on the backyard swing, it’s just a bit too cold to enjoy
*Leave the windows open, because the heat is on
But I can enjoy:
*Coffee or tea or hot spiced apple cider in a favorite mug
*A wood fire blazing in the fireplace
*NFL or college football on television
*leaves falling outside as I read a book in the cozy, warm den
Know what, readers? Not much has changed. I now compost through the winter with a second bin closer to the house. I still carry the bunny boxes outside, and after I empty them in the compost or in the garden, I rinse them with water from the rain barrels instead of using the hose. It’s windy enough today that I don’t feel the need to rake leaves, but I don’t mind the chore. I pile the leaves, like the biodegradable litter, on top of the raised beds. No wonder my tomatoes grow so tall!
Readers, how about you? Do your fall chores stay the same each year? Or differ greatly?
I’m going to send you to another place on the web today. It features me under my own name sharing my own expertise. I apologize in advance for the overuse of adverbs. It happens.
Prior Knowledge leads to Better Comprehension
First posted in July of 2012 – the memories are positive, and the sentiment is still true.
Imagine a busload of people who like Car Talk, get the jokes on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and know the difference between Michael Feldman and Michael Perry.* This is a bus trip of people who are polite to each other, make friends readily, and enjoy intelligent conversation about issues that matter to you, er, them. Amigo and I took just such a trip a few summers ago. Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, the trip goes to tiny Bayfield, WI, where the group takes in a show at the Big Top Chautauqua.
A summer City Council meeting seemed like it was ripe for conflict. People attended to speak for the trees, speak for the right to raise urban chickens, and support an up and coming project that will turn a former country club and golf course into a large community garden. Despite the differing opinions, all in attendance had something in common.
Last, but never least, I attended two meetings at the local Organizing for America office. One was simply a monthly update of the citywide group, and the second a training in canvassing techniques for the upcoming campaign kick-off weekend.
What do these three have in common? I’ll give you a moment to think. Take a look at the OFA office windows from summer 2012 while you’re contemplating.
How can you resist? Pose with the cardboard cut-outs!
Remember the question? I asked you to consider what these three examples might share in common. It’s the people.
In each example, you’ll see a group of like-minded people. The Public Radio bus trip was thoroughly enjoyable because of the camaraderie. In the second example, all three issues had to do with sustainability and the city environment. In the third, all of the meeting attendees were motivated to help re-elect the President of the United States to a second term.
Seeking out like-minded people is one way to stay calm and focused during difficult times. We share experiences, we share attitudes, and we share priorities. These groups will meet again, I’m sure. Trees, chickens, Public Radio, and elections are topics that inspire passion. Finding focus for a passion can lead to making a difference in the world.
Go ahead, readers. Find like-minded people. Talk. Then come back here and tell me: what will you do to make a difference?
Michael Feldman hosts a Saturday morning show on WPR called Whadya Know?. Michael Perry hosts Big Tent Radio on Saturday nights. Good enough?They’re both comics, hosts, and fascinating people.