The Church's Monopoly on Charity

When I was about 17 years old a family member passed away in Tennessee, a cousin of my Grandmother. My Grandmother was not healthy at the time so she sent my mother and I to represent her at the funeral. The cousin lived across the street from the local church she was very involved with. Her house was a beautiful southern home, with a large garden complete with porch swings and such. Being in and around that house I was absolutely in heaven. It was so beautiful; not large or pretentious, more lived in and full of love. I would have loved to live there.

It shocked me to find out that when she passed away she donated the house to the church. That was the first time I'd heard of that being done.

I have since come to know that it is commonplace for people to leave their belongings to the church of their choice after they pass on. I understand this practice; it is a way to assure the particular church can continue on and do well even though the person is no longer alive to pursue that cause in person.

But how many of us have thought to leave our belongings to the government; local government especially. Why is the church’s ability to continue on and do well more important than the local government who provide safety and security to the area where the church is located?

Or what about leaving your house to a local school? In this time of budget concerns this might help to provide better leadership for the future to assure both the Church and the Government perservere as well. It is obvious we can not count on taxes alone to help these entities do well.

I speak, of course, about those who either have no family to leave their things to, or whose family is already well cared for. Religious houses have always been known to be dependent on the charity of others. Maybe it is time we look at who else might need that charity too.

An Infection of Liberation??

Just watched the movie Fair Game about the White House’s leaking of a covert CIA operative in retaliation for the operative’s husband writing an article questioning the data the White House used to go to war in Iraq. I could talk about the movie and the incident but that is for another time.
What got me was the 16 words the President (G.W. Bush) spoke in his State of the Union address that got us into the war in the first place:

“The British government has learned that Sadam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

These words were a lie. Joe Wilson (the one who wrote the article mentioned above) was the man sent on that discovery mission and therefore best qualified to know of this lie.
Yes it is easy NOW to look back and claim the Bush administration had no right to go to war against Iraq. It is easy to be upset that we were so misled.

But was it a mistake?

Today there are freedoms in Iraq that haven’t been felt before. The people of Iraq are in charge of themselves. They do not fear their government, or oppression. They feel that have a real chance to succeed.
Could those freedoms have ignited the current demands for liberation from other countries in that region? Did liberationists in Egypt look upon what we did in Iraq and begin to wonder if they could bring about similar change in their own country?
Could our involvement in Iraq, regardless of how invalid the original intent was, have begun a worldwide movement?
Of course it doesn’t make much difference. We can not go back and fix or change anything. It is just interesting to question where all these sudden demands for liberation and a better life -more control over one’s own government – where did that REALLY start?

The mom vs teacher battle

A parent is a child’s first and best teacher. I have two children and each are unique. Having raised them from birth I know their quirks and strengths much better than anyone who only gets to know them over a year or two.

Today I received an e-mail from my son’s teacher containing a link to a news/blog story on how students are learning a different kind of math than we learned as kids. The story explained that with computers being so much more prominent in today’s world kids need to learn more about how to think algebraically. That it helps them interact with computers better. That parents of today can’t possibly understand how the kids are being taught in school.

Yeah, there are a few cusswords that come to mind at the moment.

Teachers deserve so much more than we give them. Good ones do anyway. But when they don’t allow a parent to participate in the education of a child they are shortchanging society entirely.

But this is not a new development; it has been slowly working its way into our world for years. I will admit that I am not smart enough to trace the origins of the educational rift but I know quite well the moment I dropped my child off at kindergarten I handed those educational reins over to another human being.

It became very easy to focus on my own goals and career as I trusted my children would be well taught and would report back to me more intelligent with each passing day. His first grade experience, though, was very difficult. The class dynamics and personality of the teacher absolutely clashed with my son’s learning ability. His days were spent focusing on his behavior instead of the items of study before him.

Now, he is in 5^th grade and this particular issue has resurfaced. But I am a better mother now. I am better armed. When he gets home from school I have things for him to learn. Workbooks and discussions with some positive reinforcement thrown in for good measure have helped him in all phases of life.  Now I use the internet for what a teacher was originally meant to do. Supplement a child’s learning process with information. But instead of trusting someone else I am his guide. As I believe it should be.

For instance, I know that my son learns better after physical activity. Though a teacher may be aware of this if he or she is paying attention the structure of the school day does not allow for him to go off and play football before each work session in school. As a result, in school, he suffers. He does not reach his potential. Had I been blessed with monetary means I would absolutely homeschool him.  Unfortunately I do have to work. As such his real education does not take place in the class room but happens after we get home. It takes place over dinner and weekend excursions. I use the internet to tell me what my child should be learning in his class and what methods are generally being taught – all the information I should be getting from his teacher. But I also teach my son other methods as well. I think a well rounded mind is much more capable of creative thought than one who sticks with only “new math”. It is how I learned as a kid and I do not shy away from algebraic learning now!!

Worth my weight in tax breaks...

Congress enacted an interesting piece of legislation I didn’t even know about. Granted I don’t peruse political news too often. Apparently last March (2010) a bill was put into law that allowed any company to receive compensation in the form of a social security tax credit whenever they hire someone who has been out of work for  at least 60 days.

On the surface this sounds like a decent incentive package. Companies who think they can’t afford to hire someone new might re-consider. Then I thought to myself…

Well that’s a load of crap!

Real companies don’t get persuaded to hire an extra person simply because they won’t have to pay Social Security tax.  If the company needs someone and can afford it, they hire someone. Giving them a tax break for doing so only makes the government look good for offering such an incentive. It did not reduce unemployment it was too little of a drop in a very large bucket.

Let’s face it, hiring people can be costly.

Today I was asked to come in for an interview and in the paperwork they sent me was a 7 page document that I had to fill out so the company could get this tax credit for hiring me. Never mind the fact that I haven’t been hired yet. Never mind the fact that I had to be hired before January 1^st this year in order for them to get the credit (obviously waaaay too late on that one). But what about me?

Am I suddenly only a means for a tax break? Is that all I’m worth to this company? I am a valuable addition to any company. I’d rather it be my skill that makes me valuable if you don’t mind.

The Skill of Speed

I'd like to state for the record before I get too far into this tidbit, that I have not been in an accident, nor caused one since I was a teenager (you know I'm knocking on wood right now). I am a rather fast driver but also skilled to be able to handle those speeds.

I have come to believe the speed limit laws need to be reviewed. I'm told (and am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that the speed limit is determined partially by what the government has designated the area (residential, commercial, agricultural), mixed with the population of the area and the type of road being travelled. I'm sure there are adjustments made for frequency of accidents, proximity to school/playgrounds… I understand that. But here's what I'm thinking:

Shouldn't the speed limits be flexible based on driving ability too?

Each of us would be tested on our driving skill (not just on parallel parking) and would be graded on that skill. Much like we have special licenses for motorcycle or truck drivers, we could have graded licenses too. "A" drivers are the only ones who can drive in the left lane and are permitted to go 15 miles above the posted limit. "B" and "C" drivers would be in the middle and the "D" drivers must stay in the right lane and adhere to "D"-class speed limits. You would display a placard on the car you are driving to alert a cop not to pull you over.

The fact is, I'm a damn good driver. I do drive defensively and my skill has a lot to do with my excellent peripheral vision and my ability to react quickly to changing situations. This is a feature I notice a lot of drivers do not have but I don't think it is fair for me to be punished because so many do not drive well or do not pay attention when driving. Those who do drive well should be recognized for their diligence and abilities.

Okay so the idea is kinda "out there" and a little over simplistic but tell me what you think anyway. I can take it!