Quote

It's easy for anyone to say that they 'want to help kids learn', [but] it's hard to tell the truth about why they aren't learning.

~Bill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly asserts that it is a lack of discipline at school (not only of the children but among administrators as well) and lack of parental guidance at home that prevent children from learning and graduating--not a lack of money.


Read statistics that support his theory here:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Education/ednotes111.cfm

Vocabulary

INVEIGLE--to lead astray or win over by flattering or deceiving; to obtain through flattery or deceit.

I was inveigled today by my own 10 year old son--I need to get smarter.

Post War Revolutions.......

In the 19 years following the Revolutionary war, Americans arose in revolt 3 times. Each revolt was driven by the same thing---taxes. Hey--isn't that what also set off the Revolutionary war itself? Mm.
I've not done an in-depth study of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, but one source I read claimed that it was Marie Antoinette's lavish parties that set off the French population. They were starving and cold, and the King and Queen were having extravagant get togethers. When approached with concerns on behalf of the general population the Queens response was "Let them eat cake!" Well I guess the French people decided they would have cake--they were going to eat the Queen's cake in the palace right after they cut off her head. Chop. Chop. Interestingly, the author claims that by all accounts King Louis and Marie Antionette were nice, amiable people, but, they were accustomed to wealth and oblivious to the plight of the common man.

Don't mess with people's money!! We all accept that we must be taxed, but only take what you need and use it wisely!!

Work, what is it good for?

In the book I'm currently reading, A Patriots History.....the author claims that one of the primary reasons the colony of Jamestown was brought to the brink of failure was the lack of willingness among the people to work. The population of Jamestown was primarily made up of wealthy gentleman who were not accustomed to work and refused to do it because it was beneath them. At one point John Smith implored the London Company (who owned the charter for the colony) to send "30 carpenters, husbandmen, gardeners, fishermen, blacksmiths, masons, and diggers up of trees.... [instead of] a thousand of such as we have." Eventually, Smith imposed martial discipline over the colony and famously proclaimed "he who will not work, will not eat." His efforts succeeded in stabilizing the colony and the rest is history.

Interestingly, several years later this issue of 'work' came up among another group. As we all know, the new freedom in America encouraged a boom of ideas. Religious practices that had not been allowed to flourish in previous societies found outlets in the free air of America. Utopians were free to try out their ideas too. A Utopian is one who believes a society can be created where there is no suffering or hardship. One such group was founded by two men named Robert Dale Owen and Charles Fourier. Their sect, sought to eradicate individualism through education--they valued 'head work' (education) over 'hand work' (physical labor). In fact, they despised physical work(probably because they believed it to be a 'hardship'). Well, needless to say, their sect didn't last very long because no one wanted to work! The group ran out of food and Robert Dale Owens lost millions trying to maintain it.

So, I conclude, based on these two examples (and there are more I'm sure) that in order to fully enjoy the benefits of ideas and opportunity...or just to simply SURVIVE!... one must be willing and able to work.

Vocabulary

I've read many nonfiction books over the last 9 months--ok, only 4--but I have come across many words that I either had never heard before, or that I had heard I just didn't know the meaning of. Sadly, it became such a problem that I started keeping a notebook of all the new words and last week I went through and looked them all up in the dictionary. Honestly, it was very entertaining. There are so many quirky words.

So here's one: BELLICOSE

Has anyone heard or used this word before? If you have you are smarter than me!
Here it is in a sentence....

Andrew Jackson had a bellicose disposition.........and so did I growing up!!!

A Patriots History.......

I love history, and I've always been especially fascinated with American History. Naturally, when I saw this book on the shelf, A Patriots History of the United States with it's bold red, white and blue cover, I was drawn to it. The word 'Patriot' got my attention. I wondered why a 'patriots' history would be any different from regular history? I read the foreword in which the author, Larry Schweikart claims that because liberals dominate our education system it is liberals who decide what goes into the history books our children learn from in school and they are construing history to suit their political agendas. One case in point he mentioned; of the many history books he and his co-author examined, most will have a whole chapter on Bill Clinton's virtues but none on Ronald Reagan, and only a paragraph (average)about Abraham Lincoln. He claims they also seek to minimize honorable virtues in history which means they marginalize 'good' and 'bad' and religion generally.

This was all very juicy and intriguing, so I bought it and have been reading it ever since.
The author Larry Schweikart is a professor of history at the University of Dayton and has written several history books including some on finance/banking history, and national defense. His co-author is a professor of history at a University of Washington in Tacoma.

I love history. I suppose it's true that if we can control what people understand about history, to some extent, we control the future. After all, ' if we do not learn from history, we are bound to repeat it.'

Humorous Quote:

Governments view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases; If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it.

~Ronald Reagan

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
Actually..... it doesn't seem so funny right now.