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Hobbies, blogging and livingPosted Wednesday, May 21, 2008, at 12:52 PM
A comment was made that I have too much time on my hands. It is a funny statement as I have no more time than God has allowed me and I have reckoned myself to have been on borrowed time since I was 19.
At that point in my life, I came to the realization that life is fragile, human beings are frail, and, at some point, life ends for all living creatures. This thought struck me in the few seconds it takes to rappel a hundred feet down a 7/16-inch line carrying a five-shot bolt-action rifle and an eight-shot pistol into a world where most of the weapons that would be fired at me would fire about 650 rounds per minute cycle. It was at that point that I began and quit worrying about dying. At the age of 53, I am where I am because this is where God planned for me to be. These days, I spend my time taking care of the half acre of ground that God and the mortgage company has given me a temporary lease on and the family that God has given me to love. Some days, God gives me time to think when my legs don't work. Sometimes, I am awake in the wee hours of the night because I cannot sleep, so I browse the Internet or look things up that I have questions about. I talk to a variety of people the world over via the Internet to keep myself informed as to what is happening in my surroundings. I go shopping with my wife, but I draw the line when she heads for the shoe store. She heads the other way when I go into the tool department. We have two dogs that we love and they are both jealous so they demand some of our time as well. My days are pretty full with all of the joys and trials of life that God has granted me and doctor's appointments to boot. So, why did I decide to blog? In blogging, I put my opinion before you. You have the opportunity to comment and question. It is a discussion. Unlike speaking at a public meeting or submitting a letter to The Brazil Times, there is little limit to the depth of the discussion due to time or the number of words used. At public meetings, sometimes I ask questions and sometimes, I lay out facts. There is no response so I have to wonder if people are listening. A few months ago, I had a rather public debate over Indiana law and the use of funds with the school corporation. It began with a statement that was made during a public meeting that became part of the official record of that meeting. It did not sound right to me as it was stated so I checked on it. The statement was, in fact, false. I gave that information at the next public meeting and the statement was repeated by the school corporation that very night. The issue was not laid to rest for four months during which it escalated publicly. The debate ended with a school board acknowledged that I had proven my point in an e-mail sent privately to me, but the e-mail contained a veiled threat of litigation. I responded that if someone wanted to argue about what an Indiana statute says and that a statement was made by a person in a public meeting held in Indiana, that there is an official record of before an Indiana judge that would be fine with. It would give me and the judge a chuckle. I do not know if anyone had the knowledge about the use of the fund before I showed it to them, but I know they have it now and that they would like to use it if they get the chance. This ties in with my first and foremost hobby, something that I have been doing all of my life. That is learning. I learn something new every day, most of which some people would call trivia. It is still knowledge. Some of it becomes relevant at a later date, some of it gets pushed to the back of my mind for years before it is recalled and sometimes, some of it gets disproved by knowledge acquired later. We all have opinions that are results of the knowledge we hold strained through the perspective of the path we have walked in life. Several people may hold the same knowledge, but no two people hold the exact same perspective because God doesn't put us on exactly the same path. Two people may share a path for a while, but there is always a convergence and divergence. This is why I blog. To learn. My opinion is no better than anyone else's. It is not writ in stone. It can be wrong, but with enough knowledge, it can change. So let's communicate. Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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but the e-mail contained a veiled threat of litigation.
Why did you not follow up on this if you are the great knowledge seeker?
Trying to gain knowledge is not the same thing as having it. I could be a professional student but am not able to be due to the fact that I have to leave my house everyday and work to provide for my children. I pay my taxes, go to church, contribute my best to society and try to serve my community.
All I want is to leave the world a little brighter than I came into it.
My opinion can change too. I try to respect others opinions and know that they are just that "opinions." When others opinions interfer with what I KNOW is best for my family.... I get less than polite!
Leo, Your opinion's are fine but your actions are repulsive. The remonstrance does nothing but add more $$ to our renovations. Look at history....Northview would have had an additional gym and a swiming pool of not for the last remonstrance.
madmom61 - I did follow up, I invited the person to make a fool of themselves in court. They declined.
Do you really kow what is best for your family or do you say that looking from only one perspective? I would not presume to second guess you on that and it is an earnest question. It is a question similar to the one that I will ask when the teacher's contract negotiations begins and our teachers ask for more benefits. They will, most likely, be told that there isn't money. I will then ask why they supported this "tax and spend" building program that makes no viable reduction in our General Fund expenditures by reducing other personnel that are duplicating services that could be fulfilled with less personnel in one new, up-to-date, and energy-effiecent building.
smooth - I would like to discuss the auxiliary gym and swimming pool in person. What say you and I meet at the next Knights vs. Eels football game. Oh, right, Clay City doesn't even have a football program so those students couldn't earn a scholarship in the sport if they were the next Payton Manning.
The only reason for a high school to have a gym is to conduct Physical Education classes that are required, by law, to earn a diploma. Any after-hours or extra-cirricular use of the gym is secondary to that function and there is no reason for the taxpayer to build or support any school facilities beyond what is required for a diploma.
Obviously, the current gyms are enough to fill our obligation. Why is it that some people seem to believe that the Clay Community Schools Corporation is or should be the Clay Community Sports Corporation?
Education is about academics and diplomas, sports are secondary. Sports and other extra-cirricular activities do serve as incentives for some students to remain in school and make good grades so that they may participate. One of my grand-daughters is a graduating Northview cheerleader. Being in the program spurred her into passing algebra. But these programs and activities are neither required by law nor should they cost the taxpayer excessively.
To build and maintain such facilities as an un-needed gym and swimming diverts funds from the construction and maintenance of facilities needed to support academics.
FlyinLion, You are quick to jump to conclusions. Who said that gymnasiums are for nothing more than scholarships? Is physical fitness a priority? Maybe not for you but I would like to think that it is important. The real point is that we "wasted" money trying to decide what is right instead of trusting those that the majority voted for.
Flyin Lion, Did your granddaughter cheer in a gym? It's nice to know that this "unneccesary" structure was where she was spurred into passing algebra. Would she have failed without the cheerleading program? Would we have cheerleaders if we weren't the Clay Community Sports Corporation? It sounds to me like our family has benefited from high school sports.
Please do not assume all teachers support the "tax and spend" building project! I have a good number of teacher friends, and many of them do not support the program. These teachers are those who completely understand the fundamentals concerning operational costs for maintaining the current number of elementary buildings, etc.
My daughter was a cheerleader, too, but her education came first. If a school corporation has "extra" money, then by all means, sock it into extracurricular activities. But, if not....so be it! Our corporation has long been known for putting athletics above education. That's why it hires coaches only to move veteran teachers around to accomodate the new hire. Of course, the corporation is good at creating positions for coaches as well. But, for our elected officials to spend more in-depth time studying the possibility of redistricting so that quality education can be provided for less cost is a much too difficult task.
I imagine some already do! I think you missed Leo's point, or did you?
Thanks.....now I think I non-understand everything!
Please do not EVER assume you know better than me what is best for my family. Security is of the upmost importance to me. Let me share a story with you so you can see.
My 13 year old daughter had a stalker this year. He made vile threats to her over the internet. After several months of police work done by the state, county, and city police, the boy was caught. He was prosecuted and sent to a juvenile detention center. You see, during the time of not knowing for sure who this young man was, the school had their hands tied as to how to help my daughter. I had to sit at after school events becasue there was no security in place to protect her. I had to pray every day that he didnt decided to flip and bring a weapon to school. Outsiders aren't the only reason for security.
So, please, in the future never imply that you may know what is best for my family. My daughters are my reason for getting up each day. Their security and well being are vital to all of us!
And before you say it.. No plan is fool is fool proof. I know that! I just want to see security put in place and pray that all the schools will make sure it is followed.
Hello Everyone.
Madmom, I am glad that God kept your daughter safe. I've had my own expierences with stalking within the family. Did I somehow imply, to your way of thinking, that I KNOW what is best for you and your family? If so, rest assured that I did not mean it that way. I do not even know who you are and know nothing that you have not told me. I do know that no one worries about another's security or well-being more than their own, excepting children and parents at times.
On a personal note of my own, there was the time that Northview's nurse called to have my grand-daughter picked up due to illness. Making sure that I was on the list of people authorized to pick her up, I was asked to come and get her. I parked out front and a couple of minutes later, my fifteen year old grand-daughter came strolling out the front door. Who, on the staff, knew who was in the parking lot or who she got in a vehicle with? If she had not been in pain and I had been able to walk better that day, I would have walked into office and asked for her just to see what kind of monkey-drill ensued. If we are going to have security protocols, then, by God in His Heavens, let's use them and the locks we have already bought but are not using.
Security is important, but security depends on people not devices. What good is a lock left open? What good is a policy that is circumvented or not enforced? What good is cameras if no one is watching? Do you not control access to your home with a locked door and a doorbell? Why do our schools NEED any device that is more costly?
Smooth - Yes, my grandaughter benefited from participating in a program, conducted after-hours, in the one gym that we are required, by law, to maintain to enclose physical education, required by law, for the students of Northview.
Balance what we spent deciding what we needed against the cost of maintenance, operating expenses, and other such things of a gym and swimming pool that we have no need for. I think we came out ahead. A coupon for a dollar off on an item that you have no need for saves you nothing. But then, it was on the agenda of the last school board meeting about irrigation of the lawn that does not teach. I couldn't stay to see what ensued with that.
Smooth - Are you such a trusting soul that you accept any and every decision made by "those the majority voted for?" I fought, killed, and am still ready to die for people's right to disagree!
Bigpappy - I assume nothing about a population the size of the school corporation except, on any issue or in any comparison of its many individuals, that, in graph form, it will conform to the standard probability curve. Short for, it will fit the "bell" curve. I, too, have aquaintences within the corporation who are against the project.
Bigpappy & Unoit - While I used the football program and the lack of one at Clay City as an example, there are other examples. I brought up, at the last school board meeting, that we spent over $20,000 this school year to teach 1 student French IV and 9 students Dance. These courses ar not required by any of our Diplomas, our Academic Honors Core 40 diploma requiring 6 credits in one foreign language or 4 each in two languages. These classes earned 2 credits, but the credits could have been earned elsewhere. Last year, the last data available, put the per student expense for the corporation at under $9000 per student acroos all funds for the entire year. This year, we expended $20,000 in teacher's salary alone, not including any other General Fund or other fund expenses, so 10 students could earn 2 credits each. My question to the school corporation was "Which students who are going to fail to graduate got short-changed?"
Unoit - My reasoning may appear disjointed to you at this point. As we have only started communicating, wouldn't that be normal? I have heard most of what you have said many times since last Aug., but you do come up with some new questions and ideas. You are teaching me, and, hopefully, perhaps learning some things that you were not aware of. I can give my opinion in the 500 words allowed in a letter to the editor by the Brazil Times, that space costs them money, but you get little feedback and no communication of ideas. Same with speaking in public, time is limited. Here we can chat.
On "What was that saying from the Great Depression - Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without?"
Would that mean fix up what you already have and make it work?
........ If it is not used up. The plan is to put $11 million into two forty-year buildings. Some expensive maintenance has been neglected in both of them. One, Eastside, was designed as "open" concept which was found to be an education nightmare. Both are too small to house the educational processes required today. Both lack room for required support activities to operate effectively, mainly the cafeterias. They both lack storage room for gym and music equipment. While Eastside would require some modification to be ADA compliant, Meridian requires major expenditures due to its multi-level design across a lot with considerable slope.
Now, consider Cedar Elementary School of Avon, IN. Current enrollment is at 668, but, according to the Indianapolis Star last August, it was designed for a with a capacity of 800 students at a square foot per student rate that exceeds even our "model" elementary school of Jackson Township. This school project began in 2005 and the school opened in Aug. 2007. The cost of the project was reported as $18 million.
Considering $11 million dollars being put into 2 forty-year-old buildings out of the seven that we have when we could replace two with one new one for about $20 million, I have to say that I consider Eastside and Meridian as "used up" as school buildings as I would the Central Office should someone bring forward a plan to renovate that building back into a condition where we could use it as a school, what it was originally designed to be.
Now I am scared! We agree on something. Security that is put into place should be used to it's potential!
But how I ask are we to do that with all the cuts? Are teachers to take time out of their day to do this? It has been suggested on here that the support staff be cut. That is a shame. I feel sure that they will not get volunteers to do that job!
And as usaul, I agree with Unoit. Restoration is a virtue we dont use in this country. New is not always better.
I have had some "restorative" work done and I would like to think I am still good! HAHA
I meant this to be a blog atricle, but it didn't get posts by the Brazil Times. Can't really gripe about that, everyone deserves time off.
Views from the Lion's Lair
By: Leo L. Southworth
Memorial Day
As a former Marine, Memorial Day has a great deal of meaning to me. It is a time for me to reflect upon fallen comrades and comrades-at-arms who will be forever young in my mind. It is a time when I reflect on my father, a deceased veteran of the Army Medical Corps who served during World War II and Korea. It is a time when those in our military are on my mind and in my prayers.
Many of us have plans for family outings, picnics, and other activities. I see it as right and fitting to do those things on Memorial Day. The people who this day commemorates made their sacrifice for those things to go on and gave up enjoying those things for themselves.
I ask that in your busy day that you hug your family for those that can no longer hug theirs. Remember those that have passed the Great Veil and hold precious the freedoms that they preserved for you. Exercise those freedoms as often as you can for those who paid the ultimate price for them and who are now stiff and cold. Take a moment in the rain or sun, in the brightness of the day or in the dark of the night, and say a prayer for those who stand watch over those freedoms today.
SEMPER FI
Posted by unoit - I take issue with this statement. YOU might not have a need for a pool, but a swim team is a sport just as football and cheerleading are.
***** There are many sports. We have several of them at Northview, more than at Clay City. I understand that the schools are of different sizes, but that has resulted in disparity in education. The students have more oppertunities at Northview, but Clay City produces a higher percentage of graduates. The school corporation's only reason for existance is education. Sports is an element of that, but sports are not a requirement of the law. Basically, they are "highly desirable" to a degree.
I, too, have seen many old buildings that were well-kept, in Europe and other parts of the world. I have seen some of them demolished to make room for the new and many turned into museums as happened here with the old Post Office.
However, the discussion is not about buildings elsewhere and how or why people decide what to do with them. The subject of discussion are school buildings in the Clay Community Schools Corporation and what we can do with them that will be to the best advantage to the most students.
I, for one, will be most interested in the forms (DSN 1001, 1002, and 1003) that must be filled on these projects. There is one piece of information that I feel should be on at least one of these forms that is never asked for, that being the buildings current value. A school corporation official was asked this during the tour of Eastside. He stated that he wasn't sure and I would not hold him strictly to this figure, but he said that he thought it was insured for $4 million for total replacment value. That knowledge, had it came out during the public meetings on the project and if it is fact, would have me questioning the cost of renovating against the value no matter the age of the building.
As I have said to many people, the more I find out, the more I find to question. I know that we need to do something to the buildings. But, I find that there are too many things, such as replacing plumbing fixtures when the problem is piping that hasn't became a problem yet and should be a maintenance task if it does or replacing doors when what is needed are ADA compliant handles that will work with the existing doors, etc., that have bloated this project's cost.