Jo's Cafe

Before I start on this post, let me lay some groundwork.

Outside of listening to podcasts from Rush & Mark Levin, I listen to two other podcasts for pure enjoyment.  Those are The Grizzly Bear Egg Cafe with Mike & Clayton and Scattercast from my friend Sean P. Aune.  Trust me, you won’t go wrong listening to either and can be obtained from iTunes.

Sean has mentioned on occasions feeling something he talks about on his podcast might give me pause – and actually he has been wrong.  But I so appreciate the thought.

Today I have to jump in and give a few of my thoughts on his last podcast.  And no Sean, I’m not mad – you are going to be surprised. (Anything that can pull me from my blog funk is very much appreciated!!!)

Schools.

OMG! Please YES YES YES!!!!  Uniforms, 24/7 days with NO vacation … okay .. that does sound awful doesn’t it?  I hate school buses.  If kids could go to school at night and have them back home by the time I have to get on the road and drive to work in the morning I would sooooo love it.  And they wouldn’t be able to get in trouble because they would be locked inside a building and away from gangs, etc.

Hee hee close your mouths.  I didn’t say it would work, just a dream of mine.

But on the school day extension that Obama wants to do — IT’s STUPID AS HELL!!!!  This is the President that now goes around saying that education is important, speaks to the students at the beginning of the school year, yet he signed a bill shortly after taking office that stopped school vouchers for the poor in Washington DC to be able to attend better schools instead of the crime ridden, failing ones run by the government.  I don’t see how extending the school day in a shitty ass school that spends more money, tax money, on paying for guards for the teachers and putting bars on the windows with bullet proof glass would help students get better grades?  How about teaching the three R’s again.  How about stopping the need for kids to have to take college prep courses in FIFTH FUCKING GRADE!!

Oh and Sean, yes I agree – uniforms for everyone!  I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, our family were poor farmers and couldn’t afford the fancy, smancy clothes and and was picked on daily because of it.  Uniforms would have prevented that and probably would have stopped years of self-loathing about being a failure.  That didn’t all come from being picked on in school, but it didn’t help.

There is also no need for summer vacation anymore.  That part of what Obama wants to do makes sense to me.  The longer days, no – year round, yes.  Sean is right  on this.  Here is a good read on the history of the American School Year.

Vacations Around the World
Short school years with long vacations are not the norm in Europe, Asia, or South America either. Children in most industrialized countries go to school more days per year and more hours per day than in America. While just sitting in a classroom longer does not necessarily ensure children will learn more, many American teachers spend weeks every fall just reminding kids of what they forgot over the summer.

There are a lot of ways to improve the way the American school system works. Personally I believe uniforms for all and year-round would be best.

Health-care

• The babies born in hospital corridors: Bed shortage forces 4,000 mothers to give birth in lifts, offices and hospital toilets
• The Top Ten Things People Believe About Canadian Health Care, But Shouldn’t

I do not WANT or LIKE Obamacare. Its Hillarycare repackaged.

I do agree there has to be massive changes to the way health-care is provided, from the provider of the payments on down.

I work in the insurance industry – not the health-care part, but in the industry enough to understand how things work on the back end people don’t see or know about.

There is no need to totally change what we have now just for a few people that “need” health-care.  Not all people in this country want insurance.  There are the young who believe they are 10 feet tall and bullet proof and the very rich who can pay out of pocket for any treatment needed.

The biggest problem I have is health insurance doesn’t pay 100% for check-ups.  I believe if they did, say two a year, more people would go to the doctor when things are giving them problems and maybe prevent further problems.  There are people in this country that will never go to a doctor, no matter how much you fine/tax them for not going or for not having insurance, you just can’t make them.  Fining people for not having insurance is stupid – and just another tax on the poor that can’t afford it.  Where that idea came from must have been a drunken poker game in the congressional closet (eye roll).

Fixing a broken system (ie: Fraud in Medicare/Medicade) would be a lot cheaper than scraping the whole thing and starting over.  This is not about a written exam where you can ball up the notebook paper and start over.  This is about people’s lives.

And finally – health insurance is not a right given by the Constitution of the United States.  Insurance provided by the employer was initially started as a benefit to attack and keep good workers.  Where it turned into a “requirement” I have no clue.

Day Light Savings Time For the love that is all holy STOP THIS STUPID IDEA!!!

Driving on the left. I  never thought about the fact the drivers are closer to danger than if they drove on the right side of the road.  Brilliant!!

So Sean – I didn’t skin you up .. you just finally prompted me to blog is all.

Surprised?

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