Why Vote Yes?

School Budget Votes are an interesting thing.  They affect your taxes.  Why would anyone vote to raise their taxes?  You don't get to vote on your income tax, property tax,  sales tax, or any other tax for that matter.  Yes, you do get to vote for people who will represent you & create these other taxes but the School Tax is the only tax you get to directly vote on.  So why vote YES?

The school tax is dependent on the school budget, the cost to run an affective school.  Much of that cost is mandated by the state & federal governments.  The biggest piece of the budget pie is "people".  Salaraies of all the people it takes to run your school & all it's programs.   Included in their are salaries, insurance costs, retirement costs, and pssibly some other incidentals involving your employees.  Then there are costs for supplies and programs.  There are mandated programs & unmandated programs.  Programs like Sports, Music, the Arts, & even kindergarten are NOT mandadated.  Imagine kids entering school for the first time at age 6?  Imagine trying to create a well rounded individual without music, sports, and the arts?  Then the state adds all this mandated testing & doesn't pay for it. Add to all the issues & costs escalating the fact that the governor got the legeslature to put into place a 2% tax cap.  School Districts throughout the state struggled to put together budgets that fall within the cap. 

Was there Fat?  3 or 4 years ago, there was Fat.  But over the past 3 years that fat which, by the way made for a better educational experience for our kids, was cut.    Cuts have occured over the past 4 years which are hurting our children's educational experiences and challenging our schools to do More with Less.  So, why should you vote Yes?   I think it's obvious.  The alternative is even more disastrous. 

For years the state has said it should look for better ways to fund education.  What happened to the hundred of Millions spent on the Lottery?   The state can not continue to mandate more & more & fund less & less. It's time they found a Better Way.

The Church & Christianity....One in the Same?

I spent the day today visiting the Aurieesville Shrine of Martyrs with my mom & brother for Mother's Day.  We used to spend Sundays there as a kid with my family going to church & then picnic.  It holds many fond memories.  It is also a historical site.  In walking the grounds, museum, gift shop, & Collesium, I got to wondering " What is it to be a good Christian?"  Is it going to mass every weekend? Is it believing in ALL the policies of the church?  Our new pastor has made the weekly mass a bit unbearable.  Mass has gone from about an hour to anywhere from 75 to 90 minutes. Do the extra minutes make me more holy...more Christian?  He loves to PUSH the church's policies.  Did you know that my church is against: Gays; Birth Control, Priest's Marrying, & Nuns thinking too much?   How Christian is that?  I thought God Loved Everyone.  That being a Good Christian meant just that. I thought to live a Good Christian Life was what God wanted out of all his flock...his people.  My father-in-law was one of the most Christian Like people I ever have known & yet he never stepped foot in a church.  Our new pastor is discouraging non regular church goers from taking part on our annual Festa Committee.  Does going to church regularly make you a better Christian & therefore a better committee person? 

In a time when the church is losing members hands over fists and the sight of anyone under 50 in church, a minor miricle, it's a wonder the church doesn't recognize their need to "Change" some of their ways of thinkiing & embrace ALL Good Christians & maybe even change the way they look at what a Good Christian looks like.

I'm thinking the martyrs at Aureesville would love to see the church open up their eyes & hearts to all people.  They died trying to convert the native Americans without reservations.  Christianity & the Church need to look more alike.

What do you think?

Sports Does produce Character..Le Grande Jesture!

In a time when the sports world is deluged with stories about "bounties" on players, players punching lockers after losses, players head hunting, college coaches molesting young children and such awful stories like these and more, it is a 'breath of fresh sir" when we hear a story  involving a sports figure who just Does the "Right" Thing.  Actually in this case this person was a coach.  Greg Schiano used to be the head football coach at Rutgers University where he coached Eric LaGrand.On October 16,2010 Eric broke his back in a game against Army.  They thought he'd be a quadriplegic living on a ventilator for the rest of his life.  Eric has gained movement & can stand with assistance.

His college coach hasn't forgotten him.  Greg Schaino in his roll as  the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers  recently signed Eric to a pro contract.  Yes it was symbolic & he won't be paid a penny but  remember.....It's the Thought that counts.

Eric resumed his college classes & graduated.  He had always wanted to sign a pro football contract & this being his draft year, his old coach decided to do a nice thing....The Right Thing.  Proving that Character can & does exist in the Pro Sports World.