Page Two: Who's Responsible?

I don't usually do a follow-up on earlier posts but did anyone see the clip on Channel 11 last night on the 11 o'clock news about the grant rejected by the Swanton school board?

This is what caught my attention: at the very end of the clip, Neil Toeppe (Executive Director of the SACC) was shown stating, "“there was a lot going to kids, the administration was a small component that (the board) is using as a smoke screen to cover their unwillingness to address the issue publicly.”

Is he serious? Is he actually stating that an annual amount of $4,705 out of a total $511,000 constitutes "a lot going to kids" while $506,295 for salaries, computers & equipment, and travel is "a small component" for administration?? (I did the math using that summary page - you can read it by clicking here)

This clip also had a guy named Mullan who is affiliated with something called the Community Coalition, who said it was "disturbing that 5 people would unanimously turn down free money " (um, Earth to Mullan: there is no such thing as 'free money')

Reading that summary page, it is clear that the SACC and the Community Coalition were the ones who stood to gain the lion's share of that half million dollars. They are both listed by name, as administrators and evaluator of the grant. Funny - none of the video they shot mentioned any of that . . .

There was a short mention by Toeppe of his concern for his 2 grandsons who are coming up through the Swanton school system, with regard to the grant being rejected. . . So Mr. Toeppe, pay attention here, cuz I'm talking to You and all of those who share your opinion that somehow a school system is responsible for the alcohol/tobacco/drug use of their students: PARENTS are responsible for teaching their kids to stay away from drugs and alcohol. PARENTS are responsible to make sure their kids aren't into mischief or trouble outside of school. PARENTS have the greatest impact on their kids' behavior, whether good or evil.

Maybe you've never considered this before, but it is not the responsibility of ANY government entity to parent our kids! It is not the responsibility of the Swanton school district to parent your grandsons, Mr. Toeppe - it is the responsibility of their mom and dad, one of whom is your offspring.

Now maybe if we eliminated the Department of Education completely, and did away with all of these grants where so much money was thrown at a problem, our families would be able to keep more of the money they earn. By being able to pay less in taxes that are delivered by the bushel to entities like the SACC, maybe hundreds and thousands of 2 income households would be able to pare back to 1 income and still be able to eat and pay their personally incurred bills.

And maybe, just maybe, sanity would be restored to the United States and its democratic republic snatched from the brink before it slides forever into the socialistic mire it toys with today. For make no mistake, Mr. Toeppe - the principle you espouse is indeed socialism, where Government is in charge from cradle to grave. I deeply resent those of your ilk who whine ever louder for Government to assume their personal, individual responsibilities, as the money to do so is taken from my pocket and the pockets of my neighbors in ever-increasing taxes while our freedoms are slowly eroded to dust.

PARENTS need to do whatever it takes to keep their kids straight. If that means the parents must limit or cease their own intake of these substances in question, so be it. If that means the parents need to plan supervised parties at home for their kids and their friends, they should do it. If that means the parents must insist on doling out chores or side jobs to their little darlings in order to keep them from imbibing after school (now there's a quaint idea), then, by God they should do so!

I sincerely hope that the citizens of Swanton are intelligent enough to see through your b.s., Mr. Toeppe, and that they are the kind of parents who actually raise their own kids without the benefit of your poker games and pizza parties at taxpayer expense.

Just Say "NO"

An interesting situation has come to the forefront of our consciousness via TV tabloid coverage on all 3 local channels, plus an article in the Toledo Bland, er, Blade.

Seems there is a $511,000 grant that has been awarded by the U.S. Dept. of Education to the Swanton School district through the Swanton Area Community Coalition (SACC) that the Board of Education is thinking of declining.

Whoa!

The proposed function of this grant is for reduction of alcohol use in students. Hmmm . . . sounds like a cause most would support. How could you refuse money for this worthy endeavor?

Neil Toeppe, Executive Director of the SACC, issued a press release, and apparently contacted everybody and their uncle with ties to the local media to put the full court press on the school Board in order to not-so-subtly insist that they accept the grant. He apparently also provided the summary page of the grant to the media as well, and a few have it available online. If you want to read a copy, click on this link to Channel 24

Now, I don't claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even a cursory reading of this summary page shows an interesting fact: the lion's share of the money is earmarked for the SACC, and not the school district. Can you say "boondoggle" ??

It appears that barely 10% of the funds awarded in this grant would actually go to the school for student benefit. All of the rest goes towards administrative salaries, equipment, travel, etc. either through or directly for the SACC and its members. Looks like a sweet deal for them - no wonder Toeppe is salivating over half a million greenbacks over a 3 year period!

Frankly, I am wondering how the heck this thing was ever approved by the US Dept of Ed in the first place. Does no one read these grant proposals before rubber stamping them? How could this much money of taxpayer dollars be awarded to a very small non-profit organization for salaries and travel expenses? It boggles the mind.

Grants are not "free money" - they are all taxpayer funded. That's you and me, and our neighbors. I am mighty annoyed that this type of pork is allowed to occur. Is it any wonder our federal government is bankrupt, with the way they throw our money around??

Kudos to the Swanton Board of Education for investigating the finer details of the grant, and being willing to Just Say "No". If more Boards across this nation would have the intestinal fortitude to do the same, just maybe we could turn this country around.

Mike Adams' Apology to the Arab World

Dr. Mike S. Adams, a professor of criminology at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, penned this article which was published in Townhall.com on 14 June 2004. At the risk of being - yet again - politically incorrect, I reproduce it here. Please note: an email making the circuit (again) which altered it and credited Retired U.S. Marine Corps General Chuck Pittman is false. This is the real McCoy:

My Apology To The Arab World

Mike S. Adams June 14, 2004
Author’s Note: the following editorial contains mildly offensive language. Given the subject matter, the author is sorry that it does not contain highly offensive language.

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. The pictures of those “abused” prisoners have been plastered all over the front pages of papers around the country. Some of my conservative friends have interpreted the excessive coverage as proof that papers like the New York Times are actually rooting against America in its current war on terror. Even those who aren’t willing to go that far say that such coverage is helping the enemy to recruit a new generation of terrorists to inflict harm upon our troops.

Despite these views, I have decided to make a formal public apology to the entire Arab world in the aftermath of Abu Ghraib. It is my hope that the following apology will help bring some clarity to the situation and, who knows, maybe even lasting world peace:

Dear Arabs,

I am truly sorry that Americans decided to take up arms and sacrifice their own youth in the defense of Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, and the first Gulf War. After we clear up this mess in Iraq, we will refrain from any such activity in the future.

I am truly sorry that I did not hear any of you call for an apology from Muslim extremists after 911. After all, the hijackers were all Arabs.

I am truly sorry that Arabs have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships throughout the Middle East. I am also sorry that the “leaders” of these nations drive their citizens into poverty by keeping all of the wealth in the hands of a select few.

I am also sorry that these governments intentionally breed hate for the U.S. in their religious schools while American schools do the exact opposite.

I am sorry that Yasir Arafat has been kicked out of every Arab country and has attached his name to the Palestinian “cause.” I am also sorry that no other Arab country will offer nearly as much support to Arafat as we offer to them.

I am sorry that the U.S. has continued to serve as the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arab nations while wealthy Arab leaders blame the U.S. for all of their problems.

I am sorry that left-wing media elites would Rather (pun intended) not talk about any of this, thereby perpetuating your anger towards us. It’s probably really bad for your blood pressure.

I am also sorry that most of you lack the medical resources to measure your blood pressure.

And, of course, I’m sorry that few of you have indoor plumbing. That’s bad for your health, too.

I am sorry that the U.N. cheated so many poor people in Iraq out of their “food for oil” money so they could get rich while the tortured, raped, and poverty-stricken citizens of Iraq suffered under Saddam Hussein.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers after their children are blown to pieces in pursuit of Arafat’s “cause.”

I am sorry that these homicide bombers have as little regard for babies as the local office of Planned Parenthood.

I am sorry that so many people are unable to differentiate between the gang rape rooms and mass graves of Saddam Hussein on the one hand, and the conditions of Abu Ghraib on the other.

I am sorry that our prison guards do not show the same restraint that Arabs show when their brothers in arms are killed. By the way, you shouldn’t be sorry about that.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state. I am sorry we have not yet dropped at least 100 Daisy cutters on Fallujah in order to stop that effort.

I am also sorry that cleaning up the mess in Iraq is taking so long. It only took Saddam Hussein about 30 years to accomplish all he did in the realm of human rights.

Come to think of it, that’s about ten years less than the duration of our War on Poverty in the U.S. Come to think of it, I’m sorry we haven’t sent all of our gang bangers from South Central Los Angeles to Fallujah.

I am sorry that every time the terrorists hide, it just happens to be inside a “Holy Site.”

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have not yet apologized for the U.S.S. Cole, the embassy bombings, and for flying a plane into the World Trade Center, which collapsed in part on Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which is one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry that we have not taken a portion of the diet of Michael Moore and shipped it to one of your starving villages in the Middle East. You need it Moore (pun intended) than he does.

I am sorry that your only supporters are professors, journalists, and other assorted Leftists who also support homosexuals, bisexuals, transsexuals, partial birth abortion, and everything that you abhor in this world.

I am sorry that everyone else in America is against you.

Finally, I am sorry that I am going to have to end this apology by asking you to kiss the right side of my conservative butt. I’m probably just having a bad day.

For that I am truly sorry.

Stop! Just Stop!

I will apologize right now, before I even begin. Maybe some kind of pharmacological assistance would help my anger right now, but I'm not sure they even manufacture what I would need . . .

I just read an article that said the Sierra Club (poster child for Tree-huggers of America) had done a "study" that showed the FEMA trailers provided to New Orleans' displaced peoples (and others) contained extremely high content of formaldehyde. After the results of this "study" were released, suddenly hundreds of people living in these trailers began complaining of many and varied physical ailments. A class action lawsuit against the federal government is being considered, apparently. A hue and cry about the terrible way the feds went about getting these trailers, perhaps without making sure they met EPA regs and other standards of manufactoring, is getting a whole lotta folks all riled up.

Now - I'm not going to sit here on my leather couch in air-conditioned comfort and state categorically that these are all charlatans lookin' to make yet another buck off the government (translation: you and me). These allegations may well turn out to be true. I read "other studies" are being conducted to verify whether the claims of the Sierra Club have merit.

What frosts my cake is the mindset of the average American that the United States Federal Government was created to fix anything and everything the could possibly go wrong within its borders, including what insurance companies refer to as "acts of God" or "acts of nature", et al.

Madness!

How on earth did we get to this point, where a hurricane blows away a city and it is considered the responsibility of the government to rebuild said city?? I bear no ill will toward any of those citizens left homeless after Katrina hit their area, but - come on !! New Orleans was destroyed because it is below sea level. It was only a matter of time before this happened - everyone living there knew it, and made a conscious choice to gamble that it would not happen in their lifetime. They lost that bet.

But why did they collectively hold out their hands and expect the feds to essentially 'un-do' what nature had 'done' ? To rebuild New Orleans is stupid. I don't care how much culture would be lost. Pompeii never got rebuilt either. It makes no sense to rebuild a city below sea level exactly the way it was. If there were folks bound and determined to rebuild a city at that spot, at the very least some consideration should have been given to building an American version of Venice or something. Certainly building exactly the same again is ridiculous - and expecting our TAX dollars to do so is madness!

Again - I feel sorry for those people who lost their homes, pets, and everything else in that tragedy. It was devastating, and will affect them the rest of their lives. But that doesn't excuse them from demanding the government step in to make it all better.

It is no different with the victims' families of 9-11. Why on earth should the federal government have paid any money to those affected by that terrible day in our history? An appropriate speech by the President would be great - but payments?? What kind of lunacy put that expectation into place?

Washington has become our "Daddy Warbucks". Anything and everything we don't like, we expect the feds to pay for. We want them to step in and save us from our own personal irresponsibility, it doesn't matter how many steps we take to get ourselves in a particular mess - it doesn't matter if it is a random act of nature or terrorist looney toons. We want the feds to "fix it", whatever "it" may be. We EXPECT them to "fix it". We DEMAND them to "fix it" !

Now somewhere along the line, people have forgotten that the money to pay for all of this comes from their neighbors and friends and family members. Taxpayers are the ones to foot the bill for all of this. And with our tax rates climbing ever higher, we are just about tapped out. But the outstretched hands never stop.

My fear is that more and more entitlements will be voted in, and more and more government fingers will reach into every facet of life, until America simply implodes. And I'm afraid it will happen in my lifetime. Our only hope is to educate the ignorant - demand accountability for elected officials - and stop! just STOP expecting others to bail us out of hard times! Let's rekindle the old "pull yourself up by the bootstrap" mentality again, and get busy with it. Humanitarian organizations will still be there to assist those truly in need, and all of the government waste and fraud will be eliminated.

Let's get back to teaching our kids personal responsibility - what a concept, eh? Of course, that lesson will have to be taught by our example as well, so let's get crackin' here. Quitcher whinin' and belly-achin' about how hard life is, and instead focus and use that energy to make a difference. If Americans lose that American spirit, America herself is doomed.

Kudos to Swanton School Board

Never in the history of taxation has there been an example of a school district lowering its tax rates for constituents. At least, none that I know of. But up here in NW Ohio is a small town school board that is going to do that very thing. Makes your head swim.

Currently, the income tax rate is 1.25%. This was voted in several years ago, when there was serious financial difficulties in the district. Those were dark days for Swanton - housing took a hit, people actually moved out of the district, and Swanton School district had a black eye in the area for quite a while.

But the school board is moving forward with lowering the income tax rate to 0.75% - can you believe it? Plans are in the works to place the new, lower amount on the ballot this coming November, when a large voter turnout is expected for the Presidential election. I think the exissting levy collects until 2009, so if this new - lower - rate passes in the fall, it would take effect January 2010. Is that right? I think so . . . but if I have that mixed up, please tell me.

It is no small thing for a school board to work this hard to help their district residents. School board members deserve alot of credit for this action, so let them know how much you appreciate what they're doing by calling or emailing them. You can find contact information on the school district website: http://www.swanton.k12.oh.us/index.php?section=51

School District in Cahoots w/Park & Rec

Well, here's an interesting item I just discovered: The Swanton School District has routinely placed a levy on the ballot under their umbrella for the Swanton Park & Recreation system. It looks like this has been going on for several generations, and I'll lay you odds that the average voter doesn't realize that this particular 0.4-mil "recreation levy" is strictly for the park system and sports programs in Swanton, Ohio.

Those people go to great lengths to support their school system. Wonder what they'd think if they realized that $58K annually was being lost because of this set up? I seem to remember that district being in dire financial straits just a few years ago . . . I'll bet that $58,000 per year would have been real helpful.

I haven't found anyone who knows how the whole thing started, but don't you find it interesting that it has never been publicly challenged? Maybe the Public was blissfully unaware before now - but this week's Swanton Enterprise (the poor cousin to our Fulton Co. Expositor) had a front page article that included this tidbit of information.

Here's another thing. In these small towns, most folks are related either by blood or by marriage. Swanton is no exception. Old family names out there are very heavily represented in local politics. With this much cash being funneled through the school system to the parks, it sure makes you wonder just whose palm is getting greased by allowing the school district to lose out on so much money.

Why was this issue not addressed before they decided to implement an income tax on district residents? Oh the hue and cry of looming financial ruin back then! Bus routes eliminated! Programs slashed! Libraries closed! Tearful pleas to "save our school!" and signs popping up in yards like dandelions, begging voters to pass that income tax tevy OR ELSE !!

It sure was scary - but nary a word about the many thousands of dollars being funneled to the recreation system. Why was that??

I think former school board members, park board members, and others owe a huge explanation to their constituents - an explanation that gives the reasons it was necessary to cheat their school district out of $58,000 annually AND made it critical to pass an income tax levy to help make up the loss.

I'm In the Wrong Business

With sage nodding of heads and somber stroking of beards, a new study out of Michigan State University has declared that: (drumroll, please) HOUSEHOLDS WITH MULTIPLE OCCUPANTS SHARING UTILITIES USE LESS WATER AND ENERGY THAN HOUSEHOLDS WITH SINGLE OCCUPANTS !!

Actually, the paper itself spoke of married households versus divorced households. In a five-year cross-cultural study of 12 countries around the globe, the authors found that married households are more efficient with water, energy and land use.

I believe the appropriate response here should be: duh !!

The Washington Post, ABC, The Sun (UK), Queensland Courier-Mail, Hindustan Times, and many others have breathless articles discussing the findings of Jiangua “Jack” Liu, senior author of the study, and his associate Eunice Yu. Even Citizen Link of Focus on the Family had an article on the subject, gleefully proclaiming that God's directives on marriage are now somehow vindicated by these study results.

What I wanna know is: why is my tax money helping to pay for this? The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.

I mean, come on, people! What am I missing?? Was there a doubt that a married couple shared water and energy at a lesser rate than two individuals living separately?

Is this the best we can expect from our colleges, our government and the media?

Seriously. I'm in the wrong business, when there is money to be made producing "studies" such as this one.