We Used To "Finnish" FIrst!

Yep. We used to be on top of the world thanks to the likes of the little guy standing therel like he owned it. But then something happened. We got lazy and greedy and let our integrity slide. We even elected a man President who'd rather have us as a member of the pack than leading it. He even went so far as to travel the world apologizing for every wrong, perceived or otherwise, for which we'd ever been blamed.

It seems he got his wish. We aren't the country we once were. We keep out the educated, many who have studied here, yet won't expel those who come to take rather than give. Rather than disciplining our penchant for spending sprees we print more money or borrow it from dubious allies.

I saw a commercial the other evening. I don't know what it was advertising but it was flashes of young men and women, probably students, from various countries touting their areas of expertise. What caught my attention was the one who claimed first in math and science. Finland.

Well, it's long been known we no longer hold that crown, if we ever did. What I didn't know is that it wasn't China or Japan. Finland. Are Finnish youngsters so very different than our own? Nope. But their education system is.

High-school students here rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night. They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents agonize over college and kids don't start school until age 7.

How's that for starters? They also do not have with them in their classrooms iPods or cell phones. Imagine.

They do, however, love shopping, Desperate Housewives and just like our kids, wear outlandish, to us, clothes, dye their hair and may even wear dreadlocks.

This puzzlement of achievement doesn't stop with education. It has carried over to how the entire country functions based on a number of criteria put together by Newsweek.

In this study Finland finished number one. Number ONE! We didn't even make the top ten! We came in eleventh. So who was ahead of us? The usual suspects plus a few surprises. Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Luxembourg, Norway, Canada, Netherlands, Japan and Denmark.

Maybe it's because so many of those countries have long dark winters and the kids have little else to do but study. I don't think so. After all we have Alaska. Interesting. Eight of the top ten are such countries. They all rank above us in matters that count. Education, quality of life, health care, political climate and climate for business to name a few. What do we have with Alaska? An oil field we won't tap and Sarah Palin. Is there a lesson here that we should be learning?

One Way To Cut The Fat!

I was somewhat appalled listening to the Governor of Washington list the cuts necessary to curb their run-a-way budget. As is usual practice, politicians tend to cut things like libraries and such things deemed essential services in what I think is attempt to place the blame on the citizens. Make them feel guilty for exercising the use of such "luxuries" when in fact it is the politicians who spend like drunken sailors. Washington's governor did from day one! She had a huge surplus when she took office for about 32 seconds.

I didn't think it could get worse until she mentioned that Hospice was one of the services being cut. So much for having the chance to end ones life with dignity!

That's the state level. Let's have a look at the Feds. Recently they decided to cut the food stamp program to fund the bailout of union workers and public employees before feeding the poor. Well, okay. Now who needs Hospice? We'll starve to death first!

But wait. There's more!. Michelle's fight against childhood obesity is in need of funding. What's going to be tapped? Food stamps!

Well, it could solve the obesity problem for without food stamps families won't be able to feed their kids. On the other hand, there are restrictions on the kinds of foods that can be purchased with food stamps. More nutritious than otherwise. No tobacco. No alcohol. That leaves the less nutritious and less expensive foods to be put on the table. Fattening!

Perhaps they could grow their own? Maybe, unless they live in an urban jungle. Not everyone can dig up the White House lawn to make a point.

It seems to me priorities are a bit off kilter here. If they need to get the budget on track, don't starve the poor. Put a freeze on union and public employee salaries! Give up waging wars. Keep the illegals out.

Did you know in New York a teacher can get paid as much as $85,000 annually, in other words their salary, to sit in a "rubber room" and not teach because the unions prohibit their being fired? Tenure.

Next time I wander through Costco and watch a family of ten looking like another meal is the last thing they need, crowding around the free sample displays, perhaps I won't look at them with such distain. Maybe it's how they eat. Food stamps not required.

But watch out for the tax man. Next thing you know he'll be assessing you for that which you did consume! We have to take care of the campaign contributors you know. Elections are just around the corner!

It's The Sound Bite That Sticks!

Remember a few weeks back when everyone was aghast when the new administrator of NASA supposedly told Al Jazeera that the President had given him three charges, foremost being reaching out to Muslim nations to help them feel good about the contributions they have made to science, math and engineering. When and whatever that may have been.

The first reaction was just that NASA? My reaction was how condescending of us. That Muslim nations would need such a feel better about themselves boost from us of all countries! Then, too, after having just scuttled the shuttle program that actually has something to do with what NASA is - or was!

Now we learn the Government is going to send the Imam from the controversial mosque near ground zero to Muslim countries, at tax payer expense, to do more of the same warm and fuzzy shtick on our behalf.

What's with this obsession with trying to make them love us? If the government truly had vetted the Imam I guess they can do what's within what they feel is their mandate. There are so many questions about this man, and his intention, I wouldn't let him out of his room what's more set him loose in the countries of our enemies! I'm not sure the new head of NASA has any applicable credentials other than being an FOO - friend of Obama. I'll caveat that though, I didn't research it.

The point being, like with myself in this instance, the first impression of the headline is what sticks with us. That impression, not necessarily the truth left out if in fact there was any, scares the heck out of me. Either this government is the reincarnation of the keystone cops or we should be scared. Darned scared! I wonder which?

A Party In Search Of A Leader

With the primary season about over and the general elections peeking over the horizon, the political landscape is in chaos. The Democrats are in disarray with even the left attacking the President. Unless Obama sees the fallacy of his policies and his ways, he will have a wasted presidency. But then that's another post

Now the Republicans. What can I say? They are a party without an identity nor a leader - unless you consider the party of "no" an identity. It's not one I would want. While the Democrats are dropping in the polls like a rock, so are the Republicans. It's general anger at Congress because of the economy and jobs. No matter the bright spots that are touted there are far too many who can't see them because they can't pay their electric bill to turn on the TV if they even still have one. Oh, come on. It's not that bad. Isn't it?

So where are the answers? I hear time and time again what's wrong, but I never, ever hear solutions. That isn't all bad, because there are no easy ones, but the Republicans have a selling point right under their noses if they'd see it. Increments. Like Health Care Reform. Take it in increments. Immigration reform. Take it in increments. Yet no one is giving voice to this. Nor saying what and how those increments could work.

Those running either have ascribed to rather bazaar ideas and are using the Tea Party as their entree through the political fringe or are relying on the tired generalities of blaming the Democrats with no ideas of their own. Let's face it, unless they coalesce as the Blue Dogs do on occasion, they will be a freshman with no voice except one alone among many.

Who is to lead them? No one has as yet come forward. No one to take seriously anyway. Palin? Who knows. At the moment I think she sees herself as a King maker though many of her endorsed candidates are losing. Huckabee again? Too far right. Romney? While it shouldn't, his being Mormon may still be the sticking point. Gingrich? He knows politics inside out. That may be his biggest problem. I'm not sure what I think about Newt other than if I'm going to consider him at all I'll have to get over my personal hang ups about his personal character!

So why worry about 2012 now? Because if the Republicans do well in the midterms they will be held responsible for all that happens between the election and 2012.

There is much to concern us. What will the Democrats ram through if they indeed have a lame duck session for the remainder of the year? Without knowing who will lead the Republicans and how much sway the right will hold is of vital importance. We could see a pendulum out of control.

I swear I'm going to put up a Facebook page to gather independent thinkers! If there are to be King makers, let it be the people willing to weigh all sides, not just the ideological few!

Maybe Joe Had It Right

As I shake my head reading about billions being poured into public service jobs, you know, the ones with salaries higher than the private sector with far more generous benefits. The ones where it's nearly impossible to be fired because the unions will bail you out ~ police, firemen, teachers ~ at the sacrifice of food stamp recipients. Those like your an my neighbors who have lost their jobs and perhaps even their homes. Mostly private sector employees. Oh well, the money had to come from some place.

I find myself wondering if anyone in the administration can do more than blame Bush for all our ills. They certainly seem not to be able to fix anything. Then I started thinking about Joe Biden and the war in Afghanistan.

What's the connection? Remember when Obama was taking an agonizingly long time to come up with a new strategy for the war? While some were pushing for a surge such as we had in Iraq, Biden was espousing a more lean and mean approach. Remove the troops. Let the drones to their work, guided from ships off shore. Take out the enemy the drones find with the special forces. It's what they're trained to do!

With Karzai's constant yammering about civilian deaths and now his slamming foreign advisers and proclaiming that they have the ability to rule and govern their own country and they have their sovereignty, perhaps it's time to let them have it full stop. Really. Full stop.

This man who threatened to cozy up with the Taliban when we wouldn't do things his way can have them. He's worried about civilian deaths? How about the ten aid workers who were just slaughtered by the Taliban? Do they not count because they were not Afghan? Doesn't it matter that many of them had devoted a life time to helping the Afghan people?

When they lack education and the other necessary means to escape their lot in life, I am sorry. It has been asked how can we leave them to the Taliban and in turn al Qaeda? It's not a choice we should have to make. After all, they have their sovereingty. Ask Karzai. One way we might be able to help, however, could be Biden's way. Let us do what we came to do and just get out of our way. When we're done you can do what you will with your country.

When a stronghold is found within their borders tell Karzai to get his civilians out within 24 hours. After that it's Katie bar the door.

I know I rant on this topic often, but I'm just plain tired of politics. I'm tired of our military having to play footsies with a petty dictator pretending to be a duly elected official while our kids get killed. I'm tired of the President playing footsies with the unions for those all important campaign contributions that are soon to be needed.

The world politic. We can't live with it. We sure as heck can't seem to escape it. Who wins?