Couldn't have put it better myself...

In Wednesdays Pioneer-Press, one of my favorite columnists, Joe Soucheray, put forth a vastly convincing arguement for taking a very deep look at Education in MN. (And probably a full audit of Education Minnesota as well!)

"I think we spend enough on education, there being no evidence that we don't or any reasonable explanation where all that money goes, almost half the state budget."

I knew we spent a ton of money on Education in this state, but "almost half"?!? That's absurd! Especially considering there is little to nothing to show for the expenditure. Twelve billion dollars in the coming biennium will be spent on education. Twelve Billion Dollars? Can you imagine what that could be actually used for in the state? Of course, in Minnesota, if we aren't spending tax dollars of education, we're spending it on welfare, or MNCare. But $12,000,000,000; look at that! That's a whole bunch of money! Per year, that is over $7500 in tax dollars per student! That is about as much as the tuition at a local community college. And every taxpayer doesn't have children. So, they are paying for somebody else's kids to go to school. Some are paying extra to send their kids to private school, and they are paying for somebody else's kid as well. Still more are homeschooled, like my kids. And I'm still paying for somebody else's kid to go to public school!!! That's outrageous! Since I do not partake of the public school system, I would prefer to have that money that I paid back, please. Get the rest from those using the system. If school is going to be fee based, don't cover it under the guise of taxes. Start charging tuition at all state schools, and not just the post-secondary schools. While we're at it...

Why are we paying for a full rennovation of a section of the UofM that will only be used by a tiny percentage of the students there? Half a Million dollars to tear up an old tennis court, and put in a lush new garden? Please!

Minnesota tax-spenders...uh..."Lawmakers" should think twice before continuing to screw the Average Joe out there. Soon, they won't be there to spend the taxes any more...

The hard times...

My wife and I have been recently beset with the "hard times". Money is tight, mainly because we were "careless" (to say the least) with our purchasing. We know we can get ourselves out, but these first few months are going to be the hard ones. Getting back on top, and then staying there can be a hard thing to do. But for those of you in similar situation, the alternative is far worse, even though it may not seem so at some times.

I know that most people that we know would probably say to just file bankruptcy, but I can't allow that. I know what that would really do to our lives. The sense of accomplishment alone will be enough for me, but more importantly will be to be in a position where days like this will be few and far between. The ultimate goal is to never let ourselves get into this position again, and thereby eliminating the need of the same Spartan lifestyle. Living within our means will be our goal, and not mortgaging our future.

And I thought it was illegal

Well, another Fourth has come and gone. Last night, as I and my family watched the fireworks at the closing of the Taste of Minnesota, a large food and fun festival (check out the alliteration!) that happens in the state capital of St. Paul, I was amazed to see several thousand, and perhaps million dollars of potential tax revenue all around the city. Everywhere I looked, hundreds of supposedly "illegal" fireworks being sent up all around this great city of ours. And I'm not talking just little bottle rockets, but I mean full fledged mortars, 100-shot repeaters, everything the State Congress thinks are "too dangerous" for the public to be allowed access. And as far as I could tell, very few people had gotten hurt. I did see a few ambulences and police running about, but seeing the zoo that was downtown, I'm sure more of it was due to assaults and fights because of the wide range of "diversity" that appeared for the show. And to my recollection, most of them were going away from all the "illegal" fireworks that were being set afire in the sky. Looks like there are far more dangerous things happening on the Fourth than a few SWOOSHES and BANGS.

Happy Independence Day!

Today is the day we celebrate our hard fought independence from a harsh government, with a ruthless king. It is, therefore, quite ironic that we have gone from having a king, to having an elected oligarchy, and living under much of the same rules we had with The Crown (England, for the historically challenged). We fought for no taxation without representation, and now again, we have taxation without representation. Who can actually call Congress our representation, when all they do is represent whoever gives them the most money? We fought for religious freedom, and now you have freedom to publicly practice any religion you choose...unless it's Christianity. We fought against The Crown taking land without fair compensation, and now we have our land stolen daily in the name of "Environmental Protection." We fought for the right to keep and own firearms in order to protect ourselves, and that right is slowly being eroded. We fought against tyranny and corruption, and yet now we find ourselves once again in the same state with a bloated, over-reaching government, no king, but a legion of kings deciding our fate. And the sad thing about it, we put them there! This country has gone from a land of freedom, to a land of "what's in it for me?" This country fights for freedom on foreign soil, whilst our own liberties are being taken away by the outspoken few. I was once called part of the majority. I am a white, lower-middle-class, Protestant Christian, heterosexual male. Since the rest of the "minorities" outnumber us, that makes me a minority.

Here we go again...

Once again, the Congress of Minnesota has shut down state government because they could not come to an agreement of how to best spend the funds obtained by the legalized theft of income (otherwise known as "income tax") on such noble ventures as Education and Health Care. To many, or more likely only some, this is a crying shame. I, for one, think that if Education Minnesota wants another dime, they need to start showing results, and not just on test scores. For me to get a raise, I have to prove that I am doing my job; that means results. Teachers go on strike, and gripe and moan until they get what they want. (Sounds like children rather than adults to me.) They get paid more for working nine month out of the year, than I do for working the full twelve months.

And Health care? When has government funded health care ever improved the life of people who really needed it? Why do you think that countries like Sweden are moving away from Socialized health care in favor of private insurance? Truth is, most countries know that if you really want something done, you go to America, because you can get the care you need, when you need it. Sure, you may go to Canada or Mexico for the drugs, because they're much cheaper. But I'd never go there if I had a serious disease, like cancer or IPF. I'd be dead before I was treated. For a common cold, fine. But for serious diseases, I'll take private health care any day.

Despite of this, however, I think the shutting down of state government could the best thing that could happen. It might prove to all of us that, yes indeed, we can live without government. The longer the better, I say. The longer we go without big government interference, the more we will realize that we don't need big government to survive...