Yes, the USPS is bleeding money. I also don't believe that any government agency should be required to make a profit. Government isn't a business. Sure, government should cover operating costs and if a profit ensues, then so be it as a little cushion is always a good thing. But in general, does the American political public (the pundits, die-hards, Sarah Palins, politicians, etc) believe that government should make a profit at all costs?
The North Country made the news again, thanks to Sophia Stevens, an eighth grader from Saranac, New York. Funny, the Press-Republican, hers (and mine) local newspaper has been mum on the issue. She designed a funny passage on the eighth grade ELA test that New York gives. Sure, it's a parody, but a convincing one. I would have done some of the questions differently, but kudos to Sophia. As many of you are aware, I am in favor of standardized testing (it ensures all schools are on the same wavelength, ensures teachers are doing their jobs,
I will be, in the next few weeks, drafting a letter to Governor Cuomo about my opinions on how the state should be run, a la backseat governor. Yes, tacky, but . Yes, New York has some of the highest taxes in the nation, and the Governor's addressing that. New York is fighting issues right now, just like an individual would, and is taking time to adjust. If he can get Sheldon Silver out of his position as Assembly Speaker, I'd be happy. Very happy. Silver has put his own interests ahead of the interests of the state and New York City. He's partly the reason why New York didn't host the Olympics last year. It didn't help that the venues were spread through the tri-state area and the transportation logistics would have been a nightmare. Have you seen the Lexington Avenue subway line at rush hour? Forget about getting a seat! But this organization, Upstate NY Taxpayers Association, has made a stink about lengthening the runway at the Warren County (Floyd Bennett Memorial) Airport in Glens Falls. This group has compared Key West Airport to Warren County Airport. Let's see though: Key West International (ICAO: KEYW) is a towered field (meaning their is an air traffic control tower), has a runway that can handle aircraft weighing up to 195,000 pounds, roughly the weight of a Boeing 737. Sullivan County International Airport (ICAO: KMSV) has a longer runway than both Warren County and Key West's and wider runway (in Key West International's case) but look here: Sullivan County's runway is not designed for heavy jets. No two runways are alike. Sometimes, you need to spend money to make money. But I forgot to note something on my post on the Post-Star's webstie: the apron at Warren County Airport is TINY for even a forty seat turboprop. I wrote the comments yesterday. Turns out the baby boomers hate me for it. Some parts of the past were ACTUALLY good.
And finally, let me openly criticize the SUNY Potsdam Student Government Association, for turning the Racquette, the student-run newspaper, into a felon, and for using SES (Student Entertainment Services) as an example of what every SUNY Potsdam club should be. Well, then how come I've had current students tell me that Springfest this year was poorly organized and that they are unhappy with the choices of the entertainment they chose? It's like taking a kid accustomed to living in the suburbs and force him to live in the country. An adjustment period will be required. I believe the Racquette should be also exempt from the wage rule, just like SGA. I never was paid for serving as an Assemblymember, other than two days of free lunch when I served on Budget committee, a weekend which combined with personal issues involving a girlfriend leading to a breakup and family, caused me to have a near nervous breakdown. I did it because I love politics. I love representing people, speaking up for people who would otherwise feel frightened/feel uncomfortable/unable/unwilling/that it is not in their place to do so. I did it because I could make a difference in a way I know how. Of course, the novelty of being America's first elected official on the autism spectrum is part of the reason why I yearn for elected office, but the main reason is because it is the best way that I can serve people, as I am not eligible to serve in the military for specific health reasons. Furthermore, people listen to celebrities (performing artist of any sort) more than they do elected officials. I believe that a politician needs to shape their image as much as a celebrity would. Politicians have been screwing up on this one. Of course, position and service comes first, but you also need to find a way to get people to listen to what YOU have to say, of course.
Jenny Sanford is doing Elizabeth Colbert Busch a HUGE favor: by being an agitator in her ex-husband's run for the congressional seat in South Carolina. Turns out that Mark Sanford likes to stop by unannounced. If you don't want your child watching the Super Bowl alone, take him back to your place.
Well, it turns out that Kate Upton turned down Jake Davidson's invite to the high school senior's prom, due to actual "scheduling conflicts". I give him credit for at least trying. Why New York Magazine needs to be so mean about it is beyond me. We've been living in a society where we're all scared to ask people we are, in any capacity, romantically attached to, out on a date. And I think Davidson knew he had no shot, but at the same time, for her to even respond? That's significant. Why New York is making Davidson look like a spoiled brat is beyond me. He's just a teenager making a daring move.
And while we're on the dating topic, let me make mention of something on Reddit. I wish I had known about how to stay out of the friend zone ages ago. I can do oh so much, and still get sent to it. But that gives me an ideer. Go all daredevil in regards to dating.
I honestly don't care that the Queen attended the funeral of Margaret Thatcher. Both women were born around the same time, were mothers, both staunchly against change, etc.
Verizon iPhone activations fall 33%, a whole ONE-THIRD. I know why? Sure, Androids can sometimes be problematic, but with an Android (Robot phone), you get CHOICE. They're an Android phone for every need, even for someone who only needs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and adequate specs (only basic hardware, no fancy features, granted my Pantech does have two features I like: an SD card slot AND a removable battery). It's no long 2007, Apple. Steve Jobs has no longer been with us since October of 2011.
Has a privledged generation become a screwed generation? I hope so! The Baby Boomers have done a lot to eff over America. A tiny part of it is not their fault. Of course, their parents had them in plentiful numbers, raised them in the suburbs, so it's the teenagers of the Great Depression we really need to blame, as they led the Baby Boomers down the slippery slope. I'd say of any generation of Americans, the Baby Boomers have been the most selfish. (Not all of them, but many). The Baby Boomers gave us the hippies, who couldn't shower, smoked pot, caused trouble (but redeemed themselves with lowering the voting age to 18, and then turned against that). And then they gave us the go-go 1980s, a troubled decade where we had a man whose only redeeming quality as president is he made a nation feel good about itself. Sorry Mr. Reagan, but you were a useless president. I know goddam well my kids will be spending their childhood living under the roof of one set of their grandparents, unless circumstances do not allow for it or are generous enough that it is not necessary. I'm not sure if I'll be making a living wage until I'm thirty, unless I make it lucky. I hope to see America return to its industrial roots, with a strong labor movement, public transit in Nowheresville, USA and a strong sense of community. Every city with a population of over 100,000 should have commuter rail and an emphasis on mass transit. I'll be lucky if I do better off financially than my parents. I know that I'm going to need to start saving now if I plan to have a retirement. A revolution is coming? Something's going to have to give. The world cannot sustain the population we have now comfortably for long. So for all my friends and family not having children, I thank you on behalf of us who want families of our own. Another sign the boomers have effed this nation nicely? There are more jobs in the suburbs now than ever. If that's not class warfare, I don't know what is.
I might have voted Obama for a second term (okay, I did), and yes, I know, it's early to judge, but it's going to take another three presidents to straighten out the messes he's made AND continue the repairs Obama's made. With Obama, we've made three steps forward, but we've also gone back two steps.
Alright. I have a mystery girl to let know tomorrow I'm making a trip to see her at the same college that I graduated from/know her from.
H.L. Mencken would have been happy to know Sophia Stevens, and agreed with her take on education being all about the individual's right to be one.
ReplyDeleteHe once stated:
"That erroneous assumption is to the effect that the aim of public education is to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence, and so make them fit to discharge the duties of citizenship in an enlightened and independent manner. Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim of public education is not to spread enlightenment at all, it is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States, whatever the pretensions of politicians, pedagogues and other such mountebanks, and that is its aim everywhere else."
He was on to them way back.