Bullies and bullying

In the fine state of Massachusetts, we have a problem with bullies. Or so it would seem. In the past year, two children in western Massachusetts alone committed suicide as a result of being bullied. I heard a talk radio show speaking about it and there was much outrage about What Needs To Be Done and Who's Responsible. The usual suspects were trotted out: the parents, the school administration and the legislature and they are all at fault, but the proper response is not the one being discussed.

This 'disturbing trend' cannot be resolved by more Zero Tolerance regulations that do not work. This cannot be resolved by yet more legislation requiring more programs about bullying. These programs do not work; the bullies ignore them and those being bullied know the adults will never do anything about it. The parents can raise all the objections and call everyone they want to call but nothing will change.

Why? Because the problem is not the bullies; its the culture we've created for our children. Bullies always have and always will exist. We stand as good a chance of eliminating addictions as we do bullies. Its a personality trait and its part of human nature. What we've done by eliminating failing grades and forcing little league teams to not keep score and making everyone play is disable our children's ability to cope with adversity.

In the charge to protect our children from the disappointments we suffered as children, we are failing in our duties as parents. I was bullied as a child. Eventually, I struck back at some of the bullies but learned to tolerate others. I was encouraged by my father to stand up for myself, he didn't stand up for me because he knew that would only make things worse.

Think about that; you were a child so you know its true. These "Zero Tolerance" rules and ridiculous programs all hinge on the bullied child telling on the bully, which only arms the bully. You encourage a child to stand up for himself and your creating an adult. You coddle them and your maintaining a child.

It is the duty of the parents and schools to work together to produce productive members of society; adults capable of living and maintaining a career and a family. We are failing at that sacred charge. Every parent who calls the school to complain about a bully without first arming their child with the courage, strength and skills to stand up to that bully is a failed parent. Every school administration that holds assemblies telling the entire student body 'how to deal with a bully' is failing as administrators. Every administration that takes the stance of 'if you knew what that child was going through at home, you'd understand' is failing as an administration.

Bullies need to be dealt with directly and individually and most effectively by the person being bullied. It doesn't matter what the child is going through at home, that does not give them the right to take it out on others. Allowing that as an excuse does nothing to teach the child individual responsibility. Telling that to a parent only increases their sense of outrage. Telling a child they need to report bullying to an adult excuses them from dealing with their problem as an individual, absolving them of responsibility.

Bullies form important life lessons for a child; for the bully and the bullied.

For the bullied, it is at these young ages that a child learns to stand up for himself, to learn that by his own actions he can determine the outcome of a situation. It empowers him. He learns that he can, through force of will, have an affect on the world around him. It prevents him from meekly accepting the difficulties of life but facing them head-on. A child with such experience learns that he sets his own rules on acceptable behavior from those around him.

For the bullies, they learn there are consequences to their actions. They learn that just because they are bigger or stronger that they cannot do whatever they want. They learn that sometimes there is a price to be paid for what they think is simply just fun. They learn to empathize with others, especially if someone they picked on suddenly bloodies their nose.

I know, "you're advocating violence!" Yes, I am. In our interactions with others, there must be a common understanding of communication. Sometimes, that language is violence. Yes, we should always strive to avoid such conflict but neither should we shrink from it. Confrontations do not always mean violence, but everyone must be prepared for that if the situation requires it.

"But J, adults can always avoid violence."

No, not really. What Saddam Hussein did prior to being removed from office was bully the UN. The only response after years of his continued bullying was violence. He chose that response. Thankfully, President Bush had the testicular fortitude to do what was necessary when faced with a bully: call their bluff. Bloody their nose.

Without arming our children with the knowledge that there are consequences to our actions and that there are unpleasant tasks in life that need to be done, we are creating eternal children who will never be capable adults. These children will be the ones who look to others to lead them from the difficulties in their lives. These children will be dependent upon others to provide them with jobs and a sense of security. These children will not be leaders our nation will need in the future. They will not be representatives of the entrepreneurial spirit that enables the USA to be a world leader in innovation. They will not be willing to take the risks that reap great rewards in life. These children will be the future that results in the destruction of our great nation.

It is how we face adversity that defines the society we live in. Every one of us, every day faces these decisions and therefore defines our society. How we are perceived as individuals is determined by how we react to difficulties in our lives. The US as a nation would not be able to help our neighbors in Haiti if our military was not prepared, trained and equipped with the tools necessary to do so. We as individuals would not be able to assist our neighbors unless we too, are prepared, equipped and trained to do so.

The bullies in my life taught me that every situation requires a different solution. In some cases, I responded with violence, in others it wasn't necessary. What I learned is that bullies had no power over me unless I gave it to them. That lesson defined how I reacted to other struggles and adversities in my life.

We should be empowering our children. Bullies are not the problem, they're an opportunity for our children to learn vital life lessons. We should never let such opportunities pass us by.

Localities and Local issues

The town I live in is one of two currently being courted by Mohegan Sun for the building of a resort casino. We are also facing the possible closing of the middle school.

Who said local politics weren't fun?

On the school front, the superintendent of schools held an informational meeting with the town to illuminate the possible closing of the middle school, which would mean some 400 students would suddenly need to find space in either the already over-crowded high school or the already over-crowded elementary school. There are a number of problems, among which is that the superintendent is stating that they have no control over about 96% of their budget. These are fixed costs like utilities, busing, and Individual Education Plans for student requiring special care (which carries the weight of law in Massachusetts). The remaining 4% is discretionary funding which is books, papers, pens, pencils and other paraphernalia of learning. As a father of four children, I wonder at that number since I know we provide paper, pens and pencils and I've seen the same text books show up with child after child.

He is stating that the schools received a 58% cut in funding in total from the state in various ways. He was asked by the state education board to prepare four budgets: a level budget and budgets with a 5%, 10% and 15% cut in funding. He stated that the administration is not receiving any raises this year in an effort to mitigate the budget.

Good for them - I've gone without a raise for two years running and this year doesn't look good either. Pardon my lack of sympathy, but its about freaking time. Consider that last year the administration had an 8% pay raise if you average it out over all administrators and the year before was 10%. Even if I had gotten a raise I would have been lucky to see 3%. Boo freaking hoo for the administration.

The people of this community have been making do with less for years. I won't get into the national or state politics that caused that because that's not what this post is about. The end result is that since 2008 people in this community on average have not seen an increase in their income but have seen an increase in spending. Gas taxes have gone up. Sales taxes have gone up. The price for oil, gasoline and natural gas has gone up. The price for food has gone up. The price for clothing and other goods has gone up. That's not even talking about the credit card interests. I personally am facing possible foreclosure on my house and I still have a good paying job. That's mostly due to sudden emergency expenditures like an exploding boiler, a leaky roof, failed appliances and plumbing repairs that I did myself. We were unable to secure any loans other than for the boiler. Our credit cards have had the interest rates increased and the credit limits decreased. We are behind in all our debt. I haven't mentioned it because we're not alone, and we're better off than some if not most. I only mention this now because its about time the government in some way starts to feel the pinch.

There was no sympathy at all for what the schools were going through, only outrage. Outrage because we were led to believe that this would be a question and answer session where we would have the opportunity to discuss the issue. Outrage over the wisdom and safety concerns of placing ten and eleven year olds in the same building as seventeen and eighteen year olds within weeks of a report of a twelve year old getting raped by a seventeen year old. Outrage over the sense that no one in the school administration seems to feel anything about it at all; no concern, guilt, anger, humiliation or even frustration. A token attempt was made to place blame on the town government but everyone in the audience has been (or should be) aware that the town has been one step from bankruptcy for years now.

I fail to see how the school administrators can feel closing the school will do anything positive in regards to their budget. The bulk of their budget from their own numbers is spent on IEPs and other fixed costs which will not be affected by closing the school building. This has the feel of a scare tactic meant to panic the public, a public that is already stretched to the breaking point with tension, worry and very real fear. This was a bad move.

Now onto the casino! Free-flowing money, food, drinks and scantily clad beautiful women are what you think of when you hear casino. That's what the advertisers and the movies have drilled into our heads. A pseudo-classy world of fun and excitement and romance that could exist within our town borders. We are led to believe that having a billion dollar resort casino would bring much-needed jobs, traffic to area businesses and relief to the town coffers.

HA!

The area they want to put the casino in is across the street from the entrance to the Massachusetts Turnpike. This is a resort casino - a one-stop shop complete with restaurants, gas stations, stores and hotels so that casino patrons will never have to leave the casino for any reason whatsoever. So much for traffic to area businesses.

Casino jobs require training and experience that you really can't get anywhere else. Do you know all the rules of blackjack, five or seven card stud, 21, pitch and poker? Can you deal cards? Do you know how to run a high-tech security center? Are you familiar with the laws regarding gambling in Massachusetts? (Right now there's only one: its illegal but the current state legislature will change that and no doubt to the benefit of the casino that's lining their pockets) Can you spot someone cheating from across a crowded room or someone underage using a fake ID? Casino jobs involve very unique and particular skills. Jobs may end up coming to our area but not immediately and not high-paying ones. So much for much-needed jobs.

We live in a state that is notorious for raising taxes on businesses. So notorious that we've been hemorrhaging businesses and jobs for years. People have followed the jobs and left this state; we are one of I think five states to have actually seen a population decrease. Why would any business want to come to Massachusetts? Tax breaks. The governor wants to have state-run casinos, but if that were purely the case why would a casino spend the sort of cash that Mohegan Sun has spent courting my area and New Bedford? The answer is that they have to believe very strongly that they're going to get some sort of sweet-heart deal. Chances are that the state is going to give the casinos a bye on their taxes for a few years. The state is betting on making that up in other sources of revenue.

Silly state - don't you know better than to bet against a casino? The house ALWAYS wins in the long run.

Long time no blog

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a while. I have my reasons but I'm not sharing them. So there.

Foreign Policy

The days of the US taking a single-minded approach to foreign policy is past. I'm not convinced it was ever a good idea but regardless, its an idea whose time has come and gone. I'm not a fan of President Obama and did not vote for him, so let me just say that right out of the gate. He is doing everything he said he'd do in his campaign and that is to change the face of the US government. I disagree with the direction he's taking but that's why I didn't vote for him. I'm not going to get into his domestic policies in this particular rant: there's enough fodder there for quite a few posts/rants. This particular post is in regards to his rather disastrous thus far foreign policy.

It is popular among certain groups of intelligentsia to malign the United States or previous administrations and that's fine for them to do as private citizens. No nation is perfect and we have plenty of skeletons in our closet, however I do not want to see my President, the leader of the United States going into other countries and apologizing for the previous administration. That's airing dirty laundry that doesn't need to be aired and it's taking a pot-shot at someone who is no longer a threat to your own policies. It has no place on the international stage. If a Democrat wants to stand up in Congress and say they hate all Republicans, fine - I'll applaud their honesty if nothing else. But to have the sitting President go in front of the leaders of other nations and basically say "hey that guy I replaced was an idiot and I'm sorry you had to deal with him" isn't being politically savvy. Its not a way to get other leaders on our side. It doesn't buy political points with anyone. All it does is make it look like you cannot get past the previous administration and are more interested in pointing fingers than getting results. If behind closed doors you say it in the course of negotiations, that's fine. Stating it in a speech is amateurish and childish.

When is someone going to do something positive with South America? Here's a quick catch-up to those who haven't been paying any attention to our fellow Americans south of the isthmus. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is more than just a petty dictator who hates America and will malign the United States to anyone willing to listen: he has dreams of turning South America into one unified government under his despotic rule.

He came to power in Venezuela after failing in a coup to take over the nation in 1992. He then went to visit his friend and colleague in Cuba, Fidel Castro and came back with a number of Cubans loyal to him. They became citizens of Venezuela and through the use of the Bolivarian Circles voted him into office in 1998 mostly by strong-arming those who weren't going to vote for him, much like ACORN does here in the United States, only more successfully. The same tactics have been used in his "re-elections" that good ole' Jimmy Carter "certified".

The official story however is that he worked hard after being released from prison to earn the trust of the public. He created the Fifth Republic Movement on the ideas of basically dismantling then recreating a new republic. He claimed that the constitution at the time preserved the two parties in control of Venezuela. Basically he took "hope and change" to an extreme and used community organizations organized by people from Cuba get himself into the top spot.

Once in office, his Bolivarian Circles became his grassroots organization: they found his political opponents who he then suppressed and denied services to. They intimidated the politically ambiguous into voting for him and act as a sort of Hitler Youth for his administration. He started making overtures to other governments and created the Union of South American Nations which he rightfully thinks will be the first step to creating a single continent-wide country. He has also been working with FARC to undermine the governments in other South American nations that are not on good terms with him. His allies in Ecuador and Brazil are particularly stringent in their support of their fellow socialist/communist. At one point, Venezuela and Ecuador had their military units stationed along Columbia's border as a threat.

But wait! you say - isn't Columbia pretty much owned and run by the Drug Cartels? Not really, not anymore. Presidente Alvaro Uribe of Columbia has been rather successful in driving them out or lowering their influence, so much so that much of Mexico's problems stem from the fact that Columbia is no longer a safe haven for them run by a puppet government. Columbia is perhaps our staunchest ally south of the border at this point.

So why should we care?

Draw the connections. Venezuela has ties directly and through Cuba to Russia and China and therefore to North Korea. As a member of OPEC, Venezuela also has ties to Iran, Lybia and Saudi Arabia and therefore to Hamas. Hugo Chavez has been very vocal in his support of FARC and has 'demanded' that the US and the UN Human Rights Council removes them off their Terrorist Watch lists. Venezuela also undermines the United States' foreign policy at every opportunity at one point even calling the sitting President of the US the Devil himself.

Good thing President Obama apologized to the world then, isn't it? Never mind that the alliance is forming right under our very noses of a global network of terrorist supporters. Never mind that the very act of apologizing places you in a position of weakness. Never mind that because of the still tunnel-vision aspect of foreign policy North Korea, who has nukes and missiles to put them on, has been relegated to be dealt with by Russia and China who are both supporters of North Korea.

Our enemies are circling and forming alliances. They are approaching foreign policy with a global view and unless and until we do the same and assume a position of strength, we will continue to set ourselves up for failure. If we're lucky in another fifty years, historians will be wondering if President Obama turned a blind eye to what was happening so that we'd have an excuse to enter World War III just like our historians wonder the same about President Truman and World War II.

3rd Shift Woes

I work 3rd shift now and I have worked 3rd shift at previous places of employment. One thing I've noticed during that time is that having a 24/7 operation requires much more effort on the part of management. Otherwise, there will be things that 1st shift knows that 2nd and 3rd don't and stuff that 1st and 2nd know that 3rd doesn't. I believe - and I am now in a management position - that keeping everyone properly informed is a function of management.

To me it doesn't matter what you do, who you do it for or where you do it, your job is to make your boss look good. Their job is to make sure you have everything you need to make them look good. That's it. How you go about making your boss look good depends on your job and situation but that's it. If everyone followed this 'work philosophy' then work would be much easier to deal with.

Then again if everyone just did their own jobs that would help too.

I'm in a rather bad mood and I don't really know why.

It's Official!

I hate this administration. When I say "this" I really mean "both the state and the federal administrations that are conspiring to make me bankrupt". They've conspired between the two of them to seize an additional 3.7% of my income. I've lost a noticeable chunk of my take-home pay thanks to these two morons.

That's right - morons. I'm flat out stating it: Deval Patrick and Barak Obama are fiscal morons. JFK that Democrat pipe-dream once said that it is an irony of the economy that lowering taxes increases the state income yet these two have imagined that doing the opposite will increase it even more. Because of that I've lost what is equivalent to my car loan payment to the feds and the state.

Please, someone explain to me how this can possibly help the economy by taking more money out of the people who drive the economy: the paying public? Think of it this way: if you want people to spend more money, should you take money away from them? How will that encourage us to spend money? How will seizing a car company or two as well as controlling the banks help? The last guy that did that when he got in power was considerably shorter and had a goofy moustache. But wait! President Obama is going to make Chrystler and GM make cars that are more eco-friendly and efficient! That'll make people more likely to buy them!

That other guy had a similar idea: he made a government controlled car company make a new division that would sell cars for the common people of his economically devastated nation. They called it the Folks' Car a.k.a. Volkwagon.

Yes, I am comparing the socialist nationalist policies of our President with the socialist nationalist policies of Hitler. Are you going to report me to the American Youth Council? Will you shut me down with the Fairness Doctrine?

Anyone who votes for anyone who is currently in office - regardless of what party - is an idiot. They're all in on it. Every last one and I don't care which parenthetical letter follows their name. They're all guilty of selling out the American Dream and the Constitution they're supposed to defend from all enemies foreign and domestic.

I'm not unhappy - I'm getting pissed off.

We need a return to the Constitution. We've swung far enough to the left it's time to swing back to the right. Enough Progressive nonsense: its time for some Conservative nonsense! They've gone too far. I've been holding my tongue. I really have. With all the international policy disasters, the poorly thought out economic policies, the frankly devastating response to the current financial crisis (which is not truly improving in spite of what the talking heads on the propaganda channels say), the aspirations to nationalize healthcare and all hospitals as well as the frighteningly inept approach to North Korea I think I'm ready to say that in my not very humble opinion that the Obama Administration is a failure that does not deserve a second term. The banks have not started loaning money. Until that happens the economy is not on the recovery trail. I don't care what the stock market says.

Today is a weird day

So David Carradine died by apparent suicide while filming a movie in Bangkok.  President Obama gave a speech in the Middle East and I almost liked it.

Today is a weird day.