Category: News

Haste Makes Waste

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

quote-take-time-for-all-things-great-haste-makes-great-waste-benjamin-franklin-65418Has it really only been four weeks since Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States? It’s been wild to say the least. I find myself wondering if Mr. President and his family are wishing that the “nasty woman” had been elected and they were safely enjoying life in Trump Tower. He is surely learning the job in a trial by fire and his opponents are licking their chops gleefully with every mistake that he makes.

It’s been pretty well documented that I am no fan of President Trump, but my personality is such that I have actually been feeling a bit sorry for him of late. He is proving to be quite amateurish and more and more the butt of jokes with each passing day. In the one Mardi Gras parade that I attended this past weekend in New Orleans he was skewered from stem to stern. The jokes were funny but after a time they almost became tedious even though Trump has brought most of the insults on himself.

It’s obvious to me that  President Trump has a strong need to be loved and right now adulation is in short supply. I suspect that he is desperately hoping for a win, something that will put him back in the “good guy” status that he had when he was just a reality television personality and super salesman. Surely he is longing for the days when his and Ivanka’s merchandise were big sellers in major department stores and he was a ratings king on NBC. Now it seems that he is a pariah in the very places that he most loves. He surely proves that it can be very lonely at the top. (Side note: Have you ever tried Ivanka’s dresses? They are actually superb and make women look thinner than they actually are.)

I like to be fair and in all honesty this is not the first time that I have watched an administration produce some wildly unsuccessful policies before they got their sea legs. As beloved as President Kennedy now is, history demonstrates that his invasion of the Bay of Pigs was a total disaster. If he hadn’t been able to face down the Russians in the Cuban missile crisis his reputation for foreign policy would have been dreary. Lyndon Johnson messed up royally in the Bay of Tonkin and even lied about what had actually happened. Of course such missteps contributed to keeping him from seeking a second term of office and probably didn’t help his heart either. I don’t even need to talk specifically about Nixon whose administration might have actually been deemed a success had he not been so paranoid. Then there were all the wonderful highlights from Carter’s time including those long lines at gas stations and the Iranian hostage situation. In the first year’s of Reagan’s tenure elements of the press were certain that he was going to get us into a world war and destroy our economy. George H. W. Bush couldn’t live down his promise not to create new taxes after he turned around and created new taxes. Clinton’s first years had so many scandals that few thought he had a chance of being reelected and that was before he had even met Monica. In case you don’t remember what happened just think about the suicide of his closest aide, the imprisonment of a former business partner in the Whitewater affair and the infamous firing of the entire travel department. Poor George W. listened to some faulty advice and got us entangled in Iraq among other dubious efforts. Obamacare was designed so quickly that it was flawed from its inception. In other words, there have been few presidents with perfectly executed administrations, particularly at the very beginning. Still, President Trump has shown a particular talent for speaking and acting before thinking through the implications of his efforts. I believe that it is now time for him to learn from his mistakes and begin to take more care in making decisions.

We have a tendency in today’s world to want everything to happen quickly, forgetting that sometimes the best results come slowly. We seem to always be focusing on results but we want to see progress as fast as possible. In education we demand that school reforms demonstrate dramatic improvement in the space of only months even though we tend to understand that real change takes time.

I recall once reading about a school that had defied all of the odds in demonstrating excellence in what had once been a sub par campus. The principal explained that it had taken him ten years to create an educational environment in which students consistently learned at a high level. He had to build his faculty and dedicate hours to creating a curriculum attuned to the needs of the student population. He sent school leaders to learn the best educational practices. He and the teachers helped students to build their confidence and push themselves higher and higher. The principal was thankful that he was provided with the time that he needed to accomplish his goals. He noted that if his supervisor had been too anxious he might have been relieved of his duties before his plans had begun to show progress. He urged all leaders as well as the public to be patient and realize that deliberation was always a better strategy than haste.

I would suggest to President Trump that he slow his pace. I understand that he wants to fulfill his promises to his voters but his grand designs can’t be achieved in a matter of days or weeks or even months if they are to have a wise and lasting effect. He would be far better served by spending more time listening not just to his inner circle but also to his critics before writing any more ill conceived orders. I hope that he is beginning to realize that making far reaching pronouncements is not as easy as it may have seemed. Without thinking long and hard disastrous roll outs like his temporary travel ban will happen again and again. If he doesn’t take more care in choosing his closest aides and cabinet members he will be embroiled in legal battles for years. It’s time for him to take a deep breath and recalibrate. He might begin by ridding himself of the very negative influence of Steve Bannon as long as he is in the “you’re fired mode” of this week. Mr. Bannon is reinforcing the worst inclinations of President Trump. He may seem loyal but I think that he actually has his own agenda and is only using his influence to create policy.

I have a bit of advice for the opposition as well. Be selective in your criticism. Be aware that constant negativity soon begins to resemble nagging which virtually nobody likes or considers. Remember that if you make yourself too obnoxious President Trump will never listen to a thing that you have to say. Recall also that he wants to be liked. You can get your foot in the door if you use a bit of positive reinforcement now and again. If someone wise and honest wants to help President Trump encourage them to do so rather than condemning him/her. We definitely need good people around our president, not just those who want to build walls. My suggestion goes for athletes and stars as well. Be willing to go visit him and then quietly and respectfully present your points of view.

I’m hoping for a change all the way around but I’m not counting on anything. I fear that we are so far apart from one another that we are at present incapable of finding even an inch of common ground. I still believe that the answers to our problems lie in compromise. For too long the extremists in our society have been calling the shots. If we are to ever move forward we are going to need to work together. If there were one idea that I would most love for President Trump to embrace it would be to find ways of deliberating with all parties in an attempt to work together for the good of the country. As long as we keep fighting we will simply move back and forth in place never making headway of any kind. Since we can’t seem to agree on much of anything maybe for now that’s a good thing but we have to be ready to feel frustrated until we finally learn how to get along once again.

No Golden Ticket

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

the-analogy-of-the-golden-ticketWhen I was a little girl I often drove my friends crazy by suggesting that we play school. Of course I always insisted on being the teacher. I had a cardboard box that was ready for a very realistic rendition of a classroom. It held paper, pencils, pens, textbooks and even prepared tests and report cards that I designed in my leisure time. I suppose that it was rather nerdy on my part but my buddies and brothers placated me now and again by sitting in the makeshift desks that I created and listening to my lessons. There is little wonder that I ultimately dedicated my entire life to education.

I literally worked my way up the ranks of schools. My first job was at Do and Learn Pre-school. I met with my four year old students on Tuesdays and Thursdays in rented rooms at the local Methodist church. I so loved my little foray into the academic world that I became convinced that I had a bonafide vocation to be a teacher. I was determined to finish my degree at the University of Houston and get started as soon as possible.

I’ve always had an abundance of energy and so in addition to working at the pre-school I was also a Sunday school teacher at my church. There I taught kindergarten kids about Jesus. Evidently the nuns who ran the program liked my work enough to recommend that I take over the pre-school and elementary classes when they decided to leave for another posting. I served as the Director of Religious Education while continuing to work on finishing my degree. This gave me my first taste of being an administrator. I was still as happy as a clam and became utterly convinced that I wanted to devote my life to children.

Upon graduating I landed a position at St. Christopher’s Catholic School which was admittedly a bit disappointing to me because I had wanted to go directly to a public school. The economy was in the ditch at the time and there were simply no jobs for teachers that year. As it was, the job at St. Christopher’s was more perfect than if I had hand picked it for myself. I had a super principal who was innovative and child centered. I had great students who allowed me to practice my teaching skills and best of all I was the one and only mathematics teacher for the junior high. I taught the full spectrum of skills and even headed the computer and newspaper electives. I was happier than ever and certain that I had chosen the correct career.

When a public school job became available I reluctantly left. I became a self contained teacher of fourth graders under the guidance of yet another incredible principal who taught me so much about classroom management and taking care of my own physical and emotional needs. The children at this school were far more needy and underserved by society than my private school youngsters. Their stories were often tragic and I had to learn how to keep my emotions in check so that I would be able to provide them with what they needed.

Over time I taught multiple subjects, students from varying races and economic backgrounds, and many different grades. Each experience strengthened my abilities and demonstrated the complexities of teaching. Eventually I became the first ever intermediate Peer Facilitator in the Pasadena Independent School District, an idea from yet another of the outstanding principal for whom I worked. Today every intermediate school has multiple Peer Facilitators. I’d like to think that I helped to convince the higher ups that it was a worthwhile position to have.

I ended my career at KIPP Houston High School, one of the KIPP Charter schools, as the Dean of Faculty. By then I had been working with kids in one way or another for almost forty years. I’d seen public, private and charter schools. I’d taught reading, language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, art, theology and journalism. I had worked in daycare, pre-school, Sunday school, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades. I had observed countless teachers and taken part in hundreds of parent conferences. I had been a Title I Coordinator, Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Magnet School Coordinator, Peer Facilitator, AP Coordinator and Testing Coordinator as well as Dean of Faculty. I conducted training sessions and taught mathematics teachers at an Algebra seminar at Rice University. In other words, I have been around the educational block a time or two and along the way I never lost my enthusiasm for my work. Now that I am retired I continue to tutor intermediate and high school students at both public and private schools.

With all of my knowledge and experience I find it disheartening that our newest Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, cannot even come close to matching the depth of what I know about schools. She may be a very nice lady who has contributed generously to education and she may even be quite interested in helping to improve our current educational system but it takes way more than just a desire to help to even begin to make the changes that are necessary to make our educational system as strong as possible. It requires someone with intimate knowledge of schools from the ground floor up and I personally believe that it should be an individual with experiences that are so deep and expansive that he or she has a clear understanding of how every facet works. Obviously Ms. Devos is not that person.

The public is always searching for a quick and simple fix for our nation’s educational problems. Every teacher will tell you that there is no golden ticket or one thing that will make everything all right. Children like all people are very complex. Each classroom requires individualized instruction that is seamless. It is a difficult task to pull off but there are many exceptional educators who are doing it every single day. There is something almost magical about watching a great teacher in action but the reality is that it took hours of hard work and practice and self reflection to get there. This takes time and patience and has little to do with whether a school is public, private or charter. There are good, bad and ugly examples of each. The trick is in finding more of the really good educators who understand that they will have to be nimble when adapting to the needs of their kids.

Sadly Ms. Devos appears to be of the mind that the key to improving our American schools lies in turning them into a marketplace using a business model that assumes that demand will eventually supply quality for all students. Of course we all know that even in the world of retail all the economic pressure in the world will not transform a dollar store into Saks Fifth Avenue. It is ridiculous to think of education as some type of commodity and that allowing everyone to choose will somehow spur better possibilities for everyone. It is also a pipe dream to believe that a child in a run down neighborhood will be able to take the meager funds of government to a high priced private institution and suddenly be allowed to run with wealthy. For one, most such exclusive schools have long waiting lists, require entrance exams and cost well above government allotments. Furthermore they may or may not want to accept government money because that will make them beholden to rules not of their own making. Additionally, not all private schools are actually good. I interviewed at one or two that in all honestly should have been shut down. Charter schools are also of varying quality. While the KIPP Charter Schools have managed to maintain a solid reputation, many of those currently available peddle an inferior product that should not even be allowed to exist. The complex network of neighborhood public schools display a wide variety of quality from excellence to despair. The reality is that once the best are filled to capacity most children are still caught in the web of underperforming schools from which there is no escape. If the only idea for improving our schools is to provide students with vouchers, nothing really changes and we have wreaked unnecessary havoc for everyone.

I sincerely hope and pray that Betsy Devos listens to the counsel not of lawmakers but of educators who know more than she does. My wish is that she think very carefully before the burning bridges of our public school system. The project upon which she is embarking will determine the future of millions of young children. She must be very careful and very wise. Somehow my impression of her is not particularly positive. More than anything I want to be wrong because missteps in education will impact our nation for decades.    

Learning To Be A Woman

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

Valentine's Day In ChinaAround this time each year I think about my mother-in-law Mary who would have been ninety years old on her February birthday. She has been gone for thirteen years now and it seems as though I miss her a bit more with each passing year. She was a very wise and intellectual woman, a feminist before anyone had even coined that term. She was, however, not exactly like many of those who march today. She was someone who believed that the true definition of a liberated woman was someone able and willing to do and believe whatever she wished. She never restricted her possibilities with narrow platforms of acceptable philosophies. She was a trailblazer in her own right but she felt just as strongly that every other woman should have the right to live without judgement according to her own desires.

Mary attended Rice University when it was still known as Rice Institute. There weren’t many young ladies there at the time and some of the professors were hell bent on discouraging those who dared to invade the ranks of the male dominated student body. Ironically it was a woman who gave her the most grief, believing that the women in her mathematics class had little or no right to be there. Mary didn’t hold it against the university. In fact she was always quite proud of studying there and was an ardent alumna for all of her life. She enjoyed taking continuing education classes there and loved to exuberantly share stories with me about the things that she had learned. The two of us huddled together on so many memorable Sunday afternoons. She would prepare a pot of tea in the manner that she had learned from her English mother and we would sit at her mahogany dining table while she regaled me for hours with fascinating facts and bits of information.

She especially enjoyed courses on history and politics. Her knowledge was years ahead of everyone that I knew. She predicted events long before they happened based her studies. She kept me informed so that I was always able to vote rationally rather than just with my heart. I so looked forward to those Sunday afternoons when she demonstrated her encyclopedic grasp of the world.I would love more than anything to hear her views on today’s political scene. I have little doubt that she would study each situation with an eye to discerning the truth. She would excitedly tell me the history and the psychology of how we have arrived at the present impasse and such dramatic divisions. In fact she hinted at the possibility of such things almost twenty years ago.

I always thought that she would have been a remarkable teacher but she chose a career in business instead. She had been inspired by her mother who successfully managed an electric company in an era when most women had little idea of how to do such things. Eventually Mary kept did the accounting for a variety of companies and even a wealthy church with a very complex set of books. She was as meticulous and interested in her work with numbers as she was in learning about the ebb and flow of history.

Ironically her very best friend Rosemary shared the same February birthday. Rosemary might have seemed more traditional than Mary at first glance but she also had an incredible story. She grew up in Chicago, the daughter of a plumber. She studied to be a nurse and joined the military where she met her husband, an Army cardiologist. The two of them settled down in Houston where he became one of the most renowned doctors in the world and she raised five independent minded and high achieving daughters. She encouraged her girls to dream big and all of them did, becoming superstars in their respective fields. Rosemary herself is an accomplished world traveler literally able to converse with kings and potentates as easily as she does with me. Rosemary is still spreading joy and uplifting all of us who know her, but she is much older now and somewhat frail. Still her inner spirit continues to radiate her positivity lighting up any room where she is found.

When Mary and Rosemary were together they were like an inspirational power couple. I so wanted to be just like them, women of the highest distinction who were unafraid of anyone or any situation. I liked nothing better than sitting quietly and observing them in the mode of watching and learning that my mother had always urged me to do. 

As I prepare myself a cup of hot tea each afternoon I invariably think back to those lovely times when I shared a cup with those two. They were the best of times. I can almost hear Mary providing her well researched opinions on all of the topics that dominate the news today. She would have been well prepared to state a definitive point of view about each. She often mentioned that her secret goal in life had been to move to Washington D.C. to be a translator and a diplomat. She would have been gloriously wonderful in that regard but I am selfishly happy that she changed her mind and stayed here in Texas where I was able to make her a central figure in my life.

Mary was what some refer to as a pistol in a very complimentary way, a twin of women like Ann Richards. I don’t think she was afraid of anyone in her entire life. She had a way of raising her eyebrow when she was displeased that would have stopped the devil himself. She brooked no hysteria nor senseless chatter. She went straight to the point like a championship debater and had a persuasive manner that was difficult to ignore. I like to believe that I developed much of my gumption under her tutelage.

Mary and Rosemary were two larger than life women when ladies were not yet acknowledged so much for their intellect as for their beauty. They successfully challenged the status quo without being overbearing or insensitive. They expressed themselves as independent thinkers and individuals without feeling a need to demean the men that they knew or women who chose other paths. They respected and loved  people with such passion that their feelings were invariably felt and returned with immense gratitude.

February is a time when we think of love and remember great leaders in history. It is also fitting that it is the month when I always fondly recall the two women who have had such a profound impact on the person that I am today. From them I have learned how to think for myself, ferret out the truth, make wise decisions and most of all cherish the vast diversity of ideas, religions and cultures in our world. They showed me how to live life by saying to all, “I see you. I hear you. You matter.” That is what makes a mighty woman.

  

At Odds With Ourselves

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

79310435_131963728899I’ve spoken before of my great grandfather John William Seth Smith who served in the Union Army during the Civil War. I know what I do about his service because he died fairly young and his widow, my great grandmother, filed for a pension from the Army based on strong evidence that his health woes began while he was serving in that horrible conflict. In official documents she describes the horrific conditions that he endured that left him with multiple health problems from which he never improved. She furthermore noted the depression that he suffered from the memories of war that weighed heavily on him all the days of his life.

I suspect that many young men from both the north and the south were permanently damaged from what they saw. There is never anything easy about being on a battlefield and the trauma of being a soldier must have been doubly compounded by the reality that the men were sometimes fighting their brothers and neighbors. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible the four years were during which the very life of our country was under siege. Surely the differences that divided the citizens might have been settled in less extreme ways. In retrospect it is quite clear that the fighting was foolhardy and immensely hurtful to everyone but at the time there were far too many who harbored so much anger that they were unable to engage in rational negotiations. A complete and total severing of relationships appeared to be the only feasible path. Four years later the flower of youth in both north and south had been decimated by the rancor.

I’d like to think that we have learned a powerful lesson from that terrible war, but of late I have begun to worry that perhaps we no longer remember the price that people paid in refusing to settle differences. My grandfather was one of the lucky ones who lived through the battles but his body and his mind were both with riddled pain from what he witnessed. I suspect that if he were able to speak to us today he would warn us to beware of the unwillingness to compromise in our political leanings. In the end he found a modicum of peace only by living a rather isolated existence in the middle of a great forest as far away from any possible conflict as he was able to be.

Civil wars always take an immeasurable human toll. Right now there are so many places on earth where people from the same country are fighting with one another over ideologies, some of which are political and some religious. Innocents who only wish to be left alone have lost their homes, their possessions and their lives. In Iraq ISIS continues its reign of terror but even more terrible is the fact that people are often also victims of the infighting between Kurds and Muslims, Sunis and Shias, everyone and Christians. Nobody trusts anybody. Even watching a family walk innocently down the street is cause for fear lest any one of the members, including women and children, be a suicide bomber. Life has become hell for people in cities like Mosul which has become a place of ruin and fear 

Syria is has its own form of hell that has sent millions fleeing for safety. Sadly even in the refugee camps there is quibbling between are from different religious sects. Christians have had to flee from the sometimes gross mistreatment from their fellow refugees and many of them have been forced to live in the open in the mountains, homeless and frightened. The situations in these war torn areas are so complex that there are not simple answers.It saddens me to think of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man, and I simply cannot understand how things become so inconsolable between people that they feel that hurting one another is the only answer.

There is far too much animosity brewing in the world at this moment and our own country is becoming more and more divided by the day. It is disheartening and frightening. I hear people speaking of riots, violence, coups and martial law. Such mutterings make me wonder if we are dangerously close to another civil war.

Fear all too often leads to anger and unrelenting anger begets hate. I worry that we are whipping ourselves into a frenzy. Even our leaders are boasting that they will never work with one another. It is as though they actually want us to break apart. They almost appear to delight in the battles. Mostly though what bothers me is the behavior that I see among the regular citizens who have become so enraged that they have lost sight of civility. Friends stand at odds with friends. Families are choosing up sides. There is an ever growing tension that is frightening. 

I posted an article on Facebook last week hoping to prompt some discussion of ideas. To say that the resulting commentary was lively is an understatement. I finally ended the back and forth by noting that in spite of the many different schools of thought, some of which were very different from my own, I still love everyone who contributed to the conversation. I find myself asking when we Americans became so loathe to allow differences of opinion. I wonder why we seem no longer able to learn from one another. When did we begin the practice of summarily dismissing anyone who dares to suggest an idea unaligned with our own?

I have observed multiple instances of friends and relatives reaching a point of no return in their relationships over discussions that grew unnecessarily dark and angry. Is this the way a civil rupture begins? Are we seeing the first bubbles in the bottom of a heated argument that will ultimately grow into a rolling boil? Why are we even risking the possibility of tearing our country apart? Why can’t we find a way to get along and why is there nobody willing to take the lead in doing it?

The media isn’t helping. In fact they seem to be almost unable to contain their glee over the excitement that is percolating. Our president isn’t making a move to bring us together. In fact he is stirring the pot, bragging about how great his ideas are and refusing to admit to mistakes or apologize for unfair insults. The democrats are little better in refusing to work with their republican peers and inciting even more anger. Everyone is boasting that they are going to fight. To what desirable end can all of this lead? As far as I can see it is only causing a rent in the fabric of our nation that will be difficult if impossible to mend. We have been this way before in our history and the outcome was not good. What would make any of us think that refusing to work together is going to solve any of the problems? Are our leaders so worried about being elected that they would rather tear our country apart than have the courage to bring it together again?

Yes. I am very worried. We do have many problems and there may even come a time but the ways in which our leaders are approaching them is very destructive. Those of us who are ordinary citizens will ultimately all be hurt and even more so if we turn on one another. I think that we all need to look into our hearts and find the will to be an example for our leaders who seem to have lost their way. They will ultimately bend to our will if enough of us join hands and let them know that we have want a government that strives to work together, not one based on gridlock and anger. We can start a movement by shoring up those relationships with our friends, and neighbors and kin with whom we may have disagreed in the past. We must begin to respect one another again and save our righteous indignation for the truly evil. Hate only leads to more hate. It is in love and forgiveness that we will find the safety and comfort that we all wish to enjoy.

We Are Better Than We Have Been

Published on by Sharron BurnettLeave a comment

220px-old_north_church_boston_1882I really really don’t want to write about politics. I would much prefer composing lyrical blogs that describe the beautiful beaches that I saw on my most recent camping trip. I enjoy extolling the virtues of my grandchildren and former students. I am essentially a happy and positive person who prefers to concentrate on uplifting topics that leave my readers feeling good about life. I believe that political discussions are mostly fruitless, only meaningful to those who share the same beliefs. Attempting to persuade someone to change course in basic philosophy is akin to turning a cruise ship around in a pond. It is very unlikely to be successful and may even cause more harm than good. So why, you may ask, do I keep coming back to the topic of our current president and his travails? I suppose that it is because I have been concerned about his fitness for the office from the first moment that he entered the political scene and I find that every time I grow silent and complacent he does something outrageous.

I am one who is always more than willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I am a true believer in the power of redemption. While I have harbored the gravest of fears about the reality of a President Trump I have argued in his favor, suggesting that we need to wait to see how things work out before jumping to premature conclusions. I had hoped that his bravado and bullish behavior would mellow into a more presidential stature. The gravity of the office has generally brought a modicum of humility to most who have held it. Seemingly this is not to be so with President Trump who continues to operate with a brashness that taints the dignity of the executive. He continues to be so full of himself that he is unwilling to accept even provable facts, instead insisting with a straight face that the most ridiculous statements are true. God forbid that he might actually be wrong. That is something that he refuses to accept. His temperament is that of the class bully, both annoying and frightening given the tremendous power that is in his hands.

The way that he treats people who disagree with him should have been grounds for ignoring him as a feasible candidate but somehow his narcissistic behavior was interpreted as the sign of a strong leader by enough people to propel him into office. For well over a year now I have misread the mood of the nation, believing that his malicious and immature personality would defeat him. Now his is the face of our country and quite frankly that frightens me more than I care to admit. Still I have reiterated again and again the advice that we remain calm. When I cautioned against freaking out too quickly I did not honestly believe that within a single week he would so blithely sign one executive order after another with little or no thought as to the consequences of his actions. I had also thought that there would be voices from his own Republican party who would speak out when he went too far and somehow there has been mostly silence with the exception of a few brave souls like John McCain and Linsey Graham who will probably be voted out of office for being bright beacons in a dark and tempestuous sea.

Here is what I see as the most basic problem with almost every solution that President Trump is proposing, they are all too simplistic. For example, aside from becoming a terrible eyesore on the land, a wall between the United States and Mexico will do little or nothing to address our immigration issues. There are hundreds of miles where it will be literally impossible to build any kind of structure due to the terrain and the fact that the border is determined by a river for a considerable length. People who are desperate enough will find ways to either climb over the walls or dig under them. A physical barrier does not address the reasons that people leave their native countries. It only makes their journeys a bit more difficult. The other aspect of his so called brilliant idea is to deport those who are here illegally. Again the impracticality of that idea is all too obvious, not to mention the inhumanity of tearing families apart. There are better ways but for some reason we have not yet had the stomach to tackle the hard work involved in creating a more reasonable and lasting solution. That will take compromise and for now we seem more inclined to squabble than to find common ground. I will be the first to admit that both of our political parties are quite guilty of this.

Our educational system is not without its problems but thinking that just giving every student a voucher to use in any school of choice is as ridiculous as the idea of a wall. Few private schools cost less than eight to ten thousand dollars per year and the vouchers won’t even come close to providing that kind of money. Besides most of exclusive schools have tough entrance exams that exclude even those with the income to pay. In addition there are only so many spots in the most desirable public schools and those will go quickly, especially if preference is given to those who live and pay taxes in the area. Ultimately the students who have had to attend the worst performing schools will end up right back in the same desolate places and the system that we have built will be in a shambles without ever addressing the real problems. The quick fix isn’t going to work.

Admittedly the Affordable Care Act is far from perfect. There is fairly good proof that it is about to collapse under its own weight. That being said, it provided a much needed safety net to people who in an earlier time might have been bankrupted by a serious illness. To think that it is possible to repeal the law without giving any real thought to what will replace it verges on immorality. Doing that will create chaos in the care of all of us as insurance companies, doctors and hospitals struggle to make sense of what will come next. There will be far too many people hurt unless a carefully thought out plan considers those with preexisting conditions and those who are unable to afford typical health insurance policies. So far we do not have any reassuring examples of President Trump thinking before acting as is all too apparent in the way that he handled the issue of immigration and travel of people from dangerous parts of the world this past weekend. Additionally there is far too much fear and anger impeding any form of progress.

I have grown weary of politicians who march to the drumbeat of a so called base rather than to the voices of all of the people. I am going to scream if I hear one more soundbite from either side and that goes for the voters as well. The rancor that exists is appalling. Instead I want to see individuals who think for themselves and consider each issue based on its merits and flaws rather than on what they think they are supposed to say and do. I am seriously afraid that if we continue with the same old rhetoric and platitudes that we are in for a world of hurt. One of my cousins is becoming increasingly convinced that our day of reckoning as a nation is drawing near and that it will only be when we have endured great pain and tragedy that we will finally come to our senses and begin to work together again as a nation. I truly hope that she is wrong but for some time now I have been thinking exactly the same thing.

I am in my sunset years. At the age of sixty eight I know that my time will be limited. At this point in my life I am more concerned about the future of my children and grandchildren and former students than for myself. This is why I keep writing because if I am able to convince even one more person of the value of working toward a common good then my efforts will not have been in vain. I am but a tiny voice that will not be heard in the halls of power unless it is joined by others who share my concerns. Together we may be able to sound the same bell of freedom that rang in the old North Church on that night when our ancestors made a strike against the tyranny of a king who had gone mad with his own power. We are better than we have been for a while now. This I truly believe. That is why I write.