From today's Orlando Sentinel Leaders Await Mildred Fernandez replacement after her arrest. The county commissioner in question is accused of taking bribes among other felonies. Naturally that led her to claim "This is politics."
My question today is why a politician tries to hide behind an inane statement when they are accused of wrongdoing. I have no idea if this woman is guilty or not, but I strongly suggest that the claim of it being politically motivated is irrelevant. If you did the crime, do the time, to borrow an old overused cliche. Otherwise, get a lawyer and have your day in court.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Libraries and censorship
A story from the online version of Florida Today discusses libraries having R rated movies in the library. Apparently, an older patron (story says she's 69) had an issue with the movie "The Informers" due to the content (language, nudity, etc.) and is "concerned" that children under 18 will be able to access the movie.
I have multiple problems with her complaint. First of all, parents have the ultimate responsibility to know what their children are watching/renting/checking out from the library. It should not be the purview of any other patron or the library to dictate what can and cannot be accessed at the library (within reason) by any other patron. Just because patron A believes that an R rated movie is "inappropriate" does not mean that others should be prevented from seeing the movies and being allowed to judge for themselves. The only time we can dictate what material others people are exposed to are when we are the parent of said minor (i.e. under the age 18) children. Otherwise, you have no business dictating to others what is and is not "appropriate".
Problem number 2 is the argument about use of tax dollars. Libraries are the stewards of public money, but at the same time we serve the "public interest". I would no sooner be able to justify removing the genealogy databases and materials from our library -despite my personal questions about the suitability of acting as a repository for genealogy and not for other historical documents - than I can to remove/restrict access to a movie like "Saving Private Ryan" due to it's excessive and pointless (in my opinion) violence.
Problem number three, the membership of the county library advisory board. The newest member is apparently unaware that the library had R rated movies. That doesn't say much for the members of a board that is to advise the library own usage of the library. I find it odd that you would be a member of an advisory board and have so little knowledge of what the business does or offers. A library advisory board should be made up of library advocates and not career politicians looking for a stepping stone.
Finally, does the woman who filed the complaint not see the inherent arrogance of trying to dictate to the public what they can and cannot watch? Most if not all grown adults are capable of making rational decisions for themselves. We do not need the local "busybody" dictating what is and is not appropriate. If you had children you had the opportunity to be the dictator until they were 18 and judge what was and was not appropriate. If you did not have children, you missed your opportunity.
I have multiple problems with her complaint. First of all, parents have the ultimate responsibility to know what their children are watching/renting/checking out from the library. It should not be the purview of any other patron or the library to dictate what can and cannot be accessed at the library (within reason) by any other patron. Just because patron A believes that an R rated movie is "inappropriate" does not mean that others should be prevented from seeing the movies and being allowed to judge for themselves. The only time we can dictate what material others people are exposed to are when we are the parent of said minor (i.e. under the age 18) children. Otherwise, you have no business dictating to others what is and is not "appropriate".
Problem number 2 is the argument about use of tax dollars. Libraries are the stewards of public money, but at the same time we serve the "public interest". I would no sooner be able to justify removing the genealogy databases and materials from our library -despite my personal questions about the suitability of acting as a repository for genealogy and not for other historical documents - than I can to remove/restrict access to a movie like "Saving Private Ryan" due to it's excessive and pointless (in my opinion) violence.
Problem number three, the membership of the county library advisory board. The newest member is apparently unaware that the library had R rated movies. That doesn't say much for the members of a board that is to advise the library own usage of the library. I find it odd that you would be a member of an advisory board and have so little knowledge of what the business does or offers. A library advisory board should be made up of library advocates and not career politicians looking for a stepping stone.
Finally, does the woman who filed the complaint not see the inherent arrogance of trying to dictate to the public what they can and cannot watch? Most if not all grown adults are capable of making rational decisions for themselves. We do not need the local "busybody" dictating what is and is not appropriate. If you had children you had the opportunity to be the dictator until they were 18 and judge what was and was not appropriate. If you did not have children, you missed your opportunity.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
SB6 and Teachers
By Friday April 16, Florida Governor Charlie Crist must make a decision on SB 6 - a bill passed by the Florida Legislature which would require merit based pay raises for teachers. One of the largest problems with this bill is the lack of accountability for school administration. Why should teachers who make every effort to do their job, who send disruptive children to the office for disciplanary reasons - where the kids are often rewarded for misbehaving by being given chocolate and other treats once they promise to behave - be held solely accountable for student performance when it's clear that parents, administrators and school boards are not.
My wife is a teacher and as she puts it, there are 4 kinds of students - Those who can do the work and will, those who can do the work but won't, those who cannot do the work but try and those who cannot and will not do the work - sadly many in the last category are students who were in special education when I went to elementary school and are now "mainstreamed" despite the obvious disruption they create in the classroom. The sad part is the kids who can but won't often have parents who blame the school and the teachers for their own inability to parent. Having a child in school makes it your responsibility to help them learn by assisting with homework, making sure the kid is fed and gets to bed at a reasonable hour. It is not nor should it ever be solely the teachers responsibility to ensure the child gets through school.
It seems that if the governor decides to pass this bill we have but one choice - pass an amendment to the Florida constitution that would require every pay raise for state officials to be put to a vote by the people. In fact, done correctly we could set a starting wage for Senators and House members and then based on what they do or don't accomplish in a given term vote on whether or not they deserve a pay raise. I can only imagine the outcry if suddenly every state senator had to work for the $30,000/year (or less) that teachers make and then found they couldn't just vote themselves a raise after passing poorly thought out legislation like SB 6.
My wife is a teacher and as she puts it, there are 4 kinds of students - Those who can do the work and will, those who can do the work but won't, those who cannot do the work but try and those who cannot and will not do the work - sadly many in the last category are students who were in special education when I went to elementary school and are now "mainstreamed" despite the obvious disruption they create in the classroom. The sad part is the kids who can but won't often have parents who blame the school and the teachers for their own inability to parent. Having a child in school makes it your responsibility to help them learn by assisting with homework, making sure the kid is fed and gets to bed at a reasonable hour. It is not nor should it ever be solely the teachers responsibility to ensure the child gets through school.
It seems that if the governor decides to pass this bill we have but one choice - pass an amendment to the Florida constitution that would require every pay raise for state officials to be put to a vote by the people. In fact, done correctly we could set a starting wage for Senators and House members and then based on what they do or don't accomplish in a given term vote on whether or not they deserve a pay raise. I can only imagine the outcry if suddenly every state senator had to work for the $30,000/year (or less) that teachers make and then found they couldn't just vote themselves a raise after passing poorly thought out legislation like SB 6.
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