Parents actually pay for these fees themselves so theoretically, if the parents are willing and capable, then the cuts aren’t necessary.  Realistically, however, not all parents are able to pay those fees so the school (or district, not sure) has to provide for those who can’t.

Well, those funds have been cut so we can’t support as many kids to go to as many field trips, and so the whole school is going to less field trips.

The same goes with everything else.  There’s less money to fund a lot of things because a lot of the money has to be put aside to pay for tutors (speech, homework, reading, and whatever else), translators, free lunches (literally), and other special accommodations for those kids.

If we don’t help these kids then for sure they will be further burden to the system down the line.  Especially since they are probably already citizens (with voting rights), the least I can do is to educate them, hopefully enough to have them question the likes of Palin.  (Almost equally as bad would be to have them vote for more welfare programs!).

As educators we’re handed a problem from which we can’t turn a blind eye simply because we disagree with the policies.  Somebody uphill opened the dam, now the rest of us have to balance the ship, pour out the gushing water (one bucket at a time), and pay for the effort of doing so.

Just to clarify I’m not talking about kids whose parents are truly doing their best.  I’m talking about those who have multiple kids when they can’t even afford one.  Those who don’t seem to see anything wrong with living on welfare year after year.  Those who go in and out of jail instead of earning an honest living and care for their child(ren).

Sometimes I fantasize that those who leave care of their children to others (whether to a relative or to society) should be required to have others determine the fate of their reproductive system.

Now blast me for my rant, I’ll put on my armor suit!

No matter how much we save, how responsible we are about our finances (no debt except mortgage), and how disciplined we are with our monies (limit spending, because we can only increase income in so many ways), we can’t seem to get ahead.

Meanwhile, those who drive his Hummer and her BMW, ride their jetski and ATV, live in their million dollar (or more) loan-money mansion, and spend Xmas at their winter cottage in Switzerland, are now getting my tax-dollars to pay for their excesses.

I’m not asking for a hand-out.  I’m not asking for a Hummer or a jetski or a mansion or a Swiss cottage.  I just want a simple home in an area with a better school district.  A school district my hard-earned tax-dollar was supposed to pay for.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for what we have.  We have some savings, a little bit of equity in our house, and we have our pride, dignity, and integrity intact.  With some luck, we may even be able to ride out this recession relatively unscathed.

I don’t understand, however, why I have to pay for other people’s excesses.  I don’t understand why no matter how responsible our family is, and how much that school-district property has dropped in price, it’s still out of our reach.

How I wish, all those millions and billions and trillions that our government is spending to bail out blatantly irresponsible behavior are instead spent on those who have been living within our means, who have been working and saving toward that dream of a better life, who don’t owe back-taxes or are behind in our mortgage payments.

Even if we take the smaller amount of $700 billion, and assume that every single American has been responsible enough to qualify for a chunk of those billions, it’s still $700B / 250M = $2,800 per head.  If we assume $1 trillion total bail-out budget and only 50% Americans have been living within their means and saving responsibly, then we have $1T / 125M = $8,000 per head.

At the above rate my family would qualify for 4 x $8K = $32K.  We could’ve added that to the equity we now have in our current house, to the money we’ve saved for a downpayment for that school-district house, or simply to pay for another year of two of private schooling which we now pay.

Middle-class is usually screwed as it is.  We’re not poor enough for much of the breaks and aids available, and not rich enough to easily afford expenses such as health coverage, summer vacations, and private tuition.

I take this bail-out as a personal insult to those of us who have been “behaving” ourselves financially.  What version of free market is this if we end up having to pay $700B for it?

If I sound like I’m whining, forgive me.  I’m just frustrated and exasperated.

At a glance it seems that McCain has little in common with Palin.  Other than our gender, I have almost nothing in common with Palin.

But The Hockey Mom has a lot in common with the rest of America.  Except that she actually has a passport; which makes her qualified to deal with Sudan, China, Russia, and the Middle East lot.

Uhm, America is the only super power in the world right now anyway, so why not put a pitbull with lipstick in the arena.  She can always learn the ropes in between her hunting trips and her other “conservative-family” activities.

Funny, I considered mine a conservative family with a liberal bent (what’s life without balance!).  These days, however, I don’t know anymore what constitutes “conservative.”

Rottweiler owners are supposed to train them because by default, they’re vicious creatures.  This propensity coupled with their size and strength make them formidable beasts once they lose control.

Many owners don’t understand this, so letting them own Rottweilers is akin to letting any ignorant Tom, Dick, and Jane own guns.  Or worse.

My 5-year old was recently attacked by two Rottweilers.  In defending her, I ended up with most of the bites.  It felt like I was being eaten alive.

Thank goodness my hubby was there to save us.  I knew he would’ve been the one crazy enough to jump in to rescue us.  I don’t think I would’ve physically lasted another minute because they would’ve gotten my artery by then.  And I consider myself strong.

My daughter’s injuries hit her skull.  Luckily x-ray showed that there was no fracture.  My arm was torn all the way to the bone, and I got stitches on my head, back, hand, and arm.  We both ended up needing general anesthesia.

We’re fine now, just working on my daughter’s trauma.

My son even asked that I arranged with the other moms so that two of his best friends can come with him next year.

Son, your naivete is adorable.  Unlike our airfare, it’s priceless!

Can anyone help me understand?

So I asked if she was a carnivore. She thought for a moment and confidently said, “Yes, I think so because I like Spam!”

When I submitted my answers to her, she read that and looked at me with this bewildered look on her face like she was seeing the weirdest creature on earth, and that she wasn’t sure if she was amused, amazed, concerned, scared, or disgusted.

And she asked in disbelief: “Trader Joe’s and Costco???”

I said that it definitely is, but I quickly qualified this with how I don’t consider Iraq a “war” but an invasion instead.

He wanted to know what I meant and why I thought so.

I explained the WMD lie to him, which caused him to question the U.S.’ true motive.

I told him that I don’t know, but that Iraq had invaded Kuwait in the past, during which time the U.S. helped defend Kuwait. This led Iraq’s president Saddam Hussein to attempt to assassinate the then U.S. president, who happened to be George Bush Sr.

In turn this caused Bush Jr. to hate Hussein, and the war is probably Bush’s way to get even.

I’m excited that he’s curious about world events. He even asked which countries were on the U.S. side during that Gulf War.

Yes, my explanations are oversimplified and biased. But I have my reasons and I did stress to him that those are my theories. Since this “war” is based on lies, my thoughts are just as valid as the Administration’s stories.

At the current rate, not only will this war be the longest, but most likely the most expensive one in world history as well, if it’s not already.