The future of our country

Okay - so I'm a little worried about the future of our country.  Specifically, my concern is about the children of our country and the education that they are receiving.  I just read an article the other day from the NY Times called, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior" and I agreed with almost every concept that the author talks about.  I was so curious about it that I've already ordered the book that it stems from and contacted the author directly to ask a few questions.

So here's my take on it: the author (a successful person by any standard) proposes that American parents have lost their hard edge.  We (and I include myself as I have two boys, ages 5 & 3) have become mired down in pop-psychology and emotions reather than in making the hard choices and sticking with them... I should know!  Both as a parent and as a middle school teacher, I see the results of our own mis-spent energy and its like a bubble that's gonna pop.  And when it does - and our country has to re-correct itself - I have no doubt that everyone will be blamming each other and outside factors rather than looking in the mirror.

Is NFL labor argument more fun than the regular season?

Okay so today I read this article on the NFL website (see the link below).  I read from the Commish that he actually wants there to be a players union.  Well maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here... he did say that collective bargainning was a good thing - and that it makes the whole system more equitable, safe, and cheaper for the fans in the long run.

I nearly fell over!  So I figure, "Hmmm... I better Google this guy & see who he is." 

Roger S. Goodell
Goodell is a 1981 graduate of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Penn. with a degree in Economics.

As the NFL's COO, Goodell took responsibility for the league's football operations and officiating, as well as supervised league business functions. He headed NFL Ventures, which oversees the league's business units, including media properties, marketing and sales, stadium development and strategic planning.

OMG!  Here is a successful, economics guy with a background in running a mutil-billion dollar brand who actually thinks that collective-bargainning is a good thing??  Can we get this guy cloned!!  I mean what he says in the article actually makes sense, and is applicaple to what is going on now in multiple states involving the teachers unions.  I think that business people need to get together a little more on this before telling me that public sector unions are bad in Wisconsin, but okay for the NFL.
 
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81f7cb30/article/goodell-nfl-needs-collective-bargaining-not-hurtful-lawsuits

WELCOME!

Greetings to one and all!  I am a statistically normal person from the great Midwest, who isn't sure where I stand in Politics anymore...  Like most of us, I think that its due to a strange cross-contamination of information overload due to today's non-stop media coverage & growing older/wiser.

When your a kid its easy - I spend a lot of time with my kids - they remind you all the time about how the world is supposed to be...  Filled with Good-guys/Bad-Guys and the rest of us just trying to go through with pretty good intentions while we pursue happiness.  Its funny, but I think that's how we all start too - with altruistic views of everything we are taught, like that we should share our toys and help out by doing our chores.  But no adult I've ever met wants to let someone borrow their car simply because you don't have one.  Oh, and if you want anyone over the age of 16 to help out with something that can be equated to work, then they are going to want something that equates to payment for those services.

The world has changed.  I'm trying to find out where the middle-ground is... and just maybe by sorting through it all here I can help everyone to find their own Center.