Gleaning Facebook: Vandalism

"When you wage war on the public schools, you're attacking the mortar that holds the community together. You're not a conservative, you're a vandal."

Garrison Keillor, Homegrown Democrat: A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America

This book is well over a decade old but still very appropriate to the current situation. I listened to the audiobook as I peered down from 38,000 feet at my land and yours from shining deserts to Blue Ridge forests. 

Laurie Craw
In small towns and rural areas, the public school IS the community.

Glenda Almand
Hope the Gov. Leaves things alone. Is he for privitizing?

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The above is from my Facebook on this date in 2017. Today (February 20, 2023) I want to add the following:

I spent my career -- 33 years -- in public education, and 12 years as a public school student. My college is a private school, but after my four years of undergraduate work I studied  for my master's degree at a public university.

So, thank you America, your taxes paid for 14 years of my education.

AND since 1969 you have paid for my food, entertainment, lodging, hobbies, travel, charitable contributions to church and environmental and political causes. Even in retirement you a paying me a little for doing work I love spreading the word about Georgia's environmental diversity to people in this corner of our state. And most of the rest of my current income comes from the Teacher's Retirement System and Social Security. 

Some would say that I have lived on the public dole most of may life. Of course I believe I've earned every cent and that the Georgia and American public are better off for my service. I certainly hope so; that has been my goal.

Some members of the so-called Republican Party --- Rick Scott, Mitch McConnell, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Marco Rubio, and many more --- have called for changing retirement ages, privatizing, or otherwise reducing "entitlements". Still the ignorant and childish woman who pretends to represent us in Congress screamed insults at our President during the State of The Union address for acknowledging that. These same folks, in general, have done all they can to weaken public education. They call things like Social Security, Medicare, and public education "socialism". 

Here are some basic tenets of my politics:

• We the People ARE the government.
• We the People (as our government) have six corporate aims
1. constantly perfecting the republic
2. justice for all
3. peace and safety at home
4. peace and safety abroad
5. common welfare
6. liberty for all now and always
• Maximum liberty is almost always in the middle

• unfettered socialism becomes tyranny
• unfettered capitalism becomes tyranny
• entrepreneurship and a free market should be encouraged but monopolies and businesses "too big to fail" must be broken up
• some things should ONLY be run by We the People and NEVER subject to the profit motive, ex. health care and law enforcement/prisons
• Every citizen should accept responsibility for staying informed, filtering out demagoguery, taking an active part in the republic; a republic without an engaged citizenry will not survive.
• We the People should choose our leaders rather than the reverse. Therefore outlaw Gerrymandering nationwide.
• Non-republican elements of the Constitution should be reformed, therefore the Electoral College and the Senate should be, at least, modified to be more republican. 
• Reform the current minority veto on legislation (filibuster) in the Senate; at the very least return to the speaking filibuster. 
• Ranked choice voting / instant runoff systems help avoid demagogues getting elected when the majority oppose them.