Country Savvy

Normally, I don’t get too excited when someone makes big bucks.  However, when I read that public university presidents make over $500,000, it makes me stop and think.  I look at the average young person who wants to go to college and can’t afford it without loans and grants.  Is it fair to assume that not only are the presidents making a large amount of money, but the professors are also.  Has the cost for salaries and benefits artificially increased to the point that they are being over compensated.  I really think this is the case.  Do we really want to retain an administrator or professor so bad that we are willing to sacrifice the ability for the middle and lower income students to attend a public university?  My answer is NO.  A large percentage of the university staff is extreme leftist, some are atheist and many really are not good teachers anyway.  If they really want to do good, then let them do it for less, just as you and I have to do for less in hard times.  I think it is time to restructure the way universities handle professors, and administrators.  If the public school system has to evaluate teachers then the public universities should also evaluate professors to ensure we are providing a quality education. If they are not up to snuff, then let’s get rid of them and hire someone that wants to teach and ensure that what they teach is learned.  Put a cap on all salaries, and limit benefits to the basics.  No bonus for longevity.  No bonus for not taking time off.  I would think that a craftsman is expected to be at work everyday, then university personnel should also be there.

I think we should contact our state representatives to propose changes to how our public universities operate and compensated.  What do you think?

It is apparent that I was more in tune with the politics of the election this year than in past elections.  Prior to the election, I must have spent hours reading, listening to and talking about issues and candidates.  I had selected who I was to vote for and wanted everyone else to vote the same way.  This did not happen.  It would be fair to say that the redneck politics that I apparently subscribe to are not what is in vogue.

And yes, I was not one  to put Bush down.  I believe in America, I believe we need a strong military presence against terrorist, and we should show a willingness to defend our Country.  I strongly believe that America voted with their pocketbook, they voted with a lack of regard for the Country’s image as a strong nation willing to protect itself, and they ignored their personal moral standards.

I am willing to accept the election, and support whoever was elected.  This brings me to an issue that really grates on me.  People who take their candidate so serious that they cannot view a joke about them without becoming personal and making accusations against anyone that sends a joke that is derogatory to their candidate.

Case in point, I receive a lot of emails that are jokes. Many are against politicians that I support.  I can laugh at these and not take it serious.  And I will forward many of these on to my friends.  But when I forwarded one that was not necessarily flattering to the winning politican’s wife, I was told I was not a Christian, and to remove them from my email list.  I would have been ok with a simple “do not send this type email to me”.  But to question that I am a Christian, was and is too much.  I strongly believe in the Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and believe that abortion of any type is wrong, I believe in letting my faith and morals dicate how I vote.  I also believe that anyone who will vote for a person who supports abortion and does not believe that life starts at conception is not necessarily a person who should be calling someone else “non-Christian”.  Needless to say that I have lost all respect for this person and will have to work real hard at forgiveness.

There will always be jokes about any politician, because there will always be someone who doesn’t like any particular one.  These should never be taken serious, nor should they affect your feeling about the sender.  I happen to be able to laugh at almost any and all jokes.  I prefer not to get really vulgar jokes, but I don’t have to read them, there is a delete key and I do know how to use it. I can handle some off color jokes, but I also receive a lot of really good Christian type emails, too.  Having a wide variaty of friends and family is important and staying in touch with them through jokes is ok.  I accept their judgement as to what they find appropriate to forward to me and hope they do the same.  We cannot live our lives with blinders on, nor can we call ourselves a Christian by not being forgiving of judgemental errors.