About Teachers

Last week, out lodge gave out our “Teacher of the Year” award. I was on the committee to choose the winner. It was very difficult. The school administrator from each school in the district submitted a short essay on why this particular teacher should receive this award. We have some outstanding teachers in Hanover County. I have come to learn one fact from all of this. You have to know some really bad teachers to appreciate the really good ones.

I was lucky. My mom budgeted and saved to send me to private schools in Memphis, Tennessee. She did not believe I would get a good education from the public schools at the time. So, I had some pretty outstanding teachers growing up. They taught me more than just what they were supposed to. They taught me about being a good person outside of school. They did this unknowingly. They were my first role models. Here are some examples:

Mrs. Cindy Halupnik – I had her as a teacher twice in elementary school. She taught me to respect other people and their feelings. At that I was a slow learner.

Mr. Chris Dahlberg – In high school, he taught me an appreciation of technology in computer and physics classes. This was in the early 1980’s. I learned that computers were here to stay. He helped me understand the basics of what I would need to know.

Mrs. Cathy Donaldson – She encouraged my love of reading and books. She challenged my opinions of the “classics”, and I challenged her on Stephen King.

Mr. Billy Pullen – Taught me appreciation for the arts. He taught me that an educated person needs to know more than just how to read and write. He taught me how to debate and discuss without getting emotional or personal. It has been a valuable skill given how opinionated I can be.

Mrs. Patti Sanders – She gave me an appreciation for literature as well. She also introduced me to my favorite book “The Count of Monte Cristo”.

Mr. Michael Semore –He taught me learning can be fun and enjoyable. You can have a sense of humor and be a teacher. He was the music director at my church. So, we would talk about things outside of school as well.

There are more who contributed to the bits and pieces that eventually became me. They are just too many to list and others I have forgotten their names.

As I said, you have to know some bad teachers to appreciate the good ones. When my kids started to school I found out all about that. They started in elementary school in Southern California. The teachers there are unionized. Their incentive and style of teaching is different to say the least. You have probably heard about some of the scandalous behavior from teachers out there. The worst part is they get away with it because of their unions.

I also found that education takes a back seat to the whims and wills of the unions. I needed to talk to a teacher about my child one day. She could not spare me the time because they were marching and protesting in front of school that morning. That told me everything I needed to know. I only met one teacher I liked out there. The rest I either could not stand or just did not care. I could tell more horror stories, but I think you get the picture. We moved to Virginia when the kids were in fourth grade. Alex had two really good teachers in fourth and fifth grades. PK ended up with two duds. One was some jock who could not play football any more so he became an elementary school teacher. Most of the kids were smarter than him. His fifth grade teacher was another piece of work. She taught what was on their standardized tests and communism. I kid you not, communism.

You know how you have to buy those supplies for the kids at the beginning of the year during elementary school. Well, we try to buy our kids good stuff to last all year. This teacher had the kids put all their supplies in baskets and choose them when they used them. PK never got to use his stuff. The other kids in the class remarked on how nice his stuff was AS THEY WERE USING THEM! I did my best to make it a learning experience for him on why communism does not work. The powerful get all the good stuff without having to work for it. You can put junk supplies in the basket and take the good stuff to use that was not yours. Those who try the hardest to do their best get punished. I was so glad when that year was over. The good thing is PK was intelligent enough to make it through that year without any trouble. I can’t say the same for some of the others. Some did not learn a thing. They were passed anyway.

They just finished seventh grade. They have some really great teachers at their school. The principal is the first one of theirs I have met that I have liked. He actually loves his job and seems to care about the kids. When I have come to him about an issue, he takes care of it. I can say the same for the assistant principal as well. Most of their teachers are great as well. There are exceptions. There is one who is past retirement age. She does not seem to enjoy teaching and hates kids. I don’t understand why she doesn’t just retire and do something else. A couple of them are just ditzy, not dangerous, just ditzy. They get the kids through. I am looking forward to them going to high school. I sincerely hope they have as good of teachers as I had. It makes a world of difference in the learning process.

At one time I wanted to be a teacher. My experiences with teachers and as a teacher’s helper back in California cured that. It was such a bad experience, I can’t shake it. I was thoroughly disgusted with the entire profession. I have looked into it since I moved to Virginia. There are programs you can go through as a change of career without going through school, again. It is a bit expensive and times are tough. Even if I did it, the schools are still laying off teachers. I do not even want to begin my rant on budget priorities within the school districts out here. So, I just teach my kids at home.

My respect goes out to teachers past and present. You are not just educating our children. You are molding them into the people they will someday be. You may not realize the impact you have on them at this time. I can assure you, it’s there. You may see a group come and go each year. From our point of view, we see one teacher for each class we take. Finally, it is up to you what we take away from your class when school is out. You are the main source of honor, character, and integrity we receive outside our parents for the formative years of our lives.

Thank you to all my teachers.

Happy Birthday Bob! I still miss you!

In a few weeks it will be what would have been Bob Harrod’s 85th birthday. I have not written or talked about Bob for a long time. It is not that I have forgotten him or don’t care. I think of him every day. It’s just there is nothing left to say. A couple of years back, someone told me I was being discussed on one of those forums about missing people. I decided to check it out. I did not hide who I was. I offered to answer any and all questions if I could. I found another one and joined it as well. Since the Placentia police were not interested in what I had to say, these people were. I was actually naive enough to believe this was about helping to solve the mystery of what happened to Bob.

 After a few weeks I noticed a trend. These people are trying to play CSI or Columbo. They think the answer is very simple and will be revealed in the next half hour to an hour. It’s not. This is real life. There are no easy answers or even answers at all sometimes. I also discovered there were people directly involved in the case who were pretending to be objective observers. They were able to sway most people into thinking along with them. They would try to convince people they did not know what they knew or did not see what they saw. Eventually, it got so bad, if I said anything they did not agree with, I was shouted down. Being loud and intimidating does not make you right. It makes you a bully. The truth is the truth. So, I gave up.


Everything was pretty quiet until the show “Missing” on the ID channel did a show about Bob. I watched it. It took a while. I had to stop it now and then to try to comprehend what I was seeing. Afterward, someone wrote me to ask what I thought about it.

Here goes… It was a great piece of fiction. If you think omitting is the same as lying. I could see the attorney’s fingerprints all over it. I saw the Placentia police try to portray themselves as a legitimate law enforcement agency instead of the bumbling idiots we all know they are. I watched people say things I knew were completely not true. I saw high drama and emotion as people pretended to be who they were not. If I did not know the players and was Bob’s closest friend at the time, I would have thought it was a good show. Otherwise, it was a farce. It also makes me wonder if all these shows are like this. They show one side and just enough details to make it interesting enough for people to watch.

 They filmed parts on location. I was very sad to see my old house and the memories that are now gone. I saw parts of Bob’s house and it made me miss him even more. It also made me angry. I remember the Placentia police trying to pass this off as some demented old fool who wandered off. Then, they said he got cold feet. The truth is, they were just trying to close the case so they would not have to do any real work. The shameful part is they wasted so much time people had a chance to get their alibis and stories straight. By the time they pulled their collective heads out of their collective rectums and investigated the case as a kidnapping and murder, it was too late.

At this point, here is what I feel. Bob Harrod is dead. He was kidnapped or coerced out of his home and murdered. We will never know who or how. We will never know where his body is. We will never know what happened. This is not TV or a movie. This is real life. R.I.P. Bob.

The Reccession Drags On

Another month has passed as July comes to an end.
They say the recovery is just around the bend.
An unemployment check is not really what I want.
So, back to the job boards I continue to haunt.
I hear the employed, rich and powerful pass judgment on me.
They say I am lazy and getting by for free.
I have looked for work for over a year and a half.
I see a lot of time wasted as the present becomes the past.
The government comes up with ideas, all doomed to fail.
As the live in luxury and continue to wail.
If you are not going to lead or follow, get out of the way.
Maybe then the recovery will begin one day.
I pray for our country and I pray for us all.
Please remember to vote in elections this fall.

Bob Harrod - Missing One Year

Some of you who know me or have read my stuff know about Bob Harrod. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I will recap. Bob was my neighbor across the street in CA. I knew him for seven years, from when he moved in until I moved out. I would have to say that during that time, we were each other’s best friend. Bob was there when I was out of work and when family problems arose. He was instrumental in me joining the Masons. I was there for him when his wife was sick and dying. I was one of the few people invited to her memorial at sea. I was also the one who drove him to the animal shelter to have their beloved dog put to sleep. I also buried the dog in the back yard for him so she would always be close by. I was one of the first people to find out about Fontelle, his new/old love from years back. They were reunited in early 2009. He shared with me about their marriage.

I can count on one hand how many people I miss from CA. Bob is definitely one of them. On the day before we left, I made a special trip to see Bob and say goodbye. We were both upset about the conditions under which I was leaving. I did not want to go and he did not want me to go.

Bob vanished from his home on July 27, 2009. I had left for VA the Monday before. I received an email from a neighbor about it on Tuesday. I was in East TN. I was shocked. Fontelle was supposed to arrive back in CA on Wednesday, July 29.

The police immediately showed their incompetence. The first story was the Bob was suffering from dementia and had wandered away while his son-in-law was at the store. Then, they said he had gotten cold feet and ran away from his new bride. The press was just as helpful. They printed these stories like they were gospel. Eventually, they got around to interviewing Bob’s children and new wife, Fontelle. I figured I would be getting a phone call next. I was one of his closest friends at the time. I had a lengthy conversation with him a week before. I could easily attest to his mental state and feelings for Fontelle. I never heard from them. I contacted the reporter that did the story. Never heard back from him, either.

I talked to Fontelle on and off to see how things were going. She said she gave my name and number to the police. She would ask if they ever called. They never did. Eventually, I did receive a phone call from a private investigator. He said he was hired by Bob’s daughters. I was so glad to hear from him. We talked to a couple of hours about what Bob was like, how I knew him, what I thought of the case, and what might have happened. I only talked to him that one time.

Then, I found a website of people discussing the case. I read the whole thing. It was only up for 60 days. Bob’s children had posted to the website. I tried to contact the one I knew well. She never returned any of my calls. One day, an attorney representing Fontelle called me. We had pretty much the same conversation as I had with the private investigator. I told him about the website. When it ended, I printed off every page of it and mailed it to Fontelle. She does not have access to a computer.

Around May, a reporter for the LA Times called me. She had also received my number from Fontelle. She said she was doing a follow up story on Bob. I was glad to talk to her. I asked her if she had talked to the daughters as well. She said they had not returned her messages. She had to go with the story without their input. It was a good story about Bob. I was glad to see there was still interest in the case.

In June, I was contacted by a woman who was part of an armchair detective website. They had a board about Bob’s case. They posted theories, questions, articles, etc. Last Friday she sent me a post where I was mentioned. I was intrigued and logged on. I spent most of the weekend posting on the site and answering questions. I was amazed at the interest in the case after a year. One of Bob’s daughters was watching also. She sent me a threatening message to stop posting. I continued to post anyway. Most of what I said was public knowledge. Sometimes I would correct what I perceived as errors in some of the articles. I was not saying anything about the case, itself. For one thing, I do not know much since the police never contacted me. Second, things that I do know, I was asked not to tell. So, I don’t.

It was a mixed blessing this weekend. I was happy to talk about Bob. At the same time, I was sad to think of how the police had mishandled this case from the start. They talk big about covering all angles and leaving no stone unturned. Well, if that is true, why I have I not been contacted? I have tried. They are not interested in me or what I may know about Bob. I am not sure if I could help now, but if I had been contacted at the beginning, I could have helped. Some people on the board said they are going to contact the police and ask why I was left out. I thank them, but I do not think it will do much good.

They ask what I think. I think a small town police department bungled a missing persons case to the point they were afraid to ask for help. It is my understanding they have not reached out to other law enforcement agencies for assistance. I guess they feel it is just some old man who wandered away. Well, he wasn’t. He was a friend, husband, father, and grandfather. He was also a good man. My opinion is if he had been some young, hot, blonde coed partying in some exotic, tropical paradise, everyone would still be on the case. We would have wall-to-wall media coverage of every aspect of this case. But, since that is not the case, this old man is destined to just fade away and be forgotten. Bob Harrod was too good a man for this to be his fate.

Thank you.

Unemployment Benefits Extended

Yesterday, the Senate overrode the filibuster to restore extended job benefits. President Obama is expected to sign on with this. Meanwhile, there are several in the conservative world, most of which I hold the deepest respect, who criticize this move. There are several members of congress who also do not approve. It may sound hypocritical of me to say, but THANK GOD!
This is the worst recession since the Great Depression. The Obama Administration’s and congressional bungling has exacerbated the situation. What should have been a simple dip in the economy for a few months has become a multi-year disaster that no one can predict an end to.
Over the past few weeks I have heard some very wise and learned (and some not so wise or learned) offer commentary on this issue. I have heard criticisms about people who are on unemployment are lazy, shiftless, not trying to find a job, don’t want a job, are holding out for the perfect job, etc. Generally these statements are being made by either elite, wealthy politicians or people who are gainfully employed with health care and other benefits. They say that if a person can not find a job in six months, they are not trying. I have a challenge for these people. Go look at the job boards, newspaper, websites, etc. If you were to lose your job at the end of this month, could you find a job in the next six months?
The job boards are full of jobs. Let me tell you about these jobs that are being offered. There are plenty of opportunities in the food service industry. You can wait tables or if you are so inclined, be a restaurant manager. There are several opportunities out there if you would like to sell insurance or financial services. For a small fee, they will train you start your own business selling to your friends, relations, strangers, etc. After you have exhausted everyone you know, where do you go from there? Unless you have a God given talent for sales along with the training, it is almost impossible to do well in this industry. Just ask those who are in it who are not trying to recruit you. There are several “work at home” opportunities available. These range from bill collecting to data entry for about $8 an hour with no benefits. Other jobs for the professional include nursing and accounting. Also, if you have more than ten years experience in a specific program for a specific company, you too can find a job. I know very few people in those professions or situations who need jobs. Anyone else with any professional experience or degree, see the above paragraph.
The point is there are no good paying jobs with benefits to be had. It is hard to believe that with unemployment hovering around ten percent, all these people are lazy, welfare cheats. I never considered myself one of those. But, since I have not been able to find a good, steady job with benefits, there are those that consider me just that.
I have been out of work since October 2008. I have looked for a job ever since. I can not count the number of jobs I have applied for. I moved to Virginia a year ago. Since moving here I have had one phone interview. I have a second face to face interview with a car dealership as an internet sales consultant. This was not exactly what I went to undergrad and graduate school for. I am not diminishing the job of selling cars. But, I did not have to get my MBA to do it. I could have started right out of high school and saved myself a lot of time, money, and trouble. This is just an interview. It is not a job offer. So I do not have my hopes up, yet.
I hate being unemployed. I miss working. I was not reared in a household where we just waited for someone else to take care of us. I have worked since I was sixteen. But, to take a job making less than what unemployment is sending me, is foolish. By the time I had arranged day care for the kids, I would actually be losing money by working for less. Do you know the cost of child care? I really do not like the idea of having ten-year-olds be latch key kids. But, I guess those judgmental elites do not care about that. Their kids are probably grown, moved out, and have high paying jobs as well as the connections to get more if these do not pan out.
While I am unemployed, I want my benefits. I need my benefits. Besides day to day expenses, we have doctor bills to be paid as well as being cosigner to a defaulted student loan. Right now, I am not too proud to turn down any aid. But, I would prefer to be working again. Being at home is fun for the first few weeks or even months. After that, it gets really boring to the point you will do anything just to get out of the house. But, if I take a part-time job at minimum wage bagging groceries at Kroger, I lose my unemployment benefits. So far, that has been the only offer I have had. I would prefer the government stop meddling in the economy and let businesses get back to work. Once they do, we can all get back to work.

The Unemployment Extension Issue

Art Laffer had a great article in the WSJ yesterday about the extension of unemployment benefits. Although I respect Mr. Laffer , I have to disagree with his article. His logic is sound, but the “paradigm” may be shifting on us in this current economic crisis. I will not go through the article. I will post it along with this essay for everyone to read. Basically, he is against all the extensions the federal government has provided.

My problem is I may be too close to the situation to be thoroughly objective. Here is some background. I was laid off from my contract position with Volvo Cars North America on October 31, 2008. Ford and Volvo had decided the experiment of Premier Automotive Group was a failure and Volvo would move back to NJ. Since I was a contract worker, I received no packages or benefits. I was, however, encouraged to apply for a permanent position with them in NJ. There were no guarantees of employment, but I could apply. We decided not to take the chance of moving to NJ just to be laid off, again.

Since I had a few months before my time was up, I started looking for work. The CA economy was in collapse, especially the automotive industry. Companies were moving out of state to avoid the unhealthy business climate that had emerged in CA. They were taking the good jobs with them. After we had cashed out our 401K and our savings, we decided my job prospects were not getting any better. We left CA for VA in July 2009. A year has now come and gone and I am still out of work.

You may ask, “Have I been looking?” Yes, I have. I have joined networking groups. I have looked at almost every job board on the net including state and local jobs. I took a seminar on finding a job. I have a new resume. In that time, I have had one phone interview and one offer to bag groceries part time at Kroger. There are more things I have tried, but I think you get the picture. I have stressed over the issue of what am I doing wrong. Am I lazy? I know there is always more I can do. I just am not sure what. I have a good education and twelve years experience at what I do.

I have been on unemployment since November 2008. I get $475 a week. That is no secret. You can look up state unemployment rates on the internet. It’s public knowledge. That comes out to about $10 an hour. So, for me to get another job, I would have to get at least $10 per hour plus enough to pay for child care for the twins. I have gotten two or three extensions. Right now, my benefits have been suspended until the Senate votes on it, again. I am very fortunate. Tammy has a good, steady, gainful job. I also get a small pension from the state of TN which I share with my brother. We are getting by. We are still not able to put anything aside for the future, but at least we can pay the bills.

That makes me better off than most people drawing unemployment. Some are the only wage earners. I have a FOAF (friend of a friend) who has been unemployed for over a year. His wife was recently laid off from her teaching position. They now have four kids and not income. Given the character and nature of my friend, these are not freeloaders. They are good, hard working people stuck in a bad situation.

The problem is businesses are not hiring. They are scared of what the Obama administration has in store for them. They see other industries nationalized and wonder if they are next. They are afraid of the tax cuts that are expiring at the end of the year. They have no trust in the government at this time. This lack of faith has them paralyzed by fear. Even the small businesses do not know what is about to happen.

Meanwhile, people are out of work. With an unemployment rate of 9.5% and a real unemployment rate of close to 15%, there are a lot of people out of work. Republican Senator Orin Hatch of Utah has likened these people to welfare recipients and should be drug tested. I will if you will Senator Hatch. Republican Representative Dean Heller of Nevada called them hobos. Remember congressmen, we are voters as well. The conservative in me feels we need to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. The husband and father in me feels he needs those extensions until the economy turns around and we get jobs. Mr. Laffer addresses these points in his article.

I do not have an answer. As long as we have a liberal Democrat President, liberal Democrat Congress, and a spineless Republican Party complaining, I do not see an end in sight. As Americans, we enjoy the freedom to succeed or fail on our own. But, when the government is holding the economy hostage, we do not stand a chance. Please remember to vote your conscious and your wallets in November. Look at what the candidates have done, not what they say.

God Bless America

Where are the real conservatives?

I used to be a Republican. I left the party in late 1991 when George H. Bush was president. I was not happy with President Bush or his policies. He had spent eight years as vice president under one of the greatest president’s this nation has ever had. He apparently learned nothing during the experience. It was more than just President Bush. The entire party had begun down a road I could not go with them. I felt they were pandering too much to the big business and so called evangelical Christian right. I let my faith be my guide. I do not want the faith of others pushed on me by a political party. I did register as a Republican in California when I registered to vote. The party was doing a voter registration drive and I needed to register anyway. The Republican box was already checked on all the forms. I really did not care. I just needed to register to vote. I can vote however I want to.

In the past nineteen years, I have been proven to have made the right choice. I have watched a dismal parade of presidential candidates (Dole, Bush, McCain). I have seen a party consumed with what the other side thinks of them. I have watched the legacy of President Reagan be squandered by “neocons”. I have watched this country enter two wars with no clear goals or end in sight. I have watched the party squander a beautiful victory in congress in 1994. I watched them chicken out when under pressure. The only time I see them in the news is in airport bathrooms or brothels. To be honest, the current Republican Party disgusts me.

In November 2008, the Republican Party was handed a gift on a silver platter. Sen. John McCain was defeated by Sen. Barack Obama for the presidency. He promised hope and change. He promised a transparent presidency. He promised no new taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. He promised a new era of peace and racial harmony. He made a lot of promises he had no intention of keeping.

What has he delivered? He inherited what has become the worst recession since the Great Depression. He inherited a war on two fronts with no clear objective. I give him those. He also inherited a House and Senate owned by his party. Instead of focusing on the economy and the war, he focused on health care. He managed to get a bill passed that over half the nation disapproves of. He focused on illegal immigration. Right now, Congress is considering amnesty for millions of law breakers and a slap in the face to those who have struggled through the proper channels to gain citizenship. He has focused on “green” jobs and technologies that do not exist and will not for several decades to come. He has appointed radicals, socialists, and even communists to key positions in his administration. He has filled his cabinet with academics that have no real world job experience. He has slowly taken away our freedoms one by one and continues to do so.

And what have the Republicans done? Bitch, piss, and moan about his administration. They also filibustered the extension of unemployment benefits to those still out of work due to this miserable economy. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING!!!! Where are the constructive voices of opposition? Where is the Republican plan for fixing the problems with America? All I hear from them is complaints. Who is the real voice of the Republican Party? I do not think it is Rush Limbaugh. He is a great commentator, but he is not the head of the GOP. As far as Michael Steele goes, he is a buffoon. He has shown no true leadership since he was made party chief.

I am sure there are real, conservative leaders out there. We need to hear from them. I do not want to hear any more about the liberal media bias. Yes, it exists. But, there are other areas that are not controlled by them. We need to hear leadership out of the GOP, not just complaints. As far as I am concerned, you are either part of the solution or part of the problem. It is time for the GOP to step up.