Happy Father's Day

Today is father's day and people who know me well know that I have dad issues. I was raised by my grandmother and had limited contact with my father. I've spoke to him a few times and a couple of visits here and there but he basically has not been in my life. That ship has sailed and I am reflecting today about the men who were father figures to me over the years.

You see, I had no body to teach me my man-lessons as I grew up. Despite this I was wise enough to seek out what appropriate man behavior was. My earliest memory was at Emery Brother's Skating Rink in Marion, Illinois. Jim and Patty Emery own that establishment and it is home to some of my fondest memories in life including meeting my wife. I remember saving all my paper route money to go skating three nights a week. I had always looked up to Jim and respected his authority. He was fair to us and treated us like more than patrons.

When I was fresh out of high school Jim gave me a job at the rink. I was the guy that skated around and picked people up when they fell and kept the kids in line while they had fun. I often credit my desire to teach to this job. I learned, though, to appreciate Jim in a whole new way. He taught me the value of hard work and to treat people with respect. I loved to see him take pride in his establishment and do anything he could to make his father proud of the job he had done with the rink.

I would like to send out a Happy Father's Day to all the men out there who raise more kids than just their own. Countless men go beyond the all of duty because they recognize it is their small way to help save the world around us. Sadly some still do not get it. Jim, among others, had a tremendous impact on me because my father didn't do the job. Kids need their dads. I see the result of this each and every day and I try to do for them what Jim has done for me. One kid at a time.

Jim is now battling MS and one of Marion's finest citizens is not in the rink to do his best work. If you know him and have a connection to the rink, you know how empty it feels without him. Jim if you are out there, thank you for all you have done for me and please continue to fight on.

Public School Funding

I recently took a survey sent to me by a graduate student working on her administrative degree in education. The focus of the survey was my approach to school finance and how changing from a teacher to an administrator has changed my views. The very predictable question of how schools should be funded was present. Should schools be funded by property taxes or income taxes? I say income taxes.

Lets imagine that the state police were funded by the property taxes it's individual districts were collecting. That means more rural and poorer communities would not be able to provide the protection that they would like to their citizens and they would have to not only depend on the state for help and grant writer to get the extras. This is not the case. The state police is an agency that is funded statewide. I believe that public safety is one of the state's top priorities. However, and this should not be shocking to anyone, education is the most important to me.

Why do we allow our Illinoisans to be as safe as they can possibly be but we are willing to gamble on how educated our kids are. Don't get me wrong, I'm not picking on the state police. One of the greatest people I know is a state cop.

What do you think is the right answer? Property or income taxes?

New Governor, Same Politics

The Southern Illinoisan ran a story today about what would happen if the proposed state income tax increase were not made a reality. If the this new revenue source is not in place, Gov. Quinn says, cuts will have to be made. Again we are threatened that a human service would be cut, this time its at-risk kids that are being used as a bargaining chip.



I'm glad Blago is gone. I'm glad Pat Quinn is behind the wheel. What I'm not happy with is our local leaders voting no on the income tax increase. The reasons given are terrible and do not reflect any values in what we need as southern Illinoisans. What their actions do show value in is winning elections.



Sometimes you have to do what it takes to get by. If your home is in financial trouble, you may get a second job to pay the bills. You don't like it but you do what it takes. No one likes higher taxes but if it saves our most vulnerable citizens, whats the problem? Is it not legislator's jobs to vote on behalf of their constituencies? My hope is that John Bradley and Brandon Phelps stand up for the people who need the services that will potentially be cut and be a representative for people who cant always advocate for themselves.





You can read the above mentioned article at:

http://www.thesouthern.com/articles/2009/06/16/front_page/29079838.txt