Childhood obesity: who's responsible?

Childhood obesity is over 50% in America today and there is a lot of talk about what our government is doing to change that. How is it the governments problem to fix it? Have a majority of  people in our society gone crazy? It's not the governments job to make laws or rules telling us how to raise our children. This is a social issue and parents need to be the ones getting asked these questions!!  

Read this!

The values: Integrity, Individuality, Influence are the foundation of our groups coat of arms and it seems to me these are values less and less people are living by today. American's seem to have no integrity anymore and want to pass the blame to someone else so that it's not there problem to fix but someone else's job to clean up the mess they made themselves. It is an individuals right to feed there child what they choose and feel best without the threat of the government or cps taking your child away because they have "junk in the trunk" Parents need to influence and teach their children to eat healthy and what that means as well. Turn off the TV, video game, or whatever it may be and get up and moving! We have become such lazy asses and still wonder why we don't fit into our pants. 

I know I don't want the government telling me how to raise my kids. It's not their job to do so and by letting them make rules and regulations it's allowing them into our home where they don't belong!

The Three I's

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/social-issues-politics-2012-elections_n_1267779.html

Another season of Fiery conversations, debates, and flat out arguments are upon us as we head into a presidential election year, and I love it!  In class on thursday we agreed that Integrity, Individuality, and Influence should be on our coat of arms.  For me no values are more vital than these three when it comes to oneselves own belief system when discussing social issues, especially in a election year.  The one down side to this time of year is that certain politicians and media sources use some of these issues in a dishonest way to fire up their supporters to vote for them.  I believe that if some of our politicians had a little more integrity and our voters a little more individuality the people of this country could influence some real positive changes in the future.  Unfortunately I fear that this campain season will be an especially dirty one.

Occupy Spin off Protests School Closures in NY

Protesters rallied this evening to prevent the closing of  over twenty schools in NY. The group is thought to be a spin off of the occupy group. Although efforts were made to disrupt the meeting for the school closures, they were just considered a disturbance. The closures are said to greatly effect lower income areas, as well as schools with learning impaired programs. There were no arrests at the time.

watch this news coverage.

http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/top_stories/155700/protesters-rally-against-closures-to-no-avail

out of control!!

Today when I turn on the TV it's harder and harder to find something I find worth watching before I give up and turn it back off. I don't understand how it's even a question of what we are doing wrong in raising children into productive, well-mannered teens and young adults in our society. The ethics and morals being taught to many kids today is via what they are watching on the TV. MTV has 'Teen Mom', 'Real Life', 'Jersey Shore' and my new favorite (total sarcasm) 'I Want My Pants Back' watch this trailer video!! "start your boner J,.freezer girls got your pants, and she's cute, funny and surprisingly filthy, and her crotch "just looks angry"!" This is how to "figure life out!"And these are just some of the shows that make me scream, "What the hell?? Really??" I have children age 7 & 5 yr. old twins and cringe at the thought of what will be the "hit show" that their peers will being watching in 5-10yrs from now. I do not have a parenting style where I  keep them sheltered and think I can keep them from what life and the world is really like. Foul language, sex, drugs, etc exist in our society and all I can do as a parent I believe is prepare to handle situations and make good decisions for themselves and dust themselves off and own their not so hot decisions. I just wish the TV entertainment didn't make it harder with the shows they create and portray the glamorous and popular teen/young adult lifestyle in such a messed up wrong way!!

A socioeconomic gap in education

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say

see the article here

Recent studies at Stanford university have shown that there is an increasing gap for success amongst students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. In a country that emphasizes equality and pursuit of happiness for all, you would think that the opportunity to receive an education would be more about choice than how much money you have.

I understand that within the last 15 years there have been dramatic budget cuts to education that have made it almost impossible for students to learn. Elementary school students now share books in class. When I was in elementary school I did not have to share a book nor did I have to pay for lunch because there were financial assistance programs that my family was able to take advantage of. I have met people with children that not only have to pay for their children's lunch but also have to pay for transportation even if it is on a school bus.
I am not saying that it is the communities' responsibility to pay for all student's educations but for those who cannot afford it, what CAN be done? Simply put, I think it is very important that anyone who seeks an education should be able to get one regardless of how much money they have accessible from their family or from their job. I think it is definitely important that government officials take this into consideration.

Qoute from the article:"The problem is a puzzle, he said. “No one has the slightest idea what will work. The cupboard is bare.”

Home-schoolers aloud to play sports at public schools.

 A bill was recently past in Virginia allowing students who are home schooled to Play sports at public schools. Opponents for the bill are arguing that potentially this could take spots from kids that are attending the school. They are also arguing that they wont be held to the same standards as kids in there academic program. There are currently 25 states that now allow the home-schoolers to play. In my opinion letting a child be part of a team will teach them skills they cant learn in school.

http://www.wtvr.com/news/wtvr-tebow-law-could-bring-homeschooled-to-school-sports-20120201,0,4368883.story

Lets Call It What It Really Is.

Since yesterdays ruling in the Prop 8 case was handed down the issue of Gay Marriage is back on the everyones debate list.  I truly believe that everyone has the right to feel what they feel, but I hate how they mask their true feelings about issues with words of lies. When Prop 8 was introduced its authors and supporters used a very narrow definition of marriage to sell to the masses.  The proposition is known as The Defense of Marriage Act, but what does that mean.  We are led to believe that marriage is a Judeo-Christian institution that began with the church, and is a religious act.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Marriage  has been around long before the monotheistic religions ever began.  Marriage was a way to protect blood-lines especially those of nobility.  It was a way to pass on power, protection, and assetts.  Marriage for love is an Idea that began a little over 200 years ago, before that women were promised to men before they ever met.  And marriage between man and woman as a sacred institution HaHa thats a funny-one, With divorce rates continuing to rise. Lets just call this what it is Proposition 8 The Defense Of  Homophobic Americans Who Dont Believe That Gay Men and Lesbian Women Should Be Afforded The Same Rights As Them, Act.