Speakout 2/19

Monday, February 19, 2007

A SpeakOut caller suggested President Bush move to Mexico. He might as soon as we successfully invade and add it our ever growing American empire.

Ninety-two percent of the Muslim vote went to the Democrat party in this last election. Does that tell you anything? It don't surprise me. No wonder the Democrats are for the terrorists.

I'm calling in to speak about the cash checking place that charged a large fee to cash my income tax refund. I'm just a poor person with no bank account. I went to all of them and they want to charge me up to $150 to cash my check. The banks won't cash it because I don't have a bank account with them. We're just poor people trying to get by and then you try to take advantage of us because we don't have a bank account. Shame on all of you!

I was recently in the office of an area high school and had the opportunity to observe something that really opened my eyes to what a high school principal has to contend with on a daily basis. There was a parent in the office cussing and yelling at this man like he was a dog, and all the while the principal was maintaining his dignity and professionalism. This parent looked like she had just dragged herself out of bed that afternoon and threw on some filthy clothes, had ragged shoes on and sponge rollers hanging out of her hair. In addition, the alcohol smell on her was sickening. There was no respect at all from her and this is exactly why her child was also in trouble. Of course, this woman was defending her child who had been fighting at school. When I got home I was discussing this scenario with my wife. We started thinking about everything a high school principal has to deal with on a daily basis and in addition has to maintain academic standards in his building. These people have school all day, in addition they have many after school meetings and then are also expected to attend and supervise evening activities, many evening and many weekends - many of them on the road. They get home many nights after midnight, only to get up the next morning and be back at the office by 7 or 7:30 a.m. to do it all again. I would imagine that if their salaries were divided by the actual hours they put in, they would make less than $2 an hour. This has be the worst and most stressful job in a school district, as it would consume one's life totally. Being a leader in today's high schools is a job that I would not even attempt to feel that I would be capable of. These people deserve a lot of praise and should be rewarded for what they do. There is not other job like this in the school system. Just being in that office that day opened my eyes to the reality of this situation. I had really never thought about it until I witnessed it myself and started putting a pencil to paper and realized there is something wrong here. The disrespect of authority that many of our students are taught at home now is something that our schools are contending with - all the while trying to raise test scores. You could not pay me enough to be a high school principal. I applaud those who do it.