(Where did this originate - "Together...A New Beginning"? Hint: Campaign slogan. Answer at conclusion. Don't peak! Cogitate)}.
(New Proposals after Preface).
PREFACE: Secret Societies: "Knights Templar," "Freemasons," "Illuminati,"
"Skull and Bones," ATBTC ("Americans Taking Back Their Country"; Tea is Bad
for You, ATBTC is Good for You), etc. Mission Statement: Send each Secret
Chain Letter to at least five family members and/or friends and/or enemies
and/or co-workers and/or whom-ever-you-choose for we comprise an Association
of Individuals in a loose association with a Common Cause - Constitutional
Government. Suggestion: We phone and/or leave a message (s) at the websites of
our two U.S. Senators and one congressman, as well as,
other members of congress who serve as chairmen or ranking members
or just plain members of committees or sub-committees
that interest a member. ATBTC:no membership card or dues but we are working on secret
cyber-space handshake; as the late Steve Allen would say:
"All seriousness aside.") such as, Science and Technology, NASA, Appropriations,
Budget, Energy, Rules, etc. You can discover the names or names and phone
numbers of your congressional members (you need not know their names when
you call but you are required to know the name of the state in which you live!) and
the names or names and phone numbers of committee members (just tell Capital
Operator the committee that concerns you). Phones: 202-224-3121 and 202-226-7200.
Websites: Example - www.jones.senate.gov/public/ and smith.house.gov/public/ Some names, Phone #s and websites are recommended in Chain Letters 9, 8, 7, 6, 2, 1 at
groups.google.com/group/rickcosmos-eclectic, /group/newfederalism, /group/
nasa-our-way. Now, Let's Do Ourselves a REVOLUTION!!!
PROPOSAL 45 Stop punishing achievement and try rewarding it.
President Bush's successful "No Child Left Behind" (you know that it is successful
because school unions hate it!) has substantially reduced but has not
completely eliminated (mainly via national standardized tests): the mainstreaming
of the physically and/or mentally crippled (Citizen Journalist is non-P.C. cripple
but not when he was a school boy chasing school girls
in plaid skirts) who require extra attention - attention diverted from those
better equipped to handle the workload and are, thereby, held back; social
promotions - the promoting of a child from, say, 6th to 7th grade in order
not to deflate the child's ego and in order for the teacher to prevent
herself from looking bad: look - over half of her students have failed.
Instead of saying: we care about you; we want you to master grade
before you advance. Child is promoted and lost, needs extra attention,
deserving students are short-changed. Update: It appears that teachers are
figuring out how to return to doing social promotions.
There are public schools which no longer post
'A' test papers for fear of hurting the feelings of those who didn't attain an
'A.' Old-fashioned thinking: Stroke the ego of the 'A' student to encourage
him to a repeat performance and motivate the others to work harder
in order to see their paper on the bulletin board; some schools - non-competitive
activities in gym class, whatever, that is. It sure prepares child for
capitalistic society; there are schools which have done away with grading and
determine whether or not child is promoted predicated on effort,
social development and projects - stupid, nonsensical liberal thinking.
We have already proposed converting all regular public schools
into charter and magnet schools: on average charters (no union control)
out perform magnets while mags out do regulars (mags
semi-union control, regulars - nearly complete union control;
by the bye, regulars are budgeted more than mags and mags more
than charters - fascinating! Yet, libs tell us that the problem
with regs is that they don't receive enough money - - the problem
is unions!). On average students in mags and charts perform as well in
well-to-do safe neighbors as they do in poor, dangerous ones.
Don't hold back our brightest stars. A big problem: boredom
and a feeling of not being challenged. ORIGINAL PROPOSAL:
There is no reason that
elementary school can't be 7 instead of 8 years (8 is largely review)
for the well-behaved 'A' and 'B' students. Further, those who
were As and Bs in grades 5, 6, 7 should go to high school for 3
instead of 4 years. Freshman who earn an 'A' can transfer to
advanced program; no transfers after freshman year. These
students would earn academic-regents diplomas or an
associate degree (if school can afford it; it presently takes 2
years to earn an associate in college, it would take 3 in high).
We hear you: you're saying: "In Japan and Western Europe,
where in many of those countries Americans are being
out-performed in international comparisons, they spend more
days per year in the classroom. They don't get 12 weeks off in
the summer. Instead, they receive a week here and two weeks
there totally (it varies from country to country) 6 to 9 weeks." Fine;
if a state can afford it. We think our plan is even better. Let
us continue and stop interrupting us by thinking out loud (
A.D.D. distracting).
Stop poorly-behaved, slow students and class clowns from
holding back our brightest. Motivate them to want to attend
class with a livelier curriculum: electronics, plumbing, home
economics, book keeping, basic computer, house painting,
gardening, a lot more physical education, shop, etc. Challenging
courses - a lot of poorly behaved students are brighter than you
think (just ask CJ). Their not college material, give them the
skills for the real world. Also: business math., dance, map-reading,
the production of graphs. End remedial courses in college.
Those students don't belong in college. Many states are and are saving $s.
In college, associate degrees should take 1 1/2 years not 2;
bachelors, 3 not 4. Reduce the core requirements: these students
should have acquired the basic skills in elementary and high school.
They should be focusing on their major and minor: specializing not
so much general subjects. You're interrupting and saying, "Colleges
will lose money because students
will be spending less time there. But, more students will want
to attend college and that's what we want. Imagine graduating
high schools at 16 instead of 18. What are you going to do? You
have an academic-regents diploma and you're being offered the
opportunity of earning an A.A. or A.A.S. when you're 17 or 18;
you might go for two associates (or three, if you were able to earn
one in high school). Graduating with a B.A. or B.S. at 19 or 20,
you have time for a second B.A. or B.S.(second takes 2 or less years) or
starting a master's or doctorate program). We must take into account the
taxpayer and student debt: no second associate accept for 'A' and 'B'
students - same for Bachelor's. More students might have to
work while in college - grants should be reduced to reduce
the deficit. We will be producing more graduates with more degrees
wherein they focused on their discipline of choice. America will be more
competitive on the world stage for our students will be better educated
and no longer the victim of the liberal policy of homogenization:
bundling the able bodied with the disabled, the bright with the slow,
the well-behaved with the delinquents. College degrees and debt aren't
for everybody. ITT and other trade/specialized schools should be
encouraged for certain students.
PROPOSAL 46: Return student loans to banks, It was unconstitutional
of Obama (17 constitutional infractions thus far by our count) to have
fed gov assume responsibility for student loans - private sector activity.
Just look at gov involvement (unconstitutional in nature) with Fannie,
Freddie and Amtrak.
PROPOSAL 13:
LUCKY 13 for CHILDREN. We should phone our governor's
office and speak to a staff
member (supplying name is optional; they keep records of
citizen's position - a tally of pros and cons - and report most
interesting statements to their boss) and/or leave a message at
his/her website. Ditto OUR representatives in state legislators
and/or county exec and/or mayor and/or council member.
Convert all regular public schools into charter and magnet
schools. On average, children in private schools (most of which
our Christian, especially, Catholic) score higher on national
standardized and state-wide tests (which helps prevent teachers
from awarding social promotions) It is virtually impossible for
principals to fire incompetent teachers due
to union. You digress; on verge of A.D.D. attack) than
home-schooled, magnet and charter kids who in turn score
higher then regular public
school youngsters. Regulars have improved somewhat due to
Bush's "No Child Left Behind" (liberal-dominated media has
lied about policy and results) but not enough and won't progress
any further due to
teacher's unions. Public schools were nearly as good as Catholic
schools - academics and discipline - prior to the early 1960s.
What happened? In early '60s, the first and biggest teacher's union
formed! Since then, on their orders, states pumped hundreds of
billions of additional dollars into public schools and they got worse!
Albert Shankor, the former head of union, said in 1985: "We'll care
about the kids when they're old enough to pay union dues."
(By the way, on average it costs $10,000 a year to 'educate' a
regular public school child; $6,000 Catholic).
The problem with regular public schools: teachers aren't paid
enough and most schools don't have the latest textbooks and/or
computers and/or etc. They earn only an average of 10% less than
firemen and cops and their benefits and retirement packages
are better than theirs! Pay more and you'll have better teachers
and better-performing kids...Debate in progress...Charter and magnet
school teachers are paid less than regular public school teachers and
can easily be fired for poor performance. Charters and Magnets
aren't as well-equipped as regulars.
What possibly can explain this state-of-affairs? Unions have no
control over charter schools and only limited control of magnets.
Citizen Journalist has a niece, Alexa (age 9) in a magnet plus is in Delta
program and another niece, Katie, 13, in a magnet. Brag: They are
super-smart!
Charter teachers are creative and innovative, their principals don't
spend most of school day
in their offices but in classrooms helping students they suspect are
falling behind and they can call teachers at home with homework
questions (truly dedicated teachers!). Less then 20% of schools in
most states are charters and magnets. Deplorable! Encouraging:
some states are experimenting with virtual academies which
are sort of charter/magnet/home school combos. Discouraging: Some
states where home schools are legal want to rescind their
legality claiming parents aren't qualified and don't possess teacher's
licenses. But, they are outperforming your regular public school
teachers! The real reason: Most parents who home-school are
religious and object to immoralities being taught in public schools and
incorporate religious training as part of
curriculum. How dare they! Liberals object: they must be indoctrinated
into liberalism like good, little brain-washed regulars.
The hell with the socialist unions. Let's do what's right by the kids.
Proposal 14:
Prohibit Unsupported Mandates. Fed gov dictates to states that they
must do a particular thing and fed gov contributes between 0% and 65% of the
necessary funds. It shouldn't be retro-active but we already proposed something to
make up for that fact in previous Chain letter: Reduce budgets for unconstitutional
federal departments of Education, Agriculture, Housing, Interior, Transportation
by over 75% over a period of ten years with three-quarters going toward reducing
deficit/debt and the remainder being added to what fed gov already gives to the states
in these areas - and with no strings attached! The new fed committees (no longer
departments) should monitor how money is spent (without dictating how it is spent),
propose programs to states in these areas and if state is interested, fed gov must fully
fund it! Returning to Mandates: Fed gov must prove that they have the constitutional
authority (no more abusing commerce clause) to order it and then fully fund it,
preferably, each state would design its own program to carry it out. (Healthcare too!;
it is not constitutionally within the domain of national government - while fed
gov is responsible for billions of debt and fraud due to their mismanagement of these
programs). Restoring powers to states unconstitutionally stolen by an increasingly
distant and powerful and incompetent dictatorial Washington D.C. (Washington must
be rolling in his grave for he had left us a Federalist Republic with an Amendment 10 in
the Bill of Rights). Gov unions will object. Who ever heard of (public) servants on
average making 25% more than those they serve!- salaries and benefits.
This is bad for America: private sector workers produce, gov workers spend and spend
and spend. We borrow and borrow principally from China and the Federal Reserve Bank
orders Treasury Department to print more money (Federal Reserve Notes; Fed Reserve
Bank Funny Money) but, you say, inflation is at a record low of .9 (under brand new
system inflation figure no longer includes rise in food and energy costs! - go back to
old system and stop trying to fool citizens/consumers; since Fed was created in
1913 the value of $ has declined 85% in value and 20% since 1999 - - these are the real
inflation numbers - - - read them and weep! An A.D.D.-ing, we will go!
Proposal 15:
Student Loans, Water, and more commerce clause abuse. In a recent power-grab,
Obama took student loans away from banks - think Fannie and Freddie - and
announced that all water in and around the U.S., including, the puddle in front of
your house belongs to fed gov! Even intra-state water: rivers, streams, lakes,
ponds that aren't shared by more than one state will be regulated by
overweight Uncle Sam. Americans put him on a diet! Pregnant with power
'his' water is about to break.
Proposal 16:
Just say "no!" to 'stimulus' packages. According to the Federal Reserve Bank
branch in San Francisco the $1 TRILLION-PLUS 'stimulus' created zero000zero
new jobs!; Obama claims that it created or saved 2 million jobs - according to
Fed branch: the actual figure was much less and were all temporary jobs that
those who had them have waved 'goodbye' to them. There are 1 million fewer
jobs today than there were in 2001.
Proposal 17: Just say "No" to porno pix and feel-ups!!! Original Proposal:
Privacy vs. security. Union of Socialist Secular States of America. Citizen Journalist
doesn't fly; doesn't go outside. In exile in the former United States of America.
Nonetheless, is concerned about cyber-friends experiencing the unconstitutional,
immoral, unnecessary breach of privacy and rights. Being treated like a criminal
without a search warrant or probable cause which can be easily rectified by
exercising some common sense. Proposals: 1) Place SENTINEL which was at
"Reagan International Airport" back there and at other airports - it kind of sniffs:
you walk through and feel puffs of air, a vacuum device sucks in air with particles
dislodged from head to shoes or socks before particles hit the floor, it can
determine if person was near a bomb or materials used to make bombs within
the last 36 hours; 2) Randomly (say, every 7th traveler) use metal-detecting wand
which guard runs 'all over your body' at a distance of about half a foot, no contact;
3) Profile! Not babies and blue-haired old ladies. Security should keep a closer
eye on Arab-looking males 18-45, question if circumstances warrant followed by
no action or feel-up or full-body scan or both. Our proposal is unconstitutional
but much less so than present system. 100% safety is impossible.
Proposal 18:
America's Destiny. In previous chain letters, we discussed NASA's role
as the premier technological engine of our economy, the future of space
exploration and the major role our space program should play in what
should be our effort to attain energy independence.
Project NERVA (see previous letters) involved NASA, Atomic Energy
Commission, Los Alamos Scientific Lab, AreoJet and Westinghouse from
1963-73. The facilities should be restored and upgraded. They've been neglected.
The Space Nuclear Propulsion Office might have to be reactivated or
not. It was established so that NASA and AEC could work together in this
classified program. Last year, Obama signed a directive enabling NASA and
the military to work more closely together. We, unlike Obama, have been
making proposals toward that end. He might just need to sign another directive
which he wouldn't be inclined to do, unless, we order him. Of course, this
raises the issue of the constitutionality of executive orders which
circumvent congress. Congress should reactivate.
We suggested looking into feasibility of combining Orion/Ares 1 and Ares 5
with three stages or two stages with two reusable liquid booster (not solid)
rockets. The top stage should be nuclear thermal or VASIMR plasma unlike
the other stage (s) which would be the traditional chemical. It should be used
for "Constitution" (our name for what we believe will soon be the operational
AF X-37B). We propose ascertaining if we can do something unorthodox: creating
doughnut- or tire-shaped (long) stage for Orion-version so that thermal nuclear
or plasma stage (aka moon-transfer module and Mars-transfer module)
can surround (we build on our proposals with each letter) Orion or Orion-like
craft. Hydrogen or plasma would protect crew from solar wind and cosmic
radiation (actually not radiation but plasma). H or P would be surrounded by
magnetic field (to contain it) which would supply much greater protection like
magnetic field protects us on earth from solar wind and cosmic rays.
The plasma propulsion system definitely and the thermal nuclear, perhaps,
can vary exhaust velocity; this can help reduce propellant usage and improve
acceleration at different stages of flight - - don't deviate too much exhaust
velocity and vehicle speed for that would degrade not enhance performance.
Proposal 19:
Useless U.N. Exit U.N. and kick it out of U.S.! We pay 25% of its budget and the
majority of nations are enemies or semi-enemies. It passes useless resolutions
which it can't enforce because of pathetic peace-keepers without testicles.
The humanitarian/ charitable programs are fraught with fraud. They still violate
our laws claiming diplomatic immunity. It serves no valuable function.
We just learned that Obama has been giving-bribing - nations to vote for climate
change/cattle fart/lack of appropriate peer review/
questionable sources/hockey stick graph/george soros, al gore get richer/ global
warming pseudo-science plans. Obama wants us to do it anyway so your energy
bills can rise and companies won't be able to create as many jobs us they can
otherwise. Only libs favor useless U.N.- which is another reason to kick it into the
Atlantic!
Proposal 20:
U.S.-Russia Arms Treaty. Nixon SALT was good; Nixon-Ford-Carter
Salt 2 was good; Reagan START was better. We would have high-tech
missile shield, with tech benefiting other aspects of economy as well, if Nixon's
ABM wasn't canceled by dem-controlled congress in '72 and Reagan's SDI had not
been considerably shrunk by Clinton and other dems. Rogue nations and terrorist
orgs. Bush unilaterally did away with ABM treaty claiming it was signed by U.S.
and Soviet Union and Soviet Union no longer exists! He finally persuaded our
friends, Poland and Czech Republic, though fearful of Russia, to
put part of shield in their countries during his last year in office and Obama
undid during his first year by caving to Russian pressure and a vindictive Russia
has, nonetheless, promised to punish our two allies. Arms agreement which
Obama signed with Russia would place unacceptable
constraints on missile defense, will prevent us from converting offensive missiles
to defensive missiles and replacing nuclear warheads on missiles with
conventional ones which Russia can't afford and doesn't possess the technical
know-how. Giving away advantages U.S. Treason!
Stop treating Russia as if it were still a super-power. Dictate terms of a treaty
that doesn't forgo our advantages. Don't make our plans subject to a Russian
veto. One more thing: we can only inspect their declared sites for compliance!
Obama sold out U.S.A. in arms treaty he signed with Russians last year!
*Together...A New Beginning (Reagan's main campaign slogan in 1980).
(Please read which is somewhere in the area).
