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Cost of Education Going Up – For Grade School!

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The New York Times ran an article on Friday talking about the increasing educational costs that parents must bear with “Back to School” shopping. When I was a kid, my Mom used to take me shopping during the last week or two of August and we’d spend a minimal amount on school materials. The New York Times article talks about how parents are now required to spend a ton of money on school materials. From the article:

As school districts both poor and prosperous struggle to finance such basics as teacher salaries, utilities, building maintenance and textbooks, many are asking parents to purchase more — and more particular — school supplies. Gone are the days when back-to-school shopping meant making sure each child had new shoes and a three-ring binder. Now, according to the New York State School Boards Association, supplies run an average of $100 for high school students and $60 for middle schoolers.

The article talks about how parents are asked to buy clay for their students. CLAY?! Our school districts can’t afford CLAY any more?!? Come on! At least in New Jersey, aren’t our property taxes supposed to pay for this stuff?

I don’t like this trend of spending more on the basics of administration and less on the fundamental “needs” to teach today’s students. Very bad trend and it needs to be changed right away.

Today’s Idiot Spam E-Mail: Debt Free Loans

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Alright you spamming assholes, this one is ridiculous. I received a spam e-mail earlier today that had the subject, “Debt Free Loans.” Are you kidding me? Are you serious?! This is the dumbest thing that I’ve seen all day today, though the day is young. Come on, already!

The very nature of a loan is to create debt! What type of moron tries to sell the public a loan that has no debt attached to it? That’s called free money – or in the business world it’s called a grant. Sure, sometimes the government gives companies 0% interest loans and thus no debt is created, but that’s RARE in the mass consumer market (if it’s even present)!

Just another example of how stupid some segments of the internet have become. Not only are spammers still trying to get you to think that there is some Nigerian lottery ticket with your name on it, but now they’re trying to tell you that you can get a loan and not have to make any payments. Ha! Insanity at it’s finest.

Sit Down, You’re Too Good!

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From the “This is the Problem with America Today” files, we have the case of young Jericho Scott. Mr. Scott is a 9-year-old pitcher whose team has been disqualified from playing in their league because Jericho is too good of a pitcher! I shall rephrase…the kid pitches a 40-something per mile fastball and the parents of the opposing players go running bloody murder that their children are frightened to play against him.

Are you serious?

One of the biggest problems that Americans will face in the future is that many of today’s parents are breeding their kids in an “everyone wins” type of atmosphere. From the article linked above:

“The spirit of the league was community, family, well-being, nurturing,” Peter Noble, the league’s attorney, told the Register. “It’s an extended family and it’s been disrupted.”

So this league was put together not so young athletes could compete against each other in the sport, but so everyone could participate in a feeling of well-being and nurture each other? What the hell does that even mean?!

What happened to playing in a sports league as a young kid and scratching and clawing your way to victory? If you come up against a kid like Jericho, then you know what? You lose! He’s going to beat you because he’s really good at the game. If you want to beat him then you train to become better at the game and you beat him. The parents in this league obviously see the league as a part-time babysitter for them and they are probably horrified at the thought of having to spend more time and money on the sport if their kid winds up liking the game. Imagine that – your “babysitter league” actually ignites some type of athletic passion in your kid that he or she wants to pursue…the horror!

I hate reading stories like this one. All of my best to young Jericho as he and his family struggle against a bunch of morons up in New Haven.

Ugh…Stop Bashing Bush Already!

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Someone should tell the people over at Obama/Biden 2008 that they need to STOP focusing on President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. These guys are NOT running for re-election in 2008! Nothing gets me more pissed off and more turned off from voting in general than when I hear this type of “old politics” crap. Don’t tell me why President Bush failed at managing the Iraq War or at managing the economy. I’m not an f-ing moron, I’ve been paying attention!

DO tell me why you are different that your opponent. One of Barack Obama’s biggest hurdles that he needs to overcome is the impression that he’ll have no idea what to do if he wins the election. Well…break that idea into little pieces by saying what you’ll do! And don’t give us the Kindergarten variety of “yes we can” and “change” and all of that horse shit. Tell us what your policies will be in clear, concise words. So far, the only thing that I’ve been able to decipher from Barack Obama’s speeches is that he’ll raise taxes for anyone making more than $200,000 per year.

At this point in the campaign, I should know more about your policies. From Barack Obama’s website:

Lower People’s Interest Payments by Creating a New Mortgage Interest Tax Credit: Many middle class Americans do not receive the existing mortgage interest tax deduction because they do not itemize their taxes. Obama will ensure that middle-class Americans get the financial assistance they need to purchase or keep their own home by creating a 10 percent universal mortgage credit that gives tax relief to 10 million Americans who have a home mortgage.

What does that mean? Why doesn’t Obama tell us how he’s going to pay for this plan? Why don’t these “new politicians” come out and say, “Many middle class Americans do not receive the existing mortgage interest tax deduction because they don’t care to learn how they can receive it. So, to make sure that those irresponsible Americans essentially get this free money, we’re going to create another gigantic government bureaucracy that will cost YOU more in taxes. That’s right. You get your mortgage deduction and you follow the rules, but we need you to pay more in taxes to pay for a program to help people who do not follow the rules. Sucks to be you!”

I thought the new politics were supposed to cut through the bullshit? And don’t you all get excited thinking that McCain is in the clear on all of this. Let’s not forget that McCain called Obama Jimmy Carter’s second term. Old politics at their worst on everyone’s account. Shameful.

Throwing Good Money After Bad…

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Every once in a while I look up some of the recent sales information on the video game industry. Like most people in their later 20’s, I grew up on a healthy diet of Nintendo with the occasional mix of Sega. As such, I’m really happy to see Nintendo making a comeback in the video game industry with its Wii console and its DS Lite handheld system (I own both). But some of the information that you learn when looking into the video game industry’s sales is simply frightening. The following comes from an article that I recently read:

It turns out Sony has lost more money on the hardware side of the PS3 than it made from the stupidly successful Playstation 2.

Are you serious?! Everyone has a Playstation 2 and Sony managed to LOSE the money that it made on that system?!? If this information is accurate (and Lord knows how you would be able to verify it), then someone at Sony needs to be fired right now. The article goes on…

Microsoft reportedly lost $4 billion on the original Xbox and the Red Ring of Death cost $1 billion to put right on its own.

Gah!!! The original XBox may not have been as ubiquitous as the Playstation 2, but to lose that type of money and get back in the video gaming business in ludicrous. The same article notes how Nintendo is actually making money on each Wii sale because of the low cost to manufacture the hardware. Amazing.

In the video game wars it appears that success doesn’t come down to graphics or speed or any of the perks that come with the Sony and Microsoft systems. It appears that success is a function of fun and feasibility. And Nintendo has mastered that function.