Blacks and school

Systemic racism is seen in statistics that show Blacks trail whites in many areas but the most damming is in education. Much of student performance is determined by their home life. 48% of Black children raised by single moms live in poverty. These children do not have the advantage of two parent families when it comes to things like learning respect for authority and understanding how school work teaches self discipline. They are off to a bad start and the tendency is to go down hill from there. Opportunity doesn't come knocking on their door and they are stuck with low paying jobs or worse they look for ways to make money without working. By the time they hit middle school they feel that they don't fit in to the educational system. They are unable to compete and begin to understand that school is not their thing. Things are so bad that many black students believe that getting good grades makes them white. There was a football game in Minneapolis a few years ago where a mostly black high school defeated a mostly white school 42 to 0. The white students held up a large sign which said, BUT WE CAN READ. Until the education gap is narrowed the Blacks will continue to live like second class citizens and be mired in a disproportionate number of criminal activities.

Flu pandemic

In February 1957 the first case of the Asian flu appeared in China and two months later people in the US realized there was a pandemic underway. The Asian flu as it was called killed 1.5 million people worldwide including 70,000 in the US when the population of the US was half of what it is today. In the first months of the 1957 flu pandemic, the virus spread throughout China and surrounding regions. By midsummer it had reached the United States, where it appears to have initially infected relatively few people. Several months later, however, numerous cases of infection were reported, especially in young children, the elderly, and pregnant women. In 1968 the flu called the Hong Kong flu once again raised its ugly head. It was first noted in the United States in September 1968. The estimated number of deaths was 1 million worldwide and about 100,000 in the United States. Most excess deaths were in people 65 years and older. What these two have in common is that they hurt the elderly and that is the biggest mistake that was made in the Covid case. Instead of shutting down the country all of the resources should have been directed toward eldercare facilities, nursing homes and hospitals. There was a shortage of personal protection equipment (PPE) because the cupboard was bare and that is all the more reason that the PPE should have been reserved for the elderly and their caretakers.

Police scores

The emphasis on police departments has once again brought up the testing. For years cities attempted to recruit more minorities and one of the problems was test scores. Many could not score high enough on the written exam and so some cities lowered the passing score for certain groups. Minnesota and in particularly Minneapolis has suffered from test scores and graduation rates between white students and those of color. They have tried over the years to close the gap but have been unsuccessful. One possible solution is to follow what was done in some police and fire departments, that being, to lower the test scores needed for minorities. This would be a ridiculous suggestion if it had not already been used in other areas. This could start with the SAT's and move into the classroom. By adjusting scores equality of results could be attained. This may be the time to propose such a solution since many in the country are looking toward socialism as an answer to problems. As socialism replaces capitalism equality of results will replace equality of opportunity. This will fall in line with what Bush 43 said with what he he called the soft bigotry of low expectations. The gap in graduation rates will narrow as tests are changed. I can't believe that I could even write such gibberish but in today's world nothing surprises me.

Boat parade

My fishing was interrupted this AM by an armada. It seems there is a Trump boat parade today following the Mississippi and St Croix from Red Wing to Stillwater. The boats were all decked out with American flags and Trump signs. They expect 3,000 boats to participate.

Trump parade

I grew up in Springfield, IL and during those years the first Mayor Daily ruled Chicago. Illegal activities were rampant and I always wondered how they got away with dead people voting. My daughter-in-law died January 10th of this year and I am the executor of her estate and thus I receive her mail. Today I received a letter from the State which said, MN encourages using mail in ballots. Enclosed was an application for a absentee ballot. I need only fill this out and I could vote in her place. I, of course, would not do this but there is no way the authorities would ever know. I wonder if they will know when the 2024 election comes around.

Vote by mail

I grew up in Springfield, IL and during those years the first Mayor Daily ruled Chicago. Illegal activities were rampant and I always wondered how they got away with dead people voting. My daughter-in-law died January 10th of this year and I am the executor of her estate and thus I receive her mail. Today I received a letter from the State which said, MN encourages using mail in ballots. Enclosed was an application for a absentee ballot. I need only fill this out and I could vote in her place. I, of course, would not do this but there is no way the authorities would ever know. I wonder if they will know when the 2024 election comes around.

Classroom cameras

In my seven years as a substitute teacher working 140 days per year in grades 6 thru 12 and only high school the past two years, I have seen problem students in every grade level. My anecdotal evidence suggest that less than 3% of students cause in classroom disturbances but those few can disrupt the entire class. I sent letters to three school principal suggesting cameras in the classroom and they all felt it unnecessary. With the onset of computer school a controversy has arisen regarding cameras in the room and some say parents would be upset to see some of the things the teachers are saying that have nothing to do with the subject matter. That may be true but it's my belief that parents would be upset to see how the teacher must spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with one disruptive student. The parents of the other students would demand that the disruptive student be removed so that their children could be in a learning environment but this would interfere with the concept of mainlining students with problems.