WE NEED TO TAKE A LESSON FROM CUBAN CITIZENS

We Americans have become disoriented and ignorant of what makes us prosperous and free. Cuban citizen have learned the hard way that the free market is what propels a nation to a strong economy.

Today’s Cuban citizen does not envy the rich, as there are none except government officials. The average citizen is given $20 a month from Papa Castro, Fidel and now Raul. The only thing the people want is the freedom to start their own business, earn their own money and hire their own people. These self-taught ex-communists want not to be dependent on government but be self-reliant people.

Fidel graciously allowed 147,000 work licenses in the 1990s to generate revenue. Recently Raul has added another 178,000 for citizens to start their own businesses from scratch because the utopian vision and promises were a total failure.

These despots have seen the success of these hardworking citizens. Now they want 50% of the action through taxes to spend on their pathetic communist welfare system. Their greed in the pursuit of an ever-increasing tax rate will eventually kill the motivation of these entrepreneurs who are laying the golden eggs for the economy.

Our ruling class in Washington, D.C. is enthralled with the failed policies of the Castro brothers. They are transforming us into a centralized economy. These proponents of Marxist doctrine are misdirecting the people by quibbling over miniscule cuts in the budget as compared to the astronomical trillions of dollars of debt. These savings will not decrease what we owe but merely slow down the rate of growth. They are committed to expanding the federal government until it devours the free market.

Many states are giving lip service to making necessary cuts but are unwilling to suffer the political consequences from special interest groups. Some states like Wisconsin and New Jersey have faced the heat of putting their house in order. States like California are virtually bankrupt but continue to spend hoping to receive bailout money from the feds.

Even our local government is unwilling to make the hard decisions and is going along with “business as usual.” These elected local representatives are following the example of the state and federal officials by continuing to increase and protect government projects and workers. These officials are continuing to buy prime property to build unnecessary, multi million dollar buildings to increase their kingdom, spending additional money on public school buildings without students to fill them and continuing failed programs like transportation systems that lack paying customers.

The bloated highest paying positions of government and schools are not being eliminated. Any cost cutting scheme is usually eliminating lower level government positions not the higher ups. The answer to local budget shortfalls is the same as our federal geniuses: increase taxes. These local representatives sneak in property and school millage increases while people are not paying attention.

We citizens lack the involvement and basic knowledge of capitalism to realize the significant impact of these destructive policies to our economy. We accept the politician’s glibness for not cutting back on pet projects and their buddy’s job in government. We selfishly want the convenience of another multi million-dollar government building or school closer to our homes. This and any government spending do not create wealth but robs money through taxes of businesses that do create the wealth.

We Americans feel we are entitled to an inflated lifestyle we can no longer afford. Self-sacrifice to live within our means has become an alien concept. We complain when prices for tickets to sporting events become exorbitant instead of choosing not to spend the $200 to take the family to a football game. Only by our choosing not to buy tickets at these ridiculous prices will this industry’s prices be reduced. Our inability to say “no” to our wants in housing and other credit purchases is the main reason we are in this recession/depression.

The progressive/Marxist tactics of class warfare has contaminated our thinking. We should not begrudge hard working and frugal people who have earned their lifestyle and wealth. As long as our society can keep a fairly level playing field, competition will allow us the opportunity for upward mobility. Free individual’s initiative is a much better way to grow an economy than a central government politically picking winners and losers. Ask any Cuban.

Americans, we will be enslaved by a cradle-to-grave all-powerful government. We just need to continue down the road of expecting government to live our lives for us. We are ignorant if we believe our wants and needs are going to be given to us by our government. We just have to look at what is now happening in Europe to realize a “nanny state” does not work.

We need to wise up like the Cuban citizens who want government off their backs. These oppressed people are choosing to be self reliant for their own wants and needs through their own hard work. They are willing to suffer the pain of making a better future without any interference (aid) from the government.

The federal, state and local governments in America have to recede and become inconsequential in our lives. Taxes cannot continue to rise to feed the insatiable appetite of an ever-expanding government without the loss of America, as we knew it.

There is only one way we can revitalize the soul of America. It is by realizing the benefits of following our constitution and limiting government to unleash the free market.

Our voices have to be unified in letting the ruling class know there will not be any compromise in cutting back unnecessary spending and lowering our tax rate that is stifling the entrepreneurs who are the backbone of our economy.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Visit: www.drmaglio.com.

GENERALIST EDUCATORS ARE NEEDED MORE THAN EVER

In the 1950s before consolidation of public schools, neighborhood schools were accessible and were staffed with teachers who often knew their student’s whole family. They were entrusted with teaching all the subject areas. The students knew the teachers and children of the entire school, which made them feel comfortable and safe. They mastered the fundamentals that allowed them to be successful in the higher grades. These children were able to build on the solid education foundation they received at these simple yet accommodating facilities.

Today’s public schools have chosen to go down a different path of fancy mega schools and ultra specialization. Each curriculum area has a professional specifically trained to teach it. This specialized approach to education has been implemented in lower and lower grade levels. Even in the first and second grade where there are homeroom teachers in charge of most of the curriculum some specialists are penetrating the classroom. These specialists are being rotated into the classroom and problem children are often sent out of the room to be remediated by specifically trained teachers in a particular area.

Every parent wants his child to learn things in depth. These teachers usually possess more knowledge in the focused area than the average generalist teacher who has been exposed to all areas. This narrow focus approach ignores the fundamental issue that a teacher needs more than an hour or two with a classroom of students to know them as individuals.

A successful elementary teacher has to have extended time in different situations to study the child to determine his strengths and weaknesses and develop a trusting relationship to maximize a child’s learning. Teachers should learn directly from the child the best method to teach frustration tolerance, delayed gratification, motivation, and a host of positive academic and emotional habits. These essential skills and habits will assist the student to persevere in improving his academic performance.

This need to teach the “whole child” is greater today than ever before. Modern mothers in the work force might have been liberated from their former responsibilities but they have left a vacuum for their children to be prepared for school. Coupled with frequent absentee fathers and single parent families, our children have little exposure to their parents.

These parents have compensated for their absence by concentrating on basic learning. Today’s children are given ample opportunities by their parents through educational toys, electronic gizmos and reading before going to bed to learn what knowledge the parents think is important to be prepared for school. Cognitive learning like colors, numbers, and letters does not insure school success.

Today’s modern family does not have the time to adequately teach the elements of building strong character. They are often not present to teach essential lessons to prepare the children for life’s obstacles. Emotional, social and overall character development are the areas that have suffered.

Today’s children do not have “quantity time” with their parents to consistently form the solid habits of a well-rounded healthy youngster. These deficiencies have to be corrected for the child to be whole and successful. The early grades teacher is the second chance for many of these children. More than ever today’s teachers need to have the opportunity and time to recognize and to fill in these gaps.

It is not how much a teacher intellectually knows, it is how well she is able to assist the learning of the child. The student is the best person to show the teacher the most effective method of instruction to reach him. This individualization of teaching the particular unique child is far superior to using a cookie cutter approach to teach to the medium level of the class.

Even before Socrates, teaching has been an art rather than the science as it is presently portrayed. A teacher who reaches students has to be a well rounded person of solid character who possesses a heavy dose of empathy.

Generalist teachers are the most efficient and effective way of educating modern children. The non-specialist teacher has the opportunity to be an expert in making an accurate assessment of each and every child’s learning style. She has the ability to pin point the strength and weakness of the child to assist each of them to be competent learners. This takes intuitive insight, quantity time and dedicated thought to uncover the missing pieces of the individual child’s puzzle of how best to learn.

Dr. Maglio is the author of Invasion Within and Essential Parenting. He is a psychotherapist and the owner/director of Wider Horizons School.

Visit: www.drmaglio.com.