Dr. Maglio's Blog

Laziness Has Lost Its Stigma

2012-02-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

LAZINESS HAS LOST ITS STIGMA

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

The American people have remained silent while laziness has taken firm root in our society. This acceptance of laziness is contrary to the established "American Dream." Our citizens are given an opportunity to reach their goals through diligent effort, not by being lazy and demanding entitlements. We Americans have worked our way up the ladder saving a significant portion of our wages for investment in our own future.

Laziness is permeating the American way. Citizens of the USA are becoming numb to half-hearted efforts by our children, public servants and even small business people. We have lowered our standards of what makes an honest effort. Whenever a person says he is going to do something in a specific time period and fails to do it, too many of us are neglecting our duty by looking the other way. Many of us are learning to use a pathetic excuse to weasel out of these commitments with few or no consequences.

The epidemic of laziness has to have an enabler. In the early years it is usually the modern parent. The child who receives poor grades because he has not tried is told to try harder next time even though the parents know their child could easily do the assignments. Instead of getting on the child to finish his meager responsibilities at home and at school the parent's laziness passes the buck onto the spouse or the teacher. The lack of a challenging assignment by the teacher is called into question, not the child's irresponsibility to get their work in on time.

Laziness is a form of lying to oneself and others. “I’ll do it later” turns into “I had no time to do it.” Procrastinating is waiting until the last minute and usually rushing to get it done often in a shoddy way. The person who waits until the last minute is either overextended or does not take his commitments seriously.

Parents are not the only ones lowering their expectations of reasonable effort. The American consumer is doing the same. The waiter who does not bring the correct order or is lackadaisical in getting the food on the table in a timely manner receives the full tip without hearing any criticism. “Customer service” is a concept of the past or better put, an oxymoron.

Government workers on the local, state and federal levels feel they are entitled to more pay, more status and more benefits then their private sector counterparts performing the same job. Our public servants refuse to take a reasonable reduction in astronomical benefit packages or refuse to reduce their workforce through attrition to balance state and local budgets. They threaten to strike with other union allies to frighten older dependent citizens into submitting to unfair demands.

Just a decade ago it would be hard to imagine self-employed workers acting arrogantly enough not to do everything necessary to nail down a job. Even during this "Great Recession"' most often the American worker does not call back about a potential job or show up after making an appointment to give an estimate for a service. The work ethic of many small businessmen has gone from go-getter to "I'll do you a favor by doing the job at an exorbitant wage."

All of us, especially parents, need to start forcefully showing our children that laziness will no longer be a valid excuse for failing to get the job done. Parents should provide sufficient negative consequences to their children to improve their effort in school, sports, work or any other endeavor. They should support their children's teachers not undercut their authority. Parents should support each other increasing expectations for their children instead of putting down the parent who sets high standards by saying "you are too hard on your kids." They should stress that success comes through hard-nosed perseverance.

We must start with our children and expand to the general public. We need to show our children that a poor effort by a hired worker or anyone will not be tolerated. Our vigilance as buyers and employers is important in conveying the message to our children that laziness is not an acceptable behavior. We need to raise the bar of doing a conscientious job on every level of society.

Customers should tell any worker who does not fulfill his expectations exactly how his performance is inadequate. It is important to the delinquent workers to be put on notice to give them an opportunity to learn a lesson and get back on the right track.

Laziness must have a severe stigma attached on all levels of society or it will destroy both our economy and society from within. We will all suffer the consequences of a world where we pay for and expect one thing and get disappointed and frustrated by receiving terrible service and inferior goods.

Our nation will rise or fall on the contributions of all of us. When too many people are parasites, taking and not giving, we will cease to exist as a prosperous, viable nation. Only when the vast majority of us start punishing the lazy thus incentivizing them to become significant doers will we flourish.

You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.com.

MICRO MANAGE THE CHILD AT HOME NOT AT SCHOOL

2012-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

MICRO MANAGE THE CHILD AT HOME NOT AT SCHOOL

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Modern parents too frequently have things reversed. They are permissive at home allowing their children to do and have whatever they want. They do not set limits on behavior or teach moral values that assist youngsters in fulfilling their goals.

However, as soon as the child leaves the nest and enters school the parents attempt to micro manage the teacher’s actions with their precious child. The parent’s unrealistic hope is their child will be treated as if he is the only child in the class. They believe their child’s uniqueness, lack of conformity and the parent’s self-important status requires him to be treated as special.

Parents are worried the teacher might treat their child abruptly and harshly to bring his behavior inline with age appropriate behavior. These parents do not understand that meddling in school, the first opportunity the child has to function independently outside the home, is going to hinder his maturing into a functional person.

It is true that all of us are different and develop at different rates but we still have to conform to certain expectations and standards of behavior and moral values to make us culturally appropriate. When these lessons are not learned at home, it falls on the school to inculcate them. This task becomes more complicated and difficult the older the child.

Teaching every rudimentary skill like listening, potty training, waiting one’s turn and following natural and logical rules is being delayed or totally ignored. Not everyone can be first in line. Since many students are coming from single parent homes without extended family involvement, they never learn the need to contribute to others. Almost all modern children have limited opportunity to share and contribute in these affluent times. Whatever the child desires is often given to him without question.

Since consequences for establishing certain important behaviors are often taboo for modern parents, they become irate when their child is subjected to these rules by the teacher. School authorities are supposed to use tender loving care to control their child even when he does not respond to it.

Teachers need to be allowed to give lessons that cannot be accomplished at home but many modern parents feel these methods are too strict. This means pointing out their child in front of the class for inappropriate actions is unacceptable. Withholding part of recess while holding the teacher’s hand or eating snack or lunch separate from others is seen as cruel and unusual punishment. Any consequence the child does not like the parents will find unacceptable.

Today’s children need to be told when they are doing something wrong to learn how to be successful. When the child gets home and complains about an incident the parents think they know from the child’s account exactly what took place. They do not wait to hear the teacher’s version. They come to school and tell the teacher, “my child was not disruptive nor does he lie,” therefore the teacher is immediately put on trial by the parent. Instead of questioning the child, the integrity of the teacher is questioned when it conflicts with the child’s story.

The days of parents punishing their child for a bad report card in support of the teacher’s authority are dead. We have come full circle. Previously the teacher’s word was respected. In any mention of misbehavior by the child, the child was wrong and the teacher was right. Today any reprimand reported to the parent of the child’s behavior requires immediate notification to the parents or a conference. The child is innocent until proven guilty not by the teacher’s description of his misdeeds but by evidence of others besides the reporting teacher and a quasi admission by the child before the parent is convinced.

Without the teacher and parents being on the same page the child suffers academically and socially. When parents attempt to micromanage the school it is a losing proposition. However, parents micro managing their child at home will increase the probability the child will have the skills and values to make an easy and successful transition from home to school.

The parent’s diligence in observing and following up on the child’s behavior at home would automatically substantiate the fact that their child is far from perfect. This observational knowledge of their offspring’s real nature not their projection of the child’s ideal behavior will help them empathize with the teachers instead of resisting their efforts.

Parents will feel more comfortable to support authority figures by getting out of their way. This increased confidence in the teacher’s insight into their child’s mind and behavior makes it easier for them to ally with the teacher. This alliance between the parent and the teacher is essential in helping the child become the best he can be.

You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.com.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, OUR SENSITIVE MALES CRY

2012-01-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, OUR SENSITIVE MALES CRY

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Our culture is encouraging males to be weak. The “wimpifying” of the US males was initiated during the 1960s by the Women’s Liberation Movement to create a society with gender equality, a unisex nation. The gradual cultural changes over the years is presently fully evident

The initial reason for the feminist movement was to gain gender equality. The accomplishing of the goal meant the boys had to be raised to be non aggressive and more sensitive while the girls had to become tougher and pushier. They have been highly successful in transforming both the gender’s behavior. The females have become more independent, assertive and achievement oriented. Males became more communicative and sensitive although there were unintended consequences of lowering male’s perseverance, expectations and abilities to accomplish their traditional functions.

A recent poll found 80% of males have little problem with their spouse’s salaries being higher than their own. This gradual relinquishing of their past bread-winning role has had a profound effect on the family. The househusband and couch potato males are no longer the butt of jokes, instead have become the ideal modern man.

The modern woman has gained greater independence at the cost of being required to fulfill more traditional male responsibilities and duties. Women presumably have been the more exploited gender in the recent past. Presently it is still the case only more so. Women have twice as much depression as males, which markedly increase heart disease. Modern middle age females have become overwhelmed because they are not genetically hardwired for the more acute confrontations of life while still handling the majority of the business of the home.

The additional burden placed on women can only be corrected or reversed when mothers and fathers encourage boys to be boys. Both parents need to be united in this mission. They need to prepare their sons for their natural destiny as men, not for a world that has never successfully existed.

When the going gets really tough, life and death tough, the tough men not the women are supposed to get going. This should motivate both fathers and mothers to encourage their sons to be strong. Boys need to be taught to fight through pain to accomplish their tasks.

These projects can be constructive assignments like chopping wood or cutting brush in a specific time period. The more a child learns to solve problems on his own, the more competent he feels with a corresponding increase in frustration tolerance. Anything that physically and mentally challenges boys to become stronger is beneficial to toughen them up. When the boy gets a physical bruise he should be expected to mentally control the pain not exploit it.

“Tear power” to get sympathy should be off limits for both genders but especially boys. In today’s America the girls are taught to stifle their crying while the boys are encouraged to appear sensitive by crying.

Girls rule while boys don’t try. Boys are now taught to be cute and charming while girls are expected to do well in all endeavors including physically demanding activities like martial arts and other sports but most importantly in school.

The result of the change in child rearing practices of the past 50 years is startling. Sixty percent of people completing graduate school are females leaving only 40% males. Women are successfully achieving while men are pleasing.

In the world outside academia, courage is needed to stand up to protect and preserve what you have. Standing up to do the right thing or keep what you have earned is not for the faint of heart. These are not traits that are held in high regard in an educational setting although they are instrumental in success in a competitive business world.

Giving up by crying by our male population is not an option if the USA is to remain strong. When things get tough our males need to be forceful by trying harder not folding up in self-pity. It is important for our boys to develop into strong men to build, protect and maintain our nation.

The women’s liberation experiment can be considered a success in terms of accomplishing their objectives of changing boys into whiners and girls into the more assertive gender. It is a failure when noting its impact on society as a whole.

These new sensitive males are too mushy and self-centered to hold their families together. They have not been trained to stand up to anyone including their own children who are often out of control. Their independent, strong wives have lost respect for their husband’s display of weakness. This weakness leads women to be attracted to stronger males. Divorce has become a viable option further downgrading the strength of the family.

Only by abandoning the modern pampered child rearing practices can we hope to increase the strength of our boys, the family and the nation.

Visit: www.drmaglio.com.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION CANNOT INSURE QUALITY

2012-01-04T17:48:00.001-08:00

TEACHER CERTIFICATION CANNOT INSURE QUALITY

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Americans are very busy attempting to survive in a mobile society. We have little time to devote to researching an item or a professional’s qualifications. We rely more on others who we do not know to do the job for us. Certified stickers appear on everything. Cantaloupe, spinach, scallions, chicken, hamburger, organic foods receive a certified sticker that is supposed to guarantee its safety and high quality. Obviously with all the food alerts, certification is not working.

The process of certifying foods, mechanics, lawyers, doctors and other occupations may give us false confidence to purchase the item or service but does not insure its quality. The high performance of the item or service over time gives greater credibility to its value.

Even the past achievements of a person are not foolproof in predicting his future performance. The New York Yankees get the best available players by having the highest payroll in baseball. This strategy has not translated into consistently winning the World Series. Tiger Woods is another example of the fallibility of past performances predicting future excellence. In education we find the same phenomenon.

A study by Vanderbilt University found that teachers who were offered bonuses of up to $15,000 per year for improving student’s standardized test scores, had the same gains on these exams as those teachers who did not receive any incentives.

Often the highest priced teacher is one with the most seniority and advanced degrees but this does not necessarily guarantee that she is a good teacher. Arne Duncan, President Obama’s secretary of Education, stated “giving raises for Master’s Degrees is a waste of money.” There is no evidence to suggest money alone improves student achievement.

Certification programs of teachers differ widely but none have been highly correlated with student achievement. One of the most highly recognized teacher certification programs is the National Board of Professional Teacher Standards, NBPTS. This certification requires four video portfolios and six essay examinations evaluated at an assessment center. The teacher receives a ten-year certification and a significant increase in salary for this subjective process.

According to the director of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy in Raleigh, North Carolina, George C. Leef, “Despite the large amount of tax money that has been spent promoting certification there is no evidence that the certification process does anything to elevate a teacher’s ability to instruct students. Furthermore, there is no evidence that certified teachers are better at producing high student achievement than are non-certified teachers.

There are many different teacher certifications that exist in America. The alternative certification type programs allow professionals with life work experience access to the classroom as a teacher. This is a similar approach to the apprentice programs of the past. These mature four-year degreed individuals but without an education degree learn from doing and have become valuable assets to our schools. In public schools there have been waiver certification programs to allow teachers outside of their educational credential to teach in other areas.

Any certification programs that enlarge the teacher pool are better than certifications that limit them. A certification program that attempts to stamp a person as an excellent teacher while limiting others from earning the same recognition is counter productive to improving the quality of teaching. For many years public schools have alleviated shortages in particular subject areas by granting waivers to teachers to earn certification in a new subject area. This has worked well to meet staffing needs.

A teacher is like any professional who has to begin by practicing his profession. The incredible engineering feats by the ancient Egyptians were accomplished through trial and error rather than through the scientific approach. Doctors practice medicine, lawyers practice law while teachers practice teaching. An excellent teacher has to have an intrinsic motivation to be the best teacher he or she can be and not be solely motivated by extrinsic monetary or title rewards.

The commitment of a teacher to practice being the best he or she can be has to be an ongoing one to be a quality educator. Their dedication to improve by observing the results of their actions is more important than a credential or certification.

Teaching like other professions is too complex to break into discreet measurable parts to arrive at a true picture of the teacher’s ability. There are too many intangibles. A teacher’s knowledge of a subject does not necessarily translate into being a good teacher. The integration of mission and personhood propels teachers over the top to achieve a level of excellence that inspires students to do the same.

Certification programs do not insure the current quality of the teacher’s performance. The teacher’s history in a particular school’s classroom setting is the most useful method of selecting a teacher for one’s child.

A positive reputation earned by an individual’s continued desire to reach each student is far more reliable for parents in choosing a teacher for their child than any “Good Housekeeping” stamp of approval.

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.

O.W.S. CONVERSION TO ECONOMIC REALITY NEEDED

2011-12-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

O.W.S. CONVERSION TO ECONOMIC REALITY NEEDED

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

This may be harsh to many people but none of us are entitled to other people’s property. When people decide to give someone else part of their earnings, it is called charity. When the government takes money through taxes from an honest individual and selects another to receive part of it after skimming off some for friends and self it is extortion or crony capitalism.

The Wall Street occupiers are right; crony capitalism is a cancer devouring our spirit. Instead of allowing market forces to determine what are the best products and companies, government leaders decide. They pick winners and losers based on politics. Large donations to campaigns purchase access to leaders and repayment in the form of special regulations, contracts and bailouts. Quasi-legal bribes become the cost of doing business. It is called state capitalism in China and is a hybrid economy, which is controlled by the central government. It leads in the long term to inefficiency and an undermining of competitiveness. It is a form of nationalistic socialism that Hitler used in Germany.

About 10-20% of Americans are confirmed socialists. These people are often so-called “intellectuals” who are indoctrinated in our universities. Many professors, media elites, students, union leaders and progressive politicians have been reluctant to publicly express their beliefs. They are now comfortable in this political environment to declare their political preference. This should be an eye opener to the average American.

This political forthrightness is good for our country as long as we have an open debate on the pros and cons of a centrally controlled society. Without the mature discussions we are vulnerable to a revolution from within led by a small band of ideologues. These intellectuals are destined to fail in establishing a better society.

For our country to regain its strength, citizens have to be weaned off government handing our money to certain groups to win their favor. This means perennial unemployment insurance, Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid and other smaller give away programs have to be scaled back. The safety net has to be significantly reduced to save our nation.

There will be personal hardships that will have to be endured. Like any addict who has been seduced into a life style that leads to self-destruction, pain will have to be suffered before one can conquer the addiction. It will not be easy for many to return to reality.

Political officials parcel out the people’s money to others increasing these recipients reliance on government. This is the same way a pimp uses money and drugs to entice girls into prostitution. The caring folks help and encourage the addict to withdraw from a horrible existence. These mature people are not heartless. They understand to be free again a person has to give up the security and allegiance to false substances and promises spouted by charlatans.

Many charismatic leaders throughout history have created a vision based on falsehoods that have enslaved the citizens. Dependency on government inevitably is a path to slavery. Americans have to endure the agony of withdrawal from government bribes for their vote in order to gain freedom for themselves and their children.

Reality oriented people like those in the Old Testament and our founding fathers learned from human nature. In the Old Testament, Thessalonians 3/10, “If any man does no work, let him not have food.” In modern time these are the common adages that make the same point; “you don’t get something for nothing” or “there is no free lunch.”

Once we realize the historical validity of these common sense reality and economic observations it will help the OWS participants to understand why capitalism benefits the standard of living of so many while socialism/Communism does not.

Many Americans are learning the hard way that European socialism and crony capitalism cannot work. We are recognizing that our constitutional republic protects our economic and social freedom by restraining the power of the ever-expanding central government.

The people’s major weapon to return to economic reality is our self-education. Our citizens knowing history, understanding human nature and using common sense are the elements that will keep us on the right track to keep our free market system.

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.

BANNING EXCELLENCE RESULTS IN MEDIOCRE EQUALITY

2011-12-13T16:59:00.001-08:00

BANNING EXCELLENCE RESULTS IN MEDIOCRE EQUALITY

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Modern society is being fed propaganda that we should treat everyone equally regardless of their actions and behavior. Progressives believe that a person who believes someone else is better than they suffers humiliation. According to their thinking this can be easily remedied by manipulating the situation to prevent excellence from rearing its ugly head.

In Melvin, AR an eleven year-old sixth grader, Demias Jimerson, was instructed that after making three touchdowns in a game he would not be able to score again if his team was 14 points ahead. He was considered by school officials to have an unfair advantage over other children in the league. Principal, Terri Bryant, said she is punishing him but wants other players to develop. “He’ll score almost every time he touches the ball.”

Demias was considered too superior to other young athletes in the conference. Even if he were placed in an older age group where it would be more difficult for him to shine, he would make others who may be older feel inferior since they were not as good as or better than this youngster. Demias must not be allowed to excel or other children will give up, not try harder to become better.

Our culture is failing to appreciate that anyone who performs on an excellent level elevates everyone around him. It motivates others to try harder. Instead we are protecting our children from the difficult lessons taught by reality.

This psychological and emotional coddling is happening throughout our educational system. We have established policies that promote grade inflation to assist unmotivated students to learn the rewards of laziness. We do not even keep score in children’s sports.

In the business world our government is prohibiting employers from giving honest evaluations of former employees. It is even being considered that asking a potential employee how long he has been unemployed would be discriminatory. The government rationalization is everyone should be given a new start by disregarding the mistakes of the past. We do not want people to be harmed by the harshness of the truth. Rather than allowing an individual to improve we are willing to pass on a flawed worker to another unsuspecting employer.

Even though our government is attempting to legislate fairness in the workplace, Occupy Wall Street, also called the 99% Movement, is about the unfairness of life. They would like to prevent a talented person in a particular field from using his accomplishments or high level performance to economically rise above the 99% of the people. Many believe the entrepreneurs need to be held back from receiving their just rewards or many less hard working will feel envy. The profit motive of capitalism is seen as a cruel and unusual consequence for the 99% unless they are involved in business.

The OWS believe the unequal distribution of wealth within a society is criminal to the less fortunate. This concept means 99% of the American citizens need to have their wealth confiscated by the citizens of poor nations. These poor Americans would be the 1% of rich people when compared to the entire world. In poor nations the average worker’s yearly salary is less than the average US poor worker’s weekly salary. For world equality the worker of a poor nation should have the right to a fairer salary provided by the “poor Americans.”

International progressives are philosophically against hybrid capitalism. China and Cuba are now using some legal and illegal strategies of capitalism to increase the national wealth. This should be stopped because they are encouraging an income gap between the slackers and the profit seekers. Cuba is encouraging home ownership and private business. China is employing economic incentives to foreign businesses to relocate to their country and price fixing to discourage foreign competition to increase their market share. Producing more wealth by turning a Marxist nation into a capitalist one only enlarges the gap between rich and poor.

There is one foolproof way to gain world equality. It is through One World Governance. Creating a world without national borders will make it easier for the ruling class to more evenly distribute wealth equally to all the workers. They believe it is imperative we create a global society to level the playing field. Equality in a poor country is much more virtuous than developing a rich country where there is a large gap between rich and poor in the view of progressives.

The current strategy of dismantling standards and expectation of excellence is too slow a process. Once positive incentives to work are banned, the nation’s spirit will deflate. Diverting the behavior of the masses to the lowest common denominator does achieve lower national standards of living while increasing dependency on the government will take generations.

American elites must lead the way to open the borders and to punish the capitalist 1% worldwide for being over ambitious, productive individuals. This would be done for all people except a small minority of ruling class intellectuals who would deserve all the privileges of wealth for making the masses equal. This will bring the people to a level of equal mediocrity, which will be distributed throughout the world.

This ruling class will have the moral dilemma of living in extraordinary luxury while maintaining their agenda for a total equality as the best method of living for the masses. Deep down the ruling class knows with all it’s heart that they are superior but they do not want the hassle of having to keep up with arrogant upstarts. They understand that mediocre quality for the masses is an inoculation against worker uprisings. It is best to squash all competition for everyone’s benefit especially for the chosen few.

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.

DISPATCHING JOE PATERNO WITH AN UNDEFINED MORAL CODE

2011-12-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

DISPATCHING JOE PATERNO WITH AN UNDEFINED MORAL CODE

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Traditional Realist

The past decade some powerful people in Happy Valley have said that modern football has passed by Joe Paterno, the 85-year old coach. The pressure to win at Penn State is equal to or greater than any other collegiate football program in the US. It was not only the stress of winning every game but the pressure of being the most revered person in the Nittany Lion Nation, Pennsylvania and by many Americans.

Joe Paterno is a living legend. Not only is he the most winning all time coach in division 1 football, but also he did it with class for over a half a century. Under his leadership he never received a recruiting violation or an NCAA sanction against his football program. He maintained one of the highest graduate rates of any division one program.

Joe Paterno did everything the right way. He was gracious in defeat or in victory. His coaching adversaries treated him with utmost respect as he did them. No one had a bad word to say about him. His unpretentious life style of living in a modest home a few blocks from the campus and his ritual of making himself accessible to students on his walk through the university created a great admiration for him at Penn State University.

Mr. Paterno was the ultimate role model for the students at Penn State. They called him “Papa Joe.” They stood by him holding a vigil to keep him as head coach before he was unceremoniously fired.

Mr. Paterno's crime was not anything criminal. Rather it was a supposed “lack of moral follow up.” He reported an accusation by assistant coach, Mike McCrearry, who said he witnessed retired Coach Jerry Sandusky committing a sexual act on a 10-year-old boy.

This was a hearsay incident not something Joe Paterno witnessed. He reported the accusation to his superior. Mr. Tim Curley, athletic director and the campus chief of police according to the law in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Paterno followed the letter of the law but according to the Board of Trustees he supposedly did not do enough. No one has yet said what he should have done to meet the board's moral standard since their standard is not defined. The board's immediate dismissal without due process appears to be a political hatchet job to tarnish his reputation and eliminate Joe Paterno, and to CYA themselves especially Governor Tom Corbett.

Child sexual abuse is a horrible, destructive act to a defenseless child. The perpetrator should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, why should Joe Paterno receive such harsh consequences before any investigation stated what should have been done differently?

In another incident in 1998, Coach Sandusky was investigated by the State Attorney's office and a child protective agency for alleged sexual crimes with a minor and no charges were filed. The State Attorney Gricar who did not pick up the case suspiciously went missing in 2005. The records of this case and another incident with Sandusky and a minor in the 1999 Alamo Bowl should be re-opened.

Coach Sandusky was the head of The Second Mile Foundation a non-profit for children. He was given special honors and was given rewards by President George H. W. Bush and Senator Rick Santorum as well as emeritus status at the university. He had a high profile at Penn State and nationally in athletic circles.

Rumors of sexual indiscretions of Mr. Sandusky were widely circulated. Applying the same Paterno moral standard would mean the people in the Second Mile Foundation, the media and politicians should be similarly fired for not doing more about these rumors.

If after the investigation evidence becomes public and shows Mr. Paterno did have first hand knowledge of other Sandusky incidents he should be prosecuted for failing to report them to the police.

On the other hand, if the investigation shows he met his full legal duty he should be given a full apology by the media and the university. Hopefully this would allow his name to be reinstated on the Big 10 trophy given to the winner of the conference. Coach Paterno’s impeccable reputation as an honorable man should be restored to the level it existed before the board dragged him into this mess.

"Whacking" the reputation of this legend for political gain should be considered an immoral act. The Board of Trustees needs to address the specific way Joe Paterno did not meet his moral obligations. They owe it to all of us to know and understand this new moral code to avoid any other instances. Once this moral code is established, it will make many people more comfortable in judging the reason for obliterating the role modeling and moral life of an honorable man like Joe Paterno.

The recent trend of dropping unsubstantiated allegations to the media to soil a person's reputation without a hearing is a disgusting and un-American act. In our American justice system, a man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The removal of our current and past heroes lowers the moral bar. This makes many of us feel better thinking that our renowned role models are no better than we are, although it unravels the social fiber, which binds our society

Character assassination of virtuous people has to stop. This scandalous practice is undermining our historical, present and potential heroes who are needed to inspire us all. We need exceptional individuals to elevate our standards and expectations of our selves, of others and our nation.

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

HOMOSEXUALITY ACCEPTANCE IS NOT SCHOOL BUSINESS

2011-11-08T16:20:00.000-08:00

HOMOSEXUALITY ACCEPTANCE IS NOT SCHOOL BUSINESS

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Public school teachers do not have an easy job. They often complain about the lack of student preparation when children enter school. Teachers have advocated for higher readiness skills for kindergarten entrance. The lack of sleep, poor nutrition, obesity and acting out children have been highlighted in the media recently as obstacle in the education of modern students.

Our public schools are not functioning as well as in the past compared to other developed countries. Our national drop out rate in college is approaching 50%. The National Assessment of Education Progress has demonstrated we are 31st in math 23^rd in science and 17^th in reading as compared to other developed countries. The 2011 SAT results were the lowest ever recorded in reading and writing sections for college bound seniors. Only the scores of 43% of the students taking the SAT were predictive of success in college while 67% were not.

We as a nation have made education a high priority. The present administration has increased the education budget by billions over the past three years with no significant positive results. Public education is receiving half a trillion dollars per year from local, state and federal governments with little return on the investment.

The issues facing public schools are deep rooted and complex. Yet progressive politicians and educators are engaging in social engineering instead of focusing on improving student achievement.

Dakota Pope a 14 –year-old student from Ft. Worth, Texas was given an in-school suspension for telling a fellow student that homosexuality was wrong. According to Liberty Council attorney, Matt Krause, representing Dakota, the student was inappropriately informed by his German teacher that homosexuality was ”happening all over the world and you have to accept that homosexuality is just part of the culture now.”

Furthermore, Attorney Krause stated “There has been a history with this teacher in the class regarding homosexual topics. The teacher has posted a picture of two men kissing on the wall that offended some of the students.”

This teacher’s off subject attempt at desensitizing and indoctrinating students in homosexual acceptance is undermining the focus and quality of public education. This teacher is wasting student’s valuable time by attempting to impose his personal progressive agenda. The teacher’s subjective opinion on the state of homosexuality is not part of his job description of teaching German. This is an abuse of his power as a teacher sanctioned to teach German and malpractice by the school district for not monitoring and disciplining the staff member.

The school district has not explained why the 9^th grade German teacher was discussing homosexuality. There was no comment on any disciplinary action for the teacher‘s unwarranted comments. Students should not lose their First Amendment rights just because a school official feels their comments may offend some other student.

Even if Dakota’s comment personally offends someone he still has the right to Freedom of Speech. In the United States an individual can inform a fellow student that he disagrees with his teacher’s controversial opinions and concerning the morality of homosexuality. This is especially true due to Dakota’s strong religious background, which is protected by our Bill of Rights.

Acceptance of a person’s sexual orientation is not the same as tolerance. Muslims, Christians and Jews should not have to alter their moral and religious beliefs to conform to an atheist or secular viewpoint. People who believe that homosexuality is contrary to natural law and is religiously sinful should not be punished for their views.

It is wrong when a student is punished for voicing his honest opinion on personal or moral issues. Once a school system allows its staff to engage in this unprofessional behavior it should be denied government funds. The public buildings are no longer being used for education but have become centers of indoctrination.

In the entertainment media it is becoming common place to titillate the audience with explicit homosexual behavior as two teenage boys kissing on the television show “Glee”. The parents have the ability to censor their children from watching the program. On the other hand government schools have a captive audience of young minds and therefore have an obligation to all the taxpaying citizens to educate the citizens in the fundamentals of a classic education. They do not have a public mandate to alter or to eradicate the moral values of our children.

There is no place in our Constitutional Republic where our government can or should force the public to accept homosexuality or any other type of sexual relationship. Our Constitution does not permit our government to deny citizens their moral beliefs. Public schools should concentrate on giving our children a solid education while protecting their individual liberties

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.

IB DEBATE SHOULD HAPPEN BEFORE NOT AFTER ADOPTION BY OUR SCHOOLS

2011-11-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

IB DEBATE SHOULD HAPPEN BEFORE NOT AFTER ADOPTION BY OUR SCHOOLS

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

The International Baccalaureate Program has been rejected after being implemented in 74 schools. Recent schools that have dropped the IB Program are: Coronado High School, CA, Loara High School, Anaheim, CA, Wilmer Amina Carter High School, Rialto, CA, Woodland School, Cartersville, GA, Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville, IN, Apollo High School, Owensboro, KY, Hillwood High School, Nashville, TN, Virginia High School, Bristol, VA, William Fleming High School, Roanoke, VA.

October 27, 2011, Education Week reported in Idaho, “opponents have taken to the streets to publicize their concern that the IB Program is spreading an anti American ideology in local schools…similar controversies erupted in Utah in 2009 and Michigan in 2005, the AP notes.” UN Agenda in Public Schools, Donny Harwood www.youtube.com/ watch?v= NG10x_RLBXI

There is blowback not only nationally but also internationally. Premier Gordon Brown abandoned the IB Program in the UK as being too expensive. The actual cost in the United States is difficult to ascertain. “Cost of the IB Programme is perhaps the most difficult information to acquire. We have done exhaustive research on the subject and without exception every school district that has purchased the programme has hidden information or otherwise blocked our efforts to obtain any definitive understanding of what this program costs. “ Jane Aiken, Merrimack Valley Taxpayers About to be Scammed,” Bedford Journal.

In Merrimack Valley School District, NH, cost for the program was estimated to be $135,000 by the IB presenter at a school board meeting and $3.1-3.7 million dollars over five years by the knowledgeable expert on the IB Program, Lisa McLoughlin. State Representative of NH, Seth Cohn, had to intervene to emphasize that a board member contradicted herself in stating where the IB training took place and its cost. The actual breakdown of the IB proposal for the length of the program should be provided to the public to make an educated decision. http://truthaboutib.com/ usschooldisputes/merrimackvalleynh.html

The IB Program has flown under the national media’s radar scene but is bursting forth in many local school districts throughout the USA. The issues are similar from district to district. The local citizens were not informed and did not participate in the debate to adopt this expensive and controversial program. The more the communities learned about the IB Program, the greater the objections they had. The implementation of the IB Program without wide local acceptance is done by design. International Baccalaureate in Bedford, Anti-American? www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTI0osj4W9w

In 1996 the IBO joined with UNESCO, part of the United Nations. They formed an international educational model that is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. A major goal of IB is to develop global citizens who will support the legitimacy of legislation for the international common good, not for their nations.

Thomas Sowell, a renowned Stanford University economist, wrote in the Jewish Review, “It (IB) also has a left wing hidden agenda as so many fad programs do. One of the program’s supporters gushed that it teaches students how to think globally and how to make us part of the world. One of the parents critical of the program put it quite differently. She said it "promotes socialism, disarmament, radical environmentalism, and moral relativism, while attempting to undermine Christian religious values and national sovereignty."

The IB Program has been artfully marketed to local school districts. Terrice Bessier, educational development specialist of the Open Society Institute, documents some of the progressive heavyweights such as George Soros, then Senator Obama and Arne Duncan to be proponents of this program.

The Obama administration through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has provided millions of federal dollars as seed money to defray the start up costs of the program. Local leaders are often seduced into backing this program to receive the federal funding. The local citizens get stuck with the recurring costs to complete the program.

There is minimal transparency in the stealth process to receive approval of the school board according to people around the country as voiced on their websites and on YouTube. Concerned citizens receive minimal notification and the meetings are made as inconvenient as possible to discourage participation. They are packed with proponents of the IB Program and any vocal opponents are isolated, ridiculed or personally attacked. These techniques have been effective in limiting opposition to the program.

There are many good reasons to silence public discussion. The assessment of the IB student’s work is not done by the local district but by international examiners, which numbers range from 5000 to 10,500. What are their qualifications? Local community parents have said the IB Program has an anti Christian bias. Does this program have a “pro-bias” to any religion? Does the school district relinquish control of the curriculum content? Does all the money paid for the program go to Geneva, Switzerland? What is the exact cost of the program to the taxpayers?

The IB Program controversy is far from over. It continues. These questions should have been asked before, not after school districts decide to adopt the IB Program.

Our school board, along with citizens should do their due diligence to protect our children’s minds and the future of our nation from being hijacked from within.

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.

AMERICA IS FAR FROM DEAD

2011-10-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

AMERICA IS FAR FROM DEAD

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Many nation’s malcontents and pundits are rooting for the demise of capitalism. The Arab Spring, the riots in Europe and its offshoot, Occupy Wall Street, are all angry with their national governments’ corrupt leadership and international corporate greed. The crucial issue for this turmoil is not capitalism but the insidious marriage between the power elites of government and that of the corporate world.

The leader of the free world, America, has received the brunt of the criticism nationally and internationally for the current economic downturn. We have played power politics to foster international and internal stability. Our support of certain dictatorships and international corporations over freedom seeking young people as in Iran and small businesses has rightfully been questioned. We need to reevaluate our foreign policy and allow the free market to work.

Governments worldwide and international corporations have entered into unholy alliances, which are contrary to capitalism. These corporations have funneled money to government representatives to receive special legislative favors that give them an unfair competitive advantage. The revolving door between government and nearly monopolistic corporations has resulted in what is called today “crony capitalism” and in the past was fascism.

In the United States both political parties have used the power of the executive branch to pursue policies to grow government’s power disregarding the Constitution and the people’s will. We are rightfully losing trust in our institutions.

Our leaders and culture have been corrupted by the notion that “it is all about money.” We have lost our moral bearing, the social backbone of our society. Our nation is indeed in a poor place in the economic and moral cycle, although we definitely can rebound.

There are plenty of things that are wrong but there are more things right about the U.S. History shows us that living is difficult in whatever period of time one examines. Somehow America has muddled along from the beginning making the necessary changes to put us on a steady course. During crisis after crisis, the Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI and WWII, the great depression, the Cuban Missile Crisis, assassinations of the 1960s, Carter’s Iran hostage crisis, 9/11 and this Great Recession many people have thought the USA’s end is near.

At those frightening moments Americans have thought about all we have to lose. September 11, like other major crises in our history united us all. We forgot about our differences and remembered what makes us an exceptional nation. These realizations of what we have to lose are similar to what families and friends feel at a funeral. The death of a person brings a flood of all the things we will never again experience with the person. The shortcomings are overlooked or forgotten, all the goodness flashes in front of the mourner. This brings on the regrets of not telling the individual when he was alive how much he was appreciated for his being and actions.

Today our appreciation for all we have in the United States is almost non-existent. We have a tremendous amount to lose if we turn our backs on our moral principles and our capitalistic roots that have allowed our nation to prosper.

Before we topple our entire system because some corrupt businessmen and politicians are exploiting it, we must realize all the advantages of living in the United States we would lose. Our free market has allowed people from all over the world the opportunity to keep the wealth they earned through their own efforts . The possibility of obtaining the American dream has made us a beacon to the world.

Americans have a responsibility to openly criticize their leaders and nation whenever the will of the people is not being represented by the government. Freedom of speech is a unique and essential element that makes us great. However, citizens do not have the right to resort to violence nor blatant deception. A significant majority of our citizens do not believe that the end justifies the means.

Many people in the past counted America as a society close to death. Our weaknesses have caused other nations to misjudge our internal strength. The only thing these attacks on our homeland have done is wake up a sleeping giant.

Anarchy and chaos do not lead to improvement but to destruction. No civilization, culture or person has ever been perfect. Man, by his nature is imperfect.

Creating a better world is much harder to accomplish than tearing down the old one.

United States citizens reject the road of redistributing wealth. Socialism, even in the milder form of European Democratic Socialism, is unsustainable. The combining of big government and corporations- crony capitalism/fascism – also will fail as the corruption is uncovered.

Americans need to insist on the free market where there is a level playing field to insure there is no favoritism of bailouts or picking winners and losers. Fair competitive capitalism needs to be the ideal not crony capitalism. This reestablishment of capitalism not arbitrary redistributing of wealth would resolve the major objections of both Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party to the present shenanigans of Wall Street and big government joining together.

It will take most of us to improve our country and benefit all of us. By being more fiscally sound, morally prudent and doing our civic duty we will improve the nation one person at a time

The return to a more moral and less intrusive government will unite America. It will revitalize our economy and citizens. We will enter an era of strength and prosperity. The rest of the world of nations will follow our lead.

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.

READER BEWARE: A FREE PRESS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ACCURATE OR TRUTHFUL

2011-10-18T17:55:00.001-07:00

READER BEWARE: A FREE PRESS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ACCURATE OR TRUTHFUL

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Going all the way back to our revolutionary war time the newspapers said slanderous things about their opposition. During the John Adams and Thomas Jefferson presidential campaigns newspaper commentary was incendiary and often absolutely untrue. Neither candidate had the ability to hold the newspapers accountable for the slanderous statements their opponent’s supporters made.

Our Founding Fathers were concerned about the ruling power controlling what was allowed to be printed, not its accuracy. James Madison stated, "The security of the freedom of the press requires that it should be exempt, not only from previous restraint of the executive, as in Great Britain; but from legislative restraint also; and this exemption, not only from the previous inspection of licensers, but from the subsequent penalty of laws." He feared writers would self-censor or not publish their works if government could prosecute them for an anti government article.

The first amendment to the Constitution “ prohibits any law…infringing on the freedom of the press….” Our founders were clearly concerned about limiting freedom of speech not about the accuracy of the information. It appears they had faith in educated and responsible citizens discerning the truth and they would prevail over sloppy or deceitful reporting.

The over whelming majority of the mainstream press, 85-90%, identify themselves as being left of center. It is reasonable to believe they would have a progressive bias although as professional journalists they would maintain a high level of objectivity. This seems not to be the case. It appears ideology has replaced objectivity in schools of journalism. Creating a leftist narrative has become the priority of the major news organizations like the New York Times and Associated Press. Subjectivity not only appears to be preferred over objectivity but “deceptiveness to create a perception” is being rewarded in the mainstream newspapers.

On Friday, September 23^rd, 2011 there was an attack on a new campaign office of President Obama in West Los Angeles, CA. At 7:00pm windows were smashed by a pellet gun. Immediately reports suggested it could be politically motivated. This, of course, would indicate that right wing radicals were to blame. There was not the slightest evidence offered or discussion of other more plausible explanations such as vandalism.

In the Tucson, Arizona shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others the mainstream media initially identified Jared Loughner as a “right winger.” Pima County Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik, immediately blamed radio talk show hosts and cable television for creating the climate for this horrendous act. It turned out that Loughner was an insane person involved with leftist causes.

New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg and the mainstream press, hopefully hypothesized that the Times Square car bomber was a Tea Party member. He was found to be a Muslim extremist.

A commentary on the September 17, 2011 Wall Street Day of Rage, described the left wing group as right wing. Colin Moynehan, stated in an article, “Wall Street begins with demonstration blocked. Organizers said the rally was meant to be diverse, and not all of the participants were on the left. Followers of the right-wing figure, Lyndon LaRouche formed a choir near Bowling Green and sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Nearby, anarchists carried sleeping bags and tents.”

Lyndon LaRouche is a committed progressive, not a conservative. He ran for president from 1976-2004, once as a Labor Party candidate and seven times as a democrat. Supporters view him as the next FDR. In fact the same LaRouche supporters appeared at Tea Party events with posters of Obama with a Hitler moustache. The media reported them as “right wing hate signs.”

Originally the press speculated that the Ft. Hood shooter was affiliated with militia groups. It turned out Major Nigel Hasan was a committed Muslim extremist.

The press has consistently described the Westboro Baptist Church as “right wing nut jobs.” The inspirational leader of the church, Fred Phelps, has run for office as a democrat. Phelps has run in various Kansas Democrat Party primaries four times. These included races for governor in 1990, 1994, and 1998 and in the 1992 Democrat Party primary for U.S. Senate. Again, a radical leftist that has made a fool of himself protesting the funerals of deceased American soldiers is being misrepresented as a religious conservative.

The beat goes on. The mainstream media is using the power of the press to mislead the American public. This has caused enormous confusion in the electorate. Ideally it would be wonderful if reporters were held by their superiors to a higher standard of the truth. This is not being done.

American citizen’s actions are giving the mainstream media a vote of no confidence. They are following the truth by shifting their news sources. The viewership of the mainstream media is shrinking while the alternative media is thriving.

It is up to We the People to beware of false narratives. Citizens should self educate and remember the difference between the initial reporting and the eventually substantiated facts. We must be discerning of the stories we read and what actually turns out to be the truth. We have a free press but it does not mean every writer and news organization has professional integrity. We must do our due diligence as patriotic citizens.

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.

WALL STREET OCCUPATION IGNORANCE: A PRODUCT OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

2011-10-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

WALL STREET OCCUPATION IGNORANCE: A PRODUCT OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist.

The Wall Street rage started on September 17^th, 2011. Most of the original occupiers of this festival of alienation were college students, the unemployed and individuals who wanted to revisit the sex, drugs, filth and arrests of the 1960s counter-revolution that their teachers glorified in high school and college. They are joined by union organizers, celebrities and some participants who reportedly get $300-600 per week to attend.

There was the same freaky communal democratic chaos and feelings of the 1960 hippies being surrounded by like-minded people. These predominately young adults were disenchanted by their unfulfilled dreams. They continue not to have a specific focus to correct their many grievances. These concerns are all over the map from animal abuse, global warming, racism, corporate greed, and personal financial issues.

These protestors had plenty of gripes. A college student wanted her college loans and rent paid for by the government. A well-dressed young man in his early 30s complained he worked as a lawyer. He said he was overworked and underpaid. A protestor was asked why he was there and he said he was against capitalism. When asked what he would replace it with, he was unable to reply.

The origins of the Wall Street protests was derived in the 99% Movement that went through Europe. Many progressives fanned the flames of class warfare such as Van Jones, George Soros, Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters. This movement was planned for over a year to arrive in the USA on September 17^th as the Day of Rage. This is an international effort to bury capitalism.

The anger towards bailouts of financial institutions and picking winners and losers is a mantra of these anarchists. However these “educated” students did not seem to understand that picking winners and losers was contrary to capitalist principles.

These malcontents did not know the difference between a centrally controlled economy and a free market economy. They did not seem to know the Tea Party was against the government interfering in the free market forces to determine who would succeed and who would fail. They seem not to understand unregulated competition is a capitalist concept or that President Obama’s administration picked winners and losers. They did not know that President Obama received significantly more money from the financial corporations than did candidate McCain during the 2008 presidential elections. Do they know that many 1960 radical hippies joined the establishment becoming corporate big wigs and educators?

The ignorance of the Wall Street protestors is understandable when you realize American civics and history are often not taught or taught from an anti American perspective in our public schools. They have been indoctrinated to believe that Marxist ideals are viable while are shielded from the facts that every nation that followed this path throughout history has resulted in economic and human rights

failure.

Most shocking is they accepted the propaganda that they are entitled to start at the top once they receive a degree. Many of these “educated” adults believe their credential is more important than their productivity on a job. They have been sold a bill of goods that sitting in a classroom insures a great job and the United States is greedy. They believe they have a right to receive the wealth of others to put them on the same footing with the rich and famous.

This naïve, unruly mob wants financial equity with the rich without earning it. This is a dream scenario when entering the work force but a nightmare when you worked yourself up the capitalist ladder. This immoral approach of robbing (redistributing a person’s wealth) is the reason our brilliant founding fathers insured the right of the individual to his private property.

The exceptionalism of the USA has to be emphasized in schools instead of magnifying every blemish to diminish America’s great accomplishments. This anti-American bias has to end.

American education is doing a great disservice to our children by perpetuating over inflated evaluations, false high self-esteem and encouraging students to live in an alternate, utopian fantasy world.

The 1960s hippie experiment was a pathetic failure. This latest attempt of the radical left to hold America hostage will help our young citizens gain insight into the thinking of these delusional people.

This fiasco of attempting to destroy our free market economy has to be exposed. The international 99% Movement will come to light with time. The free marketplace of ideas will put the United Stated back on firm footing. America pragmatism will again give us the edge in the global economy to lead the world out of chaos towards stability and prosperity.

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.

CAN THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 REIGNITE OUR FREE MARKET?

2011-10-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

CAN THE 10^TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 REIGNITE OUR FREE MARKET?

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

This is the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attack on America. People are remembering the way we felt when this attack occurred. It brought us all together to appreciate what we have and to realize how fortunate we are to live in The United States of America.

Our nation was built on the hard work and lives of many who fought so we can have our freedom. However, the United States is not for everyone. It is for the rugged competitor who values freedom above all else. Unless a person comes from a wealthy family, he has to work to survive and prosper. The USA safety net is intentionally small and fragile. Citizens are expected to use their energy, creativity and effort to labor up the economic ladder. They are supposed to make their wealth through their own effort not to take the wealth of others through accepting public assistance.

America is and has been the land of opportunity for people who are willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. The choices in the USA are many but each comes with consequences. Accepting government assistance, except for the truly impaired, is seen by most as an admission of laziness. A person temporarily unemployed has the personal and civic responsibility to take a lesser position until he finds a better job or creates one. His work record sends a strong message to future employers that the person is a motivated worker.

A person with a spotty or no work record ends up sending up a red flag. An individual on the dole loses his motivation to show his worth in the free market. The decision to accept government handouts undermines a person’s resolve to remain outside the seductive clutches of government “largesse.

Freedom loving people want nothing with strings attached. They are willing to work in exchange for a salary and a chance to prove and improve themselves. Some may be exploited but sooner or later they understand another job or business opportunity will materialize to prove that he has the perseverance to be a success.

This courageous climb to the top in the free market is negatively called the "rat race". It is competitive and difficult although there are great rewards at the end. The higher one goes, the greater the risks but the bigger the prize.

Anyone in America with courage and initiative can choose the journey. At this point in time government meddling in the free market is growing but it is still far less than most developed nations. There are licenses and educational restrictions to limit joining in the adventure but as of now, the motivated and creative people find a way to get around bureaucratic red tape.

America is at a crossroads. The past several administrations have been enlarging the power of the federal government at the expense of the people's freedom. The proponents of big government are offering citizens more governmental services and even redistributive money. Citizen’s only requirement is to remain passive as the federal government dismantles our Bill of Rights, Constitution and our economic solvency.

The recipients of unearned government handouts usually are unaware once they start this process they are at the mercy of the bureaucratic decisions and lose all power to control their destiny. They become victims surrendering their freedom for entitlements that dwindle in value as more join their ranks. Too many Americans are willing to sell their souls for supposedly “free” health care. These people are unwittingly accepting government telling them what they can eat, drink, smoke, drive and what jobs to take in order to remain in the good graces of the big hand of government.

Fortunately there are many aware patriotic citizens who understand we are being stripped of our rights and freedoms. They want to keep their spiritual and economic freedom and are fighting to keep government out of our lives and pockets. They are uniting to choke off the money gushing into the "beast"-Washington, DC. It is a peaceful but powerful insurrection to stop the centralizing of federal power.

The saving of America would be accomplished by breaking the federal government's chaining of the entrepreneurial spirit. Self-reliant entrepreneurs have made America an economic dynamo. Government must stay out of the way of small business for us to continue to prosper.

The choice for us has never been clearer. It is up to all Americans to decide if they want a nation that controls all the choices and actions of its citizens, a nanny state, or one that allows citizens to determine their own destiny, a free market state. Rejection of government's seductive promises (lies) will keep the USA functioning at the highest socio economic level the world has ever witnessed.

Our nation cannot endure a civil war where half our citizens are productively working while the other half is given government payoffs to vote for the ruling political party. This is a failed formula that results in bankruptcy that tears apart every fiber of society that binds us together and leads us down a path of decline.

Our tenth anniversary of 9/11 can act as an historical, galvanizing event like the end of the Civil War to bring all Americans together revitalizing our nation. Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address stated:"...this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom in that government of the people, by the people shall not perish from the earth."

At this juncture all citizens should be inspired to non-violently fend off government’s intrusion into every aspect of our daily lives. Being victorious in the struggle to preserve our economic opportunities and freedoms will pay generous dividends to all American citizens and will be a beacon to the rest of the world.

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.

WHO SHOULD RAISE THE KIDS, PARENTS OR SCHOOLS?

2011-10-09T10:16:00.000-07:00

WHO SHOULD RAISE THE KIDS, PARENTS OR SCHOOLS?

By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD. Traditional Realist

Our nation has thrived with parents having the right and responsibility to raise their children as they see fit. Parents are not perfect in all their decisions but for the most part they have given us strong morals and insight to succeed in a complex society. The state has only been allowed to intervene when the child’s life was in imminent danger. As government has grown local, state and federal laws dictating when a representative can invade the sanctity of the family has expanded.

The current line of attack on the family unit is being fought in public schools. Prayer and almost any mention of God have been nearly eradicated although the overwhelming majority of citizens approve of them. Even the concept of the family has been blurred by including all types of configurations of people residing in a house as equal to a father, mother and children.

Now the rights and responsibility of parents to determine what is proper for their children to eat and drink are being usurped by government bureaucrats and enforced by school officials. First certain foods and drinks were banned in vending machines. Now Los Angeles county school district is outlawing chocolate milk in the lunchroom.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, children in the LA united school district responded to soda being restricted in school vending machines by bringing their own to school in their lunch boxes. Ultimately parents have the power not to give their children money to buy soda and to refuse to provide soda for them to put in their lunchboxes.

Students may not have the availability to buy soda, cigarettes or drugs in school but it does not mean they cannot obtain them somewhere else in the community. By removing the opportunity to make reasonable and simple decisions like what beverage to drink, we are setting the child up not to learn to making good decisions.

Children who are not used to denying themselves are more susceptible to addictive behavior. A student whose parents tell him not to buy soda should listen to them or suffer parental consequences for not listening. These are wonderful lessons for instilling the values that keep the child on the straight and narrow path.

Parents have more time and intimate knowledge of their child than any government bureaucrat can possibly possess. By government schools decreeing what children should eat, they are undermining the authority of the parents. Some modern parents may initially be relieved to have the state taking over their child’s eating habits. These same people will not be so receptive if the menu in their homes or particular physical exercise would be dictated by government bureaucrats. Limiting parental freedom to educate their own children as to the best way to live is a slippery slope. We have seen intellectual elites in centralized nations like Cuba, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union attempt to indoctrinate instead of educate children. When government attempts to micromanage every aspect of society by gradually reducing personal freedom citizens become more dependent until they become enslaved.

Unless we want to live in a totalitarian regime, the responsibility of raising a child needs to remain in the most efficient social unit, the family.

United States citizens need to evaluate the type of society they want. The more our government schools offer programs and mandates that minimize the role and power of the parent and increase the already unrealistic job description of the teacher the more student’s education will suffer.

Educating students and parents about the importance of nutrition and exercise for health and longevity affects people’s choices. This is already happening in public schools where soda consumption is declining even in schools with soda in vending machines.

Our children should learn to make good choices not be limited in their freedom.

Better choices will not only happen in the school building but throughout the community. Students should not be denied making age appropriate decisions. They should be taught how to make rational choices, which will protect them in a multitude of situations.

Modern parents need to be empowered to be strong authority figures by our schools, not be dismissed. When parents are more precise in their expectations and standards at home, students do perform better in school. Parents and schools need to be on the same page in order to maximize the student’s learning.

There will never be enough state workers to replace the parents in the life of the child. Parents have the primary responsibility to buy the food, provide opportunities for physical activity and teach children to make good choices. Parents should be encouraged and inspired to be the best parents they can be. Hopefully no bureaucrat will ever be assigned by law more power to control a child than a functioning parent.

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.

SLUT-WALK PLACES FEMALES IN JEOPARDY

2011-09-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

SLUT-WALK PLACES FEMALES IN JEOPARDY

By Domenick J. Maglio Phd. Traditional Realist

Rape is a violent, horrible crime and should be punished by the fullest extent of the law. It happens to both males and females. It is a devastating violation of a person’s human dignity and freedom. The victim often feels partially responsible for not preventing the rape from occurring. The incident is replayed in the victim’s mind usually focusing on behaviors that could have attracted or repelled the perpetrator. Regardless of the appropriateness of the victim’s actions, shame enters the picture. Shame is the major reason that rape goes under reported for both sexes, especially males.

Rape’s social stigma is strong across cultures. Law punishes the predator, but the victim suffers self-imposed as well as social humiliation. Advocates of women are attempting to lessen the pain of the stigma of being raped by dismissing any and all behaviors that may be aggravating factors. This is a serious mistake that is sending a dangerous message to young people.

This summer supporters of the liberation of women sponsored “Slut-Walks” that took place across the USA and Canada. These protests were aimed at attempting to debunk the notion that a victim’s dress and behavior should be considered an invitation to be assaulted. The leaders of the movement want our society to stop connecting provocative dress and behavior as elements in provoking a rape. According to them victims should never be blamed for any provocative behavior because it is all about the physical aggressor: men. Some women even go so far as repeating the slogan: all men are rapists.

This movement believes when men learn to control their animal instincts women would be freed to fully display their sexuality without fear of repercussion. In this idealistic world, real men would learn to transcend their animal nature and women would be sexually liberated to do what they desire. By mentally castrating men to deny their sexual nature, females gain total sexual freedom. They envision men acting as modern eunuchs to satisfy their female free expression. In essence they want their freedom without any responsibility. Liberated women cannot have it both ways.

This would be a laughable, juvenile notion if it were not so dangerous to females. In the real world all behavior has consequences. It should not be, but leaving your car door unlocked is an invitation to thieves. Walking through a high crime area appearing fearful and weak attracts muggers like a shark to blood. Going alone to a bar late at night and leaving with a total stranger is not a highly self-preserving act. Every risky behavior increases the level of excitement as well as the potential of harm.

Reality forces all of us to limit our personal freedom to increase our security. No woman deserves to be raped although certain behaviors increase the probability. The indoctrinating of females to believe their flamboyant behavior and dress does not increase the probability of becoming a target of physical assault is stupid to the point of being criminal. Stupid thinking leads to delusional behavior. Whenever anyone increases the risk for a particular outcome, the person should acknowledge it.

Liberated females want human nature to be different but it is what it is. All of us need to behave in ways to help us survive. Ignoring the possibility of a common reaction of males being turned on to flirtatious behavior is naïve and irrational. Drugging and drinking increases uninhibited actions that increases the risk of doing things one would regret when sober. When around others in an altered state of consciousness a person should be alerted that there is no more predictability to anyone’s actions.

Girls need to learn that seductive behavior could be bad for their safety especially in certain situations. Playing sexually teasing games might have no ramifications with friends but may be a different story with strangers from a different subculture. Young females must learn there are real dangers to being sexually indiscreet.

All men are not rapists but many men can be aggressive. It is better to be cautious than to be stupid. Liberated women cannot expect the world to be different just because they snap their fingers. They must mature into rational adults and stop being perennial teenagers.

There is nothing wrong and everything right for a woman to act like a lady rather than a slut. Besides it is better to be aware of one’s actions in public than to make a display of oneself that is regretted the next day. All mature adults of either gender should be personally accountable for their actions.

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.

Know It All Epidemic is Bringing Down SAT Scores

2011-09-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

KNOW IT ALL EPIDEMIC IS BRINGING DOWN SAT SCORES

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Grandparents and most parents are amazed at how smart the younger generation is compared to them. These people say when they were that age they did not know how to use all the electronic gizmos and computers like today’s children. The older generation fails to realize there were minimal to no computerized items. Probably they would be as adept at them as are modern children if they had had the electronics.

Today’s children live in a world where their parents, teachers and other adults have been indoctrinated by child rearing experts and psychologists to rave about any actions of a child that do not maim others or destroy things. Praise is supposed to be the ultimate elixir for the child’s overall development and wellbeing in our politically correct culture.

According to experts, positive reinforcement will insure a happy, healthy and successful person. As long as a child has high self-esteem, it is said she will automatically blossom into an invincible, brilliant human specimen.

The high self esteem movement has worked although not in the way these professionals thought it would. Instead of being beneficial across the board, it has produced an epidemic of KIAD, the Know It All Disease.

This disease is preventing the brains of our children from absorbing new information starting in elementary school. People of any age who believe they know everything have a hard time focusing on information that may challenge them. Whenever their skill and knowledge areas are pointed out to be weak or outright wrong, they arrogantly get huffy and shut down. Since our culture has practically banned honesty in evaluating youngsters in school and sports it is understandable why minors would be shocked by low test scores.

The 2011 SAT, shows reading and writing test scores for college bound seniors were the lowest ever recorded even though many experts complained the test questions were made easier when the test was changed to a three section format in 2005. Only 43% of student scores were high enough to succeed in college. Combine this with almost as many students failing than passing the Advanced Placement tests and the National Assessment of Education Progress results, which demonstrate American students are doing poorly as compared to other nations. There is a significant failure in our government schools.

Predictably education experts who have a vested interest in public education attempt to excuse the SAT results. They talk about the expanded pool of test takers from Black and Hispanic minorities as the reason for these low scores. They ignore the fact that this is not the first time we had to assimilate other ethnic groups. This test has existed since 1933, for eight decades.

These experts fail to note a blatant shortcoming to the U.S. education approach: worthless evaluations or none at all. Children receive unearned high grades for little effort and minimal academic achievement. These inflated grades seem to be placating parents and students. Awards are meaningless when everyone is given one. We are living in a society where every participant has to receive a trophy for attending a certain number of games and are placed on the honor role for doing no more than warming a seat in school.

KIAD has produced a large number of delusional students. They do not have an ounce of humility and possess tons of arrogance. Many educators want the SAT and other standardized tests to disappear. They do not want to be held accountable. Instead of observing what is happening in our schools, they want to dismantle these tests by using “culture bias” as an excuse. This means that any standard chosen to measure learning that predicts success in higher education has to be prejudicial against minorities. This is a ridiculous analysis of standardized testing since it accurately predicts success in higher education. All students need to acquire the same skill set to have the building blocks to understand and learn complex concepts.

Attacking tests or the need for evaluation is a strategy for spreading a real pandemic of students who think they are too smart to learn. This attempt at denying the validity of all testing has to end.

American education needs to stop making silly rationalizations and begin to inoculate students against the Know It All Disease: KIAD. This would be accomplished by giving an honest evaluation of knowledge and behavior to the student and the parents. Students need to be openly compared through posting their grades and being honestly critiqued by their teachers and peers. This allows them to gain a true perspective of their standing in class.

Accurate feedback will undermine false self-esteem while increasing a student’s confidence through self-competence.

Integrity of evaluating students in their actions and behavior will be the silver bullet to obliterate this cancerous KAID. The prevention of this disease will bring more openness, humility and more improved learning behavior in our schools.

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.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE IS ANTI U.S. CONSTITUTION

2011-09-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Valley Education Corporation in Yellow Springs, Colorado, is making a big splash in educational circles. This multi million-dollar enterprise is starting K-12 charter schools throughout the USA. The cost for this program is expensive although the company is receiving high marks for the staff’s credentials and international awareness.

The program focuses on global educational standards and curriculum in order to develop global citizens. They emphasize the United Nations worldview, which has primary importance over any state educational standards. By making state standards subservient to the U.N. ideology, students will realize they are not citizens of a single country, like the United States, but citizens of a coming one-world government. This international awareness will prepare them to be “comrades” to create a peaceful, equitable redistribution of wealth and save the earth resources from capitalist exploitation.

There is a strong commitment to all human rights, which take precedence over any nation’s laws. Educational values are inculcated by integrating them into the subject areas. Students learn about the antiquated notions of the U.S. Constitution, judicial system and unnecessary borders of the USA. All national treaties and laws including those deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States would and should be subservient to those policies to those passed by the United Nations.

“Valley Ed. Corp.” is fictitious but the curriculum discussed above is not. This curriculum has been marketed in public schools as the “be all and end all” of high school diplomas: the International Baccalaureate Program. It has provoked controversy in many of the school districts that have adopted the program. Through taxpayer dollars our federal government is sanctioning the IB program although it is a direct attack on our Constitution and our laws.

Article 6, clause 2 in the Constitution of the United States unequivocally states the Constitution is the lynchpin of all of our laws of the land. “This Constitution and laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the Unites States, shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding.”

European diplomats started the International Baccalaureate Organization, IBO, in 1968. These diplomats wanted a uniform education for their children in whatever nation they were assigned. However, in 1996 IBO unfortunately united with UNESCO, part of the United Nations. They formed an international education program that is dominated by a One-World-Government view. The U.N.’s radical leftist perspective of the world and its reputation for mismanaging its funding is a dubious organization to place above the leader of the free world.

Yet, the International Baccalaureate, IB Program, is being adopted by school districts throughout the USA. This course of study exists in 139 countries worldwide. The goal of the International Baccalaureate Organization is to impose global education standards and curriculum. This course of study is to produce global citizens, not citizens of America who are loyal to the principles of our founding documents: the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

All students in the program are indoctrinated with the virtues of the United Nation’s treaties even though the United States of America has not ratified them. By endorsing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the IB program has agreed to promote the U.N.’s actions and treaties.

Such treaties include: the UN International Court Treaty, which would nullify the Supreme Court of the United States; the Bio Diversity program to redistribute financial aid from developed countries to underdeveloped countries while supposedly preserving genetic resources; the Rights of Children Treaty which strips many prerogatives from parents in raising their children; the Kyoto Treaty, whose focus is to reduce global warming by lowering carbon dioxide emissions in developed countries, and any other treaty approved by the UN. In reality, these treaties will end the sovereignty of America.

Our children in an IB program are being taught to see the world through the lens of the United Nations with a Marxist tint. The IB program is instilling moral values and ideals that are undermining our student’s positive attitudes and beliefs towards the United States.

The IB program is contrary to the interests of the United States. It is indoctrination under the guise of education. All American citizens should be alerted to the purpose of this program so our government officials can be held accountable. The IB program could continue in private schools as a program for children of diplomats or other families who agree with the utopian failures of the United Nations.

Our government has a vested interest in promoting programs where students are being taught the goodness, uniqueness and advantages of being an American citizen. Instead of being proud of our special heritage these students are being propagandized to despise their own country.

Under no circumstances should the IB program receive a single tax dollar.

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.

WE NEED TO TAKE A LESSON FROM CUBAN CITIZENS

2011-08-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-11T17:15:00.000-07:00

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.

IT IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD

2011-07-17T16:53:00.000-07:00

IT IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD
By Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

“No man’s life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session.”
Mark Twain

Mark Twain was right back then and is even more correct today. Federal, state and county representatives have all lengthened the time they are in session. The number of executive orders, regulations, laws, statues, rules, directives and ordinances are being spewed out as fast as the federal government can print money.

Each of these ever increasing new directives from all levels of government limit citizen’s freedom to make choices. Every new law, rule, statute, ordinance and license is sold to the public by stating it is for the good of everyone. When a person protests the absurdity to the appropriate government bureaucrat, he smugly says, “It is for your own good.”

This means you have to go through a body x-ray scanner or wait in a long line to get an intrusive pat-down even if you are a six-year-old child or a frail, hunched 92- year-old woman in a wheelchair. These procedures are supposed to protect the public but are training us to be sheeple who accept less and less freedom. An owner has to purchase an expensive license for his dog or the animal control bureaucrat will take it. You must obtain permits for everything from building a garage to changing out a window to painting a room on your own property.

An example of the invasion into our lives of the federal government is the new EPA statute RRP (Renovation, Repair and Paint) to insure lead free houses. It spells out procedures that require government personnel with overkill equipment to do ordinary repairs that could be done by the homeowner. These onerous requirements increase the price of repairs to the point where the project is abandoned or done without permits. The fine attached to doing one’s own work is $32,500. They are undermining personal initiative to upgrade one’s own property.

This totally disregards an individual’s property rights. This denial of our improving our homes is a trampling of our freedom. These insulting acts are supposed to protect a future homebuyer as if a purchaser cannot be trusted to make a rational evaluation when purchasing the home.

Even our property is no longer sacred including our “castle”- home. The new interpretation of the eminent domain law is allowing individual property to be taken solely to increase the revenue of a particular taxing entity. This ruling should frighten every hard working American who has invested his earnings in property although it will make every big-government politician ecstatic.

Year after year everyone has to pay more taxes except for those who fall below a certain level of income. According to government proponents, these people with low income or none at all should be cared for by the government as it sees fit. This burdens taxpaying citizens with subsidizing deadbeats, More direct taxes like federal, state, county or city taxes are used for providing more services even if we do not want them or use them. The government on all levels is increasing its political power and territory on the backs of productive citizens.

The government representatives on many levels passed all sorts of deceptive bills to take your money to give it to others. One of these laws established without public knowledge was the “earned income tax credit.” There are many rationalizations for government picking your pocket. This tax credit is a creative way of marketing a person who is on the government dole. This tax credit is certainly not “earned by the recipient” as he is not working or has a low paying position with limited responsibility and effort but it is couched in capitalistic jargon. Currently 47% of all Americans are paying 0 in federal income tax.

The government representatives in their infinite wisdom decide to redistribute your money. The tax collector’s bosses have the audacity to name this thievery: “earned income tax credit.” The less than ambitious and lazy are rewarded. This bizarre logic is politically correct in this country now while not wanting to reward the unemployed is selfish and politically incorrect.

The remedy to this upside down world is for us to vote out any representative wanting to increase the size of government. It means Americans will have to be more self-reliant in meeting their own needs for their own good instead of wanting to be dependent on government.

Benjamin Franklin told citizens about their Constitution after it had passed; “We have given you a republic, if you can keep it.” Keeping our Constitution means we have to be eternally vigilant against politicians clinging to power by selling their integrity.

Americans have to decide. If they want to remain a free Constitutional Republic, something must give. A bloated government that promises to give you everything has to take everything. Government does not produce any wealth but certainly knows how to waste it.

Either we shrink government for the good of the people or government will control every aspect of our lives. The answer is up to us. What direction we choose for government will determine our national destiny and the future of our children and grandchildren.

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.

BASIC, NOT NEW AGE MATH WILL SAVE THE U.S.A.

2011-07-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

BASIC, NOT NEW AGE MATH WILL SAVE THE U.S.A.
By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

We are living in a new age where everything we once believed in is being replaced by modern thinking. Our culture has been turned upside down. Good is bad, credit debt is fashionable while saving is nothing more than hoarding and attempting to balance the budget is a radical political agenda.

Americans were very frugal, always saving a portion of their money no matter how little their income. A substantial savings account meant the person was stable. Things have changed.

Four decades ago we were taught that we needed to establish a good credit line. We had to buy things on time. It was like credit without a credit card. The modern businessman maximizes the using of other people’s money in order to expand more quickly. The greater the assets acquired, even with large debt, the more impressed the modern financial official is and the more likely the borrower will get the loan.

Our federal government under both political parties has accepted and resorted to this new way of thinking to enlarge the presence of the federal government. They have gone a step further in adopting a new age math to justify spending without financial assets to cover it. President George W. Bush passed a large prescription drug benefit program and got involved in two wars without funding them. President Obama has increased the federal deficit in the first two years by $3 trillion under the guise of stimulus. The double talking new age math is once again on tour with President Obama speaking with local television media across the nation to sell a budget that does not add up numerically in basic math.

The basic math number crunching has reared its head. Standard and Poore, the premier credit agency in the nation, has applied old math concepts to lower the long-term economic outlook from “stable” to “negative” in the U.S.A. People who believe math is black and white applaud the S&P’s caution while fuzzy math proponents downplayed or just disregarded it. The administration’s answer to the pending economic catastrophe is to increase taxes and manipulate numbers to arrive at a politically advantageous bottom line.

Both political parties use this deceptive math. We have learned we cannot believe either one. The Republican speaker of the house, John Boehner, said he was going to decrease federal spending by $100 billion, then it was $62.3 billion, then dropped to $38.7 billion. This supposed “cut” actually turned out to be only $352 million, not billion. Under Bush and Obama inflation was calculated by not factoring in two of the most important variables: food and gas. This means we are now at 2.7% inflation using this formula but when you add in these two items it is more realistically at 9.7%

President Obama accepted the supposed $38.7 billion compromise with the Republican, Boehner saying that it is a cut in his budget over the next 12 years and would account for $750 billion in savings. However, the old math of multiplying the two numbers $38.7 times 12 would give you $464.4 billion. The difference between the two figures is $285.6 billion, a significant sum even today.

The new age math is most conspicuous in its confusion when assessing the unemployment numbers in the United States. People not actively seeking a job are not considered unemployed under the present system of calculating the rate. Added to these convenient assumptions are two different surveys.

The CES, Current Employment Statistical, survey is based on 400,000 businesses and the much smaller sample of the CPS, Current Population Survey, uses a sample of 60,000 households. The CPS counts as employed unpaid family workers, self employed, private household workers and workers absent without pay. It is ridiculous to include the last two categories as employed.

These two different services have computer models with different assumptions and arrive at different rates. This mish mash of numbers leads to the unbelievable rate drop to 8.8% unemployment while the growth of new jobs remains below the level necessary to decrease the unemployment rate.

Aware Americans that can do basic math have had it. We know every time we go to the grocery store or pump gas that the inflation rate is rapidly rising. We know from our local communities that the unemployment rate is roughly twice the stated rate. We know that our national debt is $14.3 TRILLION and rising because of government expansion, inefficiency and corruption. Most importantly we know increasing the already outrageous high level of taxes will cause job losses and increase the size of government and our debt.

The answer to this insane spending is employing basic math concepts and by doing the following.
Congress needs to demand a balanced budget.
Employ zero budgeting to develop internal accountability and justification of all programs.
Streamline and eliminate programs that duplicate services and encourage “lazy people programs”- like food stamps for college students.
Cut out corporate welfare and their tax loopholes.
Fire people without hesitation for incompetence, corruption or not performing their duties like sleeping on the job.
Tax the 40% of citizens not paying any federal income tax no matter how anemic the amount. Everyone has to have skin in the game.

No matter how much finagling of numbers is attempted, 2 + 2 = 4. New age, fuzzy, deceptive math has to be exposed by educated people in this country or we will wake up with an economic catastrophe and a Chinese dictator calling the shots.

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.

THE WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT HAS SHAFTED CHILDREN

2011-07-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

THE WOMEN’S LIBERATION MOVEMENT HAS SHAFTED CHILDREN
By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

The Women’s Liberation Movement as all government engineering was supposed to benefit everyone. The promises for women were going to be more independent and fulfilled. Men were going to get more in touch with their feminine side and have less stress. Children were to have happier parents and be provided with a more affluent life style.

Leaving aside the effect of the destructive explosion of single parent families on children, the intact two-parent family is suffering as well. One of the numerous unintended consequences of the radical shift in our culture is the lack of time and energy parents have to be involved with their children. Both parents are supposed to become independent people who usually have different hobbies, exercise schedules, employment obligations and commitments. The responsibilities of raising the children are supposed to shared as equally as possible. The problem is neither one has enough hours in the day to raise their children properly.

Coming to the rescue of these parents are “professionals for hire.” The traditional nanny for the rich is still around to bail out the parents although a host of new options appeared on the scene to meet specific needs of over committed parents. .

Maria Zimmitti, Washington, D.C., child psychologist, is one of many professionals who realized that potty training is a new goldmine. Parents understanding that to satisfy the requirements of the best preschool programs, while reaching a normal milestone of healthy children, potty training has to be accomplished. Parents are panicking that their children will be labeled for not being trained and they do not have the time or competency to complete training on their own.

In the 1950s 90% of children were potty trained by 18 months. Today’s mothers are less motivated to potty train a child with the advent of “pull-ups” that allow mothers to avoid the hassles of washing diapers. Furthermore, the women’s liberation movement has shamed mothers into working outside the home. This makes it less necessary and convenient to accomplish this task.

Besides potty training, today’s parents do not have quantity time to pass on many other necessary skills. Proper speech, morals, perseverance, manners, truthfulness, fine and gross motor skills and a host of other necessities are not being taught by parents in the family home. Parents are absent far too much.

There are many professional specialists who can fill in the voids but at a great cost financially and emotionally. The child’s natural inclination to admire his parents is undermined by the need to chauffer him from one authority figure to another. These experts can compensate for the lack of involvement the parents can provide but the parents lose the magic power of being adored. At best parents can be friends although they can rarely reach the height of inspiring the child the way traditional parents could.

The pre-liberation parents were unavoidable. The mothers were in the home all day and the fathers were intense in their roles when they arrived home after work.
Their power and control was not diluted by other authority figures. Children were trained almost exclusively by their parents. The extended family might chip in but parents had veto power even over them.

Parents were either loved or hated, in both cases the responsibility and commitment were undisputed as well as the impact. Once the children became parents themselves they were socially forced to grow up. They could not remain perennial teenagers; they had to change their life style according to society for the sake of raising healthy children. Parents were expected to be mature enough to remain married even after romantic love faded. The raising of the children fell on the shoulders of the parents not on professionals, the school or the state.

Modern children are no longer protected by societal norms or prepared by the family. Adults, especially females, have a new set of problems with multiple marriages, relationships, blended families and less commitment. The sense of failure, as compared to their parents who seemed to hold things together better, is far greater. The missing ingredient with parents today is their low tolerance for personal sacrifice, which could impede their unrealistic expectations.

The real losers in our modern world are our children. The number of mental disorders, poor school achievement and gender confusion has skyrocketed. American children are weaker physically and mentally.

Without revitalizing motherhood and strong fathers in the family children will continue to be harmed. Both parents involved in everyday problems produce better solutions than one harried parent can. The two gender perspective creates a better balanced child.

Once a child is out of the norm, all the specialists and experts in Johnny’s life cannot put Johnny together again. It is best for the child to have two healthy, involved parents than to have liberated parents each going their own way, having the children raised by others.

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.

RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS ROB THE SPIRIT

2011-07-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS ROB THE SPIRIT
By Domenick Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

A government to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have.
Thomas Jefferson

FDR believed and Obama believes that the government should and could provide guaranteed rights to its citizens. These rights will be granted without any responsibility preconditions, reservations or repayment. These rights were not endowed by our Creator as envisioned by our founding fathers. Instead they are decreed through the power of the government. Thus any other government would have the same power to reinterpret and even deny any rights.

The rights that have been proposed are not limited to the following list. The right to a useful and well paying job or years of unemployment insurance, the right to adequate food and clothing, the right to vacations, the right to a substantial home, the right to a college education, the right to a spouse, a right to divorce, a right to abortion, a right to health care regardless of mistreating oneself.

Our founding father’s legacy was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These rights are endowed by our Creator. They did not relieve citizens of being responsibly self-reliant. Instead they restricted the federal government’s power to maximize citizen’s freedoms. These learned men understood that people can better use their energies to provide for themselves than can any bureaucrat.

The USA has a $14.3 trillion debt and growing. We are on the brink of national bankruptcy. We have seen politicians from both parties make ridiculous promises but do not have the courage to lay out a plan to pay for them. Watch out for anyone whose promises sound too good because they usually are. The “smart “ politician grants a new give away program but makes sure the payment will kick in well after he is reelected or leaves office. Our country’s debt is placing our sovereignty in jeopardy due to the cowardice of our politicians. Jefferson stated that debt was the greatest danger to America’s survival.

These entitlement programs, because of inefficiencies, unintended consequences and corruption always cause budgets to go beyond the original estimates. As more people are unable or unwilling to find employment the need for public assistance grows. Almost 50% of Americans receive some sort of government assistance. The “safety net” and other government handouts are becoming an acceptable way of existing in America. For a growing number of people working for a living will become of little value when taxes almost equal earnings.

Motivation to be industrious loses to idleness when people’s earnings are robbed by the government. When revenue from taxes falls with a drop in the number of people in the private sector and the dependency of more people on the dole, services are diluted to meet the higher demand. Quality and choice of services are inevitably limited by the reality of a dying economy.

The lines become longer, the services poorer and expectations become more fatalistic. Citizens are reluctant to give up their right to free services and learn to accept mediocrity. Week by week, month-by-month, year by year the spirit for life is sucked dry. They become hopeless and helpless.

People surrender their independence to better their lives for the miserable handouts they receive from government. Empty shelves, lack of choice and drabness become acceptable, the norm. Self-reliance and faith in God are replaced by a numbness of the spirit.

Some individuals somehow believe the answers to improve their lives rests with the government bureaucrats even though the government fails time after time to meet their promises. Propaganda, alcohol and drugs will increase to dull the pain. They lose the knowledge that they can accomplish anything they want as long as they are willing to pay the price. There is little urge to be free.

This is the final step in the process of people willing to give up their freedom for false promises and security. It is not a forced slavery but it becomes slavery nevertheless.

Americans, wake up sooner rather then later. Socialism/communism makes for ungrateful, psychologically weak and spiritless citizens who have sold their souls to the government.

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.

A DIFFERENCE MAKER; HONESTY IN EDUCATION

2011-07-17T16:49:00.000-07:00

A DIFFERENCE MAKER; HONESTY IN EDUCATION

by Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Almost everyone is aware that American education is in deplorable condition. No matter how much tax money we throw at the problem, which exceeds $1 trillion since 1980, it worsens. We are bombarded by articles and television reports that we are falling behind other nations in reading, science and math proficiency.

Too many Americans may be conscious of the overall pathetic condition of U.S. schools but remain supportive of their own child’s education. This phenomenon is similar to the one where the public is dissatisfied with government representation in congress but keep on voting for their local one. It appears as long as our leaders are likeable, smooth liars they can continue to do an atrocious job with impunity.

Local educators need to be held accountable for the results of their actions, not their ability to sound sincere with their excuses and doubletalk. Administrators and teachers should be judged by each child’s development as a learner. This means teachers should be accountable for the child mastering what is being taught before he can advance.

Parents have to be actively involved not in assisting the child with his homework but being informed by the child what he is actually doing each day. The child has to be held responsible to discuss daily at least one thing he has learned that makes him a better student. Parental focus should emphasize what is being taught not “is my child happy and being treated fairly?”

Even though the child has a sterling report card, denial by the parent of what they see with their eyes does not solve anything. Parents are being dishonest with themselves. This refusal to act just delays and worsens the results in reading comprehension, composition or math. Parents have to trust their intuition if there is a difference between what they see and hear directly from the child and what the report card states. A report card without integrity means the school is being dishonest to students and parents.

Students should be sufficiently trustworthy and responsible to actually tell the truth. A child receiving high (inflated) grades when unable to show skills and knowledge in academic subjects at home should alert the parent that there is a problem in school. The reason for this has to be determined immediately. Something is wrong and a conference should be made.

The simplest answer might lie with the child. He might be unwilling to show the parent the new skills he has learned in school. An appointment with the teacher would provide evidence that he has or has not mastered these skills. The child withholding his knowledge from the parent has a problem with obedience. This issue is an internal one that needs to be handled in the family with parents demanding the child be compliant with their wishes. Eliminating this game at home early will make things easier in the future.

However, a discrepancy between good grades and poor performance is a serious breach of trust by the school. Ignoring or accepting excuses for this practice will only perpetuate the harming of the student. Grade inflation, a system wide fraud has to be exposed. Only half of students entering college graduate even though the U.S. has the third highest per capita education expenditure worldwide. Our present educational system is undermining the development of students, our future leaders.

An education that pretends to be assisting a student to reach the height of his potential and does just the opposite has to be held accountable. Delaying the forming of good skills and habits while allowing and encouraging bad ones will do irreparable damage to the character and learning of the individual.

Our education administrators and teachers have to at least share their knowledge with their students and parents. Not to be transparent with either may be easier than providing an accurate evaluation but it will undermine the student’s education. Students not corrected for their poor habits and skills will reach a critical point where it becomes next to impossible to cultivate better ones.

Weak and uninvolved parents who are unwilling to believe their own eyes encourage the widespread abuse of student’s false “high self-esteem.” Dishonest parents who choose to be appeased with smooth talk and false evaluations are in store for a nasty shock. The ultimate victim is the student. When their child cannot qualify for or compete in college they are devastated and bitter.

Functioning adults who live with their children have no excuses to play dumb if their child is unprepared for higher education. A parent who observes her children playing video games or socializing on Facebook at all hours of the day and night should realize they are going to have gaps in their learning. Children who do not spend time reading books, writing compositions and doing higher level math at home are probably not being prepared for college.

It is the responsibility of the parent to be actively involved in monitoring not only the child’s daily academic work but also the yearly academic growth. This means the parent has to be aware of the teacher’s and the school’s goals for the child. The parents need to assess if the goals have been met. Parents should expect their children to make continuous progress during the year.

The questioning of the child and the school by the parents keeps everyone on their toes. Reliable communication by everyone including the child will improve the quality of education in America. Anything less for our children will hurt all of us. Any person who is less than he could be is a drag, or worse a burden on the family and eventually on the nation. The real losers are the child and the country.

I DESERVE IT. I WANT IT NOW.

2011-07-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

I DESERVE IT. I WANT IT NOW.
By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD Traditional Realist

Our materialistic culture has turned too many Americans into instant gratifiers. As the J.G. Wentworth television advertisement blares with people yelling out the windows, “it is my money and I want it now.” People believe they have the immediate right to whatever they want. We have encouraged people to develop inflated egos that do not allow any space for gratitude and empathy. The “Me Generation” now should be called the “Charlie Sheen generation,” which has contaminated the entire society.

People who only focus on themselves have difficulty contributing anything to others. They can be good consumers meeting their personal wants but possess a poor sense of duty.

This inability to learn from reality starts early. Our children have been raised to be self-centered and self-absorbed. As youngsters they have received whatever they want before even asking for it. There is no need to earn or save. These modern day princes and princesses are not being prepared for the sacrifices needed for starting out at the bottom in employment, raising a family and hardships that arise in the journey through life. They have no internal reality check.

Our younger generation is being robbed by not having honest evaluations given by authority figures and peers. These evaluations often shock a person into seeing his shortcomings. This straightforward feedback becomes an opportunity for improvement and maturity. The policy of all participants receiving a trophy, grade inflation and political correctness is stifling the development of strong, resilient individuals.

The high self-esteem proponents such as many educators and mental health professionals will be exposed as destructive dimwits. People of any age who are given praise and rewards without earning them are being weakened and harmed by junk science. They have no idea that thinking oneself great does not make it so

Instant gratification has been a syndrome of the offspring of the uber rich but America, on all socio- economic levels is now infested with this ailment. The baby boomers, to our youth, rich to poor all believe they are entitled to other people’s assets. Dignity, humility and honor are disappearing while taking advantage and handouts are becoming customary in our nation’s long period of prosperity.

An economic correction is coming or has already begun, with higher inflation caused by our unsustainable debt. The jig is up. Individuals either adapt to harder economic times by making do or become disappointed and bitter with their decreased purchasing power in a much more challenging time.

The silver lining in difficult times is that people learn to appreciate the important things in life. They turn towards God, family and respect for others. Increasing savings becomes a necessity that requires delaying of gratification. This working and waiting to get what a person wants increases appreciation for the object that is finally obtained and decreases the urge for envy and greed. It weeds out the mentally spoiled from the grateful survivors.

There are too many pathetic “Charlie Sheens” of the world who are becoming disillusioned people. They range from complaining about not getting the customary bonus, to being laid off, paying a high mortgage on a house too big for their income, or a PhD. begging on the street who is unwilling to take a job below his educational expectations. Phony self-esteem is based on an entourage telling a person how great he is. Our outrageous childrearing, education and media celebrity worship have been perpetrators in this hideous act. Many of us have been affected by this culture of believing we deserve more than we have.

Everyone on earth faces some form of suffering. The greater an individual’s self-importance and expectations, the harder it is to handle the pain of life. Arrogance limits the ability for appreciating the contribution of others and our country to their personal success.

The inevitable economic downturn will cleanse us of our overinflated egos. Just like Charlie Sheen and many other delusional celebrities have experienced their audience turns its back on them when they are unable to handle the adversity the celebrities have brought on themselves. Our lack of appreciation for what we have been given is coming to an end.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going and the weak fall apart. The tough fight for survival while the entitlement brats demand others do for them instead of doing for themselves. The over-inflated-ego people demanding others meet their needs will fall on deaf ears. These somewhat talented, self-promoting and self- absorbed people eventually expose themselves as mentally shallow and spiritually unhealthy souls. The audience shrinks as they see the person for what he is.

No one deserves anything. We can only work for something and be thankful for the opportunity to do so. Honorable people understand their lives are blessed not that “they deserve it. “

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.

COMPASSION CANNOT COME FROM GOVERNMENT

2011-07-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

COMPASSION CANNOT COME FROM GOVERNMENT

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD., Traditional Realist

A person with compassion is someone who gives something of himself. This voluntary act can be in the form of kindness, time or money. Whatever is given to another has to be the person’s to give. A government official telling another person to do something to assist someone else is merely using his power with public resources. It is not in any way a compassionate act.

A government official making a decision to disregard or bend the rule of law is not being charitable. Arbitrarily picking who is eligible for a handout while denying others is an abuse of his position and a waste of government funds.

Two million dollar lottery winner, Leroy Fick, was told by a Michigan bureaucrat that he was entitled to continue using his food stamp card. Mr. Fick complained to a reporter that he only received $850,000 after taxes and that the free food he chose to accept only added up to $200 per month. He expressed it was not unethical or immoral to take this assistance since the state said it was legal. With a smirk on his face he said he was not gaming the system, he was just getting what was his.

Government does not seem to have any compassion for the 53% of the citizens who pay taxes but certainly seems to have a lot for the 47% who do not pay taxes. In two years the food stamp program has jumped almost 20%. One out of every 7 Americans is receiving food stamps. There are 44.2 million recipients of the program, many, like Leroy Fick and affluent college students, have no shame in fleecing the system.

Our national flood insurance program, NFIP, is not another government program assisting in time of an emergency. It is another boondoggle of government encouraging stupidity. This program has grown to cover 5 million people. It has encouraged people to build on coastal and flood prone areas like the Mississippi. The charge for the insurance is artificially low for high-risk areas and is being subsidized by everyone else. The NFIP is more than $18 billion in debt. One billion dollars has been paid to 10,000 properties that have experienced two or more flood losses. This is not insurance but another give away program for often affluent people who choose to take a risk and live in a flood prone area yet expect to be bailed out when the inevitable happens.

The infamous Bell, California debacle where local government officials awarded each other exorbitant 6 figure salaries is not isolated to this locale. Government workers are making almost double that of the private sector employees when you factor in the benefit packages. In many local communities throughout the United States, audits are showing over 20% of the employees are cheating by making their hours greater than they have really worked. Falsifying time on the job is a crime. This cozy: “I scratch your back, by voting for you and you will go easy on my workload, evaluation and infractions,” is epidemic throughout the nation.

Employees who choose to view pornography, send it to others or shop on the Internet while working on the job are committing more than indiscretions. These are unethical behaviors. When a government worker is performing personal business from his office while on the payroll time clock, it is more than merely unethical, it is stealing from us, the taxpayers.

A private employer who allows one of his workers to break the rules of his business is putting his business in jeopardy. He will absorb the financial loss and personal hassles. This decision is his to make since he is the one who will suffer the consequences of money out of his pocket or possible loss of the business. These real business consequences in the private sector do not exist for a government official.

When a bureaucrat does not address his subordinate’s misbehavior it is more than just being a “nice guy” to his good-old-boy network. It teaches others they can also beat the system without any personal ramifications. In the private sector employee disregard of the rules often leads to being fired and prosecuted, while in government it becomes a contagious behavior, an example of “beating the system.” This dereliction of duty snowballs into higher taxes, which eventually results in undermining faith in government.

A government supervisor excusing misbehavior of fellow workers may appear to the delinquent party to be “compassionate’ to him but he is not sacrificing anything of his own. It is politically expedient to avoid a confrontation that would produce enemies. By being a “nice guy” with the deceitful one he gains allegiance from his staff. The official will talk tough to the media if the allegations become public but will do nothing. It is the average citizen whose taxes increase to pay for these inefficient workers that are the victims.

A government official who turns a blind eye to infractions of subordinates should not be considered compassionate since it is the citizen’s money, not his, that is being wasted. Not following the law in dealing with unethical, immoral or illegal behavior of his subordinates is not being kind hearted, it is being an accomplice to unacceptable or even criminal behavior.

Political positions such as commissioners and heads of agencies should be questioned by the public about what actions they have taken for transgressions by the people they are supervising. We cannot continue to excuse these incompetent, or worse, greedy managers. We need to hold them accountable. Ignoring unethical or criminal behavior cannot be dismissed. Citizens can no longer afford to be abused under the guise of phony politicians use of compassion.

Compassion comes from people voluntarily helping people like we have seen in the recent tornadoes and the floods . Compassion is not a politician declaring taxpayer’s money be used indiscriminately, given to some and not to others to win political favor.

VALUE DEFICIT CHILDREN DEVOID OF SPIRIT

2011-07-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

VALUE DEFICIT CHILDREN DEVOID OF SPIRIT

By Domenick J. Maglio, PhD. Traditional Realist

Far too many children are being left without sufficient loving support to understand how to interpret the reality surrounding then. They are alone, unprepared and unprotected to handle the random and unpredictable events of existence.

Their parents are over extended in time and energy to meet their ever increasing material expectations. They are driven to better "the Joneses." The children that come along are treated to the latest fads on their parent's prosperity trip although they receive a minimal amount of their actual presence.

This means children have the best things money can buy except the time and loving involvement of their own parents.

Our modern existence has left our children to be raised in a virtual world. The dolls, gadgets, television shows, DVDs and electronic toys become like close family members. They are shaped by the mannerisms, reactions to events and values taught by the electronic babysitters. They become emotional zombies, slaves to their devices. When they place themselves in a trance with their electric world, their minds are disconnected from the real world around them, which keeps them in their virtual reality.

At times a human custodian may enter and leave the child's existence, often in the form of a nanny, daycare worker, or a friend of the family. There is little continuity in the interaction of this string of people and definitely no intensity in the teaching of values. Caretakers have to be cautious not to step on the parental toes. The child loses out on the lost teachable moment that would have established a way of dealing with a similar situation. Children are devoid of values that anchor them in time and space.

A valueless world is a negative world. It is a frightening world. To hide their fear, children employ either an eagerness to please or arrogance and nastiness to keep others at a distance. Sex, drugs and gangsta rap seem like escapes in a world without real heroes and goodness. It is a world where good is bad and bad is good, where sex and drug addiction make people feel good even though it is short lived and often sinful. Being a victim or a bully is cool while being honorable and self-reliant is negative. Positive attitudes are "corny and fake." Depression and ugliness are real and authentic. The "goth look" is proof that misery loves company in a world without positive role models.

False high self-esteem does not inoculate mangled souls from suffering. These fragile youngsters do compare themselves with healthy children who radiate competency and genuine positive self-acceptance. This reality cannot be denied by even the most adamant hater of wholesomeness.

No matter how many expensive things their parents have purchased for these value deficit children, they still will harbor bitterness towards them. They are isolated from intimacy that comes from honest feedback to shield and guide the child through life's obstacles. These children may not be able to articulate it but they sense their inadequacies.

Although they are dependent on their parents for their material things, just below the surface they resent the superficial relationship they have with them. The children were never taught to earn their privileges. Consequently, for good or bad, actions were overlooked as it is easier to appease a child then to train him. The child learns that complaining and nagging will get him what he wants quickly. As the child gets older, this is harder to reverse and marks him as obnoxious.

Not being taught to wait for things one wants or even earn them results in less appreciation of the item. Asking and receiving anything and everything one wants decreases the value. "Easy come, easy go,” says it all in a world of affluence.

Instant gratification is a powerful motivator to keep a child in a virtual world. But delayed gratification trumps instant gratification in the real world. The fight for getting what one wants heightens the value as there is more of the person invested in it.

The lack of learning the art of intimacy with their parents and deprivation of having the availability of peers to interact with in person leaves them clueless in establishing and maintaining real friendships. Understandably they turn to pretend friends online. Celebrity worship and reality television shows supposedly teach them how to interact in social situations. The unrealistic, choreographed reality show produces a young viewer who wants to be another sociopath lying his way to stardom

These insecure and untested children do the best than can do to present themselves as they think others would like them to be. They create an alter ego by falsifying who they really are. Self-centered children are at a loss as to who they are because they have never had the opportunity to be defined by the people who love them- their parents.

These poor souls do not learn to appreciate their unique blessings. Their energy is expended pretending to be something they are not instead of absorbing the spiritual energy around them.

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.

PRINCIPALS NEED TO BE ALLOWED TO LEAD

2011-07-17T16:43:00.001-07:00

PRINCIPALS NEED TO BE ALLOWED TO LEAD

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

School districts in America are not only too large but so are the individual schools. In the 1950s there were political and economic reasons for moving away from manageable local schools. Consolidation of political power and economy of scale, not excellence of education were the driving forces. Public education became a gravy train for community leaders rather than economical quality education.

As U.S. schools became unmanageable monstrosities, the administrative bureaucracies and educational specialists ballooned. At the same time the local principal's autonomy diminished. Recruiting, hiring, training, inspiring were parceled out to specialists. Principals became the figurehead of these large facilities. Their power was no longer derived from being the head of the school but from the relationship they cultivated with the superintendent of the school district and local leaders.

The autonomous power of the principal has to be restored to improve the academic quality of our schools. He/she has to primarily remain in the school rather than travel from one conference training seminar or committee assignment to another. Without his presence on the school grounds, the principal loses the necessary knowledge and opportunities to lead.

The principal is the person officially charged with ensuring the highest level of functioning of the school. The head of any group communicates the vision, establishes the rules and procedures while keeping everyone on the same page. He has to keep his finger on the entire school community's pulse to insure its health.

Principals should investigate incidents on the spot to determine the proper cause of action. Student, teacher and parent conflicts have to be justly and quickly resolved in order to keep the harmony. When the person in charge is out of the loop his effectiveness is limited. In modern public schools, principals for the most part are outside of the school building looking in.

Without the power and accessibility of administering the school, the dignity of the position is undermined. The principal becomes nothing more than a figurehead and lackey of the superintendent's policies and whims. He no longer exercises his own judgment, convictions and authority in decisions concerning the school. His major focus is weighing his actions in the political reality he faces. He is stripped of his professional integrity along with his passion and strength to develop a quality program.

The position as head of a school should automatically come with the authority to call the shots according to his and the community’s educational viewpoint. He needs power to create an organization by picking and choosing the right staff to carry out his vision. His discussions on policies and curriculum should shape the school philosophy.

The philosophical ideas of the principal should guide him in his interactions with students, teachers and parents. As his convictions are shared with others his professional reputation will be shaped giving him the clarity to arrive at hard decisions. There is no reason he should look over his shoulder to appease anyone to maintain his position. Instead, it is the merit of his performance that would decide his fate.

The local community, parents and students, the consumers, will be the evaluators. His conscientious effort will allow him time to grow into the leader of the school. The uniting of the school community and school programs he has helped to create establishes his personal involvement and investment in the school.

The passion for his task of improving the learning community will naturally result in celebrating accomplishments of students, teachers and parents. His leadership will inspire his staff to do the little things necessary to improve the educational process.

This commitment to his creation motivates him to think of appropriate ways to help liberate students from their lack of enthusiasm to become independent learners. As students become more involved with their education they take ownership of it to become the best they can be.

Each successful principal has his/her own way of reaching this goal but every one is like an orchestra leader bringing out the best in each member of the educational community. The course of study may be unique in different settings although all excellent learning environments will teach the students that they will be required to make sacrifices to successfully reach their well thought out goals. They will learn they have to delay immediate gratification, which is a difficult but mature decision.

It is the role modeling established under the guidance of the principal that is the crucial ingredient. From dedicated teachers- to supportive parents- to conscientious students- to supportive staff, any can be the person who will say the right thing at the perfect time to heighten the awareness of the students concerning the importance of doing their studies with focus and enthusiasm.

It is the principal who builds this system that can miraculously unleash the power to energize the student to be in control of his learning and future success.

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.

TRUE INDEPENDENCE REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE

2011-07-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

TRUE INDEPENDENCE REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE
By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Americans are not stupid, they are just preoccupied with their personal lives. This is the excuse most of us use for our family and friends who are unable to connect the dots concerning our nation being on the brink of insolvency. The evidence is overwhelming.

Medicare, Medicaid, interest on our debt and now Obamacare are inflating our debt at a disastrous rate. These non-discretionary programs are consuming 76% of every tax dollar. By 2020, if we do not implode before, it will increase to 92%. Not immediately addressing non-discretionary spending will end America as we know it. Our national monthly debt is currently more than the entire annual deficit of 2007.

This safety net was put into place during the FDR era. It is on course to balloon into a comprehensive welfare state. We certainly knew that social security back in the 1960s and probably when it was initiated was a Ponzi scheme. Our unemployment insurance has grown to a two year benefit, 47% of citizens do not pay any federal income taxes, the number of people on Medicaid has skyrocketed, Obamacare is a boondoggle and the baby boomers are entering social security overwhelming the system. Too many Americans are expecting the government to take care of them. This mentality is not the self-reliance of capitalism but one that leads to totalitarian government.

The large corporations have used their lobbying power to give them unfair advantage through corporate welfare, again contrary to free enterprise. They are being allowed to privatize profits while socializing loses. Our government intervention into the corporate world like the financial industry, General Motors and Jeffery Immelt CEO of General Electric and head of President Obama’s economic advisors has been called crony-capitalism. The party in power picks losers and winners. In return the political party receives campaign donations and corporate favors. This cozy relationship bypasses the impartial free market competition. This insidious involvement of corporate executives and government officials results in consolidation of power and opportunity for rampant corruption. In the 1930s, this crony capitalism had a different name, fascism.

Another strategy of government grabbing greater power is to expand its reach and numbers. The politicians make outrageous promises and act as if they have the power to grant “new rights” to citizens. Each promised service and entitlement increases the justification for more government employees furthering government encroachment into our lives. The continual increase of local, state and federal agencies requires more public employees, which translates into more regulation, less individual freedom and more taxes.

We have to face the obvious that we are at a pivotal point. We are spending more money than we have. If we continue, we will lose our country as we know it. We are on our knees begging China for money to pay our creditors and Saudi Arabia to keep the price of oil down. The reality of America will radically change. Our country is heading towards a centrally controlled state economy whatever it is going to be called. This concentration of power in government always ends in tyranny.

We are not using our brains or common sense. These decisions to decree entitlements and rights without considering the long-term cost have created this mess.

The granting of rights and entitlements without having the funds to sustain them is driving riots worldwide including in America. The radical left filmmaker, Michael Moore, and community agitator, Reverend Jackson, praised union workers in Madison, Wisconsin for demanding outrageous salaries, benefits and the right to collective bargaining. They applauded the invasion and takeover of the state capital in Madison by out-of-control union members and sympathizers. Mr. Moore audaciously said, “America is not broke. Madison is not alone. Thank you, Don’t give up Madison … this is only the beginning.” Both these radicals are calling for revolution worldwide.

Fortunately the rule of law prevailed to prevent further chaos. In mid June the supreme court of Wisconsin ruled that Governor Scott Walker and the legislature were abiding by the law in limiting the collective bargaining rights. The court’s decision denied the unions had collective bargaining “rights.” Mob rule intimidation will hopefully not be tolerated in America.

Our constitutional republic has been the most stable, prosperous and longest existing one on earth. Our constitution and Bill of Rights limits the power of government to arbitrarily use power against citizens and protect minorities from the tyranny of the majority. Government exists to be a servant to the people rather than the people existing to meet the desires of government elites. America is based on individual freedom where citizens are allowed to be free and self reliant in a free market economy.

Gradually we have handed over power to the federal government. The concept of rights granted to the people to meet their wants and needs is part of the Communist Manifesto not our Constitution. People’s rights, collective bargaining, political correctness are slogans that have been used to transfer societies into totalitarian ones. Dependency on government feeds the growth of oppressive government.

Our citizens have to know the difference between a constitutional republic, a democracy or a dictatorial government. America will choose to reject the direction of our government in the 2012 election or accept the transformation into a dictatorial one.

Ignorance and non-involvement will keep the status quo of government ruling for the power elite’s self-interest. Remaining stupid ends in enslavement. Freedom from government repression involves understanding of what is happening politically. It will take personal involvement to reestablish our liberties. Truth and knowledge will give us the impetus to fight for our freedom.

The answer to our political future is up to us. Let us give real meaning to Independence Day.

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.

RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS ROB THE SPIRIT

2011-07-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS ROB THE SPIRIT

By Domenick Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

A government to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have.

Thomas Jefferson

FDR believed and Obama believes that the government should and could provide guaranteed rights to its citizens. These rights will be granted without any responsibility preconditions, reservations or repayment. These rights were not endowed by our Creator as envisioned by our founding fathers. Instead they are decreed through the power of the government. Thus any other government would have the same power to reinterpret and even deny any rights.

The rights that have been proposed are not limited to the following list. The right to a useful and well paying job or years of unemployment insurance, the right to adequate food and clothing, the right to vacations, the right to a substantial home, the right to a college education, the right to a spouse, a right to divorce, a right to abortion, a right to health care regardless of mistreating oneself.

Our founding father’s legacy was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These rights are endowed by our Creator. They did not relieve citizens of being responsibly self-reliant. Instead they restricted the federal government’s power to maximize citizen’s freedoms. These learned men understood that people can better use their energies to provide for themselves than can any bureaucrat.

The USA has a $14.3 trillion debt and growing. We are on the brink of national bankruptcy. We have seen politicians from both parties make ridiculous promises but do not have the courage to lay out a plan to pay for them. Watch out for anyone whose promises sound too good because they usually are. The “smart “ politician grants a new give away program but makes sure the payment will kick in well after he is reelected or leaves office. Our country’s debt is placing our sovereignty in jeopardy due to the cowardice of our politicians. Jefferson stated that debt was the greatest danger to America’s survival.

These entitlement programs, because of inefficiencies, unintended consequences and corruption always cause budgets to go beyond the original estimates. As more people are unable or unwilling to find employment the need for public assistance grows. Almost 50% of Americans receive some sort of government assistance. The “safety net” and other government handouts are becoming an acceptable way of existing in America. For a growing number of people working for a living will become of little value when taxes almost equal earnings.

Motivation to be industrious loses to idleness when people’s earnings are robbed by the government. When revenue from taxes falls with a drop in the number of people in the private sector and the dependency of more people on the dole, services are diluted to meet the higher demand. Quality and choice of services are inevitably limited by the reality of a dying economy.

The lines become longer, the services poorer and expectations become more fatalistic. Citizens are reluctant to give up their right to free services and learn to accept mediocrity. Week by week, month-by-month, year by year the spirit for life is sucked dry. They become hopeless and helpless.

People surrender their independence to better their lives for the miserable handouts they receive from government. Empty shelves, lack of choice and drabness become acceptable, the norm. Self-reliance and faith in God are replaced by a numbness of the spirit.

Some individuals somehow believe the answers to improve their lives rests with the government bureaucrats even though the government fails time after time to meet their promises. Propaganda, alcohol and drugs will increase to dull the pain. They lose the knowledge that they can accomplish anything they want as long as they are willing to pay the price. There is little urge to be free.

This is the final step in the process of people willing to give up their freedom for false promises and security. It is not a forced slavery but it becomes slavery nevertheless.

Americans, wake up sooner rather then later. Socialism/communism makes for ungrateful, psychologically weak and spiritless citizens who have sold their souls to the government.

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.

No Profiling is Poor Government

2010-02-26T05:20:00.001-08:00

The number one function of federal government is to provide protection to its citizens. This is clearly spelled out in the preamble to our constitution.

The events of the past three administrations have shown a lack of resolve in defending the USA against terrorism. The Clinton administration had an inability to see and define the terrorist threat and treated it as separate criminal acts. There was the 1993 attack on the Twin Towers, the Mogadishu incident, the killing of 17 sailors on the USS Cole. There was the establishment of the Wall of Separation between the FBI and CIA preventing any sharing of intelligence information, which made it impossible to connect the dots to identify terrorists and to plan to counterattack them.

The 9/11 attacks on the US did consolidate our forces in a plan to actively thwart Al Qaida. Unfortunately throughout the Bush administration there were security leaks from the State Department, Department of Defense and the Justice Department, which hampered the war effort. There were no public announcements of tracing, firing and correcting the lack of loyalty of career bureaucrats.

In a year’s time the Obama administration has gone back to re-establishing the Clinton’s pre 9/11 approach of de-emphasizing the threat from terrorists. A terrorist act was sugarcoated to a ‘man-made disaster.‘ On December 20th, five days before the crotch-bomber incident, this administration sent five Gitmo terrorists back to Yemen knowing the recidivism rate is 20% or higher for terrorists from that country.

This is not a breakdown of the intelligence community; it is the failure of our leadership to give a consistent message. We are either fighting an enemy at war with us or we have foreign criminals coming to America to do suicidal acts for no specific purpose.

Behavioral profiling does work. Israel’s airline, EL AL, has not had a security breach since the 1960s. Our entire government has stubbornly prohibited profiling even with passengers at airports. Being aware and scrutinizing high-risk passengers is nothing more than self-preservation ,yet the administration ignores this common sense method to stop haters of America from entering our shores.

Homeland Security took the lead in wishing away the War on Terrorism and minimizing security. The Christmas Day Miracle revealed a surprising number of red flags that had to be disregarded by an incredible number of agents. The 23 year-old Nigerian, Yemen trained terrorist was placed on a “watch list” and was denied a visa from Great Britain. He boarded a flight in Nigeria, purchased a one-way ticket with cash and had no passport or luggage. His own father, a highly respected banker, personally reported to the CIA on several occasions, his son’s radicalization and involvement with Al Qaida.

Janet Napolitano initially appeared on television and told America that this colossal security failure showed that our security system worked. The next day she completely changed her story. President Obama’s said 72 hours after this event that it was an isolated terrorist. The next day he related that there is evidence 25 other terrorists were waiting in line for their chance. After this information was revealed this incident became a systemic failure of security.

The real cancer is much more deeply imbedded in our federal government than one or two officials. Their response shows incompetency or an attempted cover-up. The systematic nature of their approval of this downgrading of our safeguards as soon as this administration came into power is much more problematic.

The story keeps on changing according to the facts that can no longer be hidden. We can no longer accept an internal review or blue ribbon commission cover-up with no specific actions taken. We must demand to be given a full explanation of who authorized these changes in policy and the methods that will be used to hold them accountable.

There has been incident after incident that indicates there are people in our government who are more dedicated to protecting our enemies than our citizens. Charging these heinous acts as criminal acts allows the enemy combatants to ‘lawyer up’ and prevent any real interrogation. We are being stopped from reaping important intelligence information.

Attorney General Eric Holder has to reverse his policy of closing Gitmo and treating enemy combatants as criminals with all the rights of American citizenship or be held accountable for its disastrous results. All parties that impede the investigation or fail to swear allegiance to the constitution should be sent packing.

It is becoming clear; the only way to make sense of these illogical and counter productive policies is that there are officials in important positions that have little interest in protecting our citizens. Before the advent of political correctness their behavior would be considered treasonous. This type of behavior can no longer be tolerated without accepting further serious attacks and horrific consequences to our economy and the morale of our citizens.

It is time to clean house or face greater suffering.

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

Lack of Punishment Results in Dishonor

2010-02-26T05:19:00.001-08:00

America is becoming a weak nation. There is no longer agreement on what is right or wrong or decent. This confusion has lowered our ability to establish and maintain high standards. People are not sure what is expected of them anymore.

We see the effects on the disintegration of our moral values in all aspects of our lives. Our society is producing weak and overindulgent parents. Our schools are inflating grades and do not give consequences for inappropriate behavior. Corporations are providing poor customer service and producing inferior products. There is no institution in the United States that is sending a strong and clear message of what it takes to become excellent in any role.

Our politicians are not being held accountable for the most flagrant incompetence and disgraceful behavior imaginable. There are few honorable people willing to risk their positions to lead us back to being an exceptional nation. Citizens are beside themselves attempting to comprehend what is happening to our country.

The answer is simple. Who rocks the cradle, controls the nation. When a nation does not emphatically teach moral values to the children everyone does his 'own thing.' Without a moral compass, any deviant actions can be and is rationalized. Pathetically we are perfecting the art of not taking responsibility at an early age, which continues throughout adulthood.

When a young child hurts another child the major consequence today is being made to say 'I'm sorry.' Everything is forgiven and forgotten. There is no sufficient punishment to give enough pain to learn a moral lesson. The actual lesson learned is that 'after I get caught as long as I act contrite, I can do anything I want.'

The opposite is true of a strong parental figure that clearly establishes parameters through appropriate consequences. Children respond positively to strong parents and listen to them. Employees listen to the man in charge who sets the rules and enforces them and follows them himself. They respond by meeting the boss's expectations or face his wrath. The employee looks over his shoulder to see if he is satisfying the boss. In the same manner the child looks to his parents to see if he is meeting their expectations.

The person in charge confirms he has the authority and power every time he metes out consequences by promotions or salary increases or by demoting or firing an employee. External discipline breeds internal discipline for people of any age. This is the reason all healthy people want to know where they stand. Children want discipline because then they know their parents care. Dedicated workers feel more appreciated and safer in an environment where they know the expectations and standards on which they will be judged. Authority figures are slacking in this area.

Political leaders are poor role models when they are not telling the truth or enforcing the same rules for everyone. They say one thing and do the opposite. Lying is so prevalent that we joke, "what can we expect, they're politicians?"

These mixed messages are allowed because we, the citizens are not holding them responsible by firing them through the ballot box. Like parents who refuse to punish their children, politicians believe they are entitled to be revered. Citizens like children are becoming cynical and disrespectful of authority figures.

President Obama's press conference about the security lapses of the underwear bomber was a virtuoso performance of double talk. According to him it was a systemic problem but he did not define the specifics, take responsibility for the fiasco or say how he would fix it. This meant no one including himself would be punished for not performing his duty.

The inability to say what he means and mean what he says creates a muddled message. After the investigation of this incident the administration made no operational changes and did not fire anyone. The tone set was business as usual: sloppy and corrupt. This means everyone is secure in his position and no one is in charge.

Under pressure it is easy to place the blame anywhere rather than making the right decision. There is a big difference between throwing an innocent person under the bus and exonerating a guilty one. An honorable civil servant of the president, if wrong, should not wait for a presidential decision. He would admit his mistake and resign to save the president from any embarrassment. No one has yet done so.

Our lack of respecting right and wrong has weakened the quality of our performance and ability to know the honorable thing to do. 'Falling on one's sword' in this society is incomprehensible for there is nothing more important than protecting oneself.

Dishonor becomes commonplace in a culture that promotes arrogance and getting ahead by any means. Tragically this weakens the entire society.

Our duty as citizens is voting. When we do not study and know a representative's record we are being as delinquent as an appeasing parent or boss. It is time for honorable people to fulfill their responsibility to support the conscientious servant or kick the bums out. Honor will be served.

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

The Global Warming Swindle has Imploded

2010-02-26T05:16:00.000-08:00

Global warming has moved from a previously held theory now to a scientific fact Osama Bin Laden has proclaimed that the USA with other industrial nations are the cause of climate change. He advised to boycott American goods and stop using the US dollar.

All the “scientific experts” including Bin Laden have formed a consensus with an airtight argument proving global warming. The consensus is called climate change. When it is unusually warm or even frigidly cold, like this winter, the “experts” proclaim it is indisputable proof of global warming and they are not joking.

The only thing American skeptics must do is ignore the “climategate,” Himalayagate, Amazongate debacles and the fact that climate has been changing long before man walked the earth to be converted to true believers. This will be tricky since 57% of the American public- and more every day- believes there is no solid evidence for global warming.

Climategate, the suppressing and manipulation of data was disclosed in thousands of emails going back 13 years. Phil Jones, the head of the British Research Center, had to step down after it was found he used “tricks” to “hide” the decline in recent global temperatures. The correspondence also demonstrated how he and others kept critical articles out of peer review journals, an essential element of the scientific process. This maneuver demonstrated how they kept any dissenters out of the scientific discourse.

On February 14, 2010, the same Phil Jones produced a new chapter of climategate. He said he could not produce data for the hockey stick graph that was the pivotal evidence of global warming. He related that the world was possibly warmer in medieval times than now and said that there has not been statistically significant warming since 1995. Amazingly he said that global warming may not be a man-made phenomenon.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Global Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 report has been factually discredited by the Himalayan and Amazon debacles. Indian glacier expert, Syed Hasnain, said he was misquoted about the Himalayan ice cap melting by 2035. He reluctantly admitted it was included in the IPCC report to put pressure on world leaders.

“Amazongate” relied on a World Wildlife Fund, an environmental advocacy group, report rather than on a scientific study. The IPCC used this political environmental group to make the assertion that global warming could reduce 40% of the rainforest. This was an anecdotal observation not in any way scientific.

Dr. Rajendra Pichauri, the chairman of the IPCC is not the world’s top climate scientist, he is not even a scientist. He is a railroad engineer and has a PhD. in economics. It was discovered he knew about the misinformation of “Amazongate” two months before the Copenhagen conference and chose to withhold it until after the conference. When you follow the money it is obvious he would profit immensely from the global warming hoax.

These three strikes and you’re out should end the fiasco of global warming. Add the additional fourth, fifth and sixth strikes and it becomes a joke. These consensus people were yelling about global cooling in 1974 in Time magazine, India outright quit the Copenhagen conference and China does not accept any of the conference regulations that would limit their economic growth.

Yet our executive branch does not listen or hear the people’s voice concerning the overwhelming evidence smacking them in the face of the fraud of global warming. They cannot make a rational decision; instead, these progressive politicians with all the damning revelations will stay this ridiculous course. The motivation of these self-serving people is redistributing money nationally and internationally as well as political power and socialism through any means possible.

The Cap and Trade bill is supposed to be dead. Our executive branch is making an end run on science and the American people. On December 9, 2009, before the Copenhagen conference, the EPA concluded greenhouse gasses are endangering American’s health and must be regulated. This was a signal to the leaders of the climate change industry that we were going to be serious about Cap and Trade.

The New York Times has reported on January 5, 2010, that the CIA is now to use spy satellites and other sensors to document global warming instead of doing their job of protecting our country through gaining intelligence. They are diverting valuable resources by this ridiculous new executive order. On January 29. 2010, Mary Schapiro, head of the SEC, made a veiled threat to intimidate public companies to join the Cap and Tax bandwagon. She issued “guidance” to them about reporting to the SEC about their operation’s risk to global warming.

Now on February 9, 2010 the administration has established the Climate Service under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It will be promoting politically motivated predictions for global warming.

These executive decisions makes our government actively involved in the global warming deception.

The global warming fiasco has awakened the American people. Science practiced with objectivity and integrity has advanced mankind. Politicians disguised as authentic scientists are charlatans who want to subjugate the people of the world for their own personal gain.

If meteorological predictions of local daily weather and hurricanes are any indication of the accuracy of the field of science, why would anybody buy into this inconvenient politics except to honor Nobel Peace Prize “scientist,” Al Gore and IPCC “scientist.” Rajendra Pichauri. There is no definitive proof of global warming or CO2 emissions being a cause. But we now know there are many political factors driving this charade. The jig is up.

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

BIG GOVERNMENT SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF THE MIDDLE CLASS

2010-02-26T05:13:00.000-08:00

“You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.” Andrean Rogers

The vigor of the middle class is derived from its own free and independent initiative. People who are secure that they can keep their profits and property are incentivized to work. Those who have the majority of their profits and property siphoned off through ever increasing taxes and regulations lose the motivation to struggle to better themselves financially. They either never form their dreams or give them up.

The growth of big government in any nation is a natural enemy of the independent middle class. Government devours it through taxes. The middle class is like the canary in the mine, it is the first to realize the impact of taxes and regulations on its livelihood and well being.

Government does not produce any wealth. Wealth is generated by business. The growth in power of central government has to be financed by the private sector. The redistribution of the assets of the haves to the have-nots with a large slice going to growing and greasing the bureaucracy is a predictable destructive process.

For government’s growth to occur it is easier to start at the top and work down in a progressive tax system. By scapegoating the wealthy class as selfish and greedy it is easy to convince others to confiscate a larger and larger percentage of the wealthy class’s property over time. As the government appetite continues to grow it drops down the social ladder to increase the taxes of the rest.

At the same time one class is pitted against another, corporate welfare is used to solidify economic power of a too big to fail international corporation. The corporate world’s privileged incentives are directed towards carefully selected companies. The money and power flows both ways enhancing the pockets of each.

Regulations and tax incentives are offered to some but not to others. Those selected corporate execs and elite politicians meet behind closed doors to hammer out corporate social welfare for the few willing to “pay to play.” The government sets the regulations dictating the way the industry will be run while the chosen companies are protected and granted federal dollars as others are frozen out. The revolving door connection with people in high office insures the money flow through government contracts and even bailouts with political kickbacks.

The financial success of these corporations is distributed to political cronies through lobbyists, donations to assist their elections and benefits to enhance their life styles. This money exchanges are hidden from the public through backroom deals. There is no transparency in the development of these relationships. Once the new political structure is solidified, the middle class will be absorbed.

Two classes will be left standing, the unconnected poor class and the politically connected wealthy and powerful one.

The reality of an all-powerful government is established with the crushing of hope and the spirit of the nation. Everyone except the politically connected enter the world of enslavement through dependency. A centralized government without constitutional restrictions and protection has the power to confiscate privately accumulated wealth which de-incentivizes entrepreneurs. Innovators will have no opportunity to compete with the corporate world and will turn into disillusioned, bitter people on the dole.

China, Russia and other centralized governments are choosing to decentralize economic power. They have swallowed the bitter pill increasing the freedom of people to engage in unrestricted free enterprise. These central control governments have reluctantly given up political power to stimulate the economy. The willingness to hand back certain liberties that will limit central power has brought and always will bring economic prosperity. Yet our own nation is taking the opposite path.

Now Americans understand that hope and change of any administration can be a nightmare instead of the traditional American dream. Americans are learning there is no free lunch without losing freedom and property. We are finally waking up.

Government handouts and over 40% of citizens not paying any federal income taxes has to be reversed for the sake of freedom, liberty and our children’s future.
Paraphrasing Alexis de Tocqueville, the less citizens are dependent on government, the healthier the nation.

Let us preserve the engine of our prosperity: the middle class, and stop bailing out international corporations that are too big to succeed. Removing government regulations, public and corporate welfare and redistributing wealth to special interests will ignite our nation’s middle class competitive juices.

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.

AN "I" PRESIDENCY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

2009-10-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

AN "I" PRESIDENCY IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL  

by Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D. Neo Traditionalist  

President Obama, You will be the president at least until 2012. Every historian will refer to the years you served as chief of the executive branch as the "Obama Presidency." There are many other elected representatives, appointed officials, advisors and the American public who are also going to be instrumental in all the achievements.

  In the first 41 speeches as president you have used the word "I" 1200 times. In your speech to schoolchildren you mentioned "I" 57 times. This may be an old habit, like smoking, that is hard to break, but it is damaging to student’s understanding of how the US government works. It is not about a single individual but rather about a magnificent document that has guided us to greatness.   

It is understandable that you cannot control all your underlings or supporters but you do have a responsibility to reprimand them when they are not doing what is right.  

Your Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, approved a curriculum guide to go along with your speech to students. It asked these impressionable young people to write to themselves about how they were inspired and could help President Obama. This smacks of a propaganda tactic especially when Broward County superintendent of schools mandated that all students listen to your speech or be punished. A school in Burlington, New Jersey has students sing songs specifically praising you. This was sung to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  

Hello Mr. President, we honor you today

For all your great accomplishments.

Another song is:

Mmm-mmm-mm

President Hussein Obama,

He said all must lend a hand

To make this country great…

mmm-mmm-mm

He said red, yellow, black and white

All are equal in his sight.

The last two lines are paraphrased from a Christian children’s song: Jesus Loves Me. The using of this line is absurd when children are not allowed to talk about God, or even pledge the flag, sing Christmas carols and certainly are not allowed to pray.   

Your White House Director of Public Engagement, Buffy Wicks, arranged a national conference call with 75 members of the National Endowment of the Arts. These artists, many of who received grants were told to create artworks to support your political agenda. This year the NEA had received $170,000,000 dollars of federal money. This is wrong on so many levels. Taxpayer’s money should not be used for indoctrination of the public.

 
You are not reluctant to apologize to foreign countries for our imperfections as well as our achievements. These speeches do audaciously create the impression that you intend to lead the world.

The reality is you are the President of the United States not of the world. You will honor the office of the President of the United States by disassociating yourself from people in your administration and supporters who want to create a cult allegiance to you. Our constitution does everything to prevent our government falling into the hands of a despot.

 George Washington, our great first president chose to relinquish power after serving his terms rather than exploiting his popularity and accomplishments to remain in power as a cult monarchist. He and other great patriots fought and sacrificed in the revolution and wanted to leave a legacy for future generations. They established a constitution restraining the power of government to better insure it serves the people rather than the politician’s greed. The three branches of government with its checks and balances and Bill of Rights was a gift to all of us.   

The head of the executive branch is an important position but it was consciously not given imperial powers. Everything accomplished during any administration of a president is done in conjunction with the senate, congress and judiciary branches.   

No one person, including a president, can claim he did anything by himself. It would be a foolish notion. It would demoralize citizens and many people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make America great.  

A cult of personality like that behind Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, or Moammar Kaddafi would destroy our institutions. Our government is an integrated system based on principles not on a charismatic individual like was seen in communist Russia, China or Nazi Germany. These leaders were given godlike status and citizens were forced to pay tribute to them. This worshipping of any person results in repression and economic disaster. These tyrants might stay in power many years through their political organized thuggery but do nothing to help the citizens of the country.

 America’s exceptionalism is derived from free and productive citizens who are protected by our constitution from an ever-increasing central government’s tendency toward corruption.

 
President Obama, our government schools, instead of brainwashing students should instruct them in history and civics. This will inoculate them against accepting totalitarian governments based on a cult of personality.

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.

THANKS OBAMA, CONGRESS FOR THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION

2009-09-22T11:43:00.000-07:00

By Domenick J. Maglio Ph.D Neo Traditionalsim

The subtle and gradual expansion of the federal government under both Presidents Bush has been replaced by the more “in-your-face” and explosive race to socializing America. This blatant arrogance of a political elite has awakened the American people. The Obama administration has been the catalyst of the Second American Revolution.

The 9/12/ 2009 Constitutional Revival and March on Washington, D.C. and its mini conventions throughout the United States on this day showed America that We The People are the difference between liberty and tyranny. The crooked politicians and mainstream media accomplices can no longer hide the truth by repeating lies and censoring the facts. Citizens of America are not as stupid as politicians believe.

Everyone can see with their own non-lying eyes the photos of wall-to-wall people from the Capital Building to the Washington Monument. CNN and ABC initially reported 1.5 to 2 million people not the ridiculous 20 to 60 thousand revised number. The British press, that has no ax to grind, reported there were 2 million people. Even the interstate highways were shut down due to the overflow of people trying to reach the mall.

This was the largest gathering of people in the history of the country. They came from all 50 states to speak in a united voice. This enormous hoard of humanity was not an “unruly, racist, Nazi mob” rather it was an incredibly large collection of law abiding, friendly individuals. There were no people provoking arrest. Everyone was courteous and orderly to the point of leaving the sacred grounds litter free. These peaceful, freedom-loving marchers started at Freedom Plaza, nearby the White House, walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the domed Capitol Building.

Families with their children, middle agers, college students, retired folks, Black, White, Hispanic, Hawaiians, Native Americans, democrat, republican, independent and the apolitical from every walk of life sat but mostly stood listening intently to one inspiring speaker after another. These patriotic individuals felt the power of knowing they were not alone. Spontaneously they spoke with the people beside them as if they were life-long friends sharing complicated thoughts and feelings with each other. Even though they did not personally know each other they were on the same page believing in American exceptionalism.

Our political, religious and cultural values forged by our forefathers over 230 years ago were fully recognized for their eternal truth by those standing in front of the dome.

Our inalienable rights to life, liberty and (property) the pursuit of happiness is not granted to us by a ruler but endowed by our Creator.

Government that governs least governs best.

The larger the government power the greater the loss of individual freedom.

The passing on of debt to future generations is an immoral act.

There has and will continue to be in any form of government, including socialism, no free lunch.

The American people are the ultimate check against government enslavement.

The only way America can function is to have moral and educated citizens. Our civic responsibility is to be aware of our representatives’ voting records and keep them when they are serving our self-interest and fire them when they are serving their own self-interests.

This renewed awareness of the relevance of our constitution has inspired the Second American Revolution. The same truth that was derived by the oppression of King George on the colonists can be seen today in the power grabbing and rape of our treasury. The empty promises, false hope and destructive changes are no different than what our founders faced as colonists.

Americans want to keep the American Dream that is rooted in our constitution: that any American regardless of his birth status can improve his position through his personal effort. We cannot allow, “power at all costs” politicians to hijack our constitutional freedoms and free market prosperity.

The dedicated people who chose to sacrifice their own money and time to come to Washington, D.C. often were politically involved for the first time and realized they were on a spiritual journey to take back America from the counter culture radicals spawned during the 1960s. They spoke together on the way back from the event on the metro, busses, and in airports about the historical significance of this moment. They were elated although they realized their efforts have just begun. They spontaneously committed themselves to return whenever needed to demand their voices be heard and listened to by our governmental representatives. No longer will they tolerate the people they hired to work for special interests to satisfy their own personal greed.

The American People are no longer a sleeping giant. We are an invigorated, aware people who know the power lies with us to take back the reins of government. We are not protesting against, we are just taking back our great nation that was handed to us at great sacrifice by our ancestors.

We have once again united as a people and will no longer allow government to divide us nor will we remain apathetic. The truth cannot and will not be ignored. The American spirit will prevail in this The Second American Revolution as it did in the first.

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

Government Owns Our Castle

2008-07-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

We can no longer use our property or do to it what we would like. Our homes are being micro managed by our government. No, while we were sleeping the government did not decree the end to private property, at least not yet.

We still own our homes and have to pay the mortgage and taxes. Private contracts such as house and land deeds are honored although the government has begun to enlarge its power to take away our rights as homeowners. Eminent domain was for the public good to build schools, roads and other community improvements. It now includes increasing the tax revenue for the government’s good as well as greedy pick-pocketing developers.

Americans have always felt that their “homes were their castles.” The home was a sanctuary under their control. They may not have had great material wealth but they knew a free man could do whatever he chose on his land.

Times have changed. Putting a shed up on your property means you now have to get permission and actually pay a permitting fee, “tithe,” to the local government. Changing your front door or merely painting a room, or upgrading your air conditioner or just changing a large appliance can require a permit. Our freedom to do what we want with our homes has been radically reduced.

Greedy bureaucrats are salivating realizing technological advances can be used to increase their invasion into our homes. Rural wells are being identified and recorded to have the information necessary to impose an unexpected tax on homeowners. These country residents, not the government, drill and maintain their own wells at their own expense to tap into God’s waters. Officials in some California counties want to control the air conditioning and heat temperatures in homes by the use of advanced electronic monitoring. In some urban areas smoking has even been outlawed in people’s own dwellings. The list of government intrusions into our homes is growing rapidly.

There are two main rationales the government uses for stealing our civil rights. According to local government any home improvement has to be inspected by government officials to insure it meets the current building code. This is supposedly to protect the owner and the potential next owner of the house from shoddy work by contractors. In reality it is just another way of controlling and taxing us. Even with “government inspections” any buyer with any brains would inspect the house himself or hire a professional before making a major commitment to buy a home.

The other is a socialistic rationale that the government must limit our rights for “the common good.” This translates into: “you cannot use this item according to your own needs” like air and water since other people in the world may need them more. The government arbitrarily determines a formula that charges you for carbon emissions or water. It is hard to argue for personal freedom when “city hall” is claiming they do this for our children’s future unless you realize all of this rationale is another bunch of bunk to take our hard earned money to expand government further into our pocketbook and lives.

We Americans are at the breaking point and need to draw a line in the sand. We must start somewhere. It is best to begin as close to home as possible. The loss of our rights in our own homes should be a wake up call. If we cannot stand up for our own liberty on our own property, we do not deserve to be free.

Doers are being penalized for being productive. The disincentives to industrious people will lead to totalitarianism but incentives to these same people will create a free, vibrant country. We should leave the good US citizens free to do things necessary to improve their lot in life, not tax them into poverty.

To begin we need to take back our castle:

Question instead of sheepishly accepting any time the government is demanding money from us for improving our homes or consuming God’s gifts to man like water and air.
Associate with other like-minded people to run candidates for office who want to protect our rights to be free. (Citizen’s cumulative decisions are more efficient and effective than government’s short sighted ones.)
Call, email and speak directly to our representatives to enlarge, not restrict our freedoms.

We need to take back our castles or accept the all -powerful government’s approach to restricting rights and housing. Remaining oblivious to government’s erosion of our rights will leave us with no choice but dull, drab state built and run projects like other communist countries. America will deserve whatever happens: we fight for our freedoms or lose them.

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

The Issue is Neglect Not Abuse

2008-07-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Through “group think,” the progressive elites made spanking an abusive act that most people believe is illegal. Although no law has been passed making spanking illegal in any state of the union it has turned many against parents who sternly discipline their children. Americans are being reported to government officials for doing their duty of teaching their children right from wrong. No parent wants government bureaucrats to march into their homes making their lives a living hell.

The response to this intimidation has been for parents to back off teaching their children appropriate behavior. Instead of giving an effective consequence like a spank on the toddler’s behind, parents have learned it is easier to ignore bad behavior. Parents intuitively know that not doing anything when their child acts out is less offensive than taking a stand in our PC culture. In our modern society when a child acts out parents usually just lazily tune out and do nothing.

Ignoring bad behavior produces a maladaptive child. When parents begin to dislike their own misbehaving children, they find ways to avoid being around them. This leads to leaving them a little later at after school programs or at friends' homes before coming to pick them up, going into another room to get away or just coming home later and later to spend less and less time with their child. By not being there, the parents are neglectful.

Neglect, not physical abuse is the number one culprit in damaging children in our modern culture.

“1 In 50 Infants Neglected or Abused, Study Shows,” is the title of an article by Mike Stobbe, April 4, 2008, Tampa Tribune, page 5. The title is misleading as almost 87% of the 1 in 50 children are neglected while only 13% of the children were abused. The overwhelming problem in America is parental neglect, not abuse.

Yet the brainwashing continues that any and all spanking is abusive while the main issue of neglect is kept quiet. The higher socioeconomic forms of neglect are not even being considered no less addressed.

Neglect is usually less traumatic than physical abuse although it can be even more damaging to a child’s development. Without parents dedicating their time and energy to training their children to societal standards, children will be deficient in emotional and social areas. Problems in these areas make children susceptible to drugs or alcohol because they have a strong need to fit in. The neglect of these children’s normal needs leads to antisocial and self-destructive behavior.

The profile of the majority of parental villains in our culture is not a crazed, violent parent but a detached, inconsistent one. A parent who emphasizes only the “show off” skills to impress people with his bright child while neglecting the emotional and social nurturing is creating a self-centered, ticking time bomb.

By concentrating on the extreme cases of physical abuse, we as a nation have handcuffed parents from doing their duty as the first teachers of their children. Frightened, absent or uninvolved parents cannot raise a healthy child.

For their first 18 years our society should expect parents to consider their children as one of their top priorities. In public citizens should compliment parents when they have well behaved children. Appropriate discipline of a rude child should receive a smile of approval instead of a frown of disapproval. A conscientious parent is a blessing to the children and to our nation.

Parents need to feel free to do all the things necessary to do their job. Kissing and spanking are natural practices of nurturing. We should not stigmatize these acts as potentially physical or sexual abuse or we suffer the consequences of parental non-involvement.

“Do gooders” in government and the media should step aside and leave parenting to parents. The family has proven to be the best social unit in producing healthy children. Parents need to be appreciated for all the sacrifices they make for their children not treated like perennial child abuse suspects.

Truly abusive parents stick out like a sore thumb and should be prosecuted by law enforcement not by overzealous “remake the world” social workers. Modern parents need to stop thinking about how they may appear abusive to “busy body know-it-alls” and act in the best interest of their child.

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.

Parents Expect Teachers to do the Parent's Job

2008-07-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

“Obedience is the foundation of all learning.” Ben Franklin

Many children are told by their parents to eat their food and they don’t. Their bed time is 7:30pm and they mess around until 9 or10 o’clock. “Brush your teeth,” and the child merely pretends or does not do it at all. Finally the child crossed the line, looks straight at his parents and says, “No.” Most of this happens before they leave the toddler stage.

Too often students listen better to their teachers than to their own parents. The parents are not indignant about being ignored by their children. They are not ashamed of their inability to get their children to listen to them. These parents feel the lack of children following their commands is acceptable for them and the future of their children. It is not.

The explanation for their nonchalant attitude in disciplining is parents no longer view this as their responsibility. Eventually the child will reach school age and the teachers will train them. The modern parents lack of anxiety about the future of their child should be frightening to all of us. Functioning adults are necessary for a free society.

Teachers may have good intentions to change the bad habits of students but this is a monumental undertaking. The foundation of these behaviors was laid at home before they entered school. Parents will continue to take and uninvolved, lazy approach to disciplining until they realize they have the power to develop good habits to maximize the chances of the child’s success. Many parents ignore this reality as it is labor intensive.

It is easier to think everything will naturally fall into place as their child grows older. This may be true in a primitive culture although it is absolute nonsense in a highly civilized society. Skills and habits need to be demonstrated, practiced and perfected under the supervision of the parents to shape certain aspects of the child’s character.

Today’s parents believe they should not be held accountable for their child’s actions although they are ready to scrutinize each and every teacher’s impact on their child’s performance. They question every teacher’s methods to see how they are going to improve their child’s grades and behavior. Some parents even want to wash their hands of any and all responsibility for the child’s performance at school.

From the first day a child enters school, the handprint of the parent can be seen on the behavior of the child. Many children are well socialized knowing what to do at school although they may act the opposite at home. The inconsistent enforcement of the rules at home encourages the child to play manipulative games. These games push the limits enough to make the child think he won while the parents throw their hands up in frustration defeat. Many parents find it easier and more comfortable to isolate themselves from their children by doing their own activities without the children.

The children “win” disregarding the power of their parents but “lose” by developing bad habits. Instead of eating their entire meal, they eat only what they want. They often refuse to eat breakfast and play numerous games to avoid going to bed on time. These children don’t even follow commands and act as if they do not care about the punishments meted out. The parents are not only inconsistent but they begin to feel hopeless and powerless. Their last desperate hope is that their children will outgrow bad behavior by going to school.

Children may make a turn about in front of a new authority figure like a teacher but eventually their bad habits will resurface. Going to bed too late and not eating correctly results in a lack of energy, frequent illness and inability to concentrate. Frequent swings of attitude and performance in school can be traced to little structure and inconsistent discipline at home. The victim is the child.

When parents realize increasing structure and expectations at home positively affects the child’s education, they will correct the mistakes of the past. For many loving parents this empowers them to be more demanding and less wimpy in dealing with their children.

When parents become accountable for doing their parental duties they stop relying on teachers to be surrogate parents. This results in their children doing better in school.

The most beneficial activity parents can do to assist their child in school is to teach them to listen. When children follow the instructions of their fathers and mothers they are more likely to follow the directions of their teachers. In school the child who listens and does what he is asked usually does better than the child that does not. The ability to listen assures success in school.

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.

Embarassing Ourselves in the Eyes of the World

2008-06-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

As a world power we think we can dictate our cultural ideals no matter how alien our culture is to others. Our overly pampered teenagers are frequently given vacations to foreign countries. Instead of acting reserved and being concerned about how others view their behavior they act as if they are putting on a show. Our teenagers are often loud, silly, sexually provocative and become intoxicated while their parents or chaperones look on unconcerned.

The reality is everyone watches an American. Foreigners are fascinated by our actions, dress and lack of manners. When we allow our youngsters to drink because the country they are visiting or cruise ship they are on has no age restrictions, the young teens’ obnoxious drunken actions are a reflection on all Americans.

The ugly American has changed from wealthy, older people to teenage “MTV celebrity wannabees.” We Americans are not demanding courteous and dignified behavior from our children when visiting foreign nations. We act as if “what happens there stays there.” When something tragic happens we do not question our supervision nor the obnoxious behavior of our youth but arrogantly blame the authorities of the foreign nation.

We have punished Aruba for the “Natalie Holloway” debacle. We now know a token four chaperones were given the responsibility of supervising over 100 American high school seniors. Natalie Holloway was allegedly drunk and drugged the night she was last seen with three young Aruba men. There is ample evidence that the partying was voluntary.

There are people in all nations and social classes who will take advantage of a vulnerable person. Predators are waiting in the wings for these young girls. They are merely doing what they do best: prey on others. It is the parent’s responsibility to keep their children’s behavior under control and to let them know that evil is waiting for any person who loses his faculties or is in an altered state.

Natalie’s parents and stepparents, with the help of the media, put the government of the small Caribbean island on trial for several years. America’s power has devastatingly harmed Aruba’s tourism by painting their judicial system as corrupt and incompetent. It may well be although the root of the problem is our cultural naiveté of human behavior. Drunken boys do obnoxious things that often end in brawls. Young “loose” appearing girls are going to be sexually harassed by high testosterone boys and men in any culture.

Too many modern “I want to be your friend” parents have moved so far away from human nature that they believe their personal power can protect their children and control everyone who comes in contact with them. This is delusional.

All of our expended energies after a preventable tragic incident do not bring the person back to life. The ultimate anguish and often guilt is experienced by the parents. Only by acknowledging the real dangers of existence can children live more safely and peacefully with others.

Most foreigners and traditional Americans believe parents and chaperones have the responsibility to demand appropriate and moral behavior from their children. No aware and rational parents can believe they have the power to control the reactions of others to protect their child. Our culture is foolish if we believe we can dictate to others what we want rather than live reasonably within the boundaries of human nature. Ignoring evil does not magically make it disappear.

Bad things happen when youngsters are left to their own devices. We are all at fault if children are not taught this by their parents and culture. No parents should believe they possess world power to change human nature. Attractive teenage “hotties” acting uninhibited places them in a vulnerable and dangerous position. Many males will follow their base instincts and seize the opportunity these girls provide.

Americans are not inherently better or worse than other people from other nations. The majority of Americans who choose morally responsible lifestyles create safe and respectful environments. We must recognize that others live an undisciplined or even criminal life-style. We need to make our children aware that their stupid actions attract dangerous people who can harm them.

Any and all obnoxious or immoral behavior of Americans overseas affects our reputation as a nation more than any presidential actions. We the American people are either good or bad will ambassadors. Our actions out of the country do impact all Americans.

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

Our Parents Were Right

2008-06-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

Parents have an inherent responsibility to protect their children from the dangers of the world. Generation after generation has warned children about dangerous situations they have learned about through their own experience. When we were young many of the things we thought were ridiculous, old fashioned and no- sensible have turned out to be realistic and prophetic. They were right and we were naively wrong.

“Saving for a rainy day” has been replaced by “buy now- pay later.” According to a recent poll cited on National Public Radio, today’s adults do not feel financially better off than their parents. Even though they earn more money, they spend more than they earn and buy what they want rather than what they need. Each newer generation has readily rejected the notion of saving to the point where the average American has none.

America is reaping what it sowed 45 years ago when the “Me Generation” threw out all the rules. “It is all about me” became the self-serving mantra of college students. These same young adults who detested their parent’s work ethic lifestyle, ironically demanded money from them to live an instant gratification lifestyle.

Although the parents of these self-centered young adults were from the “world of hard knocks” they chose to believe their “children knew best.” Parents were convinced to discard their nagging ways and accept the easier liberating lifestyle of their non-responsible children. No longer did parents feel obliged to share their experience and knowledge with their children. The duty to ones family, community and country was replaced by optimal self-indulgence. Each younger generation has walked down this path with less mature advice from their self-delusional parents.

APBF era, the “After Parents Became Friends” Era was the impetus for the radical downturn in our culture. We rejected the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors for the unrealistic dreams of inexperienced “know-it-alls.

When they were parents and not friend’s adults knew to resist the ignorance of youth and not join it. They knew dining together was good for the entire family. It allowed parents time to mould their children. Parents taught American exceptionalism based on God and laws of nature, to their children. These were some of the things they taught us.

Having children without marriage, lying, stealing, cheating or disrespecting others is wrong.
Evil exists and needs to be recognized and controlled.
Watch a person’s deeds not his words. Talk is cheap.
If things appear too good to be true, watch out.
Do not take candy from a stranger.
There is no free lunch, especially from government.
Do everything to the best of your ability.
A person’s reputation matters. Show me your friends, shows me your future.
We are judged by the company we keep.
A good family and your health are more valuable than gold.
Knowledge is power.
Silence is golden.
“Wait until your father gets home. “I punished you for your own good.”
“Punishing you is harder on me than on you.”
Father knows best.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Moving away from these accurate evaluations of human nature and towards progressive falsehoods has led us to today’s world. Our society is much more dangerous, uncaring and purposeless. The less than perfect families of the past have been superseded by fragmented families and dysfunctional government agencies.

After almost 50 years we have the data to compare. Americans are materially richer and spiritually and socially poorer. Violence, divorce, drug and alcohol addiction, unwed mothers and dropouts have sky rocketed. We have moved away from God, laws of nature and meaningful relationships. The evidence is overwhelming.

The blueprint to obtain a more civilized existence is clear. America offered more stability, personal responsibility and peace of mind when we chose to be guided by God, the wisdom of our ancestors and moral values enforced by our parents.

America has prospered on our forefather’s formula of combining limited government with the comprehensive understanding of human nature. It was not a vision of a utopian state that drove them but the desire to design a nation based on the history and knowledge that worked in the past.

To revitalize our spiritually ill society we must be again guided by American exceptionalism rather than continue to demean ourselves in a culture of hedonistic tribalism.

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.

Schools' Unworkable Zero Tolerance Policy

2008-06-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

A 13 year-old Ohio girl was suspended for bringing Midol to school. She was handled as if she was a drug pusher. A country boy who forgot to leave the matches he used to burn garbage at home before he left for school is reprimanded. A 10 year-old girl who brought a serrated knife in her lunchbox to cut her steak and a 9 year-old Louisiana boy who drew a picture of a soldier with a knife are treated as violent criminals. Zero tolerance policies do not have any safeguards for students. There is no room for innocent students to present their side of the story. They are just wrong. Common sense is not allowed in zero tolerance policies.

Although these policies are unworkable, they make good news headlines throughout the nation. These policies are easy to justify for everyone wants violence and drugs to be eliminated in our schools. The flaw in this approach is that it is without justice for the individual.

For years schools were being pressured by the public to develop a way to control potentially dangerous situations on school premises. Superintendents have responded by issuing directives to emphasize resolve to eliminate the problem. A uniform policy was required to establish consistency amongst a large and diverse staff. This policy handcuffed the local teachers and administrators from settling each case on a case-by-case basis. This left many students unintentionally breaking the rules. Too often, without knowing, the decent students trespass on a minefield that indiscriminately punishes them. The unintentional and intentional offenders receive the same equally harsh consequences.

“One size fits all” zero tolerance policies actually encourage the culprit and discourage the victim from standing up for himself.

This illogical policy not only empowers juvenile delinquents but creates a greater not less chance for violence by promoting more outrageously aggressive behavior. Offenders learn the worst punishment they are going to receive if caught in the act of intimidating someone will be the same as their victim. Instead of students receiving accolades for having good character and standing up to obnoxious and often dangerous behavior, they are equally punished. It encourages the transgressor to be more aggressive while the innocent is discouraged from protecting himself.

Creating a peaceful school environment takes intensive work by students, teachers and school administrators not a superintendent’s directive. Knowing the students well through frequent interaction, even counseling will decrease opportunities for juvenile delinquents to operate with impunity. It is certainly easier to establish and maintain discipline in a smaller rather than larger school. Even in larger facilities it is possible when all the administrators are directly involved with their pupils.

All administrators need to view safety as their number one priority. Developing a peaceful school environment takes proactive not reactive measures. Students need to know the expectations of their local school. Administrators and teachers of the school need to develop and believe that their procedures are fair and honorable ones. Policies need to be impartially enforced without being influenced by any outside pressure.

Students doing the right things need to be recognized. All school rules need to be specific and well communicated to the students. Witnessing classmates need to be interviewed without involving the students being investigated. A thorough investigation needs to get the facts of the incident before making any decision. The evidence, not politics, should direct the decision making process.

The light of justice is a disinfectant for injustice. This is a time consuming process though well worth it for the safety and security of the students. When students know the school administration’s decisions are just, students will behave more orderly. The potential delinquent comes to understand that mean and abusive behavior will be punished while the appropriate students know the school will protect them.

Schools are places for children to learn how to behave as respectful, kind and responsible people. This behavior cannot be decreed, it has to be shaped by an involved staff constantly teaching right from wrong when misbehavior occurs. The instigator has to be punished and the so-called “victim” should be encouraged by the teacher to directly tell the problem student how he feels. The teacher with the support of the administration should lead the confrontation. This meeting often should take place in front of the class to drive home the difference between appropriate and inappropriate actions. Troublemakers need to be “put down” and the honorable lifted up.

“Zero intelligence” policies sound good but do not teach specific moral lessons. Only teachers, administrators and students getting down to basic facts of situations can arrive at a just decision for everyone involved. The accumulation of doing the right things over time produces a culture of safety in our schools.

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

Parents Against Sexualized Culture

2008-06-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

The pharmaceutical company, Merck, the Center for Disease Control and the mental health industry all have a vested interest in hyping a sexual epidemic amongst teens. Merck is producing Guardisil, a vaccine for the Human Papiilloma Virus, the CDC will lobby for more federal grants and the sexual experts will increase their relevance when our perception is that our teenager’s sexual activity is out-of-control. Each of their agendas is served.

It is difficult to accept the reputable Gullmacher Institute’s statistic of only 46% of high school students having had sexual intercourse. This is down from 54% in 1991.

Too many of us have been propagandized that this statistic is in the range of 80-95%. When the media says often enough that all teens are sexually active we begin to believe it. Perception is reality.

“One in four teenagers has an STD” is spread all over the media. When the truth is 1 out of 4 sexually active teenagers has an STD. This means 1 out of 8 children have an STD when you factor in that less than one half of all teens are sexually active.

Story after story in the mainstream media is a distortion of the truth. A man is pregnant. The “man” turns out not to be a man after all but a woman who has not completed her series of shots and operations to appear like a man. We live in a world that attempts to distort reality in engineering an ultra sexualized world. Too many parents believe the negative picture the experts and the media are painting of our youth.

Our youngsters have an even more powerful and extreme exposure to a sexualized destructive culture. Ignorant “wanna be gangsta” peers communicate it. It happens in actions and gossip, in video games, in school, daily IM and browsing the Internet on phony MY Space pages. Children watch MTV that displays the glorification of an immoral lifestyle. MP3s are plugged directly into their brains feeding them vulgar trash.

This generation’s culture civil war is being fought to some degree in every American home. Parents are losing because they foolishly believe by going along with their child’s sexual precociousness their youngsters will not rebel against their authority. The parent’s appeasement never allows them to establish their power, which is the basis of all authority.

Parents should fight to win keeping their children on the right path or will suffer the anguish of witnessing the unfulfillment of the potential of their child. Parents can teach their children to be decent, moral adults but not by being weekend parents. They need to dedicate themselves from the child’s birth to their 18th birthday. It takes nothing less from the parents than dedicating themselves to their children to maximize shaping good human beings especially in this culture of unrestrained temptation.

The strategy for winning the culture civil war is for parents to train their children to listen to them not to MTV. When children do not learn to listen to their parents they do not learn to listen to what comes out of their own contaminated mouths. Their inability to monitor their own speech prolongs the dishonesty and disrespect for their parent’s position as head of the home. If children do not listen to their parents when they are toddlers they do not listen to them as teenagers.

The highest chance of success in raising a well-adjusted child is to start training the child as early as possible. The battles won with infant/toddlers mean the parents have established structure and rituals that minimize opportunities for conflict. When the child has learned to be obedient it will be more difficult for him to openly lie to his parents and everyone else on MY Space about his fantasy lifestyle.

Ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents to guide their children through a minefield of perversion that can encourage their children to make negative life altering decisions. Parents must stay a step ahead of their children to resist giving them permission to think and do things that will have harmful consequences or suffer the pain of being involved with a dependent parasitic adult child.

Parents need to be tougher in this open sexualized society than their parents were. They must limit video gaming, Internet access and sleepovers with families they do not personally know to protect their children from making poor decisions. Children need to be kept innocent until they are mature enough to make intelligent decisions.

Uniting with their spouse and other like-minded parents can strengthen parents resolve to keep children from following the celebrity path of being sex objects. Only by parents having a stronger will than their children will the children be saved from their arrogance of ignorance in a world where evil abounds.

Aware parents and adults can shield their children from being part of a decadent existence and put America on a more solid moral footing.

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

From Bad to Worse

2008-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

In order to control the media, no reporters were allowed to enter the California earthquake zone that killed 110,000 people with 70,000 still missing. The government did not want any reporters or foreign relief workers to question or speak with our citizens even though their aid would help the suffering citizens. The problem would be the world outside who would learn too much about what was happening inside the American borders.

Fear of the secret police is in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Certain words and thoughts cannot be spoken without fear of reprisal. America’s freedom of speech has been choked off with insidious political correctness. When people want to talk honestly about the government they non-verbally signal each other to go into a separate room. Each speaks in hushed voices not to be heard by any listening device.

The average family can hardly afford a tiny prefab apartment while the elite live a privileged life of luxury. Assets of individuals are constantly confiscated for the “greater good.” Taxes continue to rise on the employed to pay for the unemployed. Water, oxygen intake and artificial temperature change are taxed according to sophisticated state meters penetrating the sanctity of our homes.

In the universal medical service system patients must pay money under the table to get an appointment before the usual six-month waiting period. Hospital beds are only available for the politically connected.

This may seem far-fetched to many Americans who take our freedom for granted. In our short history as a nation, many have made great personal sacrifice to put us on the right track when we veer too far to the left or right. Now there are few real patriots in power positions.

Historically the average person pays and a small elite group prospers whenever a people follow a leader who promises something for nothing, An idealistic plan based on hope rather than the reality of personal responsibility and sacrifice leads ultimately to a loss of economic freedom ending in a totalitarian existence.

Europeans are experimenting with this through accepting the European Union. Each of these joining nation’s elites have been willing to sacrifice their working middle class to join this scheme. The silence of the citizens of these countries has been bought by the hope of collective power giving each person more for doing less.

Right now in the EU gas is $9 a gallon and diesel fuel is over $10 per gallon, unemployment is in the mid to high teens. The federal income tax is about 48% with a 19-23% sales tax on everything sold. The price of food has doubled in the change of currency to the euro while incomes have increased only slightly. These results should wake up every American.

Things in Europe have gone from bad to worse. Are we are going to choose a similar socialistic model that is not working? Is the global economy going to maintain or improve our standing as the number one nation in the world or is it going to rob us of our freedoms? We have become soft and greedy. We complain, hold our noses and elect lying, corrupt candidates who spout schemes that will never work.

It is true no matter the level of functioning of the nation there are always things that can be improved. In economic downturns there are always legitimate gripes. We only know how good things were when we look back over time. We blame our country for our almost $4 a gallon of gas, a 6% mortgage rate, for beef at $5 a pound and sharp increases in airplane tickets. We are righteously indignant about the state of affairs and want immediate change without the necessary suffering, which is part of the hustle to stay on the top.

American’s greatness has been built on the backs of free, average people. When these people feel their efforts no longer matter we are a decaying society. We must keep our individual freedom not replace it with “the collective good.” There is no “free lunch.”

Change does not insure better conditions. It can go either in a positive or negative direction. Things can rapidly crash going from bad to worse. We can go from “the frying pan into the fire.”

Positive change takes work. Only by united citizens pressuring our leaders to do what is best for America, rather than continuing in their disgusting corrupt ways, can we regain America’s exceptionalism.

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

Che Guevara: The Sadistic Anti Hero

2008-06-19T11:08:00.001-07:00

The swashbuckling icon of the 1960s counter revolutionaries lives on 50 years later. In Chile, Czechoslovakia, Argentina, Italy, England, Germany the USA and other countries of the world there are photos on walls, posters and T shirts of a bearded man wearing a beret and staring charismatically above us. The ultimate symbol of the liberator of the downtrodden masses of the world is Che’s omnipresent photo.

This is curious given Ernesto Che Guevara’s past. He was a handsome medical doctor who was a cold-blooded murderer. Che was from an upper class background like most leftist revolutionaries in history. As did others from Lenin to Castro to Chavez he said all the right things that the powerless poor wanted to hear while his actions were aimed at seizing power by any despicable means.

Che’s fondness for barbarity has been concealed from the public arena. His motto was, “If in doubt, kill” and his nickname was “the butcher of Cubana.” He wrote to his mother when in Guatemala demonstrating his juvenile and egotistical motivation for his revolutionary antics: “It was all a lot of fun, what with bombs, speeches and other distractions to break the monotony I was living in.” Jonah Goldberg, Liberal Fascism, Doubleday 2007, pg. 194.

Che himself admitted to ordering several thousand executions in the first few years of the Castro regime. Daniel James, Che Guevara, A Biography, Cooper Square Press, 2001. Torturing and killing others was an enjoyable diversion for Che’s boring existence. “To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary. These procedures are archaic, bourgeois details. This is revolution. Revolution must become a cold machine motivated by pure hate. We must create the pedagogy of the paredon (wall).” Humberto Fontova, NewsMax, “Che Guevara Assassin and Bumbler”, Feb. 23, 2004.

Che’s brutal, dark soul has been hidden by idealistic elites who get suckered into believing what a charismatic person says he stands for rather than what he does. His behavior and associations with low lives are off limits to public scrutiny. The radical left finds it imperative to protect a man like Che who inspires a Communistic vision of the world.

The same emotional rationale for the “greater good” of the powerless masses elevated the image of “Uncle Joe” Stalin, China’s Mao and the loony Venezuelan despot, Chavez. The documented oppression and slaughter of their own people is conveniently overlooked by these imposters of change “for the greater good.”

Today’s unworthy rich and famous, guilt ridden Hollywood types cannot get close enough to the Fidel’s and Chavez’s. It liberates them from the shallowness of their own phony existence. The super hero glorification, almost deification of a man who uses evil to maintain and strengthen his power is the easiest means for celebrities like Sean Penn or Dan Rather to become vicariously part of a revolutionary movement. The actions of Che must be disregarded in order for him to remain a revolutionary symbol that legitimizes modern leftist dictators.

These creative intellectual types have been and are dishonest in their appraisal of communist dictators. Their utopian worldview depends on a “slight of mind,” a disregard of anything that conflicts with their radical leftist narrative.

Ironically these same “humanistic people” who express their hatred for torture romanticize a fanatical practitioner of it. Their willingness to overlook or ignore the horrors of an uprising by an untested intellectual professional is advocacy not a search for truth. Demonizing any and all established military action regardless of its legitimacy is proof of their lack of integrity.

Through honoring this sadistic man we are spreading his fame as well as his tactics of terror. Role models do affect people’s behavior. When naïve followers learn their hero was a vicious killer it makes it easier for them to mimic that behavior.

It is up to believers in individual freedom to inform others about the brutality of Che’s life to debunk the cult myth of this evil man.

Celebrating a terrorist is not what most people believe they are doing by wearing his image on their chests. Che worshipers think they are advancing freedom. Instead they are inadvertently furthering the power of oppressing the human spirit. Ernesto Che Guevara was a selfish, sadistic anti-hero who needs to be viewed as the murdering sociopath he was.

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

Schools Promoting Sex Over God "Day of Silence"

2008-05-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

The April 15, 2008 front page of the Tampa Tribune read: “Final Four Gives Lesbians Forum to Celebrate Women. Parties, basketball-and a sense of camaraderie- draw crowds to what some call the lesbian “Super Bowl.” Many indignant letters to the editor did not appreciate the Tribune’s promotion of the lesbian agenda.

It is one thing for a political newspaper to advance a homosexual agenda; it is another for our supposedly non-political educational institutions to do the same. Government schools should expose students neither to a religious way of believing or towards an uncommon sexual orientation. In a totalitarian country indoctrination of a particular belief system is accomplished by the state, while in a free nation moral values are taught by the family and church.

Our government has banned prayer in ceremonies in school. Even one minute of silent prayer has been viewed as an infringement on religious freedom. On April 15th Marcus Borden a sports coach for two decades in East Brunswick High School, was found by the Third Circuit Court to have crossed the line of an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. His crime was to kneel in silence before games with his team even though this ritual is common in college and professional sports

On April 25th many of our government schools throughout our nation are sponsoring not one minute but an entire “Day of Silence.” The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to promote acceptance and support of homosexual behavior in our government schools initiated this event. Teachers are encouraged by many school districts to participate as well. Online at afa.net the schools are by state that are honoring this event.

When our government attempts to repress any mention of God in our schools while encouraging the acceptance of a Biblically deviant homosexual orientation over the majority heterosexual behavior, it is a blatant reverse discrimination against the moral majority of Americans.

This “Day of Silence” discriminates against heterosexual parents and their children. There is no day of the year where we celebrate the normal opposite gender attraction. It serves no reasonable purpose to coerce youngsters into committing themselves to a lifestyle before they are sufficiently mentally and physically mature to understand the long-term implications of their choices.

Teenage students are solidifying their sexual identity. All students have a right to choose to identify himself or herself as either a homosexual or heterosexual. Normalizing homosexuality is not a function of the state in a free country. The vast majority of heterosexual parents want their children to live a normal life of marrying a person of the opposite sex and having a traditional family.

Peer group clubs like GLSEN often are informally sponsored and led by people who have a strong homosexual agenda. These clubs should not be allowed to indoctrinate our children. Our sexuality is a personal choice not a decision to be made by a government re-education program.

“Normal,” in a free America, is what the majority of the people are and what they do. Schools should remain in the business of educating not changing the norms of society by manipulating the minds of students. Our government needs to cease social engineering and leave personal sexual choice to the individual.

If we are going to radically misinterpret the constitution to exclude any mention of God in our nation, then there is no justification for changing the moral values of our children.

There should be the same separation between school and homosexual indoctrination that there is between church and state.

We can send a clear message to government schools by encouraging our children to ask questions in school on this absurd “Day of Silence.” Questioning is a necessary element of freedom in a society. We pay for our children’s education through our taxes. Our children have a right to learn and should not waste another day. Silencing questions for an entire day is not sound educational policy: it is propaganda.

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.

From Zero Population to Global Warming

2008-05-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

"People did what worked. Now people are doing what sounds good. " Thomas Sowell

The Florida insurance company's skyrocketing rates on homes was scientifically justified using meteorological models to predict hurricanes in 2006 and 2007. The scientific agreement on an active hurricane season for these years was absolutely wrong. None occurred although there were no rebates for the exorbitant rates. So much for certainty of scientific predictions.

These are the same models that have difficulty predicting tomorrow's weather. Computer programs are only as good as the programmer and the data used.

In the 1960s sitting in a university classroom studying Malthus's theory of overpopulation written in 1798, it sounded inevitable that as the world population increased man's ability to supply ample food would lead to worldwide famine and disease. This Maltusian doctrine was the rationale for the Zero Population movement.

The world's population has exploded from less than a billion in the 1700s to over 6 billion yet the food supply has increased to more than meet the demand of the increased population. Today, instead of famine and disease we have obese people living longer than ever.

This theory based on consensus science to control world population has been a dismal failure. It has not curbed the earth's population but has politically destabilized the most environmentally concerned nations on earth, the western societies.

Zero population has reduced European and North American birth rates causing modern nations to rely on a large influx of immigrants to remain economically viable. At the same time the developing nations' population has exploded. The world's population has grown rapidly even with western nations reducing their birth rate to zero. This has undermined the ability of these nations to survive not from over population but from under population.

The same arrogance of changing the world on what sounds dreadfully plausible is seen in the "bird flu pandemic" scare, the "Y2K" fiasco and the hysteria over nuclear energy plant meltdowns. Bird flu has not mutated, computers functioned as the millennium barrier was crossed and not a single person was killed by nuclear energy even though France has cut its reliance on oil by using nuclear energy.

The latest "scientific sky is falling " consensus fad, global warming, is taking the world by storm. Extrapolating from the fact the earth's temperature is rising, a host of dire predictions for mankind has been trumpeted throughout the world's media. The theory behind this warming says it is caused by manmade CO2 emissions. The world can only be saved by humanity cutting back on the production of carbon dioxide. "To capture the public imagination, we have to offer up some scary scenarios, make simplified dramatic statements and little mention of any doubts one might have. Each of us has to decide the right balance between being effective and being honest." Stephen Schneider (the lead author of the 2007 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report )

There is no demonstrative evidence to prove the global warming hypotheses that manmade CO2 levels are going to devastate the earth. Disregard other possible explanations for the sake of argument and let us assume this global warming thesis is true.

The UN's IPCC solution is the Kyoto Treaty. This protocol would limit developed nations' CO2 emissions to 1990 levels and exempt developing nations like China and India from any CO2 or other pollutant requirements.

Obviously by adopting the Kyoto protocol world wealth would be redistributed from once prosperous western nations to underdeveloped nations. "Climate change provides the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world." Christine Stewart, Canada's former environmental minister. Government and corporate elites will increase their power and riches from their ability to tax some industries and grant waivers to others. This Kyoto agreement would eliminate free international trade replacing it with a world centralized economic system. Jacques Chirac: "Kyoto is the first component of an authentic global governance."

Before we are swept away by another rationale for saving the planet let us remember the subjective opinions of a group of experts, even scientists does not mean following them will result in a better existence. Science is based on the scientific method and replicating of studies, not a group of experts proclaiming consensus. This pop science's bandwagon led us to addictive prescription drugs, the housing and dot.com boom and bust.

We cannot rush to judgment. Rational thought, not hysterical fear, leads to healthy decision making. Only through careful step-by-step evaluation of the unfolding facts can we reach a rational policy on global warming. It is ridiculous for global warming alarmists to censor open discussion by claiming scientific certitude through consensus. This has been tried over and over again with negative consequences to the world, from the earth is the center of the solar system to zero population growth.

"Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels: it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled." Michael Crichton

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

We No Longer Say No

2008-05-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

Our lack of personal toughness is sapping our authority to get things done right. The inability to deny ourselves anything is making us weak. This weakness is filtering down to every aspect of our society. When we don't say "no" to ourselves, how can we expect others in our charge to listen to us? We have forgotten the virtues of saying "no" to ourselves, our children, our students, employees and our ever-expanding government.

We are living in the present with little preparation for the future. Prudence has been tossed out in favor of hedonistic fantasy. The casual marriage, adoption and abandonment of children, drugging and partying is the life style of too many celebrities in sports, politics, business and entertainment. The traditional concept of saving for a rainy day has become obsolete. Our modern indulgent lifestyle is depleting our human and capital resources, which are essential for continuing the advancement of our civilization. We are spending money on the federal, state and household level like "drunken sailors."

Our spouses, children and employees will likely follow what we do, not what we say. When we live a glutinous, sexually permissive, dishonest lifestyle with little regard for the example we are setting for the youth we are creating a bleak future.

Our children do and get what they want because we do and get what we want. Placing limits on our children means placing limits on us. Living above our means is the name of the game. We should have it because we "deserve" it. Our lives are lived on credit. We rationalize that the worst that can happen is bankruptcy. That will only lead us to another gamble to maintain a lifestyle lived by the "skin of ones teeth."

Our parents, schools and churches have conveniently lowered standards to appease rather than elevate the character of people. We are producing, morally, emotionally and socially superficial individuals. We are becoming a soft, selfish and spiritually bankrupt nation.

As long as students are happy almost everyone remains content. The parents, teachers and administration go along with the philosophy of "just getting by." We are not living by principles of doing what is right. Even the churches are not willing to expose and expel clergy pedophiles or teach Biblical beliefs on homosexuality.

Caving in to the demands of others is easier than saying "no". Granting employees who give a minimum of effort incredible perks leads to failed ventures. The same can be said for allowing our government to expand spending our tax dollars without any tangible results in improving relevant services. Eventually this nonchalant attitude ends in economic and moral decline. The breakdown in upholding moral and economic standards leads to a dispirited society. This spiraling decline ends with the servitude of the people.

Not practicing personal discipline through sacrifice makes it likely others will follow our pathetic example. Being self-absorbed leaves little time for living a quality life. Instead of sharing wisdom with the next generation we tolerate behavior we know is self-destructive. We just don't care about the future.

We must say "Enough" when we know something is wrong. People should fight for the principle of right over wrong regardless of how others might view them. The greatest gift you can give to others is the truth.

Reversing this process has to begin where it started- in the family. Fathers have to stop being wimps and mothers need to be more critical of their child's daily behavior. Parents should start again to be the parents by saying "no" to things that are not in their children's or other family member's long-term best interest. This means adults must accept being disliked or hated in the short run for long-term dividends of raising productive children of good character, having a clear conscience and the self-respect of doing your duty in all aspects of your life.

As we learn to turn away from living only for today and start to become better at self-discipline we can positively impact not only ourselves but also everyone around us. Our legacy will move from only caring for oneself to leaving the earth a better place. Right now is the time to think about our spiritual purpose for the sake of all that we love.

Legacies are gifts we pass on to others only when we have the courage to say "no" to ourselves and others doing the wrong thing.

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

Robbing Any Citizen's Freedom Limits Everyone

2008-05-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

Society should protect the innocent from despicable acts. Murder, sexual and physical abuse, destruction of property and reckless behavior need to have severe legal consequences in order to deter them. However, the more laws enacted, the less free the society. The more choices citizens are able to make, the freer the society.

When governments attempt to legislate preferences, manners and decency it is over-stepping its boundaries. It is going down a slippery path of oppression.

Our government has passed laws against smoking in restaurants, beaches and even in one's home. NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg, decided educating the people about the dangers of trans fats would be ineffective. Instead he decreed that restaurants had to stop serving trans fats. Congress has established laws, which have curtailed our freedom of speech by making it a crime to utter certain words. A common expression today can be a hate crime tomorrow. Now California is attempting to require "programmable communicating thermostats' in homes so the government can control our heat and cooling during what is deemed an "emergency event."

Unnecessary laws are stifling our liberty. Free people collectively make better decisions than do government elites.

Most Americans have dropped their love affair with smoking being cool. Cigarettes have lost favor in our culture. Very few non-smokers have empathy for smokers. Cigarette smoke stinks and can cause allergic reactions. Many smokers have been persuaded to stop smoking for the sake of their health. Free people can be convinced to live without trans fats and can learn to stop saying politically incorrect things. Laws are not needed to tell us how to live our daily lives.

People in a free nation have the right to associate with anyone as long as they do not advocate violence against others. Some individuals who want to control their neighbor can join a deed-restricted community. Each individual voluntarily agrees to limits his choices as well as his neighbor's. These deed-restricting contracts can stipulate the color or one's house, number and kind of plant allowed and exclude children from the homes of community residents. These rights are not being taken from them; instead they are expressing their freedom to live in an environment that decreases their neighbor's and their own options. They agree to restrict their own freedoms.

It is a radically different act when the federal government limits individual's rights and freedoms. When government robs us of our positive choices it is not in the interest but against the interest of the people. This is despotism.

Even though all citizens should be agitated by the government abridging our freedoms, most of us do not protest. Our silence allows government to whittle away our independent choices. Limiting the rights of specific groups of people creates a political environment that makes all of our freedoms vulnerable.

Proposing new laws to correct a perceived problem usually enhances a politicians ability to be elected. These issues are often manufactured by special interests using dubious polls. Our society should not be changed by the whim of politicians passing laws motivated by special interests but by free individuals making choices over time.

In the past smoking was "cool," Oreo cookies and donuts were the rage, saying what you meant was valued. Today these all have lost cultural favor. People have made decisions on their own to change their behavior rather than being directed by "Big Brother."

America is a country with shrinking liberties. We are unwilling to recognize that government's attempt to unnecessarily restrict any of us will eventually affect all of us. Since most of these laws do not restrict us personally we take the lazy citizen approach and ignore them.

Laws and regulations are strangling our once great and free nation. Our children, our land, homes, eating habits, water and air will be the domain of the state. We are losing our rights and privileges. We have no one to blame but ourselves.

Our liberties will be lost by our not being vigilant to stand up for the rights of others. Losing our liberties in a dramatic coup or piecemeal still ends in a tyrannical existence.

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

The Tyranny of Minority Special Interests Over the Majority

2008-05-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

We Americans must sacrifice time and effort to do our homework in order to be knowledgeable voters. Being too busy to do our civic duty is not an acceptable excuse. Educated citizens must give direction to our government representatives.

When the majority of Americans were educated on the eminent domain, Dubai port take over and illegal immigrant issues, left and right came together to direct our politicians. Through emails and telephone calls to our representatives we demonstrated we meant business. Politicians turned their backs on the special interests of international corporations, developers and financial institutions and turned towards the voice of the majority of Americans.

In these instances the smug arrogance of special interests was wiped off their faces by the average American. When we come together, our message is loud and clear. Politicians listen, perhaps for no other reason than to save their jobs. We stood up to some of the most powerful elites and were victorious for the benefit of us all. The majority should trump the powerful minorities.

The only reason special interest has dominated our political process is because we have become complacent and let them. Various interests have used the power of money to organize their efforts to push their sel- serving wish list. George Soros, of Moveon.org has spent millions of his own dollars to manipulate people into adopting more progressive, secular viewpoints. The oil, financial, NEA, ethnic, homosexual, racial and other special interests hire public relation firms and lobbyists to get what they want passed into law.

Special interests have been immensely effective in controlling the political machinery that many Americans feel they are powerless to compete against. The vast majority of us are acting as if it is inevitable that America will be deviously controlled by the new aristocracy of international corporations, non-profit groups and celebrity elites. We recognize special interest groups can get laws enacted even when it harms the national interest. We know the playing field is getting less and less level for small business and the average American.

Instead of demanding that our representatives are responsive to us, we just sulk and complain to each other. We know that legislative loyalty and allegiance can be purchased by the highest bidder. We ought to use the natural tendency of people to do what is needed to keep and promote their own power. We must reclaim our ability to form the ultimate special interest group called the "American people." By frequently showing our power through our numbers and monetary donations we will mandate our government to work for instead of against us.

In the computer age knowledge of any issue is at our fingertips. We can research, formulate our positions and mobilize large numbers of citizens to show our resolve and will to our politicians. By lighting up the phone lines at their offices and inundating them with emails we can instruct our representatives to do what is right. This will eliminate the feeling of impotency in the political process. The Internet's rapid research and communication gives us the tools to show our representatives how to do the people's business.

The salvation of our freedom lies not with passivity but with but educated, joint action. By showing a force of numbers we will encourage our representation to be motivated more by their moral and noble inclinations than blatant greed.

We will be reenergized by seeing the results of being victorious through our coordinated efforts. A representative government takes effort on the part of the citizens.

We can rekindle the spirit of our founding fathers extraordinary revolution by doing our part. Only through our hands-on involvement in politics can we combat and defeat the tyranny of the minority over the majority.

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

Pushy Parents, Underachieving Kids

2008-05-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Every time parents attempt to influence, cajole and finally browbeat a teacher to increase the child’s standing in the class, they are sending a horrible message to their child. The student learns parents will bail him out of his laziness, twisting of the truth and sloppiness in dealing with his daily school assignments. These potentially high functioning students concentrate on “getting over” on the teacher rather than just doing things right the first time. They rely on their parent’s powers of coercion rather than their own hard work to obtain high grades.

This disinterested and lazy view of schooling starts in the home. The child becomes absolved from solving his own daily problems. These compulsive parents do their child’s work rather than requiring the child to do it himself. Nagging is their primary strategy while the child learns to be selectively deaf and dumb. The child perfects these passive-aggressive games so that the irate parent gives up and does it herself.

These established habits of the child doing only what he wants to do is transferred from the home to the school environment. As long as learning comes easily it is not an issue. When the student can no longer get by with his reserve of general knowledge, usually in junior or senior high school, the problems surface. Instead of rising to the challenge of the harder work, the student digs in his heels using his passive-aggressive techniques used at home. The parent notices the lower grades and lack of studying that produces anxiety about their child’s future school success. As the child’s grades remain below the parent’s expectations it becomes the teacher’s not the child’s fault.

These are usually high functioning, bright parents who demand the best performance from everyone including their underachieving children. This approach usually works with the public. They direct the teacher to send everything home to them from grades, assignments, to specific reading lists. The parent decides to micro manage the child’s studies and homework until the parent becomes frustrated from the lack of results.

The parent’s inconsistency gives the child a free pass as the parent knows her pit bull tactics only drives the child further into his own world of avoidance. The solution to the parent’s dilemma is to place their child’s poor performance squarely on the shoulders of the teacher. “The teacher did not inform the parent early enough. There were insufficient progress reports for the parent’s liking. They did not know about this or that assignment. The child should receive one-on-one instruction.” The parent never places the responsibility where it belongs, on the child to do his own work.

The child’s dispassionate existence is reversed when the parent requires the child to be responsible for his own home chores and school duties. The parents’ emphasis should be demanding what is in their control, the child doing family responsibilities. At the same time the parents increase their pressure at home, they should release the reins for their child’s academic studies. Any difficulty the child has at school should be viewed by the parent as an opportunity for the child to improve and grow as a student.

The message should be loud and clear. “You contribute to the family and become responsible for your own education or else you will be cut off from the things you love but have not earned.” The computer, television, books, the child’s virtual reality must be replaced with a chore list of helping the family. “Not for a weekend or a month but until you show ownership of your chores and schoolwork.”

When the parents understand that their youngster must be held accountable for his own well being then they allow the child to make his own choices and deal with the consequences of his behavior. The message changes from “I will use my power to cover up your self-made difficulties” to “grow up because this is your life now.” This shift in the parent’s attitude and behavior will move the child from underachieving towards taking more appropriate action for his own future. The child will become empowered to mature into a self-reliant student.

Inflated Wallets, Arrogant Egos

2008-05-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

The housing boom has turned into the mortgage bust. Financial experts are stating that people with “upside-down” houses, houses valued less than the mortgage, have no obligation to continue to pay. Their advice is “walk away and in several years you can restore your credit.” It is clear to these experts that money consideration trumps all other values.

Moral considerations of fulfilling one’s contract, keeping one’s word have been tossed out the window. They have been replaced with “it is all about money.” This is our new amoral guide to existence. The more we measure ourselves in material wealth, the less we follow what is right. Our humility plummets while our arrogance skyrockets.

Our corrupting materialism has trickled down to the youngest members of society. Children are blasé about even the most sophisticated gifts losing interest shortly after unwrapping them. The more people of any age receive something for nothing, the less gratitude and appreciation they can be expected to feel.

Even people who break our laws entering our country illegally demand the benefits of our social welfare system to which they are not entitled or deserve. Our unaware citizens pay in full. K-12 education, healthcare, subsidized housing, food stamps and college tuition for illegal aliens. Again it is something for nothing. Too many of us unconsciously believe our national treasury is limitless.

Disaster victims and our poorest citizens demand the government do for them instead of the citizens doing for themselves. Too many of us no longer feel it is our duty to help ourselves and our loved ones. Instead we expect the government do it for us. Our entitlement mentality has spread to every crevice of our nation.

Even financial mega corporations and affluent people who make risky investments in the stock or home market want others to bail them out. Financial decisions are being made under the assumption that they are going to make money, not lose it for companies as well as individuals. Presumptuously they believe since they made money in the past, the government has the responsibility to guarantee it in the future. The social welfare or “the government should save me from my poor but freely made choices” has caught on with all segments of society, even the wealthy.

Recent college graduates feel they should start at the top of the ladder. Their degrees should place them at the zenith of the pay scale, give them a great office with no supervisors above them since they already know everything. Their lack of professional experience is a non-issue. They have been told by their instructors that they have the latest knowledge and methods of doing any job. The professors’ hype and the parents’ material power have created an attitude of conceit that is detrimental to every aspect of their lives.

When the thickness of our wallet makes us feel good about ourselves, then the thinness of it makes us feel like losers. Many of us have gotten into the habit of buying something to make us feel good. People will no longer be able to use money power as their financial situation deteriorates. They will suffer the loss of a falsely inflated identity. The inability to continue to get a shopping adrenaline rush and no longer being able to hire people to do our menial chores will breed resentment.

People are already so desperate they are willing to raid their retirement funds. Using a debit card to withdraw their 401K is only delaying the pain of not being able to buy whatever they want whenever they want it. Eventually the person will deplete his nest egg and demand a social security government bail out.

What goes up must come down to earth. Losing the security of being rich on paper has a deflating effect that can reduce some to chronic depression. The worship of the amount of money accumulated leads to temporary arrogance and elation as well as inevitable disappointment. As the adage about money clearly states, “you can’t take it with you.”

The best antidote to corrupting materialism is to stop believing life is all about money. It is more about spiritual values: goodness, kindness and doing God’s work in every way Being rich in virtue can never be taken away no matter how poor one may become in material goods.

Thick or thin wallets can be a measuring gage of our monetary wealth but not of a life well lived. The measure of a rich man is not how much he has but how little he needs and uses to live a good life.

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

Vote Your Preference not the Polls

2008-05-06T10:37:00.001-07:00

There are very few people that follow politics who believe in the infallibility of the polls although too many of us are influenced by them. Often people alter their vote because the polls indicate it would be wasted on a candidate who has the certainty of victory or no chance to win. In either case our decision on what bubble to fill in can be altered by erroneous polls caused by incompetence, faulty scientific procedures or an attempt to influence the election.

Polls are often blurred and inaccurate snapshots of people’s feelings at a given moment toward a particular candidate. Many people refuse to answer pollster’s questions. Dissatisfied independents who were going to vote democrat or republican switch their party for the evening to skew the results. Some voters do not make up their minds until the last minute. Others may not honestly answer an exit poll question on a particular issue as it might make them appear in a bad light. This encourages self-censorship distorting the data used by the analysts to project a winner. Although it is against the law, these projected winners are often given before the polls close in the entire state. These predictions influence potential voters to stay home or to change their vote.

Our forefathers were right to institute a secret ballot. For individuals to honestly and freely express their opinions, they should be immune from subtle influences and possible reprisal. The pollsters choice of words, phrasing and inflection of his question can manipulate the responder’s answer. Polls do not offer any safeguards from the pollster’s potential influence or retaliation while the secret ballot does. A voting booth’s privacy eliminates any chicanery.

Regardless of the reason, polls have to be taken with a grain of salt to prevent each of us from wasting our sacred vote. We should vote for who we believe in not attempt to change the election outcome based on a false premise of a dubious poll.

Almost everyone including professional analysts went to bed thinking Obama was up by double digits in the New Hampshire primary and McCain was the inevitable winner in the Michigan primary. Hillary and Romney actually won these respective primaries. Obama’s overnight drop of 16 points in the New Hampshire primary was said to be because of the “Bradley Effect.” This effect is thought to be that whites do not want to appear to be racist to non-white candidates and lie about their vote to the pollster. Regardless of their rationalization they were wrong.

When the pollsters are far off the mark in their predictions, they give questionable explanations. Rick Lazio’s unexpected loss by a wider margin than predicted against Hillary Clinton in the New York senate race of 2002 was perceived as his being too physically aggressive in approaching her during a debate. This theory was called the “Lazio (Macho) Effect.” The disappointing showing of Romney in the 2008 primaries was attributed by some to the “Mormon Effect,” a bias against the Mormons. There is the “Late Voter Effect” where the late voters tend to go to a more conservative candidate and the “Bandwagon Effect” when momentum seems to change the poll’s results. Every time the polls are way off the mark there is another psycho-babble excuse.

In our rapidly moving and changing world many of us learn much of our information from newspaper headlines and three-minute television “sound bites.” Most people have minimal time and opportunity to discuss and analyze the validity of the conclusions of polls that are flashed before their eyes. We for the most part absorb them as fact. There isn’t a “return policy” in our election system. We are stuck with a leader who can do tremendous damage to society for four years. Buyers remorse does not matter.

It is our responsibility as citizens in a mass media society to question information that intuitively seems suspicious. When we follow the herd instead of doing our own homework to make an educated choice we are not doing our civic duty. Allowing ourselves to be led by a pseudo scientific poll could result in a sophisticated coup.

Our faith in polls far exceeds their ability to predict voter behavior. Although we see polls being wrong, time and again, too many of us make our voting decisions on the last poll. This is not logical or sensible.

Electing a leader who will have immense power over our lives is a consequential act. Misinformation can sway an election causing us to elect a candidate opposed to our constitutional protections. Being politically manipulated can only happen when people are too lazy or unwilling to research, think and exercise their right of free speech.

An uneducated electorate ultimately ends in a loss of freedom for the society. A carefully crafted fantasy candidate cannot be elected when people are willing to work and fight to gather the facts. Vote for the person who will represent your beliefs.

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

The Correct Label: PPD- Pathetic Parent Disorder

2008-05-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

Every year our mental health industry creatively packages a new catchy 2-4-letter abbreviation to capture the imagination of the American public. Like the yearly most popular name for a new baby, the letters for disorders change every year. This year’s winning letters are AD, which is a tie between Autistic Disorder and Asperger Disorder.

Past winners were ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, ODD Oppositional Defiant Disorder, CD Conduct Disorder, TD Tourettes Disorder and SAD Selective Anxiety Disorder. All these labels have one thing in common. They focus on the child’s inappropriate behavior not the reasons for being improperly socialized.

In the past when we saw a child act out we first looked at the parent’s behavior. The way they reacted to situations was most important. Were the parents willing to stand their ground regardless of not being liked by the child? Friends and family scrutinized the way the parents disciplined their child, the relationship between the parents and the amount of time devoted to the family. No words were needed to be spoken but the glances spoke volumes.

Everyone accepted the role of parents as the heads of the household; children were expected to listen to parents not the other way around. Parents were supposed to help the children deal with life. This meant the parent was expected to do everything possible to make sure the child behaved. The parents knew the ultimate evaluation of their parenting was how the child turned out.

A revolutionary concept of “returning to the past” has great promise. Examine the parents. If they are not fulfilling their parental duties then label them PPD, instead of labeling the child. “Pathetic Parent Disorder” is a more accurate pinpointing of the cause of acting out children.

Today too many parents are unwilling to limit their daily indulgences for the sake of time devoted to the family. Instead they believe they only need to set up an appointment with a mental health professional to solve all the family’s issues. The parents want to believe the solution to all their problems lies with the problem child. The professional obliges by first labeling the child then sending him on his way with a magic pill. The child’s disorder is supposedly cured.

This process has been a winner for the medical and pharmaceutical industries and a loser for the child and his parents. The medical route temporarily lessens the child’s actions, only to have them flare up with greater intensity after the drug’s effectiveness wears off. Although the parents are not the winners, they are relieved to transfer their responsibility and authority to someone else. The other children in the family and especially the child whose normal development has been ruined by the label and the drugs is the loser.

The consequence of a parent not dedicating sufficient time to their child is a poorly trained child. Labeling and drugging a child into submission does not do anything to improve the quality of the parent’s life. It requires the parents to spend more time in offices and battling the child over taking the drugs then they would have had to spend getting the child properly socialized in the first place.

Modern parents can end their dependency on the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industries by realizing they have the power to mold their child’s behavior and character.

Only through guilt for their shameless behavior towards their children can we nudge the parents back into their rightful position as heads of the family. The solution to these American families is to change who is being labeled. To focus solely on the child has not worked as it avoids addressing the accountability of the parents.

The new PPD, Pathetic Parent Disorder label is the answer. Unlike the child label gimmicks of the past this label will empower the parents to do their job. The parent’s inconsistent, ineffective, selfish or lazy behavior will be obvious to themselves and others.

Revitalized parents will see the effectiveness of their acting as parents. When they realize their child CAN listen, CAN obey and CAN gain mental strength to overcome any limitations they will become more successful in school.

Parents united, making the necessary decisions and consistently following through on them will result in children who will accept parent’s authority and eventually will appreciate them for being loving parents.

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.

Fitting In: Not Doing What's Right

2008-05-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

Six girls and two boys from Lakeland High School pummeled a sixteen year-old girl unmercifully. The cheerleader victim’s offense was “trash talking” online. They planned to put the video of this “cool event” on UTube and MySpace. The initial reaction to their arrest by some of these high self-esteem teens, who are as young as fourteen, was to worry about missing cheerleading practice. This “fun and games” violence is being repeated throughout the USA.

This is not urban ghetto gang violence of the past. These modern teenage imitators did not come from abusive families or live on the streets. Their main problems are that they have limited conscience development and have too few meaningful goals to keep them on the straight and narrow path. These suburban “gang wannabees” often come from homes where they are in charge.

The ability for children to choose and play with friends without parental involvement is minimal in our suburban existence. Their cool way to act with peers is not taught by the peers but by the media. They have learned how to “talk trash” but have negligible street smarts living in their upscale electronic homes. Everything in their lives is about them with little empathy for others.

They want to be celebrities who fit into a gangster, hip-hop world. They do not have access to a “ghetto” so they create a pseudo one in school and at parties. Their phony conversations are not about their daily lives but are about the imaginary existence they project.

The leaders of these suburban virtual gangs are the slickest, most verbally manipulative individuals of a group of lonely, purposeless souls. They do not have to actually prove themselves by their fighting prowess or use of a weapon. Their obnoxiousness is all they need. Through violent verbal imagery they can sway and intimidate members into following them. These threats happen in IM- instant messages, constant phoning and in school.

The gang members are not physically or verbally hardened. Their parents rarely used physical punishment or yelled at them. The slightest threat by someone else puts fear into their hearts. These teenagers are insensitive to the feelings of others but are extremely sensitive to “put-downs” by their peers. Their major objective as a teenager is to be accepted as the exciting person they fabricate on MySpace.

The major need of these pseudo gang members is not to get away from an abusive family but “to belong” to a group of peers. The “big-mouth” leader provides the discipline that they are seeking and rarely receive at home. They are unprepared to fight against the wickedness of others. The best they can do is to passively stand by as an accomplice to verbal and physical abuse of others.

The members choose not to confront the bully tactics of the pseudo gang leader for the same reason that their parents do not stand up to the objectionable behavior of friends. These adults lack strong values of right and wrong. We adults ignore many obvious wrongs but expect our children to act differently in their teenage world.

Today most of us have been given too much on a “silver platter” to realize the sacrifices necessary to accomplish our goals. Just like a winning team becoming complacent, America is becoming fat and lazy as the leader of the world. Many of us are living off the assets of our ancestors.

These ancestors had to work hard to survive. They were taught right from wrong, knew history and had a firm faith in God. They understood the long-term benefits of living a moral life although it was just as hard for them as it is for us today. They fought for their survival and freedom.

Rejecting the notion of being friendly weak parents and returning to maintaining moral values will end our tolerance of behavior that leads to destruction and evil. Parents need to punish their children for misbehaving to teach right from wrong and toughen them up to face the temptations of life. This will give them the moral strength to stand up to people and groups hurting others.

Strong moral people have the courage and the fight to maintain a decent and peaceful society. The vulgar brutality of children on children can only be moderated when parents teach their children right from wrong.

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.

A Drugged Nation is not Healthy

2008-02-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Most Americans are too busy in their daily lives to face the obvious: we are a society dependent on drugs. We fought only half the war on drugs. "Just Say No" should have targeted not only street drugs but all detrimental drugs including prescription ones.

There is little ethical or moral difference between a drug pusher in the school yard seducing kids into buying the latest feel good drug and the pharmacological/medical industry dispensing antipsychotic medication to children as young as toddlers. Both the street drug or the prescription drug will lead the child down the same path of chemical dependency that ends in being a taker from rather than a giver to society.

According to the national Teen Drug Survey released December 11, 2007 by the White House, teenagers are turning from street drugs to prescription drugs such as OxyCondin and Vicodin. The study conducted by the University of Michigan Institute on Social Research, found a modest decrease in marijuana and other street drugs and an increase in prescription drugs. John Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said, "71% of young people have reported their source of supply is their parent's or friend's medicine cabinet." Theo Milonopoulos, "Survey Finds Teens Smoking Less Pot, But Popping More Pills," Tampa Tribune, December 12, 2007, pg. 13.

It is a deplorable commentary on our nation that the Center of Medicare and Medicaid says 21% of nursing home patients, who do not have a psychosis diagnosis are prescribed antipsychotic, off label, medication. Lucette Lagnado, "Nursing Homes Quiet Elderly with Antipsychotic Drugs," Tampa Tribune, December 7, 2007. To give humans of any age medication to induce docility is inhumane. When children are given off label psychotic medication it is more tragic as their lives are ahead rather than behind them.

Although children naturally fluctuate in their mood from laughing to crying, they are being prescribed off-label antipsychotic medication as toddlers. Before the 1990s it was generally accepted in the mental health profession to be illogical and unethical to label a child with a bi-polar disorder. Certainly drugging a child with an antipsychotic medication was considered going against the Hippocratic principle of doing no harm. Assisting nursing homes to control the elderly and parents to control their children is not any better than caging the elderly and children for control.

Our society has become more than drug tolerant, we have become a drugged society. Drug advertisements dominate women's magazines and television commercials. You have to wait an hour just to have a prescription filled. Recreational drugs of Hollywood celebrities to "roids" of sports idols, to sexual stimulants for anyone, psychotic drugs for the elderly and for children to control behavior indicate drugs have permeated every segment of our society. Using chemicals for daily life is epidemic.

Drugs may temporarily relieve a particular problem. The side effects to a person taking the drugs may be denied but are evident to those around us. The number of people unable to exist without mind-altering medication is destroying our power to be a vital, independent people. A large number of people dependent on drugs eventually become dependent on the government "safety net." This leads to a sick and declining society. We must reject the celebrity's lifestyle, advertising and the pharmaceutical/medical experts or sacrifice our own and our children's bodies, minds and spirits to the long-term adverse impact of drugs.

The joys of life are best experienced in a conscious state. Life's ups and downs can be painful at times although they always provide us an opportunity to learn how to better handle the next challenge of life. Problems never cease, healthy people just get better at solving them.

Americans have established a reputation as an ingenious people who can overcome life's obstacles. We cannot surrender our character as a people who perseveres until we get the job done. If we as a society continue down the drugged path when the going gets tough, we will forget the advantages, assets and wisdom left to us by our ancestors.

Restoring our national vigor requires the discipline to say "no" to any unnecessary drugs.

A Proper Spank is Better Than Time Out to Create Respect

2007-08-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Our modern culture tells us that spanking is wicked even to the point of being criminal while “time out” is humane without any negative or residual side effects. This is far from the truth.

The reality is “time out” may temporarily divert a child’s attention from continuing a misdeed but does not establish a firm boundary. The child may or may not serve his entire time-out and immediately after can go back on his merry way doing what he was doing before.. He continues to test the same behavior again and again until he wears out the caretaker’s resolve or he learns to be better at negotiating a “softer sentence” or an “acquittal.”

The lack of establishing parameters especially as the child gets older leads to a habit of “pushing the envelope.” Eventually the inclination towards risky behavior collides with authority figures inside and outside the home. Time-out is ineffectual though no one wants to admit it for it is so much easier than the traditional discipline.

Traditional discipline takes work. Parents have to be involved 24/7. As soon as the child does something destructive to self or others the parent has to administer the correct consequence. The consequence should not be too harsh to harm the child nor should be too weak to allow the child to think his misconduct is tolerable and the parent to appear powerless.

The consequence has to have an element of psychological or physical pain so the child pays attention and remembers not to do it again. It may be the psychological pain of taking out the paddle in a dramatic way or the physical pain of slapping the child on the behind. In either case you have the child’s attention plus a clear, precise boundary is drawn in the child’s consciousness. The fear of the parent’s reaction pops into the child’s head even in the contemplation stage before the child acts and prevents him from doing it.

A spank on the behind of an infant-toddler is a clear and concise “no”. It is final. “Do not do it again.” Children at this stage of their lives understand “no” better when coupled with a little dose of pain like a slap but are unable to comprehend parental lectures no matter how well intended. The reasons for the prohibitions come after the slap, not before.

It is true that a spank does not lead to discussion or negotiation. It simply means this will not be tolerated again. It inhibits a particular behavior. Horrors! It eliminates certain behavior like walking into traffic, hurting someone or talking back, which is a true long term benefit for the safety of the child..

The slap is usually spontaneous not a premeditated one. The guardian knows the child’s behavior is dangerous and needs to stop it. No questions asked. It is the way it is going to be. No discussion is necessary.

Too many modern people are under the misconception that a spank should happen after you have exhausted all other options. In reality this translates into a child being much older than an infant-toddler age before he experiences a first slap. By this time the spank has to be more severe for usually greater transgressions.

This makes for a much more difficult uphill battle. This delay in using spanking leads to a child’s increased resistance resulting in a greater potential for abuse. The older child has reached the level of independence to be able to resent the parent’s dominance while the infant-toddler just follows the parental dictates learning to respect their guidance.

This type of training is natural in the animal kingdom. Mammals use loving slaps to direct their young to behave properly. There is no animosity towards their parents, only acceptance of their authority.

As we continue to wander down the modern fantasy path of permissive materialism we are getting away from centuries of childrearing knowledge. This path abruptly ends with out-of-control brats.

Returning to the historical main artery of raising children takes only a greater appreciation of our intuitive nature. You know what behaviors of your infant-toddler will have negative implications for his future. You respond at the perfect time, at the instant it is happening or is going to happen.

“No” with an attention getting spank is the most effective way to internalize a safe guidance system in your child. It is an extraordinary act of love to give your child the gift of your mature experience. Discipline is love, love is discipline.

In return your child will give you the respect of a loving parent instead of a headache from endlessly debating the degrees of his misdeeds.

Competency Eliminates the Need for Affirmative Action

2007-08-04T12:06:00.001-07:00

Some in America are attempting to pass laws to extinguish human nature. Historically only totalitarian nations have tried to override human nature with unintended disastrous results.

The state of Michigan has passed a law making it a crime to discriminate against height and weight in employment. Next will be laws to protect cross-eyed, freckled, sunken chest or large nosed people.

The reality is we are all unique in feelings, looks, thinking and preferences. We all have been discriminated against and we all have discriminated against others whether we admit it or not. Our likes and dislikes are different. This diversity makes life and people interesting.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, continues to shock and mystify us. What could that person see in the other one is a question we continually ask ourselves throughout our lives. It just illustrates that we all see things differently. Our unique human nature and experiences shape our preferences in choosing who we want and do not want to associate with in our personal lives and in the workplace.

For workers in a free market economy there is one characteristic that supercedes all other preferences. It is competency to do the job. When a person can get the job done efficiently with a positive attitude he will more likely get the position over even a family member who is lazy and obnoxious.

There is presently no need for affirmative action laws from a central government to get hired when a person has good skills, good work ethic and a positive disposition. A person with these characteristics is sought after by employers to advance the business. They can be short, tall, fat or slim, dark or translucent, small or large individuals. In a free enterprise economy getting the job done effectively is the major consideration for anyone doing the hiring.

We are in a global economy. The US cannot afford the lunacy of social engineering in the work place. The need to conform to the demographic formula devised by government bureaucrats to appease special interests is a poison pill to business.

When government interferes with our freedom of whom to choose to hire they are not only limiting our liberty, but they are tampering with our free enterprise economy. This is a system that relies on motivating people to do more than the minimum.

The American economy cannot compete vigorously when the free market forces are repressed by big government. The multitude of nationwide employer’s hiring decisions has proven to create a more vibrant economy then putting the power into the hands of a centralized government. We have recently seen the economic miracle of unleashing the power of a free market economy throughout Asia. The best person to perform a job will triumph over some pseudo scientific rationale for supposedly leveling the playing field.

Government interference in the work place in the form of affirmative action only creates resentment. The workers who were selected as part of a quota system will never be sure they earned the position. The worker not selected or advanced to a higher position would likely resent the worker chosen under this arbitrary government quota system.

Choosing the best qualified person is not perfect. The process is subjective. There are always going to be people complaining about being discriminated against. This will continue to happen regardless of any new naïve legislation imposed by governmental elites.

We should transfer the monies given to affirmative action bureaucrats to education programs to increase worker skills, attitude and work ethic. Prepared employees on every level will increase their likelihood of obtaining and keeping a job. This is a win-win situation for the employee and the employer. It certainly leaves the decision making in the hands of the person with the most knowledge of how best to fill the position.

By allowing the employer the freedom to run his own business, the worker, regardless of gender, race or physical characteristics has the best chance of obtaining a job on his own merits. This leads to a greater chance of job satisfaction, commitment and growth in the organization. The government has no need or right to muscle in on the employers’ prerogative to hire someone they may not want.

Let us keep free enterprise free.

The Internet is Vital to Avoid Becoming a Nation of Sheep

2007-07-02T17:30:00.000-07:00

America has gone from a nation of hard working independent individuals to an educationally credentialed bureaucratic people. These modern Americans are so harried trying to impress each other in order to gain acceptance and advancement that they have no time to think about long term personal issues and less to think about local and national ones. Following the latest fads in dress, entertainment and celebrity political causes is easier than developing one’s own opinion based on facts.

We are a nation of people who are vulnerable to conform to the power elite’s agenda. Unfortunately America is fast evolving into a nation of pseudo-intellectual sheep.

Most of our immigrant ancestors had involvement with and knowledge of the land with strong family ties. We are changing. We have become “book smart” moving away from doing most things for ourselves. We now hire nannies, landscapers, mechanics, pool cleaners, handymen and others to take care of us. We are losing our ability to be the “jack-of-all-trades”.

Our careers have moved from generalist to specialist. We work longer and harder in our narrow positions to stay afloat in the material rapids. Most of us live in the fast track with little time to learn from the earth, our elders or history.

Moving up the ladder used to mean learning a trade or a profession through on-the-job training. Many professionals in the pre 1960 open college admissions era rarely had to obtain a college degree to prove competency. Their job function and performance entitled them to their professional position. These professionals were goal not credential driven. Office politics were overshadowed by one’s accomplishments. Getting it done was an indicator of competency rather than who you knew and to whom you “kissed up.” Young people were supposed to immediately compete in the adult world.

Today many young adults are perennial teenagers. These aspiring young people have to spend years on the university level before they can even begin to practice their chosen career. They have to attend many hours in opinion classes, which turn into years. Instead of the instructors talking about how things work and are used in their specialty they opine about how the world should be. In other words they are B.S. courses.

Students are required to go along with the ranting or risk failing the course. The drip-by-drip drivel is the price of indoctrination. It does not encourage critical thinking. It dulls the brain, preparing individuals for passive acceptance of propaganda.

The pervasive media through headline news, polls and dubious studies continues the process of “group think”. The secular brainwashing is constant. God, family, marriage, the work ethic, personal responsibility are bad. Rehabilitation, no punishment- only positive reinforcement, zero population, the UN, Castro and Chavez, hedonism, criminal rights, abortion on demand, homosexual rights and illegal immigration rights are unquestionably good. Anyone who doubts that mental health rehab and drugs cannot erase evil acts or that man is the main cause of global warming is committing blasphemy in our modern secular world.

Americans are becoming less people who make judgments from observation of reality, and more people who make judgments based on the emotional response to a sound bite. Analyzing factual evidence and logic take too much work. It is easier to rely on choosing viewpoints that make us feel good rather than having to determine if they will work in the real world.

Most of us have become passive gatherers of information from 3-6 minute headline segments of news with a specific secular message. We hear the same agenda distortions night after night with little to no analysis of opposing thought. This lack of counter perspective conforms to the definition of indoctrination.

Many of us may consider ourselves intellectuals because we have obtained a credential of higher education. If we do not examine all the evidence available on an issue and reach our decision on a repetitive emotional appeal we are no more than pseudo-intellectuals or even better, a flock of sheep.

It takes time and effort to discriminate between propaganda and the truth. We need to be open to hear and research all the major events of our time. We need to set aside time to keep abreast of a rapidly fluid world.

The internet in the hands of a truth seeking people, not the government, is the most powerful 21st century innovation to counter mass propaganda. As long as individuals can use the internet to have a free exchange of ideas, secular elites will not be able to dull our intellectual powers. Many Americans will be able to avoid becoming pseudo-intellectual sheep.

Keep the internet free from the clutches of the government.

The Homosexual Agenda in Schools is Unamerican: Neither Proselytizing About Religion nor Sexual Orientation Belong in School

2007-07-02T17:29:00.001-07:00

Many of the same people who want to prohibit any mention of God in our schools are now attempting to ram the homosexual agenda down our throats. They see no inconsistency in repressing over 90% of our society who are believers in God while promoting a small, though highly controversial lifestyle of 1 to 2% of our population.

U.S. District Judge, Mark Wolf threw out a lawsuit filed in Lexington, MA by David Parker, father of a five-year-old kindergarten student. Mr. Parker wanted to shield his son from homosexual lessons. Judge Wolf said in his ruling against this father, “Schools are entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens.” “Gay Topics OK in School, Judge Rules”. Associated Press, Tampa Tribune, Feb. 24, 2007, p. 16.

In other words according to the judge the state, not the parents, has the right to decide on the moral values to teach to children. Our federal judicial system is overruling the will of the people in many school districts. Judges are decreeing what is appropriate in local schools.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has exploited the Equal Access Act to legitimize homosexual clubs in public schools as another non-curriculum club. These homosexual clubs are supposed to be educational and not encourage homosexual activity. More often than not this is not the case.

In the same way, using the same ACLU reasoning, Bible study clubs should be allowed in public school. However, very few Americans believe that a Bible instructor would not cross the line into becoming an advocate of a particular religion. This is the reason why even in the Bible belt, speaking about God is not allowed in public schools.

Children up until the young adult years are developing their sexual identity. They are often innocent and vulnerable to groups led by authorities that promote the alleged virtues of homosexuality. For homosexual clubs to have state sanctioned access to our children without presenting an opposing view, is not a forum for education, it is brainwashing.

Public education’s mission is neither to promote a particular religion or a particular sexual orientation. Public schools have been established to give all Americans an opportunity to become literate functioning citizens.

American government schools are distinguished from totalitarian government schools because we have refused to dictate a specific way of believing to our students. Religion and moral values in America have traditionally been up to the parents to decide not the government.

When our public schools develop curricula to change our moral values towards homosexuality we have moved into the realm of re-education camps of communist countries. This should send a chill up the spine and spineless alike.

General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on March 13th, stated that adultery and homosexuality were immoral. This caused a firestorm although Christians, Muslims and Orthodox Jews consider adultery and homosexuality immoral. The old and new testaments and Koran alike condemn sexual acts between people of the same sex.

Old Testament: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, such a thing is an abomination.” Leviticus 18:22.

New Testament: “Therefore God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and their males likewise gave up natural relations with females burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity.” Romans 1:26,27

Koran: “For ye practice your lusts on man in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.” (7:81)

Homosexuality to many secular people has no moral relevance as long as it is between two consenting adults. They view homosexuality as genetically determined although no definitive scientific evidence substantiates this claim, it is a belief.

In America we are free to believe in whatever manner we decide as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others. A discrete sexual act, homosexual or heterosexual behind closed doors is not the business of our government. It is a personal choice of our conscience.

Whenever the state is able to indoctrinate children into a certain belief system parents and all of us have been robbed of our basic freedom of teaching our children what we have learned through our own lives.

America has a long history of tolerance of different religious and personal beliefs. Our government schools cannot be hijacked by special interest groups to promote their agenda without undermining the essence of our freedoms, the bedrock of our republic.

All special interest agendas should be heard in the free market place of ideas, in books and open discussion amongst individuals. Certainly it is not a government right to spread the secular agenda.

Neither proselytizing a religion nor a homosexual orientation is acceptable in school. We must maintain separation of church and separation of sexual orientation from our children’s education.

Homosexual education does not belong in our schools.