tariffs

It Seems to Me….

/ skidaz / Leave a comment

Time goes by faster every year. I can’t believe Christmas is so near.

I need to shop and bake and write, but I read the news and shake with fright.

We blow up boats and deport non-whites, we break up families throughout the night.

No votes for women, they must be ladies, who cook and clean and tend to babies.

History’s destroyed; the East Wing’s gone. I fear old Lincoln won’t be long.

Tariffs have made the prices soar, forcing stores to close their doors.

Who in this season has caused this mess? Read the headlines. Any guess?

A selfish Grinch devoid of shame, as long as everything bears his name!

He lies and lies; he cheats and steals. He makes millions on all his deals.

So in this season to be jolly and deck the halls with boughs of holly, I’ll try to stay in a good mood. I’ll go out and do some good. Among those who are in need and have a lot of kids to feed.

My days grow shorter, that I know, and I have many miles to go

To cast my vote and have a say, and hope that cruel fop fades away.

The New Agenda for The New Year

/ skidaz / Leave a comment

For months I heard ad infinitum about the poor, failing economy. America needed new leadership to turn things around. Now, on the cusp of the inauguration, the priorities have suddenly changed. Of utmost importance is: the flag at half-mast, the renaming of Mount Denali, seizing the Panama Canal, buying Greenland, making Canada the fifty-first state, and mandating the existence of two sexes. What happened to the economy?

Of course, the massive deportation of immigrants is festering in the background. I suspect some rational folk have calculated the cost and the consequences of the issue. Farmers, ranchers, and the service industries are wondering who will pick the strawberries in California, the lettuce in Arizona, the apples in Washington, or the citrus in Florida. Hotels are wondering who will do the daily housekeeping, tend to the grounds, and mow lawns. Who will man the kitchens, bus the tables, wash the dishes? The sermon has turned to “selective deportation” because the farmers and service industries need immigrants, and “selective importation” because Musk needs to import engineers. So much for that campaign promise.

The other agenda item that has paled is tariffs. Thirty-nine years ago, in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, his economics teacher(Ben Stein) railed, “Tariffs did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression.” Tariffs and mass deportation make for the classic double-edged sword. US produce rots in the fields without workers, and 90% of the produce America imports from Mexico is taxed with tariffs. Sure, gas may cost five cents a gallon less–a mere dollar a tankful, but we’ll pay $10 for a head of lettuce. What will happen to the economy?

Forty-nine per cent of America saw through the smoke and mirrors, the blustering, the outrageous lies of PT Barnum; sadly 49.5% of his faithful believed. My seat belt is fastened in anticipation of a most interesting ride.

The Name Game: Migrant Children

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When I was in the Master’s Leadership program, the professor asked: What’s the most important thing about a person?

Though I loved this professor, I knew he was wily.  Two brave students attempted an answer, only to be told they were incorrect.  The professor walked to podium, cleared his throat, and we knew we were about to learn a very important lesson.  Ladies and Gentleman the MOST important thing about a person is his/her name!  A name that distinguishes him/her from “you,” “kid,” “son,” or “ma’am.”  As an educator you must value people’s names, whether they be teachers, students, and parents.  You’ll be surprised by how much they respect you. A lesson I’ve not forgotten.  

Know I have the utmost respect for migrant workers and am most grateful for their service.  I’m certainly not going to pick lettuce, avocados, nor apples as my career.  Even at my grandparents’ farm years ago, men wandered up the lane to help with haying season and combining wheat and oats.

I am appalled at the separation of children from their migrant families.  I am appalled the US government is spending millions to house these children.  But I am most appalled we do not know these children’s names.  Really?  WTF?  And now, the government is going to spend millions to identify them via DNA testing.  Hmm.  In this technological age, it was not considered to identify them first–through photograph, finger print, or number?  These are children–some toddlers.  I can’t imagine their terror.

 

people-id-solutionsUnfortunately, this is just another example of mbsp–management by the seat of the pants. No one seems to understand the consequences of a decision until they’re faced with reality.  Decisions are whimsical, often retaliatory to garner votes.  Certainly, none of the recent decisions can be viewed as thoughtful.  (Just wait.  The tariff position is about to decimate American farmers.)

Yes, I’m a teacher. Yes, I’m a child advocate.  Yes, I would gladly open my home, my extra beds, and my kitchen to six children.  And yes, I would know each of them by name.

A view of inside US CBP detention facility shows children at Rio Grande Valley Centralized Processing Center in Texas