Sugar Creek Publishing

# 121

“Today’s Fairy Tale”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

August 28, 2012

If you had the choice, would you encourage someone? Would you discourage someone? Of course, you would encourage another. Yet, today there abounds a fairy tale that robs the younger ones of us of their ambition, their drive, their aspirations, their very lives.

“How is that?” you ask. The answer is before our eyes, yet too few of us recognize the portent of it. Promised help is tempting, and addicting. If you doubt it, take a hard look at what has happened since the 1960s. The once close-knit black American families have fractured into a shattered mosaic of single mothers and absent fathers. Pre-marital sex and living together without the benefit of marriage, once labeled unacceptable, now beckons young people and is flaunted by their idols in entertainment and sports.

It’s as if the conjugal act is just that, an act — devoid of any commitment. Any competent observer will tell you that the basic building blocks of any civilization consist of three elements, and a fourth if the people are especially fortunate. The first three are family, faith and language. We have seen family attacked from every quarter and aberrant behavior lauded as something to copy. Faith, when viewed by the liberal portions of our society, is seen as a weakness — not for the strength believers draw from it. Language is threatened in a myriad of ways.

Proper speaking is not exalted in our schools and profanity heard in the hallways today would never have been tolerated in the generations that brought us “the greatest generation.” I cannot begin to calculate how much money we spend on children who cannot speak English. It is an anathema, since moneyed folk send their children abroad to be “immersed” in a foreign tongue. But what do our schools do? They invest millions upon millions of dollars across this nation teaching bi-lingual classes and try to convince the general population to do less is some sort of discrimination.

Someone needs to ask these so-called educators why the only language spoken among planes and controllers worldwide is English. I can imagine the answers. You see as long as twenty years ago, I spent a fair amount of time as an adult student in university master’s classes taught by instructors who put forth a stilted “politically correct” approach to schoolwork and students. I could see the forest for the trees, since I had reared three sons, one of whom was an undergraduate at the time I was getting my master’s degree.

Speaking up as an adult gets you nowhere, because professors often view you as a threat. Furthermore, since the only things you can salvage from classes like that are your grades; you shake your head (mentally), bite your lip, and count the days until the term ends.

Now, when I see the results of all this “correctness”, I wince. Standards are so much lower than when I went to school. I had a better education in the eighth grade— except for higher math — than seniors do today. History is shortchanged, and so are the students.

Without recognizing the red flags for warning signs of what might be just “down the road”, young people are hobbled and rendered unable to fend for themselves politically or economically.

I titled this column “The Fairy Tale” for a reason. I firmly believe that our young people are in danger, not because of America’s values, but in spite of them. Told they are “discriminated against, “minorities”, or “at risk”, they see themselves catapulted into a hostile world where — with encouragement — they would have succeeded. Entrepreneurship is alive and well; but, for the most part, the younger generation doesn’t know that.

If they are poor, they are promised support. If they are uneducated, they see no improvement in public (in truth, government) schools. Nobody demands excellence. What makes that such a travesty is simple. If you expect nothing, that’s precisely what you will get.

If people are discouraged and despondent, they are coddled. The once-proud movements among the churches in our cities are crowded out by gang violence. Sadly, far too many of our youngsters are in cemeteries long before their time.

Outreach is alive in the inner cities, but the media seldom focus on it. Instead, anchors count the bodies and describe the latest murders on the nightly news and seldom challenge to the community at large to bring pressure to bear on the thugs that ruin lives and devastate futures. In short, threats and violence work.

When young people feel lost and lack goals, some element of the government offers to reinforce their angst and provide some sort of “help” to assuage their plight.

Is this the America built by the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers, their wives and children? I think not. If you want a picture of what happens when government takes over and individual incentive dies, study Russia from 1917 until the fall of the Soviet Union.

Unless one has — for want of a better term — skin in the game, it’s a lost cause. Working and saving for something instills pride and a sense of accomplishment unsurpassed by any form of assistance. Contrast the stability of neighborhoods with property owners with areas designated as “public housing.”

Upward mobility is still possible, but if you believe what the media spouts, everyone is stuck and cannot rise to a higher level. What’s more, the envy and enmity now launched against very successful people is inexcusable. This is robbery and strikes at the heart of the American Dream.

Undoubtedly, you will hear people decry what many term “American Exceptionalism”. They term it a fantasy. If it is, then let them explain why hordes of people from around the world — downtrodden to the highly educated — yearn to come to America.

We have been that “shining city” of which President Reagan so eloquently spoke for generations. That light has dimmed over the past few years, but the spark is still alive. We need only to fuel it by abandoning government regulations and embrace freedom.

Demand politicians from the local to the federal level get their heads on straight and stand for what we are in danger of losing: precious freedom.

Insist on excellence in all areas, from school to the workplace. Demand English as the primary language of America. Reject economic robbery by illegals. If that is acceptable, then burglary victims need to post signs asking the burglars to come back and get what they missed. Don’t allow our young people to be misled by the Fairy Tale that the government is the be-all end-all of everything. It isn’t.

In the end, we are a nation whose government is “of the people, by the people and by the people.” Think about it.

#120

“Just in case you missed this…”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

August 21, 2012

Nothing pleases me more than finding a memorable quote. In this case, it is an
entire talk — given incidentally — on a television program hosted by Tom Brokaw recently. The words are those of one Dennis Prager, an incoming high school principal in Colorado. Heed him. What we need are thousands more like him!

A professor friend of mine sent this along — oddly enough, a conservative professor!

“I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

“I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas
that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

“First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity—your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American.

“This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values—e pluribus Unum, “from many, one.” And this school will be guided by America’s values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.
Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism—an unhealthy preoccupation with the self—while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

“Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America ‘s citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here—it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English—but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

“Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning’s elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

“Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school’s property—whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you
can’t speak without using the f-word, you can’t speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus
epithets such as “Nigger,” even when used by one black student to address another black, or “bitch,” even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend.
It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the
degraded, the holy and the obscene.

“Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way—the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago—by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

“Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you
about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately fortunate—to be alive and to be an American.

“Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand
them to you.”

Not to avoid being correct in my mind, and you may quote ME: “Amen to that!”

# 119

“No surprise here!”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

August 13, 2012

How many times have you said this or heard someone else say it: “If our business operated like the government, we would go broke.” Well, guess what. The government is broke.

The scary part of all this is that I fear the nation lacks the patience to live through any kind of a real adjustment. In this day of instant gratification, everyone wants news in tiny sound bites, tons of information at their fingertips, and rosy outlooks for everything.

Those ideas, though technologically applicable in the first two cases, are not feasible today. A rosy outlook is only possible if you are wearing rose-colored glasses. We are at the end of our financial rope and the end is tightening around the bottom line.

Red is a great color for clothing, but terrible when in ink. Instead of instilling the concept of thrift in grade-school children, we thrill them with video games, computer generated images and cellular phones. Yep! I’ve even seen small children with cell phones.

The combination of no time to use an imagination and constant stimulation does not bode well. Oh, we will have youngsters who are very quick with the mouse click, but not swift on the up tick — when applied to real work and the effort it takes to achieve economic security.

The very idea that 40cents of every dollar is borrowed should strike fear in the hearts of every American. Sadly, it does not. Instead, we plod ahead through a sea of red ink and ignore the fact that everything will implode.

Analysts tell us that Social Security and Medicare cannot sustain themselves under the present system and that by 2030 they will fail. That’s only 18 years, folks. Paul Ryan authored a plan that does not affect anyone over 55 — giving time to change the format for younger workers to be under a newer, more streamlined system.

I’ve watched elections for decades and I’m weary of the scare tactics aimed at the elderly. Many of our seniors depend on Social Security for their retirement income in its entirety. Never mind that the system was designed for “supplemental” income. That’s water under the bridge.

In the 1950s, a retiree received up to seven times what he or she had paid into the system. Those were the glory days of Social Security. Now the ratio has dropped and the numbers of working Americans simply will not support those due to retire in the next decades.

Manufacturers constantly change their designs to attract new buyers. Consumer choices rule in any other realm of our economy. Yet, we are still slipping into 1930s garb when it comes to our retirement.

The concept that there was a “lock box” for the monies paid is ludicrous. It didn’t take long for those in Washington, D.C. to see all that cash as a great prize and they raided it. If that money had been invested, we would be in great shape. Even in light of ups and downs in the stock market, returns would have been very good for older Americans.

If you wouldn’t climb into an 80-year-old automobile or expect an operator at the other end of a wired-to-the-wall black telephone when you need to make a call, then why would you settle for a system that is not only outmoded, but also outdated? Few items in everyday are the “latest” for long. Buy an item today and in three months, a new version will hit the shelves.

I harken back to President Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961. “Ask not,” he stated, “what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” Well, it’s time we followed that suggestion.

We need to do three things and do them right away: (1) Demand that the Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid systems be overhauled so that those 55 and under can expect some sort of retirement benefits, (2) Put a time limit on government aid to able-bodied people and expect work as the number one prerequisite for receiving such aid, and (3) Clean house when it comes to drugs and resolve to instill the work ethic, honesty, and incentive in our children so that they can experience pride in accomplishment and look forward to a brighter future.

Face it. If you work for something, you appreciate it more. If you expect nothing, that’s just what you will get. To take a title from an English work, “Great Expectations” is what we need more than anything else. When 9/11 shook America to its core, people came together as one to face danger.

Economic collapse is the danger today. Are we up to facing it? Can we put aside partisan biases and decide to band together as Americans and return our fiscal house to order?

I hope so — for my grandchildren’s sake. We owe the children more than the mess that looms over us now. Think about it.

# 118

“Timing”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

July 31, 2012

With the problems attendant to the drought, there is little to boost my sense of humor, but the silver lining may — nonetheless — be alive and well. Every modicum of nature has its own rhythm. Life itself has a rhythm undeterred and undefeated by time.

The weather patterns that three or four generations consider “normal” are but a reflection of anything to which we become accustomed. In 1995 my husband and I were privy to a wonderful speaker whose expertise was western hemisphere weather.

He set forth a set of facts that amazed me and I wish I knew where to find them so I could put them down for you to read.

In short, he explained that the weather from about 1900 until 1995 had held incredibly constant. Any constancy over that amount of time becomes so rooted in the human psyche that an aberration from that constancy is alarming. He told us that the extremes experienced by the pioneers constitute “normal weather” for this area of the world.

Although dry years do occur over time, he saw a distinct pattern in the seeming chaos of meteorology.

What’s more, he cited a precise cycle. He told us that, beginning in 1936, severe drought strikes every nineteen years. His research found that major US droughts occurred in 1936, 1955, 1974, and 1993.

Add another nineteen — and VOILA! — you get 2012.

If nothing else, the time frame gives me hope that next year bodes far better for those of us in agriculture to lessen harsh burdens of the rapid food price rises that certainly face Americans in short order. Oh, I know that forecasters claim prices will go up after the first of the year; but there’s a good chance your grocery bills will rise much sooner than that.

Ranchers and farmers are forced to sell off their animals at lower weights because feed costs will be very high. Cattle, chickens and hogs thrive on corn. Because drought impacts corn yields to a high degree, you can count on our talented and resourceful farmers and ranchers to do amazing things aided by modern technology. Yet these folks operate at the caprice of Mother Nature, and she can be less than kind.

If that climatologist’s pattern continues to hold, we can breathe a bit easier
— at least for nineteen years.

# 117

“Travels with Bear”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

July 21, 2012

As a camper, you must have one prerequisite or you’re lost — a sense of humor. I don’t care if you tent, a pop-up, tow a trailer or a fifth wheel or drive sumptuous motor home, the parts within are man-made. Ergo, they break.

We have been extremely lucky during our most recent camping trips. Oh, I towed a pop-up when my sons were small, but that was about forty years ago. And, as time would have it, memories do fade. What once was critical becomes laughable. That is, if you vow to take it in stride.

This summer, we coordinated camping schedules with a young family we met three years ago. The five of us met along the North Shore of Minnesota north of Duluth. A pair of talented people the age of our grown children, he is a computer systems engineer and she is a nurse practitioner. To our eyes, their five-year-old son had suddenly morphed into a lean, tall, beaming eight-year-old on in-line skates or astride a mountain bike. It’s understandable. After all, we hadn’t seen him for three summers.

His parents’ hobby of diving the shallow shipwrecks in the Great Lakes with occasional trips to the Caribbean was a highlight for us. From them and other members of their SCUBA club, we not only learned more about diving equipment and underwater cameras than we had expected, but we also came to appreciate the odd mix of exploration and danger so familiar to anyone with a hobby that involves personal risk. Bringing their son into the mix first involved snorkeling. They tell us that he is so adept at it now that they plan to enroll him into various levels of SCUBA training at ten and twelve.

One day the “big lake” rolled with high waves, a situation incompatible with diving from one of the two boats accompanying the diving club to the campground. Their other option was diving off the shore and one site was not only perfect, but in a very unique area.

The ship Madeira lies offshore near one of Minnesota’s treasured sites, Split Rock Lighthouse. Perched atop steep cliffs overlooking Lake Superior, the lighthouse is a real gem. Immaculate grounds and many learning opportunities draw more than a million visitors in any given year. If you choose, you may watch a 22-minute film on the lighthouse and its history, tour the light keeper’s cottage, hike the trails surrounding the light house, or simply relax and picnic in one of the park’s picturesque glens overlooking the water or nestled deep in the woods.

Traveling RV style affords folks very singular experiences. What other vacation accommodation offers you the chance to sit around a campfire with Americans, Canadians, Swiss, Germans, and Japanese — none of whom you had known even hours before? Oh, hotels are both hospitable and lovely, but seldom does a mix of complete strangers gather on the grounds around to roast marshmallows at twilight.

After three days of sweatshirt weather and watching the great ore boats enter and leave the Two Harbors port, our time was up and we needed to find another campground. We ended up along the South Shore of Superior close to Bayfield, Wisconsin and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

A mix of Victorian homes, small shops, restaurants, bookstores and a busy marina, Bayfield also boasts great store called Keeper of the Light. Never have I seen such a variety of lighthouse items. Want a small paperweight under ten bucks? It’s there. Yearn for a huge lighthouse model running into the thousands of dollars? You can buy that, too.

We checked into a campground on the outskirts on short notice. They had a site for us, and we jumped at it. Did I mention a sense of humor?

The shady shite was not set up for the picnic table to be on the right side of the unit featuring the awning and the entry door. However, since we only planed to stay two nights, we opted to eat outdoors at local bistros both evenings and cook breakfast and lunch at the trailer.

One step out of the truck greeted us with a hot blast. The 66-degree temperatures of Two Harbors were history. Back to reality and hot July weather. About fifteen minutes after we parked, a large truck rolled up at the end of our trailer and began to empty the septic system. I didn’t think too much about it, because sites with “full hook ups” (water, electricity, and sewer) require such attention.

Once the hitch was unfastened and everything was level within the trailer, my husband went inside to initiate the cooling system. Accustomed to what we do when we first arrive at a campground, Bear, our big Newfoundland dog was antsy — anxiously looked forward to a cool place to nap.

Not so fast, boy. No air conditioning! The trailer was new in January of 2011, so we had no reason to consider a main system failure. Were we wrong!! With temperatures approaching 90,the three of us were not the picture of “happy campers!”

After a call to the factory, we learned that the digital thermostat had lost its link to the air conditioning unit. Somewhere in all that wiring was a glitch. Well, we chose to make the best of it, unpacked the comfortable outdoor chairs, grabbed the cooler with iced beverages and put a rug under a tree for Bear.

A couple of hours later, with every awning out and every screened window open, we headed for the charming harbor area. The shady deck was perfect and the waitress even brought Bear a huge bucket of ice and water. We watched the ferry traffic alongside lovely sailboats skimming the waters in the stiff winds so familiar along Lake Superior. Madeline Island glistened in the late afternoon sun while tourists walked the streets with their purchases, boosting the local economy so dependent on the summer season.

You can snowmobile at Bayfield — even cross the ice to Madeline Island in the winter — but summer revenue rules.

A walk down the pier topped off the evening. A tall white-haired man stopped to ask about our dog. A sailboat captain who offered either three-hour or five-hour tours around the harbor, he laughed when learned the dog’s name was Bear. Then, he told us what had happened at his home just days earlier.

His erratic schedule involves coming and going from home at different times on any given day. Days earlier, he hosted an out of state sailboat captain at his home. When the visitor heard noises coming from the kitchen around noon, he assumed that his host had returned. Walking toward the kitchen, he began to talk to his friend. Imagine his reaction when cleared the doorway to see an adult black bear leisurely eating lunch from the garbage can in the corner behind the door.

Just as the man grabbed the doorframe in shock, the captain opened the kitchen door. The bear simply looked from one man to the other and continued to munch. He had no fear of humans whatsoever, so he didn’t see any good reason to interrupt his repast even if he did have visitors. In the captain’s words, this could have been a cartoon bear.

The two men eventually got the bear out of the house, and went back to their business; but I’m not sure I would have been that calm about the whole thing. He was out one screen door, but he explained that locals are accustomed to bears and their foraging about in homes or garages. It goes with the territory.

Tummies full and rehashing the bear story, we headed back to our campsite. The weather failed to cool down and trees blocked what breezes did come from the lake. Alas, we resigned ourselves to a less than comfortable night’s rest.

We made sure to walk the dog before night fell, because bears frequent the campground. The park owner maintains a huge bear trap next to the office. Made from a large metal barrel with plenty of air holes, it offers something tasty and then slams shut once the bear takes the bait. Since this type of trap doesn’t harm the animal, the park owner simply calls the DNR to come and pick up Herr Bear for a return trip to the woods.

Windows open, we knew it would be a long night. Sadly, there was more to it than the heat. When we registered that day, we noticed the owner toting a concrete septic cover with his front-end loader. There was more, of course. The storage tank next to our bedroom window put a skunk to shame and no other sites were open. In short, we were there for the duration. Closing windows was not an option.

At one point, we did muster a smile. We spied that huge Newfoundland with his paws over his nose! It was even too much for him. The double-edged sword was that our only respite was when the breeze stopped. I think that I may tell this story to the service center when we go to have the air conditioning fixed.

I suppose that smell doesn’t outrank an animal encounter, but just “bearly”. Our air conditioning problem probably won’t be the only failure we experience, but I hope that the next one won’t involve “Uncommon Scents.”

Excuse the pun with my column title, but I just can’t resist. It’s that sense of humor thing again!

# 116

“Mourning in America”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

July 10, 2012

Well, I took a hiatus. I’ve been in mourning. Ten years ago when I began this column, I entitled it — as most of you know — IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE. I knew she was ill and failing, but after the SCOTUS decision, I realized that Common Sense truly was dead. Sadly, her children logic and reason are both in critical condition and nobody seems to be stepping up to do anything about it. You can’t count on socialized medicine, that’s for sure.

When was the last time you heard of someone running to Canada or flying to England for medical care? Sure…. Here we are with the finest medical care in the world and the progressives and liberals are vaulting us into the abyss of mediocrity. There might not have been any “smoke filled rooms” in the Pelosi House of Representatives when that unwieldy, 2000-page-plus bill was pushed through in the middle of the night, but it lives up to the “back room deals” we heard about when we read about corrupt politics during the height of the immigrant period in the late 19th century.

So, what do we do now? Well, for one thing, we can get the word out to anyone and everyone to work for a landslide replacement of the White House and the Senate to throw the balance of power to the other party. Every time the House passed a budget bill, it died in the Senate. Thanks, majority! Good job! Maybe YOU should look into the benefits of the government’s much-touted unemployment insurance.

I know that my professor of Constitutional Law is wringing his hands and shaking his head. I loved his class, and at no time did I hear him point out the portion stating that the government was permitted to force anyone to buy anything! This was not just the ordinary professor, either.

He grew up in Taiwan, the son of parents who fled Mainland China just in time to escape the “Cultural Revolution” that stifled the country for decades. He revered the U.S. Constitution and held it as the ultimate standard for the world. The very reason early colonists waged The American Revolutionary War was to insure that no citizen would be subjected to a government with unlimited power.

Where are the Madisons and Jeffersons of today? We need them. Repeal is the only avenue open to us, and we had better make sure that we do everything we can to turn over this behemoth before a committee holds sway over your life or the life of your spouse, your child, your parent. You remember the camel, don’t you — the animal designed by a committee?

I wish I knew the intricacies of our Congress and its rules more thoroughly. If this health care mandate is truly a tax, then can the House reintroduce it as a tax? I can’t help but think that if it had been introduced as a tax, even the then component body would have had a hard time getting it through, day or night given constituent opposition.

All money bills must originate in the House of Representatives and it would be interesting to see just how all of this shakes out in the end. As for now, prediction is the only route left. Like an opinion, everyone has one….

Common sense held sway a mainstay of American thought until the onslaught of liberal tax and spend policies. Today, sadly, it appears to be dead in the water within The Beltway. One takes a deep breath in disbelief that “interpretation” has replaced a clear reading of any law. I think many of us have shaken heads in the wake of a SCOTUS decision, but perhaps never more than now. If, as some think, there is a silver lining in all this and a clear legislative solution will rise to erase this health care bill, we would all breathe a little easier.

With too many in the wagon and too few pulling it, only time will tell. My worry is that the wagon will mire my grandchildren in a lifestyle they didn’t ask for and require them to pay for others’ mistakes.

Words are important. Words count. At least the 10th Amendment upheld guaranteeing the states powers not specifically designated to the federal level.

Remember, the Constitution limits the powers of the federal government in order to assure freedom for the states. If that were to fall under the bus, it would be hard to fathom what would follow.

Take a hard look in Spain and Greece where more than half of their young people cannot find work. Does the length of benefits here in the USA directly link to the length of time to find a job? A current graph confirming that European unemployment benefits over the past decade proves that the shorter the benefit period, the quicker folks go out and get jobs.

One newsman visited an unemployment office in a major US city and found that there were dozens of businesses within a few blocks advertising for workers. Bottom line, if you hand out money, the incentive to take a job is low. One social worker from within that unemployment office said she thought the government was encourages people to be dependent? ‘Ya think?

Hope and pray that Americans can turn back the clock a bit and return to common sense. Defend our borders. Slash spending. Ask for sacrifice in the spirit of John F. Kennedy in his inaugural address so often quoted. That’s real sacrifice, folks, not just window dressing.

As for Common Sense, she lies buried in a potter’s field. Once held to a finite standard of worthy thought and honored as a valued elder, she reposes among the ashes of ignorance, greed, and sloth. Pray that people realize that her loss is truly theirs and vow to work to awaken her spirit once again.

Mourning in America? Yes, but let’s hope that doesn’t morph to Mourning FOR America. Think about it.

# 115

“Initials — these count!”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

June 16, 2012

It’s a simple word, really — one we use everyday. What a shame that some go about their work in such a cavalier fashion that the word is lost to them.

All of us are accustomed to receiving packages via the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEX. Rarely does a box arrive in poor condition. Not so when a package must undergo a series of stops in warehouses along the route.

First of all, I have the utmost respect for semi drivers. My father drove a semi for years in his business and my husband does so in his business today. Not only am I in awe of their talent in maneuvering these behemoths around small roads and parking lots, but also I shudder at the way most drivers behave when around them.

It seems that ordinary drivers think that a semi can “stop on a dime” or make turns without allowing for length and load. Not so. I cannot tell you how many times I have ridden along with my husband and had a driver cut whip in front of us or begin to turn without signaling first. It’s all the truck driver can do to avoid a calamity.

Back to the warehouse. While the semi drivers are fastidious in the way they load their trailer to balance the load and tie down objects that could easily shift, the forklift drivers work as if a tornado were bearing down on the building and they only have ten seconds to get the package on the truck!

I speak from experience on this one. I have watched warehouse forklift operators. While some are careful, others rush at their work. I’m not sure if their bosses require too much work in too short a time span or not, but it looks that way.

Forks are marvelous tools. Whether on a ground bound forklift or on a boom truck, they can maneuver in tight spaces and place objects with precision. I have seen forklifts set objects down so gently that one would assume the box contained eggs!

Ah, if only the warehouse people took such care. A box arrived at an area lumberyard marked for us. Marked “FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH CARE” in BRIGHT RED every five feet of its 30-foot length, that crate should have been babied from its origin to its destination.

So much for what I expected! One end of the crate hung wildly, separated from the pallet beneath it. The other end had a hole punched in about 8 inches in depth. Thankfully, the company that shipped it made sure it was encased in a particleboard box banded with 2x4s. About four or five feet down one side, a huge hole stopped just short of the cardboard box cradled within. Had it not been for the care taken at departure, we would have been recipients of a trashed product.

It all comes down to initials. Alas, pride should be read as Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort. I’ll bet if all workers took real pride in a job well done, the prices of many items would drop. Just total the costs of “en route” product damage, return shipping, replacement and additional shipping. Adds up, doesn’t it?

Preach to your teens on that first job. Insist that the follow instructions. This, of course, ignores a poor boss who pushes speed over accuracy. Why can’t we hope and pray that the employers see the value in taking those extra few minutes to do it right. Great idea, huh?

I know, that’s a lot to ask. Yet, in the greater scheme of things, I recall an old saying: “The hurried’er I go, the behind’er I get!” Think about it.

Column # 114

“Scary Tales”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
Hetty Gray

June 5, 2012

Forget about that “second childhood”. Youth, as we knew it, is history. It’s gone, folks! When I was a child, I learned how to handle adversity through tough experiences. I learned humility by example from stern but fair teachers and parents who expected me to do well. This holds true for most Americans over the age of 50 as well as others who were younger and were reared in traditional homes where parents paid attention to what their kids were doing and instilled faith as a major part in their lives.

I’m not less of a person because of those years. I am better for them. I could tell that things began to slide when my sons grew up in the 70s and 80s, but they have hit the pits now. The first hint began to surface in competitive childhood sports.

I thought I had heard it all when parents pushed for coaches to do away with keeping score to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Oh, please! Winning is winning and losing is losing. Each outcome, in its own way, serves as a valuable tool and a real character builder. No scores? Good grief!

Yes, I thought that movement was stupid. I still judge it so. If you think I’m off in left field, just apply that wisdom to professional sports. Forget about a playoff game or a Super Bowl. Scores don’t count, right? Yeah. That would go over like a lead balloon. Just who would pony up money for NFL, NBA or professional baseball tickets if nobody won the game?

I never adjusted to that mentality or the contention that little boys shouldn’t be allowed to play with army men or act like cowboys and little girls should avoid playing “house.” Well, that worked out well, didn’t it? I can’t tell you how many middle-aged men tell me that they do the cooking and the laundry because their wives don’t do “those things.” As the church lady said, “Well, isn’t that special?” Role models require roles.

All that said, the media just reinforces that image in popular films. And if that weren’t enough, they’ve moved on to the younger set and hit a new low.

Who among us over 40 didn’t fall to sleep to the sound of a parent’s voice reading a fairy tale? There’s nothing wrong with a little girl imagining herself rescued by a handsome prince… or a little boy taking on the role of the hero in a desperate struggle to save the maiden… or the relief when the main character saves an animal from the jaws of a predator at the last minute….

The animated version of “Snow White” featured perhaps the most famous song of its time — I’m Wishing From “Snow White and the seven dwarfs” Music and Lyrics by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. Released in 1937, “Snow White” was Disney’s first full-length animated feature film, and you might be interested in the identity of the vocalist.
According to IMDb.com, Adriana Caselotti (1916–1997) was born into an operatic family — her father Guido, an immigrant from Italy, taught music in New York City, her mother Maria (from Naples) sang at the Royal Opera, and a sister Louise was a noted opera singer and voice teacher. She was 18 when Walt Disney personally chose her for the voice of Snow White.
I adore that movie and I really need to purchase the DVD and enjoy it, both for the story and the music. As I take a deep breath and relish the memories of the film, I am shocked back to the present by a commercial touting a new film that turns my fairy tale into a “scary tale”.
Now, I must admit that I don’t intend to see “Snow White and The Huntsman,” but the very thought of turning that story on its head goes against the grain for me. The evil queen was true enough in the 1937 film, and Disney’s animators didn’t have to rely on special effects and wild chase scenes to get that message across.
Once, a family night at the movies was a treat and a special night out. Now, with movies available on cable or on DVD, families avoid the high cost of refreshments and enjoy those movies at home. Yet, it’s a shame that picking a movie isn’t as easy as it once was. I’m not sure it’s even possible to insulate children from the film violence that is so widespread we are turning out entire generations of young adults who are not shocked at all when it comes mayhem and death. They’ve seen too much of it for the reality to ring true.
The shock value of yesterday’s films was often left to the imagination. Not so today. The childhood innocence so valued by previous generations is a thing of the past. This poses the question do we care? Think about it.

# 113

Memorial Day 2012

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

The radio airs program after program today, all focused on the memory of the fallen — those who gave their very lives that America remain free and we sleep safely in our beds at night, unthreatened by war on our own soil.

My parents instilled in me a great reverence for the soldier. I use the term generically and mean for it to describe every person, man or woman, who serves in the name of our beautiful country.

Few civilizations last more than a few hundred years, and I worry that our way of life and our peace and tranquility are on the line unless we step up to the plate and recognize the Islamic threat for what it is.

Not since the 1500s has the world seen an influx of Muslims into other countries in a push to change societies at their core.

Today, thousands of our brave men and women toe the line in far-flung places where zealots kill in the name of their diety in deference to any form of law or decency.

To those who have given their lives in this cause, we pay homage. We cringe at the thoughts of what they might have seen or suffered in their last moments. We pray for their surviving loved ones and hope that healing comes over time.

We are a good people. We give more of ourselves than any other nation on earth. When our armed service members remain in a foreign land for decades, the native inhabitants are thankful for their presence and worry for their safety should their defenders leave.

God bless this nation and its servicemen and women. They take on a burden few of us would assume, and they do it for each and every one of us.

To take one day out for remembrance is important, but more important is a sense of support and respect for them every day of the year.

Happy Memorial Day. Amid the barbeques, the picnics and the leisurely walks with small children in tow, remember that you walk free because other walked a far harder road.

# 112

“Rules of the Road”

IN DEFENSE OF COMMON SENSE
By Hetty Gray

May 19, 2012

With days remaining until tens of thousands of teenagers across Indiana finish the school year, it is tantamount to stupidity to avoid mentioning grim facts that are generally ignored by the media. Even the most cursory search confirms that the highest teenage driving deaths occur in June, July, and August — summer vacation. Now that proms are a memory and graduation ceremonies loom on the horizon, it’s time that parents and teens sat down around the kitchen table and really discussed the dangers.

This morning, as I listened to the radio, the timing for the column wasn’t lost on me. You see, a Hendricks County crash over the weekend took one senior’s life just days from graduation, left a second teen in critical condition and injured several others. It’s sobering, but true. Teenagers and cars can be a deadly mix on our highways.

It’s been fifty-plus years, but I was once a novice driver. However, I was required to do my “homework” and that included driving in bad weather, pulling and backing a two-wheel trailer among traffic cones and knowing to check the oil or add anti-freeze. Papa was fond of cars and in those days, many men took care of basic car maintenance themselves.

Add to this the firm sense of responsibility both in me and in my older brother by our parents, and our brother-sister duo began driving with a better background than most. Kids listened to their parents in those days and shuddered at the thought of having and accident and trying to explain it to them! Ah, yes, were days when parents held sway and their words were law. Oh, my, I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.

Our family had just moved into a home that our folks remodeled. It had a large backyard that was over 200 feet deep and about 75 feet wide. Among the peach and cherry trees stood some really big maples. This scene was set for entry-level driver training. However, the star of the production was a little car seldom seen outside of rallies or auctions.

Enter Papa’s 1940s Crosley. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this little beauty, go to . Ours was a convertible with wood trim. Many laughed and said that the Crosley was simply a refrigerator on wheels. All joking aside, that Crosley provided us hours of entertainment. More importantly, it exposed us to driving before any of us far earlier than most of our peers. Small and sturdy, that little Crosley gave us all an important head start on traditional high school driver’s education.

After bolting immense men’s belts from a local haberdashery beneath the front driver and passenger seats, Papa turned us out in the yard — one at a time. It’s hard to describe the thrill as each one of us headed down that yard for the first time and made quick turns around the trees. What’s more, if we did manage to turn the car over on it side or top, it only took two or three of us to upright it and put the trainee back on the road. Those were days before seat belts in cars, so Papa was ahead of his time as he implemented his keen sense of safety.

We all looked forward to “Driver’s Ed”, but it didn’t hurt to have a bit of driving before you ever began to learn with a teacher.

Today, with the distractions of cellular phones, teenagers are far more at risk than their parents were at the same age. You’ve seen bad driving among adults, haven’t you? If you’re like me, you probably dodge people on phones every time you take to the road. I’ve even seen people with clipboards on steering wheels while using cell phones. Talk about dangerous!

The talking my generation did — on the home telephone — pales at what today’s teens do behind the wheel. It’s enough to make anyone cringe.

For every dream that the new high school graduate embraces, a nightmare lurks on the road. Understandably, teenagers do not consider themselves mortal. Oh, I’ve seen teenagers’ reactions to a sudden, violent death of a classmate. Unfortunately, those feelings are fleeting.

When you combine speed with any dangerous ingredient — alcohol, cell phones or texting — the result is no surprise. Things go south in a hurry.
These same behaviors, when mixed in a moving vehicle, conjure up a deadly mix. The highway safety research that I read confirmed that, even though teenage driving deaths account for only 6.4 % of the total driving deaths in the USA, they also account for 14% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes and 18% involved in police-reported crashes.

Considering that, nationally, homicide accounts for 14% of teen deaths and suicide 11%, authorities warn that no one hazard comes close to claiming as many teen lives as automobile accidents.

As this school year comes to an end, take the time to educate your children about safe driving. Begin early. A ten-year-old passenger is a captive audience for you. Serve a good example. Don’t speed along the interstate and then expect your child to do otherwise. Many adults refuse to answer a cell phone in a moving vehicle. Because a cell phone records incoming numbers, a driver has the option to pull off the road safely to use the phone.

Rules of the road should come early with youngsters. Instilled in a child, the rules of the road are real life survival skills. Teaching moments are easy when driving with a child. It’s up to every adult to serve as a positive role model for a child. At home? Set rules and stick to them, especially about cell phones in the vehicle. Remember, a teen drivers accompanied by other teens account for the highest number of accidents. In fact, the odds rise exponentially. A bad decision kills in seconds. Lives hang in the balance. For all the freedom that driving offers a teen, it also bodes ill. Think about it.