a dilemma of participation

What gets people motivated to get involved in the fiscal health of the schools that educate their kids?

These days, this is a question which I ponder quite regularly .

New Jersey has tilted the balance of funds to public education from the state coffers to the local community taxpayers, putting schools in fiscal binds and stirring up resentment in the public that gets directed at one of the only budgets that people get to vote on - the school budget. Is it any wonder that people, stirred up by economic situations beyond their control, exert their control by voting down many local school budgets?

But mostly it's just a small portion of the population who take the time and energy to actually exert that right of casting a ballot. Less than 20% of our community came out to vote in last year's school budget election and our populations tops 50,000 people.  

Now since I can't believe that situation is unique to our township, I'm forced to wonder what the obstacles are that prevent people, parents specifically, from taking an interest and active participation in determining whether a school budget is passed or not, considering that their children spend 13 years, if one counts kindergarten, within the halls of an establishment whose main focus is shaping the education, the critical analysis, the mathematical abilities and the reading comprehension those children receive.

Because if I knew what those obstacles were I could find a way to encourage and urge those parents to get more involved, to participate in the discussion and offer their insight, and learn the real facts. Because knowing those facts would overcome misconceptions and politically motivated rhetoric. Pushing information out is as easy as pressing send on an email, posting it on a website or sending an automated phone message. Engaging community with that message, asking them to take in that information and act on it, one way or the other, is the hurdle and given all the efforts put in this year, I'm not sure how else to prompt further action.

It's no secret that people are quick to speak up when something bothers them, or when they feel an action doesn't line up with their agenda, because then the participation gets loud and angry. That's a fine thing, but it's decidedly one sided and usually over a specific topic and once that has been addressed and the heat has subsided, the usual complacency sets in and those folks cast theirs eyes elsewhere, forgetting, or ignoring that there is still day to day business happening that impacts decisions and would benefit from involved community.

As NJ cuts public school aid and ties local school boards hands, the state
turns a blind eye to the increasing costs of private specialty schools needed for special education students, obliquely imply that local districts are spending too much in this area, and do nothing to curtail the year over year increases those private schools burden the home districts with as they endeavor to seek out the best education for that student population. Why does the NJ DOE not look to restrict tuition increases in that sector since it is still education dollars for our students? Why does the state do nothing to limit the increase health insurance costs impose on a school district annually? The average yearly increase school districts are faced with in one of the larger budgetary expenditures hovers in the 15% - 20% range. It seems that the state offices are perfectly okay that tax dollars go to a bloated insurance executive bonus instead of an early intervention reading program, adding an elective to the curriculum, or an advanced placement language course.

It takes the participation of the larger population to decide what is in their best interests, and in the interest of the schools educating their kids, yet that participation is limited to a small segment of involved parents and community minded individuals. And that's a shame as every person in the community, be they people without children currently enrolled or individuals without children, benefit from educating the next generation of innovators, civil servants, scientists, doctors, or businessperson. 

put this in your pipe and smoke it

There’s a new initiative in my town to pass an ordinance that would make it illegal for someone to smoke in their cars when children are with them.

Hhhmmmm, I say. And then I say I don’t think so.

Let me be clear that I’m not a smoker and get sick as two dogs breathing in nicotine fumes. I smoked for about a year in high school until one day I took a long pull off my cigarette, felt myself turn green, my head swirled to such an extent that I had to lie down or do a face plant off the bleachers. My stomach felt like it was about to eject the cafeteria food I had just eaten. It took a good fifteen minutes before I could even think straight. I never smoked again as from then on the smell of cigarette smoke makes me want to puke.

After we moved into our house I put a ban on all smoking inside. My husband wasn’t pleased because at the time he smoked and would have to go outside for his nic fix. Too bad. I grew up in a smoking household and didn’t want that in my home. So I understand the intent behind this push.

All that said, I still say No Thank You to an effort that further intrudes on my personal space by my local government, good intentions or not. You weren’t elected to legislate my lifestyle or personal choices. You were elected to represent the town and make it a better place for the residents.

If you’re a smoker and smoke in a closed environment with your kids, well frankly, I think you’re an idiot and could benefit from some nicotine addiction intervention but I respect and defend your right to be an idiot in your personal space. You’re still an idiot and would deserve that ticket if this ordinance somehow sees the light of day.

Yes, I believe second hand smoke is dangerous to children, but I still do not think my personal space should be legislated to this extreme. Enough already.

I have a few suggestions on what should be handled first before my local government goes poking its slippery intrusive fingers into my personal space. Once you can show me you’re all capable of accomplishing some of these things, then may, just maybe I’ll take your intrusion into my personal space a little more seriously. Until then, I can't view this ordinance as something that produces any tangible township change for the better.

Fix the budget. Get your collective town council shit together and deal with the budget issues without all the partisan infighting that seems to basically stall our local administrative process. Think about implementing what is best for our town and the residents and stop gnawing on what will benefit you in the next election or poking a stick in your opposing party’s eye. All this drama has stopped being mildly entertaining and moved into the pathetic space of self serving political bullshit.

Get some damn sidewalks built in this town. Seriously. We’re a large township with some 50,000+ residents and safe walk ways along busy roads and neighborhoods is a damn good idea.

Bring in some decent ratable businesses. Stop being so freaking closed minded and start crafting a more competitive appeal to businesses so the town benefits from the taxes. As it is, businesses mostly avoid our growing burg because we make it so damn difficult to do business here and the political infighting makes the morons in Washington look like pre-schooler’s fighting over a toy. We’re losing decent business opportunities to neighboring communities because we can’t get our shit together.

Stop the senseless antagonism between the police force and the township administration. It is unproductive. All of it. There are changes needed in both buildings to stream line payroll, efficiencies and behaviors. Grow up and act like adults and fix this relationship. This would be refreshing.

Engage in active fundraising to conceptualize and build a recreation center for the teen population in our town that does not have a place to congregate with township support. We build parks for the younger kids, sports fields for the kids on teams, but leave a large population of our teens without any centralized location to gather. A town of our size and population should have a more vigorous community center with a pool to gather revenue, a teen recreation center that offers volunteers the opportunity to provide mentoring, job coaching, and other community sponsored initiatives. Perhaps, in my idealistic vision, such a center might foster community give back by the residence and kids who take part. The skate park that required attention became a politicized circus before it was finally reopened for the kids in the town. Leave it to a bunch of self serving politically ambitious attention hounds to muck up something good.

That’s just a start.

Until any of those issues show positive signs of progress, don’t even bother asking me to get behind an ordinance like this one. I expect a more township global vision from the elected council members in my town and am disappointed at the energy spent promoting something like this when our budget is such that furloughs had to be enacted to save money, recycling had to be consolidated to twice a month rather than weekly (not that I’m overly bothered by this as my taxes still pay for it and I don’t have to truck it to the recycling center myself), our town is underrepresented by police coverage and lacks a cooperative town government that thinks beyond the individuals.

This is just my opinion of course and for all I know there's a plethora of people out there that will do a happy dance at the idea of this change. In truth though, this gets my back up as I view it as an unnecessary intrusion. Are the intentions based on genuine concern? Absolutely. I still see it as an encroachment of my individual freedoms and an invacy of personal choice. I'm a little tired of politicians feeling they can continually pick off pieces of personal choice just because they can. Or because they have a personal religious stance and use that as in their government decisions.

Engough already. Get back to the business of government.

things not recommended

Leaving a metal spoon in the mug of tea I put in the microwave to reheat.

Wearing a nice pair of dress pants that are waaay to long for my short legs without a pair of heeled shoes on a very rainy day. Dirty cuffs = dry cleaners.

Eating the entire bag of steam fresh brussel sprouts for dinner because OMG the GAS!

Thinking that multiple deadlines for the same date was a good idea.

Getting only five hours of sleep 3 nights in a row because I apparently cannot recognize that I’m tired and sleep is good.

Expecting certain projects to be well thought out before implementation. Really, who does that shit?

Forgetting there is a small pile of loose papers on the backseat of the car and opening all the windows while driving 60 mph.

Talking to me before caffeine.

Forgetting to set my alarm on days the kids do not have school. This is a new definition of late to work.

Putting the book I am reading down and then not being able to find it for TWO days.

Flipping the bird to the car that just cut me off only to realize it was a police car.

Playing with the black haired dog in a white t-shirt before leaving the house.

Wearing white anything while living with the 60 lb. black haired dog who believes she should be a lapdog.

Working with the wood planer without ear plugs.

what the shed burped up

The shed in our backyard is starting to disintegrate, a sort of slow neglected death from water damage and age that becomes more obvious as the roof leaks and the only thing keeping the door shut is a piece of wood wedged against it from the outside. We are claaasssssy.

I’m okay with its imminent demise as I’ve always hated that fucker with a passion because it is in the worst position possible and obstructs the view of the back yard from one of the bedroom windows. Our backyard is a nice place, being able to see it from my bedroom window would be a good thing. If I had had half a brain, I would have taken a sledgehammer to it years ago and built a massive bonfire from the guts of it. I don’t know why the previous owners built it so close to the house, except to avoid any town officials from noticing and making them pay for the permit necessary to place a shed of that size on the property. Gods, I wish I knew then what I know now about owning a house. But that is a whole different post.

With the big blue shed falling apart, the crap it’s been swallowing for the past 16+ years needs to be hauled out of its gullet and sorted to determine just how vital it is to keep a couple dozen boxes of paperbacks that haven’t seen the light of day since 1997. I’m a book junkie and have a tendency to hang onto just about every book I’ve read, figuring I’ll probably reread just about every one of them at some point. Except that damn Eat, Pray, Love crap which sucked so bad that I left it in a doctor’s office waiting room in disgust, barely through the Pray part. I truly do not get why people like this book so much. I know that blogging is its very own brand of navel gazing documenting how wonderful we all are, but c’mon, that book reeks of a self-indulgency that makes me ill.

There are a good number of boxes that just need to be put out to the curb because while the smelly box of 11 year old baby clothes is so not worth keeping, I found a few items sifting through all the decaying boxes and moldy paper that I’m really having a difficult time deciding what should be done with them.

The dead mouse found in the bottom of the plastic container is not one of them however. shudder, ick, eeeewwwww.

Carpentry tools from my grandfather and father. And I mean a fuck load of tools, people. Three large Rubbermaid totes of hand tools. Both of these men dabbled in carpentry and furniture-making all their lives, despite earning their living by other means and I don’t think they ever got rid of anything. My hoarding trait clearly comes naturally. Some of these my husband and I will probably, maybe, use when we work on projects, because we like to dabble in woodworking too, but just how many 50 year old hand planers does one person need? I think I counted ten. There are so many files & rasps and I’m not sure what half of them are meant for. Something in the vicinity of five different sharpening stones.

The male child plans on taking wood shop next year and while that’s a grand plan, thoughts of him wielding power tools sorta scares me, just a little, should I hang onto them for him or donate them to his school’s wood shop?

In this stash of tools are plumb bobs that have to be almost a hundred years old. Part of me wants to keep these forever. I mean, these were tools handled by the men in my family for years. I remember my father in the basement workshop, crafting the dining room set they used for years, showing me how to sand wood for the smoothest surface, sawing the tip of his finger partially off. My Dad guided me through the steps of building an album case for my bedroom when I was fifteen. It’s my nightstand to this day. Two years ago, I took an old, battered two-door cabinet that my grandfather and father had built back before I was born for my grandmother's sewing room, and I stripped and sanded it, painted and stamped it. It’s now very pretty and holds the family games, school supplies and some art supplies. Some of the tools that I found probably helped make it. How do I just get rid of those?

In the dampest corner, in boxes falling to pieces, I found china, and a few weird orange colored slugs. A pale cream color (the china, not the slugs), delicate roses adorning the surface with platinum edging. These neglected pieces were my grandmother’s china. I had forgotten that it had been stashed in my shed, waiting for someone to decide what to do with it. My grandmother had been very proud of her china and I think it was the only set she’d ever owned.

Talking to my sister about it the other day, we recalled the lectures we’d get about being careful when we were conscripted into washing and drying these dishes after Sunday, or holiday, dinners. While the men sat around in recliners and watched football, the bastards. It’s pretty china, but not something we'll use, it's a little too frilly for my taste and we’re not a china type household, frankly it wouldn’t be long before multiple pieces are broken. Do I hold onto it for either of my kids? Do I sell it? Do I give it away?

There are memories attached to these pieces and I’m a memory hoarder. I like to hold and touch items that have my history attached to them, the sentiment might be more what I want to keep, but for me, some of that is wrapped into the items. Now that I found them again, it’s very difficult to let go. Because I am a sap.


Maybe wanting to hold onto this stuff is directly related to not having my parent’s around any longer, and knowing that my sister and I are really the only two left with the memories connection to these items. My kids didn’t get a chance to know my grandparents, and their time with my parent’s was short, so these memories are all I have to share with them. But do my memories of these items, of these people, really have meaning to them? I know they hold fast to their memories of my parent’s but theirs are vastly different than mine and I want them to know these things, to show them more of these people that are very much a part of them. Or am I just trying to pawn off the decision making process, turning my kids into mini hoarders?

Memories are weird things, they are personal and individual. My sister and I have different memories of the same people, places and things. We approach these memories differently. She doesn’t care for the tangible item-linked memory. For me, those two are vital together. It’s not that I forget, it’s that if I have something to touch, to see, maybe the distant of those memories won’t feel so huge.

get caught listening

June is Audio Book Month! Yippee!

The Audio Publishers Association has deemed it so and I whole-heartedly agree.

Last week I signed up to the Audiobook Community and it's a cool place to play.

Maybe I've mentioned my audiobook obsession once or twice, or every chance I get, but let me lead you gently toward a new discovery - Audiobook's are our friends. Someone reads me a story on my commute, every day. Given that I spend just shy of 2 hours on the the road each day for the paying job, I get to "read" for those two hours.

These are precious hours, people! Where in the crazy schedule of life does two hours open themselves up to reading, every day? Maybe if I spend it locked in the bathroom, which sometimes is the only escape, but even the dog shoves open the door and demands my attention. It is very unsettling when the dog watches me wipe my butt. We've agreed she'll leave when its time to tidy the privates, because that is when I give her a solid nudge with my toe toward the door. Some things just can't be shared. Ever.

My MP3 player has more audiobooks on it than music. This just reinforces my nerdhood, but I'm okay with this. I was the kid that hid her latest paperback in the textbook I was supposed to be reading in history class. Oh how I wish MP3 players had been around then. Sony Walkman's were so not subtle!

Audiobooks are everywhere, you can get them at your library, from any retailer like Audiobookstand, Audible, and Barnes & Noble to name a few, plus others. A quick Google search will produce a treasure trove of resources.

Tell me what you like to listen to and we can compare notes on narrators and authors and recommendations. I'm always on the lookout for a new author to try.

And maybe get to the bottom of whether it's cheating or not if you listen to the audiobook for a book club. Because I hear that is a hotly debated topic.

Currently streaming through my car stereo is A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire, an urban fantasy. I'd give more details, but I just start listening and prefer to hear a book through before sharing what I feel about it.

I've been in a fantasy mood for a while, so my listening queue is fantasy heavy right now. Who knows, next month it might be non-fiction.


*None of the sites listed, or books mentioned, are sponsored. I just like to share my obsessions.