More Reactions to NPR

I've been listening to NPR a lot lately. It's a nice break from the inane conversations I have every day at work. There's lots to like about NPR. No, not the pledge drives, although I think I would be ecstatic if Ira Glass of This American Life called me and shamed me into pledging. But I like hearing the stories. I like that the news comes in narrative form, with real people telling the stories. And I like that more often then not, it makes me think about the world outside of my microcosm.

So I was listening to an All Things Considered* story about soda in America. The story posits that children today drink too many sugary drinks, largely due to a lack of education about what those beverages do to the human body. There was even mention of children who drink soda in the morning to "get them woke up." Kind of appalling, right? When asked about water, the kid says he can't drink water, he has to have something with flavor or his digestive system acts up. Really appalling, right? So all of this I agree with. Something should be done. I'm not opposed to taking soda out of schools, it's a small step, easy to make, and would probably do a world of good (although they tried to do that when I was in high school, and if memory serves me correctly it lasted less than a year). Then the reporter asked whose responsibility it is to educate children about good eating habits. Parents? Teachers? The guy at the Quik-E-Mart? "We all bear responsibility," the interviewee said. Again, I don't necessarily disagree with this. As a teacher, it's my job to help mold my students into happy, healthy, productive young adults, whatever that entails. The problem is, how do I teach them something if they go home and their parents teach and model the exact opposite?

This highlights a more widespread problem with education today, something that I've observed by interacting with parents. Lack of parental support and involvement. The principles, concepts, and behaviors that we try to instill in students at school are undermined when they go home. The problem isn't always with teachers or the public school system, although we tend to take the blame. It starts at home. That goes for learning and nutrition.

*Question: do you italicize radio program titles, or put it in quotes? Standby for MLA check--my handbook is still within arms reach of my desk, even though I haven't written a paper in years. Indeed, you do italicize. The episode title goes in quotes. I WIN!

Thoughts on the Bail Out

It seems the whole world has been waiting with bated breath for the Congressional decision about the Wall Street bail-out. I too, despite my general disdain/lack of interest in politics (they're going to take my money no matter what party they're with), kept an eye on the iGoogle news feed. Since I know very little about the economy (I never had to take Economics), I'm not sure what to think about all of this. But here are some of the thoughts spinning around my head.

-If a CEO gets the job 17 days before the company goes under, he shouldn't get more than I make in 30 years. Just saying. Furthermore, why are CEO's still getting paid huge bucks when their patrons are finding themselves up the creek without a paddle?

-I'm generally a proponent of the government keeping its nose out of private business, but it seems like in this situation, the well being of certain private institutions translates into the well being of the American financial system. Perhaps doing something isn't such a bad idea after all. But every time I think about the whole CEO thing, it frosts me. Shouldn't there be some kind of condition in the bill that requires those billionaire CEO's to cough up a little dough? Can't the government hold them responsible for the failure of their companies? They hold everyone else responsible for bad driving by instituting fines, can't they do something similar for sucking at running a Fortune 500 Company? Instead of capping the salary, why not institute some kind of aid scale? For every yacht they sell, they get a million dollars from the government.

-Finally, I hate election years. Everyone is so bent on getting their man in office that they can't behave like adults. It's stupid.