Posted by somovillager on February 9, 2010
I heard my Dad saying that the city doesn’t have enough money to keep my school open, is this true? Jimmy H.
You may have misunderstood your Father, Jimmy. The city doesn’t have much to do with the school budget, although the city is indeed in serious trouble. Money to run the schools comes mostly from property taxes and Federal money that is tied to enrollment and attendance. There is also money that comes from the sale and leases of state owned land, overrides, earmarks and so forth. Did you ever see the guy at the State Fair that has three walnut shells with a pea under one of them and after he moves them around you have to guess where the pea is? The School Board and State Legislature does the same thing. Except now, there is no pea. The City, State and Federal governments are all short on cash and your dad is correct, some schools may need to close for awhile. If that actually happens, you will still be able to attend class; it just may be at another school and/or will be overcrowded.
You didn’t mention what grade you’re in Jimmy, but this situation is a good example of why you should study Civics (or whatever it’s called now-a-days) when the course is offered to you. If you learn how things work and pay attention to current issues, you will be able to cast an intelligent vote for those who represent you in government. If we all kept track of the performance of our representatives and graded (voted) them accordingly you wouldn’t have had to ask the question. In grade school, a friend of mine was Class President. He won the election by promising to put root beer and orange soda in all the drinking fountains. It’s the same now; voters are just as gullible and the promises are just as bogus. You can help make a change, Jimmy—you just have to be wise enough to not give your money (vote) to the guy with the walnuts and pea.
Gramps.
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Posted by somovillager on January 23, 2010
Ask Grandpa
The great youngsters at Sunland School sent so many questions last month, It’ll be awhile to get through them all so I’d best get cookin:
Did you watch a lot of Television?
Until I was about eight we listened to the radio, I forgot most of the programs. When TV came out we couldn’t afford one but my buddy got a Magnavox. Everyone went to his house to watch it. There were many westerns and family type shows. It was all clean stuff and “R” ratings weren’t invented yet. The Monday Night Blue Ribbon Fights were my favorite. My buddy’s dad, (our idol) was a contender for the World Middleweight Belt and he would explain all the moves to us and quiz us on them afterwards. We used to make extra money by collecting scorpions & rattlesnakes for a doctor from the Teachers College (now A.S.U.). He had the first “color TV” and offered us a chance to see it. It was a regular black & White with a yellow, blue and orange plastic thing in front of it. Roy Rogers would gallop in from the left as a blue cowboy and change colors as he headed off.
Did you have bullies?
Yeah, we had some, they weren’t as vicious as today and they usually didn’t last too long. There were many more decent kids than punks and the good kids would step in if someone was being bullied. None of my friends were bully’s and we were discouraged from fighting at school. We were usually excused if it was fair and a bully was being straightened out after school.
Boy! you guys and girls are bringing back a lot of memories for me –keep it up. GP
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Posted by somovillager on August 30, 2009
Our parents complain about our loud music-they try to scare us with “you’ll go deaf”. Can music hurt us? Robert and Terri H.
I started to say something about scary parents, but realized that your question is really very serious. Actually Robert and Terri, if your folks haven’t scared you yet, they should try harder.
Loud noise, including music, can cause something called “Tinnitus”. People with Tinnitus hear constant noise such as 
crickets chirping, bells, water running and so forth. Our company mechanic hears birds singing and has a hard time falling asleep if he doesn’t drown out the racket with his TV. I hear a buzzing noise that is pretty annoying which may have been the result blaring Willie Nelson, Fats Domino, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and a bunch of other folks you probably never heard of. We played loud music then too and although we didn’t know it could cause Tinnitus, our parents scolded us for being rude. I remember Pop saying” are you trying to announce your grand arrival? I could hear you coming block away.” And “What makes you think you’re so important that you assume everyone else in the neighborhood wants to hear what you like.” My Doctor says loud noise can also cause deafness and the police can issue citations for loud noise-just in case you need another reason to tone it down.
I reckon our folks are a lot smarter than they are scary.
Grandpa
Have a question for Grandpa please send it to me at (gayoung@cox.net) by the 5th. of the month.
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Posted by somovillager on August 6, 2009
My grandma told me about a class she had called “Home Ec”. Are there any schools in the area that have such a class? Suzy B.
I spoke with some very nice, helpful ladies at the Roosevelt School District office and was told that Home Economics, as well as Shop classes were dropped in the 90’s due to budget constraints.
It is really a shame, Suzy, that young folks today aren’t able to take advantage of those classes at a grade school level. You didn’t mention your age, but when you graduate to high school, they offer what they call food, design and child management. I think that’s a fancy way of saying Home Ec. The whole deal boils down to teaching you to be a proficient home manager. Meal preparation, value shopping for groceries and clothing etc. as well as household budgets are some of the things your grandma probably remembers best. Having a home manager skilled in these areas is one of the important keys to a healthy, happy, financially secure home.
We had friends over for dinner a few months ago and their daughter (about 22) remarked that it must have cost a fortune. My wife showed her that it didn’t cost much more than fast food. Grandma took Home Ec. Grandpa
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Posted by somovillager on June 10, 2009
I hate English class. I’m in the 6th. Grade and can speak and understand English just fine. What’s the big deal? Josh S.
It is a big deal, Josh. Perhaps not now at your age, but I hope you clip this column and rethink your question in a few years. The reason I say that is because most kids in the 6th. Grade hates English class. Later, we find ourselves in
situations where we wished we had paid attention in class and had become proficient in grammar and sentence construction. That situation might be as serious as being considered for a job where the interviewer will select the person they feel is the most intelligent. Your superior verbal skill could get you the position or a promotion or in a less serious situation, you could find yourself trying to impress a young ladies family. They probably want the best for her. The certainly don’t want her going out with someone who sounds like a failure.
My Dad told once, Josh, that “First impressions are important, if you speak like a dope, people will assume you are a dope and you might not get the opportunity to prove otherwise.”
Please e-mail your questions for Grandpa to George at gayoung@cox.net or call 602-243-3162 before the 5th of the month. Thanks.
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