Why doesn't this exist. A national organization to advocate for college students and lobby politicians on their behalf.
I know that most college students don't need anything like this on a day to day basis. But with higher education costs rocketing up all over the country and universities cutting classes and programs, something needs to be there to protect the American College and University system.
My own problems with the current systems of higher education are amazing. I had a problem with losing my finacial aid for a year. Then I went to work and made too much money to be eligable the next year, but not enough to pay for school myself. Then I got back to school and some one that I was getting in a relationship with used me and took all my money so I dropped out while I tried to get my life back together. Then I re filed to go back only to find out that they messed up my re-admission and didn't process it until the semester in question had already started. Now that I have that taken care of they still can't fix my account so that I can register for classes because of issues with computer updates.
I can not be the only person that is having these problems or these complex of problems and it occurs to me that a students union would be needed.
The union would work like a standard labor union in that they would be there to fight for fair treatment and manuver people through the beurocracy and red tape of the American University system.
It should be free. There should not be any kind of mandatory membership fee. The union would generate revenue from advertising on its website. It could also offer a paid membership option that would offer special features to paid members. I.E. Newsletters, Study Aids, ect...
The union should allow students to connect with other students and teachers to exchange study guides across campuses as well as other information. (Some teachers just have better ways of organizing things and all students should have access to material that may help them better understand something.)
The union should have lobbyist in poltics that work to raise education standards and oportunites for America's College students while working to keep tuition rates and fees from going up.
The American Collegiate Students Union would work to make higher education more affordable for all and increase the quallity of that education.
Think about it. ACSU
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Funny the way it is.
My dad is in the hospital right now and has not been doing good. He collapsed after work Tuesday and my family and I have been in and out of three different hospitals since. We are currently at the University of Michigan Hospital, where everyone in Michigan goes when you are really bad off. Right now he is on a temporary heart pump, which is a balloon in his heart to help it pump.
We have family in the area that has been letting us stay with them at night, although tonight we are staying at the hospital. This morning on the way here he went in to cardiac arrest almost right when we were getting in the elevator to come up to his floor to see him.
But this is really not about that. This is about more.
There was a guy standing by a stop sign by a freeway exit with a sign asking for help. On the other side of the road you could see a golf course where four people wearing typical preppy clothes were on the golf course. One man was begging for food while another was playing golf.
I was planning to be bowling and drinking with friends on Friday, and now I am in Ann Arbor worried about if my dad is going to make it and how well he is going to come out of it.
My family never says, "I love you.", but we have been crying in each others arms.
Not sure where I was going with this post but ......
We have family in the area that has been letting us stay with them at night, although tonight we are staying at the hospital. This morning on the way here he went in to cardiac arrest almost right when we were getting in the elevator to come up to his floor to see him.
But this is really not about that. This is about more.
There was a guy standing by a stop sign by a freeway exit with a sign asking for help. On the other side of the road you could see a golf course where four people wearing typical preppy clothes were on the golf course. One man was begging for food while another was playing golf.
I was planning to be bowling and drinking with friends on Friday, and now I am in Ann Arbor worried about if my dad is going to make it and how well he is going to come out of it.
My family never says, "I love you.", but we have been crying in each others arms.
Not sure where I was going with this post but ......
Sunday, March 14, 2010
I know how to fix this country, Let Us Party!!!!
This thing has been on my mind for a while so I hope I get this off clearly in a way that makes sense.
Lets all party. Everything would be so much better if we were having a massive global festival on par with Carnival or Mardi Gras but on a global or at least national scale. It is amazing how we never manage to celebrate ourselves, although I thought was the original purpose of Labor Day and in a way Independence Day.
Lets face it though, this is an economic depression, many people are dealing with depression, and there is a great level of despair out there. A massive festival would be a great way to lift people up. Just think about all that Mardi Gras does for the economy and for the spirt of the people. Think about what it means to the people of New Orleans to still keep going even after the devastation that town has felt.
In the March 1st issue of The Nation there is an article that says as much. The article makes the argument that festivals such as Mardi Gras and Carnival do more to strengthen a community, create joy and hope, and even help each other and solve problems in a community. The article was called We Won't Bow Down.
I think I got what the take away message was from that article. If we are ever going to make anything of ourselves we have got to come together and festival is the best way to do that.
"I went to look at the worst things that happen to people and found some more hope in the resilience, the inventiveness, the bravery and occasionally the long-term subversion with which people respond."
As the article mentions there are many groups that represent nearly every aspect of our culture that participate in Mardi Gras, but I think the most interesting idea was that idea of subversion. This idea that a community can come together and skip over buisness as usual to help each other. The article specifically mentions subverting capitalism for the sake of what is right in the eyes of humanity.
This is why I say lets party. Let us all come together to celebrate with each other something that we all share. Maybe just maybe we would all learn to respect each other along the way and learn the importance of thinking of more then just ourselves.
Lets Party
Lets all party. Everything would be so much better if we were having a massive global festival on par with Carnival or Mardi Gras but on a global or at least national scale. It is amazing how we never manage to celebrate ourselves, although I thought was the original purpose of Labor Day and in a way Independence Day.
Lets face it though, this is an economic depression, many people are dealing with depression, and there is a great level of despair out there. A massive festival would be a great way to lift people up. Just think about all that Mardi Gras does for the economy and for the spirt of the people. Think about what it means to the people of New Orleans to still keep going even after the devastation that town has felt.
In the March 1st issue of The Nation there is an article that says as much. The article makes the argument that festivals such as Mardi Gras and Carnival do more to strengthen a community, create joy and hope, and even help each other and solve problems in a community. The article was called We Won't Bow Down.
I think I got what the take away message was from that article. If we are ever going to make anything of ourselves we have got to come together and festival is the best way to do that.
"I went to look at the worst things that happen to people and found some more hope in the resilience, the inventiveness, the bravery and occasionally the long-term subversion with which people respond."
As the article mentions there are many groups that represent nearly every aspect of our culture that participate in Mardi Gras, but I think the most interesting idea was that idea of subversion. This idea that a community can come together and skip over buisness as usual to help each other. The article specifically mentions subverting capitalism for the sake of what is right in the eyes of humanity.
This is why I say lets party. Let us all come together to celebrate with each other something that we all share. Maybe just maybe we would all learn to respect each other along the way and learn the importance of thinking of more then just ourselves.
Lets Party
Friday, March 5, 2010
Pay as you Go, Don't make me laugh
How does "Pay as you go" legislation work when you have no money. Seriously!
More importantly, we can look back in history and know that one of the worst things are government can do right now is suddenly decided that a massive recession, even though most people would call it a depression, is the best time to balance the budget. Apparently the FISCAL CONSERVATIVES that were running things during the Bush years ran deficits to the point that the national debt is so large there are real concerns as to how we will ever be able to make payments.
Soooooo.. the one hundred billion a year we need to pay for healthcare reform , never mind that the funds are already there, is too much spending and going to add to the deficit at a time when the national balance sheets are still reeling from the couple trillion a year the Bush administration was spending on a war of aggression in Iraq. (Have you heard that Carl Rove states in his book that that he knew it was unlikely we would go to war with Iraq without the weapons of mass destruction threat, did he not in the past admit they knew the intelligence on Iraq's WMD's was out of date. So in a way isn't he admitting that they used any intelligence they could find to make their case for war, validity be damned. And isn't there a little thing called the Downing Street Memo that also supports that idea. If memory serves me correctly that memo said something about fixing the facts around a policy objective of going to war. Hmmmm)
Anyway..... It is okay for a Republican to spend trillions, each year, on a war of aggression but a Democrat can't spend one trillion over a ten year period to make sure 31 million more people have access to health care. Maybe if Obama called it "The War on Health Care" he would get the green light. Gotta fully fund the war effort you know.
This pay as you go shit is being pushed on the jobs issue too. Some souther hick that used to play baseball and then managed to dupe a bunch of other southern hicks to voting him in to the Senate, I know there is a joke about throwing his constituents a curve ball in there somewhere, actually used Pay Go, which he did not support, as his reason why they should not extend unemployment benefits one more day, "Cause they are not paid for."
For a minute just think about that, cause for one day this situation existed. Current unemployment is just below 10%. The "Real" unemployment number is more like 16% they estimate. So currently 6% of the country has no job and no income to speak of. For one day while this jack off from Tennessee was screwing things up the other 10% was losing their unemployment too. Can you imagine how bad it would get if 16% of the country had no income and no way to take care of them selves.
It is amazing to me how the Republicans are simply in the way and stopping everything at every opportunity. Pay Go was actually something they came up with. Obama tried to pander to them by adopting it and the minute he went for the Republicans wouldn't touch it with a fifty foot pole. The R's wanted a deficit commission, Obama took the fangs out of that proposal but still gave them the commission. The R's wanted that commission to be able to strip and gut the government at every turn to save more on the bottom line.
Wouldn't it be nice if the R's stopped shutting down government for everything and actually let something happen. I think they are too scared that Obama's plans might work and might make him look good, so the only sure way to make him look bad is to block everything.
Pay Go was never about paying for things as you go. There is no Go, and the R's are going to make damn sure there is no Paying either, at least not while they are not in power.
Pay and Go
Or
Sit and Sulk
More importantly, we can look back in history and know that one of the worst things are government can do right now is suddenly decided that a massive recession, even though most people would call it a depression, is the best time to balance the budget. Apparently the FISCAL CONSERVATIVES that were running things during the Bush years ran deficits to the point that the national debt is so large there are real concerns as to how we will ever be able to make payments.
Soooooo.. the one hundred billion a year we need to pay for healthcare reform , never mind that the funds are already there, is too much spending and going to add to the deficit at a time when the national balance sheets are still reeling from the couple trillion a year the Bush administration was spending on a war of aggression in Iraq. (Have you heard that Carl Rove states in his book that that he knew it was unlikely we would go to war with Iraq without the weapons of mass destruction threat, did he not in the past admit they knew the intelligence on Iraq's WMD's was out of date. So in a way isn't he admitting that they used any intelligence they could find to make their case for war, validity be damned. And isn't there a little thing called the Downing Street Memo that also supports that idea. If memory serves me correctly that memo said something about fixing the facts around a policy objective of going to war. Hmmmm)
Anyway..... It is okay for a Republican to spend trillions, each year, on a war of aggression but a Democrat can't spend one trillion over a ten year period to make sure 31 million more people have access to health care. Maybe if Obama called it "The War on Health Care" he would get the green light. Gotta fully fund the war effort you know.
This pay as you go shit is being pushed on the jobs issue too. Some souther hick that used to play baseball and then managed to dupe a bunch of other southern hicks to voting him in to the Senate, I know there is a joke about throwing his constituents a curve ball in there somewhere, actually used Pay Go, which he did not support, as his reason why they should not extend unemployment benefits one more day, "Cause they are not paid for."
For a minute just think about that, cause for one day this situation existed. Current unemployment is just below 10%. The "Real" unemployment number is more like 16% they estimate. So currently 6% of the country has no job and no income to speak of. For one day while this jack off from Tennessee was screwing things up the other 10% was losing their unemployment too. Can you imagine how bad it would get if 16% of the country had no income and no way to take care of them selves.
It is amazing to me how the Republicans are simply in the way and stopping everything at every opportunity. Pay Go was actually something they came up with. Obama tried to pander to them by adopting it and the minute he went for the Republicans wouldn't touch it with a fifty foot pole. The R's wanted a deficit commission, Obama took the fangs out of that proposal but still gave them the commission. The R's wanted that commission to be able to strip and gut the government at every turn to save more on the bottom line.
Wouldn't it be nice if the R's stopped shutting down government for everything and actually let something happen. I think they are too scared that Obama's plans might work and might make him look good, so the only sure way to make him look bad is to block everything.
Pay Go was never about paying for things as you go. There is no Go, and the R's are going to make damn sure there is no Paying either, at least not while they are not in power.
Pay and Go
Or
Sit and Sulk
Monday, March 1, 2010
For George Carlin, I hope I did his style some kind of justice
Dear Planters
I just purchased one of your snack sized nut sacks from a local gas station today and I have some questions and concerns about it.
First of all how is it that 6 ounces comes to 5 servings, according to the nutritional information on the back? If this is being marketed as a snack size why is each serving size calculated as two tablespoons. How many people really carry measuring spoons around with them to ensure proper portion control while driving? Further more if you have to cut 6 ounces down to 5 1.2 ounce servings to keep the fat and cholesterol numbers low maybe you shouldn’t even be marketing it as a healthy snack food in the first place.
On the back of the package I noticed where it said, “Manufactured on equipment that processes nuts.” Manufactured? Maybe it is just because I work at a factory that manufactures auto parts, but saying my little bag of trail mix was manufactured somehow makes it less appetizing to me. What about it was manufactured in the first place? Do you have a bunch of people with tubs of nuts and raisins doing piecework assembling each, visually appealing, mix in to the bag? Most likely you have giant vats of nuts seeds and raisins that feed into a tumble mixer that then feeds down to a pipe and gate valve to dispense the mix. Maybe you should think about calling it “Packaged” instead. Mc Donalds doesn’t call their food preparation techniques manufacturing, although that is probably a better description of their process then cooking, so you shouldn’t call it manufacturing either.
Lastly, why is it even necessary to put that phrase on the package? If you didn’t process nuts on the equipment I would start to have serious concerns about what I was eating. Don’t tell me you have to in case someone with a nut allergy accidentally went to eat them. Let me tell you if they didn’t see the big lettering on the front that said, “Nuts, Seeds, and Raisin.” Or the smaller lettering immediately under that which listed all the different nuts and seeds you used, or the clear cellophane that allows you to see the vary nuts that are in the package, or the picture of the Planter’s Peanut logo, or the ingredient list on the back which is in the same size text as the manufacturing warning, then they are not going to see or read the manufacturing warning either.
I hope you take my concerns seriously and use them to better package and market your nut sacks.
Thank You
I just purchased one of your snack sized nut sacks from a local gas station today and I have some questions and concerns about it.
First of all how is it that 6 ounces comes to 5 servings, according to the nutritional information on the back? If this is being marketed as a snack size why is each serving size calculated as two tablespoons. How many people really carry measuring spoons around with them to ensure proper portion control while driving? Further more if you have to cut 6 ounces down to 5 1.2 ounce servings to keep the fat and cholesterol numbers low maybe you shouldn’t even be marketing it as a healthy snack food in the first place.
On the back of the package I noticed where it said, “Manufactured on equipment that processes nuts.” Manufactured? Maybe it is just because I work at a factory that manufactures auto parts, but saying my little bag of trail mix was manufactured somehow makes it less appetizing to me. What about it was manufactured in the first place? Do you have a bunch of people with tubs of nuts and raisins doing piecework assembling each, visually appealing, mix in to the bag? Most likely you have giant vats of nuts seeds and raisins that feed into a tumble mixer that then feeds down to a pipe and gate valve to dispense the mix. Maybe you should think about calling it “Packaged” instead. Mc Donalds doesn’t call their food preparation techniques manufacturing, although that is probably a better description of their process then cooking, so you shouldn’t call it manufacturing either.
Lastly, why is it even necessary to put that phrase on the package? If you didn’t process nuts on the equipment I would start to have serious concerns about what I was eating. Don’t tell me you have to in case someone with a nut allergy accidentally went to eat them. Let me tell you if they didn’t see the big lettering on the front that said, “Nuts, Seeds, and Raisin.” Or the smaller lettering immediately under that which listed all the different nuts and seeds you used, or the clear cellophane that allows you to see the vary nuts that are in the package, or the picture of the Planter’s Peanut logo, or the ingredient list on the back which is in the same size text as the manufacturing warning, then they are not going to see or read the manufacturing warning either.
I hope you take my concerns seriously and use them to better package and market your nut sacks.
Thank You
Friday, February 19, 2010
Union Leadership
There's an oxymoron if I ever heard one.
So 2010 is not only an election year for governor and a few senate and congressional seats, but the U.A.W. local that I belong to as well. And we'd better put on the boots cause it is deep over here.
We still have a few months before union elections, but already there are people out there introducing themselves and talking about how they feel about things. You will find that all of them have a fire in their belly and a general dislike for how the current leadership has been doing. They also are quick to remind us all that whom ever we have in the leadership positions will be the people that speak for us all at the bargaining table in 2012 when our labor agreement needs to be renegotiated. These people are very passionate about it too, they all have the same unhappy feelings towards the current contract we have with the company and the lack of ability or desire, seemingly at least, on the part of the union to fight for anything.
These are all good people though. I don't want to give the impression they are not, but the current leadership is even less effective at fighting for what is right then a Democratic Senate Super-Majority.
Everyone is most concerned with the fact that there really is not any clear candidates to hold election position within our U.A.W. local, and they are right there really isn't a good choice out there right now to run our local and fight for our rights under the current labor contract, let alone negotiate a new contract.
The problem, and reason for this is as follows.....
These people have all the passion and fire in the world, but we all feel that way.
None of them have any experience in organizing.
None of them have strong leadership skills.
None of them seem to have any experience with grassroots activism, which is at the core of what labor unions are all about.
If I actually cared enough about my jobs longevity I would throw my hat in the ring. I would lose because I have not worked there long and I am sure at least some people wouldn't want me running the union just because I am gay, but what ever. The main reason for doing so is that my experience in community organizing could dance circles around these other people and get others to think about what experience in organizing all these people have. Here is a short list of only the most impressive parts.....
Public Relations Director for Keweenaw Pride, (MTU gay, straight alliance group)
Campaigner and street canvasser for John Kerry 2004
Canvasser, precinct organizer for Democratic Party
Kalamazoo Community Aids Resource and Education Services Outreach
Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality
Project(!) co-founder (Aids prevention and community building organization)
Public and Press Relations, President, and Webmaster for The World Can't Wait
I know I am forgetting some things but this is just a list of the groups I held offices and committee spots for.
If the union would put some time effort and most importantly money in to building stronger leadership skills and get people that are active in community activism then not only would our local have good candidates to hold elected positions but all of our future prospects would be a little brighter.
So 2010 is not only an election year for governor and a few senate and congressional seats, but the U.A.W. local that I belong to as well. And we'd better put on the boots cause it is deep over here.
We still have a few months before union elections, but already there are people out there introducing themselves and talking about how they feel about things. You will find that all of them have a fire in their belly and a general dislike for how the current leadership has been doing. They also are quick to remind us all that whom ever we have in the leadership positions will be the people that speak for us all at the bargaining table in 2012 when our labor agreement needs to be renegotiated. These people are very passionate about it too, they all have the same unhappy feelings towards the current contract we have with the company and the lack of ability or desire, seemingly at least, on the part of the union to fight for anything.
These are all good people though. I don't want to give the impression they are not, but the current leadership is even less effective at fighting for what is right then a Democratic Senate Super-Majority.
Everyone is most concerned with the fact that there really is not any clear candidates to hold election position within our U.A.W. local, and they are right there really isn't a good choice out there right now to run our local and fight for our rights under the current labor contract, let alone negotiate a new contract.
The problem, and reason for this is as follows.....
These people have all the passion and fire in the world, but we all feel that way.
None of them have any experience in organizing.
None of them have strong leadership skills.
None of them seem to have any experience with grassroots activism, which is at the core of what labor unions are all about.
If I actually cared enough about my jobs longevity I would throw my hat in the ring. I would lose because I have not worked there long and I am sure at least some people wouldn't want me running the union just because I am gay, but what ever. The main reason for doing so is that my experience in community organizing could dance circles around these other people and get others to think about what experience in organizing all these people have. Here is a short list of only the most impressive parts.....
Public Relations Director for Keweenaw Pride, (MTU gay, straight alliance group)
Campaigner and street canvasser for John Kerry 2004
Canvasser, precinct organizer for Democratic Party
Kalamazoo Community Aids Resource and Education Services Outreach
Kalamazoo Alliance for Equality
Project(!) co-founder (Aids prevention and community building organization)
Public and Press Relations, President, and Webmaster for The World Can't Wait
I know I am forgetting some things but this is just a list of the groups I held offices and committee spots for.
If the union would put some time effort and most importantly money in to building stronger leadership skills and get people that are active in community activism then not only would our local have good candidates to hold elected positions but all of our future prospects would be a little brighter.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Well Endowed Package
There are a lot of endowments for the arts. It is actually amazing how much funding the arts get in this way. But why does it always seem like traditional art is the only form, i.e. painting, sculpting..., that receives these things.
There should be a push to create cultural endowments too. I am thinking more about government grants then actual endowments but both would be welcome.
I am also thinking specifically about the culture, art, and history of the native tribes of North America. The culture is so spiritual and the art is so natural and beautiful. The history is so devastating and shows a whole other view of how the European settlers acted then they came here.
But imagine a government grant program to teach the language, art, history, and culture of the Native American tribes. As it is the languages of these tribes are fading with time.
A well funded program to bring these things in to the classrooms and teach the languages, arts, and cultures of the original Americans would do more to help us understand our own heritage and the true history of our country. And who knows maybe we would all learn to respect the native tribes a little bit more and give them a little of their dignity back too.
There should be a push to create cultural endowments too. I am thinking more about government grants then actual endowments but both would be welcome.
I am also thinking specifically about the culture, art, and history of the native tribes of North America. The culture is so spiritual and the art is so natural and beautiful. The history is so devastating and shows a whole other view of how the European settlers acted then they came here.
But imagine a government grant program to teach the language, art, history, and culture of the Native American tribes. As it is the languages of these tribes are fading with time.
A well funded program to bring these things in to the classrooms and teach the languages, arts, and cultures of the original Americans would do more to help us understand our own heritage and the true history of our country. And who knows maybe we would all learn to respect the native tribes a little bit more and give them a little of their dignity back too.
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