Small Town Schools

[sw363535]

And BA we haven't even touched on the issue that is rotting small towns as fast as inner cities...... The drug issue....

What % of crime in a rural county is drug related????

And how many applicants do you get for a position if you advertise "drug testing"?  Compared to not saying it up front.

[smokeyjay]

Our county became known for ease of finding low cost rental properties.  Attracted the seemy crowd.  We boast a lower per capita income level than surrounding counties, including a ranching county to the east.  We gave up renting our one unit.  Too many problems to deal with.  It is being readied to be dismantled soon.

[sw363535]

Law enforcement in a small town setting is not dealing with issues very well.

Theft --- two weeks ago we had a riding lawn mover in a locked shed inside a locked fenced back yard of a nice home in the town we live in stolen.  Bolt cutters left laying where the last lock was cut.  $2000 mower.  Police called and left a number to call..... we called 5 times in three days.  Officer never available.  No report done that we know of...  

In the last 6 months we have had gas attempted stolen while we were watching  5 times-- 4 different vehicles and persons... we finally stopped carrying any at the farm..... reported,,, one set of young men caught the first time.... never slowed it down.  

(personal comment ---- Never had a problem when gas was $4+, now they steal $1.75 gas....??)

different county

4 wheelers, pickup--(a former employee), 

We have a local known Meth user from a local family who drives a black chev pickup and the area watches for him.  (Not that he is any different than the flow of meth users that were employed by oil field companies in the area before the exodus of those companies)  Two weeks ago he stole a tractor from a farmer and sold it to a German/mennonite/Mexican origin in the area.  Sold it for cash.  Police found it and returned it to the farmer and allowed the family of the thief to pay some damages.    It appears no charges filed..  the thief or the purchaser of stolen property.

We made a strong effort to employ locals the last 15 months, instead of foreign temp labor.  Hired 6 new and were very pleased at first.   Appears to have been a mistake, only one remains.  It's a $60+k job($4k a month pay stubs pluss healthins and other benefits) so don't give me any of that, you don't pay enough BS.

One left because he did not want to work one saturday a month and needs to be home at 5pm.  Pretty lofty expectations for a high school equivilant level education... Another didn't like it here, couldn't smoke dope on the job.....one lied, about having a valid drivers license(suspended with court dates in arrears).... etc etc etc etc...  

I know one thing,  I know an alcholic when i see one... but I don't know how to read the problems our young people are carrying around.

[BA Deere]

Additudes on drug use have changed, as society has become more "sophisticated" too many feel that they "can handle it".  I supose meth allows the user to go without sleep and feel invincable.  Now, I don`t know about that oil field boom, but what you hear is it drew workers from around the country with all sorts of bad habits.  A large group of idiots sitting around bored in the "middle of no where" quickly finds it`s lowest denominator.  I suppose when they had work, their dope problem was small and they had the money to buy the crap, but now some are laid off and that wouldn`t make their habits any lesser, so they steal. 

I don`t understand those folks, my life has had challenges, but it`s never sucked so bad that I thought I needed drugs to 'improve" it.

[k-289]

SW  -  '''''' 6 ''''   hired  hands  -  WOW   -  I won't comment        -     ok   I   will   -  must  have      ''''  numerous '''''    irons  in  fire  ---

The  '''' land  grants  ''''   experts forgot the chapter about securing  ''' hired  labor '''  or doing undesirable tasks that have no  $$$$  value   one can't   ''' hire  ''' done --- Loosing   population - smaller

operations   was part of the   ''''  UNSPOKEN   COLLATERAL  '''''  damage yet to be addressed ---

A  presidental  canidate  just  spoke  about  58 % inner  city unemployment  and made the statement of '''' What  Have  You  Got   To  Loose  '''''     - more truth than poetry  ??? Have we really    '''' SAVED ''''' 

alot  with   the   big  box  shopping  and  corp. consolidations ---

Examining  our  National Debt  and  several  State debts a serious  rethink might be in order   -  

Also  an  explanation  of  the  word  '''   FREE  ''''  in  trade agreements might   draw   some  focus ---

Is  it  just  me wondering  OR  has  the  '''' word   smithing  ''''  run  it's  course  ??? 

[k-289]

One  M O R E  item    -   reading  page  58 in  the  Drovers  Journal    -  a statement says   ''''  A  Good  Thing  About  Sceince  is  that  it's  True  whether  or  not  you  Believe  It   ''''  in which  '''' word  smi---thing  ''''  seems  to  come  into  play  also as  the  graph  comparrisons on that page  are  VERY  INTERESTING  ----

In  the  compar-rison  charts  stats  are  used  from  1935  to  2015   /   next  graph   1970  to  2013  /   with  the  middle  portraing a 2014 Food  Production  chart  -  puzzeling  seems  to  come  to  mind  ?  

[BA Deere]

K-289, I saw that in Drovers also.  I`ll admit I`m not a fan of Neil DeGrass Tyson but science changes all over the place...one day coffee, eggs and butter will kill you, next day you wakeup and those things are good for you, it`s the Margarine that`ll kill ya.  One day Pluto is a planet, next day it`s just a snowball.

Here`s a few things if you believed one day, the next day was wrong.   🙂

http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-that-have-changed-since-school-2014-5

[sw363535]

Science took a real blow of believability when the politically greedy declared computer modeling as reliable science no matter how limited or questionalble the input data---- and of course no accountability for revealing the input data.

You pick a great example of squishy science in the study of the past.  Somewhere around the broom and shovel of discovery there is a little science, but soon turns into creative history and full fledged speculative theory.  And if the ego gets big enough right on into fictional glamour.  Declaring everything possible about the reptiles social habits and entertainment patterns.

I like Drovers and I like most science......... But these days too many schemes are grabbing the word "Science" to impose credibility to things that, at best are "social science" or the science of illusion....

As long as there is a study at the college level called "Political Science" I will read the procedures to the testing carefully.

Irons  ------ we have plenty of opportunity..  

[elcheapo]

Can they be saved...........i just don't know anymore.......

I think there are several things that must be overcome first......

apathy...lack of comon sence...true leaders....not do good'ers or people with agendas

also, we need to use our heads.

around here, that seems to be some of the biggest problems.  around here, the smart one's have run

off, and what we have left (opps, i guess i'm here too)...just don't quite get it......in our area, we have

people running the show, that listen to every salesman that comes thru, or go to some conference and

have their eyes glazed over on how they can do things better than what they are now (from what

works in a city that has 10 times more people than the whole county !).....we have prime examples

that the smart one's don't want to get involved.

some prime examples........a single town pushed thru a 10 million bond to improve the high school.....

the improvements.......a larger gym......there will be seating for 4000 people...county population

5000....need new westling building....old one is not big enough....but 10-20 years ago, twice as

many participating....as now, and we had a good program...now its not good enough....and

we have to build a room for a school nurse.....we don't have a school nurse now....so more

money..and why a school nurse....the kids should not be in school if sick...if they are sick they

should be seen at the clinic or hospital....and we've never lost a kid yet....the principle or

teachers took care of the kids....and we have to build a 8 foot high chain link fence

around the whole complex......because the school could be attacked......

After all the program, and etc.....i asked one question.........where are you going to build the guard

tower ?

all of this from a district that has 500 kids in the entire school system, on a good day....

the board didn't know enough to say no at the start, and this group just pushed it, and went around

and talked to the little old ladies...knowing they will vote...

also the business must change..........in their ideas of operation........

example is a grocery store.....some say you can't get a truck to stop...not quite true......i'm always told how hard

it is to get a bread truck......soooo.....you put in a small bakery in the store...they make their own bread, pastry

etc....overall higher markup, and a part time job for someone.

one of the biggest cost for a grocery is utilities........well i've seen a model.....they used geothermal heating and

cooling.....they have cut operations cost by 50%....also, they have used a solar hot water heating system

and also have solar panels on the roof....

they also carry local grown produce when in season.....

they also worked a deal with the local locker plant to carry some of their products.

but also.......must people that start a business.....are too "lazy".......they want to hire employees.....in many

business in rural areas.....you must do it yourself....the hired labor just eats up profits....most

rural business is a family business...can't afford to hire alot of outsiders.

as far as schools........they must stop listening to the "experts".....a couple of case in points in the

area....a town needed a new grade school building.........oh the state comes in and says this and

that, come up with ideas of 5 million or more.......well this community couldn't afford it.......so rather than

run off with their tail between their legs.......they decided if they don't do it, it will not get done......

so the community decided they would build their own school.......the state officals just had a fit.

The men got together, fundraisers held, and within 6 months they had a building that

was the new grade school....passed all regulations, etc......and far less than $1 million.....and

far below the state saying $5 million.

Another area town needed a new gym....but didn't have the money.....oh would cost seveal million......

well people got together, the school put up so much, people donated......and labor was volunteered.

while a general contractor did most of the work......someone got a technical school involved to

the electric, plumb and heating, etc......alot of savings, and the kids learned something....

volunteers helped with the finish.....it was done for $975,000

and the experts tell us that children need a new building to make learning better.......well an area district has

very old buildings (built in the 1930's).......amazing.......that district, in a percentage of students.....has one of the

highest percentage of state scholars, in the state.....((((( must be a mistake ???))))

as one of the boardmembers said......it isn't the building, it's the teachers, and support from student families.

[k-289]

EL cHEAP   for  3  decades +  midwest  Land Grant Ed.  folks  have  been  encouraging  policy  of consolidation  -  bigger  is  better -  ENORMOUS   is  better  and  more  ''' efficent  '''' ---

Definition Efficiency  -  ability to avoid wasting material, energy,efforts,money,and time in doing something or producing a disired result -     how interesting and for amusement look up the antonyms - ok  I'll save you the effort 

( ineffective )   (incompetent)  (inefficient)