Here's the thing...

There is more budget shortage talk in the news again. School districts are trying to figure out how they are going to make it with less money next year. Here’s the thing about taxes, no body enjoys paying them but they are needed. I am of the opinion that taxes could probably be lower if everyone would pay. Of course I could be wrong. And I have no idea how many people in the area do or do not pay their taxes. We could be at 100% right now, but I doubt it. Not to get too far off topic, but I love how one political party in this country has the reputation of being a party for poor people while the other is for rich people. I also love how when the President (who is a member of the party for poor people) entered office, he had a hard time filling some of the cabinet positions because the media kept finding out none of the people nominated had paid their taxes. And it’s not like these people just owed $2,000... they owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. Anyway, back to the problem facing our schools. It seems that no that long ago how schools were funded was changed. Their funding doesn’t come from property tax, but from sales tax. So, to recap, our schools get their money from sales tax and it looks like they are not getting enough money. Now, as I’m sure you know, this is not something new for this year. Last year was the same way. Which leads me to ask... Why do we have a “tax free” weekend? If the state is in need of money, why do we have a weekend where we say “Nah... don’t need your money today”? Of course, the kicker is that I’m sure it would be political suicide for a politician to do away with this “Tax Holiday” because people would yell and scream and say this politician doesn’t care about poor people. Well that’s just dumb. The amount of savings for the average family over this “Tax Holiday” is minimal compared to the amount of revenue lost by the state. This loss of revenue by the state means that services provided by the state end up getting cut (and cut and cut and cut until they are eventually eliminated). Typically, these services help poor people. So, pay a little now (in sales tax) or pay a lot later (in lost services). That’s how we at I’m just sayin... see it.


As for the problems facing the local school district, some ideas have been kicked around. Some of these ideas include cutting sports and extra-curricular activities. While I of course realize the importance of classroom instruction, I also feel cutting sports and other activities (like band and things like that) would be a grave mistake. These are not just fun things that kids do after school. These are areas where kids learn life long lessons. They learn discipline. They learn how to handle adversity. And let’s face it, many kids would not take the time to walk into a classroom if they didn’t have to have a certain grade to able to play sports. I also would mess with music or art programs because while these might not be seen as “core” classes, they are the classes that help mold a well rounded student. And I of course don’t want to offend my math friends, but why is it I never hear anyone wanting to cut Calculus in a situation like this? I guarandamntee you I learned more on the baseball field at James Island that I’ve used in my life than I did in the two shots I took at Calculus. Honestly, by the time I was in middle school I had already been taught all the math I’d ever need for the job I have now.


Chase Towne Update: From 4/15 - Day 1 of scans done! Chase did a great job, he has become a little pro. He did not cry the first time when they taped him to the table. Amazing! Tomorrow is a big day. Sedation, which means no food after midnight. Please say a prayer for Chase asking for patience, understanding and safety for our Miracle Baby. Thank
You!

Chicago Cubs Update: The Cubs fell to 4-5 yesterday.

James Island Trojans Update: JI lost to Stratford 0-2 Wednesday night. They face Beaufort tonight at home. Congrats to seniors Trey Walters and Joe Boudolf for signing national letters of intent to play college baseball. Trey signed with North Greenville while Joe signed with Southern Wesleyan. Good luck to them. Also, congrats to the Trojans who made the All HIT Team: Austin Weekley, Josh Escoffier, and Robert Moody.