My wife and I are privileged to be associated with a fine private boarding school in north central Massachusetts. The school has made a tremendous difference in young lives so we are especially pleased that the 2008-2009 academic year opens next week.
Students will come from many states and foreign countries. They will be assimilated quickly and learn to live in community. The school is really in many ways a global village.
This year a new Headmaster will supervise the planning and execution of the program. His name is John Kerney and he brings a wealth of experience in both business and education to his new assignment. Although he has only been in place for two months the changes he has suggested and the renovations to facilities that have been undertaken are very exciting.
One specific change that I think is a great example of the approach has been the removal of very large shrubs and bushes that almost completely hid the wall of classroom windows in one of the school buildings. Obviously, when the classrooms were built there was a belief that the students would welcome the natural light as well as the open views from their small class spaces. Over the years shrubs grew to such a height that the goal originally planned was simply not being met. Those bushes are gone now, the classes are filled with natural light, and students will see and be part of the out-of-doors, throughout the seasons, as they undertake their assignments.
As the year progresses, I will address the things that seem to be most interesting in the life of the school community.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Notes of Concern
CHANGE
The Democrats and Republicans have selected their candidates for vice president. Each choice brings the electoral votes of their home states to what each presidential candidate hope will be a winning total.
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin can each provide their presidential candidate with 3 sure votes. Wow. There are a total of 538 electoral votes. 270 votes are required to win the presidency. So the presidential candidates have now lowered the number needed to 267. Wow again.
The biggest change I have seen in my life, with reference to presidential politics, is demonstrated in these recent events. Candidates used to select running mates from large states in order to provide a bit of insurance in the Electoral College. Also, people working in the big states were perceived to have a much larger experience, one more like what would be experienced in the executive branch of national government.
Neither Senator Biden nor Governor Palin bring any real electoral help to their running mates. Biden brings age to a ticket headed by a youthful candidate. Palin brings youth to a ticket headed by an aged candidate.
It seems pretty obvious that Senator Obama understood that the criticism of his lack of experience would be a huge hurdle, so he selected a senator whose work on the Committee for Foreign Relations and the Committee on the Judiciary might make some of us less concerned about the presidential candidate’s lack of governmental experience.
It is equally obvious that Senator McCain drooled over the possibility of capturing all those women who are furious that Hillary Clinton lost the nomination. He selected Governor Palin largely to give those disaffected women someplace to make their anger known.
I take nothing away from the capabilities of Senator Biden or Governor Palin. I am certain they both have a great deal to offer. That said, the reasons for their selection, I believe, are the ones I outlined.
In future columns I will focus on some of the talents the candidates bring to the contest. Today, however, I want to mention some glaring weaknesses, ones that in other times would have disqualified them for consideration.
Senator Biden said some pretty negative things about Senator Obama during the campaign. They were serious questions about Obama’s qualifications to be president. Biden’s many years in the Senate, and the experience those years brought to him, made him a candidate qualified to question the depth of Barak’s four years in the Senate.
In another contest, Biden was accused of plagiarism and withdrew from the race. In more recent times Biden has made highly questionable comments publicly. He has a penchant for the off color remarks, the tasteless comment, and flip utterances. I mention this because when the executive branch of our government speaks, every word is weighed and counted. I write this because on many occasions people have had to forgive Senator Biden his quick and unconsidered remarks.
I love the state of Alaska. I have been there a number of times. It is beautiful and pristine. That said, there are few similarities between they way Alaskans think and the way the people in the “lower 48” do.
I admire Alaskans. One of our sons worked a number of summers in the dangerous fishing industry in Alaska. I have fished on the beautiful Kenai River in Alaska. Most of the business people I met in Alaska were very independent. They spent much of their time in the out of doors. They were far removed from the concerns of big cities.
One fourth of July I found myself at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. The bellman suggested I go outside for the famous 4th of July Parade. I followed his advice and went out to the street. I watched the parade come by. I watched it come by again. And I watched it a third time. It was so short they circled the block three times. I waved to the same people three times. And Anchorage was the biggest city in the state.
I mention this because I think Governor Pallin’s experiences will be seriously unrelated to much of what the rest of the country considers of concern.
As I write today I do so with more than a little concern. Now I know what my choices are.
I can choose a man who will be the oldest to ever be inaugurated who is running with a potential successor who gained almost all her experience in the state of Alaska, or I can choose a man who hasn’t completed one term in the U.S. Senate and never served in the military or held a corporate governing position and his running mate who although considerably experienced has failed to capture our attention in any significant way the three times he ran for president.
Let me end on two positive notes, things I admire about both vice presidential candidates.
Senator Biden lost his wife and daughter in an automobile accident before he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator some 30 years ago. As a result, he commutes daily to Delaware so that he is always home with his remaining children. Although Biden eventually remarried, he has always honored the importance of being available to his children. This is an extremely admirable trait.
Governor Palin is a pro-life person. She and her husband had four children when they determined to add a fifth child. That child was found to have Down’s syndrome prior to birth. Governor Palin, acting on her core beliefs, did not opt for an abortion but delivered her son. That baby was in the arms of her family when Senator McCain introduced her to the nation. She walked her talk.
The Democrats and Republicans have selected their candidates for vice president. Each choice brings the electoral votes of their home states to what each presidential candidate hope will be a winning total.
Joe Biden and Sarah Palin can each provide their presidential candidate with 3 sure votes. Wow. There are a total of 538 electoral votes. 270 votes are required to win the presidency. So the presidential candidates have now lowered the number needed to 267. Wow again.
The biggest change I have seen in my life, with reference to presidential politics, is demonstrated in these recent events. Candidates used to select running mates from large states in order to provide a bit of insurance in the Electoral College. Also, people working in the big states were perceived to have a much larger experience, one more like what would be experienced in the executive branch of national government.
Neither Senator Biden nor Governor Palin bring any real electoral help to their running mates. Biden brings age to a ticket headed by a youthful candidate. Palin brings youth to a ticket headed by an aged candidate.
It seems pretty obvious that Senator Obama understood that the criticism of his lack of experience would be a huge hurdle, so he selected a senator whose work on the Committee for Foreign Relations and the Committee on the Judiciary might make some of us less concerned about the presidential candidate’s lack of governmental experience.
It is equally obvious that Senator McCain drooled over the possibility of capturing all those women who are furious that Hillary Clinton lost the nomination. He selected Governor Palin largely to give those disaffected women someplace to make their anger known.
I take nothing away from the capabilities of Senator Biden or Governor Palin. I am certain they both have a great deal to offer. That said, the reasons for their selection, I believe, are the ones I outlined.
In future columns I will focus on some of the talents the candidates bring to the contest. Today, however, I want to mention some glaring weaknesses, ones that in other times would have disqualified them for consideration.
Senator Biden said some pretty negative things about Senator Obama during the campaign. They were serious questions about Obama’s qualifications to be president. Biden’s many years in the Senate, and the experience those years brought to him, made him a candidate qualified to question the depth of Barak’s four years in the Senate.
In another contest, Biden was accused of plagiarism and withdrew from the race. In more recent times Biden has made highly questionable comments publicly. He has a penchant for the off color remarks, the tasteless comment, and flip utterances. I mention this because when the executive branch of our government speaks, every word is weighed and counted. I write this because on many occasions people have had to forgive Senator Biden his quick and unconsidered remarks.
I love the state of Alaska. I have been there a number of times. It is beautiful and pristine. That said, there are few similarities between they way Alaskans think and the way the people in the “lower 48” do.
I admire Alaskans. One of our sons worked a number of summers in the dangerous fishing industry in Alaska. I have fished on the beautiful Kenai River in Alaska. Most of the business people I met in Alaska were very independent. They spent much of their time in the out of doors. They were far removed from the concerns of big cities.
One fourth of July I found myself at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage. The bellman suggested I go outside for the famous 4th of July Parade. I followed his advice and went out to the street. I watched the parade come by. I watched it come by again. And I watched it a third time. It was so short they circled the block three times. I waved to the same people three times. And Anchorage was the biggest city in the state.
I mention this because I think Governor Pallin’s experiences will be seriously unrelated to much of what the rest of the country considers of concern.
As I write today I do so with more than a little concern. Now I know what my choices are.
I can choose a man who will be the oldest to ever be inaugurated who is running with a potential successor who gained almost all her experience in the state of Alaska, or I can choose a man who hasn’t completed one term in the U.S. Senate and never served in the military or held a corporate governing position and his running mate who although considerably experienced has failed to capture our attention in any significant way the three times he ran for president.
Let me end on two positive notes, things I admire about both vice presidential candidates.
Senator Biden lost his wife and daughter in an automobile accident before he was sworn in as a U.S. Senator some 30 years ago. As a result, he commutes daily to Delaware so that he is always home with his remaining children. Although Biden eventually remarried, he has always honored the importance of being available to his children. This is an extremely admirable trait.
Governor Palin is a pro-life person. She and her husband had four children when they determined to add a fifth child. That child was found to have Down’s syndrome prior to birth. Governor Palin, acting on her core beliefs, did not opt for an abortion but delivered her son. That baby was in the arms of her family when Senator McCain introduced her to the nation. She walked her talk.
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