The Obama Deal…

 

Good or Bad ??

You Decide.

Allow me to help you by setting out what I see as the agreement’s pros and cons.

Pros:

• The big pro is that to stop Iran in it tracks from building the Bomb – it would have taken war between the USA and Iran.  It would not have been pretty, but it would have been doable.
• ISIS is the biggest threat in the Middle East today and is extreme Sunni.  Iran on the other-hand is Shiite and a bitter enemy of ISIS and as Churchill is famous for saying “your enemy’s enemy is our friend”.
• Many say it delays the inevitable – that is to say, that eventually Iran is going to get the Atomic Bomb regardless what the US or anyone else does – so anything that delays the inevitable is not all bad.
• Russia and China are part of the Agreement so it will be a little difficult for them to reject it after the fact.

Cons:

• Iran is one, if not the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world.  Seeing it obtain the Bomb is most ill-advised.
• Iran is also one of the world’s greatest denier of human rights.
• The country is ruled by a bunch of religious fanatics who, to put it mildly, cannot be trusted.
• Iran is on record of stating that it will annihilate Israel and the only way that can be done is, if and when, it gets the Bomb.
• When Iran does the get the Bomb – the agreement more or less says it can have one after 10 years – then other countries, most especially ‘Sunni’ Saudi Arabia will want it too and an arms race will be the result… increasing the likelihood of Armageddon.

Okay – I believe these are the most relevant points – so over to you – what do you think.  Let me know.  I know the answer is not black or white so I look forward to receiving your thoughts.

One thing though is certain – although Obama boasts that this agreement will help bring peace to the Middle East, one thing is certain – countries like Saudi Arabia will not wait 10 years to arm themselves with Atomic Weapons – if they have not already begun to take the steps necessary to get it – they soon will, since they fear Iran nearly as much as does Israel.  

And as a result, the Middle East powder keg will become even more explosive.

And wasn’t it the Bible that predicted the end of the world would begin in the Middle East?

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Ontario Teachers Need To…

 

Learn.

We here in Ontario find ourselves in the midst of labour strife on the part of our Teachers and this coming Fall looks to become the major battlefront.

From my perspective, education is the most important service that government can deliver for society.  More so than health care because our future welfare depends upon a well educated and motivated labour pool.

And yet our education system sucks.

Right now, Ontario spends a little less than $10,000 US per year per child educated ($11,200 Cdn).  Although we do not fall within the top 10 nations in per capita student funding, we are on the cusp of qualifying for membership in that club.

The UK, Sweden, Holland and Belgium per capita spending is just over $10,000 and the remaining six countries range from $11,400 to $19,000.  (America spends $11,800).

So it is not that we here in Ontario do not devote enough money to educating our kids.

It comes down to how we are doing it or should I say, not doing it.

My daughter is a high school teacher so I have some inside knowledge on what is going amiss.

And dear reader, I am going to tell you what is wrong. 

It is just too bad that the teachers themselves – educated as they are – seem most incapable of telling us themselves what is wrong.

So here we go:

• Class sizes are too high - 30+ class size cannot be properly managed;
• Classes include numerous ‘special needs students’ which often disrupt the class and always slow the learning process for the non-special needs children;
• The old core curriculum has been replaced by politically correct studies;  and,
• Students are not allowed to fail.

These four fatal flaws come down from on high – that is to say from the Education Commissar in Kathleen Wynne’s Government at Queen’s Park in Toronto. 

So much for the Board of Education concern for the welfare of Ontario’s students.

Seems like an easy message for our teachers to communicate; does it not?

And yet the Teachers and more to the point – their Unions seem most incapable of doing so.

For them, it is all about power and more to the point – it comes down to the money – the Teachers’ Union is forever chasing more pay and benefits for its members – despite the fact that teachers on average earn $90,000+ per year plus benefits and pensions that take them well over the $100,000 mark …and this for working less than 9 months a year.

So the teachers are greatly indebted to their Unions.  And the Union itself manages a Pension Fund that as of the end of 2014, was worth in excess of $154 Billion Dollars.

You can see why teachers defer to their Unions and why their Unions are more focused on power through rising teacher salaries and benefits.

Given this and the fact that in the Teachers’ strikes over the course of three administrations – Conservative, Liberal and New Democratic, - the children are continually used as pawns in a constant blackmail for more. 

So when it comes to the welfare of our kids, it seems clear to me that neither the Teachers’ Unions nor the Liberal Board of Education in Toronto, have much, if any, regard for the welfare of our children.

The Board of Education needs to get back to basics and cut out the politically correct nonsense and the Unions need to be broken up.

In regard to the latter, I would issue vouchers to each student so that they may take their annual allotment to the school of their and their parents choice.

This will in effect privatize education and will result in much better educated students.

Competition is what is now lacking and Competition what is now needed.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

p.s.  For readers in countries other than Canada – please let me know if you are experiencing the same type of problem with your own school system.

 

THE GREEK TRAGEDY…

 

CONTINUES.

The other day when Greece voted ‘No’ in their Referendum on whether or not to accept more conditions on their EU Bailout, I said the European Bankers were not apt to knuckle under to Greek Blackmail.

And they didn’t.

More surprisingly though the Greek Prime Minister did a complete 180 degree turn.

In so doing he out-did the most disingenuous of politicians:

• he campaigned in the recent Greek Election on standing up to the EU and promising to never again submit to their demands for austerity;
• then he called a referendum – ‘for democracy sake’ where he once again campaigned for the no side…and once again, won.

But with his capitulation before the EU Assembly all that meant nothing; So much for conviction, integrity, conscience and so on. 

He is left with zero credibility and now has the unenviable job of trying to sell his sell-out to the Greek Parliament, which has until midnight tonight to accept the tainted deal.

In a country where the truth is spoken lightly, the Prime Minister’s personal conduct in this area is entirely missing.

I think the chances of its Parliament approving of the recent bailout is remote but even if by some miracle it slips through, the chances of Greece surviving the package’s implementation are most unlikely indeed.

Greece has strayed so far from the norm in managing its own affairs – as countless recent news stories can attest, any chance of its citizens coming on board - even to give the deal lukewarm support is remote.

The only hope for Greece to get back in balance – that is to say, to start living within their own means and not relying upon the largess of others, is to bite the bullet – go it alone and resume using their own currency.

To me it is just a matter of when.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’

Let The Trumpets Sound…

 

The Donald is in First Place.

In a field of nearly 20 seeking the Republican Nomination for President of the United States, recently announced Donald Trump leads the pack with 15% support.

Astounding.

But you will recall that I predicted good things for the Trumper – simply because the guy can be expected to say what is on his mind, which in some cases are common sensible. 

Take his stand on Illegal Immigration – due to him alone it is now the main topic of discussion amongst the Media and the Pols alike. 

For decades America has had a porous border with Mexico. 

Even the highly revered Ronald Reagan did not have the courage to address the problem.

The Donald has stated that he will make closing the border his number one priority should he get elected and the folks are cheering him on wildly.

Every day seems to see another horror story concerning innocents being killed by illegals – one poor woman was murdered by an illegal Mexican Immigrant who had been deported on five separate occasions.

And you can bet your last dollar that none of this would have come to the fore had it not been for Trump’s candidacy. 

Do I think he will take his Party’s nomination – no I don’t but he most certainly has had an effect on the conversation – an effect that I view as positive since in the case of the illegals – it is an issue that desperately needs airing.  I view a nation that cannot manage its own borders to be a failed one.

But as I have said in an earlier Blog – if Trump does finesse it and it comes down to between him and dear Hillary – I will be rooting for the Trumper.

As I see it…

‘K.D. Galagher’