November 1, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/30/people-stand-bernie-sanders-crush-billionaire-trump-surpassing-750000-donors.html

The People Stand With Bernie Sanders And Crush Billionaire Trump By Surpassing 750,000 Donors
By: Jason Easleymore from Jason Easley
Friday, October 30th, 2015


Donald Trump has gotten a great deal of mainstream media attention for the number of donations to his campaign, but Bernie Sanders announced that he has surpassed 750,000 donors, which means that he is at minimum more than ten times bigger than Trump.

Jennifer Epstein of Bloomberg tweeted the announcement from Sen. Sanders (I-VT) that his campaign has surpassed 750,000 donors:

Here is what the Sanders campaign reported at the end of September:

The campaign closed the books at the end of the Sept. 30 reporting period with almost $27.1 million in the bank after spending about $11.3 million, according to a report filed on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission.

Since his White House bid was launched last April 30, Sanders has banked a total of about $41.4 million, according to the report.

Only 270 of Sanders’ 650,000 donors gave the maximum $2,700 allowed.

To put the staggering numbers of Sen. Sanders into context, Donald Trump has taken in 73,942 contributions. Bernie Sanders has 750,000 donors.

Bernie Sanders has gained 100,000 new donors in a month. His growth is all the more impressive because Hillary Clinton has been on a roll over the last few weeks. The Clinton campaign has taken back the momentum in the Democratic primary race and now leads in three of the first four contests. Clinton also leads nationally among Democrats.

What is happening in the Democratic primary is that the two candidates are running different tracks. Hillary Clinton is running a traditional Democratic primary campaign with one eye looking towards November of 2016.

Bernie Sanders is running a grassroots outsider campaign that is focused on building a national movement that will change American politics. Sen. Sanders wants and is trying to win the Democratic nomination, but also has the bigger goal of returning ownership of the American political process back to the people.

Sen. Sanders is building a movement that will go on even if he doesn’t win the Democratic nomination. The Sanders movement will return to the Senate with him, and the battle against the corporate and billionaires interests will continue.

The Sanders message is resonating to the point where three-quarters of a million Americans have opened their wallets and said enough is enough. Bernie Sanders is steadily building a movement that could change America.




The following two articles discuss both the Democratic Socialist and the Democratic parties, which I have inserted because there is a great fear held by many, if not most, Americans of the word “Socialist.” Interestingly, Sanders is striking a strong chord at this point not because he is a Democratic Socialist, but because he is a true advocate of social and economic democracy. I believe all Democrats should be such, but Bill Clinton and others (probably including Hillary Clinton) have regressed to a more Capitalistic economic position.

I believe that is less a matter of their opinions as of their dependence in Congress, the Senate, state governments and local as well, on the Big Business interests which consist purely of market capitalists for the most part, for their source of income. . Their goals are the complete control of national and local politics in the USA, and making ever more money for their own use. To many people it’s simply not possible to be “rich enough.” That’s not merely a wealthy person’s viewpoint either, but has become the commonly held American viewpoint to a shocking degree.

Bernie Sanders stands against that viewpoint, but he is obviously not without enthusiastic followers, so he’s doing something right. A sizable number of Americans have become very concerned about the depth of American poverty without the public assistance system, and further about the shocking difference in the economic conditions of the very rich and the poor. It has also been noted that the Middle Class is shrinking as too many lost jobs and were unable to get more work. They are losing their homes and even in some cases getting food aid, especially after their Unemployment payments have run out. These things are not only grossly unfair, but a source of governmental instability if the income gap between the top 1% and the lower range continues to increase. See this by Pew Research on the subject: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/05/u-s-income-inequality-on-rise-for-decades-is-now-highest-since-1928/.



DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST VS DEMOCRAT


http://www.dsausa.org/what_is_democratic_socialism
Democratic Socialists of America

What is Democratic Socialism? Q & A

Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically—to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.

Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world, wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of socialism has taken root as well—everywhere but in the United States. Because of this, many false ideas about socialism have developed in the US. With this pamphlet, we hope to answer some of your questions about socialism.

Doesn't socialism mean that the government will own and run everything?


Democratic socialists do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy. But we do not want big corporate bureaucracies to control our society either. Rather, we believe that social and economic decisions should be made by those whom they most affect.
Today, corporate executives who answer only to themselves and a few wealthy stockholders make basic economic decisions affecting millions of people. Resources are used to make money for capitalists rather than to meet human needs. We believe that the workers and consumers who are affected by economic institutions should own and control them.
Social ownership could take many forms, such as worker-owned cooperatives or publicly owned enterprises managed by workers and consumer representatives. Democratic socialists favor as much decentralization as possible. While the large concentrations of capital in industries such as energy and steel may necessitate some form of state ownership, many consumer-goods industries might be best run as cooperatives.

Democratic socialists have long rejected the belief that the whole economy should be centrally planned. While we believe that democratic planning can shape major social investments like mass transit, housing, and energy, market mechanisms are needed to determine the demand for many consumer goods.


Hasn't socialism been discredited by the collapse of Communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe?

A:
Socialists have been among the harshest critics of authoritarian Communist states. Just because their bureaucratic elites called them “socialist” did not make it so; they also called their regimes “democratic.” Democratic socialists always opposed the ruling party-states of those societies, just as we oppose the ruling classes of capitalist societies. We applaud the democratic revolutions that have transformed the former Communist bloc. However, the improvement of people’s lives requires real democracy without ethnic rivalries and/or new forms of authoritarianism. Democratic socialists will continue to play a key role in that struggle throughout the world.

Moreover, the fall of Communism should not blind us to injustices at home. We cannot allow all radicalism to be dismissed as “Communist.” That suppression of dissent and diversity undermines America’s ability to live up to its promise of equality of opportunity, not to mention the freedoms of speech and assembly.


Private corporations seem to be a permanent fixture in the US, so why work towards socialism?

A:
In the short term we can’t eliminate private corporations, but we can bring them under greater democratic control. The government could use regulations and tax incentives to encourage companies to act in the public interest and outlaw destructive activities such as exporting jobs to low-wage countries and polluting our environment. Public pressure can also have a critical role to play in the struggle to hold corporations accountable. Most of all, socialists look to unions to make private business more accountable.


Won't socialism be impractical because people will lose their incentive to work?

A:
We don’t agree with the capitalist assumption that starvation or greed are the only reasons people work. People enjoy their work if it is meaningful and enhances their lives. They work out of a sense of responsibility to their community and society. Although a long-term goal of socialism is to eliminate all but the most enjoyable kinds of labor, we recognize that unappealing jobs will long remain. These tasks would be spread among as many people as possible rather than distributed on the basis of class, race, ethnicity, or gender, as they are under capitalism. And this undesirable work should be among the best, not the least, rewarded work within the economy. For now, the burden should be placed on the employer to make work desirable by raising wages, offering benefits and improving the work environment. In short, we believe that a combination of social, economic, and moral incentives will motivate people to work.

Aren't you a party that's in competition with the Democratic Party for votes and support?

A:
No, we are not a separate party. Like our friends and allies in the feminist, labor, civil rights, religious, and community organizing movements, many of us have been active in the Democratic Party. We work with those movements to strengthen the party’s left wing, represented by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
The process and structure of American elections seriously hurts third party efforts. Winner-take-all elections instead of proportional representation, rigorous party qualification requirements that vary from state to state, a presidential instead of a parliamentary system, and the two-party monopoly on political power have doomed third party efforts. We hope that at some point in the future, in coalition with our allies, an alternative national party will be viable. For now, we will continue to support progressives who have a real chance at winning elections, which usually means left-wing Democrats.

If I am going to devote time to politics, why shouldn't I focus on something more immediate?

A:
Although capitalism will be with us for a long time, reforms we win now—raising the minimum wage, securing a national health plan, and demanding passage of right-to-strike legislation—can bring us closer to socialism. Many democratic socialists actively work in the single-issue organizations that advocate for those reforms. We are visible in the reproductive freedom movement, the fight for student aid, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered organizations, anti-racist groups, and the labor movement.
It is precisely our socialist vision that informs and inspires our day-to-day activism for social justice. As socialists we bring a sense of the interdependence of all struggles for justice. No single-issue organization can truly challenge the capitalist system or adequately secure its particular demands. In fact, unless we are all collectively working to win a world without oppression, each fight for reforms will be disconnected, maybe even self-defeating.

If so many people misunderstand socialism, why continue to use the word?

A:
First, we call ourselves socialists because we are proud of what we are. Second, no matter what we call ourselves, conservatives will use it against us. Anti-socialism has been repeatedly used to attack reforms that shift power to working class people and away from corporate capital. In 1993, national health insurance was attacked as “socialized medicine” and defeated. Liberals are routinely denounced as socialists in order to discredit reform. Until we face, and beat, the stigma attached to the “S word,” politics in America will continue to be stifled and our options limited. We also call ourselves socialists because we are proud of the traditions upon which we are based, of the heritage of the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas, and of other struggles for change that have made America more democratic and just. Finally, we call ourselves socialists to remind everyone that we have a vision of a better world.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_(United_States)

Democratic Party (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its origins back to Thomas Jefferson's and James Madison's Democratic-Republicans, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828, making it the world's oldest active party.[9]

. . . Today, the congressional Democratic caucus is composed mostly of progressives and centrists,[14] with a smaller minority of conservatives.

The Great Depression in 1929 that occurred under Republican President Herbert Hoover and the Republican Congress set the stage for a more liberal government; the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives nearly uninterrupted from 1930 until 1994 and won most presidential elections until 1968. Franklin D. Roosevelt, elected to the presidency in 1932, came forth with government programs called the New Deal. New Deal liberalism meant the regulation of business (especially finance and banking) and the promotion of labor unions, as well as federal spending to aid to the unemployed, help distressed farmers, and undertake large-scale public works projects. It marked the start of the American welfare state.[20] The opponents, who stressed opposition to unions, support for business, and low taxes, started calling themselves "conservatives."[21]

Issues facing parties and the United States after World War II included the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Republicans attracted conservatives and white Southerners from the Democratic coalition with their use of the Southern strategy and resistance to New Deal and Great Society liberalism. African Americans had traditionally supported the Republican Party because of the anti-slavery policies of Abraham Lincoln and the civil rights policies of his successors, such as Ulysses S. Grant. But they began supporting Democrats following the ascent of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the New Deal, the integration of the military and embrace of proposed civil rights legislation by President Harry Truman in 1947–48, and the postwar Civil Rights movement. The Democratic Party's main base of support shifted to the Northeast, marking a dramatic reversal of history.

Modern era

Photograph -- Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (1993–2001)

Bill Clinton was elected to the presidency in 1992, labeling himself and governing as a "New Democrat". The party adopted a centrist economic and socially progressive agenda, with the voter base having shifted considerably to the right. Democrats began to advocate for more social justice, affirmative action, a balanced budget, and a market economy tempered by government intervention (mixed economy). The economic policy adopted by the Democratic Party, including the former Clinton administration, has been referred to as "Third Way".

Some of the party's key issues in the early 21st century in their last national platform have included the methods of how to combat terrorism, homeland security, expanding access to health care, labor rights, environmentalism, and the preservation of liberal government programs.[23] Barack Obama was elected president in 2008 and the party swept to power nationwide amidst an economic recession. Democrats under the Obama presidency moved to pass reforms including an Economic Stimulus package, Dodd-Frank financial reform, and the Affordable Care Act. In the 2010 elections, the Democratic Party lost control of the House and lost its majority in state legislatures and state governorships. The 2012 elections re-elected President Obama, but the party kept its minority in the House. Later, in 2014, the party lost control of the Senate for the first time since 2006.

According to a Pew Research poll, the Democratic Party has become more socially liberal and secular compared to how it was in 1987.[24] Based on a poll conducted in 2014, Gallup found that 30% of Americans identified as Democrats, 23% as Republicans, and 45% as Independents.[25] In the same poll, a survey of registered voters stated that 47% identified as Democrats or leaned towards the party; the same poll found that 40% of registered voters identified as Republicans or leaned towards the Republican party.



REPUBLICAN “SOUTHERN STRATEGY”

http://www.forwardprogressives.com/the-truth-about-republican-racism-and-the-southern-strategy/
June 4, 2013 By Allen Clifton

. . . .
These movements towards civil rights for African Americans spurred a short-lived political party — the States Rights Democratic Party, also known as the “Dixiecrats.” The people who comprised this movement adamantly defended segregation of the races. It was an attempt to keep the “tyrannical Northern liberals” from “destroying the freedom of states’ rights in the South.”

Luckily, this political party only lasted one election. But what this movement really did was recognize the shift of Democrats embracing equality for African Americans and Southern whites strongly opposing any mention of civil rights.

The moves by President Truman sparked the spread of equality in the South and left Southern white Democrats with a feeling that their party was abandoning their racist — and oppressive — system of beliefs.

Over the next decade, more and more Democrats began to embrace equality, passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And while more African Americans began to vote for Democrats, in the late-1960′s a new Republican strategy was put into place—the “Southern strategy.”

This was a plan was that was first popularized by Richard Nixon.

What the “Southern strategy” essentially does is it identified the fact that African Americans were voting for Democrats, therefore Republicans decided they would make white voters more aware of this fact in hopes of driving the “white vote” towards the Republican party.

Doubt me? Let’s look at a comment from a 1970′s interview in the New York Times with Richard Nixon’s political strategist:

“From now on, the Republicans are never going to get more than 10 to 20 percent of the Negro vote and they don’t need any more than that…but Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That’s where the votes are. Without that prodding from the blacks, the whites will backslide into their old comfortable arrangement with the local Democrats.”

Essentially it was the Republican party saying, “Look, blacks are voting for Democrats so you white people need to vote for Republicans—the party that will represent whites and oppose the blacks.”

With this strategy, you saw the official shift of the Republican party from the “party of Lincoln” to the party which embraced white racism towards African Americans to solidify the white vote in the South.

So, yeah, it’s easy to say Lincoln was a Republican and the KKK was largely built by Democrats, but by doing so you only prove your own ignorance of history. You’re ignoring the fact that as Democrats evolved to embrace equality for African Americans, Southern racists were left looking for a new political party — and they found one that not only embraced their racism and bigotry, it sought it out. And that party they found was the Republican party.


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Allen Clifton

Allen Clifton is from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has a degree in Political Science. He is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on both Twitter and Facebook. Have feedback, compliments, criticism or hate mail? You can email him as well.



Suggested reading about Sanders problems and other issues:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/01/us/politics/bernie-sanders-doesnt-kiss-babies-that-a-problem.html?_r=0

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/Decoder/2015/0526/Bernie-Sanders-2016-Can-he-raise-a-liberal-army-video

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-clinton-a-challenge-to-keep-black-voters-energized-about-her-campaign/2015/10/31/73d1181a-7f0e-11e5-b575-d8dcfedb4ea1_story.html

http://loras.edu/About-Loras/News-Events/News/2015/Clinton-Leads-but-Sanders-Gains,-Loras-College-Pol.aspx

http://ballotpedia.org/Bernie_Sanders_presidential_campaign,_2016

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/bernie-sanders-thrills-throng-of-students-young-voters-at-asu-7781716





http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-teacher-arrested-sexual-relations-students-cops-n454946

California Teacher Arrested for Sexual Relations With Students: Cops
by JILLIAN SEDERHOLM
NEWS OCT 31 2015, 1:25 AM ET

Mug Shot -- Lindsay Himmelspach Butte County Sheriff's Department

A California high school teacher was arrested Friday on suspicion of having sexual relations with two students, officials said.

Lindsay Himmelspach, 33, allegedly had sexual relationships with two male students at two different high schools.

The sexual relationships were "brief in nature" and included the sharing of nude photos between Himmelspach and the two students, Butte County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. The events took place over summer break.

Authorities were tipped off to the alleged relations by the school superintendent, who reported a message from an anonymous caller about students having inappropriate relationships with a physical education teacher.

Officers arrested Himmelspach at Las Plumas High School in Oroville, California, where she teaches PE.

She was booked into the Butte County Jail on two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, two counts of communicating with a minor for purposes of committing sexual acts, and two counts of communicating with a minor to commit a lewd or lascivious act.

Himmelspach has taught in the Oroville Union High School District for about 10 years, according to officials. She has been placed on paid administrative leave.




"She has been placed on paid administrative leave." What???

While I would like to stand for complete freedom of behavior among teachers because their job is one of great self-sacrifice, I don’t. Just like the Police they are in a high position of power and trust within their respective small ponds. They’re “big fish” in relationship to their students (or neighborhood citizens) because unless a lawsuit is brought, they can get away with about anything until their crimes are made known. That position of trust which they hold gives them local status, but when they abuse it badly enough they can get into some really serious trouble with the School Board -- or the Justice Department in the case of police.

This kind of sexual crime against a teenager, who is likely to desire the sexual attention but who is too immature to deal with it yet, is deeply sinful as well as criminal. Students are emotionally scarred and intimidated by it, and often carry their personal part of the guilt as being the greatest portion, but to me the adult is always more guilty than a teenager or child. See the following for common sentences, though the article states that it does vary from state to state.



http://sex-crimes.laws.com/statutory-rape/statutory-rape-sentencing-and-punishment


Many states have statutory rape sentences that range from 0-20 years in prison. In light of the adoption of Romeo and Juliet legislation, there is an across-the-board trend of harsher sentencing for persons 21 and older. This is more in line with the original intent of the legislation to prevent the exploitation of youths. Some states offer lesser sentencing if there is less of an age gap between the offender and the victim.

Other states give sentences of probation for minor cases of statutory rape. The severity of sentencing should reflect the severity of the statutory rape case. Statutory rape is a crime that does not only possess criminal elements, Civil charges may also be brought against an offender as well. States have laws that determine the maximum amount of civil damages that may be imposed as a result of statutory rape.

Statutory rape sentencing varies to a great degree from state to state. It would be best to consult local statutes to know what of the above apply to local jurisdictions. In general they depend on the difference of age between the offender and the victim.





http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-year/offhand-comment-jeb-bush-draws-ire-psych-majors-n454661

Offhand Comment From Jeb Bush Draws Ire of Psych Majors
FRESHMAN YEAR by AMY DILUNA
OCT 30 2015

Psychology majors across the country are less than psyched after 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush dissed their field of study.

The Republican contender implied at a town hall in South Carolina on Saturday that psychology degrees don't lead to good job prospects.

"Universities ought to have skin in the game," the Republican contender said at a town hall in South Carolina on Saturday. "When a student shows up, they ought to say 'Hey, that psych major deal, that philosophy major thing, that's great.' It's important to have liberal arts ... but realize, you're going to be working at Chick-fil-A."

Special report: Get tips and advice about college at the Freshman Year Experience

Bush went on, according to the Washington Examiner, to say, "I don't think we should dictate majors. But I just don't think people are getting jobs as psych majors. We have huge shortages of electricians, welders, plumbers, information technologists, teachers."

Psychology students and graduates quickly mobilized, tweeting their stories of personal and career successes using the hashtag #ThisPsychMajor.

Bush cited psychology as the most popular major in the U.S., but according to stats from the Department of Education, of the nearly 1.8 million bachelor's degrees given in 2011-2012, the majority were in business, followed by social sciences and history, health services and related fields. Psychology came in fourth.

Related: Study's Sad Upshot: 'You Can't Work Your Way Through College Anymore'

Higher education is a hot topic of this election cycle, and that's no accident: 19 percent of all voters in 2012 were aged 30 and under. For most college students, 2016 will be their first time voting in a presidential election.


COMMENTS --

extra small savage @SofaKingCutee
#ThisPsychMajor will finish grad school and make six figures for her family before 25
12:54 PM - 30 Oct 2015


Omar Flores @GohfR
#ThisPsychMajor helps to reduce the public tax burden by helping the chronically homeless find sustainable housing.
#IVote
12:45 PM - 30 Oct 2015 • Grand Rapids, MI, United States


Lannie Rosenfield @akalannie
#ThisPsychMajor works @twitter
12:04 PM - 30 Oct 2015
#ThisPsychMajor would rather make a difference than make six figures," tweeted one student.




My take on the “psych major” comment is that it will not get Mr. Bush much popular credit, except among other Republicans. He said, "I don't think we should dictate majors. But I just don't think people are getting jobs as psych majors. We have huge shortages of electricians, welders, plumbers, information technologists, teachers." The idea that being a welder is in any way better than being a psych major should be disputed. The fact is that almost no four year degree with bring in an income of as much as $40,000 unless it is Business, Accounting, Statistics, etc.

It is also true that with nothing beyond a four year psych degree you can get some mental health counseling positions, which is what many of them are looking for. An additional Masters or a PhD are required of most four year degree holders in any field nowadays to get a good job with decent pay and benefits. That second degree should narrow the student’s field down to something that fits more directly into the job requirements for positions that are above the minimum wage or the $25,000 range.

Gone are the days though, when a welder, which Bush mentioned above, will actually be able to rise about that level to a management or a technical position without at least a few college courses. The range of jobs that are available no matter what the degree has diminished over time, especially in the areas where one happens to live; and it’s also because there are very few jobs left that don’t require a basic vocabulary and knowledge of grammar. It’s just not a strictly blue collar world anymore.

Marketing could bring in a job in a business, but most liberal arts majors do not want to market (read “sell”) anything, and they aren’t likely to make as much as $40,000 doing it, either. I do realize that there is a difference between sales and marketing, but according to this interesting commentary on the two, they are “closely entwined,” at least in smaller businesses (http://www.diffen.com/difference/Marketing_vs_Sales ).

I’m personally prejudiced against sales people in general, because I basically feel that it is their job to approach me and convince me to give them some of my hard-earned money, and I probably don’t even want the product anyway. Most business is all about aggressive selling and, too often, scams. If they are selling houses, which means I have voluntarily gone into their office to look at a house, I respect that fully unless they try to push me. I do, presumably, have a need for the product. I don’t think any sales person should push, ever, but should instead “help”. They are facilitators. They are much more likely to make a sale with me if they use that method.

When I worked in the local Belk Department Store in the 1960s I was told to approach them pleasantly, smile and say “Hello. May I help you?” and show them anything they want to see. If they were to say they just want to look around, I was supposed to let them do that, but notice where they are and what they are doing. Even in those days some people were shoplifters. If I saw them show interest in something, I would approach them and ask something like “Do you have any questions?” at which point they will ask “Do you have this in another color? Or What is the price – I can’t find the ticket.” I believe in “soft soap” sales, and not the hard sell or pushy method.

One four year college degree or in some cases in community colleges a two year degree, that I would suggest, I think, might be computer science, and maybe not even that anymore. That’s a very narrowly focused job that requires more technical knowledge and/or skill than general knowledge, and it is often EXACTLY what a young geek wants to do with his life. It’s a career. They still need to speak good (well-educated) English and know some Middle Class things about life in order to get advancements, however. One drawback, however, is that the IT field has been in the news a number times the last few years for complaints that nearly all SUCCESSFUL geeks are men, and that men have established a “glass ceiling” for women even if they are hired. Women have also been sexually and personally harassed on those jobs, just like those in the military, the police force or the fire department. Men, even when they are well-educated, can often be brutes. To me, that makes such a man inferior rather than superior. It makes him sub-human.

Finally, the fields of IT, economics and the sciences in general, are not intellectually superior and more lucrative as compared to an upper level psychology position. A psychology major isn’t all about “psychobabble” and regurgitating your most embarrassing dreams anymore. It’s become over the last century a rigorous science; and under the scientific method, psychologists have learned a great deal about animal and human intelligence and behavior. It takes psychology out of the realms of religion and mere cultural training, and has redefined the often misunderstood areas of “mental deficiency” and insanity. Some people fear the modern use of psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants and antipsychotics, but they do keep down the incidence of lobotomies, shock treatments, etc. I’d personally take a good, well-tested antidepressant any day, as I have experienced their success at eliminating very painful and dangerous symptoms.

In other words, psychologists are in a much needed specialization. Bush picked the wrong field, in my opinion, if he wanted to disparage certain college degrees over others. It shouldn’t really be compared to English or History majors in the matter of qualifying the individual for a job right out of college either, both of which are mainly useful for teaching. In all liberal arts fields most people nowadays know they will have to look hard for acceptable work in this economy, and eventually they will surely have to go back to school for a Masters at least. That doesn’t make them a poor fit for many students, though, whose mental skills are more in the areas of language and arts rather than mathematics, engineering, etc. Some people are very bright, but are simply not a techie.

For those who are intellectually or educationally incapable of doing any college level work at all, they are going to have to bring themselves up to speed from the level of their high school coursework by concentrated individual effort, perhaps at a Community College or as Bush said, a skill or trade. Even that will cost such kids several thousands of dollars, however; and too often those who didn’t put in their study time when young people are also financially poor and came from stress-filled homes which limited their ability to learn in high school. Those people will need a loan or scholarship. Failing to upgrade their intellectual capacity when in high school is a basic flaw. It’s a problem that is like one of those endless film loops. The more they lose, the more like losers they feel, so they continue to lose. They have to break out of that pattern and get some preparation for a job that doesn’t amount to digging ditches and cleaning toilets. Welding may well be a good choice for them.

Now, back to Bernie. If Bernie Sanders gets elected he wants to make school tuitions up to and including four year degrees at state supported schools FREE for American citizens. That’s good, because some kind of degree is almost necessary to get a job above the level of cleaning, sales, home health aide, etc. If the student is unable to do college level work, they can get a technical degree like medical assistant, dental jobs such as hygienist, etc. A number of European countries are already doing that -- even if the student goes to a college in another country their tuition is paid and perhaps living expenses also. That would be wonderful if it were enacted into law here. It could help our kids out of their life problems and into a successful life. It could even break up the pattern of incarceration for the poor and minority population. (Go, Bernie!)





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/philadelphia-area-police-investigate-possible-needles-candy-halloween/

Philly-area police confirm finding needles in candy
CBS NEWS
November 1, 2015

Photograph -- An image of a chocolate bar that may have been tampered with on Halloween on Oct. 31, 2015, in the Philadelphia suburb of Kennett Square KENNETT SQUARE POLICE VIA CBS PHILADELPHIA

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Police in Kennett Square, Chester County said early Sunday they were investigating reports of sewing needles found inside Halloween candy of several young trick-or-treaters.

On Sunday afternoon, they said a 12-year-old child turned in a Snickers bar that also contained a similar sewing-type needle. The child had been trick-or-treating in the same area as the other children who reported tainted candy, whose ages range from 7-12.

Police say they were notified at midnight Sunday from someone claiming that chocolate candy bars handed out in the Stenning Hills area of the borough had been tampered with, according to CBS Philadelphia. Authorities say sewing-type needles were found inside five wrapped Twix Candy bars given to four different children who had been trick-or-treating door to door in the area of South Union Street and West South Street.

The man told authorities he had seen a post on Facebook from an unknown source describing their Snickers candy had needles in it. Reading the post prompted the parent to check his own children's candy and he discovered the needles in the snack-size Twix candy.

There were no reports of any injuries caused by the tampered candy.

Police are urging parents to check all Halloween candy before allowing their children to eat it. They're also encouraging people to check any leftover candy for tampering.




Here we are again with a story about people doing evil for the sake of evil. It’s like “art for art’s sake,” only it’s on the negative scale. When I hear of the more despicable human traits that pop up sometimes, I am filled with disgust. Luckily most adults really don’t do things quite this bad. People who do them are mentally deranged, though they may well not be technically “insane.” The famous serial killers, the Ted Bundys, are called “Sociopaths.” They are not considered to be insane, though they may have delusions about their intelligence or importance, but they above all have no natural empathy for life forms. There was a picture in the news a number of years ago of a beautiful house cat with an arrow all the way through his abdomen. That was done by a sociopath.