Educational Funding, The Arts, And Debt.

$14,000,000,000,000. Let me repeat that again in case you didn't see it the first time,......$14,000,000,000,000!!!!!!

This is the size of our national debt. Does this scare anybody else? Not scared in the way of somebody sneaking up behind you at Kroger and startling you as you peruse which cantaloupe looks ripest, but SCARE YOU! Scare you for our future. Scare you for our way of life as a nation. Scare you for your children's and grandchildren's well-being. Scare you for the security and stability of our world. THAT kind of "scare you!" It does me.

I'm going to say some things here that won't be popular, especially considering my profession and love of my vocation. But I'm going to say them nonetheless. The reason is this, everybody thinks that cuts and sacrifices must be made to bring down the debt. It's just that everybody wants those cuts to come from SOMEWHERE ELSE besides their portion of the pie! This is nonsense, hypocrisy and buck-passing at it's most irresponsible, and I want no part of it. So, here are some of my thoughts, for better or worse, on the subject.

Entitlements MUST be reduced! Social security, the sacred cow of Washington needs to be changed. For those under 50, I think there should be a graduating scale of 1% in reductions of benefits for each year under 50, until a total reduction of benefits of 20% total is reached for those 30 and younger. Just so you know, that means my wife and I combined would see a 9% reduction in our benefits based on our combined ages. Further, I believe the retirement age and minimum age to receive benefits should be raised 1 year for those ages 50 to 60, two years for those 40 to 50, and 3 years for those under 40. My wife and I would each have to work 2 additional years to receive benefits (see, that's called SHARING IN THE SACRIFICE!) For the disabled, I'd leave Medicare and Medicaid alone for those in nursing homes, mentally disabled or severely physically handicapped. To encourage saving, I'd give greater tax breaks on retirement investing. For those with less money, I'd lower the tax rate on the first $20,000 made to half of what it is now. For those with more money, I'd do a 1% increase on the federal tax (more would stifle growth), and I'd lock the rates for ten years so people could plan ahead!

Healthcare. OK, how's this. Could we PLEASE purchase health insurance across state lines, encouraging competition and lowering costs? Could we PLEASE purchase prescription medication from other countries that have been approved as safe, lowering costs to seniors and the poor and encouraging cost reduction through competition? Could we PLEASE do more co-op work among the self-employed, allowing them to pool resources and lower individual costs? Could we PLEASE do a better job of curtailing and punishing Medicare fraud and saving hundreds of millions? Could we PLEASE limit the top limit of lawsuit amounts for medical malpractice so that the patient is cared for and compensated, but doesn't get a new Ferrari and an outdoor pool with cabana boy in the process? And oh, by the way, COULD THE GOVERNMENT STOP UNCONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRING ME TO BUY INSURANCE?!?! "Hi, my name's Socialism. What's yours?"

I love NPR for its storytelling, biographies, and travelogues, and I love PBS for its children's programming, concerts and documentaries,......BUT THEY DON'T DESERVE A PENNY OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING!! If they can't exist in a fair and open marketplace, then they should dissolve. The nature of our country and its people would raise new entities that served the same purposes in their place. No sane person can tell me that storytelling, biographies, children's educational programming and documentaries would cease to exist if that happened,.....it quite simply would not, as the demand would create new outlets for these arts.

Welfare and unemployment should exist, but in different forms. To earn either, more stringent requirements need to be met. First, anybody on welfare that is physically and mentally healthy should be REQUIRED to work on projects to earn their checks. Here are some ideas:

-cleaning graffiti off walls

-picking up trash in medians

-attending career building activities and workshops

-landscaping public grounds

-safety patrolling public parks

-working in free day care for welfare recipients with children (after thorough background checks and training)

ALL of these activities are honorable ways to work, build self-esteem, and create pride in what a day's work entails. If those on welfare were required to put in 15 hours weekly on these activities to get their checks, you'd find less crime and more honor in millions of Americans. For the unemployed, proof of applications and interviews (which exists somewhat already), mandatory career building and re-training should be part of the picture. Again, for 15-20 hours weekly to still provide time to look for work.

And now, education. My heart is in education, as is my life, career, past, present and future. I love teaching, love kids, love the arts, love to watch growth occur, love to watch kids become adults, and love being a positive role model in shaping young lives. In case you lost count, that's a lot of "loves"! However, teachers are often guilty (as we ALL are) of not seeing the necessity of harnessing runaway debt when it comes to their own profession. Let me make some suggestions that I think would help school corporations throughout the nation curb this epidemic:

-Lower by 5% the salary of all administrators making over $100,000 per year (adjusted slightly by state). This would show good faith sacrifice by those at the top.

-Redo the pension and healthcare systems so that teachers would need to pay a percent of their retirement and a SLIGHTLY increased percent of their healthcare (Please read the word "slightly" as 3 or 4 percent)

-Allow collective bargaining on most issues, but set new teacher salaries at the state level. Collective bargaining should continue through unions as it pertains to work conditions, student/faculty relations, stipends, vacation/personal/sick days, student enrichment, curriculum, day/class length, textbook selection, classroom environment/supplies, dispute moderation, sexual/verbal/physical harassment, etc. I'm NOT calling for reductions in salaries, as I believe teachers are underpaid. Rather, I think salaries of teachers should be tied to those of the state congress salaries of each state. In other words, if the governer, congress, or administration of a state get a raise, then teachers get the same percentage raise. However, if the government of a state wants teachers to take a pay cut, it should take the exact same pay cut itself.

-Programs for students should be stream-lined, but NOT eliminated. There are certain programs (special education being a biggie) that need to be fully funded and supported by the state. With this said, there's waste in many places in spending (elaborate facilities, sports venues and architecture can be simplified while still continuing to build new schools, for one.) However, by eliminating programs, students have fewer opportunities to grow and learn who they're becoming and who they want to be. Truancy, vandalism, apathy, and rebellion will rise to frightening proportions if kids lose their outlets for expression, fun and discovery.

And now to my heart and soul, the arts. Should we sacrifice also, yes. How? Here are some suggestions:

-Put more of a financial burden on parents, parent booster clubs, and community support to pay for these activities. Of course students with no resources should never be refused participation, but they SHOULD be required to participate in fund-raising and work programs to earn their keep.

-Fewer paid assistant coaches. I understand that coaches, directors, etc., deserve their stipends (and even MORE than their stipends). However, assistants, while working VERY hard and being valuable resources, can become a further financial burden. This is where volunteerism and community spirit can help. Would you rather have 7 paid assistant coaches for the football team, or be able to keep girl's golf and boy's lacrosse from getting the ax instead?

-Budgets for arts groups can always be brought under greater financial control. Elaborate costuming, expensive props, fancy set designs for the musical, arranger budgets,...even CHOREOGRAPHER budgets can always be examined and spent responsibly. I have several schools that used to use me 10-12 days per year, but now it's only 7-8 days a year. This saved them thousands of dollars in the process, lessening burdens on students, boosters and schools!

-DON'T ELIMINATE MUSIC AND ART FROM OUR SCHOOLS, but do it intelligently. Many schools have teachers going to both the elementary and middle schools in the same day now, or from high school to middle school. This IS NOT ideal. This IS NOT good. This IS NOT what we want in the arts. But if it ensures our children still have opportunities to be in bands, choirs, orchestras, yearbook and newspaper staffs, art clubs, etc., it might be a necessary sacrifice.

I guess that's enough venting for now. I think teachers are under-valued, under-appreciated, under-paid, and over-worked. Their contribution to society is beyond measure, as is the number of kids lives they save and enrich on a daily, even hourly, basis. However, our national debt and over dependence on government as a nation has led us to this point. Republicans and Democrats have BOTH contributed to the insanity and have BOTH shoveled more coal on the runaway steam engine. We have to be drastic. We have to do the unpleasant. We have to act now! It's almost too late.

Great Day Ahead

Each year I'm blessed with a few wonderful opportunities to judge show choir competitions. Getting together with peers, friends, colleagues and experts I admire to spend a 15-hour day watching aspiring high school musicians sing, dance, sweat, smile and work their way into our hearts. Today is one of those days, and I think it'll be grand.

Among the panel I'm serving on today is a former amazing student from California, a member and friend of the Radio City Rockettes, a lady from the national tour of "Cats", one of America's premier arrangers, and 2 of the finest directors of young voices I've ever been privileged to know. The cool thing is that I look at their amazing credentials and realize,...I'm one of them. I say this with no arrogance, but rather with gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the doors he's opened and the ideas he's inspired in my life.

I try to be constructive and give the kids both criticism and inspiration when I judge. Fairness is always paramount, as I've seen scattered examples of cheating and bias over the years. I want to make kids and directors think, push themselves, feel good, and laugh. Yes, I said laugh. In a business where so many just want to be about the nuts and bolts, I sometimes like to get a little silly on my critiques. Maybe it's the gift I give as an teacher and artist, and maybe it's why my phone rings every year. The idea that although we work hard to be great and try to find creative twists and tweaks that nobody's ever done, we still long to just laugh sometimes and feel good about being alive.

Today I want to inspire.

Today I want to teach.

Today I want to have a great time with my friends.

Today I want to learn.

Today I want to make kids laugh and love music.

Thanks, God for today.

It's Always Something.

Gilda Radner, the brilliant comedienne from the early days of Saturday Night Live had it right. Her ridiculously funny news reporter, Rosanna Rosannadanna, used to quote at the end of every editorial she ever did, "It's always something!" Well, although she's no longer with us, the wisdom of her words lives on.

I'm a verdant believer that God gives us the strength we need to get through each day, each problem, each crisis that the curveballs of life throw at our heads. But with that blessing, comes a "but". The "but" is that each day seems to avail a new issue to conquer. Strategies must develop, plans must be formed, the war room of our psyche has to start the cogs churning again to get past the next life or death ordeal headed our way.

I think about this as I lay in my bed watching the Oregon/California football game after a long, but rewarding day of choreography at Grosse Pointe High School in Detroit. An apparently pulled, strain or torn muscle near my collar bone is the new culprit, making any position I lay in seem awkward and unfriendly towards sleep. Some days it's money, worries about family, a speeding ticket, the state of our country. Other days it's stuff that can only be described as dumb and ridiculous. Let me rattle off a few of the things that have kept me up at night over the past few weeks:

-Misplacing my car keys

-Wondering if I set my alarm clock properly!

-Thinking I heard something downstairs (yeah, the CAT!)

-A $40 modeling check for my daughter

-Our dog Fizzy exhaling too loudly over and over

-Forgetting where I work the following day

-The pillow won't stay cold enough

-Too much garlic for dinner!!

See, it's just dumb, a'int it? But it's this omnipresent, ever-changing, morphing carnival of concern. One day serious, the next irrelevant; vacillating between the real and imagined, strange and comical, and the boring and peculiar.

I need to do a better job of letting go and giving these things over to God, but it's tough when they've been your companions for so long. If I don't have this stuff to think about and fixate on, will that make me lonely and isolated,.......ahhh, now I have something new to stew over!

POST SCRIPT: 2 days after making this entry I was dancing at Viterbo University and did a layout,....MAJORLY pulled abdominal muscle!!! Say it with me,...."it's always something"!! Sometimes ya' just gotta' laugh.

Days Off

It lays out in front of you like the horizon of a California highway at sunrise. Full of possibilities, driving into a glorious unknown that you can't wait to discover, yet assuring you of a beautiful journey on your way there. Calling at you like the Sirens beckoning Ulysses,...."Approach sailor,....approach and enjoy. Bask in our glory,....."

Ahhhhhhhhh. Days off.

Days off are NOTHING like vacation. On vacation you're required to have a good time, whether you like it or not. "Must sit by pool. Must order fruity drink with rum and an umbrella. Must squish toes in sand. Must lay in chaise lounge and listen to reggae music. Must get sunburn and mosquito bites on ankles. Must, (grunt) wear (heavy breath) Hawaiian shirt." Days off present an unadulterated freedom from expectation, liberating you to do what you want WHEN you want, or not even do it at all.

This week I have a couple of those days, and I'm experiencing an unusual phenomena. What is often considered work becomes an anticipated chance at unfettered productivity. Here's some of the stuff on my list:

-Clean the house

-Get ahead on some later choreography I need to prep

-Mow the few strands of growing grass in my thirsty, dead yard

-Pull weeds, which seem to be the only remaining things that grow!

-Make travel reservations for upcoming business trips

-Make supper (Ramen noodle soup and crackers, perhaps?)

-Run to the grocery, bank and post office

-Give myself a haircut (Yes, to save $$ I actually DO THIS!!)

-LAUNDRY!

Point is, when it's optional, it's more fun. No gun to your head or deadline. No penalty for failure to complete the assignment. No one standing over you, lauding your achievements or dissing your laziness (Yes, I'm a 45-year old man who just used the word "dissing". If you don't like it, then get out my grill homey!!!) I have a feeling that today will be gloriously and unexpectedly productive and acheivement-oriented, just because I want it to be.

And now,....preparing myself for the work to come,....a nap.

done

There were a few tears, a little pausing to make the moment last, and hugs that seemed to want to keep holding on without letting go. My baby,....my first child,.....my princess,.....has been dropped off and surrendered to the care and loving arms of California Baptist University. I've been steeling myself for this cord to be cut for a couple years, but just like when a relative dies after a bought with a terminal illness, you can never be fully prepared for the goodbye. The preparation helps with the logic, but not with the hurt.

I'm so blessed that my youngest daughter still has 3 more years at home before a similar, albeit distinct, pilgrimage will take place. Independence will be grudgingly granted. An alcoholic surrendering the last precious bottle they've kept hidden from the world. Knowing it has to be done,....needs to be done, but hating every moment of the surrender as it occurs. Fully aware of the beautiful life spreading it's wings and flying with newfound freedom away from the comfort of the nest, but wishing it didn't have to be that way. God's logic. God's pattern. God's challenge to every parent. "Did you raise them right, my son? Well, let's see."

There was a final glorious day for the 4 of us today. Newport Beach, Crystal Cove Park. Hiking, tidepools, laughter, Peet's Coffee, a picnic on the beach, and Pinkberry. We bought an ethernet cable, met her sweet and spunky roommate Cece (who seems to be a very together young lady), and bought them supper at Cheesecake Factory. At some point I became numb. Maybe numb is the wrong word, as numb isn't accompanied by nausea, sadness and loss. Numb is numb, and I suppose in hindsight, this wasn't it.

She's had an amazing music camp, practicing just south of 30 hours in 3 days, and learning more than 20 songs in that time. She's made friends and already started to fit in, as I knew she would. Thankfully, she was also picked from many auditionees, to be in a small feature group named "Joy!" that travels to churches across southern California performing. She's developed the beginnings of a new rhythm to her life on the west coast, and I know she's gonna excel magnificently. This knowledge both pleases and hurts at the same time. Is that strange, or normal?

There will be millions more memories with her, God willing. Memories of saying prayers before bed and playing frisbee with the dogs. Memories of frozen yogurt, car sing-a-longs, pointless family laughter, vacations, board games, and trials. Memories of standing next to her singing in church, and watching with unabashed pride as she lifts her voice to the heavens in her new choir.

But today was goodbye to the way we've known her up until now. Our girl is now our lady. Our baby is now our adult. She who once depended on us for every morsel of her life now is starting a life of her own. It is right. It is normal. It is what should be happening. But dear God, it still hurts.

Vegas baby!

Las Vegas is a city of total contradiction. Some of the nicest hotels anywhere built for some of the sleaziest purposes. Amazing, expensive restaurants sitting next door to abhorrent $3.99 "all the salmonella you can get" buffets. Mountains interrupted by skyscrapers, family entertainment next to a strip club, street ministers preaching beside people handing out cards to get you a hooker in 20 minutes or less, stifling heat with no humidity, friendly and warm people standing beside drunk jerks. Contradiction.

Morgan and I have had a blast in the midst of all this. A beautiful suite at THE hotel at Mandalay Bay (they capitalize the letters for some odd reason) was home base four our 2-day adventure of food, fun and relaxation after our monster drive west.

Le Reve and Phantom were 2 of the most spectacular shows I've ever laid my eyes on. Every detail carefully crafted with amazing athleticism, tremendous God-given talent on display, and theaters perfectly befitting of such amazing presentations. We literally could not take our eyes off of these shows, and I treasure the fact they were both family-friendly and very tastefully done, proving you don't have to be vile to entertain folks.

Okada sushi restaurant at the Wynn and Canaletto at the Venetian were wonderful culinary setting to stuff ourselves with delicious foods. Okada gave us memories of one of the best waitresses the world has ever seen, fire-roasted veggie skewers and hand-held sushi rolls. It also gave Wooda her first taste of sake', which she unfortunately liked. Now, I'm faced with the proposition of her lying in a gutter holding one of those tiny sake' cups out as people pass by, begging for some Sumayami Plum, vintage '66,...oh, the humanity!

Canaletto saw us being crooned by strolling singers as we sat in St. Mark's square in the heart of Venice. Sheep and goat milk cheeses, with pear chutney was our appetizer. We ate as a stilt-walker passed, trying to make human statues break their poses and laugh. Supermodels from around the world were walking by talking about the World Fashion Expo being held this week, looking at us and our food longingly,......for they cannot eat. "Shame",.....sigh.

Fjording our way back from the shows each night, we saw the neon lights of the Vegas strip. Speaking of strip, we passed about as many ads for strippers and hookers as there were people in the street. That's part of this city's great shame. Other cities seems more able to conceal their darkest sides, while Vegas embraces and promotes theirs.

Other highlights included our spa day at the Mandalay Bay, where Morgan got the pedicure/manicure special for FREE!! Walking the Venetian and Palazzo grand canal shoppes listening to gondoliers row and serenade their passengers, spending an hour at the wave pool beach where Morgan got hit on the second I left her for a chaise lounge, and losing $48 in the casino just add more layers to the onion of memory this trip provided.

Today we head to Cal Baptist. Bed, Bath and Beyond and Wal-Mart stops along the way to pick up dorm room essentials, then off to the airport to pick up Tina and Madeline, as they arrive from Indy for tomorrow's drop off of our oldest. The finality has hit me like a ton of bricks, but I know she's ready for this. I can't begin to think how I would've felt without this special time to spend with my first-born on her excursion into a new frontier of life. Every memory of the trip, from the trivial to the terrific, will be etched in my mind with appreciation that's unspeakable. Thank you, God. Thank you.

Notes, Tears, and Teachers Past

The president of the group stood there in the hall after chasing me down as I left the choir room, headed to the Albuquerque airport. She seemed a bit awkward and not knowing what to say, but got it out anyway:

"Mr Brown, I just wanted to,...um,...you've really made a difference for all of us. Here's a card we wanted you to have. You don't have to open it now. This was so much fun and our group wants to thank you. Even though you don't like Katy Perry! (I teased her mercilessly for 3 days about her confessed obsession.) Dang it, I feel stupid, (starts to get teary-eyed). I just wanted you to know how much you mean to our group,..(hugs me)"

Don't know why, but this has been the summer of notes and tears for me as a teacher. I've always tried to be a mentor, coach, comedian and motivator to my students, as I think too many teachers just don't care enough. Mind you, there are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS who care exceedingly, agonize when they know kids are struggling with health or emotions, and dedicate their lives to making the lives of others richer, happier and fuller. It's just that too many don't.

Dr Sharon Seager was one of my history profs at Ball State back in about 1984. Perhaps the worst teacher in the world! Each day was filled with the spell-binding proposition of her walking into the classroom with her gaze thrust into the floor, as if a naked man she lusted for was laying there waiting for her. She'd take a cursory glance up at the class to make sure she wasn't alone (or more accurately, in hopes that she WAS!), sigh with disappointment, then she'd pull out an American History book that looked like the Yellow Pages of Greater New York City. And then,....breathlessly,...wantingly,....with a monotone that can never be duplicated by even the most perfect machine-generated operator tone at the welfare office,....she would read directly out of the book for 55 minutes! My bosoms still heave in sweaty, erotic passion as I recall her voice,.....NOT!

No, is the answer to your question, she didn't look up,....EVER!!!! In fact, I'm not even positive that she stopped to breathe. Perhaps she did, or legend has it that she may have had gills that made it unnecessary. Point is, the lady read from a book without pause, voice fluctuation, chalkboard usage, point stressing, or question-asking until a group of young adults in the prime of life, were stifled into a zombie-like catatonia. Praying, in-fact, FOR nuclear war to ensue at that very moment to bring an end to the suffering we all endured. No joke, when I cleared my throat one time to ask a question, she looked up, sighed heavily,.....and read the paragraph over again!!!

I reported her to Morton Rosenberg, dean of the department, who didn't believe me. After convincing him to check it out for himself, he sent a "grad ass" to class one day undercover. True to form, she didn't even know that somebody else was in class that day, even though there were only about 25 of us. After reporting back that the class had made them contemplate imaginative ways to commit suicide, Dr Rosenberg had a meeting with Ms Seager (I only assume she wasn't married. Simply not possible!) Next class, CHARTS,...HANDOUTS,...Q&A...and all the FALSE enthusiasm one could ever desire! I hope she's locked in prison now, being submitted to the torture of listening to audio-tape replays of herself teaching,....until she dies.

Thank God there were some brilliant and inspirational teachers mixed in there along the way. Fritz Mountford, Larry Boye and JoAnne Keesling are largely the reason I do what I do for a living. They instilled passion for music, laughter and dedication to the art in my soul. They taught me so much about the intricacies of performance, but even more about love of the craft that is entertainment.

Terry Nelson was another. My yearbook advisor and journalism teacher from Yorktown High School. She was filled with daily giggles and jokes that always put everybody around her in a good mood. She LOVED news, LOVED debate, LOVED controversy, and LOVED her students. Class with her was always an adventure of discovery, with her pushing you ever deeper into the journalistic jungle to discover more than you'd known the day before. Although my grammar and syntax have suffered from severe atrophy over the years, I still love to write. This blog, for better or worse, will always have a mental image of Terry Nelson standing over it offering thoughts on how it could be even better.

But back to my point in this entry,....finally! I've always had grateful students. Facebook messages, handwritten notes, hugs at concerts, notes from parents, occasional tears of gratitude, e-mails are so appreciated and often saved in a rainy day file I keep. But this summer has been different and more intense. Probably three dozen notes, and at least half a dozen kids clinging to me crying and thanking me. Why!? Is it the difficult times we live in? Is it coincidence? Is it the fact I've been in some new locales around the country? Is it the fact that music is stupidly being removed from curricula around the nation and kids sense the end of an era approaching? Is it the fact that I'm unashamed and unafraid to share the fact that I'm a Christian, even in public schools? Is it empathy from having 2 teenage daughters of my own? Am I learning more about teaching? I hope so, but I frankly don't know.

Whatever it is, I hope the flood increases. It makes me feel whole as a teacher. There are things about my job that I honestly detest. The nightly staring at music wondering "What the hell do I do now?", the 140-150 days spent in motels eating continental breakfasts that suck every frickin' morning, or the days and days and days spent away from my family. But teaching is still awesome. At its core, it's still about shaping lives, role modeling, and inspiring. Though some would disagree, those are all more important than the course material. Igniting a hunger to learn and making kids know you care about them,.....that's the point of it all.