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Death In The Rearview Mirror

Death In The Rearview Mirror

I had a new life experience last week — a brush with death. I was on my way from school to meet with my son-in-law Jake and friend Brandon at a Starbucks in West Des Moines.  Torrential rain was making visibility a bit difficult, but not impossible.  I...
Death In The Rearview Mirror

The Current State of the Union(s)

Unions.

There is a word which is currently stirring much thought and commentary.

With all due solemnity and respect for the people of Japan, I would say that Madison, Wisconsin is the epicenter of an earthquake which is sending tremors into every state capital of our country.

What’s all the hubbub, bub?

In case you have been living in a cave, allow me to enlighten you. Desperate economic times have apparently called for desperate measures. State legislatures are looking for ways to cut spending, and they have uncovered a very interesting phenomenon. Government unions have been very adroit in negotiating excellent financial compensation for their members, including fringe benefits which are outpacing the benefits of many employees in the private sector.

Governors, emboldened by the example of their counterpart in Wisconsin, are attempting to change collective bargaining laws, so, in the very least, unions do not have as much, if any, control over wages and benefits. Asking government union employees to pay more of their “fair share” of benefits has resulted in millions of dollars of proposed government savings.

Well, you would think that mass murderers have been cornered in the town square, because lynch mobs have formed against “both sides” of this dispute. Protests have gone on unabated for days. Teachers obtained false doctor’s notes excusing their absences from school, since some of these states are no-strike states. Re-call elections have been proposed in multiple states, and no mercy is being shown to bold governors or legislators who chose to leave their jobs and cross state lines for several weeks of – shall we say – “vacation.” (What’s up with that?! Both Wisconsinites and Indianans sought “refuge” in Illinois!)

Please allow me to share my experiences with and views about unions. At their inception, unions served very useful purposes. Especially during the Industrial Revolution, managers were responsible for horrific abuses of working hours, conditions, pay, and benefits. Employees formed unions to [...]

Death In The Rearview Mirror

Measure the Cost

March 19th marked an unusual anniversary for me.

Eighteen years ago on that very day, I drank my last drop of alcohol.

Yes, it’s true.  I am a tee-totaller.  But before you declare me intolerant of those who drink, please hear my full story and how I came to the conviction of no longer drinking.

I never was a big drinker.  I really didn’t like to put any substances in my body which would have inhibited my intellect or athletic abilities.  I never tried any illegal drugs, and I especially abstained from alcohol when I was playing football.  (I played high school and college ball.)

However, in the off-season, even when it was not legal for me to do so, I would drink a beer or two.  Gin and tonics were my drink of choice in college.  As an adult, I acquired a taste for cheap champagne.  When I got married, I learned about the refreshing taste of Long Island Iced Tea, a mixed drink with five different shots of alcohol.  I “celebrated” my successful defense of my doctoral thesis by drinking two of these concoctions, but I don’t remember much of the “celebration.”

Still, I was not given to drunkenness very often when I was still drinking alcohol.  There were periodic lapses in judgment, in that regard, but I generally maintained my self-discipline.

I maintained such [...]

Biblical Worldview of ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’

Prior to the start of the school year, a parent very wisely asked me to write an article which essentially responds to the following question - "How can a Christian effectively respond to ‘Walking with Dinosaurs: The Life Experience,' a traveling stage show which depicts dinosaurs as they lived prior to extinction?" The "Walking with Dinosaurs" production is described by the producers as a "dazzling arena spectacle of unprecedented size and quality," and it is scheduled in Des Moines for October 1-5 at the Iowa Events Center. What's the rub?! Why any controversy?! Dinosaurs are cool! Dinosaurs fascinate people, particularly schoolchildren. "There's no harm in studying dinosaurs," you might say.

Don’t Check Your Brains at the Schoolhouse Gate!

On August 19, 2008, I joined a panel of Christian school educators on Steve Deace’s WHO AM-1040 Radio program to discuss a recent California Supreme Court ruling which upheld The University of California system’s right to deny college credit to students who had...
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