Archive for 'Our family'
Dept. of Education
Posted on March 31, 2011, by Bonnie, under Core values, Our family, education.
There is simply nothing that government can do that a free and unencumbered people can’t do better. It is sure that government cannot do it cheaper. Nor can government do anything more effectively.
At every level and in every field we see mammoth waste and colossal ineffectiveness.
Prior to Pres. Carter creating the Dept of Education, America’s education system was the envy of the world. In 1970, the national graduation rate was 78%. Today, many areas graduate less than 50% of their students.
It was understood nationally that Congress allowed Carter to create the Dept. of Education so as not to embarrass him. It was stated in the media that the creation of the Dept. of Education was the result of promises made to the NEA during the presidential campaign.
Interesting …. promises made to Unions are why we are now saddled with the Dept of Education.
Nowhere in the Constitution is there room for the creation of such a Department. The 10th amendment states that
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the People.”
For 200 years the States of the United States educated their children effectively and in a responsive and timely manner. We were the leader in science and commercial innovation. Now we lead the world in the number of nincompoops with high self esteem.
God help us.
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I bought a restaurant in October
Posted on March 5, 2011, by Bonnie, under Our family.
I’ve been kind of busy.
I bought a restaurant in October and it’s occupied just a bit of my time. It’s not my first restaurant. But it is my first restaurant that I have purchased. I started one — Bonnie’s Best Cafe — that is still in operation. I consulted on one — The Sandwich Shack– and it’s still operating also.
It’s weird coming in on the back end of the process. Strange to have the menu already in place. Weird to have practices and procedures in operation. Peculiar to have to learn the in’s and out’s of your own business. Very odd to have to ask your employees what they would normally do in certain situations.
Country Rose Tea Room has been in operation since the late 80’s. It’s one of those girly places that guys go to because they love their women. It has tablecloths and lots of color and soft music. No big screen tv’s. Not a single “burger”. And the plates often have doilies on them. Zowie!
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Drawing to an Inside Straight
Posted on June 15, 2010, by Bonnie, under Core values, Our family.
My grandfather was a professional gambler. He lived to gamble. Each and every day he arose with the thought that today would be the day that he would draw that inside straight, beat the house, be the winner of the day.
My father is an entrepreneur. Every day he calculates the risks involved with the projects he’s working. In his business, he knows which risks will bring rewards and which risks spell disaster. He is shrewdly optimistic, constantly looking for the advantages that will build for him a success. When he rises it is with the intent of intelligently challenging the odds, actively battling the forces that beat down business owners who are bold and courageous. I am inordinately proud of him and the values he has shared with me.
I, also, am an entrepreneur. The businesses that I have built were forged from ideas alone with no trail to follow. My father’s voice echoed in my mind at each step … be smart, Bonnie … count the cost before you move on … follow your instincts. When I look back at the successes – and also a failure or two – I am aware that I cannot claim all of the prize. My father’s voice clearly paved the way. He used the bold gambler in himself – a gift from his dad – to step out and then he tempered it with his intelligence unaffected by emotion. I learned by watching and am thankful for the solid example he gave.
My relationship with my Dad buoys me in hard times and reminds me to keep my head up and my shoulders back. On the few occasions that he has praised me I know that I have done well. My father’s expectations are high, but not unattainable. He expects honor, diligence and truth.
Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you.
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Where the flock are my sheep?
Posted on April 21, 2010, by Bonnie, under Our family, Service to US.
The thought that politicians are “regular” people is really quite foreign to normal people. They are “used car salesmen” … “slime bags” … definitely not normal like us. The thought of running for any political office was not anywhere on my radar. I, like all of the rest of the “normal” people, have busied myself raising a family, growing businesses, going to church, enjoying hobbies … being … well … “normal”. So when the man who is called the “king maker” came and asked me to run for Congress I was quite simply blown away.
At first we didn’t share this information with the younger kids who are teenagers. As a little bit of time has passed and my husband and I have been able to slightly work through the enormity of the proposition, we have talked more to the two younger kids. Their comments have been surprising.
I was sharing with James, who is a kind and gentle 17 year old young man, my thoughts about the sacrifices our family would have to make if I was elected to Congress. He didn’t quite see it all as a problem, oddly enough. Every sacrifice I mentioned was met with a calm and clear rebuff of my concerns. He was not gruff … or disrespectful … not calloused or unfeeling. He acknowledged that, yes … perhaps it would be hard … but what of it? Lots of things are hard.
At the end of our time together I closed with saying that “never in my wildest dreams did I ever even consider this as a possibility in my life”. “Do you think that King David ever thought that he was going to be King?” James asked me. His question made me chuckle, “kids!” I thought. I responded with a “no … I suppose that before he was King, while he was taking care of his sheep, he never thought that he would ever be king”. “Well that’s what you’re doing … taking care of your sheep”.
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