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Thursday, August 31, 2006

Forming day care centers, and later schools, for children in the slums of Rome, she turned education theories upside down. The teacher's job is to uncover the child's potential, not to write information on a "blank slate." Children should be allowed to proceed at their own pace because they learn in different ways at different speeds.

As a public school teacher, I'm reminded that her ideas are still relevant when I notice that the desks and chairs in my classroom are designed for fifth-graders, not for adults. She was the first to insist that one size does not fit all.

More importantly, she also advocated that teachers must hold children in high regard, and that collaboration is more useful than competition.

• Value all children-and those who teach them
• Remember that collaboration may prove more valuable than constant competiton
• One size does not fit all.

Wednesday, August 30

I don't have to be a rabid Red Sawx fan to appreciate the achievement. In 65 years, no one has been able to succeed in hitting a baseball four times out of ten chances. During his long career, he succeeded in getting base hits 344 times for every 1000 at-bats.

I also appreciate his example of courage. Boston was playing a double-header in Philadelphia, Williams, batting over .400, could have sat on the bench to protect his average. But he played-in both games.

A few months later, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and in May, 1942, Williams joined the military. Trained as a pilot, he never got to the front, but he missed three baseball seasons.

He re-joined the Marines during the Korean War and flew 39 combat missions. His military service subtracted five seasons from his career totals.

In his final at-bat at the close of the 1960 season, Williams hit a home run. A few years later, he came to Washington to manage the Senators (on the diamond, not on the Hill).

• Put duty before personal gain
• Even the great ones only get 4 out of 10
• Never play it safe when my efforts are needed.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

On this day, exactly one year ago, Hurricane Katrina reminded us that Mother Nature plays no favorites and Her laws regarding gravity and force apply to all. Katrina also reminded us that Americans are a uniquely generous people who quickly gave at least $5 billion to relief efforts.

That money has not been enough to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Because gobs of money do not necessarily solve complex problems. Imposing solutions from the top, from "experts" who don't live in the area, seldom works (see the hundreds of trailer homes setting empty).

Clear lines of accountability make a difference. It's hard to sort out exactly who's responsible for the various weak decisions that have been made. Meanwhile, those not rich enough to move are surviving in third world conditions. One report says only 60% of New Orleans enjoys electric power.

On the bayou or in Bethesda, good government begins with an analysis of the problem with an outline of the steps and resources needed to solve it. It's never wise to ignore the people affected, throw away resources via no-bid contracts, and blur the lines of authority.

• Collaborate on, rather than dictate, solutions
• Avoid imposing impossible strains on our "levees" of infrastructure
• Involve the ideas, opinions and concerns of the people involved

Monday, August 28, 2006

The speech helped LBJ push through Congress the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and it probably influenced the Nobel Prize Committee to award the Peace medal to Rev. King in 1964.

But laws and awards do little to change people's hearts, so this is an appropriate day to note that Rev. King's words are totally relevant to Montgomery County in the summer of 2006. As a schoolteacher, my students teach me the example of "diversity."

More than one-quarter of our citizens (26.7%) were born outside the United States. More than 100,000 identify themselves as "Hispanic," including about 30,000 for El Salvador, 32,000 from South America and 9,000 from Mexico.

In addition, Montgomery County is home to 18,000 persons from India and about 13,000 from both China and Korea.

It would be worthwhile for all of us to reflect on Dr. King's speech, to examine our assumptions about ethnic groups, and to remember to judge by content, not color.

• Promote schools where "diverse" children learn by working together;
• Remember that African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics constitute about 42% of the County population;
• Remove barriers to full citizenship and civic participation.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

One this day in 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in the Texas version of a Kentucky log cabin. In 1960, he agreed to run for the office of vice-president on the ticket of John F. Kennedy; three years later, on Nov. 22, 1963, he took the oath of office as the slain president's widow stood by his side on Air Force One. In 1964, he trounced conservative Republican Barry Goldwater.

On his birthday, it is good to remember: Head Start schools for pre-school children, legal aid bureaus for the poor, Medicare for seniors, Medicaid for poor and disabled persons, and civil rights for all Americans. Too often, people associate LBJ only with the terrible war in Vietnam. This master politician and brilliant backroom dealer could broker deals for innovative programs but could not figure out a way to exit gracefully from Southeast Asia.

In a new biography, LBJ, Architect of American Ambition, author Randall Woods quotes President Johnson explaining his determination to pass civil rights legislation: "Some people get a chance late in life to correct the sins of their youth, and very few get a chance as big as the White House."

• All people contain both positive and negative aspects
• The time and opportunity for change is short
• Fresh ideas can come from unlikely sources

Saturday, August 26

Events had shortened everyone's temper that year: January-enemy offensive in Vietnam attacked every provincial capital; April-Martin Luther King, Jr. shot in Memphis; June-Sen. Robert Kennedy shot in Los Angeles. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy had challenged Vice-President Hubert Humphrey in state primaries after Pres. Lyndon Johnson declared in March he would not seek re-election.

Mayor Richard Daly would not approve permits for legal marches, so people opposing the war and the Johnson-Humphrey record marched anyway. The police responded with tear gas, billy clubs, and barbed wire in Grant Park.

In the end, Humphrey, a distinguished US Senator from Minnesota and loyal Vice-President, was nominated. But he lost the election to Richard Nixon who attracted angry voters who usually supported the Democrats.

Out of the chaos on the streets came reform in the Democratic Party. Democrats looked at ways to improve the nominating process and clarify the role of primaries. As a result, this summer, 38 years later, we are engaged in an open primary for seats on the County Council. Candidates have spent thousands on ads, public forums have drawn hundreds of interested voters, but not one policeman has battered a single citizen.

• Assure the protection of free speech for all;
• Seek the positive outcome in any troublesome situation;
• Focus on solutions, not personalities.

Wednesday, August 16

Established 30 years ago, the Arts and Humanities Council (AHC) provides cultural organizations with essential grants to help cover operating expenses. Many donors will support and underwrite the costs of a major musical or artistic production, but fewer friends of the arts want their checks to pay for salaries, rent, and utilities. Last year, AHC spent almost $860,000 to help many agencies cover those expenses. In addition, AHC supported arts in the schools and visiting artists programs. The agency also administered partnership grants that require arts organizations to raise money that AHC matched.

County residents get a great return on the miniscule investment of $1.6 million. Last year, AHC spent $1.3 million in grants! And the grants supported the artists and agencies that make the County an exceptional place to live. The goal is not to promote more imitators of Madonna, not to construct expensive venues, not to widen the distance between professional and amateur. Instead, AHC generates variety and offers the challenge that small agencies and young artists can make a big difference.

When I am elected, I intend to:

• Help promote this valuable asset;
• Encourage more art and music in our schools, not less;
• Build on 30 years of admirable work.

Monday, August 14

In Montgomery County, senior citizens are lumped together with persons with disabilities in the Aging and Disability Services agency. The Web site lists statistics from 1996 and an annual report from 2003. The US Census Bureau reports 11.6% of County residents are 65 or older. It's not clear how many are struggling to live on limited fixed incomes.

State plus county income taxes in Maryland can easily strain the budget of retired or disabled persons. Annual increases in assessment and real estate tax can deplete savings. The cost of prescription drugs adds additional, necessary expense to many households.

At one end of the economic scale, there are households with more assets than they will be able to spend in this lifetime. At the other end are households that must depend on various government and nonprofit programs to get by. Is the County doing enough for the untold thousands who survive in the middle? How many are too poor to belong to a country club, too rich to be eligible for outside help?

It would be wise to find out because as Americans grow older and live longer, they require more services. When I am elected, I will promote:

• Current updates on all County Websites;
• Needs assessments of older and disabled citizens in the economic middle;
• Review of programs now in operation and an evaluation of where the County can play a role in making sure we have an adequate safety net.

Monday, August 7, 2006

These Darn Dog Days of Summer

On this day, the "dog star," Sirius, dominates the summer sky, and accounts for the hot seasonal weather. We may not be able to change the temperature or solve global warning tomorrow, but we can become prudent stewards of our environment.

Montgomery County is not exempt from the laws of nature. If we insist on cutting down our wooded areas, we will endure the same consequences as others who have tried this method: soil erosion, dust storms, water run off.

If we insist on our right to pave all the bare ground we can find, then we should not be surprised when rainwater has no place to go and thus seeks the easiest route downhill-which may through your yard or your neighbor's cellar.

If we insist on ignoring the architectural advances of the past 40 years and construct buildings by tradition instead of by science, we will continue to sacrifice efficient methods of heating and cooling.

It is not necessary to live in trees, or even hug trees, to acknowledge that these giant plants have many benefits.

Nor is it necessary to respond "Not In My Backyard" when someone advocates a sensible method of directing rainwater. Water doesn't seem to care where it goes or whose toes it runs over.

We're lucky in Montgomery County to have several examples of "green buildings" that were designed to collaborate with Mother Nature rather than arm wrestle her.

When I am elected, I will help us endure the "dog days" of summer by trying to:

• Maintain the Agricultural Reserve, as it is;
• Reduce water run off at its source;
• Promote "green" construction of new buildings.

Sunday, August 6, 2006

Hiroshima and Health Care

We are fortunate to live in an area with world-class healthcare facilities, yet we are in the middle of a health care crisis that results in lives needlessly impaired or shortened.

Our world-class facilities are of limited use to the 80-100,000 county residents without health insurance.

In September 2004, the county mailed 200,000 prescription savings cards to residents. The cards were intended to reduce the costs of medication by up to 20%. How well has this program worked?

In December 2004, the County Executive urged support of private health clinics to help treat these neighbors. The Montgomery Cares program allocated $4 million last year, about $40 per person in need.

The Primary Care Coalition works with eight community organizations to improve health care delivery to the uninsured and hard-to-serve.

The reality of "universal health coverage" bangs its nose against the wall of cold cash. County government can't solve this problem alone. Hospitals must do their share also, but they can't bear that burden alone, either, and remain solvent.

Last week, a healthcare newsletter (see the 7/29 issue at www.govhealthit.com) cited Adventist Hospital for collaborating with Mobile Medical Care by providing a million dollars over three years to bring services to those in need.

These examples demonstrate that the public and nonprofit sectors can collaborate to benefit the community. The for-profit sector needs to contribute by insuring its workers. Otherwise, the costs of providing health care are shifted on to the tax-payers.

When I am elected, I will support:

• The efforts of the Primary Care Coalition and similar groups;
• Monitoring of the prescription discount card program;
• Initiatives by Adventist and other local hospitals.
• Finding the resources to accelerate the implementation of Montgomery Cares
• Supporting State legislation that moves us toward universal healthcare coverage.

Saturday, August 5, 2006

Marilyn Never Found Treatment

On this day in 1962, Marilyn Monroe died of substance abuse. Her senseless death at age 36 reminds us to find better ways to help those who need treatment.

Treatment works! Substance abusers who complete outpatient or residential treatment are more likely to: