LET’S IMPROVE OUR CHILDREN LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

INTRODUCTION: Thanks to Principal, Mr. Don Smith for allowing me here to present to you, parents and teachers the proposal of improving the school violence this evening.

Since the 1999 massacre of a teacher and 12 students killed at the Columbine High school, we have been hearing more about school violence incidents including shooting lately.  According to David Finklehor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, the chances for school shooting were less than one in a million.  Although it is low probability for students being killed at school, we ought to step up to improve our children-learning environment in order to nourish a brighter new generation.

Some people commented that parents should not worry too much about school shooting.  Nonetheless, it was heart breaking to see the traumatized young students and teachers running for life on television.  It was hard watching the news without sorrow, especially when seeing the dead bodies of victimized students were removed from the scene at Newtown, Connecticut a few months ago.   We should take action before the situation gets worse.  As President Obama once stated in his speech, "This is our first task—caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged."

Please show your hand for those of you parents who would want your child to be one of the victims in school shooting.  For you teachers, would you like to teach in a safe environment, and to nurture our next generation properly?  

 

Gun control is currently one of the hot topics that we hear every day.  Many of us agree that gun licensing should be tightened up.  More important is that gun owners should be inspected often, so they can prove that they are capable of keeping their guns from accessed by their young children.  From the recent gun shooting cases, the offenders were relatively young age.  Apparently, some families own guns but fail to keep the guns from being snatched by their children.

While more states in America enact gun control law, parents and teachers can join force to improve students learning environment as well.  It is important to pay attention to children development, as it was believed that cold-blood killer was not born violent.  However, the odd character could have been developed over time and through the distressed growing environment.  Instances of kids bullying at school are common in our neighborhood.  Therefore, parents at home, and teachers at school can teach and shape the young children properly.    

Counseling and anger management classes are vital.  Spend time and let the child talk out while he or she goes through stress.  Find out a way to solve the issue together with the distressed child.  Young kids are to learn and handle their frustrations, so they do not develop the violent attribute while growing up.

Finally, despite tight budgets, schools should strengthen security by adding safety gates or patrolling guards during school hours.  Please sign up, support the “Safe-School Environment” movement in our city, and provide our children a safe learning environment to grow and build up their bright future!

SPEECH - WARM UP

Greg Hunter talked about the budget cuts with military terminlogy "sequestration", and he illustrates its impact to the society.  The exigency about his speech is to make people realize the fact and importance of the cut and compare the cut with the government funding towards financial institutions for rescue buying act of the mortgage debts.  As the government spending and expense in interest payment shooting sky-high record, majority people are whining about the apparent loss of social expenditures, benefits or facilities; however, they forget about the tremendous amount spent on the rescue act of buying the mortgage debt from financial institutions.

Published on Nov 28, 2012

Ray Suarez talks to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Tex., one of the authors of the plan, and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.

The exigency of this clip is that the two retiring Republican senators,Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Tex,  and Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. proposing a compromise plan for immigration reform.  The proposal of letting young illegal immigrants to be legallized might be a big leap from illegal status to citizenship.  It might be more acceptable to the public for granting these young illegal aliens legal status instead.

Hunter's speech was opinionated with mix of informative and persuasive, while Suarez's interview clip was presenting the new plan idea of immigration reform.

THE “DREAM ACT” CONTRIBUTES TO THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS

Despite of the fiscal deficits, funding was proposed to help undocumented students achieve their upper level education

DREAM Act is the acronym of The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, which was signed by President Obama.  His administration proposed $25 million funding to help those DREAMERs, the illegal residents’ children, to finish higher education and become legal citizens subsequently.   The DREAM Act was built and being support by a large group of people based on the belief that making higher education open to immigrants leads these brilliant youth to attend college; a new generation of graduates will help strengthen our economy.  "This flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous," remarked by President Obama.  These undocumented students will likely become legalized after they finish two-year college or serve in military for two years to expedite the process.

Nonetheless, this bill is wrong fundamentally.  Apparently, it was a political strategy to win over support from the legalized (formerly illegal) immigrants and young Latinos voters.

Firstly, people wonder why the government rewards someone who came in to the country illegally in the first place.  This is contradicting to the Federal immigration law and border security policies.  The illegal immigrant had been an issue, and the problem started accelerating since mid-80’s even amnesty was implemented under Reagan’s administration.  There was about 2.9 million illegal immigrants became legalized after former President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform bill into law in 1986. The security at the Mexican border was also supposed to be tightened; however, it had not gotten improvement, and we have about 11 million of illegal residents (3.5%) in US population today.  By looking at the increased number of illegal residents in the past 15 years, our country did not get prosperous.  In fact, our nation's debts grew more than double.  Jobs were believed as the attraction to illegal immigrants in the 80’s, now the DREAM Act will invite more illegal immigrants even faster.

Secondly, the undocumented students had been sharing the education budgets and grants, since they were accepted in primary and secondary schools.  It is not fair for the legal status students, who or whose parents are currently taxpayers.   Majority people think that it is good act to help the poor.  The undocumented children were innocent and brought in to the country without their consensuses.   They appear as a weak group that attracts the public attention and earns sympathy.    At the same time, the legal residents and their children are suffering from the government budget cuts.  Many legal college students were in the line waiting to add classes at campus, while the undocumented students are taking away capacities and financial aid funding. 

Furthermore, these undocumented students deprive social resources such as Medicaid besides education.  Their legalized parents might only make minimum wages and not be able to afford medical insurance.  In a few years, the undocumented graduates will join the crowd and be looking for jobs.  Rethink, especially taxpayers if you support the DREAM Act.  Why would you want your tax money contribute to the illegal residents who will burden the country more and consequently take away job opportunities from you and your children down the road?

Ultimately, the core issue of the continuous growing illegal residents did not get resolved.  Funding proposal to the DREAM Act should be aborted, as it is rewarding the illegal immigrants and worsening the problem even more.  On top of our national debts growth, it will be no surprise to see a bigger % of illegal immigrants in the near future.

PRESS RELEASE

K. Annie Fong

Northridge, CA MARCH 5, 2013

Kinfong135@gmail.com

INSIGHT OF HOMES FOR THE AGED

Owners of assisted living center arrested for illicit treatments to residents at Collegedale.

Lorraine Bayless, the Glenwood Gardens resident was certified with no pulse and not breathing when the paramedic reached the site, and finally, she died of a stroke February 26, remarked her primary doctor.  Homes for the aged became one of the hit talks of the town after the publicized phone conversation between the 911 dispatcher and the caller at the  Glenwood Gardens Bakersfield, CA.    

Within a week, owners of the Moraa's Assisted Living Home, David and Agnes Machoka were arrested due to negligence and abusive treatments to their patients March 5.  According to the police officer, the abused patients, who lived in the assisted home, filed reports.  After investigation, the police spokesperson Cpl. Melvin Taylor stated that this Moraa's Assisted Living facility at Collegedale, TN was a converted home, and it has only one employee, who was unlicensed to administer medical care to patients.  Taylor further remarked that in addition to physical abuse, some of the patients were dehydrated and with urinary track affection after examination.   The services provided at the facility are far different from the advertised materials, where there is neither doctor nor a licensed nurse on site. 

From the incident at the Glenwood Gardens, it left the public a mystery of why no one was willing to offer help to the dying woman, although the 911 dispatcher pleaded to get someone on the street to perform CPR to the collapsed.  Finally, it was clarified that Bayless lived in the independent living facility like a senior apartment, where its employees were not permitted to execute CPR to residents; Bayless also had a living will to receive no life-prolonging medical interventions.

Independent living facilities are different from nursing homes or assisted living facilities.  When seniors plan to move in to the assisted living facility, they or their family members should think of what personal assistance and level of health care needed in case of emergency.  Pay a visit to the desired facility and chat with the residents there can help find out the quality and real services at the home, commented by one of the assisted living facility residents.  In case, seniors have particular will such as refusal of life-prolonging treatment, they should make it known to the facility and the family members. 

According to the recent US Census 2010, there were over 40 million people age 65 and over in the United States.  There are approximately 80-90% of the seniors who want to live at own homes, which indicates about 10% seniors live at other homes such as nursing homes, assisted living homes or independent living facilities.  With the technology and medical advancement, people can live well through their advance age.  Therefore, it is expected that higher demand in the senior living facilities in the next ten years.  Closer monitor and control of services provided at the homes are expected.

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Cited Sources:

http://assisted-living.findthebest.com/l/20749/Moraa-s-Home-for-Seniors

http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html

http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-03.pdf

http://gero.usc.edu//
 

Preventive healthcare

It was sad yesterday to hear from my best friend about her lost mom, Jane, who fought her lungs cancer for almost one year after she had been diagnosed for terminal stage illness.   Jane was considered healthy, and she never smoked or drank during her whole life.  After hearing the news, I just have so many questions popping in my mind and wonder if something should have been done to stop her disease to get worse.

Most people believe that it costs less to prevent illness than to treat it, so they do regular checkups and try to reduce their risks of getting sick.  Although significant resources employed in medical research and technology in our society, there are still some incurable illnesses that cannot be detected until the terminal stage. 

I doubt if it is a good thing for us to live through our advance age nowadays, or it is a bad thing for us to live longer and suffer cancers when aged.  Whether we are really in better control of our health with the current ObamaCare’s Health Care Reforms?  http://obamacarefacts.com/obamahealthcare.php

Does health insurance help us to stay healthier?  Why people cannot make their choices of what to do and how to handle health care?

HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR LIVINGS?

Welcome to my Blog! 

This Blog is designated for discussion of issues about improving our livings, the basic needs -  in terms of safety and financially good standing.  Homeland security has strived to protect the country, at the same time, there are more and more gun shooting and school violence instances happening at our home front.  The recent gun shooting that involved 4 dead and carjacking in southern California really led people into a fear mode.

Compare today with five years ago, our country national debts had reached record-high amount, while poverty situation is getting worse.
 


Are we living in a better world today?