The Slant

Tea parties need new mission.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:26:34 -0500

By Pete Brewer

Broward County taxpayers may not survive the terminal disease imposed by our socialist elected officials and their political cronies. Only a few believe we have the character or resilency to recover from the terrible misuse of tax dollars. Tea parties may give a glimmer of hope until we realize this time they will not be followed by revolution.

It's too late now to turn this area around by the normal electoral process. If, by some wonderous miracle, the whole rotten, stinking group were to disappear tomorrow, another bunch of immoral political hacks would arise immediately, already fully indoctrinated by today's educational system.

Tea party protesters should focus their efforts on forcing the teaching of unrevised American history, and family values we learned in earlier times. Only then would there be any hope this area could survive.

Pete Brewer lives in Hollywood, Fla.

Four hundred reasons Florida's public schools are failing

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:14:01 -0500

By Meline Kervorkian

Failing economy, unemployment, layoffs and budget cuts etc., etc., are all we seem to hear lately. However, to let go about 400 hardworking eager and underpaid teachers just isn't the fix we need in education.

Nearly 1.23 million members of the public high school class of 2008 will fail to graduate with a diploma. That amounts to a loss of 6,829 students from the U.S. graduation pipeline per day.

Nearly half the dropouts in a 2006 survey by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said they left school because it was boring and irrelevant. One out of every four students fails to graduate from high school in four years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Risk factors for dropping out include low academic achievement, mental health problems, truancy, poverty and teen pregnancy.

Education Week’s annual report shows that Florida ranks low and that approximately 58% of students graduate high school. We lose about 542 total students each day. I sure hope that the money not being spent on education is used for helping kids that don't graduate with other options so they don't end up resorting to crime. If we don't raise our graduation rates we better plan to build larger prisons.

Of the nation’s 50 largest school districts, Broward County ranked 27th, Palm Beach County was 29th and Miami-Dade was 35th. I’m hard pressed to say that we are really providing20opportunities to leave no child behind.

We are able to identify children as early as Kindergarten that are at risk to drop out. Even if we did this by third grade we would have 8 years to help them succeed..

Instead, we are forced to let teachers go, especially in elementary school where our children are building the foundation for success. We have about 400 teachers in Broward County who are being let go because of money. Trust me, the state, nation and world will pay a much higher price in the future with low high school graduation rates and the crime and poverty in the fate of many oh these drop outs.

The best way to increase our graduation rate is to provide the resources and support to teachers, especially early childhood teachers to provide the20best opportunities for our children to not be left behind.

Meline Kevorkian, Ed.D whose picture graces this post, is a regular contributor to this blog. She is also the author of several books, such as 101 Facts about Bullying: What Everyone Should Know and Six Secrets for Parents to Help Their Kids Achieve in School. She is the executive director of Academic Review at Nova Southeastern University.

Think about our troops as well "MJ"

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:06:50 -0500

By Barbara Bedford

Yes, it's very sad about Michael Jackson. God bless his family.

Round-the-clock coverage, yet our service men and women die every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please pray and think about them.

Barbara Bedford lives in Pompano Beach, Fla.

Celebrity hysteria rules

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:35:34 -0500

By Leon Van Dyke

To think that the media is comparing Michael Jackson's demise and the attendant madness to the world's mourning of Princess Diana. Bah humbug!

Yes, MJ was multi-talented, and his tragic death is a loss to popular culture. However, the American disease of celebrity worshiping has spread in epidemic proportions throughout the world. With this event, it has reached the point of mass hysteria.

It is troubling to contemplate what actually is happening when everybody knows MJ's name but most U.S. citizens can't name their state's two senators, nor their locally elected member of the House of Representatives. That's how we wound up with a shrub in the White House instead of a mighty oak.

In light of the myriad of problems with our educational system, there's probably worse to come due to the state of ignorance that prevails.

Leon Van Dyke lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

So, where's that "Vishu the Preserver" license plate?

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 05:58:26 -0500

By Michael Brown

I cannot understand why some people are getting so upset over the new religous license plates the state is proposing. I know there are a number of people out there who do not subscribe to any particular faith. Probably, these are the ones making noise because, sadly, they feel left out.

Maybe to address this, the state can do a series of plates featuring popular sports figures and entertainers.

I will not be purchasing a Jesus license plate, as I am not Chrisitan.

I am looking forward to the one featuring "Vishnu the Preserver". I also have a number of Buddhist friends who are anxiously awaiting the release of the plate that picutres the Buddha. I am also confident that the one displaying L. Ron Hubbard will sell especially well as Clearwater, Fla., is the spiritual center of Scientology.

While I have only so far seen the designs for the Jesus license plate, I am sure the others are in development and will be unveiled soon. Right?

Michael Brown resides in Tamarac, Fla.

What's the best reform for campaign contributions?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:59:36 -0500

With big elections looming next year, it's not too soon for Dueling Columnists to come up with a discussion of contributing to candidates, and of course disagree on the basic approach.

In a political system awash with lots of cash, Stephen L. Goldstein and Kingsley Guy disagree on the how best to finance political campaigns and keep the process from falling victim to scandal, taint or undue influence that comes with campaign contributions.

One argues for better disclosure. The other considers an outright ban. In era where big bucks provides an ample amount of milk for politics, are either of these approaches feasible? Check out the take of our columnists and see which one comes closest to your views.

Stephen L. Goldstein: Ban all private donations to politicians.

Kingsley Guy: Require politicians to do a better job of diisclosing donations.

Foreclosure Problems Destroying Associations

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:01:50 -0500

By Jeremy Ring

Widespread home foreclosures have crippled America’s economy over the past year and played a major role in one of the worst recessions since the 1920’s. At a microeconomic level, foreclosures are destroying homeowner and condominium associations across Florida.

With over a third of the state’s population belonging to a community association, homeowner or condominium, the effects have been devastating to individuals. Home and unit owners who are upside-down in their home loans are fleeing their properties or simply not paying their mortgages or association dues. This forces other association members to pay additional assessments to subsidize their neighbors.

The fact is people simply cannot pay anymore. The associations’ ability to recover these fees from delinquent members is very limited. Compounding this problem are two major issues. First, the volume of foreclosures has brought the courts to a near standstill. Judges simply cannot handle the volume of cases in a reasonable amount of time.

Most importantly though is the lack of effort from the banks to ease the situation. Banks have chosen to stall foreclosure proceedings on vacant properties, in order to avoid paying association and insurance assessments.

Each association faces its own set of problems. Some condominium associations are being forced to upgrade fire alarm systems and elevators at the worst possible economic time. A very serious insurance provision is currently forcing unit owners to purchase an insurance policy in the association’s name. The list goes on and on. However, these problems pale in comparison to the larger, more complex foreclosure issue.

There are possible solutions to the current foreclosure crisis. There needs to be more of a grassroots movement from the people in order to alert the legislature to this issue. Last year we worked harder on association legislation than on any other issue. We still met with very heavy opposition.

This upcoming legislative session I will be sponsoring two pieces of legislation to address the problems facing community associations. The first will be a comprehensive package that fixes internal issues such as the retrofitting of elevators and fire alarms. The second will be changes to the laws surrounding foreclosures in condominium and homeowner associations. This legislation will take a large amount of discussion and compromise and we will draft legislation for the 2010 Legislative Session.

Jeremy Ring represents District 32 in the Florida Senate.

Boy! You Americans can put away food.

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:13:04 -0500

By Jaideep Hardikar

After they had consumed enormous quantities of salad and something that looked like fish, I expected the couple on the next table in an Italian restaurant to pay the bill.

But no, they weren’t finished. That was just their appetizers! The ever-so-smiling waitress came back to take the order for their main course!

When I was half way through my thin-looking Caesar salad, I asked the waitress, rather embarrassingly, to give me “a box.” And she did it smilingly. I just made sure no one looked at me while I stuffed what would be my dinner into the “box”.

Just curious to find how much the couple finally ate, I sat there reading a book. When they were done with their main course, I wondered if they would now seek the bill. Nope. It was time for dessert. The woman also asked for “one more Diet Coke please.”

Nothing has amazed me more on my first trip to the United States than how much an average “calorie-conscious” American actually eats at one go.

I know it’s not the rule, but generally I feel a young American would eat thrice as much as I do.

North Indians, I think, gorge such quantities and can match Americans. But I bet my fellow Nagpurians would find it hard to consume so much at one go.

I was perplexed when President Bush blamed Indians and Chinese for the global food crisis two years ago. They were suddenly eating more, he’d argued. Well… that’s another story. But I now have a fairly better idea of who eats more than whom!

The moment I landed in the United States, I had to make huge adjustments with food. I still can’t make any sense out of half the menu. And everything comes in enormous quantities.

I’ve therefore made it a rule. Go for lunch in a restaurant. Order a good dish. Eat half of it there – and that’s how much I can – and carry the remaining in the box for dinner.

And yes, I’ve re-discovered the importance of a box here. Whoever invented it!

Jaideep Hardikar is a visiting journalistin the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowship from the DNA newspaper in Nagpur, India. From time to time, his observations on life in South Florida will appear in our blog, TalkBackSouthFlorida.

Why do Republicans support socialized medical benefits?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:41:33 -0500

By John Gudelanis

While Americans over 65 and members of Congress enjoy the benefits of socialized medicine, Republicans, who opposed socialized medicine, haven't rejected their socialized medical benefits.

Why do Republican politicians believe they are better than the average American? I want the same coverage, at the same cost, as members of Congress.

John Gudelanis lives in Wilton Manors, Fla.

Florida's fairly fit when it comes to obesity.

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:02:34 -0500

By Douglas C. Lyons

Well, at least we're not the "Fattest" state. That distinction belongs to Mississippi.

So, as we break for the long holiday weekend, which I'd imagine will include enough all things grilled, barbeque and cold beer to clog the capillaries of every resident of Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, Floridians can take some solace that the Sunshine State isn't the top dog for obesity. We've got other issues, but the home of the fat isn't one of them.

In fact, Florida ranks 39th in adult obesity rates and 17th in obese and overweight children. It's not Massachusetts, but it's not the Magnolia State either.

Bon appetite!

Note: This online feature allows editorial writers the chance to detach themselves from the institutional voice of the newspaper and express their personal opinions on a variety of subjects. This view belongs to Senior Editorial Writer Douglas C. Lyons. You can leave your comments here, or reach him at dlyons@sun-sentinel.com.

Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities has its own psychotropic drug problem

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:14:35 -0500

By: Howard M. Talenfeld and Maria E. Abate

The use of dangerous prescription medications for children and adults in residential and group home facilities licensed by the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is an alarming situation.

Two years before the suicide of Gabriel Myers, a foster child who was prescribed a “cocktail” of powerful psychotropic drugs, 12-year-old group-home resident Denis Maltez succumbed to serotonin syndrome after being given similar drugs.

Gabriel’s death brought to light the near-rampant use of these drugs among Florida’s foster children – and resulted in a sweeping review of the practice by the Florida Department of Children and Family Services. The APD should conduct a similar review.

Such a survey would likely find what a review of Denis Maltez's death confirmed; some group homes allow these drugs to be administered to adults who are not competent to provide informed consent and to children whose parents or guardians have not provided such consent. These drugs often are prescribed without a full physician review or medical history, without parent or guardian consent, and in an “off-label” fashion not intended by the manufacturer.

Rarely are behavioral interventions exhausted and investigations undertaken to ascertain how the different medications will react to one another – or how the individual will respond to the regimen. The drugs also are prescribed and administered without appropriate follow up monitoring and blood testing, as was the case with Denis Maltez.

The DCF review found that 2,669 of Florida’s 20,235 foster children under the age of 17 were given one or more psychotropic drugs – with one in six, or about 16 percent, lacking required permissions. These findings only scratch the surface the use of these drugs.

We call upon the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities to join DCF Secretary George Sheldon in a review and scrutiny of these practices. APD should survey all licensed group homes working with the Agency to determine how many are administering psychotropic medications without appropriate consent, and how many are using these medications as chemical restraints. We are also asking that the APD take necessary actions to ensure appropriate procedures are in place to ensure the use of these medications is appropriate and only as a last resort after all behavioral interventions have failed. The APD must join in DCF'S effort to protect vulnerable persons like Denis Maltez.

Howard M. Talenfeld and Maria E. Abate are South Florida trial attorneys who are involved with child welfare issues. Talenfeld is also president of Florida's Children First.

Enough with the Michael Jackson already!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:12:01 -0500

By Gabe De Sabatino

Your June 27 editorial on Michael Jackson fails to mention the absolute media frenzy over his death. Turn to CNN or any other TV news show and all you get is Jackson, Jackson, Jackson ad nauseam.

Hardly a word about what’s happening in Iran and elsewhere. My God, you’d think that the world had come to a standstill or that the president of the United States had been assassinated.

And who was Jackson? A popular entertainer with a questionable personal record which made of him a poor role model for young people. He was no Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi or Albert Einstein. So why all the fuss?

Yours for greater sanity on the planet.

Gabe De Sabatino lives in Coral Springs, Fla.

Change in Iran unfolding in unpredictable ways.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:10:46 -0500

By Robert G. Rabil

As the Iranian regime suppresses the mass demonstrations over the presidential election, the international community, other than expressing indignation at the regime, has been confounded by the swift unfolding of events. Lost in that confusion is the scope and breadth of the crisis gripping the regime's levers of power.

Since its creation in 1979, the regime has unsuccessfully attempted to bring the different clerical ideological strands under Ayatollah Khomeini's theocratic doctrine Vilayet e-Faqih (Rule by the Just Jurist). Even though the clergy elite have been bound by their loyalty to Khomeini and his doctrine, they, generally speaking, split into two camps, the Traditionalist Right and the Islamic Left.

The Traditionalist Right supported the theocratic model for state and society, and favored an economic system founded on private enterprise and government subsidies for the poor. Besides supporting Khomeini's theocracy, the Islamic Left advocated a strict state control of the economy. By the early 1990s, drawing on the support of a clerical technocratic class, the Traditionalists were able to tip the balance of power in their favor. The alliance between the two groups sustained a balance of power within the regime. Led by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the Traditionalist Right, supported by President Ahmadinejad and the military-security complex, advocated the transformation of Iran into a regional power with nuclear weapons. At the same time, Khamenei enhanced his power at the expense of the alliance he forged with the technocrats, led by Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, chairman of the Expediency Council and Assembly of Experts.

Paralleling this development, clerics of the Islamic Left began to move away from their hardline attitudes and espouse moderate positions based in the recognition that Iran faced urgent socio-economic and political problems. They, including former President Khatemi and presidential candidate Mir Hussein Musavi, believed that the urgency to address these problems preceded the Traditionalist's regional ambitions. Meanwhile, the disruption of the Traditionalist-Technocrat alliance and the confrontational policies of Ahmadinejad moved the technocrats in the direction of the moderate reformers.

It was against this background that the election crisis unfolded. The regime may suppress the demonstrations, but its legitimacy and that of the supreme leader have been irreversibly affected. Fighting for its survival and that of the regime, the non-Traditionalist leadership elite has no alternative but to curb the power of the supreme leader and bring the military-security complex under the civil authority of the state. This is the fight for change in Iran, which could unfold in unpredictable ways.

Robert G. Rabil is associate professor of political science and director of graduate studies in the political science department at Florida Atlantic University.

Remembering the true legacy of Michael Jackson

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:53:42 -0500

By Barbara Cheives

“We can't go on pretending day by day that someone, somewhere will soon make a change. We are all a part of
God's great big family and the truth, you know love is all we need.” …We Are The World

– 1985- Michael Jackson

We have been glued to coverage of Michael Jackson’s death since we heard the sad news. I confess that when I heard that he was taken to a hospital, I thought it was a publicity stunt to bring attention to his upcoming London tour. When I realized he was really gone, I was stunned.

Trouble in his life notwithstanding, Michael was, without doubt, the single pre-eminent international spokesperson for UNITY!

Headlines from around the globe and clips from interviews from every corner of the earth all tell the same story. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, European, African…..no matter what race or country of origin, we mourn his passing and celebrate his music. From Gary, Indiana to the Eiffel Tower, to the Great Wall of China the shared sentiment is that he was an amazing talent.

There has forever been ‘white music’ and ‘black music.’ Radio stations are designed to play to specific audiences. Sponsors count on niche markets to pitch their products. Michael’s music, however, played everywhere and to everyone. He spanned race, age and ethnicity. He had the unique ability to bring races and nationalities together.

Michael Jackson’s music crosses generations. He lives on vinyl 45’s and LPs, 8 tracks, cassettes, CDs and i-pods. Grandparents can bond with their grandchildren over their memories of Jackson.

His songs have been translated to many languages. He was never classified as rock or R & B, but as music. At clubs, parties and discos all DJs have Michael Jackson’s hits in their repertoire.

My prayer is that Michael’s legacy will not be about rumors of wrongdoings, but his ability to unite a world. I invite us to reach across our self imposed barriers in the memory of the King of Pop.

Michael has shown us that we can sing and dance together to the same fabulous music. Since we know that to be true, I submit that we can work together to create a world of peace and unity….in the name of Michael.

Let’s live by the chorus of “We Are The World” –

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving.

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me.

Barbara Cheives, whose picture graces this post, is a regular contributor to our blog. She is president and CEO of Converge & Associates, specializing in training and consulting on race relations and cultural competency. She resides in West Palm Beach, Fla..

Memories of MJ

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:55:06 -0500

By Rashida Bartley

Part of me doesn’t want to blog about Michael Jackson. If I do, I will have to give into the fact that he is gone. The King of Pop, dead at 50.

The world is shocked; my fellow 80’s babies are shocked. Growing up then, my friends and I would often talk about Prince vs. Michael Jackson. You were either a Prince fan or a Michael Jackson fan. I fancied myself a Prince fan hands down.

However, there were a few songs that really made me forget my devotion to Prince, Thriller, Pretty Young Thing, Say Say Say with Paul McCartney. And later when I discovered the Off the Wall album, even though it was pre Thriller and Bad albums, Off the Wall did it for me.

Even if it was only to donate my allowance to the school food drive the song multi-artist collaboration We Are The World, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones, ignited the social activist in me. But my favorite MJ song, is Man in the Mirror from the Bad album. You could tell me nothing when that song was, playing. I would sing at the top of my voice, “I’m starting with the man in the mirror, I’m asking to him change his ways.” Oh that was the funk back in the day for me.

My fondest memory of Michael Jackson came on May 1, 2003.

My friend Ingrid and I were in Aventura, doing our usual afternoon mall run. We were trying to find something to wear out on the town for a hot night in South Beach. There he was, traveling with his entourage, right in the middle of our beloved Aventura Mall -- Michael Jackson.

We saw him in a store before the real mass hysteria started and people really noticed he was there. I can’t remember all the details, but he was about twenty feet away from me. So close that I thought I was delusional. My friend Ingrid says I screamed like a 12 year-old, and I have to admit I did. In public, without any inhibitions a guttural scream came out of me from no where.

It was Michael Jackson. The King of Pop. In the mall.

Are you kidding me?

I never screamed like that for Prince.

Rashida Bartley M.A., whose picture graces this post, is a new contributor to our blog. She is a South Florida freelance writer, journalist, poet and pop culture maven who has written the book, Justice Before Love, a collection of poems.