ft bronc

But if we're talking about changing policy to improve the lot of the lower & middle classes, NO other factor has a more direct impact on the future success (measured in all ways including economically) of individuals than being born into, and growing up in an intact, two parent household. If redistributing income doesn't help this, then why are we doing it?

A significant factor in the economic breakdown of the middle class in this country has absolutely nothing to do with taxes or tax policy, and cannot be corrected by shifting monies around through redistributionist legislation, no matter how well intentioned - the breakdown in traditional moral values. If we take more money from the top 1% & distribute it down through the lower 50%, will that help stop the decline in marriage rates & increase in illegitimate births? These two statistics have a far greater impact on the financial well being of the lower 50% than does how much extra money Warren Buffet & any other rich guys choose to donate on their taxes this year.

Am I the only one with the gut feeling that litigation will drive some fundamental change in the game of football within the next 15 years? Despite the increased media coverage concussions have received over the past 4 or 5 years, IMO, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg of this issue. The autopsies performed on former NFL players have really only just begun, but already there have been surprising findings. Many experts now believe that you don't even need to suffer a true concussion during your playing days to suffer from diminished brain function later in life due to the cumulative effect of the "normal" pounding your brain receives in football. I worry/predict that jury awards will one day drive insurance companies to withhold coverage of schools & leagues unless significant change is made.

I am truthfully only competant in a few of those fields, but it does allow me to muddle through a few others when working on my own stuff. Sure does save a whole lot of money each year though. Of course some drawbacks do come along, such as when the transfercase end of my bronco's transmission assembly falls right on my gut as it did today!

I saw that article myself. 500,000 jobs sitting unclaimed. No able-bodied person in the US should receive another unemployment check until each & every one of those positions is filled. There are low-cost programs all across the country that will educate you in the fields those businesses are looking for. And for those that will ask if I would take one of those positions, the question is I already have in the past. I obtained those skills growing up, used them through hs & college, and have been carrying them around in my back pocket should I ever need them again.

Ths education establishment in this country bares a big part of the blame. For years they've worked from a ridiculous premise that everyone should go to college, which is complete and total nonsense. Its nonsense for those kids who intelectually dont belong there, as well as for our economy which must have skilled tradesmen in order to thrive. We have got ro get beyond the "4 year college for everyone" mentality. Another big part of the blame lies with our society in general. I'm so tired of listening to professionals complain how they cant find a decent plumber, carpenter, tile setter, etc, when they'd have a cow if their daughter ever came home with a member of one of those trades. Highschool kids know who their parents and society look down upon. Why would they choose to persue a career that would leave them labeled as second tier? Final thought: as the owner of a company its very easy to outsource my IT needs to a third world country, not so easy to farm out my leaky toilet to India.

A key to success for any organization is constant evaluation of what you're doing versus the results you're getting. Sounds like Ryle is doing that and I would expect them to bounce back next year and continue moving forward.

From what I saw, Beau did a fine job with the frosh team this past season, but I would be very, very surprised to see him pass Drew on the depth chart. Best of luck to both kids.

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times; competition is (with very, very few exceptions) always the way to go!

You are exactly correct. And so why exactly do you believe that when "greedy people" are elected to political office they will somehow loose this greediness and do what's best for the country (take only the "right" amount of money from people in the form of taxes)? You must believe this, because I know you wouldn't purposely give "greedy people" more control over the money that you, your children and all of those that you love work hard every day to earn. The best thing that anyone can do for this economy is to work hard for their & their family's own best interest, and let God be their guide as to what "best" is. Sometimes your best interest will be in partnering with other groups of people to allow all of you to make money (companies), other times it will be to take matters in your own hands & develop a product that other people will give you their money for. Other times it will be to work towards the betterment of other less fortunate groups of people because you realize the more money they have, the more of your product they'll be able to buy. The bottom line is, only you know what's best for you. The "greedy people" in Washington sure don't. There is no utopia. Men are inherently flawed, and there's way too many of us to think small groups of us can determine the best way for all of us to live. The sooner we all realize this, stop chasing an impossible utopia, and remember the true laws that have been given us by our creator - many of which have directly & indirectly inspired the original governing documents of our country - the better off we'll be.

Last night I watched both of HHS's kick returns for TD's against Lex Cath in the semi's, and in both cases the HHS returner began to pump his arm forward, not up, in celebration before reaching the endzone (luckily his arm without the ball!). This would be a good one to discuss how this rule is applied, because in each case it was 100% CLEAR that the HHS player was celebrating out of excitement, not taunting the opposing team in any way, and in neither case was a flag thrown. IMO, the officials handled it perfectly - they met the intent of the rule without being unnecessarily rigid towards a kid who was clearly sky-high with excitement and emotion.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" It's freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Nowhere in the constitution will you find a "separation" of church and state. I like it.

The rule used in the Cathedral game was that of the NCAA. Are we certain that the NCAA rule includes a ban on "celebratory" as well as "taunting" gestures? The article I read yesterday, stated the new-for-this-year NCAA rule included a ban on only "taunting" gestures, which I would not consider the QB raising his arm to be.

I also agree that good points have been made on both sides of this argument, and I waffle back and forth on what's best, but you can feel the tide coming in. Some time within the next four or five years, there will be an ESPN promoted, high school national championship game. Everything professional - rules, equipment, celebrations, taunting, travel, schemes, uniforms, television - has migrated down from the professional ranks, through college, to the high school level. Sports are now an enormous part of American culture. Fans nationally would eat-up a high school national championship game. For better or worse, in my opinion, it's inevitable. In the early '60s, the Dad of a friend of mine was drafted in the second or third round by the Los Angeles Chargers of the then AFL. But already having two kids, he declined in order to get his credential to become a high school teacher to support his family. Anyone not think sports in America have changed?

Actually Sweep, that is only true with a certain type of tires know as "unidirectional." If you're unsure of which you have, please consult the owner's manual which came with your vehicle, or contact the manufacturer of the tire.

Robbie Neneighbor (sorry if I misspelled) was another one two years ago. Started (or at least played a lot) at linebacker his JR year, moved to O-line at the request of the coaches during the off season, and started at guard his SR year. And if I'm not mistaken, he was an RB his frosh season. And to Commando's comment above, after winning two state titles in a row, the entire team had played the equivalent of an extra full regular season's worth of games. Think about that. If you continue to dress with the varsity your frosh year, and go to state that year and every year thereafter - as the last two HHS classes have done - they will have played the equivalent of SIX FULL SEASONS worth of football by the time they graduate. It's basically the football equivalent of an AP class.

And how nice was it for BG to open up their field house to us the past couple years as a place to rest, eat, watch a little film & get mentally prepared for the state games. They obviously had need for it themselves this year, but were very gracious hosts for two years prior. Thanks again BG, and congrats on your 2011 title!

I can't wait to go back and watch the film, because from ground level it was hard to see how he was gaining so much yardage on each carry. He may have good speed, but it's not like he was using it to get around the edge. What I saw was very good patience, waited for an opening to come, exploded through it once he found it (and it didn't appear he needed a very big opening to begin with), and was very slippery from there on out. Nice, nice athlete, and very frustrating for defenses.

I wish I had the data handy to post in this thread, but some years ago I saw a graph in a newspaper article out west that compared the academic performance of independent (smaller) school districts, with that of county/consolidated (larger) school districts. The data was overwhelming that independent districts performed, on average (there's always outliers), much better than county/consolidated districts. Various possible explanations for this difference were explored, but the most logical had to due with the fact that smaller districts are generally more accountable to their population than larger districts. In the few years I lived in Arizona, my school district was accountable to a population of over 150,000 people. My current district is accountable to roughly 17,000 individuals. In which case do I have a more direct voice to the school board, the principles, the curriculum directors, the athletic directors, the football coaches? And likewise, in which situation are the people in those positions more dependent upon me for assistance with, and support of their programs? The answer is obvious. And since smaller groups of people are more likely to hold consistent points of view, those people hear and respond to a much more unified voice, and in many cases, that unified voice says "we demand a winning football program." What does the voice of your district say to it's leaders?

Seeking six.

Until a team from the west beats Highlands, I don't believe you'll find a HHS fan who will agree any team from out there is better. And wins that came before the two platoon era at Highlands, right or wrong, dont count.

Personally, I've never witnessed him go off on the kids as a whole, and am aware of that happening only a couple times over the past few years where some non-football issues needed to be addressed. I did see him jump all over one kid a couple years ago, who in all honestly, really needed it.

It never ceases to amaze me every time I see a youth or high school coach yelling & screaming at their kids, as though demeaning them will miraculously improve their performance. My son played on a baseball team a few years ago where the head coach spent the last 10 minutes before each game berating the kids on how bad they did taking infield, how lazy they were, etc, etc, etc, and then could never figure out why they underperformed in the games. Every year, Dale sets an example for all coaches to see of what the best methods are for handling modern kids, but still there are those youth coaches out there who seem bent on proving they know better. Dale is a very special coach and his impact on the Highlands program can simply not be overstated.

"World citizens." "Global education." You don't need me to explain what the mission of that school is. At least they're right up front about it.

From the school's website: "The University's Mission Fairleigh Dickinson University is a center of academic excellence dedicated to the preparation of world citizens through global education. The University strives to provide students with the multi-disciplinary, intercultural, and ethical understandings necessary to participate, lead, and prosper in the global marketplace of ideas, commerce and culture." Anyone still wonder why this study turned out the way it did? Shocking that a University "dedicated to the preparation of world citizens through global education" would identify NPR as the best source of daily TV news. They did identify listeners of talk-radio as well informed, so I do have to give them credit there.