Hodgepodge

1. April 15th is the deadline for Americans to file their state and federal income taxes...what's a job you do on a regular basis that could be described as 'taxing'?

There is only one job I have never met a person who teaches in any capacity enjoys and that is grading.  It is the worst part of the gig.  Image having to read 70 similar 10 -12 page essays in about a 72 hour span.  That is grading over 10 pages an hour if one doesn't stop to do something insane like eat or sleep.  That is the challenge laid before me every exam period.  I know I do it to myself - I could cheat and do an ABC test - but it is the best way to actually ensure that students know that material.

2. I'm participating in the April A-Z blog challenge and the Hodgepodge happens to fall on letter O this week. In keeping with that theme...olives, onions, oysters, okra...of the foods mentioned, what's your favorite O food?

In my current sick state I am going with oranges.

3. What is something memorable you experienced as a child that your own children (or future children/nieces/nephews) will not get to experience?

The ability to leave the house in the morning and tramp around town and as long as we were home by dinner it was all good.  

Playing street hockey and stopping when someone yelled 'car.'  They have now made this illegal on most roads in Toronto.  That and my kids growing up in South Carolina - street hockey is not a big thing here. 
4. Term limits for our elected officials...your thoughts?

Being a politician was never intended to be a career by the framers of the US constitution.  The idea was that individual's would take breaks from their careers to serve the people for a time and then go back to their original occupations. That being said, with the ways and means it takes to get elected today, only career politicians can afford to run for office and win.  That is why incumbents have such a large advantage in any election and thus why we are in the current state we are.

The way to stop this is to be strict on campaign financing.  Each candidate get X number of dollars to run and that is it.  The dollar amount has to be kept low so that anyone with even moderate means could run and that votes could then not be bought.  For instance, it now takes close to a billion dollars to run for president.  Do you think they are making that kind of money from $25 donations?  Hence, make it so only individuals can make donations and that no individual can donate more than $100.  They will then be begging for lowered limits. Finally, stop any lobby group from giving any donations or gifts of any kind to politicians.  

All term limits would do is ensure that the politicians spent the last six months of their elected period softening their landing.  The way to get rid of career politicians is to reduce the time they have to spend raising money.  Then they have to run of their results and not their bank accounts. 

5. On April 18th 1775, Paul Revere made his famous 'midnight ride'....when did you last make a midnight ride? Perhaps the fate of a nation wasn't hanging in the balance, but tell us where you were headed anyway.

I once drove from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Kitchener, Ontario (1400 Kms) only making gas stops to make sure I was home on time for Robyn's birthday party.  I left at 10:00 at night and got in by noon the next afternoon.  Along the way I dodged moose, bear, OPP and traffic.

6. What would freak you out more...a mouse running across your floor or a big fat hairy spider?

I guess the mouse but neither really does for me.  It is one of the reasons Heather keeps me around.

7. I love it when people ask me____________________________.

about real issues.  I am not a small talk person.  I like having real conversations about things that matter to people.
8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have been really sick/busy the last few weeks.  I am sorry to everyone that I have not be visiting as much.  I am hoping once term is done my brain get get back to as close to normal as it can get.