Checking a USA Today report using June 2006 stats, only 21.7 Detroit public school students graduated. It’s hard to believe your eyes when you read that statistic. It has the lowest graduation rate of the 50 largest school districts in the nation. Philadelphia is not far behind.

What will these teenagers turn to? What opportunities will they have to succeed in life without the high school diploma? What problems will they bring to societies bank in the future? What are the social costs?

In these school districts there is wanton destruction of property, profanities hurled at teachers and assaults. Verbal abuse is routine for both teacher and student. Throwing money at the problem has not cured it.

What is unanimously found is that school officials lack the GUTS to stop the abuse. Tolerance is preached instead of insisting on civilized standards of conduct. There are no checks and balances, no carrots and sticks approach to behavior. This lunatic blindfolding holds hostage academic learning for other students. School becomes demoralizing and instead becomes barbaric training for the onlookers.

Those schools are mostly composed of a black population. Those who bank on and desperately need education and achievement the most are patronized by a no backbone liberal tolerance for debilitating acts as well as parents who don’t give a damn. Is this American tragedy the reward to the sweat and struggle of Martin Luther King and those brave enough to stand up?

The dollar fell to 15-year low against the Euro on September 13th, 2007 which is a long losing streak to say the least. The reasons given are economic speculation about the slowing of our economy that will prompt the Federal Reserve to lower rates. That makes our currency less attractive and reduces the appeal of U.S. dominated assets.

The continued housing slump and the accompanying sub-prime mortgage fiasco doesn’t help. Speculation has it for 50 basis point rate cut next week.

As the dollar slumps, foreign goods become more expensive for U.S. consumers, meaning prices at Walmart will raise somewhat. The upside check is our goods will be cheaper and more attractive to sell to foreigners and have a better positive impact on our deficit.

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Love This Comeback
 
One of my sons serves in the military.  He is still stateside, here in California .  He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him, and his troops, everywhere he goes telling me how people shake their hands, and thank them for being willing to serve, and fight, for not only our own freedoms but so that others may have them also.

But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday, on his way home from the base.  He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha.
 
He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U.S. flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock.  The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly," Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."
 
The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.  A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward, putting his arm around my son’s shoulders, and nodding towards my son, said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman:
 
 "Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen.  It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn’t need to be there today.  But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I’ll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."
 
Everyone within hearing distance cheered!
   IF YOU AGREE____ Pass this on to all your proud American friends.