Schubart: Disneyfying death is a disservice
In the rest of the world, death is more familiar and seen as the crowning achievement of old age. The wisdom accrued over a long and virtuous life is revered and integrated into the family and into society at large, rather than stowed away from the imagined relevance of daily life.
Schubart: Vermont’s shadow cabinet controls tractable candidates
The chosen candidate is easy to market to an electorate fearful and confused about the many economic and social ills facing them. He’s marketed less as a leader and source of ideas, and more as a defense against voter’s inchoate fears of tax increases, expanded government, runaway costs, crazed legislators, liberal courts, trust funders, and immigrants or whatever the fear of the day happens to be.
Schubart: Visionless cost-cutting will hurt schools
Cost-cutting, either in government services or in education without agreement on desired outcomes and how to measure them, will be pointless.
Schubart: The blame game
We have become adept at blaming, suing, and demanding retribution of everyone but ourselves. Teachers are to blame for the steep decline in educational achievement and illiteracies of all sorts. Business is at fault for environmental degradation. The financial industry is at fault for bringing the Western economy to a standstill and wiping out trillions in personal savings. Foreign workers and illegal aliens are causing unemployment.
Schubart: Staying with status quo is self-defeating
We need more effective, efficient, transparent and accountable government. We need a strong private sector driven by Vermont’s native assets guided by clear, consistent tax and regulatory policies that enable economic growth while setting and enforcing clear limits on behavior that is destructive of the economy, the social fabric or the environment. We need forecasting and planning. And, finally, we need leadership that attracts new ideas, and can find and pursue a middle way that breaks Vermont’s political logjam.
Schubart: Ah, mom
In our generation, a parenting trend has re-emerged that inspires some parents to try and create a perfect childhood. This often comes at the expense of the child because of a misplaced understanding of how children develop their own sense of self-worth.
Schubart: Our schools, ourselves
In many undeveloped countries, a family might sell their home to educate their children while we complain about taxes.
Schubart on the courage of the nuns
It took great courage for American Catholic nuns to follow their own conscience and support a bill that would expand the poor’s access to our health care system.
Smaller is better — and maybe cheaper
The best way forward may be simply to pause and ask those in our communities whose job it is to innovate, for new ideas and practical ways to do more with less.
Schubart: Why call, e-mail or converse in person when you can text?
by Opinion | May 28, 2010
My children no longer answer the expensive cellphones I provide them with, nor do they answer my emails. They don’t even text me anymore, because I haven’t figured out how to respond. I do hear monthly, however, from Verizon with a whopping bill.
Posted in Opinion | Tagged Bill Schubart, commentary, VPR