Opinions . . .

• With all the talk about Jordan School District's multi-million dollar deficit, I can't help but wonder why district's don't trim the excess at the top. The big district superintendents in the Salt Lake area make upwards of six times as much as a new teacher. It seems to me that making cuts in the administrative level could save six teachers' jobs or maybe seven or eight classified staff. Not sure how superintendents arrived at such a high level of entitlement. Hmmm . . . And, after nearly 32 years working in education, I am not sure what a superintendent does that impacts the day to day operation of a school. For the most part they [superintendents] are nice people who have climbed to the top through hard work in the field, but I am not sure their work is worth so much more than our classroom teachers.


• The opening ceremony for the Vancouver Olympics was little more than boring. It was a mix of mixed up stuff -- from native dancers to orca whales to flying snowboarders to opera singers to river-type tap dancers to . . . . The one and only bright spot was the parade of the countries -- a fashion show really, the outfits were quite interesting.


• Education is knowledge and power and worth the effort at any point in your life. I ran into a former neighbor/friend this afternoon. She is my age and just finished a bachelor's degree in accounting. She indicated that she is thinking of continuing on with school to complete a master's in business (MBA). Karl is currently working on another degree this year -- nearly thirty years after completing a bachelor's degree. And, Lee Ann, my sister-in-law is back in school this year finishing a bachelor's degree. No matter the age, education is something that can never, never be taken from you and is an invaluable asset. Way to go to all who are taking classes, studying hard, and acquiring new and up-to-date marketable skills.


• Take care of what you have! As I look out my kitchen window I can see the backyards of three neighboring houses. Each has a trampoline and all of them were purchased about the same time -- 2 or 3 years ago. Two of the 3 are in the best of shape complete with their original safety nets. One, however, is a complete worn out mess. The safety net is long gone -- actually it is torn to shreds. The bars are bent, and it is no longer a nice backyard toy but a big safety hazard. The shape of this neighbor's trampoline in pretty indicative of their entire yard (old tires all over the north side of the house and other junk scattered around the yard) and also creeps into their house -- another big mess. I am not sure that the people who live there value much of anything. So sad -- In my opinion, the better care you give to anything, the longer it lasts.


• Money is overrated -- yes you need it to survive and thrive in the world -- but it's all relative. The NBA ALL-Star Game was on TV last night. The glitz and bling of the rich and famous of the NBA were all about the 100,000 plus seat Dallas Cowboy Stadium. The fans (whose seats were miles from the court) paid big money to watch the game on a basketball-sized jumbo screen. But the fans are not the point of my opinion (I digressed). In my present older and much wiser state, I am not nearly as impressed by nor need to be supported by as much of the dollar as I once thought important. After all, money is for stuff and once you (speaking for the greater public) figure out basic needs and have those met by what money you have, all of the extra money you have just goes to stuff and believe me we (speaking again for me and the greater public) have more stuff than we really need or will ever use. Karl finished painting before Christmas. He boxed up a bunch of stuff (roosters, greenery, . . . ) from the top of my kitchen cabinets in October/November and put them in boxes now stored in the garage. Guess what, they are still there, I am not sure I will put the stuff in the boxes on top of the cabinets, ever. Actually, when I look through my house, I can see a lot of stuff (maybe junk) I don't need nor want. Sometimes I feel like I am going to be taken over by all the stuff in my house. I have a goal this year to go through and de-stuff my house. I now think twice and thrice about money spent on stuff -- I save any extra money instead for something I may need in the future or someplace I would like to take my family. Karl has always been a saver and what has taken years to save is making life very comfortable for our family today.