By Jeff Salisbury
jeffsalisbury@charter.net
Biological and Psychology Benefits of Learning Cursive
Don’t let your schools stop teaching cursive
Published by William R. Klemm Ph.D., Senior Professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University. He is the author of 18 books, including “Science, The Brain, and Our Future.”
“In response to a growing trend where public schools are dropping the teaching of cursive, I wrote a blog post defending the value of learning cursive.1 The new Common Core standards, adopted by 45 states, no longer require the teaching of cursive. But homeschoolers are being encouraged to teach cursive.2 My post lamenting this backward move by the educational professionals drew a huge amount of commentary, 89 posts thus far, some negative, some positive.
“I now realize the case for cursive needs to be made more explicitly. First, I want to avoid the distractions over the definition of “cursive” or arguments over the respective merits of different schools of penmanship. I don’t think these things matter much in terms of cognitive development, as long as we are talking about handwriting that is not printing and in which many of the letters are connected.
A few of the benefits of learning cursive may happen with learning to hand print, but here is my summary of the special benefits of cursive here https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201308/biological-and-psychology-benefits-learning-cursive”
Working poor may see modest tax break under Michigan roads Proposal 1
By Jonathan Oosting | joosting@mlive.com
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in an analysis conducted for the Michigan League for Public Policy, estimates a small net tax break of $24 for the average Michigan earned income tax credit (EITC) recipient who earns less than $20,000.The Mackinac Center for Public Policy estimates Proposal 1 will cost a typical Michigan family about $500 a year in new taxes. Those who qualify for smaller EITC credits may see a tax increase too, but the average recipient would see a net tax break of $69 if the measure is approved.
Put 100 economists in a room and ask them how to fix Michigan’s roads, and Proposal 1 would have been very low on their list of possible solutions, according to MSU economist Charles Ballard.
“But you know, we go through a political system. Decisions, for better or worse, are not made by a panel of economists,” said Ballard.
The May 5 ballot measure would increase the state sales tax from 6 to 7 percent but exempt fuel. Gas and diesel taxes would also rise. The state would eliminate future registration fee discounts for passenger vehicles and increase rates for large trucks.
Increasing the sales tax would likely have a disproportionate affect on low-income residents, according to Ballard, because they are more likely to spend a greater share of salary on taxable goods than wealthier residents, who typically save more.
www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2015/04/some_working_poor_could_see_ta.html
And here are some other facts to consider:
About 7.5 million households in the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas don’t have access to a privately owned vehicle, according to a 2011 study from the Brookings Institution. Roughly 60 percent of those households are low income, and about 60 percent are nonwhite. The vast majority have access to public transit. — this is a bit dated – but might be pretty accurate – of course the economy may have lowered the numbers too – http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2011/8/18%20transportation%20tomer%20puentes/0818_transportation_tomer.pdf
40 percent of all American workers make less than $20,000 a year before taxes— And 65 percent of all American workers make less than $40,000 a year before taxes — assuming MI is slightly above those numbers, what a terrible way to finance our roads.
Great resource on “all things roads”… http://www.artba.org/about/transportation-faqs/
HOW MUCH DOES THE FEDERAL GAS TAX COST THE AVERAGE U.S. DRIVER/FAMILY EACH YEAR?
According to the Federal Highway Administration, the average motor vehicle in the United States, including cars, SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks, was driven 11,318 miles in 2011, the latest year for which data are available.
The national average fuel economy for cars and light trucks was 21.4 miles per gallon, which means the average vehicle used 530 gallons of motor fuel.
At a tax rate of 18.4 cents per gallon, consumers paid an average of $97.52 in federal gasoline taxes for each vehicle they owned.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average American household owns 1.75 vehicles, which means the average household pays $170.66 in federal motor fuel taxes in 2011, or about $3.28 per week. (Data source: Highway Statistics 2011, Table VM-1; Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Transportation Statistics Annual Report, 2012).
HOW MUCH DO STATE GAS TAXES COST THE AVERAGE U.S. DRIVER/FAMILY EACH YEAR?
State gasoline tax rates range from a low of eight-cents-per-gallon (in Alaska) to more than 39-cents-per-gallon, so the amount of tax paid will vary by state of residence. The average tax rate among all states, however, was 24.01 cents per gallon as of February 2014, according to the latest data from states and the Federal Highway Administration. With the average vehicle using 530 gallons of gasoline, this means the average cost of state gasoline taxes was $114.64 per vehicle. The average household with 1.75 vehicles thus paid $200.62 in state gasoline taxes in 2012 or $3.86 per week. (Data source: Highway Statistics, 2012, Table MF-205)
Which America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About ‘Wealthy America’ And ‘Poor America’
by Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse blog,
Did you know that 40 percent of all American workers make less than $20,000 a year before taxes? And 65 percent of all American workers make less than $40,000 a year before taxes. If you work on Wall Street, or have a cushy job with the federal government, or work for a big tech firm out on the west coast, life is probably pretty good for you right now. But the truth is that most Americans are not living the high life. In fact, most Americans are just trying to figure out how to survive from month to month.
For many Americans, making a choice between buying food for your family and paying the light bill is a common occurrence. But if you don’t live in that America, hearing that people actually live like that may sound very strange to you. After all, if everyone around you has expensive cars, the latest electronic gadgets and million dollar homes, the notion that America is in the midst of a very serious “economic decline” may seem very bizarre to you.
And finally… my constant reminder…
Please attend the next Wayland Board of Education meeting – tonight! Since the agendas are no long posted in advance of the meetings I’ve no idea what the board will discuss.
But here’s my best guess:
- Casino Fund Use
- 2015-16 Budget Assumptions
SPEAK OUT!
During the PUBLIC COMMENTS, tell Board to:
- Question Every Aspect of the District’s Essential and Non-Essential Educational Programming and Personnel (Needs versus Wants)
- Set General Fund & Casino Revenue Spending Guidelines
- Track and Trim All Expenditures & Make Targeted Programs & Personnel Cuts
REMIND THE BOARD:
- “Build ONE Budget” – combine general fund revenue (local, state and federal dollars) and Gun Lake Casino “in lieu of taxes” revenue.
- “Pay Yourselves First” – restore the fund equity – which dipped from 15% to 7% in four years – by committing to saving 1% to 1.5% per year for AT LEAST the next 5 years.
- “No More Loans” – resist the temptation to borrow more money on top of the $291,000 annual loan payments to United Bank for the science wing from 2015 to 2025… no loans for iPads, no loans for school buses – no more loans PERIOD.
Wayland Union Schools – Board of Education Meetings & Workshops
April 20, 2015 Wayland Union Middle School, 701 Wildcat Drive, Wayland – 7:00 p.m
May 18, 2015 Wayland Union Middle School, 701 Wildcat Drive, Wayland – 7:00 p.m
June 8, 2015 Wayland Union Middle School, 701 Wildcat Drive, Wayland – 7:00 p.m
June 22, 2015 Administration Building, 850 E. Superior, Wayland – 7:00 p.m
July 13, 2015 Administration Building, 850 E. Superior, Wayland – 7:00 p.m
BOARD MEMBERS CONTACT INFORMATION:
• Nancy Thelen, President, Email: nancyboe@waylandunion.net Phone: 616-877-3098
• Tom Salingue, Vice President, Email: tomboe@waylandunion.net Phone: 269-792-2061
• Toni Ordway, Treasurer, Email: ordwayt@waylandunion.net Phone: 269-910-3297
• Theresa Dobry, Secretary, Email: theresaboe@waylandunion.net Phone: 616-681-2119
• Pete Zondervan, Trustee, Email: zondervanp@waylandunion.net Phone: 616-450-1468
• Janel Hott, Trustee, Email: hottj@waylandunion.net Phone: (h) 269-792-0297 (c) 269-250-0286
• Gary Wood, Trustee, Email: glw_boe@yahoo.com Phone: 616-681-2120.