This will be my last blog for a while. Not because I have run out of things to say – that’s not likely to ever happen – but because for a few days I won’t be in any shape to see the page. Don’t worry. I won’t be gone long.

It is ironic that the theme of Christmas is Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Men. Based on world events, it feels like we’ve never been farther from those ideals. There are many reasons why we find ourselves in what seems to be a depressing time, some obvious some mysterious, but the solutions involve radical commitments from everyone on all sides. I’d give up all the Christmas presents and my favorite meal of the year – spiral ham and lasagne with Sicilian Cassata for dessert – for just a few things on my world Christmas list:

Tolerance. As long as you believe anyone with an opposing view is wrong and deserves to be villified, you will resolve no problems. It is trite, but you can disagree without being disagreeable. And you can certainly disagree without mass shooting innocent people to make your point.  There are far too many sins committed in the name of intolerance, and far too many times we embarass ourselves by our poor behavior toward others. Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. That being said,

Facts must count for more than opinion and ideology. If there is anything that can be put in the “just plain dumb” bin it is arguing that facts and opinions are equivalent. History is full of such examples, and modern people laugh at the foolishness of our ancestors. Galileo proved the earth revolves around the sun, but that did not stop the Church from threatening him with heresy for publishing such lies. The earth was proven round at a time when the vast majority of people believed it was flat. The list goes on and on, and had the people who believed that evil spirits caused disease prevailed, we may have never realized modern medicine. In the world today, discussions surrounding the possibility of long term climate change regularly deteriorate into name calling diatribes; yet in this case there are observations and facts that should form the basis for any debate. And a snowball brought to the floor of the Senate in the middle of winter does not consitutute relevant fact or observation. Do I have a solid idea whether the national debt will destroy America? Am I certain raising the minimum wage will increase or decrease unemployment? Do I have a clue whether bombing ISIS into dust will solve all of America’s security problems? No, but I believe there are some really smart experts who would provide facts to inform a debate, if not give us a definitive answer. If you’ve closed your mind to facts because they conflict with your opinion, then you are the problem. That being said,

Education and training are the answers to a lot of problems. Look, the educational system in America is not broken beyond all repair. We still turn out some incredibly bright and capable people. Foreign students still come to America to study. But what we don’t do is prepare every student for the world in front of them. We are finally coming to the realization that you cannot test kids into performing better in school. What we haven’t realized is that school does not have to be so heavily focused on preparation for college. How about a system where after a student’s high school sophomore year, he or she gets to declare for the final two years, either college prep or a vocation? Now we know if we had the school districts be fully responsible for vocational training the options would be as limited as they are now. Instead, how about we use the existing private technical schools and community colleges that offer a wide suite of options. If you’ve ever watched daytime TV (which apparently the unemployed do) there are lots of commercials for schools offering just about everything you can think of, including free placement. Even if only two students in the school district want to be dental hygienists, they can go to the vocational school that offers it. The school district makes a deal with the vocational school to pay a per pupil fee, and it certainly would be a lot less than normal tuition. Here are the plusses:

• The student has the absolute ability to decide which path he/she takes. The interminable testing is irrelevant. You want college prep? You’re in. You want to be a legal assistant, you’re in.
• Let’s say 25% of the kids opt for the vocational path. That’s potentially fewer teachers (I won’t say 25% fewer because it can correct poor teacher/pupil ratios), fewer buildings to maintain, fewer school busses, and maybe even lower taxes.
• The dropout rate has to decrease substantially. Those last two years when students turn 16 are the critical times. If they see school as a waste of time, they will drop out with no skills and lower prospects. By offering them vocational training you have a chance to make their futures much brighter.
• School districts could offer specialized arts schools that are beyond current budgets. In larger metro areas multiple school districts can combine on schools for dance, music, art or theater.
• The vocational students can get training without undertaking the burden of crushing debt.
• Classrooms can become more challenging places because the remaining students will be highly motivated to be there. Teachers can challenge students more. They can better prepare them for college, or even offer more college course so they can graduate from college in less than four years with less of the debt students are accumulating.

You see the point. Under that sort of system you cater to closer to 100% of the kids than just the college prep students. What could make more sense? Doesn’t cost more, has better overall results.

Education is the great equalizer. It opens doors and creates opportunities. But you cannot force everyone into the same channel. You have to create options. There are many really good jobs that don’t require a college degree as long as there is opportunity.

Of course the greatest value of education and training is that it is harder to be purposely ignorant. You up your chances of making better decisions. Chances are increased that people will see which solutions to problems are best. And you up your chances of not having to rely simply on rote ideology to drive your positions.

This is no less the solution in places like Afghanistan or Syria. You are going to have a much harder time recruiting someone to die if they have potential and opportunity. Regardless of how you figure it out, education from kindegarten to college should be affordable enough that no one who wants the opportunity would be denied based primarly on cost. That being said,

Do not let fear drive you. Yeah there are people in places like the middle east, Pakistan, Afghanistan and even in our own country who wish us the worst, and we should be serious about keeping ourselves safe. But how likely is it that you’ll make a good decision when you are in the throes of fear? It has been said many times that the object of terrorists is to instill fear, to make us give up our rights as Americans, and to act out of panic. If we choose to let non-specific, over the top rhetoric drive the disccussion we are likely to create more problems than we solve. Yes, anything can happen to anybody at any time, and it is good to be aware, but it is far more important to show fanatics that they will never win by scaring us into abandoning the values that still make America the destination for those seeking a better life. And those mongering in fear should be seen as far less concerned about the forces of evil than they are about gaining or expanding their own power. You cannot kill an idea with all the guns and armor in the world, especially one as strong as that embodied by the poem on the statue of liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

And that being said, finally,

Remember you aren’t here all by yourself. I hope you aren’t one of the people who will have a rough Christmas because of some adversity, but especially at this time of the year it is important to remember the less fortunate. There are so many great ways to share your good fortune with others and I hope you take the time to show someone less fortunate that the Christmas spirit is alive and well.

For all those who enjoy following my blog, I wish you a wonderful holiday season, and health and prosperity in 2016. Be back soon.