Just a tick over 30 days from right now, it will time for you, the Oklahoma voter, to go to work. All the candidates, whether statewide, district wide, or county level, are heading into the home stretch to see who is gonna be the next office holder, from D.C. on down to the county courthouse. I would hate to guess how much money has been spent in the last few months but I think it has been in the millions. Everyone is trying to convince you, the voter, that they are the next great hope and that they are either going to change the world or finish what they started and basically go to work for you. It can be an ugly business. It can be tough on families and hard on bank accounts. Having been in this business for over eight years, there are days when I feel like I have been able to make a difference. There are other days when I think “who in the heck would want to do this”?
Not having a race this round, I have been able to watch with great interest as many candidates have jockeyed for votes. As always, it is interesting to hear, especially the new ones, tell you what they are about and their plans for changing everything that is wrong and their proposed ‘fixes’. Your job, Mr. or Mrs. Voter, is to sort through the clutter, cut through the rhetoric and make a decision. I want to say a couple of things about that. Number one, your vote matters. In the Democratic Primary for Governor, the winner of that primary was decided by less than three-quarters of a vote per precinct. That is mighty thin! That could be the difference between low turnout and just average turnout. So yes, your vote does make a difference. In addition, there is a full page of state questions that also need your attention, one of which maybe the most important state question in 20 years. That is State Question 744. We have discussed it at great lengths and I think you know by now that even Governor Brad Henry has come out in opposition to this very contentious, and potentially damaging state question. State questions are nothing new, but as an old cowboy friend of mine from Jackson County said, “this one has the makins’ of a wreck”. If Governor Henry opposes it, that is pretty loud and tells a whole lot of the true story. Your state needs you, your chosen candidates need you and for this election cycle, more than ever, you need to do your civic duty and vote.
Between now and November 2, everybody’s campaign will ramp up. There will be a great deal more money spent and a lot more noise through the media channels and you are gonna think that if those dudes are as bad as the other guy says, why aren’t they in prison? It is interesting what I have learned about negative campaigning. We all say we do not like it but, interestingly enough, it works. In fact, a friend of mine would say “negative campaigning only works if you are ahead, even, or behind in a race”. We may not like it and we may get tired of it but it is a very effective tool and almost every race will have a degree of it. We have a new dynamic in Oklahoma politics because we have two women in the race. I hesitate to use the term but they will be “slugging” it out to see who will make history and become the first female governor of Oklahoma. It is ground that we have never plowed before and it will be interesting to see the voting public’s perception of what may look like roller derby by the time it is over. We have learned in our state that people get a little defensive when a guy hits a girl in a political contest. It will be interesting to see how we respond to two females attacking each other. One thing we do know is that negative campaigning works, unfortunately. As unpleasant as it may be, I think we will have a chance to watch a lot of it as this cycle heads to the finish line in November. It does not lessen the responsibility of the voter to study both candidates and issues and the state questions. As one of my old high school teachers use to say “you drag your carcass to the polls and do your job” which is to vote. So, put on your flak jacket and take your tornado safety precautions because it is gonna be a whirlwind. It is gonna get ugly but we know that mud washes out.
“The most important political office is that of the private citizen”. ~Louis Brandeis
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Temple Grandin: An Amazing Story.
Many of you have recently been introduced to Dr. Temple Grandin after the HBO movie about her life. In the animal business, she has been a well kept secret for almost 30 years. Growing up and dealing with autism was extremely difficult for her and her family. Little did anyone know when she was a young girl that she would be considered a genius one day in livestock circles. I got my Animal Science degree in 1984 and much of what we studied were things that Dr. Grandin had figured out. Many of the livestock handling facilities, chutes, alleyways and tub facilities were designed, at least in concept, by Temple Grandin. If you watched the movie about her life, then you have seen the way that her autism enabled her to see what cattle saw and were frightened by as they moved through livestock handling facilities. Many of the things that would frighten a beef animal, such as light in the wrong place, or movement of people, flags, almost anything that is perceived as an unknown to a cow, she had the ability to visualize. In that respect, her autism was a gift. Maybe not to her personally, but her gift to the livestock industry has been her ability to design handling facilities where cattle can move much easier while keeping stress to a minimum. She understood flight zones, color patterns and numerous other design flaws that the normal eye could not detect or understand.
Dr. Grandin has spent her life making our lives easier. It was nothing for her to get down on her knees in an alleyway just to get the cow’s view as they moved through poorly designed corals, pens and alleys. My entire adult life, I have been in awe of this mystery person who was like a guru who could fix almost any problem that anyone ever had, whether it was slaughter plant, feed lot or any type of facility where cattle were handled. Then, of course, she became a celebrity when her HBO movie hit the airways. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to meet this lady. Last week, Heather Buckmaster from the Oklahoma Beef Commission called and invited me to a VIP luncheon in honor of Dr. Grandin, as well as a seminar at Gallagher-Iba Arena where she spoke to over 3,000 people about her life’s work and passion. Her reason for being on the OSU campus was to announce a new professorship in her name. The Beef Council was able to raise $250,000, which will be matched by T. Boone Pickens, that will help put a half million dollar professorship in play to help OSU in their already top-notch animal science department.
I know of no one in the world who is more respected when it comes to the treatment of animals, than the iconic Temple Grandin. She has more credibility because of her life’s work and now that she is a celebrity because of her movie, that adds to her expertise because no longer is she just a guru in livestock circles, but she is now a national treasure. People from all walks of life now know her name. To say the least and to borrow a phrase from Heather Buckmaster, “she is golden”. It was a historic afternoon for Oklahoma State University to be able to tie to someone of her caliber and if an animal rights person were to attack, it is a great defense to be able to say “Dr. Grandin is advising us on how we should handle animals”. You search the world over and find me someone who “gets it” any better than she does, and I will buy your dinner. It is interesting when you listen to Temple. She refuses to use the word “harvest” as it relates to slaughter plants. She tells it like it is. She says, “We are slaughtering these animals. We are raising them for a purpose. But, if we can ease that animal’s stress up to slaughter, haven’t we been better stewards of the livestock in our charge?” I believe she is right. I do not know who could dispute that. If we put into practice the things Dr. Grandin has taught us over the last 30 years, we will do a better job and a gentler job in handling the animals that feed America and the world. It was an honor to be there and to meet this very gifted individual. I have always been lucky enough to know when I was in the presence of greatness and I truly feel like I was that day. Thank you, Dr. Grandin, for helping us help ourselves.
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Harold R. McAlindon
Dr. Grandin has spent her life making our lives easier. It was nothing for her to get down on her knees in an alleyway just to get the cow’s view as they moved through poorly designed corals, pens and alleys. My entire adult life, I have been in awe of this mystery person who was like a guru who could fix almost any problem that anyone ever had, whether it was slaughter plant, feed lot or any type of facility where cattle were handled. Then, of course, she became a celebrity when her HBO movie hit the airways. I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to meet this lady. Last week, Heather Buckmaster from the Oklahoma Beef Commission called and invited me to a VIP luncheon in honor of Dr. Grandin, as well as a seminar at Gallagher-Iba Arena where she spoke to over 3,000 people about her life’s work and passion. Her reason for being on the OSU campus was to announce a new professorship in her name. The Beef Council was able to raise $250,000, which will be matched by T. Boone Pickens, that will help put a half million dollar professorship in play to help OSU in their already top-notch animal science department.
I know of no one in the world who is more respected when it comes to the treatment of animals, than the iconic Temple Grandin. She has more credibility because of her life’s work and now that she is a celebrity because of her movie, that adds to her expertise because no longer is she just a guru in livestock circles, but she is now a national treasure. People from all walks of life now know her name. To say the least and to borrow a phrase from Heather Buckmaster, “she is golden”. It was a historic afternoon for Oklahoma State University to be able to tie to someone of her caliber and if an animal rights person were to attack, it is a great defense to be able to say “Dr. Grandin is advising us on how we should handle animals”. You search the world over and find me someone who “gets it” any better than she does, and I will buy your dinner. It is interesting when you listen to Temple. She refuses to use the word “harvest” as it relates to slaughter plants. She tells it like it is. She says, “We are slaughtering these animals. We are raising them for a purpose. But, if we can ease that animal’s stress up to slaughter, haven’t we been better stewards of the livestock in our charge?” I believe she is right. I do not know who could dispute that. If we put into practice the things Dr. Grandin has taught us over the last 30 years, we will do a better job and a gentler job in handling the animals that feed America and the world. It was an honor to be there and to meet this very gifted individual. I have always been lucky enough to know when I was in the presence of greatness and I truly feel like I was that day. Thank you, Dr. Grandin, for helping us help ourselves.
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Harold R. McAlindon
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thanks, Lady Gaga!
I am not even sure how to tell you what a Lady Gaga is and when I heard that she wore a “meat dress” to the Video Music Awards, I have to admit, my first impression was “what a freak show”. The media, as you might imagine, was all over it with different interpretations and opinions of what she was trying to say or prove by this obvious publicity stunt. After watching several different news reports and doing a little bit of reading, I found out that PETA was mad at her which elevated her to a whole new level in my book. I still think she is a one-woman freak show but that did not stop her from posing in a meat bikini for the cover of Vogue or wearing a meat dress to the VMA awards. As they say, “pub is pub”. Sometimes an event can create publicity that was unintended but, one thing about it, it created some talk and she stood up on the world stage for her right to be weird. Now, I do not think she will be replacing Sam Elliot anytime soon as the spokesman for beef but, one thing is for sure, she raised the awareness of meat, however weird, because Monday morning, that was all the talk.
Things like that always remind me of weird happenings that create lots of spin and media buzz like when Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson many years ago. People sure were talking about that and it is free. It did not cost anything but it got the tabloids churning. As I said earlier, no matter whether it is positive or negative, “pub is pub”. Is Lady Gaga a pop icon? That remains to be seen. Time will tell whether she is a “flash in the pan” or if she will having staying power of Cher. We will not know that for a while but for right now, she may be the hottest tabloid ticket in the country. For those of us in the meat business, good or bad, it put our product on the front page again. My guess is that she will make the talk show circuit and people like David Letterman and Jay Leno will ask the obvious question “what the heck were you thinking?” In fact, at the time I wrote this article, she had already been on Ellen, where Ellen DeGeneres asked her basically that same question. I could not tell what exact cut of meat she had on her head from the news reports and I know that if it was a steak, I would have liked it cut a little thicker. But again, as I said, the world is talking about meat. She stood up for her freedom in her goofy celebrity way and PETA got mad. Maybe it is the perfect storm. Maybe in the next several weeks, all the “cool kids” will be wearing meat suits. In fact, it would be great if somebody would design a meat prom dress. Might sure drive up the price of fat cattle.
I understand that some of Gaga’s other views are equally as weird like her support of the transgender population which would be way left of most of us, especially those of us in Southwest Oklahoma. But, none of the reporters will care much about what she thinks on those other subjects, because they are gonna be talking about meat. Even though it is in a weird setting, she and product that we work real hard to raise, are on the front page of almost everything. So thanks, Lady Gaga. Maybe you and Paris Hilton can get together and do a book of beef recipes for our next outdoor cookout. And maybe Angelina Jolie can bring the kids. And maybe Katy Perry can bring her girlfriend and they can all cook burgers or smoke a brisket. The paparazzi could have a field day with that one. Let me know and I will bring a pickup load of mesquite. Or, on second thought, maybe not. Maybe yall should just use charcoal. This is a crazy world but it is still a free country. Maybe when she gets married, her wedding dress could be made of pork, “the other white meat”, with some beef accessories. Be watching the Big Texan Steakhouse, that may be her next stop.
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” -Salman Rushdie
Things like that always remind me of weird happenings that create lots of spin and media buzz like when Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson many years ago. People sure were talking about that and it is free. It did not cost anything but it got the tabloids churning. As I said earlier, no matter whether it is positive or negative, “pub is pub”. Is Lady Gaga a pop icon? That remains to be seen. Time will tell whether she is a “flash in the pan” or if she will having staying power of Cher. We will not know that for a while but for right now, she may be the hottest tabloid ticket in the country. For those of us in the meat business, good or bad, it put our product on the front page again. My guess is that she will make the talk show circuit and people like David Letterman and Jay Leno will ask the obvious question “what the heck were you thinking?” In fact, at the time I wrote this article, she had already been on Ellen, where Ellen DeGeneres asked her basically that same question. I could not tell what exact cut of meat she had on her head from the news reports and I know that if it was a steak, I would have liked it cut a little thicker. But again, as I said, the world is talking about meat. She stood up for her freedom in her goofy celebrity way and PETA got mad. Maybe it is the perfect storm. Maybe in the next several weeks, all the “cool kids” will be wearing meat suits. In fact, it would be great if somebody would design a meat prom dress. Might sure drive up the price of fat cattle.
I understand that some of Gaga’s other views are equally as weird like her support of the transgender population which would be way left of most of us, especially those of us in Southwest Oklahoma. But, none of the reporters will care much about what she thinks on those other subjects, because they are gonna be talking about meat. Even though it is in a weird setting, she and product that we work real hard to raise, are on the front page of almost everything. So thanks, Lady Gaga. Maybe you and Paris Hilton can get together and do a book of beef recipes for our next outdoor cookout. And maybe Angelina Jolie can bring the kids. And maybe Katy Perry can bring her girlfriend and they can all cook burgers or smoke a brisket. The paparazzi could have a field day with that one. Let me know and I will bring a pickup load of mesquite. Or, on second thought, maybe not. Maybe yall should just use charcoal. This is a crazy world but it is still a free country. Maybe when she gets married, her wedding dress could be made of pork, “the other white meat”, with some beef accessories. Be watching the Big Texan Steakhouse, that may be her next stop.
“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” -Salman Rushdie
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
State Questions that will appear on Nov. ballot
SQ744- A yes vote would mandate the state spend up to $1 billion more per year on common education to meet a regional average. This would be done by raising taxes 32% statewide, or cutting all other state agencies and services by at least 20% each.
SQ746- A yes vote makes voters show proof of identity-voter ID.
SQ747- A yes vote would make all state-wide elected offices have a term limit of 8 yrs, except Corp. Comm., which would be 12 years.
SQ748- Every 10 years redistricting is done by the legislature; if they fail to act then a commission does the job. A yes vote changes the number of poeple on the commission from 3 to 7, and makes it bi-partisan, with the Lt. Governor as the non-voting chairman.
SQ750- A yes vote would require less signatures on the initiative and referendum petitions. The least election with the Governor on the ballot, instead of the last election with the President on the ballot would be used to determine the signatures needed.
SQ751- A yes vote makes English the common language of Oklahoma.
SQ752- A yes vote modifies the Judicial Nominating Commission, which recommends candidates to the Governor to appoint. Currently, it is made up of 12 (6 non-lawyers appointed by the Governor & 6 lawyers appointed by the OBA.) This measure adds 2 non-lawyer members appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate.
SQ754- A yes vote would ensure that the appropriations and budgeting process set up by the Oklahoma Constitution stays the way that it currently is. It would stop any unions or government agencies from demanding that they be funded in a different or higher way.
SQ755- A yes vote forbids Oklahoma courts from using Sharia (Islamic) or international law to decide cases cases in our state courts.
SQ756- A yes vote allows OK residents to opt-out of Federal health care.
SQ757- A yes vote increases rainy day fund from 10% to 15% of certified funds from the previous years state budget.
SQ746- A yes vote makes voters show proof of identity-voter ID.
SQ747- A yes vote would make all state-wide elected offices have a term limit of 8 yrs, except Corp. Comm., which would be 12 years.
SQ748- Every 10 years redistricting is done by the legislature; if they fail to act then a commission does the job. A yes vote changes the number of poeple on the commission from 3 to 7, and makes it bi-partisan, with the Lt. Governor as the non-voting chairman.
SQ750- A yes vote would require less signatures on the initiative and referendum petitions. The least election with the Governor on the ballot, instead of the last election with the President on the ballot would be used to determine the signatures needed.
SQ751- A yes vote makes English the common language of Oklahoma.
SQ752- A yes vote modifies the Judicial Nominating Commission, which recommends candidates to the Governor to appoint. Currently, it is made up of 12 (6 non-lawyers appointed by the Governor & 6 lawyers appointed by the OBA.) This measure adds 2 non-lawyer members appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro-Tempore of the Senate.
SQ754- A yes vote would ensure that the appropriations and budgeting process set up by the Oklahoma Constitution stays the way that it currently is. It would stop any unions or government agencies from demanding that they be funded in a different or higher way.
SQ755- A yes vote forbids Oklahoma courts from using Sharia (Islamic) or international law to decide cases cases in our state courts.
SQ756- A yes vote allows OK residents to opt-out of Federal health care.
SQ757- A yes vote increases rainy day fund from 10% to 15% of certified funds from the previous years state budget.
Feel That? It's Fall.
We seem to forget how lethargic people can get in the “dog days” of summer. I was getting a haircut the other day and the lady who has cut my hair for a long time said that her business had been slow and she could not figure out why. I told her that the heat was really keeping people from getting out and moving around anymore than they had to. With temperatures in the triple digits for over three or four weeks, it just saps your energy and we all suffer from, as my friend calls it, “air conditioner poisoning”. Everything is air conditioned everywhere we go and we just get accustomed to cool temperatures and then cannot take the heat. I know there are some things that I would not even attempt in August. One of those is an auction. One thing I have learned in 25 plus years as an auctioneer is that, given a choice, people will stay inside and will hardly get out, and many cannot get out, during the dog days.
Last week, we felt the first hint of cool air. In fact, last Friday morning as I headed down to the road to get the newspaper before daylight, I almost wished for a light jacket after the cool rain the night before and the north wind. The other thing that it does, especially in an election year, is it energizes those political candidates, who even though many had to get out during the dog days, cool air will put a snap in their step and renew their optimism. That first cool front just makes us feel like goin’. It is like our part of the country just drank one of those fancy, smart alec energy drinks. By the time you read this, what is considered by many “the last big weekend of the summer” has come and gone and people are just out and about more. As voters, we have a big assignment to study for in November. Not only is it an election year for the Governor’s office and several congressional seats but as I have said before there is a whole page of state questions that will require a little bit of study to be able to make sense of. We actually have that page in a printed format that we can e-mail or send out to you if you would like a little preview, so feel free to call my Capitol office at 405-557-7307 or e-mail me at donarmes@okhouse.gov. If you would like copy of those just give us a call or e-mail and we would be glad to send you a copy. I will also be posting a copy on my Facebook page. So, feel free to access that information and be prepared because if voter turnout is anywhere near decent, it may take a while to vote in November.
In the meantime, enjoy this break in the heat and the much anticipated turning of the seasons. Remember to take time to enjoy what I personally consider my favorite time of year. We have got a little ways to go before winter sets in but should have some beautiful days and crisp nights. The kind where a light jacket is just perfect and the days are warm enough to get out and do things. I am reminding myself, as well as you, to stop and realize how great things are and enjoy what should be a beautiful Oklahoma Fall. Whether you are a hunter, fisherman or a biker, or just like to putter around in your yard, this is the sweet spot. Don’t miss it.
Last week, we felt the first hint of cool air. In fact, last Friday morning as I headed down to the road to get the newspaper before daylight, I almost wished for a light jacket after the cool rain the night before and the north wind. The other thing that it does, especially in an election year, is it energizes those political candidates, who even though many had to get out during the dog days, cool air will put a snap in their step and renew their optimism. That first cool front just makes us feel like goin’. It is like our part of the country just drank one of those fancy, smart alec energy drinks. By the time you read this, what is considered by many “the last big weekend of the summer” has come and gone and people are just out and about more. As voters, we have a big assignment to study for in November. Not only is it an election year for the Governor’s office and several congressional seats but as I have said before there is a whole page of state questions that will require a little bit of study to be able to make sense of. We actually have that page in a printed format that we can e-mail or send out to you if you would like a little preview, so feel free to call my Capitol office at 405-557-7307 or e-mail me at donarmes@okhouse.gov. If you would like copy of those just give us a call or e-mail and we would be glad to send you a copy. I will also be posting a copy on my Facebook page. So, feel free to access that information and be prepared because if voter turnout is anywhere near decent, it may take a while to vote in November.
In the meantime, enjoy this break in the heat and the much anticipated turning of the seasons. Remember to take time to enjoy what I personally consider my favorite time of year. We have got a little ways to go before winter sets in but should have some beautiful days and crisp nights. The kind where a light jacket is just perfect and the days are warm enough to get out and do things. I am reminding myself, as well as you, to stop and realize how great things are and enjoy what should be a beautiful Oklahoma Fall. Whether you are a hunter, fisherman or a biker, or just like to putter around in your yard, this is the sweet spot. Don’t miss it.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Could eBooks Save Millions for Education? (Part 2)
Back to our number of students statewide. If the use of Kindles or other E-Book products could save only $10 dollars per student across Oklahoma, that would save approximately $6.5 million dollars, which will not alone save education, but we could possibly redirect those dollars saved into other much needed areas of the education mission. I believe the savings could be greater but again, I really do not know. That’s what an interim study is all about. It’s exactly what it says: a study. I think this one has some merit and I intend to pursue it and see what we find. In casual conversations from different folks who saw the news report that Channel 7 did about the Kindle, some concerns were raised that could be very valid. One concern was “how do we control the content and make sure it’s not inappropriate?” I believe we have enough computer knowledge in the industry to address that concern.
I also believe that children, especially today, would take to this technology easier than those of us who hate change and are somewhat intimidated by computers. You know the old longstanding joke “if you want to set your VCR, ask your kid”. They have grown up with technology and they embrace it more than older generations. Another added benefit to an E-Book would be simply the difference in weight that kids are having to swing over their shoulder in a backpack. Six books will outweigh a Kindle or a Nook or an iPad every time. So, given that alone, there has got to be some benefits to a smaller, more efficient textbook. Lots of unanswered questions but just a basic concept that I think might have some points worth exploring is what this interim study is all about. My hope is that by thinking outside the box, we can save a few million dollars statewide that could go toward other important pieces of the education financial puzzle and maybe just streamline the operation. It will be an interesting study and we should have some answers later in the Fall. So, stay logged in.
I also believe that children, especially today, would take to this technology easier than those of us who hate change and are somewhat intimidated by computers. You know the old longstanding joke “if you want to set your VCR, ask your kid”. They have grown up with technology and they embrace it more than older generations. Another added benefit to an E-Book would be simply the difference in weight that kids are having to swing over their shoulder in a backpack. Six books will outweigh a Kindle or a Nook or an iPad every time. So, given that alone, there has got to be some benefits to a smaller, more efficient textbook. Lots of unanswered questions but just a basic concept that I think might have some points worth exploring is what this interim study is all about. My hope is that by thinking outside the box, we can save a few million dollars statewide that could go toward other important pieces of the education financial puzzle and maybe just streamline the operation. It will be an interesting study and we should have some answers later in the Fall. So, stay logged in.
Could eBooks Save Millions for Education? (Part 1)
In a previous article, I mentioned that I was doing an interim study to look at potential cost savings by jumping out of the 20th century and into the 21st century and taking a serious look at electronic books as a potential replacement for old-fashioned hardback, traditional textbooks. A few months ago, I was introduced to a pretty neat little gadget called a “Kindle” produced by Amazon. A Kindle is a very small, electronic book that has the capacity to store the same information that could be found in 3,500 hardback books. Having spent 13 years in a high school classroom, I know full well what a box of books weigh because I have unloaded many of them. I also know that the cost for that very basic teaching tool continues to escalate. After seeing a Kindle and holding it in my hands and flipping through the pages, I thought “wow, this little electronic tool could revolutionize the way we teach children and could dramatically reduce costs”.
Now, let’s take a look at some possible numbers. Again, this is an interim study and these are just estimates. You take 654,540 common education students statewide (K-12), many of those students have six subjects per day and six books per child. I do not have to extrapolate that figure to see how many textbooks that is. It’s a bunch! Without getting specific, you can just do some common cowboy math and figure out that it is a lot of truck loads of books. I don’t know what it costs to haul a truck load of books but it is not cheap. If you figure a Kindle probably weighs a couple of pounds or less and then you take six copies of almost any book you choose and compare that, I think it would be easy to see that freight alone gets pretty pricey. Also consider the fact that people make lots of money writing the content for textbooks. That probably would not change. It still takes learned individuals to write these. The difference is the cost savings of hauling untold truckloads of hard books versus little compact devices that can hold 3,500 books. There has got to be a savings there just in freight.
Before you think that I own stock in the Kindle Company, I am not stuck on the Kindle as the only option. Although one can be had by an individual for less than 150 dollars, I am sure that there could be a tremendous savings if bought in bulk by a large school system. There may be other brands out there that can do the same thing. If you step up your expenditure, you can go to the Apple iPad which shows illustrations and graphs. To my knowledge, the Kindle is just black and white. One of the questions I have had posed is “what do you do about color?” There might be a device that will do that and Kindle may even have the technology now, I’m not sure. If they don’t, there are some other products from other companies like Barnes and Noble that has a device called the “Nook” and Sony also has the “Reader” that might fit the bill. With the cost of education ever-increasing, we have to figure out if there is a way to carry out the mission of educating our kids with less dollars. It is called efficiency and businesses have to find better ways to be efficient all the time, or they don’t survive. I think it’s only fair that education look at some of these potential efficiencies and see if there is a way to get the job done on less.
Now, let’s take a look at some possible numbers. Again, this is an interim study and these are just estimates. You take 654,540 common education students statewide (K-12), many of those students have six subjects per day and six books per child. I do not have to extrapolate that figure to see how many textbooks that is. It’s a bunch! Without getting specific, you can just do some common cowboy math and figure out that it is a lot of truck loads of books. I don’t know what it costs to haul a truck load of books but it is not cheap. If you figure a Kindle probably weighs a couple of pounds or less and then you take six copies of almost any book you choose and compare that, I think it would be easy to see that freight alone gets pretty pricey. Also consider the fact that people make lots of money writing the content for textbooks. That probably would not change. It still takes learned individuals to write these. The difference is the cost savings of hauling untold truckloads of hard books versus little compact devices that can hold 3,500 books. There has got to be a savings there just in freight.
Before you think that I own stock in the Kindle Company, I am not stuck on the Kindle as the only option. Although one can be had by an individual for less than 150 dollars, I am sure that there could be a tremendous savings if bought in bulk by a large school system. There may be other brands out there that can do the same thing. If you step up your expenditure, you can go to the Apple iPad which shows illustrations and graphs. To my knowledge, the Kindle is just black and white. One of the questions I have had posed is “what do you do about color?” There might be a device that will do that and Kindle may even have the technology now, I’m not sure. If they don’t, there are some other products from other companies like Barnes and Noble that has a device called the “Nook” and Sony also has the “Reader” that might fit the bill. With the cost of education ever-increasing, we have to figure out if there is a way to carry out the mission of educating our kids with less dollars. It is called efficiency and businesses have to find better ways to be efficient all the time, or they don’t survive. I think it’s only fair that education look at some of these potential efficiencies and see if there is a way to get the job done on less.
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