Speak Out 9/5/13

Grass clippings

I'm happy to hear that the city of Jackson is going to crack down on the people who blow their lawn clippings into the street. It makes the neighborhoods look awful when they do that. It's also a danger to motorcycle riders in those areas because when the clippings get wet it can be hard to stop.

More planning

It sounds counterintuitive but teachers spend far too much time teaching with little if any time left for planning, collaborating with other colleagues and doing those things necessary for providing students with an opportunity for a great leap forward in educational achievement.

Economic growth

Bad news for knee-jerk anti-Obamaites. The April-June economy grew at a much faster rate than earlier reported.

Farm bill

Alternative title to a recent guest column entitled, Finish the farm bill: Guarantee farmers a taxpayer subsidy.

March on Washington

The failure of invited leading Republicans to show up on stage for the March on Washington festivities is an insidious reminder that the party has apparently decided to double down on its exclusivity and abandon any and all outreach attempts to broaden its base.