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co·nun·drum (kə-nŭn'drəm) A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma:
A friend of mine wants to buy exclusively organic products. He went to the store to get eggs, but the only organic eggs were made by Land 0'Lakes and they have a politically incorrect Indian Princess logo. He went home without eggs.
Jon Kyl and Gabby Giffords are in Iraq. I doubt that they are on the front line, but Iraq ain't the Hamptons. Be sure to say a prayer for their safe return.
I've always been a fan of the Community Colleges. I taught Accounting at Paradise Valley Community College and I've taken advantage of the outstanding Spanish and Math programs at Phoenix College.
But the Community Colleges have some serious problems. You might think that this is one of the problems, but this is actually small potatoes.
The district came under intense scrutiny when it was revealed in the fall that Mesa Community College leaders had led all-expenses-paid trips to other countries over five years costing more than $324,000. A ban on administrative foreign travel remains in place until June.
Two college presidents lost their jobs earlier this month after seeking payment for foreign trips that often included generous amounts of sightseeing and side trips.
These are great stories and the Republic and Tribune should be commended for their work uncovering these junkets. But, I'd let the Community College Presidents fly to China every week if they would stop ripping off the state in other areas.
Take dual enrollment. Some kids to really well in high school, so the Community Colleges and high schools offer courses that count for college credit. That sounds fine. But both schools charge the state for the full cost of the student. That's right. The Community College and the high school each seek full reimbursement from the state, and the state reimburses the schools as if there were two students.
The Arizona Tax Research Association has been on top of the scam from the beginning. Here's ATRA's newsletter from January 2001.
Napolitano's office is wise to the trick. Here's a Republic article from 2004.
Last year, dual enrollment was one of the programs Gov. Janet Napolitano suggested eliminating in the early rounds of budget talks. Despite an estimated savings for the state of $4 million, the program survived.
Four million dollars a year. Wow. But what's worse than the financial double dip is the fact that the classes leave kids ill prepared for real college courses. Here's what one Community College faculty member wrote in 2001.
But, as a full-time faculty member in the Maricopa Community College District, I know that quality is frequently lacking in dual enrollment courses. All too often, the students are academically underprepared for college level mastery or lack the facilities and scheduling to do true college work.
Dual enrollment courses may rip off the taxpayer and leave the students unprepared, but at least they are, like you know, real courses...English and math and stuff.
The Community Colleges have another great scam going as well. They create a bunch of recreational courses and get the state to pay for them. Here are some examples of where your tax dollars are going.
•Stress Management (Maricopa; 2 credits)
•Sculpture for Personal Development (Pima; 2 credits)
•Men in Transition (Maricopa; 2 credits)
•Rich Dad Poor Dad: Secrets to Personal Financial Wealth (Pima; 2 credits)
•Quilting – eight sections (EAC; 2 credits)
•Flower Essences (Maricopa; 1 credit)
•Mystery Dinner Theater (CAC; 0.5 credit)
•Aromatherapy (Maricopa; 1 credit)
•Phoenix Zoo Lights (CAC; 0.5 credit)
•Raft the Grand Canyon (CAC; 2 credits)
•Personal Spiritual Development (Maricopa; 2 credits)
•Developing Self Esteem (Pima; 2 credits)
Men in Transition? I should take that. I've been in a mid-life crisis since high school.
These courses seem harmless, after all, they only chew up a few million dollars of the state's education budget each year. But these course offerings act as a distraction. Students often use the Community College as a springboard to the Universities. Community College students who have taken two years of class work often discover that they only have a few classes that will transfer to a four-year program. Sure, they are experts in Flower Essences, Quilting and Sculpture, but that doesn't get you into ASU's Business Program.
Give me Community College Presidents who are willing to stop double charging the state for dual enrollment classes and will stop forcing taxpayers to pay for Quilting and Aromatherapy classes and I would be happy to send them to Europe every couple weeks. The students would be better off and the state would save money.
Absent that, maybe the Republicans in the Legislature would be willing to support Governor Napolitano's 2004 suggestion that this silly stuff be eliminated.
Since the Republic's business columnist has spent the last 7 years telling us that Phoenix sucks, I've decided to spend some time highlighting what a great place this is. Here's a column in the Wall Street Journal that makes some really good points.
"Over the past 15 years, it has been opportunistic newcomers — Houston, Charlotte, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, Riverside — that have created the most new jobs and gained the most net domestic migration. In contrast there has been virtually negligible long-term net growth in jobs or positive domestic migration to places like New York, Los Angeles, Boston or the San Francisco Bay Area.
What as much as anything distinguishes elite places — what Wharton real-estate professor Joe Gyourko calls "the superstar cities" — are their absurdly high real-estate prices. New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles have long been more expensive than, say, Dallas, Houston or Phoenix — but in recent years the difference in price, he calculates, has increased beyond all reason. San Francisco prices since 1950, for example, have grown at twice the national rate for the 50 largest metropolitan areas."
J.D. Hayworth will be filling in for Laura Ingraham on her nationally syndicated radio show on Monday. The show is heard locally on KKNT 960 from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Political junkies are paying close attention to see if JD lands a big time media gig, and a couple dozen would-be Congressmen are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that JD gets such a good job that he won't be tempted to try to regain his old seat.
Don't be surprised if you hear a call like this.
Hayworth: "Let's open up the phones. On the line we have David from Fountain Hills, good morning David, you are on the air. How are you?"
David: "More importantly how are you Mr. Hayworth, I just wanted to say what a great host you are. This is a truly fascinating show about about the impacts of wind farms on the migratory patterns of geese. I think Ms. Ingraham should hire you as a permanent side kick...kind of like Ed McMahon or Tonto."
Hayworth: "Thanks David...gosh his voice sounded familiar...next we have Matt from Mesa."
Matt: "Well JD, I live in Mesa now, but I've been thinking that District 5..I mean Scottsdale, is a really a nice place so I'll probably be moving to a Ward, I mean neighborhood there. I just want to say that you are doing a great job. You've got a lot of talent. How's the negotiations with Fox going? If you need me to make a call or two, I'd be happy to help."
You get the picture.
Why does the media insist on labeling politicians? And more importantly why can't they label them honestly?
Here's a great example from an Associated Press Profile of former Congressman Jim Kolbe. The article appeared in the Tucson Citizen.
Kolbe, a moderate on social issues and a fiscal conservative, a Vietnam veteran and the second Republican in Congress to declare himself gay, was an expert on trade issues who held sway in a closely split swing district time and again - first the 5th District, later reconfigured as the 8th.
Really? I volunteered for Kolbe's 1984 campaign and I've worked with him over the years. I have friends and clients who say that he is wonderful. But does anyone really think that Kolbe's a social moderate and a fiscal conservative?
Kolbe is openly gay, supports gay marriage and abortion rights. He believes that legalization of gay marriage is inevitable. Can that be described as socially moderate? What would a social liberal look like?
On fiscal issues, Kolbe held one of 12 Sub-Appropriations Chairmanships in the House, making him one of the legendary 12 Cardinals. That's a very powerful position and gives him the ability to spend money freely. Many have argued that Congressional Republicans abandoned any semblance of fiscal responsibility when they took over Congress. The men most responsible for the spending culture were the Cardinals. Kolbe can not be described as a fiscal conservative.
Why would the Tucson Citizen use an Associated Press writer to provide a profile of a Tucson Congressman? And why would the writer mislabel Kolbe so badly?
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