Every now and then I truly feel like a dinosaur--a very old extinct species. This article is not a comment on anyone's morality--it is simply a reaction to changes that those of us over the age of fifty have seen in recent years.
Bloomberg.com reported yesterday that Berkeley, California, may set aside $20,000 a year to reimburse municipal employees for sex-reassignment surgery. Berkeley is currently facing $252.8 million in deficits for pensions, disability and worker's compensation.
While you contemplate that scenario, I would like to add a personal observation. One of my daughters was an art teacher before she retired to be a full-time mom. She currently volunteers in her local elementary school (in California) as an art teacher in her childrens' classrooms. Why is she volunteering? Because the school budget has been cut to the point where elementary school children do not get art and music classes as a routine part of their curriculum.
I simply don't understand the priorities on the people setting the budget for municipal governments. Admittedly, my daughter is not in Berkeley, but what does Berkeley represent? Is it an aberration or an indication of things to come? I don't know, but I feel like a dinosaur.
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