August 25, 2006

Those poor teachers, only making $70K/yr

My school-teacher mother won't like this, but one of the most persistant myths in America is that public school teachers are underpaid. It's almost as persistant as the myth that teachers' unions care about kids. Really, they're the same myth.

When they're being honest and think nobody's listening, teachers' union leaders will admit that they exist as collective bargaining units whose goal is the same as any other union: to maximize wages, minimize working hours, and make working conditions such that those who don't wish to work don't have to. (OK, maybe not in these words.) Hence their opposition to merit pay, where good teachers would make more. Hence the tenure system, which makes it impossible to fire bad teachers. In New York, even teachers accused of inappropriate sexual advances on students remain in the system for years because "their due process rights have to be respected," according to union officials.

Last year I attended a back-to-back lecture by two old women. One was a rather haughty buzzard, trailed around by a clumsy lackey who took her picture from every possible angle as she spoke. She was the head of the CSA, the principals' union in New York. She discussed how important the union is because it "protects principals' due process rights" and how Bloomberg's wildly successful reforms have "created an unbearable, hostile work environment for principals." She went on and on about how the principals' job is so tough, largely because of Gates-backed reforms, low pay (many make 6 figures), and new demands for accountability. She went on to describe how the New York Schools Chancellor wants her out, how they think she's an old relic, a dinosaur.

One person asked if the union feels any need to help weed-out bad principals. "No, if they hire a bad principal, that's their fault. It's our job to ensure that their due process rights are respected."

Another asked if the union helps train principals. "No."

One of my friends was growing increasingly frustrated. Her degree is in Education, and she asked, "So what does the principals' union do?"

The reply: "Our job is to bargain collectively on behalf of our members and ensure that their due process rights are respected by management."

Friend: "So you don't train principals, you protect bad principals, and you don't see any responsibility to help reform the system? Why haven't you said anything about your duty to help improve childrens' educations?"

Touche. (She felt bad for saying this, but I wanted to get up and cheer.)

After the old principals union buzzard left, another elderly woman stood up. She wore tastefully stylish clothes for a 70-something woman and looked a bit like Betty White, without that ditzy Golden Girls air. The union boss hadn't noticed her, or at least didn't recognize her. She looked every bit the distinguished lady, but she was clearly straining to hold in her frustration. Whenever a grandmotherly woman starts out by saying, "Let me tell you something," you know you're in for a ride. If anyone had any doubt that the principals union boss was exactly as Chancellor Klein might describe her, this septigenarian removed all doubt.

Before us was an old retired executive who spends her time and leverages her network to pair inner-city principals with business leaders. No lackey, no photos for the newsletter, certainly no six-figure salary. She's fabulously wealthy and doesn't have to spend her retirement in crumbling New York public schools. She proceeded to tell us how her organization pairs-up principals and executives and the things that had been learned along the way about small ways to make schools better.

It became abundantly clear who was part of the problem and who was part of the solution. When an educational union boss gives a lecture that mentioned almost nothing of improving kids' lives, and lots of things that detract from a good education (like protecting bad principals), and when a union boss sees her raison d'etre as "collective bargaining," unions can't be part of the solution.

So are teachers underpaid? They get a government salary paid by taxpayers, work 9 months a year, have 2 weeks at Christmas and a week in spring, have jobs for life (tenure), can't be fired if they do a half-assed job, and need only minimal college qualifications. But having all that, it's easy to demand so much more.

Teachers in Gary have recently decided to walk off the job, leaving the classrooms empty for poor kids who need teachers most. Their demands? Nothing that would improve education (smaller class sizes don't count). The sticking point is pay. Indeed, programming and building improvements are being cut to pay teachers more:

“Certainly all schools are experiencing challenges with their budgets and Gary is no different,” said [Superintendent] Mary Steele. “And we have offered them more than what we had available for teacher raises. So we’ve made some sacrifices even with some additional programming and renovations that we had set money aside to ensure that we put on the table that that we’ve put on already.” [source]

So how much does a Gary teacher make? $52,433, and a 3.5% increase over two years is "insulting," says one union member.

Given that teachers only work 9 months a year, $52K is the equivalent of $70K annually, plus gold-plated benefits. Underpaid? Whatever it is, it's not enough; it'll never be enough, they'll always be "underpaid." And this is why teachers unions are detrimental to public education.

Posted by adrianjo at 08:49 PM

July 22, 2006

Joe Slammer

I regularly read the police blotter in the hometown newspaper to see what certain members of my high school class are up to. Below is the biggest one so far--and I could have guessed in 7th grade art class that this kid was messed-up.

Valpo man could get 50 years for cocaine

LaPORTE — A Valparaiso man could face a prison sentence of up to 50 years for selling cocaine.

Joseph Stamper, 27, appeared Friday in LaPorte Circuit Court on Class A felony dealing cocaine; Class C felony dealing in a Schedule IV substance and Class D felony unlawful sale of a legend drug.

He was a fugitive for more than two years until taken into custody by police in Porter County. During a computer check, police discovered the outstanding arrest warrant out of LaPorte County, according to court documents.

In September 2003, police acting on a tip caught Stamper selling more than 6 grams of cocaine for $300 in the 400 block of Main Street in Wanatah.

According to police, the investigation revealed Stamper often drove to Portage for cocaine with money given to him by customers, then returned to complete the deals.

A week later, police said Stamper was caught selling 10 Darvocet pills for $10 outside the Silver Horseshoe, a bar in Wanatah.

The following month, police allegedly observed Stamper selling 35 Darvocet pills outside the same tavern, according to court documents.

Posted by adrianjo at 11:10 AM

December 21, 2005

Update on Valpo people

Being back home again in Indiana, here are three friends from high school who are off doing crazy stuff:

(Sorry, Asoka, I kinda made you sound like a loser there.)

Posted by adrianjo at 08:08 PM

December 20, 2005

A cat & mouse game

VALPARAISO, IND - The family's housecat died back in September, which has led to a large increase in the local population of chipmunks, shrewmouses, frogs, and assorted other critters. This might be a problem given how some of these small critters have taken up residence in the basement (except the frogs, of course).

The neighbor's housecat has decided to come sneak in through the pet door in order to go hunting in the basement. He does this regularly. Tonight, I ventured to the cellar. I found that the mouse that so fascinates Don Gato is running around above the drop-cieling. No wonder the pussycats are so fascinated but have yet to bring a dead mouse upstairs.

Posted by adrianjo at 09:04 PM

November 17, 2005

A first time for everything

An old friend from high school, a fellow now known as The Rev. Daniel Aabye Rodriguez-Schlorff, is running for Illinois Treasurer in the Green Party. I have never voted for a Democrat, nor a Green Party member, in a general election. Next year, however, I might have to make an exception. Here are Schlorff's blog and campaign website.

Posted by adrianjo at 11:04 PM

November 10, 2005

"Fellas, it's been good to know 'ya"

Today is Edmund Fitzgerald Day, the 30th anniversary of the most famous Great Lakes maritime tragedy. A 726-foot bulk freighter carrying twice her weight in iron ore sank in a November storm on Lake Superior just 17 miles from a safe harbor. All 29 aboard were killed.

The Great Lakes usually look calm and flat, but they are lined up and down by various shipwrecks. Consider these weather-related disasters;

I remember as a kid monitoring a nautical radio on Mackinac Island, Michigan. We listend and posted information on the boats as they gave positions during the Chicago-Mackinac race. A storm swept over the northern section of Lake Michigan and Wave Dancer, a pleasure yacht, sent an SOS when she lost her mast in the storm. Lucky for her, the Coast Guard had a cutter nearby that responded and nobody was injured. The lakes can be dangerous. Meanwhile, a fellow was knocked over when he was struck by lightning standing near our monitoring station on the island. Mackinac Island has about 6 motor vehicles in total, and one transported the unlucky fellow to medical attention.

It's worth running a search on iTunes for Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Posted by adrianjo at 04:02 PM

October 17, 2005

Some overdue shout-outs

Here's a shout-out to Morgen, writing in Morgen's Blog o' Dewm, for mentioning my visit to Indiana this weekend.

Also a shout-out to Allison, with whom I had dinner on Thursday, plus Lauer and Big Red. Also Doc and Gordana, who I saw at school on Friday.

In other news, Frank Rich, the liberal New York Times op-ed columnist, is coming to my journalism class tonight. Let's hope nobody gets hurt. I'll post my latest writing here tomorrow.

Posted by adrianjo at 05:02 PM

July 21, 2005

Long live the Queen!

In rural areas like Indiana, the county fair is a highlight of the summer. Local kids, many of whom come from well-known local farming families, get a week to show-off their heifers, goats, swine, corn stalks, and giant tomatoes. Also not to be missed are the tractor shows, demolition derby, and Lions Club ring toss. It's one of the red-state activities that makes middle-America great, one of the things not quite understood by those whose neck is only red because of the skylights in the Ferregamo boutique.

Paranoid blue-staters have decided that it's all a little too much and are forcing the 4-H organization to eliminate its King and Queen titles. Reports the Gary Post-Tribune:

The titles of king and queen have been eliminated in the name of gender equity, specifically Title IX, a 33-year-old federal law that bans sex discrimination in education. The 4-H program is administered through land grant colleges like Purdue, through its extension service, under the auspices of the the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

...

Next year, in a pilot program, the king and queen will be replaced by "achievement ambassadors," said Grott, and applicants will be chosen — without bias to gender — by out-of-county judges.

"Acheivement ambassador"? Lisa Simpson, call your office. The great thing about beauty pagents, properly administered, is that they show that nerdy people can also be beautiful. Calling the nerds "acheivement ambassadors" is not a way to convince impressionable youngsters that they ought to try to acheive something besides looking good. Let's enjoy the beautiful Queen and handsome King at the County Fair and then go check out the swine barn.

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July 03, 2005

Quotation of the day

Quotation of the day:

You look nothing like you did in high school.

Heard in a nightclub tonight from a girl I had a crush on during high school.

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June 29, 2005

They're fat back home

As I recall, Indiana was once declared the fattest state in the nation. I blame it on our high per-capita hamburger consumption, people's love of cheap and greasy fast food, and an addiction to the private motorcar. Now a team of experts has determined that--surprise--Northwest Indiana is far fatter than average. From today's Post-Tribune:

We’re fat in Northwest Indiana.

If you’ve been to the beach this summer, you didn’t need anyone to tell you.

Just to be sure, though, researchers checked our waist sizes and our refrigerators.

Can you guess what they found?

Compared to the rest of the United States, we get less vigorous physical exercise — and more of us spend none of our leisure time being active.

We don’t eat fruit — and consider carrots food for rabbits.

More of us are diabetic — and we’re dying from heart disease.

And we needed a study to tell us this?

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May 23, 2005

Complaints from the fox that killed the hens

I still read my hometown newspaper, the Gary (Ind.) Post-Tribune. Among the more brilliant letters to the editor is this one from a Valparaiso woman today:

Please explain to me why our government lets corporations file bankruptcy, taking away 25 percent of the workers’ savings while allowing the CEOs to collect record salaries and bonuses.

United Airlines paid its CEO a bonus of $366,000 last year while seeking salary and benefit concessions from the workers. CEO Glenn Tilton’s salary and bonuses were more than $1.1 million in 2004.

...

If a company is failing, the bosses who make all the crucial decisions should be fired, and all their bonuses and the majority of their salaries should have to be refunded.

The American workers should not have to pay, with their retirement, salaries, benefits and their jobs, because of the stupidity of management.

There should be laws passed to prevent things like this from happening.

The letter-writer conveniently forgets (or doesn't care) that United Airlines (UAL) entered bankruptcy court as an employee-owned corporation. After its last restructuring in the early 1990s, UAL was bought out by its employees in one of the world's greatest experiments in letting foxes into the henhouse. UAL's trade unions promptly milked the firm for all they could get and now complain that the firm was left so cash-starved that they cannot pay the union's generous pensions. What goes around comes around.

UPDATE: Holman Jenkins of the WSJ has a good column on this topic today (5/25):

Be mindful of how these vapor benefits came into being. Until bankruptcy wiped out its vaunted experiment in worker empowerment, United was 55% owned by its employees and virtually dominated by the pilots union and machinists union.

From 1994 on, they controlled two seats on the board, held sway over a majority of others, and effectively hired and fired the CEO. To boot, labor didn't hesitate to reinforce its clout by threatening strikes and engaging in illegal work slowdowns -- a process that eventually led to the highest wages in the industry. As Rick Dubinsky, head of the pilots union, told management in 2000: "We don't want to kill the golden goose. We just want to choke it by the neck until it gives us every last egg."

Well, the goose is on government life-support now. But labor could always have used its clout to steer more eggs to the pension basket rather than the paycheck basket. A dirty little secret, however, is that it would have been crazy to do so. Pension underfunding (really, benefit overpromising) is too good a bargain to pass up -- a cheap option on government-paid pension benefits in the event of bankruptcy.


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May 14, 2005

Otis the Town Drunk arrested again

There are worse drunkards than MBA students:

PORTAGE: Douglas E. Smith, the man who calls himself "Otis the town drunk," was arrested Friday on a public intoxication charge -- marking the 64th time he has been arrested.

Portage police said Smith called them asking for a ride home since no family members would pick him up. Police said his blood-alcohol concentration was 0.15, so they took him to jail instead.

During an earlier interview with The Times, Smith said he began drinking when he was about 18. He said he's walked around with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.45, enough to put most people in a coma. Court records show Smith has been treated for alcoholism numerous times, including at least three inpatient stays.

He said he can drink two cases of beer in a day, or can gulp down six bottles of wine or three fifths of hard liquor.

The Porter County Probation Department said Smith, if not the most arrested person ever in Porter County, is right up there. Smith said he's been arrested for public intoxication so many times that people he sees at taverns occasionally approach him and ask for his autograph. He's spent about half his adult life behind bars.

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April 02, 2005

Ringing in Spring

I am in Indiana this weekend for the Ringing in Spring 5K, a 3.1 mile foot race that is now the local YMCA's largest fundraiser. Fortunately it all went well... no deaths, and only one crazy guy... though there is always one!

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April 01, 2005

Happy April Fools Day

I took over the city today:

The now-deposed mayor, who is in DC with Congressman Pete Visclosky, received an e-mail of the picture from his assistant. He told the press: "I always knew Jones had a political career ahead of him, but I didn't think he would start by organizing a coup in Valparaiso City Hall."

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March 20, 2005

Would you like McChateau with that?

In the annals of strange politics, the strangest recent event is Valparaiso's mayor (derided by his election opponent as "too religious") walking hat-in-hand to Indianapolis to ask his friend the conservative guv'nuh for more three-way liquor licenses. The proposal is for the State to grant more liquor licenses in downtown areas "with a historic courthouse and historic jail." This is a bit like Chicago asking for something exceptional for "all Illinois cities with buildings over 1200' in height," but it gets the immediate job done.

However, as the Post-Tribune points out, Indiana's blue laws in general need overhaul:

Not only do we support Costas’ proposal, but we encourage the Legislature to take a hard look at the state’s liquor laws through an interim study committee. Many changes are needed.

It wasn’t that long ago that Indiana restaurants couldn’t serve liquor on Sundays. While that has changed, there are other questions. Why is it that someone can drink in a tavern or restaurant on Sunday, yet they can’t buy alcohol at a package liquor store to take home? That makes little sense in terms of drinking and driving. And why is it that a grocery store cannot sell cold beer?

Back in Valparaiso, Costas's goal is to create a fine-dining district. With a limited supply of licenses, prices have risen from $95K a decade ago to $250K today. This effectively stops anything but fast-food restaurants and cafes from opening, since few people eat a fine dinner without wine. With Rome having McDonald's operating as a "restaurant-bar", we can only hope that Indiana's puritanical legislators will at least allow a few restaurants to open and sell Courvoiser in all Indiana downtowns "with a historic courthouse and historic jail." And maybe the Legislature will look a little bit broader, paving the way to McBars in Hoosierville. Then again, maybe this is where the Mayor will draw the line.

This Roman McDonalds serves beer and wine, and the wine is cheaper than Coca-Cola.

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February 09, 2005

Who are Democrats for?

Every so often, I'm really impressed with a letter in the Post-Tribune. Here is an excerpt of a letter written by a 38 year old black man from Gary:

Things are not always what they appear. Just like how blacks overwhelmingly support Democrats, and this is all you have to show us?

I have lived most of my life believing [the] lie that Democrats are for the poor and Republicans are for the rich. The reality is, Democrats are for black leaders and, in the end, you don’t get anything out of the deal.

He doesn't say whom Republicans are for, but I'll take what I can get.

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January 19, 2005

A Quickly comment makes it into the Post

JonCostas.jpgJon Costas (mayor of my hometown) delivered his State of the City address on Tuesday, summing up his first year in office. One of the most interesting aspects of being a political advisor is watching the press reaction the next day.

(By way of background, Jon was elected mayor in late 2003, defeating a 20-year incumbent who had a 71% approval rating. I was Campaign Director.)

Jon is a good speechwriter and getting better. Jon's Achilles Heel is that his speeches aren't particularly saucy, so I try to add a bit of paprika. Take for instance this line in the Post-Tribune's article:

“Make no doubt about it, the condition of our roads stinks,” Costas said. “We have lost ground over the years, and it is time to stop ignoring this elephant in the corner.”

After I saw that in the paper, I had to look up "elephant in the corner" to make sure that the phrase wasn't misused. Thank goodness for Saphire's New Political Dictionary.

The papers covered the city's improving financial situation fairly well, but there was barely a mention of the fact that Jon doubled the annual job creation rate touted by the previous mayor. I suppose that this is an issue in speechwriting--a figure may be newsworthy, but without hitting it hard, it will get buried. The snow may not have been removed perfectly, but 400 more residents are employed in sustainable, non-retail jobs than a year ago. That's a pretty good first year, especially after the prior mayor touted 200 jobs/year.

The Post's beat reporter, Jim Stinson, is a pretty good local political reporter whose articles are usually quite fair and balanced. The campaign had trouble with Jim because he did his job and didn't just repackage the campaigns' press releases. For whatever reason, Jim didn't cover the State of the City, and we ended up reading this boner in the Post:

[One attendee] gave the speech mixed reviews. He said the annexation of 1,600 acres on the city’s west side mentioned both in the speech and in the plan concerns him.

“That’s a lot of roads,” said [the attendee], a former president of the Chamber. “The plan is good, but the total funding is not clear.”

He wonders where the money will come from.

“A lot of the projects are very vague,” he said.

Vague? Gee, this is why there is a cadre of city leaders fleshing out exactly what it means and a 20 page plan sitting on the table. Is the Post sure that this wasn't intended as a comment for Quickly?

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December 31, 2004

Running, but not for office

One of the activities in which I am involved (and have been for the past 11 years) is organizing the Ringing in Spring 5K race in Valparaiso. It started small but is now the largest fundraiser for the local YMCA and one of the largest 5K races in Northwest Indiana. If you're in Indiana on April 2, come down and volunteer or run the race. The entry form went live today.

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December 19, 2004

For whom the wedding bells toll (but in a happy way!)

I never read that book, so I don't know if the title of this entry is appropriate, but there have been two wedding announcements of best friends getting married, two weeks apart.

Congratulations Jaime & Zac and Kathryn & Chris.

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The old woman and the knee

My grandmother is perhaps 85 years old and spends most of her free time at the local Catholic church doing laundry, maintaining the altar, etc. Her Polish immigrant family was quite poor when she was young, and as a result she was placed in a Catholic orphanage. She has returned the favor to the Church her entire life, even now that she is approaching Pope-like frailty. The new priest, however, really drove her up the wall. She thought for sure that he didn't like her, and she also thought he was a perv. Well, turns out that grandma was right:

GARY — A Northwest Indiana Roman Catholic priest, accused of sexual misconduct that allegedly occurred while he was serving in Florida, has been placed on administrative leave.

Gary Bishop Dale J. Melczek took the action against the Rev. Richard Emerson, 52, of Hammond after the diocese’s response team reviewed the allegations...

He is restrained from public ministry or contact with minors pending a Vatican review, the release said. Emerson, who was ordained in 1978 in the Gary diocese, has been pastor of Michigan City’s Notre Dame parish since July 2003.

According to the allegations, Emerson engaged in sexual misconduct with a minor in the late 1980s while he was a priest in the Diocese of Orlando.

It is rumored that Grandma's weather-forecasting knee also tells her which priests are perverts.

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November 03, 2004

I only drink and drive on Election Night

PORTER COUNTY, INDIANA: I won't comment much on the election at the national level other than to say that Bush finally has a mandate and I couldn't be more happy for him. At the local level, we had even more successes, with Indiana government being completely taken-over by the Grand Old Party: returning the Governor's Mansion, gaining control of the Senate, and retaining statewide offices like Attorney General. Meanwhile, my district elected a Republican to the State Senate, for the first time in over 30 years.

As for me, I was given a new nickname yesterday by the Mayor, but I can't quite recall what it was (sorry, Connell). Jim Stinson of the Post-Tribune will surely print it soon, perhaps along with something about the "Female Adrian Jones," the young law student who ran a big part of our get-out-the-vote effort in this County this year. I think "The Baman" is a far better nickname, as she is from 'Bama and proudly plugs the virtues of the beautiful Alabama Riviera.

The races ran well into this morning, with some very close races locally decided only when the last precincts came in after 2AM. As the pumpkin hour loomed, coronor-cum-commissioner John Evans led by only 60 votes of over 20,000 cast, and State Senator-elect Vic Heinold was down by 600 votes of perhaps 30,000 cast. Our friends counting the ballots decided that the GOP was being too demanding in requesting results and decided only to release results to the news media (who had gone to press at midnight). Meanwhile the candidates, who are the ones who actually need the results at 2AM, were cut-out of the loop by the County and sat at Headquarters on pins and needles until the 65,592nd vote was counted. As we sat nervously waiting for the mainstream media to declare Bush the national winner, I reassured the candidates that the GOP's strongest precincts were being counted last. I usually don't make election predictions until the fat lady starts warm-ups, but I know Center Twp and I knew that our precincts would deliver for the GOP. When the final tally was posted online, Vic gave perhaps the best "I won" yell I've ever heard. Sure enough, Center Twp delivered and he pulled together enough votes to come from behind and capture a Democrat's State Senate seat by only 199 votes. Others weren't so lucky, as Bob Wilchinski lost a County Council seat by 198 votes of 66,000 cast.

These tight local races are what makes working the "final mile" fun in politics. When we made over 10,000 get-out-the-vote calls again this year, surely we picked up the 200 votes Vic needed to win his State Senate seat. It's good that our President won, but it's even better that we could influence local races though grassroots democracy.

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September 11, 2004

The mayor needs a new sash

It's September 11, and that means that today is the 5-year anniversary of this website and the 3-year anniversary of my Jewel/Osco Preferred Card account. American supermarkets are great for consumers because it's possible to shop there and never contribute a dime to the retailer's or manufacturer's bottom line. In a typical week, all but one or two items I buy are on promotion--typically 30-50%, which exceeds the typical profit margin in a grocery store item (10-30%). I suppose they'd like me to purchase their stuff when it's not on promotion, but why? Why pay extra when every week, at least one item on every shelf is on promotion? They don't do this high-low pricing in Brussels, and it annoys me that I have to be a profitable customer for Carrefour.

Today is also Popcorn Festival Day in Valpo. I advised Mayor Costas to wear a MAYOR sash like Springfield mayor Joe Quimby has, but I don't think he took me up on the idea. I'm not sure the popcorn festival is as exciting as it used to be. The last time I went was in 2002 with Kelly, and I was more focused on her than on, say, the Shriners in their little cars or the panpipers on every single corner. I used to spend all day at Popcorn Fest. First it was when I was a Boy Scout selling slurpees and artery-busting funnel cakes with Troop 907, though I stopped this when the physical abuse became too much (the so-called "junior leaders" used a foot-long section of red rubberized pipe as a disciplinary tool). Then it was selling artery-busting elephant ears, though college intervened here. I still haven't figured out how someone could eat dough fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar, but at least Popcorn Fest forces people to get out of their cars and walk a few blocks through downtown.

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