Our Platform for Outlining Colorado’s Future

The Boy Scouts should improve their requirements to reach their first advancement category. (Score: 1 + 2 + 7 + 3 = 13) Reasons to agree : 2 1.1 The Boy Scouts should not require people to be "properly dressed" in a Boy Scout Uniform in order to advance to their first rank of "tenderfoot". (Score: 6+3-1-1 = 7) Reasons to agree : 6 You have to go through a monopoly to purchase a Boy Scout Uniform. Monopolies are bad. The uniforms are a racket. Even if uniforms were important, they should be a "nice to have" not a requirement. The belief that what you wear is important is unnecessary. As long as clothing is clean and shows respect for yourself and your troop, it shouldn't matter. There is no strong reason to require uniforms. (Score: +3-1 = 2) Reasons to agree : +3 The Boy Scouts of America are judged on outward appearances rather than their values. The organization didn't adapt marketing strategies to appeal to modern youth. Not everyone understands...

Reasons to agree : +5 The internet has more room than the refrigerator Grandparents can't see your refrigerator, if they live thousands of miles away. You can usually assume other people will want to be treated the way you want to be treated. I wish my parents had access to scanners and the internet when I was little. Kids will want to see their work when they are older. If you house burns down, has water damage, or you loose things, or throw them away, the internet can back them up. Kids will need to get used to their efforts being evaluated by others including their teachers, their boss, and the public. Reasons to agree : -2 Kids might think you are making fun of them, by posting their early work. You don't have the right to publish things, unless they give you permission.  Belief Score : +5 -3 = +2 Images that agree : Soft: Echolocation, a piano, and a bat in a cave Load: An elephant, a lion, and and avalanche Self Portrait Gealaejea James Laub...

Reasons to agree : + 2 It is helpful to tell parents to make rules and set punishments.  Reasons to agree : Kids need rules.  There are studies that show that kids feel anxious, nervous and scared when they feel like they are responsible for everything, and can do whatever they want because they are afraid. Rules set some sort of order, if they are based in common sense. You can't punish people, if they don't know something is wrong. If you really don't want kids to do stuff, you should sit down ahead of time and make a rule of all those things You shouldn't use a set list, but update it and modify it based on things the kids are struggling with. Lists of Rules Below is are rules to consider, based on your family needs. You should pick the ones you like, print it and put it on your fridge Tell the truth. You should have your 2nd grader do homework and 15 minutes of grade level reading before they can choose their own activities. Reasons to agree : ...

Balanced athletic competition in a team environment promotes sportsmanship, cooperation, leadership skills, and the benefits of exercise and hard work. Definition of "good coach" You have to define what a good coach is, before you can do a good job of becoming one. A good coach will: be trustworthy show up 10 minutes early cancel as early as possible in the case of emergencies respectful to the kids be fair to the kids find kids that need a hobby and have the interest and help them apply themselves help kids enjoy striving for excellence get different kids to work well together  help kids set achievable, measurable goals help kids have fun not show favoritism a good coach can find lots of reasons to motivate kids to improve their skills Reasons to agree :  A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that practice can be good social group activity. A good coach can motivate their kids by showing them that practice can be fun....

Reasons to agree :  TV glamorizes dysfunction too much Reasons to agree : +5 Homer Simpson chokes Bart.  Many kids grow up only seeing  dysfunctional  families on TV, and think they want nothing to do with family life.  When I wrote a book report in Jr. High Rosanne was on. I wrote, " In contrast, I recently watched Roseanne. The show started out with three criticisms in a row, between Roseanne and her daughter. Rosseane would say something mean about her daughter's grades. Then the daughter would say something mean about Roseanne's weight. This continued for the whole show. The next day I watched Roseanne again. Roseanne thought that Tom wanted a divorce. She said, "I want the house, he can have the kids, but I want the house." Many kids grow up thinking this is the way marriage will be, and it is not a laughing matter. It seems there is no value placed on children. The number one thing is money. Many Educators believe attitude's about family rela...

Reasons to agree : +7 Young kids will never catch geese. Geese can bight back. They have sharp teeth.  Geese are overpopulated. For instance here in Chicago they put chemicals on eggs to prevent them from hatching, because their are too many, and they poop everywhere and create environmental problems. The lack of predators have allowed geese to overpopulate.  If you eat meat you are guilty of more violence against animals than chasing geese.  Geese may get chased by wild animals. They are violent against each other. They rape ducks (google it, it is a fact). You can't apply people ethics to animals. Animals chase each other. Cats chase mice and play with them. If you don't want animals tormented you will have to kill all cats.  Its cool to watch birds fly. Letting kids chase birds until they fly gives kids an awe, and an experience, and an appreciation for animals. It is possible to love animals, and hunt them, as native Americans taught us. Chasing...

Where much is given much is expected. I was given a lot. If I turn out to be an OK person, I owe it to my family and the good start they gave to my life. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. Reasons to agree I don't remember my parents ever yelling at each other. I argued with my Dad when I was in high school, and he just put up with me. I was never spanked. I know people who spank are often also great parents. I'm not saying their are not. I'm just saying, for me that is one area that my parents were really great about. My parents lets us have water fights. My older brothers didn't beat me up for squiring them (see image below, for verification). My parents let me where weird aqua-man masks (see image below, for verification). My parents took us camping, even when I was young, which is not easy (see image below, for verification). Images that agree: My squirting my brother Steve. My shorts are almost staying up. My dad walked me up the narrows i...

Background, definitions, and assumptions For a place to be considered good, it must be better than average.  Chicago land is, of course, Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Reasons to agree : +10 Chicago has lots of stuff to do, that don't cost too much money .  Trips to the zoo are good for kids  (+1). Chicago has good zoos.  Chicago has good mass transportation  (+2).  Chicago has good architecture  (+0). Its cool to live near good architecture.  You can leave near Chicago, and still have a back yard.  Despite criticism of suburban sprawl kids have fun in their back yards  (+0). Bolingbrook, a typical suburb of Chicago, has pretty good parks . Kids like fireworks , and there are often good fire works shows around Chicago. For instance Navy Pier has free fireworks during the summer, their are good firework shows across the suburbs on the 4rth of July, and the Chicago Air Water show has good fireworks. Numbers are what ma...

Assumptions: Good means low cost, and high quality. Transportation includes parking. Not all transportation facilities are "public". For instance privately owned parking garages are part of the equation. Reasons to agree : If you are lucky you can find parallel parking for free around Lincoln Park Zoo. Parking is $1.00 an hour, if you can find any, near Northerly Island. I drove there with 2 bikes in  my car, and my 7 year old son, and we rode to Millennium Park and back.  Kids ride the Metra free on the weekends.  The Water Tower Place Mall does parking validation.  It costs $7 per adult to ride to Chicago Union Station (week-end passes, kids ride free). From there you can walk to a number of places: Millennium Park.  In the summer, kids can play in the fountain. Bring towels, and a change of clothes. It is sort of white trash, but they can change in the bathrooms.  Each time you go down the kids will probably want to look at ...

Images that agree : (stolen from Megan's Website ) People will take and publish unflattering photos of you You will get sick Nothing Last forever Phil went on vacation, and the mosquitoes like him. We lost power on vacation and came home to this.

Images that agree : (stolen from  Megan's Website )

Reasons to agree : People need holidays Images that agree :(some stolen from  Megan's Website ) 2011, Easter 1978 or 1979. Bobbie, Earl, Me, Dad, Bro

Reasons to agree : If you have a sump pump, it will fail. When it fails, is probably during a rain storm, when you need it to work. Crawl spaces in Illinois fill with water, if you don't have a sump pump, for some reason.  Images that agree : (stolen from  Megan's Website ) Our sump pump runs quote often, when it rains, leaving a pond which we tell the kids not to play in.

Reasons to agree : 4 The Chicago Field Museum has Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus skeleton currently known. A visit to a museum is not as educational as reading a book, but it is educational enough.  Not as educational as reading a book In order for something to be very educational something has to go into depth. Reading plaques in front of stuffed animals is not very in depth.  ... it is educational enough At a museum you get to brows a bunch of topic. I guess the goal is that you find something that is interesting, and then you can go somewhere else and learn more later. With no guided tour you can do whatever you want. You get out of it, like most life, what you put in. Perhaps instead of rushing from thing to thing, find a few things you are interested in and then really experience that thing. Perhaps bring a sketch pad and draw stuff. The Chicago Field Museum is a short walk from Northerly Island, which offers park...

Reasons to agree : He likes to carry things in his mouth (see images below for verification).  He likes to dig in the dirt.  Images that agree : Ali Loves the Trampoline, James Loves His Bike, and Phil Loves Pots of Dirt.