That looks really nice!!

Because the teachers are not allowed to fail the students because then they won't graduate on time and that lowers the state funding to the school. Yes fixing K-12 would fix that, for the next generation. It isn't doing anything for Gen Z who is already suffering the consequences, and it would take several graduating classes for employers to change their policies based on these changes. I am not defending it. It stinks to high heaven! It is what it is at the moment. Sigh.

F or what it is worth, students have to be 24 in order for their parents' income to not count against them. There is NO recourse for any student whose parents are living but refuse to fill out FAFSA and many schools will not offer financial aid or grants to students whose parents failed in this regard. The only other ways to be independent are get married, have a child, be an orphan, age out of foster care. That's it. I just read an article on CNN about a couple from UNC who really aren't a couple. They were friends who got married for financial aid. Their parents did not financially support them or assist them with college, but the EFC calculated from their parents' income meant they got zero financial aid. They went to college for two years on student loans, many tens of thousands of dollars in loans. Then they hit on getting married and sharing housing expenses. They got a boat load of financial aid and grants saving them, probably between the two $75,000-150,000 maybe more. They have graduated and are in the process of working out their divorce. Now that would NOT be palatable to many religious folks. I get that. But if you are not religious, this is something for your kids to consider. It is not illegal, like it is for immigration. There is NO statute of any kind against it. It really isn't unethical, and especially stacked against the "ethics" of a system that penalizes students for having parents who are not rock bottom poor and which created this financial nightmare to begin with. It is a very viable option and the couple can share living expenses just like roommates. They have no need to prove they have a romantic relationship. So just saying.

Well, for one thing, a high school education isn't what it used to be and a lot of kids are not functionally or numerically literate. The employer cannot count on the person to be able to do even basic functions like writing a decent memo, quick report, scheduling appointments, anything. A good portion of students have been passed on without any learning in order to keep graduation rates tied since so many states tied school funding to graduation rates and high pass rates. I don't blame employers for choosing a higher level of education for the cut off. It shouldn't have to be that way, but my dad when he was in business was offering on job training in heating and air conditioning, and tuition reimbursement for licensing classes and exams but only two people with an A.A. or higher because most of the high school grads coming to him to apply couldn't even fill out the application without significant help. Older adults who camr to him still with no college nor no already attained trades licenses were viewed as likely somewhat illiterate thus their circumstances or lazy. No one likes it, but that is the employer bias that is there.

The problem of costs is entirely the fault of politics on both sides. Here in Michigan, our state schools are basically private schools. They receive so little funding from the state, that they are not state schools, and their tuition/room/board reflect that as the inch closer and closer to being just as expensive as many of the better private schools in the state. The congress on the federal level did not adjust the FAFSA income levels to reflect the fact that tuition had outpaced wage increases by 500%. Thus tuition can be $15,000-16,000 a year at a regional not particularly well ranked "state university" and at an income level of $50,000 gross, financial aid falls off into the ditch! Nothing was ever adjusted to reflect this nor the fact that interest rates on savings accounts that were safe middle income and low earners were crap. Even if someone faithful saved for their entire child's life, at an income below six figures, there was no chance in hell of keeping up with tuition/room/board/fees and books. Minimum wage was kept artificially low so students could not work their way through school, thus the proliferation of the private student loan industry, and endless years of eating ramen and not entering the economy in a way that benefited the wild west capitalism that this country worships. And of course the banking industry, friends of politicians everywhere, managed to make sure student loans could not be discharged in bankruptcy. They charge 8-24% interest on those loans and hound graduates to death. We need regulation, a lot of regulation, and colleges need their asses kicked about things running the academics on a skeleton crew of adjunct professors, and not offering coursework in a timely manner. I know tons of students at our state universities who are waiting an entire year to graduate for ONE class because, just one because the university refuses to offer it if it has less than 12 students, or hire someone to teach it, or waive the requirement, or substitute with a different class. The only programs that can be counted on to provide the coursework on a regular basis, in a timely manner, regardless of how many students sign up for it is engineering programs that are ABET certified because this kind of nitwit financial flim foam can cause them their certification causing a mass exodus of students, and nursing and nursing related medical programs which are regulated by medical boards and have to be timed with graduation and taking state board exams. Students get caught. If they drop out of school and go to work, their student loans come due and they haven't yet graduated. If they stay in school at least half time in order to keep their student loans deferred, they are paying a lot of extra money and likely their scholarships if they have them do not extend into that fifth year. And the interest is growing the whole time....banks love that! Mostly we need to fire every yahoo in public office. Every one of them. But that is never going to happen. Sigh. And a subject for the political social group. That sad at some point some of the retail, real estate, hospitality lobby are going to get pretty darn mad. As baby boomers who hold the bulk of the wealth die off, their kids who aren't as well off and become the primary spenders. Gen X is winding down their spending because savings for retirement hasn't kept pace with inflation and housing costs. Millennial don't have it, and Gen Z is just plain poor and has a long time to go before they have money to spend beyond survival except for those that went into tech and adopt a different lifestyle. Many of them do have jobs with good earning potential and benefits. But they also look at the world for what it is, how the top 2% is looting and pillaging the country, and they aren't buying into the same old same old. They aren't buying new cars even though they might be able to afford them. They are not getting in line to buy their first homes, and nice furniture, and having kids, and ....they are doing life differently and that differently does not produce never ending commodities growth for the wealthy elite like the Waltons. I guess maybe when that fur really hits the fan 10 years from now, someone might think, "Well duh, if we don't do anything to help these two generations, the economy is going to really bust and I'm only going to have a few hundred million dollars instead of billions." 😠 But mostly, in my area, anti-intellectualism is tied to "head in the sand" ideas about what is really out there for good jobs and how to become qualified for them, and hating "experts", hating having to say to their kids, " You really do have to study for your math test and read that novel." They are also very, very afraid that education will change their very narrow view of life. They are not willing to have that thinking challenged so the fewer people who read something different and might say, "Hmmmm.I don't think that is accurate" the better including their own kids.

Here is photo of some of the things I made for fall. The candle though is for year round and the things around it changes. I made six of them and they go on the mantle shelf and various other places. The candle jar will be emptied this week, softener salt layer 2 inches in the bottom (makes great looking fake snow/ice crystals), and the pine cones will be re-used. Simple dollar store silver, gold, and purple minor ornaments (balls) will be layered with the pine cones, and the berries on the outside will remain as well. Then they will be placed with the candles that have the flocked lamb's ears.

We did reach our locally. Funding cuts. The only schools within a two hour drive of here closed out their rocketry programs, and there are no 4H clubs within our district doing it. We were always the only one. So my next call is to the Michigan Space Consortium to see if they want any of it for educational outreach.

Yes, I understand completely. Another thought would be your local domestic violence shelter. Ours loves to get quilts and nice blankets.

I don't know about the camping equipment, but call your local United Methodist Churches. The Bishops have a blanket program for providing blankets to those in need, and collect for it annually. Very likely the UMC can take them off your hands.

I am sorry things are so tough for your son! People have no idea just how difficult it is to get going in a career path, and yet make recommendations based on that ignorance. So frustrating! Best wishes to your son.

I want to start this process as well. It needs to begin with a 10x12 room packed with 4H stuff that the extension office did not want when we quit our volunteer positions. It seems hard emotionally to part with it. I am sorry it is hard for you and mobility issues are behind it. Hugs!

It sounds to me like you can skip it. LOL on the photo! 😂

Right. I have to laugh at the college educated parents who suggests a trade and somehow thinks this is "easy" to get like the test is "what is the difference between a Philip's head and Flat head screw driver?" Uhm. Nope. A master electrician, a master plummer, a solar contractor, the diesel mechanic for those John Deere tractors, etc. these all require coursework, tons of study, nasty exams, and experience gained by apprenticeship/internship with those already qualified and working in the field, and those things are arranged by the program director of, most of the time, a community college. They are entirely ignorant of the very thing they are recommending to their young adult! Apparently they still believe the old adage, "Ignorance is bliss!"

Oh I am interested. Our son almost accepted UAH's offer - aerospace - but opted in the end for electrical engineering and a state school here. He adores EE! So in state tuition plus scholarships exceeded his award from UAH. I have a feeling my grandsons will be at UAH/UA or Auburn simply because dsil wants to remain in Huntsville and has a lot of job opportunities in the area for advancement. They are happy there, and so in state is going to be the thing, and if they go to UAH and live at home, it cuts costs by a whole bunch. Dorms and meal plans are out of control!

This gets the trophy. In our area trades are not offered through on the job training or apprenticeship. They are licensed fields which require first, "book learning" and state testing. Guess where this is offered? Community College. The notable exceptions are Paramedic School which is of course state regulated and is usually offered through EMS itself although it can be offered through CC. The other three are house painting drywall, and cosmetology. Even the electrical journeyman path is through CC. I.T. certifications? CC. So because of the bias against formal education beyond high school, against (in the case of the many local fundamentalist protestant churches) "the devil's school", in the end, they don't go into trades either. The end result is we have an awful lot of young adults around here going through their twenties unqualified to do anything which means yea, they can cashier for Wal-Mart or the gas station, work fast food, etc. However, they have no room for advancement. These are totally dead end jobs. The managers of these places all have two year business management degrees from CC because that is what owners/corporate want. What I always find so mystifying about this is the sheer number of these kida.whose parents are educated post high school, thinking about the ones I know, a dentist, two vetetinarians, three dada with multiple contracting licenses that required easily two years of CC study and test taking, the one with the bachelor's degree in automotive engineering, several RN's, two pastors with master's in divinity degrees from Asbury of all places, another with a four-year criminal justice degree working for the probation/parole department, ... and their financial stability is based on their educations opening job opportunities for them. Yet they seek to restrict this for their children. The only thing I can think of is they live in very big fear that an education will and job opportunities will allow their adult kids to move away, become independent have an original thought and this is unacceptable. We have also had a huge resistance to any kind of quality high school education much less posts high school from the group of workers who all got jobs in the 60's and 70's in manufacturing with the big three automakers or their subsidiaries. These folks had great jobs, great benefits, and pensions and retired young leading a very comfortable retirement life. They honestly thing this is coming back to America! I mean, they really think their kids will still find jobs like that without post high school education and training. It's crazy! I have said before at school board meetings when parents get upset because Buford has to take algebra 2 and biology in order to graduate with a regular diploma, "Go look at the job postings for GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Go look at the job postings for Walbro. You will not find jobs that do not require at minimum a 2 year degree plus professional licensing or certifications (or the equivalent in many years of experience) and all of those certifications and licenses require some level of college coursework in order to pass the tests. Your kid can take Algebra now or later, but unless he is content at minimum wage, 30 hours a week, no health benefits no 401K at Dollar General for the rest of his life, your kid cannot avoid going to CC or Paramedic School." Well, okay, they can work on one of the local dairy farms. But not only are the pay and hours awful, the local farmers are down right abusive to employees which is a topic for another day. The local farm culture here is NOT healthy. So there is quite a LOT of living with heads in the sand going on around here. I am not saying that this is everywhere or is the source of the anti-intellectual stance in other places. I am just referring to local culture. They seem to think that without the effort of getting more than a very basic childhood education at our not very stellar public schools, employers should be throwing their kids fantastic, high paid jobs with benefits and room for future advancement. Oy! I think our county tech center for public school does not help. It used to be really good and did help prep kids for further training and education in trades. However, in the quest for making sure all the kids graduate on time regardless of what they have or have not achieved, has been dumbed down to an unholy level of stupid and is a half day of just babysitting teenagers while doing a few fun projects. No real education is going on there now. But the parents are under the delusion that their kids are being prepped for marvelous jobs. Given that the vast majority of those in cosmetology do not pass their board licenses, and the vet tech kids have a high rate of failing out of the first semester of vet tech, and ......you can see a running theme here....I think people need to wake up and smell the coffee. Locally, is a very large group of parents that would be happy with their kids never reading anything in literature in school never taking a math based science class, never having a history class that required one to think and read above a 7th grade ish developmental level, never take algebra or accounting, never have a fine arts class....just don't touch football and cheerleading. Those are sacrosanct.

So who won? 😆😆😆😆😆😉

It depends on a lot of things like their finances and health. Our political/legal landscape really had not kept up with the complexity of situations so many of us face. Maybe you can find a social worker or community legal aid lawyer who is really experienced with these issues and can ask them some tough questions.

Yes we anxiously await the offering of an image of the monolithic god of decoration and mystic messaging! 😂😂😂

I am sorry for what you are going through, and I am most certainly glad you find purpose in faith. That's great for you. Please at least accept that for me, christianity is hell on earth and provides NO comfort, joy, peace, or assistance. It is really offensive when Christians assume certain things about non-christians. I totally accept what your faith does for you. Likewise, you should accept what I say to be true for me. And yes, I can understand your perspective. Don't think for one single second that I was not a Christian at any point in my life...that old "No True Scotsman myth". You would be profoundly wrong. My deconversion has been a complicated journey from a person of profound faith to one in abject despair because of that faith. I 100% understand what you believe and why it informs your perspective. That is wonderful for you. It does not hold true for me. Best wishes and peace to you and your family.

We are what is known as the sandwiched generation. We have been squashed between the two!

Oh yuck! Be safe everyone!

Cat, I totally agree with you about a surge because of Tday and BF. It was i.n.s.a.n.e. out there Friday just from the pictures posted on social media, and no masks in sight in a county with only 40% fully vaxed, and another 5% with one shot.

This. Do not answer the message, block her number.

The reality is if you take them in and then your life circumstances change and you cannot care for them, you have a very real problem on your hands and that is where elder abuse or neglect charges can come into play. They are legally tenants in your house even if they don't pay rents once they have been there for a period of time (varies by state). You did accept responsibility for them. So ya, it gets fraught. Some states will also get after you if you take them to an ER and drop them off, abandonment. But, not all states by any stretch. One of the best ways I have seen is to call for an ambulance if they are in having a mentally altered state moment, have come down sick, fall, etc. Let the paramedics take them to the hospital, and then when the social worker calls, reiterate over and over that you cannot care for them that the situation has worsened, and you no longer have the resources. Even if you are not working full time, let them think you are. Most communities do not have adult day care for medically fragile persons so they can't point you to that to try to get you to take the elder back. Stay firm. Then when they realize you cannot care for the patient anymore, they will usually (not always but it is common) send them to rehab pending a bed opening up in a nursing home or group home. It is a real problem. These days with so much extraordinary medical procedures and pharmaceutical support, people are far out living their ability to care for themselves by not weeks or months but years and even decades. It is straining families to the breaking point, fracturing a lot of relationships, finances, and community resources. Planning for eldercare, expanding the safety net, problem solving all got kicked down the road and went unaddressed for so long that the US is 20-30 years behind the eight ball in terms of evolving social policy and resources to match the outcomes of expanded life spans coinciding with medical fragility and extended periods of lost mobility. So I get really leery about people taking in elders when there was no cohesive plan in place that all families enthusiastically embraced long before crisis forced their hands. Multi I generational homes can be a real blessing. But I think they only work when all the planning and transition takes place prior to the elder becoming a high care person so everyone has a chance to integrate their lives under better circumstances and with less stress...iron out the kinks so to speak. Life being quite the evil little pixie, unfortunately doesn't always give us that time! And I say all of this as someone who owns a home in Alabama, our retirement home, that is actually set up for three/four generations to live there if needed. But that was a long process of planning with my mom and our kids, and then careful execution. Despite all of that, mother in law still will never live with us. My mom absolutely will. Mother in law will end up in a facility here if she continues to deteriorate and then in a facility in Huntsville.

Can I ask how this is different from treatment revisiting hypertension, diabetes, pneumonia,.....? I am asking because people go on BP meds and over time they become ineffective. Should they have just not had meds to begin with and crossed their fingers that they would not have a stroke? Diabetes? My mom's type two meds have had to be switched three times in the last ten years because of becoming ineffective? Should she have just never gone on meds to begin with and hoped everything would turn up unicorns? It is a serious question. There is a logical inconsistency here. Once a brain becomes injured or diseased it is usually a life lonf, permanent condition and choosing not to treat it does not change that and make it a temporary condition.