Charlespox on 
1. This week, 21 teachers from the Merrill School District were laid off. Until now, education, while hurting, has not yet seen some of the troubles experienced in the private sector. What are your thoughts about this? Should teachers be the last to go, or should they be subject to the same ups and downs the rest of the economy faces?
2. Speaking of education, Rasmussen College presented their plan to expand into Wausau. With them, they will bring jobs and the opportunity to earn a Bachelors Degree in Wausau. We currently support two other colleges in our community. Do we have room for more? What are your thoughts?
3. For as long as I can remember, the Badger State Games have taken place here in Wausau, yet I’ve never seen them. Have you? What keeps you away, or draws you in?
4. Next weekend is Valentine’s Day. Based on your experiences here in Wausau, what is the most ideally romantic night you can put together, using Wausau locations?
5. Finally, just because it’s been bothering me…I’ve been thinking about whether it’s possible for a band to get better when it loses key members. The only ones I can think of that I can make an argument for are: Van Halen (Roth to Hagar, and it’s arguable) & Sabbath (Dio to Ozzy). I’m sure there are more, but most likely, the band ambles towards obscurity (see: Styx and Journey).
6. And now, an encore question. What is the best encore you have ever seen at a music show? I think mine was the encore from the Elton John/ Billy Joel show I saw in Milwaukee County Stadium in August of 1994.
1. It is always a shame when people lose their jobs, no matter what the situation. Especially teachers. The ones you trust to teach your kids, be your connection to safety when they are away from home and in a lot of sense… basic social skills. Should they be included in the economics of running the state, county, village, etc.? I would hope that they would be the last considered, unless their employment isn’t needed to have the school function properly.
2. I’m all for people learning. Will it affect the two colleges that we have now? The school’s merits will stand for themselves, I guess.
3. Never been to them, but it is a huge boon to the city’s restaurants, hotels and gas stations when they are here. I think that is the first time I’ve ever used the word boon. Kind of a funny sounding word, isn’t it?
4. My romantic dates consist of a twelve pack of Milwaukee Best Light, two bottles of NyQuil, a tourniquet, four bundles of bleached straw, a rag soaked with ether and two bus tokens. Oh, I almost forgot… a partridge in a pear tree. I may be the wrong person to ask this question perhaps.
5. Mick Taylor taking over when Brian Jones died, Jeff Beck replacing Eric Clapton then Jimmy page replacing him in the Yardbirds, Phil Collins replacintg Peter Gabriel (I like the Garbiel stuff more, but Genesis sold more albums with Collins), David Coverdale joining Deep Purple, many, many more times it has happened. The performers that can “get away” with changing bands have to have a certain name and flair about them to pull it off. What? Styx is obscure? I’ve been waiting almost 18 years to hear the sequel to Mr. Roboto.
6. There are so many, but to pick one.. I’ll have to go with Led Zeppelin at the Los Angeles Forum playing first Kasmir, then Dazed and Confused, ending with Whole Lotta Love. Yep, that’s the one.
1. In my humble opinion, there are certain necessities in life…food, air, water, shelter, and teachers. If we give up learning by the absence of those who teach, who will save us from our ignorance? And if we allow ignorance to flourish, how can we improve (and survive) our world?
2. I am thrilled at the prospect of another source locally for higher education. Wow!
3. I’ve never been to the games. I think they’re fantastic and know several people who are deeply involved in them. But I have never found the time to make them a priority personally. I should try to do better at those types of things.
4. We’ve been married for 34 years now. A romantic Valentine’s Day for us is me cooking dinner, him doing the dishes, and both of us dozing off in front of the tv with both our hands in the popcorn bowl. Doesn’t get any better than that. (By the way, Timothy…your answer scared the hell outa me!!!)
5. & 6. I have no answer to these, as I have stated before, I am musically incompetent.
1. I would have thought teachers would have been the last to go. In all of the cutbacks going on, my gut instinct is to consider homeschooling my children just as I was homeschooled, though I can see how this won’t solve any problems and won’t help the situation for my neighbor.
2. Perhaps I am naive, but I don’t see how we wouldn’t have room for another college. If they feel they can fill up their classrooms, more power to them.
3. I have never been to the games, but like others, I’ve known people who have. I was never into sports, and they didn’t have scrabble or trivia competitions as part of the games, so I was excluded.
4. We’re still honeymooning, having only been married for less than 4 years. A romantic time for us is any activity without children invited. Last time we had a date day, we went and picked out a new perfume for me to wear, then we went and painted pottery at Clay Corner. This was followed by a non-chick-flick movie at Cedar Creek. — We won’t be going out on Valentine’s Day, though I might make something special for dinner.
#5. Shawn you say Dio to Ozzy. Don’t you mean Ozzy (the orinal) to Dio (the replacement)? Two others: for my money the Eagles got a lot better when Joe Walsh replaced Bernie Leadon. And the most impressive of all: Ringo Starr replaces Pete Best in the Beatles.
1. The teacher layoffs are the result of a lack of foresight on the part of people who should have known better…extreme negligence…in addition, a creative imagination need find more reasonable places to cut…no money for extra-curriculars…no transportation for extra-curriculars…these activities must be privately funded or not at all…
2. A local example of Dale Carnegie’s classic truism “there is a sucker born every minute.”
3. I hear they added a new event, the tube pull…
4. We’ll get a babysitter and then go skiing at Granite Peak –
maybe coffee and desert at Starbucks…if we have dinner the Chang Garden, City Grill or the 2510…this is a rare event for us so we enjoy every moment…
5. Absolutely…
Barry
1. Teachers SHOULD be the last to go. K-12 education is not a free-market enterprise; it’s a necessity for a progressive society. The top-heavy administrations should be the first to go (this includes you, Shawn) along with sports and costly extra-curricular activities.
2. Yes, Wausau has plenty of room for another college. And while I personally don’t advocate for for-profit colleges, I think they have every right to be here. By the way, Shawn, as someone who works in post=secondary education in Wausau, you should know that there are more than two colleges here. Wausau has UWMC, NTC, Upper Iowa University, a UWSP satellite campus downtown, Concordia University (based out of Trinity Lutheran Church), Marian College, and Edgewood College (soon to offer a graduate program).
Hey Matthew:
That was my bad! For some reason, I thought Dio came first, then Ozzy, then Dio again. Take ’em off my list :)
jondoe:
I appreciate your candor! I was aware of the other colleges offering programs in our area. I was referring more to the whole “brick and mortar” building that comes with Rasmussen, and to some extent, the inclusion of a for-profit institution. For most, when you ask which colleges operate in Wausau, most would include UWMC and NTC…
Actually Shawn – if you asked people who have been around here for a long time, there would only be one college, UWMC. NTC despite its name change is still regarded as the Vocational-Technical School (or as it used to be called Vogey-Tech).