Brookfield Basics

I have the day off and spent the morning enjoying small things, like taking our daughter to school, saying hello to her Principal and teachers, and an unhurried cup of coffee while reading the printed version of Brookfield Now.  Later, I have a lunch date with our third-grade son.  I will cherish this, as it could well be the last year he views Dad coming to school as something cool. 

Now before I get into the subject matter of this article, I have some disclaimers. 

I love sports - always have.  I love them as a participant and as a spectator, and was fortunate enough to have a solid, if not spectacular athletic experience in High School.  I remain as physically active as my schedule allows, and coach youth sports every other year.  Our kids enjoy their sports teams, and I state the obvious by recognizing athletics can be an integral part of a young person's physical, psychological, and emotional development.  

But I was struck by something while reading NOW that indicates we are out of balance.    

On page sixteen there is a brief (less than one hundred words) article noting the fact that the Brookfield East High School Forensics Team will be performing at the Elm Grove Public Library, on Thursday February 7th, at 7 PM.  I am glad that the editors of Brookfield Now highlighted this noteworthy event.

But later, beginning on page thirty, we are treated to six full pages of coverage for local sports and athletics, replete with four large pictures, two of which are in color.

I don't begrudge the coverage on sports.  But it is a commentary when the reigning Wisconsin State Champions in Forensics merit a photo-less blurb, compared to what our sports obsessed culture serves up for athletics.  

As mentioned earlier, last year the Spartan Forensics team brought home the State Championship Trophy.  Compare the coverage that team got with what we see when a local sports team plays a regular season game, much less wins a State Title. 

I have seen several students of BOTH High School Forensics Teams speak in public, and comport themselves with dignity and articulation.  These programs instill skills and attitudes in the kids that will last a lifetime, long after muscle and bone and reflexes are unable to do what they once did.

This isn't a criticism of Brookfield NOW, for it only serves what the market wants.

But maybe it's time we start giving some equal time to such achievements, and in so doing, getting back into balance.

An African Basuto proverb says the following:

"If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he had better first make certain that he has something of value to replace them".

I thought of this proverb last weekend when I purchased a used set of books entilted "The Children's Classics".  Contained in this worn collection are treasures of literature best intended for young audiences.  Titles such as Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe, The Arabian Knights, King Arthur, Treasure Island, and many others.  I found the hard-covered set at an estate sale, and they instantly brought back fond memories of my boyood and elementary school days.   

Today we are witnessing the disappearance of the classics from our libraries, and from the bolt of our cultural fabric.  In another generation these titles will not even be recognized, in which case of course, we will cease to call them classics.  There are two questions to be asked in light of this:

  >Does this matter?

  >Have we replaced the passtime of reading and the quality of such content with anything of equal value?

Something of Value is the title of a novel published in 1955 by Robert Ruark, and is the source of the Basuto proverb.  A film of the same name was made in 1957, and starred Signey Poitier and Rock Hudson.  Robert Ruark was a prolific American columnist and author.  He was also a big-game hunter who spent much of his time in Africa.

The Elmbrook Education Foundation is sponsoring its annual fund raising "Have a Ball" party on Saturday February 23, from 7 PM to Midnight at the Elite Fitness and Racquet Center, 13825 West Burleigh Road in Brookfield. 

The Foundation is a private group of citizens which dates back to the 1950's, and its purpose is to support the students and programs of the Elmbrook District Schools.  It does so by raising money via private donations, business contributions, and fund raising events such as the Have A Ball party.  Funds raised by the Foundation are invested directly back into the school community in the form of grants to the District's eleven schools and scholarships for students.  Beginning in 2001, the grants have enabled the purchase of nearly $150,000 of materials and equipment for the schools.  The scholarships are awarded directly to deserving students who exhibit outstanding performance in the areas of academics, leadership, and service to both their schools and our community.  Since its inception, the E.E.F. has given out over $800,000 in scholarships to nearly nine-hundred deserving students.  Last year, twenty-eight High School seniors received scholarships of $1,500.00, and the Foundation plans some major announcements of additional grants later this month. 

The annual winter fund raiser is a significant source of funds for the Foundation, and this year's party will include catering by Eddie Martini's, music by the Brookfield East Jazz Quartet, a silent auction from 7-9 PM, tennis, free-throw shooting contests, and more.  Tickets for the event are $50.00 each and can be purchased in advance by calling 414-319-9851.  The dress is casual and the environment is low key and enjoyable.  It's a great way to have a fun evening out and meet some people, all while putting your money to great work right here in our community.    

If you are interested in learning more about the E.E.F. and the tremendous work it does, please see its web site at:

www.elmbrookeducationfoundation.com

Thanks to the many people who give their time and effort to make the Foundation work in and for our commmunity.

Put it on your calendar - and Have A Ball.

Let's see now...............

An organziation that exempts itself from the very Social Security System that it has bankrupted, and cannot even protect the college age youth in its employ from the improper sexual advances of its own members, is now turning its all-correcting eye to the task of cleaning up Major League Baseball.

Even if you care about what Roger Clemens did or did not inject into his backside, what makes anyone think the United States Congress is going to be able to do anything effective in this regard?

The only thing more pathetic than Barry Bonds saying he didn't do it, is the sight of a bunch of Beltway Suits ginning up their latest wave of self-righteous indignation, and projecting criticism on to Major League Baseball that they would never level at themselves. 

I have become a believer in term limits; a topic I will try and get to later this month.

Cigarettes have been in our news a lot since the New Year.  Last week Wisconsin's new cigarette tax was implemented, and smokers are now sending one dollar per pack in additional tax to Madison.  Now there is talk of a legislative ban on smoking in all public places.   

Mick Jagger was once a student at the London School of Economics, and is renowned in the music industry for his business acumen.  In 1971 he made tax "exiles" of the Rolling Stones by moving the band permanently out of England.  They settled in New York City, and in 1978, released the album Some Girls, which, fueled by hit after smash hit, went multi-platinum.  One of those hits, When the Whip Comes Down, is a tough and gritty anthem about some of the darker sides of the city's sub-culture.  I saw a bit of that sub-culture on a trip there last September.

In the five burroughs, the combination of State and City taxes on cigarettes has risen to such a level that for the most part, people just don't buy them there anymore.  Instead they cross the Hudson to New Jersey or head north to Connecticut; a predictable reaction that is costing the City enormous revenue.  But what I found fascinating was the functioning of a black market that sees people drive to Virginia where tobacco is cheap and taxes on it are low.  They return to the City, their vehicles loaded with smokes, and sell their contraband on the street at a fraction of what a retailer can charge.

This has a lot of people in Gotham City Hall hopping mad about black markets and lost revenue.  But whatever one's reaction, surprise should not be one of them, for people and markets ALWAYS react to economic stimulus; even mega-wealthy rock stars.

I spent nearly six years of my young life addicted to Marlboro Reds, and know first hand what a powerful vice tobacco is.  But despite this, I believe we will ultimately see the revenue Wisconsin collects from this new tax FALL, as enterprising people around our State take action to avoid the new tax, or best of all, quit.

But specifically, this cigarette tax and the proposed ban on smoking is a bit surreal.  Government at every level spends millions in public health campaigns to prevent smoking, while at the very same time, grows ever more addicted to the revenues generated by the very habit it is trying to eradicate. 

The title of another hit song from Some Girls could describe such an approach.

Shattered