FOOTLOOSE AND…
Did you know that Germany had squirreled nearly half of its gold reserves at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York? Yup, billions of dollars of the European nation’s postwar accumulated gold has been safely stored under the bustling streets of New York City. Now firmly established as the continent’s leading industrial nation, Germany will start to return much of the wealth (300 tons of gold) to the vaults of the Bundesbank in Frankfurt.
And yes, there are greedy legislative operatives even in a country like Kenya. In a nation where the average annual income is $1,700, the 221 departing Kenyan legislators outraged the population by trying to award themselves a $110,000 bonus on top of their salaries. Their regular salaries are $175,000 per year. Fortunately, the nation’s embattled president, Mwai Kibaki, refused to sign the bill.
Back in America, it turns out that intercollegiate athletics in public universities cost a pretty penny. Paid for in good measure by students, the Division I athletic programs have ignored the nation’s tough times, and between 2005 and 2010, their athletic costs skyrocketed at least twice as quickly as academic spending versus other schools with top-tier athletic programs. Football easily tops the athletic money being spent, with $92,000 per athlete against a paltry $14,000 for non-athletes.
Then there is the state of Mississippi. In one state school district, 33 of every 100 children were arrested or referred to juvenile detention centers. Other state districts included second- and third-graders in their referrals. The most often, “referred offense” was disorderly conduct. Also, there have been numerous cases in which kids have been handcuffed (or sent home) for violating the dress code, not wearing a belt or wearing the wrong type of shoes. C’mon fellas — this is the 21st century!
