Chad’s Morning Brief for 12.17.12
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of December 17, 2012. Give Chad your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11 am.
1. The Rush to Blame Guns
The school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut at Sandy Hook Elementary was a tragedy and one that breaks your heart. Many of us still can't put into words the sadness and shock when thinking about the the children and adults who were killed this past Friday. When a tragic event like this happens people seek to place blame and want to do so quickly. We do this because we can't easily explain why a 20-year-old would do something so terrible.
Blaming guns is easy. The shooter, who I refuse to name, used guns to murder children and adults. So of course many out there want to say we must do away with guns. However, that won't solve the problem. Look at Chicago, where every day we hear of teens gunning each other down. If gun control advocates were right, Chicago would have 0 shootings. Why? Because Illinois has virtually banned handguns. So how is it that in a state that banned guns, it's largest city could be the murder capitol of the U.S.? You see, law abiding citizens. Those who respect guns or collect guns, have guns for safety. They aren't roaming the streets looking to get into a gun fight. Thugs, and those who don't respect life are the ones doing the shooting. Meanwhile, others in Chicago have gone without protection.
I'm not saying that the shooter in Newtown was a thug, but he was set on carrying out a crime. This idea that if we ban guns and crime will go away, while it sounds nice, is not based in reality. Again, look at Chicago. I believe that the shooter in Newtown would have used whatever he could to kill innocents. That was his plan and nothing was going to stop him.
Before rushing to blame guns, let's get all the information we can. Did the shooter have mental issues, as has been reported? If so, why did he have access to guns? In most cases, it's not a problem with guns in this country, but something much deeper. That is what we will have to examine in the coming days.
2. Texas School District Armed & Ready (link)
Did you know that there are some school districts in Texas that allow and encourage their staff to have concealed handguns? It's true and so far those districts are doing just fine.
David Thweatt, superintendent of the tiny Harrold school district in northwest Texas, believes his staff is ready.
Besides special locks and security cameras, an undisclosed number of staff members and teachers carry concealed handguns.
Thweatt said the "guardian plan," which drew international attention when it was implemented in 2008, definitely enhances student safety.
"Is that 100 percent? No," Thweatt said Friday in a telephone interview. "Nothing is 100 percent. But what we do know is that we've done all we can to protect our children."
At the time the plan was put in place, Harrold, about 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth, was the only known public school district in Texas and the U.S. that allowed staff members and teachers to carry concealed weapons. Thweat said he knows of some other districts that have since adopted similar policies, but declined to name them.
Harrold school officials do not announce which teachers are "packing" and those participating must have proper concealed carry licenses. They must also be approved by the school board to carry on school grounds.
Board members approved the measure because the district is at least 20 minutes from the nearest station of the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Department.
The district has one school, with about 110 students and 15 teachers, according to the Texas Education Agency.
"We have one entry to the school," Thweatt said, adding that special locks can be activated from his office. "We also have the cameras, but we didn't have anything to deal with an active shooter."
The guardian plan was researched for more than a year before the school board considered it. Some board members didn't like it.
"My board at first didn't want to be the poster child for this," he said.
But Thweatt said he wanted to minimize casualties that could quickly increase while waiting for deputies. He didn't want a plan where you "lock yourself in your closet and hope that an intruder won't hurt you. So what we came up with was a policy that would protect."
Still, the strategy draws criticism from people who "don't believe guns, kids and schools mix," Thweatt said.
There has not been an incident on his campus, and Thweatt doesn't expect one.
Those who want gun control would argue that this plan is reckless, though evidence has proven otherwise. I think it's time LISD take a look at this. Actually, it's past time for them to do so.
Thoughts?
3. Boehner Caves, White House Wants More (link)
Speaker John Boehner has reportedly caved (shocking, I know) when it comes to increasing taxes on millionaires. However, The White House won't accept the new offer. According to Reuters:
President Barack Obama is not ready to accept a new offer from the Republican leader of the U.S. the House of Representatives to raise taxes on top earners in exchange for major cuts in entitlement programs, a source said late Saturday.
The shape and details of Boehner's offer were uncertain Saturday night, as was the exact reason the president was prepared to reject it.
The source said Obama sees the offer made on Friday by U.S. House Speaker John Boehner as a sign of progress, but simply believes it is not enough and there is much more to be worked out before Obama can reciprocate.
Tax rates and entitlements are the two most difficult issues in the so-far unproductive negotiations to avert the "fiscal cliff" of steep tax hikes and spending cuts set for the new year unless Congress and the president reach a deal to avoid them.
The Boehner offer is the first significant sign of a shift in the Republican insistence that low tax rates set to expire on December 31 be extended for all taxpayers, and comes at some risk to the speaker.
Conservatives, particularly Tea Party-supported Republicans, see opposition to tax increases for anyone as an abandonment of party principles, and of the Republican base.
Obama wants high earners - those earning roughly $250,000 a year or more - to pay higher taxes in order to put the burden of deficit reduction on those he says can best afford it.
Republicans have privately spoken of coming back at Obama with a threshold of $1 million. Obama has previously called that unacceptable because it would not raise enough money on its own to cut the deficit significantly or provide enough money to avert across-the-board spending cuts.
Many of us predicted Boehner would cave to the Democrats. Now the President wants more and knows that he has the overall support to go for the throats of the Republicans.
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