What No Government Shutdown - How Come? - Updated 10/8/26

 

Another government (Partial) shutdown. According to the Department of Homeland Security's September 2025 funding lapse plan, most employees will be classified as exempt, requiring them to work through the shutdown. Although they will not receive pay during the shutdown, they are guaranteed back pay once the shutdown concludes. 

Here's who's affected: 

• Department of Defense: Nonessential civilian staff furloughed (military personnel continue to be paid under special rules).
• Department of State: Many consular and administrative staff may be furloughed.
• Department of Transportation: Parts that rely on annual appropriations may be affected.
• Department of Health and Human Services: Some programs slowed or suspended.

I wrote about this insanity last year: https://qualityg.blogspot.com/2025/10/another-government-shutdown.html

Again, I state three simple solutions:

Government shutdowns have become a recurring feature of US politics, the product of partisan stand-offs over spending that force federal agencies to halt a wide range of services.

So, what is the solution to avoid these high school antics and sissified back and forth threats. First of all, no one can leave congress for their home state the month before a balanced budget is do for approval. Second, negotiations must be on going (No leaving the capital) until a resolution can be found before the shutdown date. 

Thirdly, and most importantly ONLY congress people should NOT be paid (With a daily $500 fine) during a shutdown. All other workers should continue to be paid. And NO retroactive pay after resolution for a balanced budget. 

Congress needs to get over themselves. Most people could care less and don't even know why you are having a shutdown. When I am at the gym and one of these so-called politicians come on the television everyone starts to laugh regardless of party. You people live in your own minds and social media bubbles. 

Updated 3/30/2026

Yep, The House and the Senate are gone again (just like last year during the shutdown) on a two-week recess starting Friday, March 27, for Passover and Easter, and left Washington, meaning it could take some time for the chambers to reconcile the differences in their legislation.

There are some congress people who are withholding their pay as to support the workers who are not. One Senator from Ohio (Moreno) introduced a Bill (To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a daily tax on members of Congress during a lapse in appropriations) to impose a tax on congress members during a shutdown. A worthy effort but will not get passed or even brought for a vote.

You people are a sad representation when you continue to put party politics over working people and military people putting their lives on the line for us in the Middle East.

You are nothing but Lemmings.

Updated 4//21/26

Yep, the government is still in a partial shutdown but not many seem to care. Perhaps congress should only work part-time since they don't do much except go on social media and cable news talk shows and show their stupidity.

https://www.shutdowntracker.com/

Updated 4//30/26

The Government Shutdown is now over. Not much fanfare in the media news because it no longer serves a political purpose. So, when will the next shutdown take place? Probably the end of September 2026. This should be very interesting to see which party will hold the other responsible before the mid-term elections. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dhs-shutdown-house-vote

Updated 5//14/26 - Finally a Senator makes a stand - Government Shutdown Ends

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican who proposed the resolution, In a May 14 vote, the Senate resoundingly approved a measure to temporarily pause members' own salaries when funding for one or more agencies lapses because of congressional inaction. The next hurdle will be the House of Representatives. I would still like to see a daily fine ($500) that must be paid and NO retroactive pay, sorry you lose.

Updated 10/8/ 26

What No Government Shutdown - How Come?  - That's easy, because of the Mid-Term elections. Neither political side wants to take the chance of losing votes because people are laid off and government agencies are shut down. How pathertic you politicians are to use people as pawns to make the other side look bad or to push/stall your agendas at the expense of hard-working people.

I say again, you are pathetic. Wait until next year, I'll be updating this post with the next round of shutdowns.

School Report Cards - Has anything changed?

I originally wrote the Post below 21 years ago in 2005. In the past few months, the University of Michigan has been in the news about removing letter grades for their freshman class in the college of literature. Why? because of mental stress. https://www.npr.org/2026/08/12/nx-s1-5928197/university-michigan-freshmen-letter-grades-pilot-fall-2027

They have now rescinded this position. https://www.wxyz.com/news/university-of-michigan-drops-plan-to-replace-letter-grades-with-pass-fail-for-some-first-year-students

Wow - You don't try and fix a process after the product (student) has already been built. If you want to change the grading system, then it has to be standardized up front (Elementary School) before becoming a rule. Mental Stress? Read my example below from my time spent at a catholic school when report cards were passed out. Hey, I didn't even mention what happened when you brought a bad report card home! 

2005 - School Report Cards - Who is Failing Whom?

It’s that time of the year again when education grading periods end and report cards are sent home to parents. Some siblings in the same school but different grade levels are getting praised while others are getting grounded. How do you know that the “A” child is doing better than the “C” child? Because the teacher told you so, did you look at all the papers brought home? Did you compare grading scales? Do you care?

I can remember back in grade school (Catholic) when the pastor would pass out cards. You could tell he was coming because he smoked cigars and the halls would fill with smoke. Everyone would sit still and pray that they did not get lower than a “C” in any subject. Father would sit in the front of the room in a big chair and call us up one by one. One time the kid in front of me got a “D’ in geography. Father threw his card on the floor and told him to pick it up, when the kid bent over Father whacked him with his cane across the buttocks. Another time he kicked a kid in the butt as he bent over. He did not hit girls, just humiliated them until they cried. This happened twice a year all through grade school. 


Now, do you still believe in grades? Most of you know that I do not and I have written about it several times. How about “Report Cards?” Should they be standard across a school district? How about the country, after all when a child moves from one district to another is it their fault if the grading system is different? What about the math teacher in my son’s high school who fails over 60% of her class on a regular basis while her counterpart gives “A’s and B’s.”
Some say so what, but when it comes to GPA and getting into a college why should a child be penalized because one teacher is too strict and one is too easy.

I have seen systems where 94 – 100 is an A, versus the old standard of 90 – 100 is an A. I have also seen report cards where below 70% is failing. WHO IS FAILING WHOM???

I have written before about calculating the Grade Point Average. If we have to have grades at least develop a fair system for how much effort a student puts in to learning as opposed to an "AVERAGE" which mathematically when used by itself (Should use measure of Central Tendency - Mean, Mode, Median and Range) is worthless. I say this because GPA by itself is a poor means of measuring one’s academic knowledge. In fact, the way a student's GPA is calculated depends on the school he/she attends. Averaging the GPA in my opinion is worthless. Why don't schools assign points per Grade ( A = 4, B =3, C = 2, and D=1). If you want a 5 for Honors or AP classes that is fine. Simply total up the final score 6 As, + 1 B = 27). The more points you have the better. This would also encourage more students to take more classes instead of the minimum in order to graduate. Is a student who takes 5 classes and gets all As (GPA = 4.0) doing more than the student who took 7 classes in the example above who would have a GPA of 3.8 under the current way of calculating GPA (27/7).

In some teachers opinion an excellent cannot be achieved because no one is perfect, where as others give them out like candy. Some parents will move to an easier district if their child is in sports, while others will even go across the country searching for the right match.

While I still don’t believe in grades (I say – you pass upon completed demonstration of applying your knowledge, if not, you are given additional learning until you do so, grades and grade levels are not important just learning) I know I am not going to see paradigm shift in education until we start seeing education as a basic fundamental right of all citizens. We must reduce the cost of education; we must respect our teachers and pay them a fair wage. We must keep politics and the governmental officials out of the decision-making. We must control the destiny of education. 

So maybe the next best thing is to consider standardized report cards, at least it will start to create a more level playing field. The time has come to consider this change. This must start at the Elementary School Level. 

Another year (2026) and Michigan Third Grade students hit all-time low in ELA

September 2025, 

Michigan’s scores for fourth and eighth graders have worsened since before the pandemic. They decreased in reading for both grades and in math for the eighth grade. There was no significant change in fourth grade math compared to before the pandemic. https://www.chalkbeat.org/detroit/2025/01/29/naep-reading-scores-michigan-have-not-improved-since-before-covid/

I have written/blogged about this type of results many times over the years. I have friends who have been subbing non-stop in local schools because the teachers are constantly out of the room testing students in reading and attending conferences on a variety of topics unrelated to the core subjects. 

Also, many of the test results do NOT come back in the same school year. That means the student has been passed to the next grade level with a new teacher.

Michigan State Superintendent Michael Rice wrote in a statement that the results of the assessment mean there is more work to be done in Michigan. DUH!

More money and the same old solutions with changing testing methods don’t work (Unless they are provided in same school year in a timely manner). I stated after the pandemic that students should be going to school for 10 months out of the year until students (Especially those in grades 1-4) are at grade equivalent in reading, writing and math. Additional assistance should be provided in tutors and trained paraprofessionals to support the students and teachers.

September 2026,

Another year and students in Michigan continue to decline in ELA scores. This is despite the fact that more money and new plans continue to try and focus in on the problem. Perhaps thy should try systems thinking and approach the problem from end to end and not just keep changing plans every year. They are trying to hit a moving target that needs to be looked at with systemic measures.

For example, so far more than 7,600 educators in Michigan have completed Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) training in the Science of Reading, but the training has been voluntary.

Let me make another controversial point about teacher training. It should be done during the summer months so that teachers can keep their butts in the classroom during the regular school year. This will create continuity between teacher and student and ALSO save money because you won't need as many substitutes.

Just 38.2% of third grade students in Michigan are proficient in English Language Arts, down from 38.9% the previous year, according to results released Friday (September 4th) from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, commonly known as the M-STEP. Students took the tests in spring 2026. So, how many students were promoted to the next grade that should have been held because they are not proficient.

In addition, fourth through seventh grade reading scores are also down from the previous year. Just 44% of students grades 3-8 are proficient in reading, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of M-STEP and PSAT 8/9 tests.

https://www.michigan.gov/mde/news-and-information/press-releases/2026/09/04/mi-must-continue-plans-to-improve-student-proficiency

School is starting this week. Greet your students with a smile and the ability to learn!

School begins this week in some school districts with the majority starting after Labor Day. I wanted to repost a few articles from the past that are so relevant now since the Covid Pandemic continues to affect our school aged children, especially the younger ones. Our education system is broken and under attack by many who do not have the children's best interest at heart, especially the younger ones. 

People used to say keep Religion out of Politics. I say it is more important to keep Education out of Politics! I did not mean government. Government has a role to make sure all our students have the opportunity for a good education. What I mean are the people running for office that are backed by Teacher Unions that have personal ambitions that do not put student basic fundamental (Reading, Math, Science) learning first.

In 2015 I started working as an educational team leader for grades K-2. I chose those grade levels because it provided me the opportunity to help mold and create young students as they begin their educational journeys.  I have found how important and “simple” it is to start their day out with a smile/greeting. 

K-2 Educational Team Leader Credo

I believe it is very important to greet students with a smile and kind word first thing in the morning in the grade school cafeteria (This is where they get dropped off for school before the bell rings) as they start their school day. In many situations it might be the only greeting/smile they receive all day. Students appreciate and respond to settings where they feel welcome. Students who feel more welcome are more likely to seek out my help or others when needed (In today’s dysfunctional families this happens frequently). 

By greeting students (Added plus – learn their names) at the door as they enter school or classroom, you can see and prevent potential problems. Correcting potential problems in the cafeteria (school provided meals) before school starts may help a student enter their first class free of stress or take out frustrated energy in the gym or even carry it all day to their home. Recognizing a potential problem and preventing it is critical to the overall success of the student, their teachers, fellow classmates and the school.

I was very fortunate to have worked with some truly remarkable teachers. Their dedication and passion for what they did was outstanding. 

Note: To a “Systems Thinker” this is building/designing quality upfront in the process. It is where the potential for failures and defects is at their most dangerous (If unchecked continue to grow) but they are almost always the easiest (Cheapest) way to prevent/fix problems. For example, starting in the earlier grades to guide students to a love a learning and to be able to ask questions and provide them with the basic fundamentals for future learning.

Most critical for teachers is the ability for them to enable their students HOW to think and learn (By WHAT Method) and not what to think and learn. Don't just give them the answers but rather lay the foundation by which they can discover and learn the answer for themselves. 

Two methods come to mind that will help students discover and learn for themselves. Build these methods into your learning/teaching process.

1) When learning HOW to do a Science Project: 

2) Dr. Deming/Shewhart - How to understand Systems Thinking: https://deming.org/explore/pdsa/

Also... Make Learning Fun!

Over the years I always tried to observe and learn what makes a good teacher. One of the measures by which I make my conclusion is how well the class learns and just as important how well it behaves and respects all (Teacher, Students) within the room.

If I find that 95% of the students follow this conclusion, I know there is a good teacher at the helm. I know when I have found a “Great” teacher when there is a substitute teacher and 90% of the students follow my conclusion because their regular teacher has instilled the pride and learning so that whoever is in the room, they give their attention out of respect for their regular teacher.

Common Sense vs Critical Thinking

I always find it amusing when politicians from each party start with a phrase and all the lemmings in the party no matter what the discussion is make sure they fit the phrase is their response. 

Recently, it's we are a "big tent party." All are welcome in our tent. It should be stated as a "Circus" Tent!

Lately, the new phrase is we need "Critical Thinking" people as to what used to be said "Common Sense" people. I suppose all the commonsense people really don't have common sense because people with common sense are displaying such stupidity.

Simply put, Common Sense is derived from one's cultural beliefs from their environment that helps them function is society. Critical Thinking is more logical in nature and is usually the next step in providing an answer to societies more complex questions with common sense as an input.

Politicians and the media want us to now believe people with common sense are less intelligent that critical thinkers. Why? because no one with common sense would say we don't need the police or prisons or laws or borders or anything that makes a society function. It takes a critical thinker to understand we must have police, prisons, borders and laws to have a functioning society.

Please understand that most politicians and most of the media have lost their way and are just lemmings hoping you will follow them over the cliff. 

Of course, if you have read this blog, you know that I am a firm believer in "Systems Thinking". https://qualityg.blogspot.com/search?q=systems+thinking

In today's world one must also include AI Learning or Thinking. An interesting read can be found at: https://systemsthinkingalliance.org/systems-thinking-and-ai-what-every-leader-must-know/

The worst type of thinking is "Entitlement Thinking (ET)." Unfortunately, this ET is very dangerous and results in no thinking at all just give me what I want and deserve according to what I don't have as opposed to what others have.