Welcome to Ron's Rants

     The topics I'll  share periodically will be far ranging and extend from the serious to the somewhat trivial.  As noted earlier these are topics dear to my heart that I feel somewhat driven to ponder with anyone also interested.  I make no claim for expertize in these fields (except for my professional field) - merely the experience of a lifetime and some of Tom Paine's Common Sense.  In all cases I'll welcome dialogue with the hope that a seed or two will result in discussion and hopefully action if appropriate.    

     Here are a few topics that represent my primary interests and some information about myself so that you may learn some of my persona:  

                                                                         Topics

The Environment

World Peace

America's Public Schools

Renaming the Washington Football Club

Depression

Religion in a Changing World

Inspiring American Youth

 American  Exceptionalism
A Living Wage
Wage Disparity
Youth Participation in Sports

About Myself

      Most of my 28 years of retirement have been spent in Washington D. C. following a lifelong career in education in Michigan ranging from elementary school teaching to university teaching.  I felt my most productive and satisfying years years were spent as a junior and senior high school principal.

     Born in pre-depression, segregated San Antonio, I had a wonderful childhood in a stable lower middle class family of German heritage.  I loved sports and attended a mainline protestant  church
       Many in my class of 1943 volunteered for the Marine Corps as it provided us with 16 months of college before an anticipated invasion of Japan.  Fortunately for me, peace was secured before I was deployed to the Pacific.   My three and a half years of military service provided me some extremely broadening experiences and the educational benefits of he G. I. Bill of Rights.
     Beyond my professional career, my life has been been focused on a family of four children and nine grandchildren with activities centered primarily around sports, music and volunteer activities often through a progressive, liberal church.

The Initial Rant...........

...........will be blogged next Monday, October 20 and concerns our environment. Intellectual studies ranging from government agencies to universities to countless think tanks provide statistics about seemingly insoluble problems, I've long felt there is a simple action that has been totally overlooked.

Container Recycling.............

..........is a fancy new name given to an old practice we used to call a bottle deposit.  Currently it is followed in only 10 states.  In 48 it was followed in all 48!  We bought our pop or soda for about a nickel and "deposited" a nickel.  Ergo - litter was reduced and the bottle was "reused".  WHY IS IT THAT WE CAN'T FOLLOW THAT SAME PRACTICE TODAY (of course using new techniques)? The studies CLEARLY give the advantages. 

Check out  "http://www.ronlehkersrants.blogspot.com" next Monday.  It will focus on possible ways for returning to that practice in all 50 states.