Erica Carle -- There is no End to Problems

THERE IS NO END TO PROBLEMS

Erica Carle
December 28, 2008
NewsWithViews.com

PROBLEMS ARE FOREVER. To limit freedom all one has to do is think of a personal problem and find a way to turn it into a social problem. It is as simple as that. Everyone who wants government--by force or bribery--to turn personal problems into social problems is a hater of freedom.

Almost everyone claims to want freedom. Almost no one wants it enough to refrain from forcing his personal problems onto others. But freedom from government interference is lost whenever we change personal problems into social problems for government to solve.

Let’s look into one of the present examples of the process and see how, and then why, it works against freedom. THE STUART NEWS of Dec. 26, 2008 had a front-page story headlined: “Autism can carry high cost.” The article was illustrated with a large full-color picture featuring a pretty little autistic girl being taught communication skills with a device called The DynaVox. It costs $8000.

Not all families with an autistic child can afford a DynaVox. However, Florida is one of the states that passed legislation mandating that insurance companies must offer coverage of autism therapies. On May 21, 2008 Governor Charlie Christ signed the bill. If the DynaVox device is determined to be an evidence-based, medically necessary form of autism therapy, insurance companies must pay for it. The Florida Legislature said so!

Autism is a terrible problem. It is not surprising that parents of autistic children seek ways to force others to share their burden.

All parents of handicapped children are faced with many burdensome problems, and often they cannot find solutions without help from others. For years state and local governments, along with many charities and volunteer organizations, have looked at these problems, and have set up private, state and local facilities for the medical care, education, and sometimes residence, of handicapped children. Generally speaking, these facilities were helpful, affordable, and intelligent.

However, starting in 1975 many such specialized facilities were killed. The deed was done when Congress passed the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This legislation required that states remove handicapped students from specialized schools and enroll them in public schools with non-handicapped children. This was called mainstreaming.

While the word “autism” was not even in my dictionary in 1972 it now is very much known. For some reason it is a growing affliction. Autism sufferers are now among those being mainstreamed into the public schools. The legislation requires that handicapped children be placed in the least restrictive environments (LRE), and that they must receive free appropriate public education (FAPE). When state legislatures passed enabling legislation for IDEA, they became powerless to refuse to comply with any of the federal legislation’s requirements and restrictions.

I have a grandson living in Lexington, South Carolina who attends what his parents assumed, or at least hoped, is a very good public school. For the first year Michael loved school, learned to read, write, and work with numbers, and get along happily with his fellow students. He was an eager, happy, enthusiastic learner.

But all this has changed. Now he hates school, cries when he is forced to attend, and comes home miserable and unhappy. “I can’t stand it.” he says.

What happened? Did Michael change, or did the school experience change? Both! The school experience changed so Michael’s reaction to it also changed. The thing that happened is that two autistic children were mainstreamed into Michael’s class. One of them is relatively quiet, but the other is uncontrollable. He screams, leaves his seat, refuses discipline, and takes much of the teacher’s attention in her unsuccessful efforts to keep him from disturbing the entire class.

Ordinarily parents would not be aware that autistic children had been mainstreamed into their child’s classroom. The school district did not inform them. However Michael’s mother is a volunteer who has actually observed the autistic child’s behavior and confirmed the reason for it. She says, “I bet that even at the half-way point of the school year less than a half dozen parents know about the autistic children.

“I am trying to figure out when I found out about them and I would guess that it was about 6 weeks ago. Would I have taken my child out at first had I known? Perhaps not, but I would have been up there every day in the classroom observing what was going on. I would not have allowed Michael to spiral down emotionally as he has.

“Michael’s complaints about disliking school were at first very subtle, but slowly and surely have erupted into an enormous shockwave. Now that I have told him he will never have to go back to that class, he is a different child. In less than a week his disposition has changed. He is less burdened. He is happier and more carefree. “

Dear Reader,
I know what you are thinking, “If the autistic child is such a discipline problem can’t the teacher complain and have him removed from the class?” Absolutely she can not! If she wants to keep her job, she and the children in her class have to put up with the autistic child’s behavior.

If any of the other 22 students in the class exhibited the same type of behavior they could be suspended or possibly expelled, but not the autistic child. Why? The child cannot be suspended or expelled because according to IDEA he cannot be removed if his behavior is a manifestation of his disability. Read that last sentence again. Let it sink in.

So the classroom situation will not be changed. Whatever his parents do for Michael the problem for the teacher and the other students will still exist because the handicapped child holds precedence over the teacher and all the other students put together. The legislators decided that.

Now we come to the real crux of the matter. What on earth is wrong with the South Carolina legislators that brought about this total lack of perception?

ANSWER: The legislators are OTHERISTS.

“What,” you ask, “are OTHERISTS?”

OTHERISM is a loony idea that was invented by a crazy Frenchman more than 150 years ago. He wanted to wipe out egoism and personality in the whole human race. According to the Frenchman’s thinking we are supposed to spend our lives working for the benefit of others and not ourselves, our families, our friends, or our own country. OTHERISM centers our attention on those who are OTHER than we are. Do you understand that? If not, remember, I told you that the Frenchman was crazy.

Public school education today is OTHERISTIC. All the way from kindergarten through college students are taught to be OTHERISTS. Small wonder that legislators, judges, executives, presidents, and all kinds of regular people become OTHERISTS. It is the way they were taught.

To further understand OTHERISM let’s apply it to Michael’s situation. According to OTHERISM Michael should not be upset. Teaching him to be tolerant of autistic behavior can help him to learn to be an OTHERIST.

Why isn’t the classroom learning experience of Michael and his fellow students just as important as that of the autistic child? Well, you see, the autistic child is different. He is OTHER than what they are. Students who are thinking of themselves and their problems with their education are egoistic. Thinking about the autistic child and his problems is OTHERISTIC. According to the crazy Frenchman, children must be taught to be OTHERISTIC, not egoistic. They must be taught to live with and respect the autistic child because he is OTHER than themselves.

With this little piece I have given you the key to understanding everything about the present day political scene: locally, nationally, and internationally. Go ahead. ask some questions:

QUESTION: Why do some people believe that Christians in California must be forced to allow their children to be taught that homosexual behavior is normal and beneficial?
ANSWER: Because homosexuals are OTHER than they are. They can learn to be OTHERISTIC if they learn to respect and not be afraid of homosexual behavior.

QUESTION: Why must United States citizens be forced to pay taxes to support other countries?
ANSWER: Because citizens of other countries are OTHER than themselves.

QUESTIION: Why must we allow unrestricted immigration from countries all over the world?
ANSWER: Because those immigrants are OTHER than ourselves.

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Get the point? I hope so. I want you to be smart about this--just like me.

Be somebody! Don’t be just another loony OTHERIST.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HISTORY AND PURPOSE OF OTHERISM CLICK HERE.

Erica Carle is an independent researcher and writer. She has a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin. She has been involved in radio and television writing and production, and has also taught math and composition at the private school her children attended in Brookfield, Wisconsin. For ten years she wrote a weekly column, "Truth In Education" for WISCONSIN REPORT, and served as Education Editor for that publication.

Her books are GIVE US THE YOUNG--$5 Plus $2.00 P&H WHY THINGS ARE THE WAY THEY ARE--$16 PLUS $4.00 P&H BOTH BOOKS -- $25 Total. A loose leaf collection of quotes titled, SIX GENERATIONS TO SERFDOM is also available--$15 Plus $2.00 P&H. Mailing address: Erica Carle; PO Box 261; Elm Grove, WI 53122.