09.18.07
a budget solution
Okay, so I’m not writing about taxes, but I’m still pissed off about a budget solution. Seems letter writing is getting me no where, perhaps I’ll join the 4th graders from Cedar Springs and start raising money on my own…at least all the money I raise, I can appropriate as I see fit.
Here’s news from Cedar Springs, Michigan:
By Tom Rademacher
The Grand Rapids PressMaybe what Michigan’s Legislature needs is a little dose of Garret Mactavish.
While state lawmakers bicker over how to resolve a projected $1.7 billion deficit, this take-control fourth-grader is rallying classmates to bail out school needs.
The problem? Too few dollars at Beach Elementary School in Cedar Springs.
The solution? A 9-year-old kid who urged his school chums to bring in empty pop cans and bottles, with proceeds up for grabs by teachers seeking a few bucks to make ends meet for their students.
“I was watching TV, and suddenly, something biblical popped up in my mind,” Garret said. “You know — like a revolution, or maybe it’s a resolution. Um …”
Hey, close enough.
Garret’s revelation was that he might be the instrument to bring in a few bucks to help offset a spending freeze imposed earlier this month by the district.
If Cedar Springs educators want to buy more classroom supplies or embark on a field trip, they won’t find funds in the general budget.
No problem, though, with Garret Mactavish on the job.
“I just had this thought that we could collect pop cans and bottles,” said Garret. “My mom said I better ask my teacher about it first, but then I thought maybe I should go to someone higher.”
“So I went to see the school secretary.”
Eventually, Garret landed an audience with Cedar Springs School Superintendent Andy Booth, who listened to Garret’s proposal and issued a green light.
“What a nice young man,” said Booth, “and he’s out there with a great work ethic and community spirit.”
That was last week, and, already, Garret and his “Mac Attackers” (it’s a take on his surname and a McDonald’s sandwich) have raised more than $100.
That Mac Attackers board of directors include co-director Ellie Colvin and a trio of “creative specialists” in Ashley Vanderhoef, Austin Basso and Nicholas McCarthy — all classmates of Garret’s.
Collectively, it’s up to them to decide which of the dozen teachers at Beach Elementary get what money from the Mac Attackers fund, based on, well, whatever fourth-graders deem appropriate.
“We walked around to the rooms and showed them our (poster) and we put up signs,” said Nicholas, 10.
“I wanted to see how it turned out,” said Ashley, 9. “But we’re getting a lot of stuff now,” a lot of bottles and cans.
Garret’s goal is a lofty one — $5,000 by school year’s end. But even if he draws in hundreds rather than thousands, it will help to buy anything from pencil sharpeners to sticky notes to folders and other supplies, said Lindsay Haveman, a counselor at Beach.
And no matter the amount, it’s the sentiment that counts. “He’s done this all on his own,” she said of Garret. “And he’s done it out of the goodness of his heart.”
Garret’s father, Bob, confirmed that it was his son’s idea: “How he came up with it, I don’t know.
“But I can say that he’s a very thoughtful young man,” he said, “and when he sees things not falling into place, he likes to do things on his own.”
Besides returnables, Garret is also accepting spare change, and plans to add to the total by peddling his Playstation One video game. “You know what?” he asked. “I need to spend less time playing video games anyway. I need to get off my butt.”
So does Lansing, where partisan politics threaten a partial government shutdown if lawmakers can’t devise a plan to erase a projected $1.75 billion deficit for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
Someone ought to spring Garret from classes for a day and whisk him to the Capitol for a brainstorming session before bickering pols.
What the heck, invite the entire Mac Attackers Board of Directors. That way, they could listen to strategies like that of Austin Basso, who not long ago responded to a buddy in need — no questions asked, and no red tape at play.
“I helped a friend,” he said, “sell tomatoes.”
I say we recall ALL our legislators, rewrite the constitution to allow for 9-year olds to serve in the state legislature and let the Elementary schoolers hammer out a budget. Frankly, given the progress currently occurring at the state level, I’m not sure I see a huge problem with this logic.
Tina said,
September 29, 2007 at 5:58 pm
A friend posted this link and it made me think of you. Also, someone I know told me that apparently (at least some faction of) state workers are going on strike starting Monday.
It’s a great week to live in Michigan. *sigh*