The Alabama State Capitol and Horace King

Yesterday, I went on a school trip with my son to Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama. We did many things, but one of my favorites was the Capitol. The history of the Capitol itself is quite interesting. The picture in this post is of one of the two famous floating staircases in the capitol building.

Horace King is the architect of these beautiful staircases. They are both, in my opinion, pieces of artwork. They are built into the building with no visible means of support other than the building. I came home intrigued by who Horace King was. I did a little research and discovered that Horace King was a interesting and brilliant man.

King was considered one of the most respected bridge builders of the 19th century, constructing dozens of bridges in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. He was born into slavery in South Carolina in 1807; he became a prominent bridge architect and construction manager in Alabama and Georgia before purchasing his freedom in 1846. At this time, slaves were given no respect and no rights; for King to receive such respect had to mean that his work was beyond brilliant.

Despite his enslavement, King was allowed a significant income for his work and, in 1846, used some of his earnings to purchase his freedom from his master. However, under the Alabama law of the time, a freed slave was only allowed to remain in the state for a year after manumission( the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves). Robert Jemison, who served in the Alabama State Senate at the time, arranged for the state legislature to pass a special law giving King his freedom and exempting him from the manumission law. In 1852, King used this freedom to purchase land near his former master.

In 1849, the Alabama State Capitol burned, and King was hired to construct the framework of the new capitol building, as well as design and build the double spiral entry staircases. King used his knowledge of bridge-building to cantilever the stairs' support beams so that the staircases appeared to "float", without any central support. These must be seen to be appreciated.

As the Civil War approached in 1860, King opposed secession of the Southern states and was a confirmed Unionist. After the outbreak of the war, King attempted to continue his business as an architect and builder, constructing a factory, a mill and a bridge in Columbus, Georgia. While working on the Columbus bridge, King was conscripted by Confederate authorities to build obstructions on the Apalachicola River, 200 miles (320 km) south of Columbus to prevent a naval attack on that city. After completing these obstructions, King was tasked to construct more defenses on the Alabama River.

By this time, Columbus had become a major shipbuilding city for the Confederacy, and King and his men were assigned to assist construction of naval vessels at the Columbus Iron Works and Navy Yard. In 1863-64, King built a mill that provided cladding for Confederate ironclad warships. King's crews also provided lumber and timbers for the Navy Yard, and were involved in the construction of the CSS Muscogee, a southern ironclad ship.

As the war approached its end in 1864, many of King's bridges were destroyed by Union troops, including Moore's Bridge, which King owned. Union troops under Union general James H. Wilson assaulted Columbus in April 1865, burning all of King's bridges in the city, including one he had finished less than two years earlier.

Within six months after the war's end, King and a partner had constructed a cotton warehouse in Columbus and, for the third time, rebuilt the original Godwin-King bridge. Over the next three years, King would construct three more bridges across the Chattahoochee in Columbus, a major bridge, two large factories, and the Lee County, Alabama courthouse. In 1867, King became a registrar for voters in Russell County, Alabama. Later that year, he attempted to establish a colony of freedmen in Georgia. While that plan was unsuccessful, King went on to be elected to Alabama's House of Representatives in 1868 as a Republican representing Russell County.

King left the Alabama legislature in 1872 and moved to LaGrange, Georgia. In LaGrange, King continued building bridges, and expanded his business to include other construction projects, specifically businesses and schools. By the mid-1870s, King had begun to pass on his construction activities to his five children, who formed the King Brothers Bridge Company. King's health began failing in the 1880s, and he died on May 28, 1885 in LaGrange at the age of 78.

Horace King was a brilliant and an amazing man. Blessings!

Consumer Debt

The Federal Reserve reported some good news this month; consumer debt is declining. Suspicious? I am and maybe for no good reason, but just the same, I thought I would do a little digging into the numbers to see what I can see. If consumer debt is declining I want to know why because I still know too many who are struggling because of unemployment and underemployment, and they are not in position to pay any debt down anytime soon.

I found a great article about this very issue. The article states the following facts about consumer debt:

• U.S. consumer debt is declining, though at different rates among different groups of borrowers.
• Defaults or bank write-offs account for most of the drop in debt over the past two years.
• Borrowers with weak credit scores paid down auto loans in 2010, while those with stronger scores increased borrowing.
• A similar pattern holds for mortgages in 2011.

The drop in consumer debt could mean any number of things, but it is premature to celebrate it as "good news." Moody's has a good analysis of what these numbers mean according to their views. They go into great detail, and they have published their views in an article that you can access HERE. Read it and see if you agree with their assessment. Blessings!

Politics... Who Do We Support?

I think I have had enough of politics. As I listen to Democrats tell me that Republicans are liars and to Republicans tell me that Democrats are liars, I really have reached a point of not believing any of them about anything. I'll be you are in the same boat, so... what do we do? How do we wade through all the muck, I love that word, and figure out who is the lesser of two evils? Well, here is my take for all its worth which isn't much.

I am firmly planted in the middle class so when I vote I vote with a mindset of who is least likely to mess with my bottom line. Democrats clearly believe that government is the best mechanism in today's world to protect all of us. I do not think any Democrat would disagree with that statement. The Republicans are for the wealthy and for those in the upper middle class and above. They believe in less government and more power for the people, specifically people in the upper middle class and above. They too would not disagree with that. So, which one is best for me?

Here is my take on both. First, I am not a big fan of more government because government has to be run by... people. As much as Democrats say they are for the people and not for big business and the wealthy, they can not deny this: they are for big government. I am not convinced big government is any better than big business. As a matter of fact, I think big government is far worse. Why? Government can not, despite the claims of many, even the playing field. Government can not re-distribute wealth and can not right the wrongs of the oppressed for one simple reason... government is not God. As soon as you level the playing field for one group you have made it uneven for another. Government is not the solution and has never been the solution. The Greeks, the Romans, the French and the list goes on of the many who have discovered absolute government corrupts absolutely because man can not handle absolute authority.

Stop for a moment and try and think about your life over the last ten years and answer this question as honestly as you can: who has caused more harm in our country, big business or big government? Now, before you think I am letting the Republicans off the hook, let me say a word about them. I see them in the same light as Democrats. They have been for big business and the wealthy and have compromised their principals in more ways than the Democrats. Most are not conservative even though they claim to be, and most are also for more government because it gives them more power. So, as a middle class member who should I support?

Well, here is how I look at it. If I have to support one it will be the one who understands that the real checks and balances come from pure competition. Currently, the United States has a national debt of 8.68 trillion. In the U.S., this is 60.8 percent of the American GDP. The gross domestic product of a country is the market value of all of the products and services that a country produces in one year. This includes spending that is done by the citizens of the country and by the government of that country. It includes the value of items produced within the county and exported elsewhere, but it does not include the value of any imported items. I worry when a capitalist democratic economy built on the checks and balances of competition has one entity, the government, occupying over 60% of the GDP. A further complication to this delicate equation is this: the government is not subject to the checks and balances of all other entities in a free market economy because the government is that entity which governs the rules and laws that oversee that free market.

So, who will I support if both Democrats and Republicans are corrupt? I have to support those who support smaller government for our future. I do not believe more government is the answer for one simple reason... the nature of man. Scripture is fairly clear about mankind, Romans 3:23 states that "all are sinful and fall short of the glory of God. Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 warn us of the same issue, "there is a way that seems right to man but in the end it is the way of death." History also paints a terrible picture of the consequences of absolute, all-consuming government.

In the end, those who are for smaller government and more competition must receive our support for they know the nature of man. How will you decide who to support? We can no longer vote the party line. We must be for those who understand man for all that he is outside of the Savior, and all that he can be walking with the Savior! Blessings!

Earthquake

The earthquake that devastated Japan was the strongest recorded earthquake the island nation has ever had. The picture in this post is part of Japan's earthquake warning system.

Here’s how it works:

Seismometers detect the first shock wave. Computers analyze the wave and estimate how powerful the second one will be. If that wave is estimated to be more powerful than a certain threshold (”lower 5″ on the local scale), an alert is issued.

The image reveals the number of shock waves Japan's system detected, recorded and then issued warnings for. As you can see... the entire nation was affected by this earthquake.

According to CNN, "The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis." The effects are hard to comprehend.

This will certainly be the number one topic on most news programs over the next few weeks. May we be reminded to pray for the nation of Japan and others affected every time we see or hear about this over the next several weeks. Let us all keep these people in our prayers for the foreseeable future. Blessings!

Is Class Mobility Possible?

Is there such a thing as class mobility? Some will say yes, and others will say no. What do you say? There are many answers out there that say many different things.

Isn't this the American dream? My grandfather was born and raised in Trentino, Italy, came to the United States when he was 16 years old and made a better life for himself. But, did he actually move up in class?

The New York Times has an interesting take on class. They have an interactive poll on class that focuses on four continuum which they claim defines class: occupation, education, income and wealth. Click HERE to interact with the article and see where you fall on those four continuum.

But, are those four areas all that there is to defining class? Many would say with passion a resounding no. Class, in higher education circles, is thought of as so much more than socio-economic factors which is pretty much what those four areas cover. Class is thought of through the cognitive, the moral, the emotional... just to name a few other areas of focus.

There is a great blog called Understanding Society. It has some good things to say about this idea of class mobility. I suggest you visit it as I am going to quote it in the next few paragraphs regarding education and class mobility. Understanding Society asks a crucial question: where do children fit?

"A crucial question to pose as we think about class and social mobility, is the issue of the social mechanisms through which children are launched into careers and economic positions in society. A pure meritocracy is a society in which specific social mechanisms distinguish between high-achieving and low-achieving individuals, assigning high-achieving individuals to desirable positions in society. A pure plutocracy is a society in which holders of wealth provide advantages to their children, ensuring that their adult children become the wealth-holders of the next generation. A caste system assigns children and young adults to occupations based on their ascriptive status. In each case there are fairly visible social mechanisms through which children from specific social environments are tracked into specific groups of roles in society. The sociological question is how these mechanisms work; in other words, we want to know about the "microfoundations" of the system of economic and social placement across generations."

At first glance, it would seem simple to assign our country one of the above labels, but is it really that simple. Understanding Society has more to say...

"Education is certainly one of the chief mechanisms of social mobility in any society; it involves providing the child and young adult with the tools necessary to translate personal qualities and talents into productive activity. So inequalities in access to education constitute a central barrier to social mobility. And it seems all too clear that children have very unequal educational opportunities throughout the United States, from pre-school to university. These inequalities correlate with socially significant facts like family income, place of residence, and race; and they correlate in turn with the career paths and eventual the socioeconomic status (SES) of the young people who are placed in one or another of these educational settings. Race is a particularly prevalent form of structural inequalities of opportunity in the US; multiple studies have shown how slowly patterns of racial segregation are changing in the cities of the United States."

I will leave you one more quote from Understanding Society.

Professor Kathryn Wilson, Associate Professor of Economics at Kent State University,“People like to think of America as the land of opportunities. The irony is that our country actually has less social mobility and more inequality than most developed countries."

Well what do you think? I s she right? Is Understanding Society right? Many questions in need of answers, but one thing is certain, the question is no longer as simple as it once was, is it? Blessings!

More Facts on Education

Here are some facts on education around the world.

One in five adults in the developing world — almost 862 million people — cannot read or write.

Most illiterate persons are female. In more than 20 developing nations, illiteracy rates amongst women exceed 70%.

As much as 115 million children of primary school age are not enrolled in school.

Girls are more likely to be excluded from school than boys when there isn’t enough money to go round. As many as two out of three out-of-school children are girls.

Social traditions and deep-rooted religious and cultural beliefs are most often the barriers to expanding girls' educational opportunities in undeveloped countries around the world.

The world needs an additional 18 million teachers to accomplish Education for All by 2015.

Startling Facts...

Here are some startling facts about our current education system in these United States. I find it hard to believe that a country that won the race to the moon can't solve its educational problems. You might want to sit down before you read these. Here we go...

n 2006, the United States ranked 25th out of the top 30 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations in math and 21st in science.

In 1970, the United States had 30% of the world’s college graduates, now it has only 15%.

On average, an American student drops out of high school once every 26 seconds. 1.2 million students drop out each year.

Throughout the 20th Century the United States led the world in high school completion rates. In 2005, we ranked 21st out of 27 advanced countries.

Each year, the U.S. spends $9,644 per PK-12 students compared to $22,600 per prison inmate.

Barely half of African-American and Latino students graduate from high school, with Latinos graduating at 56%, African-Americans at 54%, whites at 77% and Asians at 79%.

The results of 77 studies, involving over 300,000 students, indicate that parental involvement is associated with higher student achievement outcomes.

What do these facts tell us? First, that we have reached a crisis point. Second, our issues go deeper than with the school. We must also look to the family. And finally, it is time to do something different.

To find out more about these facts and to see more facts, click HERE or go to http://www.edequality.org/