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Column
By Adam
Fouche
The Madison County Journal
October 27, 1999
 Some
tips for Halloween
Having been around for
a little while (not as long as most of you though), I've been
through several Halloweens. And I have participated in each of
them in some way or another.
I have had both good and bad experiences on Halloween. Because
of my experiences, I have picked up some do's and don't's for
October 31. I am going to share some tips with you today, in
the hopes you will have an enjoyable Halloween:
·Give candy. I know there is some nutrition nut out there
who will inevitably give an apple to trick-or-treaters. Don't.
These guys are kids. They want candy. Besides, they already have
a whole bag of candy, so why not throw a few more pieces in there.
I know I always hated getting apples or oranges. In fact, if
you are a trick-or-treater and someone gives you a fruit, give
it back. If everyone does it, they will be unhappy because they
spent all that money on fruit that no one wants. Then next year
they will give you candy. And, no, those little peanut butter
things in orange and black wrappers do not count as candy.
·Dress up. Please, please don't go around trick-or-treating
without a costume. It isn't funny. I won't give you any candy
and neither should anyone else. In fact, maybe you should get
all the apples for not dressing up. And adults, dress up too.
It is fun and I promise you will like it.
·Wear a costume to school. One of the funnest Halloweens
I had was during high school when I wore my costume to school.
A few friends and I dressed up like some guys from the '70s.
People liked it and it was fun. You are never too old to dress
up. I'm dressing up this Halloween. If you run into me, wave
and say hello. That way I can pretend I don't see you and walk
away very fast so as not to embarrass myself.
·Scare people. If you are giving out candy at your house,
scare people. I suggest hiding in the bushes or behind the corner
of your house. A good fright is never bad. But watch who you
scare. If they are bigger than you (or have parents bigger than
you) or are carrying any weapons (fake or real, you can't tell
the difference in the dark), then don't scare them. You might
get hurt. Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for any
accidents, not even my own.
·Make fake dead people. After I stopped trick-or-treating,
I made fake dead people to put on our porch. It was fun. Some
people were too scared to come to the house. I used to hide in
the bushes and watch them. You can also lay yourself out on the
porch like a dead person and follow people with your eyes. Don't
speak or move, just follow them with your eyes. I promise they
will get scared.
·Stay away from rain. Trick-or-treating in the rain is
not good. Don't do it. If it is raining this Halloween, then
stay home. You can turn off your porch light and eat all the
candy you were going to give out to people. Note to kids: Make
your parents buy lots of good candy just in case you have to
stay home and eat all of it.
Whatever you do this Halloween, stay safe. Carry a flashlight
and pay attention to cars on the street. And if you do get an
apple, don't eat it. It's probably not safe anyway.
Adam Fouche is a reporter
for MainStreet Newspapers.
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Column
By Frank
Gillespie
The Madison County Journal
October 27, 1999
 Frankly Speaking
Let's keep school
control local
It appears to me that we need a new class
in our public schools. We need to teach word definitions.
For example, define the word "public," as in "public
schools." The word "public" means "the people."
Thus our public schools belong to we the people. They do not
belong to the federal government, the state government or even
the local board of education. They belong to all of us.
Because our public schools belong to the people of our community,
we have a right and responsibility to know everything that is
going on in our school system. A few facts, such as juvenile
records and personal records of students are private, but everything
else, from the salary paid to the janitor to the educational
level of board members, should be available to any community
member who asks for information.
On the other hand, one group of people who have no reason to
know about or interfere with our schools is the federal government.
The U.S. Constitution does not give the federal government any
role in education, and according to the 10th Amendment, anything
not specifically assigned to the federal government is reserved
to the states or to the people.
We do not need to have a federal bureaucrat inquiring about our
schools, developing policy for our teachers, writing standard
tests for our students, or even sending money to our schools
for any reason.
I am especially bugged about federal spending on education. After
all, there is no such thing as government money. It all comes
from our pockets. Why should the federal government take money
from us, use 70 percent of it to support a massive bureaucracy,
then send the rest back to us with more strings than a puppet?
Our public schools belong to the community. They are of extreme
importance to us. They train our future leaders, ministers, businessmen,
mechanics and the next generation of teachers. The future shape
of our community will be determined by what our children learn
in our public schools. Our citizens should have full knowledge
of our school system. They should take advantage of every opportunity
to influence education policy in our community.
Federal bureaucrats should NOT be part of our educational system.
The last thing we need is a nationally uniform school system.
We need free-thinking, creative, students who are free to follow
their dreams to whatever future appeals to them. Federal interference
can only hamper this process.
We need more local involvement in our school system. Recent measures
by the board of education to make it easy for us to obtain school
records is a good start, but they need to explore more ways to
involve the public in their decisions.
We do not need federal bureaucrats telling us how to educate
our children. The U.S. Department of Education should be abolished,
and the tax savings returned to us. Our public schools are the
future of our community. Lets keep them local.
Frank Gillispie is founder of The Madison
County Journal.
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