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Entry bubble Longer School Day / Year

By: Colleen | September 30, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

I can hear the collective groan of students everywhere with the idea of an extended school day or year being tossed around.

Recently, President Obama has established his position that an extended school year or day should be explored seeing as American students are falling behind academically in comparison to the rest of the world, particularly in the areas of math and science.

While the former student inside me who lives for summers down the shore thinks this is a bum deal, I can't help but acknowledge that our current educational system is based on an agricultural society, one which few children are actively a part of today.

More families now have two working parents and I can see how an extended school day would help ease their fears of what their kids are up to between the hours of 3-7pm.

With either extension, obviously money is a factor. It is unclear how much additional cost there would be to keep kids in school longer. And I don't think the importance of extracurricular activities like sports and clubs can be ignored - and these are events that typically take place after school-hours.

What do educators think of this idea? Would it be helpful? Would you like to spend more time in school?

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Entry bubble Heat Your Home, Save Money

By: Joanne | September 29, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

It’s a cool, rainy day and that reminds me that I have to face facts and get my home ready for winter. I’ve been putting it off because I just don’t want to know what that tank of oil will cost me this year. But it’s time to face reality and accept that the cold weather is on its way.

Last year we got some new windows and I hope that the investment will pay off this year in the form of lower heating costs. I really did my homework and we bought good-quality, energy-efficient windows. Replacing old, drafty windows is a great way to save energy, but it's expensive. There are plenty of free or low cost ways to save energy too.

It’s never too late to make some changes in your household to save energy, and there may be financial assistance to help you make your home or business more energy efficient. Depending on where you live and what programs your state offers, you may be eligible for assistance or rebates to weatherize your home, and rebates when you buy Energy Star products. There’s also a program known as LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) that’s administered by the states to help families who can’t afford their energy costs.

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Entry bubble Travelling? Tarmac Delays and Your Rights

By: Jake | September 28, 2009 | Category: Travel

Have you ever been on a plane that was grounded due to some sort of flight delay? I sat on the runway for a half hour waiting to take off once and I wasn't thrilled.

I could not imagine what it would be like to sit on the tarmac for almost six hours like some folks on their way to Minnesota did in August. According to the Department of Transportation, of the more than half a million flights in July there were 105 tarmac delays that were longer than 3 hours and 16 of these were longer than 4 hours.

There may be an end to these tarmac delays soon. If passed into law, the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act will ban tarmac ground delays of 3 hours and longer. After the 3 hours pass, airplanes will be required to allow passengers to get off the plane. 

Airport upgrades are the main goal of the bill, but there are other provisions for consumers. In addition to the ban on keeping passengers on the plane for more than 3 hours, the law would require airline companies to provide essential services like water, food, functioning bathrooms and access to necessary medical treatment during delays. It would also set up an airline complaint phone line.

Keep in mind this is a bill and not a law and it still needs approval from the Senate and President. What do you think of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation and Modernization and Safety Improvement Act?

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Entry bubble National Public Lands Day

By: Ginger | September 25, 2009 | Category: General

I've worked in the federal government for over 18 years. When I first started my federal career, I never expected that I would stay in the government this long. I'm not a politician. I'm not involved in making laws, important decisions, or defending/protecting American citizens, but I take my commitment to serving both my country and the American people seriously. It makes me feel good to know that, in my own small way, I am making a contribution towards a better America.

Tree planting at San Antonio Missions National Park on National Public Lands DayOn September 26th, National Public Lands Day, everyone has a hands-on volunteer opportunity to participate in the caring and stewardship of America's public lands. It is a way for all citizens to lend a helping hand to our country in maintaining America's natural heritage, so that we will have something wonderful to pass on to future generations.

In 1994, 700 volunteers participated in the first National Public Lands Day. Those numbers, last year, rose to over 120,000 volunteers working together in every state in over 1,800 locations to build trails and bridges, remove trash and invasive plants, and plant over 1.6 million trees.

To find volunteer opportunities on public lands in your area, visit Volunteer.gov and type the keywords “National Public Lands Day.” You can also visit USA.gov. Type “National Public Lands Day” and your state name in the search box to see what is going on in your state. If you want to see the volunteers in action, check out photos of the volunteer efforts from previous years . Or, if you have a way with a camera, you can enter the photo contest for this year.

You can read about the volunteer activities of groups and individuals from the 2009 Take Pride in America National Award Winners. If you like the idea of giving back, but you aren't available to participate in National Public Lands Day, you can go to Volunteer.gov to search for other volunteer activities that you can participate in.

I just signed up to help out at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. If you are in the area, come join me! I promise, the feeling of pride you will get from giving back to your country will make you glad you did.

Note: I just got back from helping pick up trash and plant trees at San Antonio Missions National Park. It was a great experience and a great place to visit. Thanks to the park staff. You guys do a great job.

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Entry bubble Happy 2nd Birthday Gov Gab!

By: Jess | September 24, 2009 | Category: Fun

Birthday cake and presentThis week celebrates the second birthday of everyone's favorite government blog! In the past year, the Gov Gab bloggers have addressed all kinds of topics. We've debated the merits of the Post Office dropping service on a Tuesday or Saturday and discussed where people can find information on the digital TV conversion. We've covered the Presidential Inauguration and many of the celebratory balls.

Whether we were stirring up controversy or just sharing some of the government information we've found helpful in our daily lives, you've been with us the whole way and for that, we want to give you a big "Thanks!"

We appreciate every comment you leave, whether or not you agree with us. It's great to have so many of you joining our discussions.

To celebrate, we thought it would be fun to show you which posts you found the most interesting this year.

Here are the top five posts that got the most of you talking:

The Post Office Dilemma: 38 comments

Contacting President Barack Obama: 34 comments

Inauguration Day: 26 comments

Questions for the President: 26 comments

Your Turn: Making the Most of Libraries: 26 comments

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