Bryan Sanders

Papa to Alex, Kate,Luke & Jude, Head of School, First Assembly Christian School, Conflict Management Consultant to churches, schools, and nonprofit orgs.

[✞ Richard ✞ @Richard_gh1]

Three most important events:

[The Timeless Traveler @TimelessTrvlr]

Gulf Shores, Alabama is where the South quietly keeps one of its best beach escapes.

White sand, warm water, seafood shacks, and sunsets that make you wonder why people keep overlooking it.

[Kevin W. @Brink_Thinker]

New Jersey school has required every freshman to hike 55 miles on the Appalachian Trail for 53 years straight.

At St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, this isn’t optional — it’s a mandatory 5-day rite of passage before becoming a sophomore.

Many students have never hiked or camped before. They train together in the spring, then get split into small teams where each kid gets a critical role: navigator, medic, cook, captain, etc. No one knows everything — they must rely on each other.

With minimal adult supervision, they hike rain or shine, facing blisters, sore muscles, and real challenges head-on. As one administrator put it: “The only way we can get through this is if we work together.”

The result? Teens who return more confident, resilient, and bonded — proving that real growth happens when you step away from screens and into the wilderness.

What an incredible tradition! Parents, educators, and anyone raising tough kids — this is gold.

Who else believes we need more experiences like this?

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

In 1978, a student working a summer job at minimum wage could earn enough to cover an entire year of in-state tuition at a four-year public university, often without needing to take on debt.

In 1978, a student earning the federal minimum wage could realistically pay for an entire year of in-state tuition at a public four-year university with a typical summer job. With minimum wage set at $2.65 per hour and average annual tuition and required fees around $688, a student working 40 hours a week for 12 weeks could earn about $1,272 before taxes—more than enough to cover tuition and still have money left for books, transportation, and other expenses.

That reality has largely disappeared. While the federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour for years, average in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities have climbed to roughly $11,000 annually. Covering tuition alone at minimum wage would now require more than 1,500 hours of work before taxes, the equivalent of nearly 38 weeks of full-time employment—far beyond what a student could earn during a normal summer break.

[Yogi @Houseofyogi]

Chicago lost the Bears this week. A team that's been in the city since 1921.

They didn't lose them to a bigger market or a better deal. The Bears decided they'd rather be a tenant in Indiana than deal with Illinois for one more year.

Think about how badly you have to run a place for that to be the smart move.

They lost them for two reasons.

The people running Illinois would rather villainize a builder than keep one. And they're bad at their jobs.

In 2021 the Bears spent $197M on the old Arlington Park racetrack.

Before they could break ground, Cook County valued the empty lot at $192M (Bears said $60M). They were salivating at the chance to extort a building that didn't even exist yet.

That fight dragged on for years.

The Bears were ready to put $2B into the stadium. All they wanted was a promise the county wouldn't reassess them into oblivion, plus $855M for infrastructure everyone uses. Roads, transit, utilities. A $3B project, two thirds of it private money pouring into Illinois.

Springfield had since 2021 to get this done. They dragged it to the final night of session, passed it through the Senate at 3:39AM, and the House went home without voting.

So now it's all gone.

The funniest part? This started because Cook County tried to grab the tax early. They knew a built stadium would pay $53M a year. Now they get under $4M on a vacant lot. No jobs, no buildout, no new anything.

Congrats on fighting for scraps and losing the whole prize.

Pritzker: they're "an $8.5B valued business" that doesn't need propping up.

But be smart for a second. Almost every NFL city throws in public money for a stadium. Not charity. The return is real. Tourism, hotels, restaurants, jobs, game days, property tax on a huge development. The math works.

Indiana did the math. While Illinois sat on it for years, Indiana passed a bill in months, put up $1B, and took the team.

And the Bears took a worse deal to get there. In Illinois they were going to own their stadium. In Indiana they rent it from the state. A team that wanted to build its own home gave up ownership just to escape Chicago.

Nobody won but Indiana. The Bears lost their stadium. Illinois lost the team, the $2B, and $53M a year in taxes.

Pritzker after they left: "I wasn't willing to give up billions of dollars of taxpayer money to give it to a billionaire-owned family or team."

There it is. "Billionaire-owned."

That's how Democrats talk about any business right before they run it out of town. Call them a billionaire, act like you're saving working families, take a victory lap while the tax base drives across the state line.

Meanwhile they're running the whole state into the ground. And you already know how this ends. You're living in it.

Pensions are $143B in the hole, worst in the country and not close. You pay $6,285 a year in property taxes, double the $2,969 national average, for a city that's $1.15B in the red. The mayor called its finances "the point of no return."

When you run things this badly, you sell what's left.

They leased the parking meters for 75 years to Morgan Stanley and a sovereign wealth fund in Abu Dhabi. Took $1.15B and burned through it in two years. The investors already made it all back, with 58 years left to collect.

Sold the Skyway. Sold the downtown garages. Every asset that made money, gone for one check.

But a fixed property tax rate for a team that's been here 106 years? That's "propping up billionaires."

Companies are leaving. Boeing for Virginia. Caterpillar for Texas. Citadel for Miami. In 2023 alone Illinois lost 56,000 people and $6B in income to other states. The ones who left earned a third more than the ones who moved in.

Indiana didn't outbid anyone. AAA credit, 16 years straight. A $676M surplus. Fourth-lowest debt per person in the country. They just weren't a disaster.

Illinois could have collected $53M a year. It chose zero. Ignore all the bad management but make sure to stick it to those evil, pesky billionaires.

[MAGA Voice @MAGAVoice]

Im in tears. WWII D-Day Veteran returns to Omaha beach in Normandy, France with an American Flag

AMEN 🙏

[Arbitrage Andy @ArbitrageAndy1]

26 year olds today: "my anxiety is high, I am overwhelmed by my email job"

26 year olds in 1944:

[Buzz Patterson @BuzzPatterson]

Remember when Tony Fauci yakked his opening day pitch? And Obama looked like a sissy girl.

Check out this chick! THIS is America! 💪🇺🇸🔥

[ScreamingFreedom @SCREAMINGFREED]

America’s 250th only happens once.

Celebrate it with this limited edition 15oz mug — the perfect patriotic gift or everyday coffee cup for anyone who loves this country.

Grab yours now before it’s gone
Use code FREEDOM for 10% off.

[Mühendislik Harikası @muhendisIiktr]

Şimdiye kadar üretilmiş en kusursuz Chevrolet’lerden biri: Restore edilmiş 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop.

[Principal Jon @Principal_Jon]

In high school I was asked to read:

The Great Gatsby
Of Mice and Men
Grapes of Wrath

My daughter's high school asked her to read:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Have we stopped believing kids can do hard things?

[Bryan Sanders @ProfSanders]

Me too!

[Bryan Sanders @ProfSanders]

Really? Only the elites can participate.

[Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel]

Game 3, NBA Finals, Madison Square Garden.

[Bryan Sanders @ProfSanders]

Thought of the day, “Never wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty and the pig likes it.”

[Bryan Sanders @ProfSanders]

😂

[Bryan Sanders @ProfSanders]

“One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.”– Malala Yousafzai

[Jeremy Wayne Tate @JeremyTate41]

Public high school required reading list from 1978

[TaraBull @TaraBull]

My pride flag 🇺🇸

[Time Capsule Tales @timecaptales]

The Doobie Brothers "Listen To The Music" on the Midnight Special in 1973

[Roy Rogers Happy Trails Music Shop  @RoyRogers_HTMS]

Linda Ronstadt performing “Silver Threads and Golden Needles” with her backing band… who just happened to be The Eagles before they were famous!
This is pure early ‘70s California magic — that voice, that band, that chemistry. What a moment in music history! 🔥