Progressives have rendered both university and public school systems rotten to the core. Marxist teachers and professors are nursing a generation of Jacobins who have no regard for the American creed. These so-called teachers are tenured and untouchable. These vipers are protected by regional and local unions along with the NEA.
Yvette, Felarca, a Berkeley middle school teacher, incited a riot against peaceful protesters in Sacramento. She is also accused of indoctrinating and recruiting students. Here is an excerpt from the Daily Caller:
Despite repeated warnings, the district said Felarca continued to try to recruit students into her radical organization, including during work hours. The leftist teacher frequently tried to bring students on school-sponsored trips to BAMN-related activities, the district said, describing the trips as attempts to “indoctrinate” the students.
The school district accused Felarca and other BAMN members of weaponizing students to derail disciplinary hearings for Felarca, after student protesters repeatedly swarmed into the disciplinary hearings. The school district claimed that Felarca and other BAMN members “were actively trying to brainwash and manipulate” students to serve her “own selfish interests,” calling her conduct “particularly reprehensible.” Felarca continues teaching today.
The community, at large, need to rise up against any union who protects and promotes this kind of behavior. Children should not be subjected to radical teachers who have no regard for life, liberty or property.
If you live in North Carolina, chances are you’ve
heard the hue and cry about how impoverished our teachers are. According to every libtard organization that infest this state, educators are practically spit on and kicked around. Here is a local rag outlining their abuse.
Pay for the teachers who educate the state's
roughly 1.5 million public school students ranks 46th in the country, above
only Mississippi and West Virginia among 12 Southeastern states, the report
said. Five years ago, North Carolina teacher salaries were in the middle of the
state rankings.
One out of nine teachers earn the lowest base
salary of $30,800 because there are few meaningful raises until the fifth year
on the job, the report said. The North Carolina average teacher salary of
$45,933 last year was nearly $10,000 less than the national average, according
to the National Education Association.
That sounds pretty bad doesn’t it? But it’s not, considering the median income
for a family of four in North Carolina is $45,150. So actually, experienced teachers make little
more than the average Tar Heel family.
And as far as base salary, hey, everyone has to learn their trade.
As for that 46th ranking in the
country, the median household income in the U.S. is $51,371. Now let’s take a look at the map below. Here is what $100 is worth in each state. It seems to me teachers in North Carolina are
squawking about nothing. But what do you
expect from a democratic constituency.
Here is a video produced by a bunch of liberals,
portraying the successful as a bunch of predators.Anyone with an iota of curiosity can debunk
the assertions of these Hollywood socialist.Here are the characters that produced this lie.
Tax
the rich: An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by
Mike Konopacki. Written and directed by Fred Glass for the California
Federation of Teachers. An 8 minute video about how we arrived at this moment
of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go
downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don't want
to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but
the people aren't so sure. This land bears a startling resemblance to our land.
For more info, www.cft.org
Oh yeah, California, the Grecian aspirant.A place where success is taxed
and businesses are going bankrupt.But
hey, that’s okay as long as the unions prosper.
It’s doesn’t take much intellect to demonize the
successful.Class warfare is an
effective tool of the envious and the greedy.But what these malcontents refuse to acknowledge is that the “evil rich”
share their wealth in their local communities through generous donations to
charities and foundations.Here is one
example of a rich Charlotte, North Carolina family displaying their civic
pride:
The Howard
R. Levine Foundation has given CPCC two grants, including a $400,000 gift that
will enable the school to establish a scholarship fund for military veterans
and launch a veterans’ resource center.
The other grant, for $100,000, will
be used by CPCC to hire additional part-time faculty members to deal with
enrollment growth.
The Howard R. Levine Veterans
Scholarship Fund will provide financial help to U.S. military veterans who lack
GI Bill benefits of whose benefits won’t pay for all their educational costs.
And the Levine Veterans Resource Center, to be built at CPCC’s Levine Campus in
Matthews, will provide counseling, academic advisors and other help for
veterans in school.
“Providing access to education and
resources is crucial to ensuring that returning service men and women receive
the training and support they need,” said Howard Levine, chairman of the board
and CEO of the Family Dollar store chain founded by his father, Leon. The
Levine family and foundation are long-time supporters of CPCC and other
educational institutions in the Charlotte area.
“Words alone cannot express my
sincere appreciation for what our military members have endured to serve our
country,” Levine added. “It’s my hope that through these grants, CPCC will
continue to be a trusted resource for our veterans, giving them the tools they
need to ensure their future success.”
CPCC President Tony Zeiss said the
school’s enrollment has grown as U.S. service members return from active duty
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Over the past five years, CPCC has
experienced a dramatic increase in U.S. veteran enrollment,” Zeiss said, adding
that the Levines’ grants will “help the college meet the needs of these
deserving individuals who have served their country.”
According to Ed Asner, Mike
Konopacki and Fred Glass this kind of civic participation is just another form
of trickle down economics.
Barely a day goes by without the socialist scum at the Charlotte Observer trying to find ways for federal, state and local governments to impose tax increases upon the citizenry. It doesn’t matter what kind, because statism is their goal, and to hell with the rest of us. Here is the latest humbug from the Disturber:
Deep into last year’s legislative session, House Speaker Thom Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger announced a budget deal after weeks of searing debate over education cuts and the repeal of a piece of the state’s sales tax.
But one of the juiciest pieces of the agreement drew little scrutiny or debate: a tax break for owners of businesses that will cost $336 million a year, one of the largest tax cuts in a decade.
Tillis and Berger, both Republicans, heralded the tax break as a “$50,000 exemption for small businesses – the backbone of North Carolina’s struggling economy.” But the exemption is not just for small businesses. There is no cap on the size of the business that can claim the exemption.
So the break will go to roughly 460,000 business owners of all sorts, including equity partners in law firms, doctors and dentists with thriving practices, even lobbyists who patrol the legislature. It also includes some state lawmakers who are business owners.
Each of those partners will be able to avoid state taxes on his or her first $50,000 of income – roughly $3,500 less in taxes.
And to underscore the constant advocacy for tax increases and expansion of government programs and expenditures, here is an excerpt from an editorial published a couple of days prior:
The Republican-dominated House could have done better. It could have done much more for schools, the university system, public health and state employees – and paid for it more responsibly by restoring a 3/4-cent temporary sales tax that lawmakers jettisoned last summer. That money could pay for raises for teachers – raises they haven’t seen in four years. Instead, the House has proposed an insufficient $250 one-time bonus.
Lawmakers should restore the sales tax and leave it in place for a few years until the economy stabilizes. The proposed House funding scheme means the state will be at this precipice again next year, trying to find a way to patch funding holes created without a revenue surplus or trust funds lawmakers can raid.
Teachers haven’t had a raise in four years? Who in the hell has! Many of us are underemployed. Many of us in the private sector have seen our earnings almost halved, and without any prospects of regaining what we once had. But forget about us, the Charlotte Observer’s favorite pets haven’t had a raise in four years!
Well, BOO F****** HOO!
How is it that a local paper can be so tone deaf? What echo chamber do these people live in? Maybe Taylor Batten, the editor at the Charlotte Observer, will raffle off a dinner date at his multi-million dollar estate, so as to have a better understanding of we little people. Much like the one Obama's "beautiful people" are throwing for the great unwashed.
The North Carolina Teacher’s Union (NCAE) sued the state because they no longer have a free accounting service paid for by the taxpayers. Of course, that’s not what their contention is in their suit, but that’s exactly what it is. Their official stance is that the House republican’s “midnight rendezvous” violated the state’s constitution, and impairs their rights to freedom of association and speech.
The union says state lawmakers went much further than that, violating the state constitution in the process. Shortly after 11 p.m. on the closing night of the special session, the Legislature decided to raise the issue of when it would next formally convene. An amendment proposed that they reconvene at midnight that very night to "consider a legislative override of any bill vetoed by Governor Perdue."
At 1:12 a.m. that morning, the House voted 69 to 45 to override the governor's veto of Senate Bill 727. Because the Senate had previously voted to override the veto, the House vote had the effect of enacting it into law.
The union says the lawmakers violated the North Carolina Constitution on its face, and that the law violates their union members' rights to free expression and association.It seeks a restraining order, immediate declaratory relief that the General Assembly's actions violated the state constitution, an injunction and costs.
Let’s take a look at the NCAE’s choice of association and speech as reported by the Civitas Institute:
2010 Contributions:
NCAE contributed $172,950 to candidates. Democrats received $170,650 in contributions (98.6 percent); Republicans received $2,300 in contributions (1.3 percent).
2008 Contributions
NEA and NCAE contributed $1.8 million to help Bev Perdue win the 2008 Governor’s race. NEA spent another $1.7 million on campaign ads for Bev Perdue.
I would say the NCAE’s speech and association is limited in scope. It’s no wonder Governor Beverly Perdue vetoed that bill. Hell, look at all the money she received from this union. It must be nice to have your own little collection agency inside the state government; and all at the expense of the taxpayers. Nice! Is it any wonder the House republicans held a little “midnight rendezvous,” so as to put an end to this racket?
Here is my tribute to North Carolina’s House republicans. May you be as bold in the future as you are now.
Okay, I admit it. I just wanted an excuse to play this song.
Last week North Carolina’s House republicans overrode Governor Bev Perdue’s veto on SB 727, which ends the practice of the state collecting union dues for the teachers association by means of payroll deductions. Two democrats joined them as well. This “midnight” override caused a big stink amongst the statist. Many of them called the act unconstitutional. But not a one of them will admit that the North Carolina Association of Educators is an advocacy group for the Democratic Party. Only one organization has called this front group for what it is, and that is the Civitas Institute.
The reaction from NCAE members was swift. On the day the legislation was approved, NCAE President Sheri Strickland issued a statement, “The Association believes the passage of this legislation – an override of Governor Perdue’s veto — to be a retaliatory action against NCAE for standing up for public school students and educators. The message from the legislature is clear – if you stand against cuts to public education, we will teach you a lesson.”
NCAE has constructed this theme of Republican retribution for NCAE’s criticism of the majority party’s education policies. That explanation ignores relevant facts:
Dues check off was ended because the practice aided the radical policies of groups like the National Education Association (the parent group of NCAE) not the interests of children.
NCAE portrays itself as having members from both political parties and as supportive of both Republican and Democratic candidates. A look at NCAE’s contributions to political campaigns, however, reveals 99 percent of NCAE political contributions went to Democrats.
If NCAE is truly concerned about teacher salaries and securing more classroom funding, why has NCAE executive compensation increased 24 percent from 2006-2009 while, over the same time period, the salary of the average teacher in North Carolina only increased 12 percent?
The NCAE is no different than any other union. The bosses live high on the hog, while their members slave away; and many times their union’s advocacy is counter to the principles of their more conservative members. Again, Civitas addresses this issue as well:
NCAE is classified as a 501(c) 6 tax exempt organization. Among other things the designation allows for lobbying and contributions to political campaigns. NCAE joins hands with its parent organization National Education Association (NEA) to influence political campaigns. The NCAE Constitution requires NCAE members to be members of NEA, the largest teachers union in the nation.8 Membership in NEA requires even more membership dues. This fall teachers will pay an average of $237 to NCAE and $178 to NEA for annual dues.9 NCAE frequently criticizes the influence of powerful corporate interests in American politics. However the fact is NEA and its local affiliates like NCAE represent the largest political influence on American politics. Let’s look at the numbers:
In 2008, NEA spent $56.3 million on political campaign contributions.
NEA is largest political campaign spender in American politics. NEA’s contributions are larger than Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and Exxon combined10
In 2009 NCAE made $710,716 in nondeductible lobbying and political expenditures11 2010 Contributions:
NCAE contributed $172,950 to candidates. Democrats received $170,650 in contributions (98.6 percent); Republicans received $2,300 in contributions (1.3 percent).
2008 Contributions
NEA and NCAE contributed $1.8 million to help Bev Perdue win the 2008 Governor’s race. · NEA spent another $1.7 million on campaign ads for Bev Perdue.
Such giving patterns would lead one to conclude all teachers are liberal. Are they?
A 2005 survey of NEA member political attitudes found NEA members “are slightly more conservative (50%) than liberal (43%) in political philosophy.”12 2009 Education Next –PEPG National Survey of public school teachers found 37 percent of public school teachers somewhat or completely support the formation of charter schools. When told President Obama supports charter schools, the figure increases to 43 percent
When told President Obama supports merit pay, 31 percent of public school teachers express support for such proposals
Why should North Carolinians provide a free service as dues collectors for an organization that is openly hostile to the majority of its citizens? Why can’t they collect their own damn money? The General Assembly addressed those questions in their “midnight" override.
You’ve got to love Gov. Chris Christie. A busy body woman tried to embarrass him by pointing out that he sends his kids to a private school instead of public. He turned the tables on her with the following rebuttal:
It's none of your business. I don't ask you where you send your kids to school. I pay $38,000 in taxes for public schools that we don't utilize. We believe, we have decided as parents we believe a religious education should be part of our children's education. Third, I, as governor, am responsible for every child in this state, not just my own. The decisions I make are to improve the educational opportunities. With all due respect, it's none of your business.
Wow, that is refreshing. Gov. Christie is a straight forward, no-nonsense politician. That is rare for someone in his profession. Now you see why conservatives want him to run for president.
No wonder the Obama administration is trying to dig up dirt on this guy. They are quaking in their boots, and that is not from the thunderous footfalls of an overweight man.
North Carolina teachers were bussed into Raleigh to protest a House Republican budget that allows the 1% sales tax to expire.A sea of commie red engulfed the capitol building.A Che Guevara flag prominently flew amongst those who teach your children.
"No!" was the resounding response from several thousand teachers whose homemade signs bobbed with messages such as "Education cuts never heal" and "Kids are worth a penny!" The latter sign was a reference to a 1-cent sales tax increase that is due to expire. Democrats, including Perdue, want to keep part of the tax to avoid making deeper cuts to education, but Republicans pledged to end it. Teachers passed buckets at the rally, collecting pennies in a symbolic gesture. The coins will be sent to the state Department of Revenue, according to the N.C. Association of Educators, the state teachers group that held the rally.
"I've got a new phrase for them," said Vickie Wilkins, a 36-year veteran who teaches at Southern Lee High School. "Do the math!"
The crowd started to chant. "Do the math! Do the math!"
"We are not getting the love, and we are not getting their respect," Wilkins said. "Who do they think are teaching their children?"
I’ll tell you who I think are teaching this state’s children: a bunch of communist.
Tomorrow’s a big day for our educators. It’s indoctrinate the kiddies day! The NEA and your local union thugs are sponsoring this national event. They have co-opted the day of Martin Luther King’s assassination to spread their message. If you can’t stand on your own, adopt a martyr.
The NEA has listed ways to show solidarity with the socialist in your local schools:
For information about specific We Are One events in your area, visit the main We Are One website.
Suggestions for local events:
• Ask Everyone in your local to wear red in support of public education.
• Hold a pancake breakfast before the school day begins; a potluck lunch; or a social get-together after work.
• Organize building reps to distribute flyers to members in their place of work — front office of the school, cafeteria, transportation office, classrooms, lounge – wherever it’s appropriate to distribute the information.
• Orchestrate a letters to the editor program in which the local newspaper receives letters during the entire week of April 4 – 8.
• Wear arm bands/buttons/stickers to show solidarity with other workers.
• Stage a teach-in at your local school or institution of higher education, using the information in the AFL-CIO’s “We Are One teach-in kit”.
Documents to use and share:
• We Are One flyer
• We Are One sticker template (square)
• We Are One sticker template (round)
While you visit the NEA’s site, check out the comments. You will not believe that these people are teaching your kids. Here is one I found interesting. This woman was a teacher in New Jersey. As soon as she retires she flees her state and moves to North Carolina. Yeah, that’s all we need down here, another socialist from the northeast:
Margaret McCulloch
Posted April 3rd, 2011 at 10:04 am
Fellow Public School employees: teachers and support staff:
The wrong message is being delivered to the public: they should recall when employees bargained for benefits as opposed to rate of salary. Excellence is what public schools have always maintained. They have met the challenge to equip students with knowledge required to fulfill demanding changes in education. All over the United States we unite together. (from New Jersey, retired in North Carolina.)
National Education Association’s retiring top lawyer, Bob Chanin, speaking at the NEA’s annual meeting in July, 2009:
“Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power.”
“And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year, because they believe that we are the unions that can most effectively represent them, the unions that can protect their rights and advance their interests as education employees.”
“This is not to say that the concern of NEA and its affiliates with closing achievement gaps, reducing dropout rates, improving teacher quality and the like are unimportant or inappropriate. To the contrary. These are the goals that guide the work we do. But they need not and must not be achieved at the expense of due process, employee rights and collective bargaining. That simply is too high a price to pay.”
The above video shows a protester whose vocabulary encompasses a couple of words. I hope he doesn't teach English. And below is a doctor handing out sick notes to the pillars of the community, so they won't get disciplined for an unauthorized leave of absence.
I wonder what their union contract says about committing fraud.
Union protesters crowded Wisconsin’s state capitol for a second straight day. Teachers called in sick, shutting down schools. The press and their vociferous, socialist compatriots would have us believe that the plight of Badger state public employees is the equivalent of the Egyptians. I say they’re more like the Greeks.
The example of Ronald Reagan comes to mind right about now. When the air traffic controllers went on strike, he fired them. If the teachers continue to neglect their duty, they should receive the same fate. There are a lot of prospects who would love to have a job, especially in this economy.
When the going gets tough, the Democrats spirit across state lines. This is reminiscent of Texas Democrats who played the same game a couple of years ago. They, like their Wisconsin counterparts, denied the senate a quorum; effectively cutting off debate and state business. Justice delayed will not be justice denied. Sooner or later they have to come home.
Wisconsin has a long progressive history and the election of a conservative governor is an affront to their socialist principles. WTMJ and the Associated Press reports the following:
Wisconsin has long been a bastion for workers' rights. It was the first state to grant collective bargaining rights to public employees more than a half-century ago. And the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was founded in 1936 in Madison.
But when voters elected Walker, an outspoken conservative, along with GOP majorities in both legislative chambers, it set the stage for a dramatic reversal of the state's labor history.
Under Walker's plan, state employees' share of pension and health care costs would go up by an average of 8 percent.
Unions still could represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.
In exchange for bearing more costs and losing bargaining leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Walker has threatened to order layoffs of up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass
We can expect this type of Grecian protest throughout the country. Obama and his union goon’s chickens have come home to roost.
Teachers in Madison, Wisconsin marched on the state's capitol in protest of the new governor's austerity program. A program that is designed to reign in public employee unions.
The problem is they used their students as props. Many of these kids had no idea what they were protesting, and I suspect their parents had no idea they went on this "field trip".
The country passed labor laws ostensibly to protect children from the exploitation of corporations. Do we need a law to protect them from their teachers too?
New Jersey’s Governor Christie is in an epic battle with one of the most powerful special interest groups in the United States: the teacher’s union. The cost of education has become the third rail of politics with every leftist organization rallying to the call of the Horn of Gondor when the national, state or local government questions the cost. It seems the village doesn’t have enough cash to raise children in the proper way socialist see fit.
North Carolina is no different. The Charlotte Observer published a cartoon portraying the incoming North Carolina General Assembly as Scrooge. Keep in mind that this is the first time the Republican Party has gained the majority in the legislature in both houses in over 100 years. I guess you can say this is a preemptive strike.
A study by Civitas displays the cost of education:
How Much Does North Carolina Spend to Produce one High School Diploma?
K-12 public education remains one of the most talked about policy issues in North Carolina. Public interest derives not only from the importance of the task, but also the level of public spending. In the 2010-11 state budget, 37 percent of state spending approximately $7.1 billion is devoted to K-12 public education. In 2008-09, state, federal and local expenditures for K-12 public education totaled $12.2 billion on a student population of 1.4 million. The economic challenges facing North Carolinians underscore the importance of understanding how much North Carolina is spending for education and how well our institutions are performing. One question that flows from this discussion is: How much does it cost to produce a high school graduate in North Carolina?1
Methodology
To answer this question, annual per student average expenditures were gathered for 13 years (1996-97 to 2008-09) grades K-12) for the 10 largest local education agencies (LEAs) in North Carolina.2 In 2008-09, the ten largest LEAs accounted for approximately 40 percent of all K-12 students enrolled in North Carolina public schools. Annual per student expenditure figure sum state, local and federal per pupil expenditures The figures are then adjusted for inflation. Annual totals are then divided by the LEAs 2008 graduation rate. Since the costs of a diploma should accurately reflect all educational costs, the costs of those who fail to graduate are included. According to Department of Public Instruction data, 70 percent of 9th grade students who enrolled as freshmen in 2005-06, graduated four years later in 2008-09.
Data for this study is from the Education Statistics Access System (ESAS), available on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction web site.
Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Only for the taxpayers who are chained to the education boondoggle, and the socialist utopian dream.
New Jersey teachers let loose. One makes an astonishing admission of negotiating in bad faith. Governor Christie has a serious problem with these people. This video is worth watching.
School officials in Cincinnati, Ohio escorted three vans loaded with high school students to the downtown elections office. These children were given a sample ballot demarking only Democratic candidates and were fed ice cream after they pulled the lever. A lawsuit was filed to stop four other high schools that planned on voting as well:
The suit alleges three van loads of Hughes High students arrived at the Downtown Board of Elections offices at 1 p.m. Wednesday, supervised by a school employee. School lets out at 3:15 p.m.
When they got out of the vans, the students, the suit alleges, also were accompanied by adults who appeared to be campaign workers or supporters for U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, D-West Price Hill, the congressman being challenged this fall by Steve Chabot. When the students got out of the vans, the suit alleges they were given sample ballots containing only Democratic candidates.
A lawyer representing Cincinnati public schools denied any wrong doing.
It’s bad enough that these so-called educators are indoctrinating today’s youth, now they are using them to vote for their handpicked candidates. I have a serious problem with kids voting to begin with. They do not have the life experience to make intelligent decisions and are easily manipulated by their schoolmarm masters. If I were a parent of one of these kids, I would be livid.
Jim Nolan is running for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. He is an AP Government teacher from Morehead City and is using his classroom and students to wage a write-in campaign on his behalf. Ostensibly, this is a lesson on civics, but what's disturbing is his platform. It is stereotypical of public sector teachers, and if my kids were attending his classes, I would be concerned.
Mr. Nolan demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of our federalist system, and shows contempt for our Constitution: a typical trait of progressives. He has outlined what is wrong with our style of governance and noted what improvements should be made. Here are a few of the most absurd and easily refuted arguments of candidate Nolan:
Elimination of the Electoral College
A remnant of the Republic's disdain for the common man's voice - it should be eliminated.
The popular vote coupled with mandatory voting will give a better picture of America’s true voice
First of all the common man does have a voice, it is called the House of Representatives. Eliminating the Electoral College would disenfranchise the less populated states. Presidential candidates would cater to the big urban centers at the expense of others. Cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami would benefit greatly from the promises of candidates while the common man in Montana and Idaho would be neglected.
The 17th Amendment is a perfect example of a transfer of power from the rural areas to urban. Before the Amendment, the state legislature decided who would represent them in the U.S. Senate. Now it is done by popular vote, and with it came an explosion of campaign contributions by special interest that in many instances is harmful to the states themselves.
Candidate Nolan believes in mandatory voting or a fine of $200 will be levied. Yeah, let’s have a bunch of uninformed morons voting. Didn’t we learn our lesson from the last general election?
Term limits for Congress
House terms should be 4 years instead of 2. The members must spend most of their time raising money for re-election and that’s insane. There should also be a term limit of 20 years, or 5 election cycles. This will allow for new people to come into the political arena with new ideas and prevent the temptation for corruption. And since 98% of incumbents get re-elected due to special interest money, this limit is necessary
Candidate Nolan has a point on term limits, though his reasoning is flawed. He believes that the terms of the House of Representatives should be 4 years instead of 2 because they spend most of their time raising money? How is an extra two years going to stop that? The whole reasoning for a two year term is to make these politicians more accountable to the people. I fail to see how a four year term accomplishes anything.
Elections
The election process can be improved also. How about an election date change to allow for easier voting - for example, a National Holiday, or an election week, with local polling places staffed not with all volunteers but local public servants such as policemen and firemen or teachers after school taking shifts? If we are touting democracy all over the world, let’s live up to the bragging.
All I have to say is that if you can’t make it on time to vote, then you are not that interested; and that means you are uninformed. We don’t need a bunch of idiots voting for people who don’t have a clue on the important issues of the day. Again, haven’t we learned our lesson from the last election?
Candidate Nolan would have us replace volunteers, who actually care about the process and sacrifice their time because it matters to them. He would rather have special interest groups like the public employee unions watching over our votes. I don’t think so! All you have to do is look at Greece, New Jersey, Chicago and California to see the corruption involved in that.
What I find particularly offensive is the use of students to disseminate his propaganda. I will agree that there is a lot of waste in the defense budget and cutting it by 30% is somewhat reasonable; but to say it would get rid of the deficit is absurd:
Here is an actual figure that compares the Iraq war to the rest of the budget, and for good measure a demographic showing the budget deficits of Bush compared to Obama. Candidate Nolan’s assertions are patently false.
The rest of his platform is what you expect from a progressive nut job teacher who is indoctrinating his students. It makes a good argument for a voucher system and private education.
Ed Schultz knows his One Nation Rally was a bust. They did everything they could to match the grassroots 8/28 rally. They bused in union members from all around the country:
Gave them food and drink:
and yet they couldn't attract the crowd that attended the 8/28 rally:
8/28 rally
One Nation Rally
I guess its a good thing that this collection of socialist, commies, union workers and self-loathing Americans weren't any bigger. We would have had to declare Washington D.C. an environmental disaster area:
New Jersey Governor Christie takes no prisoners when it comes to the cost of education and the teachers union. This man is straight forward and tells it like it is.
A big shot in the teachers union sent an email to its members informing them to pray for Christie's death. What kind of crap is that? I thought we had a separation of church and state.
