http://rutlandherald.com/article/20130307/THISJUSTIN/130309960
Springfield school budget failure prompts sabbatical withdrawal
By Christian Avard
Staff Writer | March 07,2013
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I have a couple comments to make. First is bulls*** that the students told her that. I don't believe a word she says. She was being crucified by the public for asking the taxpayers for that money and I do not believe her plans panned out the way they were supposed to.
ReplyDeleteSecond, thank G-d someone from the budget committee spoke up and that someone is finally "getting it". I do not think the school budget was defeated because of the union st property. Did that debacle and the alleged hiding of other monies for park st or whatnot DID play a part. Frankly, the voters are tapped out of money to keep spending and spending for less than stellar results. That combined with the Elm Hill issues, the other legal issues current and pending, people are just plain tired of it plain and simple. You have administrators who are rude and dishonest to the public, you have a former superintendant who gets paid to stay home, you pushed through a new superintendent and frankly you have one or two school board members that the voters just do not trust or like and for good reason because they are dishonest and two faced. STEP DOWN! THAT is why your budget didn't pass. Can it get any plainer to you.
I think possibly the new superintendent might be ok but he is going to have to bust some balls and really put people in their place while being completely honest and forthright with the public about it. There is at least one administrator that the public dislikes who needs to go. Build that trust agin and clean house or you will forever face an uphill battle. Admit the wrongs and the mistakes, settle them and move forward with your community behind you. If you don't admit those mistakes then you will ALWAYS be seen as being dishonest.
So Ms. Dodge is a teacher? Or a propagandist? Maybe she is just working on her writing skills of holding a reader while building some excitement. Or as the poster above says quite plainly it’s just a bunch of bull. Then again I guess for 43,000 dollars you get the bully pulpit for a few minutes anyhow.
ReplyDeleteChange is a coming my friends as more and more folks stand up becoming one voice. Yeah you can say these blogs don’t do anything and are full of bull, but it seems to me that someone is reading them. And the message is starting to become clear, clean up the waste of our tax dollars.
My hat is off to Hugh Putnam for doing his job. His statements were clear and not politically correct which means they were the truth, something MS. Dodge could not tell. Now we get to hear from Chuckles of how poor Ms. Dodge is not getting what she deserves (but she is) and from Aethelred about how this is the GOP fault and plan. These two gentleman are the same saying we have to work together to build a stronger Springfield, that is as long as it’s totally done via the Democratic Party Platform.
Chuckles, about your referral to the Facebook of “Optimist only need apply.” That’s the best way to get people working together, tell them you have to do it my way or I’ll take my ball and go home. Well brother please go home.
This folks it what’s wrong with our country today. And breaking news, it’s everyone’s fault inside that beltway that are living high on the hog (turns out we’re the hogs!).
Harry- you are exactly spot on. You know..people want to help, the community wants to be involved, but they are tired of being lied to and tired of the "my way or no way" attitude. I know many many times I have lent ideas or voice and because those ideas didn't fall into a neat little box that was beneficial, or was too much work I was shot down by school staff, school administrators and even board members. So people say why bother Eff you and they move on. What a shame. The board and the schools and the staff like to throw blame on everyone BUT themselves for the problems. Because a different view or idea infringes upon their way of life, it might mean they have to give up some control or some time or heaven forbid even give up claim that THEY were the one to come up with the idea.
ReplyDeleteYES-times are changing because I think the voters voiced that and said ENOUGH ALREADY.
Hear hear! As someone who used to try to get involved, and has given up...
DeleteTired of my voice being unheard and watching the quality of our educational system go downhill. Just because I'm not an educator, doesn't mean I don't understand what it takes to succeed and what I had available to me through my tenure at Springfield Schools that allowed me to have the quality of education that allowed me to step into the college of my choice, and succeed there without skipping a beat.
Rebuild the trust.
You're too young to give up!
DeleteSo why did Ms. Dodge wait until the budget was voted down before withdrawing her request for the time off? It was clear to me that she had no problem with taking the time off and our tax money if the budget passed. The other interesting thing is that a friend of mine who works in the school district tells me that Ms. Dodge is the teacher union president! It’s very sad that a person in that position takes time off to write a book about the Beatles and then tells us that the children of the district will be suffering due to the budget being defeated. It makes me believe the former superintendent and school board approved the leave due to her position in the union. SO I don’t want to hear “It’s for the children” from the district or the employees of the district when their own union leader was willing to take our tax money to write a book that would not benefit the school district. I have one question now, is Ms. Dodge going to take an unpaid leave now to write her book? I would guess not!
ReplyDeleteLet's keep in mind that budget advisory committees are not elected. Do you really want elected boards such as the town or school board to just rubber stamp whatever a budget committee recommends? If you want accountability, then I think you would also favor having those who are elected make the important decisions, not people who are picked to serve on a committee. If a Board decides to adopt some or all suggestions by an advisory committee, fine, but do it only because the Board believes the recommendations are the proper course of action. If the Board declines every single recommendation of a budget committee, that is fine as well, so long as that is the what the Board believes to be the proper course of action. We don't want hand picked committees controlling elected officials.
ReplyDeleteEthan, you are correct. But then why have the committee to being with. If it’s all smoke and mirrors then why waste the time of those folks. This is a small community that is not hard to get the heartbeat of. Does the board have to agree with the committee? Of course not. Should the board disclose information that they plan on adding after the committee submits its suggestions? Of course not. Don’t ask for opinions unless you want an honest opinion. How do you get the most honest opinion if you cannot be honest with those of whom you ask?
DeleteRubber stamps do not help reach common ground. Elected officials must make the final decision and be held accountable or praised depending on outcome. I’m not sure we’re at the place, thus the smoke and mirrors. This goes to my point of why you will have tougher times ahead getting honest folks to sit on these committees. To be clear I voted for the budget but I do see where folks have a right to be frustrated.
From what I read on past blogs you are a smart young man. Don’t ever let yourself become closed to debate on any subject or fall into a failure to question authority. Just because you accept their answers don’t mean you have to agree with them.
Speaking of accountability, how are Mrs. Garfield and Mr. Vandenburgh held accountable? Surely they have played a significant role in the demise of the school district (seclusion rooms, sabbaticals, Park St), but yet they are re-elected, so we must approve of the job they are doing.
DeleteBudget Advisory Committees are just what their name implies "Advisory". The School Board spends considerable more time looking at the budget than the advisory committee does. The function of the advisory committee is to bring to light things which they think might be changed, kind of as a second opinion, it is not intended to be, nor is it ever considered to be a policy dictating committee. Occasionally, you will have someone on the Budget Committee who say has a grudge against a particular Principal or against some program, etc. and may challenge a budget item on that basis, or the Committee may not be completely aware of an overall policy or program that the School is trying to accomplish. Unfortunately, there are also times when the School has to attack something in what appears to be a convoluted manner. A recent example of that was the attempt to acquire and tear down the house/boarding house directly in front of Union Street School. They could not tap the funds they needed to accomplish that by simply saying they were buying the house to assist in cleaning up the neighborhood which has developed an adverse reputation associated with gangs and drugs, nor could they even say they were doing it to increase security, in order to tap the funding they had to say it was for a parking lot. Then of course you had all these people standing up in Town Meeting going off on whether parking was needed or the suitability of the site for parking, etc. I don't believe that the School Board gave a rip about creating parking, they were trying to increase security of the kids and assist in creating a wholesome neighborhood around the school. Heck had I thought the purpose was really to create a parking lot, I would have voted against it myself...but nobody who has the least amount of intelligence and who has been paying a minimal amount of attention thought that buying the structure and lot really believed that it had anything to do with parking. The problem with these Teapublican talking points is that they cause people not to really try to understand what is going on.
DeleteYou had me until Teapublican. To bad because it would have been a beautiful relationship.
DeleteI think he is just doing that to get a rise out of you Harry.
DeleteWe, as a community, need to find the path leading to a quality, fiscally responsible, educational system. Passing the school budget helps. When concerned citizens go to school board meetings, with proposals for improvement, it's a lot easier to implement any improvement when there's at least adequate funding.
DeleteSidenote: Anyone who casts aspersions towards Mrs. Garfield has no idea how much she personally cares about every student and person she has a chance to help.
Seth, I understand she cares about students as do all school board members, but the fact is she has been on the school board through some very embarrassing decisions. Why doesn't know one run against her to hold her accountable, if she wins great, people are happy with her performance as a school board member.
DeletePersonally I dont think people should complain as much as they do...clearly the complainers are not running for school board.
Not really, while it is true that partisan politics does not play as much of a role on community boards, as it does on the national scene, it is not true that it has no impact. The reason it has less of a role on local boards is because normally when elected to those boards and you are struggling with the problems that erupt, you realize that you cannot resolve those problems by resorting to ideological principles. Those who do try to solve local issues based on ideological principles normally are massive failures. Unfortunately, Teapublican rhetoric does seep into the brains of the citizenry who either do not have the inclination to try and puzzle out solutions, or don't have the time to do so. They then apply this rhetoric and it adversely affects the school budget. The Springfield school system when compared to the immediately surrounding systems compares favorably on a multitude of factors, if it didn't it wouldn't be the magnet of students from adjacent systems without high schools. That is not to say it isn't in need of improvement, or that there isn't some economic waste occurring. However, it has been my observation that a lot of the waste and misdirection to the extent it exists is due to the excessive level of Federal and State regulation, and very little of it is due to local abuse of discretion. Yet, the Teapublican approach is to condemn the system and call for even tighter budgets. They fail to realize that when they kill a budget they further reduce the ability of the school to fund and implement discretionary programs, and the things which they tend to dislike remain untouched because they are mandated by law. Its the discretionary programs which give a school either a reputation as a great school, or a poor reputation. Most parents who shop systems because of schools know that more or less instinctively. They also know that Springfield has a reputation for defeated school budgets, so the assumption is that Springfield's discretionary programs are not vigorous (which may not actually be true) and so they tend to locate elsewhere. The other factor is Weathersfield which has a voucher system for high school. There are a considerable number of parents that want to send their kids to private schools period -- the voucher subsidizes that choice. As a result you see a lot of people who work in Springfield and play vital roles in Springfield, actually living in Weathersfield.
DeleteNot sure who wrote it but it is not necessarly true that the School Board spends more time with the budget than the Budget Committe. I can't speek for all the members but I know I spend many hours over a couple of years studying the budget, visiting schools and the central office in order to make meaningful recomendations. The goal has always been to keep the budget down but not harm our educational system. With over 49 pages in this years budget this is not always easy to do and many items are mandated by state and federal law and the union contracts so are off the table. We know it is the School Boards job to make the final decision but after all our work we would like to be in a position to restate our reasons when they disagree. I for one had no idea about the "parking lot" purchase until it appeared in the paper.
ReplyDeleteMy hope is that the public will give their budget committee it's input and backing. We may be a selected group but I am not aware of anyone on the committee who does not want what is best for our schools and the tax payers and under stands that it requires compromises.
School Budget Committee member
Ah, Harry Byrd! You get your information from television. You might be interested in finding out how TV presents information. If you're an open-minded sort, I will provide you with two free tickets (cost $95) which I cannot use, to the Annual Media Literacy Conference in Storrs, Connecticut, on April 19th. Apart from the fact that you will not come back the same person you were when you left, what do you have to lose?
ReplyDeleteAs was pointed out, we are small town people dealing with small town issues, but when we let national ideology rule our inclinations, we suffer. Our support of the "marriage penalty" tax refund cost Springfield schools $1.5 million every year for a decade. Every five and a half days we spent "supporting the troops" in Iraq cost us the refurbishment of an Elm Hill School. Every seven days in Afghanistan costs us the whole school budget, and every eighteen hours that lawyer spends arguing the Defense of Marriage Act before the Supreme Court costs us as much as the entire list of off-budget items on the town ballot.
We have to accept that we are going to lose badly if we conform to their opinions, if we continue to slight the poor, mock the disadvantaged, despise the weak and ignore the needy. We are going to have to wean ourselves from equating freedom with the expenditure of gasoline and liberty with 189 channels to choose from. We are going to have to change the rules of the game so it's no longer, "He who dies with the most toys is the winner."
We start by identifying SPECIFICALLY what we want, not what we don't want. We discuss things to find out what steps we have to take to get each thing, and we make plans to sacrifice as needed to get them. We don't waste time in negativity.
People who want to get serious about innovation can check in at the Springfield Vermont Democrats facebook page. There have already been three proposals which could energize the town, none of which calls for enormous infrastructure investment. Now, that sounds promising already....
Chuckles, grab a brown paper bag, place it to our mouth and breathe into it slowly. This will help somewhat. It will not make you smarter but it will help control your hysteria. Okay, settled down a bit now? Because I watch TV news somehow I’m a brainwashed dope? Unlike you of course.
DeleteI’m confused. Are the tickets free or are they 95 dollars? If it’s such a great place to change why can’t you use them? Although with the fear of not coming back as the same person I can see why. Just so you know I was the one pointing out that we are a small town dealing with small town issues. Breathe in the bag, breathe into the bag.
Did the budget advisory committee know about this Marriage Penalty tax costing the schools so much money, or was that hidden also? I looked in the Town Report and could not find it. Also I may be wrong but not supporting our troops is not a good idea. Not supporting the folks that put them in that position, I’m with you. Not supporting the fine young men and women defending your right to write this stupidity is out right wrong. WRONG. If you have issue with that I’d gladly take that up with you. I have two dead relatives and a few dead friends that will argue that point if they are alive today.
I suggest you put your hand back in your pocket and tell your friends to get a job. If they can’t find work then at least learn how to say thank you instead of give me more, and more, and more. Is it a lack of knowledge to get ahead or just laziest that keeps all these good folks you speak up down? I personally have very few “toys”. Like most middle income folks I go to work every day, pay my bills, taxes and rake my lawn. I give to a church, pay for colleges and enjoy a meal out when I can. Yet I get hit with the most tax hikes while clowns like you run around crying we are refusing to help the poor and disadvantage. Maybe Warren Buffet can explain to you why he has several lawyers fighting to keep him from paying back taxes while presenting himself as for his "poor" employees. Your crowd certainly has sucked into that jive.
You want to solve world issues then move your butt to Washington, pitch your tent and carry a sign all day around the White House. If not then let’s focus on Springfield VT for now and our problems because I don't see any of your buddies (Bernie, Pat or Peter as you referred to them earlier jumping in to save us). And guess what, there are more ways to get things done then the Chuckles Democratic Facebook page. You want to bring folks together but you can’t wait to point out what you consider others faults, yeah that is a good act you have going. Okay let’s all hug and sign “Blowing In The Wind” now.
By the way Chuckles I’m a registered Independent, always have been always will be and take up some Democratic views and well as conservative. Surprisingly none of yours.
And may I add I know SPECIFICALLY what you want, it's called my hard earn money. I believe you now the steps to get it. The only negativity I see is in my bank account, normally around April 15th. (That is when folks pay taxes, I'm sure by then you already have received your return by then.)
The $95 tickets are free to you and your chosen companion, Harry Byrd. As a Registered Independent, you will find the conference quite attuned to your state of mind.
ReplyDeleteNobody in Springfield knew about the $1.5 million loss from the "marriage penalty" shell game, although it was pointed out at various public occasions. Very few bother to connect the dots. It was the same with the "death tax," a concept a Texas millionaire paid the Heritage Foundation $20,000 to develop and promote. He got quite a return on his investment!
"Support the troops" in Iraq and Afghanistan has been nothing more than a ruse to get us to appreciate that they are coming home damaged visibly and invisibly after having put their lives on the line for the Carlyle Group and Big Oil. As the most decorated Marine up to WWII (4 Medals of Honor, and a general when he retired) wrote, "War Is a Racket." If we really supported the troops, we would insist they all come home, but no, we have been gulled into using them to keep GWH Bush's Carlyle Group profitable. And Dick Cheney's Halliburton...
I also have dead relatives; I just don't have the blinders some others do.
So, if you have any good ideas that don't involve crushing the potential of the poor, the powerless and the needy to participate in a better Springfield, lay them on the table. And if you believe in a better community, you'll put your money where your belief is, like the rest of us.
Chuck,
DeleteI commend you for using your name and leading with your chin.I am not sure that is the smartest move but to each his own.
I have a comment and a question.
1. I for one am not better off than I was 5 years ago.The dems have done me no favors and I ended up out of the country supporting my family instead of accepting unemployment or worse yet welfare.
2.Hows the hope and change "thingy" going for you?
I think that on both sides of the political fence that most people have selfish agendas that they push through for self gain.
However the DEMS seem to me to be the worst hypocrits as they say they are for the people but take care of themselves first more.
Also I am not a government worker who feels they should never have to pay cut or a job loss.
This is one honest WORKING mans opinion.
Hey, 11:44!!! Great comments and questions! You probably have a lot more to lose than I do, being much farther from senility and the grave and still dependent on a paycheck rather than enjoying the benefits of SS as a result of having a job almost every day of my life since age 12, so I advise you stay anonymous. Now to your questions:
Delete1. You are not "no better off" than you were 5 years ago; you are no better off than you were forty years ago, if you were working then. You likely have not gotten a raise in the last five years, and if you did, it did not catch up with inflation. If, however, you have been making more than $160,000 a year, then I am wrong. In that case, you are one of the people who got ALL the income gains in 2011. It is a sad commentary on Wall Street's rule over this country that you had to leave it in order to support your family. If you are a reading person, I suggest you read Jeff Madrick's book, "The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America." You will understand how things got so warped when Wall Street was allowed to put the interests of the shareholder over the interests of the customer. NAFTA basically is sending America back to the 1830's when we had to depend on foreign manufactures-- which kept us from becoming a strong, self-sufficient nation.
2. I LOVE the irony of "hope and change"! President Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize and is now personally approving which individuals and their children will get killed by drone strikes. 14.5 million households faced foreclosure when he took office; about 12.5 million homeowners have lost theirs in the last five years, and he still is not helping them. In his first administration, he had 18 staffers in key positions who came straight from Wall Street and have made sure the Street's interest comes first. He is in a bubble. I think Michelle would do a better job; she didn't get enthralled by Robert Rubin, which is what literally happened with her husband.
So, you like the Republicans because they're simply more open about trashing Medicare, support programs for the unemployed, universal health care? I have strong doubts about a party that for its very first action in this session reintroduced the friggin' THIRTY-THIRD resolution to repeal Obamacare-- and this was AFTER the Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
The real problem with the Dems is not really "hypocrisy," but servitude. There's a thing called "pay to play" in the House of Representatives which
compels members to pay dues simply for having been elected-- $75,000-- and fees for election/appointment to any committee or party post in the House. This was started by Tom DeLay and Newt Gingrich and quickly adopted by the Dems in 1994. Peter Welch this past year paid $200,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Which means that each of the 165 days he was not serving in Congress, he had to raise $1,200 for the DNCC. (If his opponent had been elected, he would have been obligated to pay something close to that amount). So, ALL of the House has to scramble for money-- and that $200,000 is SEPARATE from the-- what, $1.8 million?-- he had to raise for his campaign-- and it wasn't any different for his opponents, either.
Which means: It's not hypocrisy, it's sensitivity to the donors.
This is a problem that can be fixed-- and you can help fix it, like any other problem.
If you want to meet me and find out what you can do, I'll be recruiting people for various causes at noon Mondays and Saturdays at Recycling. Just hold up a baseball bat in my path to get me to slow down and chat.
By the way-- both John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi had to pay $25 million when they became Speaker of the House. In 2011, Pelosi did 403 fund-raisers. Boehner, for his part before he became speaker once passed out checks from the tobacco company lobbyists on the floor of the House...
I was the person that posted the 11:44 reply. No I went from a very good job working for what was good company. We worked hard and had pride in our work. We were respected in out industry and others copied our ideas. We got bought out by a investment company and we got replaced by contract people. The company went out of business in less than a yar and a half.I now make exactly 1/3 of the wage that I used to.
DeleteThats my story.Now as far as your stories regarding the "Pay to Play' in out government,I dont doubt you at all . I appreciate you filling us in.
9:51, your company's future was put gravely at risk when the government permitted the issue of "junk bonds" back in the early 80's. A junk bond is basically an IOU which says, "You might not get this money back at all, but if you do get it, you'll be rich." It was an IOU for an "equity firm" to buy a gun and stage a holdup: The book, Barbarians at the Gates, describes how it made it possible for KKR to raid one of the big tobacco companies, deprive the employees of their stock voting rights, raid the coffers, fire the employees, raid the pension fund and give the profits to the speculators.
DeleteGet investor money, buy a business, use it as collateral to load it up with debt, take the cash, distribute it to the investors and let the business go bankrupt-- a model which has served Wall Street far more profitably than backing businesses which provide the public with what they need-- good food, good homes, nice possessions, good utility service.
You can do something about it. If you're curious, come to the meeting.
Chuckles, you are hopeless. I'll save my time for those that are interested in moving forward and not reliving the past. Learn from history, yes. Relive it over and over, no. I fould you funny for a while, but you're not anymore. We don't move forward as a oountry by whining and blaming. And I believe I will put my money where it will give me the most stasifaction and return, that certainly is not in the hands of fools like you.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your race to the bottom.
Vacuous haters like H. Byrd will never get it. Why waste your breath Chuck? He's just another 'Wish the tool industry would hurry up and get back here' old buzzard that can't face the realities of the new century.
DeleteDon't worry, H. Byrd and his ilk won't be around for long......thank God.
8:27, "You can't make a man understand when his paycheck depends on not understanding." He comments like that when he's folding. He did that on our debate of alcohol vs. marijuana and another topic we went round and round on. At least he states quite publicly where he stands and lets the world know what to expect from him, which simplifies life. Not SVD Facebook page material, but a stout presence here, with a point of view that has to be taken into consideration.
DeleteNot actually sure how this thread got onto the subject of "Support the Troops", but Chuck Gregory is right. The whole yellow magnet ribbon thing got totally abused. This wasn't about supporting our troops, it was about American militarism and defense contractor profits. If it had been about supporting our troops, the George W. wouldn't have treated the veterans coming home maimed and mentally disturbed like crap. The whole thing became disgusting, it wasn't about honoring the men and women that got sent into harm's way based on faulty and fictious intelligence, it wasn't even about catching terrorists that had attacked America--they didn't give a rip that many GI families had to supplement their household income with food stamps to get by. It was all about corporate profits.
DeleteChuckles, In case you didn’t get it (or your sewer rat’s as some other poster affectionately referred to them) the comment that set me off was “Every five and a half days we spent "supporting the troops" in Iraq”. Now if want to dump on President Bush, I’m fine with that as it’s a dumb war to start with, just make sure you are dumping on President Obama also because he’s done little to change anything and has kept his word seldom. But never, never dump on the men and woman that walk a step closer to death every day. Thems fighting words as they say in the hills of Tennessee.
DeleteI’ve been waiting to see the how many of the sewer rats showed themselves to pat you on the back, not as many as I expected. Or were they just replies by you?
Chuck, I end these debates with you because you never stay on subject. You come in, high jack the blog and then direct it away from theme. You are so concerned about making your points and getting a “message” out that all focus is lost. Jumping in and saying I get my news from television and that’s my problem is foolish. I bet over the course of a day I read more newspapers, listen to more debate and follow the markets more than you ever will or had. Yet as a good lib you can’t wait to pick a sentence and blow it out of proportion. That is way you lost my respect.
I have little use for most if not all politicians, I have total respect for our troops. Like it or not a failure to support them will not get them home any sooner or make your case for a welfare state any stronger. You should be proud that children, many from this area are will to drag their butt overseas so you can criticize them back here. I also give to the Wounded Warriors Project, I figure they put it to better use than the folks shopping with EBT cards.
A quick note, I will be around for a while. Never had anything to do the machine shops other than wonder why workers would be striking in the declining years of shops when it was the last of the employers left. That’s about the time moved here, so I missed all those glory years. I guess that is another subject.
Wounded Warriors: CEO Steve Nardizzi, $319,000 salary
DeleteThere are far better org.s to be sending your money to.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12842
Search Charity Navigator
Why don't Chuck and Harry just get a room and hug it out?
ReplyDeleteI am a student, and I can speak for most of my peers, that we do not say, "The town doesn't care about us," with tears in our eyes to the teachers when the budget is voted down.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a joke. She's lame.
This is not a student...Students do not use the term "lame" anymore. Adults trying to sound like a student use the term "lame".
DeleteWe really like to define what "we know" kids say and what they don't say on here. They wouldn't say, "People don't care about us." They wouldn't say, "lame". Adults telling saying a teenager is an adult trying to sound like a teenager? This blog is awesome. I love reading it.
DeleteCan someone explain to me how a paid sabbatical to write a book about the Beatles shows our students that someone cares about them? Maybe my employer will give me a year paid sabbatical to write a book.
ReplyDeleteHere's the real question: Do any of these critics of budgetary responsibility ever say NO to their kids, or do they just buy them everything they want and give into them at every turn because to do otherwise to be "uncaring"?
ReplyDeleteVirtually all the kids today have a sense of entitlement that makes them feel the world owes them anything they want. If they don't get it, they throw a fit. If parents see that, they give in to make life easier for them. Very few parents say NO to kids today, which is why so many households require several jobs to exist. It's not always high rent, food costs and utilities. Sometimes it's to make life easier because kids are spoiled rotten. Just saying...
DeleteI agree with this, but 100% of the blame is on the parents. Stop being your children's friend and be a parent. They may hate you now, but will thank you for it later in life.
DeleteAmen to that!!!!
DeleteThe parents need to give tough love. Time for them to be an enemy to their kids, will make them grow up. These people who got too much love as kids, with their mothers at home instead of our earning a paycheck just feel entitled to everything. We need to bring back child labor. Children need to learn that they are worthless and incompetent at an early age so that they can be prepared to meet the rigors of life.
DeleteI was up at the high school walking my dog the other day and was shocked at how much trash there was on the ground outside the school.
DeleteWhy can't the kids that get detention be outside picking up garbage. It would be a useful opportunity to teach consequences and hard work.
Did you see any spare needles layin around, we always are in short supply of those.
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DeleteHarry Byrd, I noticed your comments a 2:35 on 3/9 (“Springfield Town Meeting Voting Results”) too late to respond then, but am doing so now. It is pretty certain that you are not a veteran. I am, and I know what "supporting the troops" means.
ReplyDeleteIf you watched "The Green Zone" or read the other seven-eighths of the book it comes from, "Imperial Life in the Emerald City;" if you had been in the military in wartime in any war since the Big One, you would know this: America's military is the best in the world at breaking things, and the higher up you go, either as an E or an O, the more you are willing to break things to get your ticket punched. And why is that? Because if you don get it punched, you're passed over, and if you’re passed over three times, you're out, and you'll have to spend the rest of your life as a civilian wimp. So, the longer you’re in, the more committed you are to breaking things they tell you to break. But why do you break them?
You weren't sent to fight to make Iraq safe for freedom, but safe for British Petroleum, the first company to land a contract after 80% of the shooting stopped. And for every one of your buddies that got killed, seven came home wounded, and for every seven that got wounded, another four came home with PTSD, and how much of the three trillion dollars that Iraq costs us is going to pay for their care? All this to support BP's success in getting a nice franchise. (Eaten any good Gulf shrimp recently? I"ll bet not.) Every public school in America could have been built ten times over, but no, we had to make Iraq just safe enough for BP--and profitable enough for Halliburton
And your job might be, at $2,800 a month, to protect the tank truck military contractor's employee who's making $20,000 (but you don’t know that because you didn't watch “Fahrenheit 9/11”).
And you don't see the contractors getting fat on their cost-plus-six-percent contracts, from which they peel off thousands for campaign contributions to keep in office the very people who are paying them with our tax money.
And you get electrocuted in their showers, and poisoned by their unprocessed drinking water, and you die in their inadequate body armor-- but then you didn’t see "Iraq for Sale," either.
The most decorated Marine in US history up to WWII-- and if you count Medals of Honor exclusively, still the most decorated (he got four)-- was General Smedley Butler, who after he retired wrote a book, "War is a Racket." He had spent his entire military career, he said, being the muscle for businesses that wanted to take over the action. He supported the troops by encouraging the Bonus Army in 1932, and they cheered him. Then McArthur, Eisenhower and Patton attacked them.
As the quarterback in "North Dallas Forty" said to the coach and the manager, "We're not the team! You're the team. We're just the equipment." And it applies to every man and woman in uniform-- they're not the troops; they're just the equipment. You'd never show up for a rally that wanted to support the equipment, that's why the people who sent them to those places mislabel them.
If you want to truly support the troops, here’s a troop you can support:
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/15045-one-of-the-first-iraq-veterans-to-publicly-oppose-war-will-die-for-our-sins
Now you're done.