tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54776692299695503112024-03-19T00:05:47.411-04:00Accountable TalkMy Theory, by A. Talk (brackets, Mr. brackets]
My theory that belongs to me is as follows.
This is how it goes.
The next thing I'm going to say is my theory. Ready?
This theory goes as follows and begins now.
All children can learn. That is my theory, it is mine, and belongs to me and I own it, and what it is too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger557125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-19053115634225901972016-10-16T15:43:00.000-04:002016-10-16T15:45:36.567-04:00Mr. Tangerine Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguN1zAAy0AzpXZh66X2ahfM-RTDNl02GcetjgFVbARr3L4nL0AShZ55hagx6GHtmFZoJQ16nOHz86idRuYX9bXpFZwVLIPM4W0FFiOvw3itqQw5Z8SOLMbw8_uk_rHvjqB6PfbCEfJQtc/s1600/Trump1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguN1zAAy0AzpXZh66X2ahfM-RTDNl02GcetjgFVbARr3L4nL0AShZ55hagx6GHtmFZoJQ16nOHz86idRuYX9bXpFZwVLIPM4W0FFiOvw3itqQw5Z8SOLMbw8_uk_rHvjqB6PfbCEfJQtc/s200/Trump1.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
As an homage to the newly crowned Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan, I thought I'd update the lyrics to one of his most famous songs. Sing along if you like. And remember that Dylan's odds of winning the Nobel Prize were 50-1. Trump's odds of winning the presidency are much higher.<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Tangerine Man</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, tell a lie for me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I'm not thinking and there is no way I'm
going to</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hey, Mr. Ta<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ngerine</span> Man, tell a lie for me</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the Cheeto colored morning I'll come following
you</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Though I know that our great empire is crumbling into sand</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Running through your tiny hands</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">While wetbacks steal our land they're out there creeping</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hil's weariness repulses me, but you're still on your feet</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">At three AM you tweet</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">About sex tapes and my sheet's too wet for dreaming. </span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, tell a lie for me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Don’t like Muslims and there is no way I'm
going to</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hey, Mr. T<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">anger</span>ine Man, tell a lie for me</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the Cheeto colored morning I'll come following
you</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin' hair</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My senses aren't all there, my mind has lost its grip</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My toes they itch to march, wait only for my boot heels</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">To be goosesteppin' </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I'll follow Donald anywhere, I'm ready for the wall</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Build it ten feet tall, keep the Mexicans away</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Please promise they can't get under it. </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span><span style="background: #ccccdd; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, tell a lie for me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I won't tire of winning, there is no way I'm going
to</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hey, Mr. Ta<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ngeri<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ne</span></span> Man, tell a lie for me</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the Cheeto colored morning I'll come following
you</span></span></span><span style="background: #ccccdd; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">At rallies you might hear our hand guns, clicking madly through
the sun</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">We’re not aiming at anyone</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Til this rigged election’s done</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And the Second Amendment becomes our sole solution</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And if you hear vague rantings of Making ‘Murica Great</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Just take us back in time</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">When we could grab a girl’s behind</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And no one paid it any mind</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And there were only twelve amendments to the
Constitution</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Take me disappearing through the cobwebs of my mind</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Back to a simpler time</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">When America was white</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Darker people feared the night</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And healthcare was not a right</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And back when women weren’t so god damned fussy.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Yes, to peep at beauty pageants,</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">With one hand waving free</span></span><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Crawling up her knee</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Until I reach her thigh</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">With little Donny getting pert</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">As my hand ascends her skirt</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And forget that I am wed and grab her pussy.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man, tell a lie for me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I'm not happy and there ain't no way I’m voting blue</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Hey, Mr. Ta<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ngerine</span> Man, tell a lie for me</span><br />
<span style="background: white;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the Cheeto colored morning I'll come following
you</span></span></span><span style="background: #ccccdd; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-42163688154430646182016-07-29T17:47:00.000-04:002016-07-30T15:06:28.428-04:00Voting for the Greater Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE_7Dap1rTx9UYFYidjnvjYWPtBr0OhzEGY-puJqbDogwIT6_AVYBjk7SCDSIN7D9e4Dw4M2EilxfNebWSq28wAnP6biGADStymbGkQ_Ay7G75x94mW3a1bCVqdXGehxOvw6eXP6_kyg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLE_7Dap1rTx9UYFYidjnvjYWPtBr0OhzEGY-puJqbDogwIT6_AVYBjk7SCDSIN7D9e4Dw4M2EilxfNebWSq28wAnP6biGADStymbGkQ_Ay7G75x94mW3a1bCVqdXGehxOvw6eXP6_kyg/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
There's been much talk these days about voting for the "lesser evil" between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Even Noam Chomsky has come out in favor of so-called LEV (lesser evil voting) in choosing Hillary in November. If you are thinking of voting Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, you are likely thinking of rejecting LEV because you don't want to vote for the lesser evil.<br />
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But allow me to change the argument for a moment. Suppose we all decide, rather than voting for a lesser evil--which unfairly demonizes both candidates--why don't we think in terms of who will be a force for the greater good?<br />
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Before I go into that, let me say that I don't think either Trump or Hillary is evil. Trump is certainly narcissistic and lacking in empathy, but I don't think his purpose in running for the presidency is to do evil, but for self-aggrandizement. Nor do I think Hillary is evil; most of the charges thrown at her (such as deliberately jeopardizing national security and Benghazi) have proven to be false. That's not to say you have to invite either of them over for dinner, but that's not the same as claiming that either of them is Lucifer (<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/07/ben-carson-rnc-convention-lucifer">a charge Ben Carson actually leveled at Secretary Clinton</a>).<br />
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No matter whom you support--Clinton, Trump, Stein, Johnson, or even a write in for Bernie--it's fair to say they all have character flaws. Each of them can be viewed as "evil" from an opposing political perspective. So what I am proposing is that we throw all of that invective away, and look to see which of these candidates will do the greater good for America.<br />
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Stein, Johnson, and Bernie stand no chance in this election, so it's futile to examine how they might affect this country for the good at this point. The only reasonable argument I have seen is that voting for them can be seen as a protest vote of sorts, and may help usher in a third party in the future. But none of these people can do any good for the country as it stands right now. A third party can only succeed with the emergence of a viable third party candidate, and no such person is on the horizon at the moment.<br />
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The election will come down to Trump or Clinton. So, putting personalities to the side, which one is more likely to act for the greater good of this country?<br />
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Let's start with education, as that's what this blog is supposed to be about in the main. The Democratic Party has moved more to the left of education. It supports opting out of testing and decoupling students' scores from student and teacher evaluations. It opposes for profit charters and calls for complete transparency in the operations of public charters, including making sure their populations match neighborhood demographics in terms of ELL and special needs children. It calls for supporting teachers and public schools and universal pre-K. Clinton has also called for public higher education to be free for families making 125K or less, and for restructuring student debt.<br />
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The Republicans want to continue the same voucher/charter school agenda they always have supported. They have no plans to implement pre-K, reduce student debt, or make college more affordable.<br />
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Given that neither side will likely get all they want, whose platform will do greater good for families in this country? I have no doubt it is the Democrats.<br />
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Who would do the greater good when it comes to equality in America? Clinton looks to create a pathway for illegal immigrants, while Trump seeks to deport them and build a wall separating us from Mexico. Clinton supports marriage equality while Trump looks to outlaw it. Clinton embraces diversity while Trump seeks to ban people based on their religion. If you believe in the idea that America is a land of opportunity and that our diversity gives us strength, there is little doubt which candidate will do the greater good.<br />
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When it comes to jobs, we have Clinton who wants to raise the minimum wage, while Trump wants to eliminate it. Clinton wants to invest in clean energy jobs to build a new 21st century economy, while Trump wants to put people back to work in coal mines. Which is the greater good?<br />
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When it comes to the economy, Trump wants to basically deregulate everything, including the banking industry, while <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/opinion/hillary-clinton-how-id-rein-in-wall-street.html">Clinton wants to go beyond Dodd-Frank</a>. The Republicans intend to reduce or eliminate corporate taxes, and to provide tax cuts for the wealthy. The Democrats want to boost the middle class by making the wealthy pay their fair share. Which is the greater good?<br />
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When it comes to national security, Trump wants to pull out of NATO and <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/06/donald-trump-nuclear-weapons/485504/">encourage nuclear proliferation in countries like Japan, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia</a>. Clinton is against proliferation and has worked to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of Iran. Which is the greater good?<br />
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When it comes to the Supreme Court, Trump wants to appoint justices in the mold of Scalia, who would outlaw same sex marriages and a woman's right to choose. as well as support union busting court cases like Friedrichs. Clinton proposes opposition to Citizens United as a litmus test for her appointees, and seeks to uphold Roe v. Wade and marriage equality. Which is the greater good?<br />
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When it comes to health care, Trump wants to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with something which he has yet to define. Clinton wants to expand the ACA, supports the public option, and hopes to expand Medicare to those over 50. Which is the greater good?<br />
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If you look squarely at the issues instead of just the people proposing them, it is clear to me that a Clinton presidency would produce the greater good for the most Americans. Trump would look to move us back to the time when he felt America was great, which seems to be sometime before the civil rights movement.<br />
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There are more issues, of course, and I can't cover them all. Also, there is no guarantee that either candidate will be able to pass his or her agenda in Congress. But it seems clear to me that one candidate--Hillary Clinton--is looking to move us in the direction of the greater good, while the other is looking to push us backwards.<br />
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So let's get past the idea of which candidate is more "evil", and start looking towards which candidate will work for the greater good. If you are like me, the choice isn't even close.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-83114249005986349942016-07-27T19:42:00.000-04:002016-07-27T19:42:24.845-04:00Ad Hominem, Ad NauseumI've been hearing a lot lately about ad hominem arguments. The election has been rife with them. Often, the people shouting "ad hominem" seem to have been recently introduced to the concept, as they use it incorrectly.<br />
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I have been mildly critical of Bernie Sanders, at best. At times, I have stated, for example, that he has no K-12 education plan. That is not an ad hominem attack. It is a fact. If someone perceives that as an ad hominem, they are simply wrong. Here's an example:<br />
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Bernie Sanders is an idiot. (This is an ad hominem. Before someone attacks me, I have never asserted this and do not believe this to be true).<br />
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Bernie Sanders has no K-12 education plan. (This is not an ad hominem. It does not attack the man himself, but his policies or lack thereof.)<br />
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See the difference?<br />
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I have also been accused of ad hominems by using the term "Bernie Bros". This does not refer to Bernie's supporters, but rather the tiny fraction of them who use racist, sexist, or otherwise demeaning terms in referring to our nominee, Hillary Clinton. These people actually exist. To prove it, here's a quote from Bernie Sanders himself denouncing them: <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/7/sanders-addresses-bernie-bros-says-he-doesnt-want-/">"I have heard about it. It's disgusting," Mr. Sanders said. "Look, we don't want that crap. We will do everything we can, and I think we have tried."</a><br />
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If you still doubt they exist, they have formed a Facebook page called "Bernie Sanders Dank Memes". I don't recommend visiting it, because it is filled with the vile sexism and racism I mentioned earlier. Lest you think this is some fringe group, this page alone has almost 440,000 members as of this writing. Here's an example of what they find funny.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlqod1L3MeyOml8b9HiJWz9K3jX0OQbnj57ZHqwVPeIcDv7kSZ8r7kF07yCKXAWuzVhl38uGBDfQJkGpoXw6ZArZrry8N6d9B_HVqiyk6FI_F8PIyljbi4oH8vqyk2cLgiXST-9kHKX0/s1600/13872932_10153665421662414_8863666718367651858_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlqod1L3MeyOml8b9HiJWz9K3jX0OQbnj57ZHqwVPeIcDv7kSZ8r7kF07yCKXAWuzVhl38uGBDfQJkGpoXw6ZArZrry8N6d9B_HVqiyk6FI_F8PIyljbi4oH8vqyk2cLgiXST-9kHKX0/s320/13872932_10153665421662414_8863666718367651858_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you find calling the first woman nominated for president by a major party a "whore" funny, then you are a Bernie Bro. If you think it's outrageous, then you're not.</div>
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The above "dank meme" is an ad hominem attack. Unless you take the meaning of ad hominem, which in Latin means "to the man", literally, and you think it's OK insult women.</div>
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The same people who complain about ad hominems against Bernie also feel perfectly free to call Hillary a criminal, a murderer, and worse, all without any sense of awareness or irony.</div>
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For the record, I have been the subject of some ad hominems myself. Most Facebook people are fine with the pro-Clinton stuff I post on Facebook. Some aren't. All I can say is, if you're a FB friend of mine and you don't like it, you are free to unfriend me. You are also free not to read or subscribe to this blog. I'm a big boy. I can take it.</div>
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My worst experience was on Twitter. Someone actually threatened to harm my children because I had the audacity to retweet something from Hillary. That person was a Bernie Bro. If you think that kind of stuff is OK, you are a Bernie Bro. </div>
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By the way, if you are one of those people who claim that Hillary "rigged" or "stole" the election, you are engaging in ad hominem attacks. It is a criminal act to tamper with votes, so you are accusing her of being a criminal. The reality is that Hillary earned millions of more votes than Bernie. She earned hundreds of more pledged delegates than Bernie. She won the vast majority of both open and closed primaries. If there had been no superdelegates at all, but a proportional allocation based on votes, she would have won by a huge margin anyway. The only place where Bernie did really well was in caucuses, which is the most undemocratic way to allocate delegates of them all.</div>
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Simply put, she won, no matter how you look at it.</div>
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In addition, if you are one of those people who call voting for Clinton "the lesser of two evils", you are engaging in an ad hominem attack. You are saying that she is evil, just less so than Trump. That is attacking the person, not the policies.</div>
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I first came out for Hillary back in February. I said at the time that if Bernie won, I would support him wholeheartedly, because I knew he'd be a better President than Trump. I am concerned with things like the Supreme Court, the rights of Muslims and Hispanics and women and LGBT folks, and a liberal agenda. I have no doubt that had Bernie won, he would have fought for the people. I wouldn't care about the Bernie supporters who insulted me or threatened my kids and hold it against the man himself. </div>
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If you're concerned about these issues, too, you'll vote for Hillary. </div>
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I don't want to say what you are if you vote for Trump or a third party because your feelings got hurt in the course of a contentious primary. That would be an ad hominem attack. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-42824939727822907372016-07-19T18:48:00.000-04:002016-07-19T18:48:53.575-04:00BREAKING: Trump's Acceptance Speech Leaks!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-PRdCZsye0kXMabLT41jbPdqQXbmoUvaPlAiMmShuZxjpQMrVV35T8tPddIcgeXZ2GMVP92RwEbewZQr8N5LHUMYijJoUZsn8JAb-mgtHp9iWajpX1LD06KsfVY-j6zP0UXM-ELcUrM/s1600/trump_hitler_985132845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-PRdCZsye0kXMabLT41jbPdqQXbmoUvaPlAiMmShuZxjpQMrVV35T8tPddIcgeXZ2GMVP92RwEbewZQr8N5LHUMYijJoUZsn8JAb-mgtHp9iWajpX1LD06KsfVY-j6zP0UXM-ELcUrM/s320/trump_hitler_985132845.jpg" width="192" /></a>In light of Melania Trump's plagiarism fiasco, it was certain that the remaining Republican speeches would be heavily scrutinized for similar transgressions. Donald Trump gave his written acceptance speech to his aides to be checked, and some passages have leaked to the media. While the elaborate style of the leaked passages might indicate that some of the words were written by a more eloquent speaker, other passages, as well as the spirit of the words themselves, show that the Donald played a major part in writing it. Here are some of the more significant passages that were leaked.<br />
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(Wait for applause to die down. Assume a 5 minute ovation.)<br />
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My fellow Republicans and to everyone watching at home. This is indeed a great moment for America. Really great. I'm here to say a few words. As you know, <u>words build bridges into unexplored regions.</u> And I have the best words. The best.<br />
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Some people doubt me because I am rich and have a beautiful wife. But people forget that I am also smart. I have a great brain that I am going to use to lead this country. So when you see me and Melania, remember that <u>money glitters, beauty sparkles, and intelligence shines.</u> And we are going to shine, believe me. We'll be the shiniest first couple ever, no contest.<br />
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And with my great brain, I am going to make great decisions, you can count on it. Some worry that I have no political experience, but I will get some help. But make no mistake--I will be calling the shots. <u>There must be no majority decisions, but only responsible persons, and the word 'council' must be restored to its original meaning. Surely every man will have advisers by his side, but the decision will be made by one man.</u> And that one man is me. I make the best decisions. <u>For there is one thing we must never forget--the majority will never replace the man.</u> And I am the man, folks.<br />
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I know some of you didn't want me to represent you, OK? I know that. But you know what? You are all losers. I said I was going to win from the beginning, and who's smiling now? <u>People may not always believe what you say, but they will believe what you do.</u> And I've done the impossible. I beat 17 other candidates to stand before you today. <u>The leader of genius must have the ability to make different opponents appear as if they belonged to one category.</u> Right, Lyin' Ted? Low Energy Jeb?<br />
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Anyway, I'm not here to run people down. I am here to help lead this nation and prevent the disaster this country is becoming, because otherwise, we have no country. <u>The doom of a nation can only be averted by a storm of flowing passion, but only those who are passionate themselves can arouse such passion in others.</u> And I can arouse passion, believe me. Or ask Melania. These tiny hands mean nothing.<br />
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And speaking of passion, we must destroy our enemies. <u>Obstacles do not exist to to be surrendered to, but only to be broken.</u> And that's how we have to treat our enemies, folks. We'll defeat our enemies by any means necessary. <u>Success is the only earthly judge of right and wrong.</u> And we will have so much success. You'll be sick of succeeding against our enemies, I can tell you that. We can bring back waterboarding or kill the families of terrorists. <u>Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future.</u> The Future under the Donald.<br />
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We have to focus like a laser beam against our enemies, such as ISIS. You can only do that with leadership. You know I wrote "The Art of the Deal", right? Well, I'm going to write a new chapter in American history called "The Art of Leadership", because leadership is how we defeat enemies. <u>The art of leadership consists in consolidating the attention of the people against a single adversary and taking care that nothing will split up that attention. </u>That's how we'll win. <u>Strength lies not in defense, but in attack.</u> <u>By fighting off the Islamists, I am doing the Lord's work. I believe today that my conduct is in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator.</u> And I am pretty good with God, let me tell you. Otherwise, why did he give me all this money and a hot wife? <u>Who says I am not under the special protection of God?</u> And I will put in a good word for this country with my prayers, which believe me, you'll need.<br />
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In conclusion, I want to thank you for this great victory for me and for America. That's all that matters--victory. Sure I told some whoppers to get here, but that doesn't matter now. <u>The victor will never be asked if he told the truth</u>, am I right? And now that I have won the nomination, we must fight like hell for the White House. <u>It is not truth that matters, but victory.</u> We must win and defeat Hillary Clinton.<br />
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America needs a leader, and I am that man. <u>For to be a leader means to be able to move the masses.</u> And I am going to move this country to the right. Believe me, and thank you!<br />
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MORE BREAKING NEWS! The media ran this speech through Turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. It turns out that it is nearly half plagiarized. The underlined sentences above were all "borrowed".<br />
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From Adolph Hitler. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trumps-ex-wife-once-said-he-kept-a-book-of-hitlers-speeches-by-his-bed-2015-8">Apparently, Trump did read the book of Hitler's speeches he kept by his bedside</a>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-48477826771207173232016-07-15T15:33:00.003-04:002016-07-15T15:33:22.319-04:00Trump/Pence Unveil New Logo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1Y9jxNHkM6up5co85fHtJz4k3gWYrjS7I1w4wrxfHjaRgLvegUD6oHlhxK5RnVmMrxK6nKp_48WGVJLHhzxA0Cqy2anhvyqf3P3RBdWpKzcfhvSzGE_oIOAoVnMd1LhTufw4aFmc2aQ/s1600/Beavis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC1Y9jxNHkM6up5co85fHtJz4k3gWYrjS7I1w4wrxfHjaRgLvegUD6oHlhxK5RnVmMrxK6nKp_48WGVJLHhzxA0Cqy2anhvyqf3P3RBdWpKzcfhvSzGE_oIOAoVnMd1LhTufw4aFmc2aQ/s320/Beavis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-43817398732141274292016-07-13T23:08:00.000-04:002016-07-13T23:08:52.970-04:00In Praise of Randi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I never thought I would write a blog post with such a title, except sarcastically. But this time, you have to hand it to Randi. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/07/12/democrats-make-key-education-revisions-to-2016-platform-and-a-key-reformer-is-furious/">She played a large role in modifying the Democratic platform on education</a>, and in inserting language that makes it clear the Dems are now fully in opposition to closing schools based on test scores, and using test scores to evaluate teachers or unfairly label minority, ELL, and special ed students. It also supports the Opt-Out movement.<br />
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The platform now rejects for-profit charter schools, and forces transparency for current charters. It calls for charters to accept a population representative of their neighborhoods, as well as a proportionate number of ELL and special education students. The language also states that charters should be democratically governed--i.e., they will be accountable to the public for their finances and governance.<br />
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I've debated for a while if I wanted to discuss whether I think it's a net positive or negative to have Randi, a long time friend of Hillary Clinton, take a position of influence in her administration. Personally, I felt, and now feel strongly, that she will be an asset to the Democrats and education. This platform spits in the face of faux democrat groups like DFER, and Randi had much to do with implementing the language.<br />
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If you have any doubts about the strength of these platform ideas, you need look no further than the reaction of Shavar Jeffries of DFER, who said this language is an "unfortunate departure from President Obama's historic education legacy...", to which I can only say, thank heavens. And thank Randi.<br />
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This should put to bed <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-23/no-hillary-clinton-does-not-want-to-close-half-of-the-countrys-schools">the foolish notion that Hillary would close half the schools in the country</a>, which was debunked long ago, but continues to be pushed by Hillary's foes.<br />
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Finally, it can only be a net positive to have a union leader of one of the largest and most progressive unions in the country to have the President's ear. Especially when she is using her voice to support teachers and help put an end to the testing mania, as she has done in influencing the Democratic platform.<br />
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Of course, Clinton's detractors may claim that this is only in the platform, and there's no guarantee that it will become policy. But that is true of every single item in the platform of both candidates. Platforms do, however, influence policy, and this platform represents an about-face from Obama's policies. It's an utter rejection of Duncan and King's reform ideas.<br />
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It's a new way forward. So kudos to Randi and the other education advocates who helped fashion this strong rebuke of ed reform.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-85310962183919054222016-07-07T16:54:00.003-04:002016-07-07T16:54:53.358-04:00Donald Trump Addresses the AFT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>In response to Hillary Clinton's address to the NEA, Donald Trump decided that he would seize the opportunity to promote his ideas on education to the AFT and Randi Weingarten. Below is the text of his speech.</i><br />
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"I'd like to thank those of you who applauded me as I came in, all three of you. Some of your colleagues booed Crooked Hillary the other day, and all I can say is, good for you. Boo her. I am going to make education great again. I even thought of a slogan: "Make Education Great Again". I have the best slogans, believe me. I had baseball caps made for all of you with the slogan on it, but it was delayed when those folks in China refused to work 20 hours a day instead of the usual 18.<br />
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I wanted to tell you today that I will be great for education. I went to school myself, and that's how I got this great brain of mine. It's a top brain, let me tell you. My brain will come up with great ideas for education any day now. And no one knows education better than me. I mean, I started my own university, right? Look how well that went. People paid me lots of money just so they could say they had a Trump University degree. So, I stamp "TRUMP" on it, and make them promise not to say anything about how I scammed them or I'd sue. Genius, right?<br />
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So let's start with that. When I am president, we'll make the kids sign non-disclosure agreements in order to get "TRUMP APPROVED" stamped on their report cards. Who wouldn't want a Trump Report Card? No stamp, you get summer school. That'll teach the little bastards.<br />
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Now I've said I'm going to get rid of the Common Core, and I mean that. This is America! There's nothing common about us! So the Common Core is gone, believe me. We are gonna call it the Excellent Core. Same thing, but we brand it! Get it? So we can say our kids are excellent, not common! That's the kind of thinking I'm gonna give you.<br />
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Not only that, I am gonna add another R to the three R's. Three is better than four, right? So now we're gonna have reading, writing, 'rithmetic, and get this--Revolvers! Things like Sandy Hook--imagine how much better it would have been if thirty or forty teachers had opened fire in that school. Imagine bullets flying in both directions. It would have turned out much different, believe me. Every teacher is going to be packing heat in the classroom. Discipline problems--say goodbye to those. No kid will talk back to you when you have a Glock on your hip, am I right? Except maybe the Mexicans.<br />
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Speaking of them, let's get real for a minute folks, OK? We don't need the Mexicans or Muslims here with their sombreros and hibeejabbs. Pretty much anyone who comes here with funny hats we're gonna get rid of, OK? So what does that mean for you? Smaller class sizes! I hear you teacher types whining all the time about too many kids, no room to squeeze them in. So we deport them! These foreigners are either taking our jobs or shooting up our gays, and I have no problem with the gays--I love the gays as you know-well, not that way because I have Melania and who wouldn't want to hit that? Even my daughter, Ivanka, she'd turn a gay man straight. She had a rack to die for when she was thirteen. If she wasn't my daughter...but what am I telling you for? Many of you have had young students who developed early, and I mean, who wouldn't look? Unless you're gay, except the lesbians, but that's no reason they should be shot, which I am totally against.<br />
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And another good thing about deporting all these foreigners is--no more ELL classes! We're all gonna speak good American, like me! So you ELL teachers can go back to teaching something important. And foreign language? Forget it. We're going to make America great again, and we're going to start by speaking American, all the time.<br />
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I have a plan to give every teacher here an immediate raise of over a thousand dollars a year! You know how? It's smart--I only have smart ideas, the best ideas. I'm going to appoint Supreme Court justices who will make sure that you don't have to pay union dues! At all! That's a thousand clams you can count on keeping under a Trump presidency!<br />
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And speaking of unions, I want to thank Randi Weingarten for not stopping me from coming here to speak today. She blocked the door, but she's short and I stepped right over her. I have long legs and big hands as you know, not that Randi cares about <i>that</i>. Anyway, could someone revive Randi and bring her out here?<br />
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There she is! <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/03/politics/donald-trump-african-american/">Look at my Jew over there! Look at her! Are you the greatest?</a> Or is it Jewess--I don't know because I'm not politically correct. As you know, I love the Jews. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/29/donald-trump-blacks-lawsuit_n_855553.html">As I've said before, the only people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes</a>. Whoa, why all the booing? How many Jews do we have here anyway? Raise your hand! Boy, that's a lot. I had no idea. But I think it's great that your people dedicate themselves to educating the youth of today.<br />
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In fact, that gives me an idea. You people have been oppressed for so long, I think you deserve special treatment. So when I am president--can someone pick Randi up again?--I am going to single you out for your great service. I am going to make you Sheriffs of your school. You'll be asked--in fact required--to call a registry every day so we can keep tabs on you. I mean on your school. And just so everyone knows your special status, I am going to issue you a special yellow Sherrifs badge! You're going to love it, believe me!<br />
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So don't forget--vote Trump in November! Made education great again! Or write in Bernie or Stein, it doesn't matter to me as long as we keep Crooked Hillary out! Thank you!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-68009980735762977962016-07-06T23:12:00.003-04:002016-07-06T23:12:51.123-04:00Ask Hillary to Meet with Diane RavitchIf you haven't seen it, there a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/hillary-clinton-a-meeting-between-hillary-clinton-and-diane-ravitch?recruiter=174540454&utm_source=share_for_starters&utm_medium=copyLink">Change.org petition asking Hillary Clinton to meet with Diane Ravitch</a> to discuss education policy. It's a great idea, and it only takes a minute.<br />
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Personally, I would love for Ms. Ravitch to become Secretary of Education in the Clinton administration. This is a great way to get the discussion started.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-42918012742994555922016-07-05T22:47:00.000-04:002016-07-05T22:57:20.150-04:00Who Said it Best: Berners or Trumpeters?<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="df5m4" data-offset-key="131am-0-0" style="background-color: white;">
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Pop Quiz: Who is more likely to say each phrase, a Berner or a Trumpeter?</div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Hillary's crooked!
2. Hillary's a criminal!
3. The primaries were rigged!
4. The FBI doesn't understand the law!
5. That was an ad hominem/ad populum/strawman! (while exhibiting little understanding of any of those phrases)
6. We live in an oligarchy!
7. It's because she's a woman!
8. If only people understood my candidate more, they'd vote for him!
9. Hillary only won because of low information voters (i.e., minorities)!
10. I'd rather see this country go down in flames than vote for her!
11. My candidate doesn't take money from PACs, so he is pure and can say what he really thinks!
12. Sure, my candidate has no specifics on how to implement his ideas, but at least he has ideas!
13. This is a political revolution!
14. I don't know a single person who supports Hillary. That proves she cheated!
15. The polls are obviously rigged, because they don't show my candidate winning!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">HOW TO SCORE:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you answered that most of the quotes are from Bernie supporters, you are a Trump supporter.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you answered that most of the quotes are from Trump supporters, you are a Bernie supporter.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have spittle running down your face because of your rage, you may be either.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are smiling quietly because all of these attempts from the right and the left have failed miserably and Hillary has a clear path to the presidency, you are a Hillary supporter.</span></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-89014980820913216982016-06-05T12:14:00.000-04:002016-06-05T18:37:33.119-04:00You Don't Like Hillary? Well, Voters Don't Like Bernie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I spend a lot of time reading and writing about the primary. Although I've written a few blog posts here, I devote much of my commenting to places like Reddit and Facebook, which are lousy with posts about Bernie. The vitriol I have received in return has been mind-blowing.<br />
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Most of the pro-Bernie camps talk about basically three issues: that Hillary is unlikable, untrustworthy, and essentially a Republican. Let me address this in one simple word: bullshit.<br />
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Let's tackle them one by one: likability. I get it Sanders supporters--you don't like her. You point to polls that show Bernie is much more likable, and point to that as a reason why he should be the nominee. What you fail to mention is that the Trump movement has coalesced around him, while Bernie supporters continue to trash her. You fail to mention that she consistently beats Trump in likability in those same polls. And most of all, you claim that she is unelectable due to these polls. Likability is what matters? Really? Are we in the 7th grade now? Apparently, she is liked well enough to have gained 3 million more votes than Sanders, and has two million more than Trump, who has been the presumptive nominee for quite some time now. People recognize that she is by far the most qualified and capable candidate in this field, and they vote for her. There are some legitimate reasons why you may not wish to do so, but not voting for her because you don't like her is, frankly, stupid. Lots of people voted for George W. Bush over the supremely qualified Al Gore, because they felt W was the kind of guy "you'd want to drink a beer with." How'd that work out, America? Five thousand American troops are dead and many more wounded. A hundred thousand Iraqis were killed. An economic crisis almost left this country in ruins. That's what voting for likability over experience will get you.<br />
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Then, there's the "issue" of being untrustworthy. To prove their case, Trump and Bernie voters alike (yes, politics makes strange bedfellows) have been accusing Hillary of everything from the "murder" of Vince Foster to Whitewater (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/25/us/politics/ken-starr-impeachment-bill-clinton.html?_r=0">which special prosecutor Ken Starr has essentially backtracked on</a>) to the email "scandal". As to the latter, it's all nonsense. There's been zero evidence, other than a shady character named "Guccifer" who claims to have breached the server, that national security was compromised in any way. Guccifer is an admitted criminal who published the emails of the accounts he actually hacked, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/federal-prosecutors-in-virginia-assisting-in-clinton-email-probe/2016/05/05/f0277faa-12f0-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html">US officials discount his story because he was unable to produce a single piece of proof that he hacked Clinton</a>. Guccifer did hack many political figures, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who used an AOL account, for God's sake, but no one called for Powell to be imprisoned. As for the "scathing" IG report, it's clear that the State Department knew Hillary was using a private server, because she sent emails to them regularly.<br />
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Then there is the oft discussed claim that Clinton has rigged the election. This is where the tin foil hat brigade really takes off. Even Bernie himself has claimed election rigging, <a href="http://cb.pr/bernie-sanders-camp-reports-fraud-in-the-puerto-rico-presidential-primary/">including in Puerto Rico</a>, which <i>hasn't even voted yet </i>as of the time of this writing. What's interesting to me is that this so-called election rigging only happens in states which Bernie was losing anyway. You never hear a Bernie supporter claim that Michigan was rigged, for example, despite the fact that Hillary was <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/mi/michigan_democratic_presidential_primary-5224.html">leading the state by 21.4%</a> going into the primary. But New York has to have been rigged, according to vocal Bernie supporters, because <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ny/new_york_democratic_presidential_primary-4221.html">Hillary won a state she was expected to win by 11.7%</a>.<br />
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And why does no one claim that Bernie is untrustworthy when he declared that superdelegates are there to subvert the will of the people, but now claims that he wants to flip the supers to his side? How is that not subverting the will of the voters? Remember, the supers have voted for the candidate with the most delegates <i>every single time</i>. Even Bill and Hillary in 2008 both voted for Obama at the convention, even though Hillary won the popular vote. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57JaSDPJjo8">Hillary actually made the motion to suspend the roll call vote and nominate Obama by acclimation</a>.<br />
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And as for those claiming that the superdelegates gave Hillary an unfair advantage out of the gate, that is utter nonsense. Hillary had a huge lead in supers going into the 2008 nomination process as well over another relatively unknown candidate named Obama, but when it became clear that he was winning, they switched to him in droves, as they should have. The harsh, bitter truth is that Bernie has not run as successful a campaign as Obama in 2008. Had he done so, the supers would have switched to him as they did with Obama. But Bernie trails in every imaginable scenario. In fact, if there were no superdelegates, Hillary would already have won the nomination by taking more than half of the pledged delegates.<br />
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The last talking point is really rather laughable--that Hillary is a Republican in disguise. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/06/the-rare-times-that-hillary-clinton-and-bernie-sanders-disagreed-in-the-senate/">She voted the same as Sanders 93% of the time</a> during her tenure in the Senate. If she's a Republican, then he must be as well, because they agreed on the vast majority of the issues. <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/hillary-clinton-was-liberal-hillary-clinton-is-liberal/">Based upon her voting record in the Senate, she was more liberal than 85% of her Democratic colleagues.</a> She had a more liberal voting record than Obama, whom the Republicans portrayed as left of Castro.<br />
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There's no doubt that Bernie leads among some demographics, such a young white voters, and birds. But she is winning handily among women, blacks and Latinos (whom some rabid Bernie supporters label "low information voters". Yikes), and older voters. And Bernie may even lose the bird vote, as <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/02/animal-activists-go-apesh-t-on-bernie-sanders-while-hillary-clinton-panders.html">he is now being protested by animal rights activists</a> for refusing to put together any sort of animal welfare agenda, as Hillary has.<br />
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I've even heard many Bernie supporters compare him to Jesus, because he's Jewish, worked as a carpenter, and is a socialist. Well, I own a pair of sandals, but oddly, I still can't walk on water.<br />
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I am not trying to change anyone's vote here, because that's an exercise in futility, at least among Bernie extremists. I have no doubt that most Bernie supporters will, after Tuesday's primaries, come around, especially when faced with the specter of Donald Drumpf.<br />
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And please spare me the polls that show Bernie beating the Donald. Hillary has trounced Bernie in the only polls that matter--actual votes.<br />
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June 7th can't come fast enough.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-21562370517401322012016-05-26T10:28:00.000-04:002016-05-26T10:28:40.759-04:00Diane Ravitch Brings Sanity to the Clinton vs. Sanders DebateIf you care about education, you should vote for the Democratic nominee. If you care about the future of the United States, you should vote for the Democratic nominee. If you care about children, income inequality, the environment, the rights of women and LGBT people, sensible gun control, Roe v. Wade, expanded health care, keeping nuclear weapons out of North Korea and other nations, and other issues issues that have moved this country forward, you should vote for the Democratic nominee.<br />
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If you care about unions, including your own, you should vote for the Democratic nominee. If you have any doubt that Trump will eviscerate unions, just remember his call to eliminate the federal minimum wage.<br />
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I have said numerous times on this blog that I support Clinton, but should Bernie win, I will support him.<br />
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Unfortunately, there are few vocal Bernie supporters who feel the same way (I speak here only about the most vocal--already, 72% of Bernie supporters say they will vote for Clinton. That will increase should she win the nomination, just as Hillary supporters moved to Obama in 2008).<br />
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Look at the list of Supreme Court nominees that Trump has put forth. Nan Aron, of the Alliance for Justice Action Council, said: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 26px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/us/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-nominees.html">“Their opinions demonstrate open hostility to Americans’ rights and liberties, including reproductive justice and environmental, consumer and worker protections. They have ruled consistently in favor of the powerful over everyone else. They would move the needle even further to the right on the Supreme Court.”</a></span><br />
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Is there any doubt they would destroy unions and teaching as we know it?<br />
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<a href="https://dianeravitch.net/2016/05/26/my-candidate-for-president/">Diane Ravitch has emerged as a voice of reason in this debate</a>. She has questions about both candidates and their positions on education, but she clearly understands what is at stake here. While refusing to endorse either candidate, she said:<br />
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<em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.004px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The overwhelming majority of denunciations are directed at Hillary. Some of our readers are as vicious towards her as Donald Trump is. If you read the comments, you would think that Donald Trump is much to be preferred over Hillary because she is allegedly dishonest, corrupt, a war-monger, a tool of Wall Street, etc. The demonization of Hillary is often times over-the-top, angry, and hateful. </em><span style="font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></div>
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<em style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 14.004px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This internecine warfare is not admirable. It should stop. It helps Trump. One candidate will emerge from the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. It will be the candidate who gets the requisite number of delegates. It will be either Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton. When the convention chooses the candidate, I will support that candidate.</em></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.004px;">Amen to that. Neither candidate is perfect, but either is far, far preferable to Trump, on virtually every issue important to the 99%. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.004px;">Sure, you can vote for whomever you please. Or you can choose not to vote at all. That is your right. But the reality is that there will be only two nominees with a chance to in the presidency. Voting third party, sitting out the election, or voting for Trump as some kind of twisted "protest" vote will only decrease the mandate of the Democratic candidate should he or she win. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.004px;">This isn't about voting for "the lesser or two evils". It is about voting for the candidate who will better defend the rights we have struggled for over the last 50 years. That this will be the Democratic nominee should be without question for anyone who values liberal ideals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #516064; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.004px; line-height: 1.5em;">This isn't about "</span><span style="font-size: 14.004px; line-height: 24px;">ideological</span><span style="font-size: 14.004px; line-height: 1.5em;"> purity". There's nothing pure or noble in refusing to vote for the nominee who best represents progressive ideals and has a realistic shot at the presidency.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #516064; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.004px; line-height: 1.5em;">Diane Ravitch gets it. I hope you do, too.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-43247824089062545052016-04-28T10:06:00.001-04:002016-04-28T10:11:04.166-04:00Bernie Supporter George Takei: #VoteBlueNoMatterWho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-70638730250567773092016-04-27T12:32:00.002-04:002016-04-27T13:46:45.478-04:00As Bernie's Ship Sinks, Please Don't Pull the Rest of Us Down With You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4bMj2OssW3wRUw6RJeNCzyBMQAq6c43g2AipleWTTazLz4N7uBPDkN16ZM-xl3jDgqoQDD5ri08j3tUPkRA75F2nnLkIafBVTKUGCt4K20J0SXXbWoS6qYslv1MOyofvI65bf8BiBr0/s1600/Perfect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4bMj2OssW3wRUw6RJeNCzyBMQAq6c43g2AipleWTTazLz4N7uBPDkN16ZM-xl3jDgqoQDD5ri08j3tUPkRA75F2nnLkIafBVTKUGCt4K20J0SXXbWoS6qYslv1MOyofvI65bf8BiBr0/s320/Perfect.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's face facts: The primaries are all over but the shouting. <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sandersforpresident" target="_blank">In dark corners of the internet</a>, you can still find, even after Clinton has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/elections/results" target="_blank">pulled ahead by some 302 pledged delegates</a>, some diehard Bernie supporters who think they can win the remaining states by the 65% or so they will need to pull ahead in pledged delegates. Some are even hoping for an indictment over Hillary's emails so that Sanders can win. That is so wrong-headed that I won't even address it, but for some Bernie supporters, it is their last hope on a sinking ship.<br />
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This post is not intended to drag down Bernie. I won't play those kind of political games. <a href="http://www.accountabletalk.com/2016/02/yes-im-voting-for-hillary-and-no-im-not.html" target="_blank">As I previously posted</a>, I was "feeling the Bern" early on in the primaries. But I felt Bernie was far too light on foreign policy, and <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/transcript-bernie-sanders-meets-news-editorial-board-article-1.2588306" target="_blank">had no specifics on how he would implement his policies</a>, especially in the face of a hostile, dug-in House. Even so, if he somehow got the nomination, I would most certainly vote for him. He is infinitely better than Trump or any other potential Republican nominee.<br />
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And so is Hillary. Whatever anyone feels about her, she would be infinitely better than Trump, who just last night said that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/04/27/trump-if-clinton-were-a-man-i-dont-think-shed-get-5-percent-of-the-vote/" target="_blank">if Hillary was a man, she'd have less than 5% of the vote</a>. If you want a sexist pig in the White House, the surest way is not to vote for Hillary.<br />
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Since this is primarily an education blog, allow me to discuss that first. The main kick against her is that she allegedly said she would close half of all public schools, <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-23/no-hillary-clinton-does-not-want-to-close-half-of-the-countrys-schools" target="_blank">which was taken out of context</a>. She specifically said that this is a state's issue, and she's not closing any schools. Furthermore, she lays out a <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/k-12-education/" target="_blank">fairly comprehensive K-12 education plan</a> that supports and protects teachers. <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/early-childhood-education/" target="_blank">She also wants to implement a comprehensive pre-K program</a>--something that would have a direct positive effect on all children, but especially disadvantaged children. As far as I can tell from his website,<a href="https://berniesanders.com/issues/" target="_blank"> Bernie has no specific policies to help teachers or children</a>. He wants to provide free college for all, but has no plan to get students there.<br />
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And then, there's the Supreme Court. If Trump wins, you can expect at least 2-3 Republican justices, which will result in the elimination of tenure, the demolition of unions, and likely a return to an NCLB-like environment.<br />
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Speaking of the Court, you can also expect an elimination of women's and LGBT rights, right-to-work states nationwide, a reversal of Roe v. Wade, and a continuation of Citizens United, which is a core plank in Bernie's platform.<br />
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What else can you expect from a Trump presidency? Let's start with an elimination of the minimum wage, the deportation of 12 million illegal immigrants, women thrown in jail for having abortions, allowing countries such as Japan and South Korea to have nuclear weapons, tens of millions losing their insurance, a destruction of Social Security through privatization, and a tax policy that will punish the poor. And that's for starters.<br />
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Of course, you may vote for anyone you wish. But don't kid yourself; voting for anyone but Hillary is a vote for Trump. If you believe that you are in a blue state (as most of the readers of this blog are) so voting third party or writing in Bernie won't matter, you are simply wrong. First of all, it is not a given that the Democrat will always win blue states. In addition, it is incredibly important that we get a Democrat in the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the electorate, along with a Congress that will support that person. That is true whether Clinton or Sanders wins.<br />
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I understand the disappointment that Sanders' supporters feel. I've been there with candidates myself. But even if you believe Sanders to be superior to Clinton, it would be wise to heed Voltaire who famously said, "Perfect is the enemy of good".<br />
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As Bernie's ship sinks, don't forget the millions of people drowning in the Republican waters. The millions of immigrants, women, LBGT people, and union workers need you to throw them a life-saver. To deny it to them in the name of philosophical purity is to doom them to the fate Trump envisions for them.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-13754463372363969912016-02-17T13:48:00.000-05:002016-02-17T13:48:37.662-05:00Yes, I'm Voting for Hillary. And No, I'm Not Sorry.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C3il_SfZMTs52Ns_d4Wk-Ch1lM7yKB-blAwYRigFPtRnppUBp_PnS2dIDpxo91qBR8CxM-UxqzzYfYUm48xjfpfxMoNnJB6_8vV70DhVnKTVpyUa7XdgAm3BGOwLbtB9P3vkJr2_hBU/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2C3il_SfZMTs52Ns_d4Wk-Ch1lM7yKB-blAwYRigFPtRnppUBp_PnS2dIDpxo91qBR8CxM-UxqzzYfYUm48xjfpfxMoNnJB6_8vV70DhVnKTVpyUa7XdgAm3BGOwLbtB9P3vkJr2_hBU/s200/download.jpg" width="149" /></a>First let me say this: I love Bernie Sanders. I love his whole crotchety-grandpa-who's-gonna-yell-until-you-listen vibe. I love his politics--I am a democratic socialist at heart.<br />
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But I am still voting for Hillary. I think you should, too.<br />
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I have to admit--I was caught in the whole "feel the Bern" movement. Damn, it felt GOOD to have a guy who was saying "screw you" to Wall Street, the insurance companies, and the 1%. I've listened to him many times as he raked the rich over the coals, and deservedly so. Who wouldn't be drawn in by his fervor, dedication, and charm?<br />
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But a funny thing happened as I listened to all the debates (and yes, I saw every one). It became clear to me that Bernie was mostly repeating talking points. Yes, most politicians do this (I'm looking at you, Marco Rubio), but Bernie's talking points are almost all about domestic policy. If you don't believe me, take a look at his Twitter feed, @berniesanders. I spent the last ten minutes scrolling down his feed looking for a tweet on foreign policy, and I could not find one. Not ONE.<br />
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In short, if you were to ask me what Bernie Sanders' foreign policy is, I'd have to say I don't know. And I have seen every debate, I follow him on Twitter, and I am a news junkie. Even if you go to this website and <a href="https://berniesanders.com/issues/" target="_blank">look at where he stands on the issues</a>, there is almost nothing about his foreign policy. There are 22 talking points, and 20 of them relate to domestic policy.<br />
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Bernie and Hillary agree on most domestic issues. Where they differ is a matter of degree, usually. For example, Hillary wants to expand the ACA, while Bernie wants single payer. For the record, I also want single payer, but it is not going to happen. Obama could not make it happen, and he had both houses of congress on his side. And let's not forget that Hillary fought for universal health care way back in 1993, so it's not as if she's new to the game. She spearheaded the CHIP program that insures millions of kids to this day.<br />
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She's fearless on foreign policy, and frankly, no one knows more about the issues than she does. That's not a knock on Bernie or anyone else. It's just that Hillary's voluminous knowledge and experience give her a wide edge over any other candidate in the race.<br />
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To this day, I recall her speech in Beijing called "Women's Rights are Human Rights". I used to teach it along with speeches by MLK and JFK as shining examples of American rhetoric. It took tremendous courage for her to make that speech in the People's Republic of China, and before delegates from over 180 countries, most of which practice systematic repression of women. That speech alone told me all I need to know about her commitment to human rights and her willingness to confront those who would take away those rights. She is fearless.<br />
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And while no one really likes to talk about it, there is the issue of electability. If Bernie is nominated, there's little doubt that he will be painted as a free spending socialist who will run the deficit beyond anyone's worst nightmare. In my view, that will be enough to turn those purple states red. Furthermore, a Sanders nomination will almost certainly lead to a third party candidacy by Michael Bloomberg, and frankly, I'd vote for Trump before I'd vote for Mikey. Or Satan. Finally, if Sanders can't be elected, it will obviously change the make-up of the Supreme Court for decades to come.<br />
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Before someone accuses me of voting from fear, let me say that I would have voted for Hillary anyway. In my view, she is the stronger candidate and the one who actually has a real chance of getting her ideas to come to fruition. That being said, if Bernie is nominated, I will back him wholeheartedly.<br />
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I know my education blogger buddies mostly disagree with me. They see Hillary as a hindrance to education, but I see her as a strong supporter of unions and an ally of public education. For those who claim she wants to close half of all schools, t<a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-23/no-hillary-clinton-does-not-want-to-close-half-of-the-countrys-schools" target="_blank">hat remark was taken entirely out of context</a>. Clinton further went on to make it clear that she would not meddle in closing schools at all, as this is a state and local issue, not a federal one.<br />
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So yes, I'm with Her. And no, I'm not sorry. She is the smartest, most experienced, and most accomplished of all the candidates.<br />
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Plus, she has Bill. Damn it, I LOVE Bill!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-29214971367213834752016-01-12T17:39:00.000-05:002016-01-12T20:41:49.531-05:00Some Thoughts on FriedrichsI am not going to explain all the nuances in the case of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/us/politics/at-supreme-court-public-unions-face-possible-major-setback.html?src=me" target="_blank">Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association</a>, because frankly, I don't know them all myself. What I do know is that a group of ten teachers in California is arguing before the Supreme Court that they should not have to pay any union dues at all, even though they benefit from collective bargaining. Their rationale is that because public unions negotiate with the government, they are inherently political organizations, and therefore impinge on the free speech of members who don't agree with them.<br />
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I'm not a lawyer, because if I was I'd have a better car, but I see a lot of flaws in this argument. For example, one would have to say that political campaigns are inherently political, as well, yet this same Supreme Court decided in Citizens United that it was perfectly OK for billionaires to spend as much as they want to elect officials who will do their bidding. This effectively drowns out the free speech of people like myself, who don't have the funds to compete with the Koch brothers. So it appears that the Roberts' court believes the First Amendment is absolute, as long as you have lots and lots of cash, or you are a puppet of those who do, like the teachers in the Friedrichs case.<br />
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The teachers in Friedrichs are arguing that since the union is political and represents them, they shouldn't have to pay anything because they disagree with their union's politics. This seems like a perfect argument as to why the Supreme Court should strike down the income tax. Obviously, everything the government does is inherently political. I pay plenty of taxes to reap the benefits of this society, but I totally disagree with a lot of the things that the government does. Why should I pay for the illegal wars of the Bush family, or for a ridiculously large military when I am a pacifist? Taxes are the price I pay to be a part of this greater Union of the United States, but if Friedrichs prevails, why should anyone pay?<br />
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You might argue that I am free to leave the country, or to vote in new leaders who better represent my views. But that's exactly what the teachers in the Friedrichs case could do, as well. If you don't want to teach in a unionized school, don't do it. Leave. Go teach in a private or parochial school. Half the states are "right to work" states where there are no unions (and lower pay and fewer benefits). And as for voting, union members can vote in new leaders who better represent their own views if they choose to. None of their rights will be abridged.<br />
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Now to some practical matters. What happens when teachers are allowed to opt out of union dues? Exactly what contract will they be bound by? Will they be entitled to the same pay and benefits of those of us who pay our dues? By what authority? And what happens when their contractual rights are violated? Will the union be forced to defend people who aren't supporting the union?<br />
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Will non-members be allowed to "buy-in" to the union when they need it--like when a rogue principal or AP goes after them? That would be akin to allowing someone to buy health care after they get sick, while the rest of us pay in sickness and in health.<br />
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I've been a pretty harsh critic of the UFT at times, but I know that without them, I would likely be unemployed rather than retired in relative comfort. I was targeted by one the worst, and frankly stupidest, principals I have ever met because of my union activities. I testified against him at a fellow teacher's 3020a hearing. Had it not been for my union, I'd have been fired on the spot. Now that I am collecting my pension, my dues seem like a pretty good investment.<br />
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Of course, the teachers in the Friedrichs case think they are the best teachers ever, so nothing like that could ever happen to them. They are so wonderful that they don't need a union. They will just burst into the DOE, and by virtue of their glowing excellence, demand better pay and working conditions than the union could ever get them. And the DOE will give them what they want, because they are such outstandingly wonderful educators that one day they will vanish in flash of light and end up teaching Danielson high atop a mountain in the Himalayas.<br />
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If Friedrichs prevails, I am hoping that every teacher gives the ruling a big middle finger and continues to pay dues. But what of those who decide they'd rather keep the ten Bennies a year rather then support their fellows?<br />
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If it were me, I would not even talk to such a person. They are the moral equivalent of scabs, and should be treated as such. If they leave us to pay dues while they take a free ride, why should we help them out in the least? I wouldn't share a lesson plan, a crumbling piece of chalk, or even a glance with such a person.<br />
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That should be the UFT's position should Friedrichs come to pass. You're either a dues payer, or you aren't. If you are, you're entitled to everything the union has to offer. If not, you're on your own.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-38183481116048902132015-08-26T13:13:00.001-04:002015-08-26T13:13:53.743-04:00Les Miserables---On Going Back to WorkNothing for me to say here. Just watch. (if you can't stand the blather, skip to the 1:20 mark).<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-26563532462177101742015-08-14T23:40:00.001-04:002015-08-14T23:40:41.905-04:00The Worst Person on the Planet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSqsGQ5D-fiXaZDvnAinOjRp2BVcQ6TEQmTuxzceSrEgfabze3j-Np7sybEG0woAASHn1wJbM-AkNKEiUpnrtO3lwRopkxLFh8D6610XGaE9LRQo4F05zuAkBmLBf21FQRomN29SRSl8/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTSqsGQ5D-fiXaZDvnAinOjRp2BVcQ6TEQmTuxzceSrEgfabze3j-Np7sybEG0woAASHn1wJbM-AkNKEiUpnrtO3lwRopkxLFh8D6610XGaE9LRQo4F05zuAkBmLBf21FQRomN29SRSl8/s1600/images.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012903259.html" target="_blank">Arne Duncan was the first to say it</a>. He said that Hurricane Katrina was the "best thing that happened" to education in New Orleans. So what, he seemed to be implying, if a bunch of people died? They were mostly poor black people, and it's important to implement your charter school wet dreams no matter what. If some minorities have to drown, well, that's the price ol' Arne was willing to pay. <br />
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You'd think everyone would have learned that it isn't a good idea to root for death and destruction in order to implement your "reform" plans. And you'd really think that no one would be stupid enough to echo Arne Duncan's idiocy on the tenth anniversary of Katrina.<br />
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Enter Kristen McQueary of the <i>Chicago Tribune</i>, with her knuckles dragging. She wrote an Op Ed for the Tribune that looked wistfully back at Katrina, and wished a similar fate on the residents of Chicago. Here's part of what she said:<br />
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<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-chicago-katrina-financial-disaster-landrieu-new-orleans-mcqueary-emanuel-pers-20150813-column.html" target="_blank"><i>I find myself wishing for a storm in Chicago — an unpredictable, haughty, devastating swirl of fury. A dramatic levee break. Geysers bursting through manhole covers. A sleeping city, forced onto the rooftops...That's what it took to hit the reset button in New Orleans. Chaos. Tragedy. Heartbreak</i></a>.<br />
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Nice, huh? And she tips her hand in the next paragraph (italics mine):<br />
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<i>An underperforming public school system saw a complete makeover. A new
schools chief, Paul Vallas, designed a school system with the
flexibility of an entrepreneur. No restrictive mandates from the city or
the state. <b>No demands from teacher unions to abide. Instead, he created
the nation's first free-market education system</b></i><b>.</b><br />
<br />
Yep. That's the giveaway. Katrina was fine--as long as it did away with those nasty teachers' unions and put the "free market" (i.e., hedge fund billionaires) in command.<br />
<br />
This is why our unions should not be dealing--ever--with the proponents of "reform", like Duncan, Gates, Eva Moskowitz, or Campbell Brown. They don't give a damn what happens to people, including the kids they claim to be "saving". To them, anything goes as long as they can break the back of the unions and scoop up the lion's share of educational dollars for themselves.<br />
<br />
Kristen McQueary <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-chicago-hurricane-katrina-column-20150814-column.html" target="_blank">offered a non-apology</a> for her tirade, claiming that she was engaging in "metaphor and hyperbole", and basically that the great unwashed really didn't understand the point she was making or how she was making it.<br />
<br />
No, Ms. McQueary, we know exactly what you were doing. And the reason you didn't offer an apology for your reprehensible words was that you are not sorry you said them.<br />
<br />
That makes you the worst person in the world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-17688550349666128252015-08-03T18:12:00.004-04:002015-08-03T18:12:40.101-04:00Christie Gets Booed<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-christie-booed_55bfbce6e4b06363d5a2f58d" target="_blank">It appears that Chris Christie got booed as he tried to present an award to the winner of a horse race.</a><br />
<br />
Apparently, the crowd was confused as to why there were two horses' asses in the winner's circle at the same time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-52322015380837192182015-06-09T12:16:00.000-04:002015-06-09T12:26:37.766-04:00Of Pensions and Christie<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7ZAYUzEfFBPTEtUgVcXVNnkZ2T81quavYNez_whGpV2uirugb7ACVu2K6g1xlavCJKOlvquZd1FskVmehiZXHfcazXugNTUMre3W7apS2W3VsHkus2CcY4o4YfslpMjOI8e0nJJ5N0I/s1600/christie-carjpg-d27eb0bb9a2d9bc7_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7ZAYUzEfFBPTEtUgVcXVNnkZ2T81quavYNez_whGpV2uirugb7ACVu2K6g1xlavCJKOlvquZd1FskVmehiZXHfcazXugNTUMre3W7apS2W3VsHkus2CcY4o4YfslpMjOI8e0nJJ5N0I/s200/christie-carjpg-d27eb0bb9a2d9bc7_large.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you buy a used pension from this man?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We just recently purchased new vehicles for my wife and daughter. We went to a total of five dealerships for those two cars. We found that two of the dealers were fair, in the sense that they did not try to hold us upside down by the ankles and shake money from our pockets like the others did. <br />
<br />
The shadier dealers tried every trick in the book on us, including the old "Ask Three Questions to Get Them in a YES Frame of Mind" trick, which goes like this:<br />
<br />
Salesman: Wasn't Adolph Hitler a terrible person?<br />
Us: Yes.<br />
<br />
Salesman: Weren't those 9/11 terrorist attacks awful?<br />
Us: Yes.<br />
<br />
Salesman: Wouldn't you like me to put you in this new car TODAY??<br />
Us: We're outta here.<br />
<br />
As awful as some of our experiences were, we ended up with two good deals, meaning they agreed to give us a car for a reasonable price and we agreed to pay them approximately forever.<br />
<br />
Imagine now, if you will, the worst car dealer ever. He gets you to agree to purchase a very expensive car by offering you a great trade in. He takes the old car, but never delivers the new car. And he goes to court to make sure he never has to give your promised vehicle, and that you have to make the payments even though you got nothing.<br />
<br />
Meet car dealer extraordinaire: Chris Christie. Except it isn't phantom cars he's pedaling--it's phantom pensions.<br />
<br />
Four years ago, Chris Christie decided that he could no longer fund the state pension system, because he needed to give the taxpayers' money to the rich to buy diamond encrusted saddles for their polo ponies, and for <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_christie_arrives_at_sons_h.html" target="_blank">taxpayer funded helicopter rides to his son's baseball games</a>. So what happened was exactly what would happen to you if you stopped paying for your car. They repossessed New Jersey.<br />
<br />
Just kidding, of course. Only the common people get things taken from them when they don't meet their obligations. What really happened was that Christie reached a deal with NJ's public employee unions, in which he agreed to make those payments if the unions agreed to pay more into the pension fund themselves.<br />
<br />
For four years, the unions have dutifully paid their agreed portion, but Christie decided he did not have to actually do what he agreed to do. He stopped making payments. So this time around, they really did repossess New Jersey.<br />
<br />
Just kidding again. What really happened was that Christie was taken to court and ordered to make the payments on the law he signed. End of story, right?<br />
<br />
Well, no. He went to the NJ Supreme Court, which decided in its infinitesimal wisdom that it could not force Christie to make the 1.57 billion dollar payment he promised to make. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/nyregion/christie-wont-be-forced-to-make-pension-payments.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0" target="_blank">Instead, the court said the governor and legislature--the ones who wrote the law in the first place--should figure it all out and fix the problem. </a><br />
<br />
This is akin to the car dealer mentioned above. He takes what you had, gives you nothing new, and forces you to make payments for years. When it gets to court, the judge decides that the salesman and his manager should go back and figure out what to do about it.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, public employees are keeping up their end, because they can not just stop paying in the money they agreed to like they're the governor or something.<br />
<br />
This should be a cautionary tale for all public employee members. Never, EVER, agree to pay into the pension fund, because if you do, there is already a judicial precedent that the state does not have to hold up their end, but you do.<br />
<br />
As things stand right now, New York is not in any serious danger of this happening, as the public employee pension systems and TRS are pretty solvent, mostly because our previous governors went to their kids' baseball games by land. But beware--now that the precedent has been set, you can bet Cuomo is working on his spiel already:<br />
<br />
Cuomo: Aren't pensions a wonderful thing?<br />
Unions: Yes.<br />
<br />
Cuomo: Aren't you glad you can retire at 57?<br />
Unions: Yes.<br />
<br />
Cuomo: Wouldn't you like to contribute a portion of your salary to make sure things stay that way?<br />
<br />
Our answer should be a resounding NO. Even if he throws in free rustproofing. <br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-65450456547187085932015-05-12T09:52:00.000-04:002015-05-12T13:22:05.420-04:00Deflategate vs. Inflategate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBl9AfcLpMkqZaJqc3Y31RbQ4zbC5jNeAZ36Fc0AAVd11u_JYa4OIz9spPmYt4wFUxfrAWlWHq0vltTTSY6A3bIso9tbpYHEqO6lt9s5AE6egfuO2saKan6EiNWOEZhALJt0-n30Uk9g/s1600/resize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBl9AfcLpMkqZaJqc3Y31RbQ4zbC5jNeAZ36Fc0AAVd11u_JYa4OIz9spPmYt4wFUxfrAWlWHq0vltTTSY6A3bIso9tbpYHEqO6lt9s5AE6egfuO2saKan6EiNWOEZhALJt0-n30Uk9g/s200/resize.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
You might have heard, if you live on this planet, that Tom Brady of the New England Patriots was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/11/us/nfl-deflategate-response/index.html" target="_blank">found guilty of cheating</a> because his people deflated footballs before the AFC Championship Game with the Indianapolis Colts.<br />
<br />
This isn't the first time the Patriots have cheated, either. There was the infamous Spygate scandal, in which the Pats filmed the defensive signals of the Jets. It's difficult to blame them, because we all know how hard it was to defeat the 2007 Jets. /sarcasm<br />
<br />
So, we have serial cheaters here in the Pats and Tom Brady. In the latest Deflategate scandal, Brady was hit with the truly harsh penalty of having to miss a quarter of the season--four games--without pay, which he will presumably spend with his supermodel wife. After that, he will go back to being a quarterback and continue making millions. How will he ever manage to recover?<br />
<br />
Why bring this up? I think it's noteworthy to compare it to another cheating scandal--the one in Atlanta. In 2013, 35 educators in Atlanta were accused of cheating on a high stakes test by getting together and changing student answers in order to inflate scores. Let's call it Inflategate.<br />
<br />
There are many similarities between these cases. Brady conspired with his equipment people to violate the rules, while Atlanta teachers conspired to increase test scores. Brady refused to cooperate with investigators and claimed to be innocent, and twelve Atlanta teachers refused to accept plea deals. All of them presumably did their misdeeds in order to gain an unfair advantage.<br />
<br />
So it's safe to assume that the Atlanta teachers got a penalty at least somewhat similar to Brady, right? A fine, and a suspension for a quarter of a school year without pay so they could spend time with their supermodel spouses?<br />
<br />
Well, no. These are teachers. Teachers are not held in the high esteem that Tom Brady is. Teachers have the meaningless task of educating our children, while Tom Brady has the highest calling one can have--throwing pigskin with accuracy.<br />
<br />
So the judge in the Atlanta case hit three of the educators with the harshest penalties he could. Found guilty of racketeering, he sentenced them to twenty years in prison of which they would serve seven, 2000 hours of community service, and a $25,000 fine. But never fear--the judge had a change of heart and decided that these educators would only have to <i><b>serve three years in prison</b></i>.<br />
<br />
Both of these cases featured people who conspired to cheat--one with balls and one with bubbles. Yet the outcomes could not have been more different. So what lesson can we learn here?<br />
<br />
If you're going to cheat, it helps a lot to be rich. Brady got a slap on the wrist, while the guys who did the deflating have already been put out of work, although they've not been put in jail.<br />
<br />
The Atlanta teachers had several other strikes against them. First, they were mostly black. Second, they were predominantly female. Most damning of all, of course, is that they were teachers, and it has been open season on teachers for quite some time now.<br />
<br />
I don't condone what the educators in Atlanta did. Not at all. But whatever monetary gain they received or job security they obtained pales in comparison to what Brady and the Cheatriots got--namely a Superbowl win and all the financial benefits that accrue from that.<br />
<br />
Cheating pays if you're rich. Just ask Tom Brady, or Alex Rodriguez. While you're at it, ask all the bankers who benefited from bringing this country to its knees financially while the poor and middle class suffered from a recession and unemployment. How many of you teachers out there lost a bundle when Wall Street tanked the economy? You know how many of those rich bastards went to jail for selling what they knew were junk securities?<br />
<br />
That's right. None.<br />
<br />
If you're rich, you can conspire to deflate footballs--no problem. Ditto if you're rich and deflate the economy--they'll just take taxpayer money to bail you out.<br />
<br />
Inflate some scores? It's a long stretch in the pokey for you.<br />
<br />
That's the American way.<br />
<br />
EDIT AND UPDATE: In perhaps the stupidest thing I have read in a LONG time, it seems that an apparently mentally unstable Pats fan as started a GoFundMe page to help the Pats pay that whopping $1 millon fine. This is great news, as Pats owner Robert Kraft only has an estimated fortune of 4.3 BILLION dollars. Hey, stupid Pats fan, this is why the country is going to hell in a hand basket. You're trying to bail out a man who could pay a million dollar fine EVERY DAY for the next 11.78 years before he went broke. He would likely not start a GoFundMe page to hire someone to spit on you if your hair was on fire.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-38423240394633482702015-04-14T12:23:00.000-04:002015-04-14T12:30:50.384-04:00By Georges! The Truth about Teaching and the UFT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO3ftKOezwExgTUOjqMkOCeI2XJsgU-9NZ2iLCWnTekXlet-tb5oAdU8VM7_WcCh-2j8xkmIFUyB_6lQ4zICbHgDFNadBi0L3HFrqNuuJaxLwr8q0ReHbJG8wYyw3xcb_XmxvVDuxuos/s1600/3520849349-6e562b6818-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvO3ftKOezwExgTUOjqMkOCeI2XJsgU-9NZ2iLCWnTekXlet-tb5oAdU8VM7_WcCh-2j8xkmIFUyB_6lQ4zICbHgDFNadBi0L3HFrqNuuJaxLwr8q0ReHbJG8wYyw3xcb_XmxvVDuxuos/s1600/3520849349-6e562b6818-jpg.jpg" height="173" width="200" /></a></div>
"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 16px;"><i>The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.</i>"--George Orwell, Animal Farm</span><br />
<br />
SPOILER ALERT: The above quote is the last line of <i>Animal Farm</i>, by George Orwell. If you haven't read it, you should. If you have not, here's the summary in SWBS form (the way many English teachers show kids how to summarize--Somebody Wanted But So). Here we go: The animals on Farmer Jones' farm were being abused, so a pig named Napoleon wanted to take over the farm and run things the right way, but once he got into power, he became just like Farmer Jones, so the animals were just as bad off as they were before.<br />
<br />
Animal Farm was originally intended to satirize Stalinism, but it applies as much to teaching and the UFT today. The UFT was organized to stop the abuse of teachers, and for a while, it did. As the union gained power, however, they stopped giving a shit about teachers and only worried about keeping themselves in power.<br />
<br />
Can you deny this sentence: "The teachers looked from Mulgrew to Cuomo, and from Cuomo to Mulgrew, and from Mulgrew to Cuomo again, but already it was impossible to say which was which"?<br />
<br />
Cuomo and Mulgrew both support Common Core, the teacher evaluation system, Race to the Top, and charter schools (the UFT ran two).<br />
<br />
In the last gubernatorial race, Mulgrew could have chosen to endorse Zephyr Teachout, who was relentlessly pro-teacher and against the testing craze that is sweeping our state and destroying our profession. Instead, Mulgrew stayed neutral, refusing to throw his support behind the one candidate who would have supported public schools.<br />
<br />
So why didn't he support Teachout? Because the very last thing the UFT wants is a thoughtful, activist base of members who understand the issues and are willing to fight for themselves. If teachers actually protested things, they might just take in into their heads to protest against a union that sells of huge chunks of our rights in exchange for keeping the membership stupid and inactive.<br />
<br />
Hearkening back to Animal Farm, Mulgrew looks at every teacher as Boxer. The workhorse of the farm, with little brainpower, Boxer's solution to every problem was to say "I will work harder" and to claim the Napoleon was always right. Of course, Boxer was worked nearly to death and his retirement gift was a trip to the slaughterhouse.<br />
<br />
So, how are YOU like Boxer? Every year, you are asked to work harder and harder. If you just keep working harder and doing what Napoleon...err...Mulgrew says, you'll get that sweet retirement. But maybe you won't. Under Mulgrew's "leadership", you can work your ass off and if you get rated ineffective you can be, in effect, summarily fired. And what are we up to now...Tier 27? How many of you will actually get to retirement, and how many will be discarded after years of hard work?<br />
<br />
Some of you no doubt will stand up for Mulgrew--especially those of you who are chapter leaders who've taken a loyalty oath, or those of you who stay informed through the union newspaper. But what has he done to get the membership out there? Virtually nothing, other than ask you to tweet your displeasure at the governor with clever hashtags.<br />
<br />
Many of you will spend 6 days in the next two weeks administering and proctoring tests that will determine whether you'll have a job. Fifty percent of your evaluation will be based on how well your kids do on these tests--or 100% if you are rated ineffective on test scores.<br />
<br />
What could Mulgrew have done? He could have latched on to the growing displeasure among parents with non-stop testing. He could have asked teachers to give up 10 minutes a week to leaflet parents after school, informing them of their right to opt their kids out of testing. Remember, parents and voters mostly approve of the job teachers are doing, and overwhelmingly disapprove of the job legislators are doing. We could have brought Pearson to its knees and made the evaluation system a joke.<br />
<br />
But we did nothing, other than tweet <b>#allkidsneed</b> and <b>#inviteCuomo</b>. You can see what an impact that has made as you check your kids for <b>#2pencils</b>.<br />
<br />
Mulgrew did nothing because he wants nothing to change. He wants you to be a big, stupid workhorse like Boxer who will do what he is told and quietly go to slaughter. When you are finished, there will be someone new from whom to collect those sweet union dues that will keep paying for Mulgrew's chauffeur and those wonderful conventions and soirees.<br />
<br />
And now for the harshest truth of all: Most of you deserve this. You had it in your power to throw Mulgrew out in the last election, but 80% of you were too apathetic to vote, and of those of you who did vote, an overwhelming majority chose to give Mulgrew your support. And, I'm sorry to say, the same thing will most likely happen again in the next election. Most of you will vote the Unity slate like good little soldiers, provided you vote at all. Have fun on your trip to the slaughterhouse!<br />
<br />
You may think there's little you can do, but you're wrong. Many, if not most, of the people in my school <a href="http://morecaucusnyc.org/" target="_blank">voted for MORE in the last election</a>, mainly because I did a LOT of talking to people who otherwise would have not voted or voted for Unity. You can be that person in your school. If every school had just one person speaking out and speaking the truth about what's happening, it could make a world of difference.<br />
<br />
You should be able to look at your union leader and a neo-liberal, anti-union governor like Cuomo and see the difference.<br />
<br />
Apropos of the title of this blog post, I leave you with the words of another George--one named Carlin. These are his words as he described corporate America. I have made a few changes, in bold, so you can see how it applies to teachers today. (NSFW):<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em;">
<b>The union doesn't</b> want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em;">
That's right. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around <b>the teacher's lounge</b> and think about how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago. They don’t want that!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em;">
You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers, people who are just smart enough to <b>teach the kids</b> and do the paperwork. And just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shitty jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits,...and vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it....<span style="line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">They’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this fucking place! Its a big club, and </span><em style="line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">you ain’t in it!</em><span style="line-height: 25.6000003814697px;"> You, and I, are not in </span><em style="line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">the big club</em><span style="line-height: 25.6000003814697px;">...</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25.6000003814697px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em;">
...The game is rigged and nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care! Good honest hard-working people; white collar, blue collar it doesn’t matter what color shirt you have on. Good honest hard-working people continue, these are people of modest means, continue to elect these rich cock suckers who don’t give a fuck about you….they don’t give a fuck about you… they don’t give a FUCK about you.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-27308270485773043712015-01-25T13:35:00.001-05:002015-01-25T13:35:58.979-05:00Why Cuomo and Mulgrew Are Both Wrong<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qIgNPPkuEJ7wkrQRq0I7zp5r0-VXZcsIQ353Nd5BtLBcSKs3qfVKxL1mlTUa8N_Ri25S-6_7zvQ2_6ORoyxhaedvf02g1CaNi1VNiTg5e7OpFqQYBFuLObI1GGcTs2NwVwK6AL7pWiI/s1600/im-right-youre-wrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qIgNPPkuEJ7wkrQRq0I7zp5r0-VXZcsIQ353Nd5BtLBcSKs3qfVKxL1mlTUa8N_Ri25S-6_7zvQ2_6ORoyxhaedvf02g1CaNi1VNiTg5e7OpFqQYBFuLObI1GGcTs2NwVwK6AL7pWiI/s1600/im-right-youre-wrong.jpg" height="161" title=" " width="200" /></a>Governor Cuomo and Michael Mulrew have been waging a war of words in the Daily News, each accusing the other of not caring about the kids of NY. Here's what they've said:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/andrew-cuomo-rips-teacher-unions-selfish-industry-article-1.2089053" target="_blank">Cuomo referred to the teacher unions and the entrenched education establishment as an “industry” that is more interested in protecting the rights of its members than improving the system for the kids it is supposed to be serving</a>.<br />
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Mulgrew: <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/teachers-unions-heads-accuse-cuomo-demonizing-educators-article-1.2090291" target="_blank">“If he truly believes that, it’s the clearest piece of evidence that he does not understand the people who choose to make their life’s work teaching and educating children."</a><br />
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I believe they are both wrong, and I hope I can articulate why without sounding as if I don't care about kids. I most certainly do care about them. I've spent the vast majority of my adult life working for and with children. And part of the problem is that I felt the need to say that before the rest of what I have to say. Because if you are a teacher, and you say that <i>anything</i> matters to you other than the children you teach, you run the risk of being labeled a monster. Because God forbid if teachers want to make a decent living while serving the community. How dare we?<br />
<br />
Perhaps the best way to approach this is to remind myself, and everyone reading, what the purpose of the union is. And this applies to any union, not just teachers.<br />
<br />
The purpose of a union is to give individual workers the ability to collectively bargain and to make a better life for themselves.<br />
<br />
Cuomo is wrong because he believes that it is the union's responsibility to improve education. It is not. It is the state's responsibility, as part of the constitution, to provide each child with a "sound, basic education". The governor is attempting to shift the burden for this responsibility from the state to the union. If he can make people believe that the union is responsible, then he can blame teachers for all his own failures, especially the failure to address the inequality of school funding.<br />
<br />
Mulgrew is equally wrong because he seems to confuse the union with the membership. They are, in fact, separate entities. The union is made up of teachers, of course, and it is our job to educate children, but it does not therefore follow that it is the <i>union's</i> job to educate children, which is what Mulgrew seems to be saying.<br />
<br />
Frankly, I wish Mulgrew saw the union's role differently. It is absolutely the union's job to protect the rights of its members. PERIOD.<br />
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That doesn't mean that the <i>membership</i> shouldn't advocate for children. We should. In fact, we must, because there are wealthy forces out there looking to destroy public education for their own profit.<br />
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The reason that teachers pay union dues is so that the UFT can advocate for teachers--to protect us from abuse, to negotiate fair contracts with adequate compensation and benefits, and to ensure that we have good working conditions.<br />
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What Mulgrew needs to make clear is that by protecting teachers, the union is freeing us to do what's right for kids. No one goes into teaching to get rich, or because the job is easy (half of all teachers leave within the first five years, which clearly speaks to the difficulties teachers face). We go into teaching because we are called to it, because it is an honorable profession, and because if we do our jobs, we can make a definite impact on the lives of children and the world we live in.<br />
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I think it's high time the Mulgrew owns what the union is. But he needs to make the case that a strong union is a benefit for children. He has allowed the politicians and hedge fundies to hijack the conversation by conflating the role of the union (protecting teachers) with the role of teachers (educating and advocating for children).<br />
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He needs to make the case that when the union is strong, education is strong. When teachers feel respected and safe from unjust evaluations, we are free to do the job we were hired to do. Bright and capable college students will be attracted to teaching, and veterans won't be looking to flee as soon as they are able.<br />
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Unions working on behalf of their members helped build this country and its middle class. Instead of fleeing from this basic truth, Mulgrew should embrace it.<br />
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Unionism helps teachers help kids. That should be the message.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-78646780863481738782015-01-22T13:53:00.003-05:002015-01-22T15:17:49.832-05:00Political Theater, Cuomo Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's no secret that Andrew Cuomo seeks to crush his political foes. If you run afoul of him, watch out. The Working Families Party buckled under to him, as did the UFT by choosing not to endorse pro-teacher candidate Zephyr Teachout for governor over Andy boy.<br />
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Now let's look at recent events. Yesterday, Cuomo pushed the most anti-teacher agenda of any democrat governor in these 50 states. It's well known that he took a lot of campaign money from groups like StudentsFirst and others, then lo and behold, a series of virulent anti-education "reforms" make their way into Andy's SOTS speech.<br />
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The very next day, the man who would have stood in the way of Andy paying back his political donors, Sheldon Silver, was arrested by the Feds for corruption. Pretty neat, eh? Quite the coincidence there.<br />
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Now let me say here and now that if Silver is actually guilty, he should go to jail. Of course, he is innocent until proven guilty, but this undoubtedly taints his reputation and weakens his power in the Assembly at a time teachers need his support the most.<br />
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This is a federal indictment, so it could not have been orchestrated by Cuomo. Well, at least not entirely. But is it beyond the realm of possibility that Andy's fingerprints are all over this?<br />
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Remember the Moreland Commission--which Andy created to "fight" corruption in Albany, but which he mysteriously abandoned? Is it possible that the Moreland Commission got the goods on Silver, and then was disbanded before they got too close to the governor's mansion?<br />
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I have no proof of this, of course. But the timing seems like the entire thing was staged to discredit Silver at a time when Cuomo was determined to butt heads with him.<br />
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Would anyone be surprised if that's what happened? I know I wouldn't.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-39629752095284441672015-01-06T12:19:00.000-05:002015-01-06T12:19:05.790-05:00NYPD: Being Attacked, Or On The Attack?Some comments my blog post about how <a href="http://www.accountabletalk.com/2015/01/mulgrew-turns-his-back-on-mayor.html" target="_blank">Mulgrew and other municipal union leaders have turned their back on de Blasio</a> got me to thinking. Before I even delve into that, however, there is an important question to be considered:<br />
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Should city unions stick together no matter what? My own view is that most of the time, we certainly should. When it comes to raises, seniority, equal treatment, layoffs, and most other reasons for which unions exists, we absolutely need to stick together.<br />
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To me, the current situation feels different. It's not about any of those major union issues--the current conflict stems from the fact that most of the NYPD is far more to the right politically than other city unions and would like to take Mayor de Blasio out if they could. Simply put, the NYPD fares better under Republican mayors (as we have seen time and again over the past 20 years) and other municipal unions fare much worse (ditto those 20 years).<br />
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Here's what one anonymous commenter, ostensibly a teacher, had to say: <i>The attack on cops is just like the attack on teachers. It is an attack
on middle class union jobs. People keep forgetting to mention that the
PBA are working without a contract. Lynch is busting his behind to get a
decent contract for his members which is something that the UFT has not
been able to accomplish since before 2005</i>.<br />
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Frankly, I don't see it that way at all. The mayor has not threatened to lay off police, bust the union, privatize policing, or anything of the sort. In fact, the PBA is in binding arbitration, so nothing Lynch does will have an effect on the contract. What the mayor has done is limit the ability of the police to stop and frisk whomever they please--a position supported by the 73% of voters who elected de Blasio knowing one of his major priorities was to sharply curtail that practice. <br />
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Another commenter said: <i>There is and has been a war on policing as a profession. New retirement
tiers have been created, new massive oversight of Complaint Board,
fights to try to get all cops to live in the 5 boroughs, ticket and
arrest quotas, and yes, their pensions are also under attack. It is not
as bad as the war on teachers but it seems to me that cops are becoming
the new punching bags for the hedge funders to get their hands on</i>.<br />
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There are several points to be made here. First, the new retirement tiers affect teachers, too, so that's not just an attack on cops. And even more to the point, Bill de Blasio is not the one who instituted the new tiers, so how can he be held accountable? If there's a war here, it was waged by Bloomberg during his 12 years (which the NYPD supported) and Andrew Cuomo.<br />
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As far as the complaint board, residency requirements, and quotas, I admit I don't know much about those issues, but I do know<b> that they were not instituted by de Blasio, the man who police are waging war on.</b> Frankly, it reminds me of when we were attacked by Al Qaeda and President Bush decided to wage war on Iraq.<br />
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Are the police the new target of hedge funders? I don't know enough to be sure, but I do know how teachers were (and are) being treated when the fundies got the idea of "reforming" education. As I commented: <i>Are they </i>(the police) <i>being put in rubber rooms? Unfairly evaluated? Threatened with
layoffs? Having their seniority taken away? Having their pensions
questioned? Is someone trying to privatize the police department? Is
there a "Cops for America" corps taking jobs?</i><br />
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Those thing are not happening to the NYPD, and I can't see them happening under Bill de Blasio. However, based on the antics of PBA President Pat Lynch, you can bet that the fundies are just salivating at the idea that they can paint the NYPD as a bunch of out of control armed union crazies, and attack police rights for that reason. Lynch is just playing into their hands. And sadly, the fundies will paint all municipal unions as a bunch of insubordinate louts.<br />
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So, to my fellow city workers in the NYPD, here's what I have to say. When it comes to pay, benefits, retirement, job protections, work rules, etc., I am on your side. However, when you try to wage war on de Blasio, the only pro-union mayor we have had in decades, I will not support you. The outrageous antics of your union president give all unions a black eye, and I do not want to see a return to the bad old days when the city was run by those whose main interests were breaking the UFT and other municipal unions.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5477669229969550311.post-76707334747742907512015-01-05T19:54:00.000-05:002015-01-06T12:23:56.122-05:00Mulgrew Turns His Back on the Mayor<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zf4STiZN8SJvy6knX2MOxRZofOjLpJCamfipjABsP8h7qqFyfJwBW_B1mQkxSkR27Q3eR-2CyNNwRfnswv8OKmU9ylR7U5N2_f1UIIAwr6pVknyVbDxX4evyZAeAKElPHN5Hz37j2NU/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Zf4STiZN8SJvy6knX2MOxRZofOjLpJCamfipjABsP8h7qqFyfJwBW_B1mQkxSkR27Q3eR-2CyNNwRfnswv8OKmU9ylR7U5N2_f1UIIAwr6pVknyVbDxX4evyZAeAKElPHN5Hz37j2NU/s1600/index.jpg" title=" " /></a>How many of you remember the last 20 years when teachers were under the boot of Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg? I know I do. I could make a very long list of the ways they degraded the teaching profession, but you probably know them all. So my question is:<br />
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How many of you want to spend the next 20 years under similar or worse bullies after the next election?<br />
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I don't. I hope you don't either.<br />
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But that is precisely what is going to happen if PBA hothead and provocateur Pat Lynch has his way. He has groomed anti-de Blasio sentiment in this city with stunning expertise.<br />
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Luckily, I do believe that a backlash is beginning. Many people are not happy that the police disrespected the funeral of Officer Liu by turning their backs on the mayor yet again. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/nyregion/decrease-in-new-york-police-arrests-continues-for-a-second-week.html?_r=0" target="_blank">And I can't imagine that too many people are thrilled about the de facto police work slowdown.</a><br />
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Speaking of which, while not getting tickets may seem nice, refusing to make arrests is beyond the pale. When someone is inevitably murdered, raped, or robbed because the police refuse to so their jobs, will Pat Lynch have blood on <i>his </i>hands?<br />
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And where is Mulgrew in all this? Let's not forget that Mulgrew endorsed Thompson for mayor, not de Blasio. Yet our mayor did not turn his back on teachers. He continued to fight, and still is fighting, against charter schools in this city. He succeeded in establishing universal Pre-K, which may yet turn into the greatest education boost for underprivileged kids this city has seen. He settled a contract with us quickly, which will give us the raises and retro money we deserve. (For the record, I voted against the contract due to the ATR issue, but that is something Mulgrew apparently agreed to.) He put a much more teacher-friendly chancellor in place--and while I do not by any means think Carmen Farina is the best choice, she is light years better than Joel Klein or Cathie Black.<br />
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Don't kid yourselves--if Pat Lynch triumphs in his crusade against the mayor, de Blasio will not be succeeded by a teacher-friendly Democrat. His successor would almost certainly be a right wing, pro-charter republican, or worse still, a faux Democrat like....dare I say it?<br />
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How does Mayor Moskowitz sit with all you UFT members?<br />
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So the question remains--why has Mulgrew turned his back on a mayor who has had his back for the last year?<br />
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Mulgrew doesn't have to oppose the PBA to do this. He needs to show his support for de Blasio with public appearances and praise for this mayor. He needs photo ops shaking the mayor's hand, and a new initiative or two that will help change the perception that the mayor has lost union support. And make no mistake, that is the public perception, because not a single union chief has come out in support of this mayor since Pat Lynch seized control of the narrative.<br />
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If he keeps turning his back on this mayor, he may turn around in three years to see Eva Moskowitz staring him in the face. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9