In the mean time here are a couple things that make me scratch my head.
Iowa Independent – Independent my A$$
So we all know that the Iowa Independent is written by liberal bloggers, and we also know that Tim Gill, the gay activists from Colorado funds them along with some other liberal foundations and unions, but their story on the lottery scam the other day was beyond obnoxious.
The Iowa Independent thinks that the Iowa Lottery fiasco was generated by the Des Moines Register, saying that no legislator has been in support of the idea. Look this issue didn’t just appear out of mid air, Culver has had meetings with Dan Kehl from the Riverside Casino about it. Culver talked about it at the editorial board meeting with the Register.
“Culver said Friday during a meeting with The Des Moines Register's editors and reporters that he is exploring a possible lease of the Iowa Lottery and other state assets because the worst recession since the Depression of the 1930s could force major cuts in state programs such as education and health care. He dismissed claims by critics that campaign donations could influence a decision on a lottery lease.”
This is not some concocted issue the Des Moines Register and a few bloggers have created. And mark my word, this issue isn’t dead. Culver and the Democrats need to find massive amounts of money to be able to comply with Iowa’s balanced budget law.
Teachers Want More Money
Teachers in the Des Moines district want a 6.5% pay increase, better benefits, and more time for planning. Seriously, have they not been reading the news lately?
I think everybody would like 6.5% raise. I think everyone would like some free time every day to get their crap in order. And I think that most of us no teachers would love to have 2 months off over the summer to recharge our batteries or take on a summer job.
No I know I’m going to be torn to shreds in the comment section that teachers are important in preparing the next generation. Look I agree, but when the state budget is in disarray don’t take your case to us in the public, be pissed at Chet Culver and Mike Gronstal for not doing a good job in managing our state budget. Let me tell you all something. If our budget wasn’t in such disarray, you would get your 6.5% because I don’t know of any politician in this state that has the stones to oppose any increase in education funding.
Go tell your sob stories to Chet and Mike the next time your union delivers them that big PAC contribution.
Give me a break.
We're missing the solution to our problems right under our noses. Instead of selling the Lottery, we sell the schools to private groups.
ReplyDeleteWe can still have public financing of education if we want but it will be far less than the current $8000 per year.
Parents can send their children to whatever school they want and select whatever teachers they want.
Competition will improve the education of children, good teachers will prosper and bad ones will disappear.
Unions are destroying this country. Yet the Democrats are going to give them more than ever this session.
ReplyDeleteUnions have ruined manufacturing and schools. Unfortunately, you can't outsource schools to folks who would actually do a better job at a lower cost of business.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3mw49mk_x0
ReplyDeleteA couple of things...
ReplyDelete1. Iowa Independent doesn't think that the Register manufactured the lottery controversy...Chase Martyn thinks that. Chase Martyn wrote that in a personal blog in the "blogs" section of the website. It's like saying that the Register thinks something because Yepsen wrote it in a blog. Or that Krusty thinks something because I wrote it in a comment.
And his main point is that Yepsen over played the story in a big way, something that seems obvious to everyone.
2. 6.5% is too much. But the you always start high, that's how negotiation works. They'll NEVER get 6.5%. In the end, they'll get maybe 3%, likely less.
Secondly, asking for 30 minutes a day for lesson planning is not outrageous. Most office workers probably spend at least that amount of time a day playing solitaire.
Well then, it is fairly obvious. The teachers should quit playing solitare and do their lesson planning with that time.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else mentioned: The solutions are right under our nose and we refuse to recognize them.
What more can I say?
Teachers already get planning periods. Now, they want more.
ReplyDeleteIf every other public employee is getting fired or a reduced paycheck, I think teachers ought to be happy to have jobs and maintain their salaries.
Just think of the one-time infusion of money selling all these schools could bring.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need to sell schools, we need to be able to fire horrible teachers as well as reducing the countless layers of administration and the AEA who leach off millions in education funding. Okay, maybe that means selling schools...
ReplyDeleteOnce the schools would be sold to private enterprise, they become tax paying entities--not tax consuming entities.
ReplyDeleteFirst, we get probably billions of dollars of income from the schools.
Children become better educated.
Some teachers become rich.
More property is put on the taxpaying roles, hence less taxes for the rest of us--just imagine what will happen to property taxes.
That's nonsense. Most office workers do not play at least 30 minutes of Solitaire a day.
ReplyDeleteHow could krusty's blog get this many comments if we played Solitaire?
6.5% is just a starting point. When you walk onto a used car lot - you expect to go back and forth until you get a final deal. Same thing with negotiations. The district will come back with a 0% offer and they will work something out between the two starting points.
ReplyDeleteAnd some teachers don't have any planning time - except when their kids are at "specials" (art, PE, music) - and that doesn't happen every day.