Rebane's Ruminations
August 2013
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

ARCHIVES


OUR LINKS


YubaNet
White House Blog
Watts Up With That?
The Union
Sierra Thread
RL “Bob” Crabb
Barry Pruett Blog

George Rebane

The nation’s insanity continues unabated.  According to the Chicago Fox affiliate (you maybe expected a lamestream outlet?) a group of illegal aliens are on a hunger strike protesting that they haven’t been put on the list for government subsidized organ transplants.  Instead of a quick ticket back to Mexico – they are Mexican nationals – we are now going through a gasping ‘what to do, what to do?’ ordeal.  Why? well, the organ transplant protocols at certain hospitals don’t include a codicil about whether to qualify for a transplant you need to be an American, or at least a legal resident.  Whoda thunk?

The question for our morally superior progressives is moot; their answer being ‘Damn straight, do the transplant and have the US taxpayer foot the bill.  These people are also contributing to America.’  For the rest of us, the answer is to shell out for a ticket back to their homeland where the Mexican government can deal with their grievances.  These aliens even use the progressive-approved argument that resonates with the dufus parade – “local hospitals are discriminating against immigrants here illegally.”  Lord, I hope so. 

ChicagoGangViolenceMeanwhile elsewhere in the Windy City, where else, five people were shot in a gang war ambush in front of a church serving meals to the needy on a street that is identified and maintained as a ‘Safe Passage’ way for kids to get between home and school (more here).  The street is manned by over 600 good-hearted, ‘trained volunteers’ to make sure the kids make it through there alive.  Of course, there is not a slingshot to be had between all these volunteers, and the gangs don’t give a big rat’s ass about safe passage streets.  They know that until the cops get there, they rule.  And they also know – courtesy of the specter of Chapter 9 – that the thin blue line is getting thinner by the day.  But Chicago’s job one is to keep guns from the hands of law abiding citizens while prohibiting the police from conducting those oh so racial search, question, and frisk exercises.  And according to established custom, nobody demonstrated to protest these daily shootings.  You see, it don’t matter none if you shoot those po’ black folk, as long as yo’s not a racist.  Progressive government in peace and war. 

(Coda – consider all hot buttons pushed.)

[21aug13 update]  The record wouldn’t be complete without noting the most recent murder of a white athlete by three blacks in Oklahoma.  The ‘just for fun’ drive-by killing of the Australian baseball player occurred on a country road near the town of Duncan (more here).  No screaming headlines.  No charges of racism.  No mass demonstrations by whites across the country.  Same ol’ same ol’.

Posted in , , ,

133 responses to “Ruminations – 20aug13 (updated 21aug13)”

  1. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Here is the current budget link for you JoeK. Please tell me where that breakout you say exists is located in this link. Thank you in advance.
    http://www.sierracollege.edu/_files/resources/about-us/board/documents/2012-2013-SJCCD-Budget-to-Actuals-as-of-5-24-13.pdf

    Like

  2. Joe Koyote Avatar
    Joe Koyote

    You are grabbing at straws Todd. Your link is to general total budget numbers — nothing on that sheet is broken down into specific categories…. you might as well have put up a picture of a cat and argued about the missing numbers.
    It works this way… Sierra makes money by taking what would be EMPTY classrooms and rents them out to people and in doing so provides a public service by offering classes that might not be available elsewhere. This doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything. It is a pay-as-you-go operation. It’s that simple. If a class does not get enough people signed up to pay for the classroom, it is cancelled. Simple supply and demand capitalism. End of conversation.

    Like

  3. Paul Emery Avatar

    Fish
    A simple google search found this on Wikipedia that must have been lifted from earlier writings including Websters from the 50’s. You could have found this with a little effort
    “Principle as moral law
    It represents a set of values that orient and rule the conduct of a concrete society. The law establishes an obligation in the individual’s conscience that belongs to the cultural field in which such values are accepted. It supposes the liberty of the individual as cause, that acts without external coercion, through a process of socialization.”

    Like

  4. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    JoeK, read my post again. You are apparently unable to grasp the simple question. That is the lnk to their budget, if you have additional levels of info then supply it. Oh, you can’t? Then you contention are purely bogus. No facts from you means mine prevail.

    Like

  5. fish Avatar
    fish

    A simple google search found this on Wikipedia that must have been lifted from earlier writings including Websters from the 50’s. You could have found this with a little effort
    “Principle as moral law
    It represents a set of values that orient and rule the conduct of a concrete society. The law establishes an obligation in the individual’s conscience that belongs to the cultural field in which such values are accepted. It supposes the liberty of the individual as cause, that acts without external coercion, through a process of socialization.”

    Don’t scold me Guitarzan….you said Websters so I’m checking Websters. If it’s Wikipedia, then say Wikipedia.
    A little more coherence and a less wheedling will help your position immeasurably.
    It supposes the liberty of the individual as cause, that acts without external coercion….
    No coercion…..oops….then it’s a non-starter under “Plan Emery”.

    Like

  6. Paul Emery Avatar

    Yes indeed Fish. My view is that we live within our own moral guidelines and that laws are unnecessary in the perfect world. However when Paines view that there are certain situations that require laws to enforce, the above example being help for the unfortunate, then the power of the government comes into being. What triggers that threshold is indeed controversial and the subject for debate but you certainly must believe we live in a nation run by laws that must be enforced to be effective. We should have no debate here. I personally believe that national health care is within that threshold as an essential right in a modern society,

    Like

  7. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, drag yourself back to this Paine in your backside…
    Paine was suggesting a 10% inheritance tax on landowners who, in France of the time, were more stratified than most can imagine in the land where Feudalism rose after Charles Martel confiscated church lands to distribute among the warrior class to raise a standing army (pissing off the clergy who got the consolation prize of that army being able to repel invading Moslems unaware of the new army). Now, we have about a 1% tax every year, uncompounded 10% in ten years, 70% plus over a lifetime.
    I think landowners are paying more than their share already, don’t you?

    Like

  8. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, people already have a right to health care, and get it. They just have to be sick and be willing to wait in line at a clinic.
    Poor Bradley Manning, it looks like the health care he’ll have a right to in the next 35 years won’t include hormone therapy or sexual reassignment surgery. Is that a violation of his right to healthcare?

    Like

  9. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    Well, you should be happy to live in California which has the 2nd lowest property taxes in the country. Way to go Dems!!
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/11leonhardt-avgproptaxrates.html

    Like

  10. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    California has the second lowest property taxes because of “dems”? Now we can see your folly PaulE. Prop 13 is the reason they are at 1% and that was done by Howard Jarvis etal/republicans. Jerry Brown and the dems were agin it. So please, don’t even try to BS anyone here about property taxes. BTW, your dems then took about 90% of our local property taxes, skim their share, pass regs on its use, then trickle it back to us little people for a couple of things.

    Like

  11. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, those aren’t the actual property tax rates, and the rate I pay is almost twice what they claim the “effective” rate is.
    California is #1 among the states for the top income tax rate being over 10 percent. Those Dems got their way, your snark isn’t appropriate.

    Like

  12. fish Avatar
    fish

    I personally believe that national health care is within that threshold as an essential right in a modern society….
    Emery \e-me-ry\ as a boy’s name is pronounced EM-er-ee. It is of Old English origin, and the meaning of Emery is “home strength”. From Emmerich. May also possibly be derived from the German name Amalrich, meaning “bravery, vigor; power”. Also a variant of Amory. First used as a given name in the 19th-century. Saint Emerus (eighth century) was a French saint.
    and
    English and French: from a Germanic personal name, Emaurri, composed of the elements amja ‘busy’, ‘industrious’ + ric ‘power’. The name was introduced into England from France by the Normans. There has been some confusion with Amory.

    Your surname hints at historical ties to England. Perhaps emigration back to the mother country would be to your liking…..Jolly Old England, the crown, the NHS….sound like they would mean very much to a man of your emotional and political disposition.

    Like

  13. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    Since you took it upon yourself to correct me on the property tax rates can you document your position?

    Like

  14. Paul Emery Avatar

    Fish
    Love it or leave it
    That’s a blast from the past.

    Like

  15. Paul Emery Avatar

    I wrote that to torque you Todd. You’re so predictable.

    Like

  16. fish Avatar
    fish

    Love it or leave it
    Paul…you never disappoint!

    Like

  17. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Since nobody here seems interested in addressing illegal aliens demanding to be put on the transplant waiting list nor the gangland killings in the Safe Passage Zone for children, neither will I. I will spin a yarn concerning Paul’s bigger issue.
    I see Paul’s point clearly. We all see it. Based on love, charity, kindness, and helpfulness to our fellow man. Especially to our fellow suffering humans. The Good Samaritan. Since there are poor (Jesus said the poor will ALWAYS be with us) and Paul E sees their needs up close and PERSONAL with his volunteer work at HH, I see where he is coming from. It changes things when you put a face on it.
    Without putting too many words in Mr. Paul’s mouth, he has been trying to get through to us that charities are ill equipped to handle the enormous costs and burdens of providing health insurance/health care for the most expensive medical cases. Thus, society (Big Government) is the only one with deep enough pockets to provide medical care for the most costly patients and those without means.
    Paine was an avowed atheist (maybe agnostic at best), probably the only one of our founding fathers to declare this. He could not for go for the Christian God because how could a loving God allow his only son to be executed? No Father would kill his son Paine wrote in letters. Thus Paine looked around and saw the lame, the penniless widows and the orphans and said “somebody gotta do something about this.”
    I believe we are all born with a conscience. We have special names for those who have thrown off their conscious….names like psychopaths and sociopaths come to mind. I believe we are also born with a sense of justice.
    It all gets down to when and how to give. And in today’s modern world, it is now who will give (including government). Karl Marx missed the boat because he never foresaw the hundreds of millions of dollars people in a free society give voluntarily on a yearly basis.
    Reminds me of a story a cop told us the last time I was in traffic school. He said a woman approached him about a bum on the street who appeared in quite rough shape. The policeman knew this particular “bum” as he was a regular fixture on the policeman’s beat. The woman was very concerned and said “You should DO something about that man. He needs help. Do something.” The officer replied that he just can’t arrest the man because he has committed no crime and is not a danger to himself or the community.
    The officer then proceeded to tell the woman that if she was so concerned, why not take the man home and “plant” him in her backyard. “He will not harm you, he is quiet, and he will be content just to stand in your backyard. You can watch over him and I assure you he is quite harmless. Why don’t YOU do something?” The woman stormed off, flipping off the cop.
    We have laws based on moral principles, like it is NOT ok to murder, lie, steal, cheat and stomp on people’s feet. Another moral law is not to poke your neighbor’s wife. Based on honestly in human relations and doing no harm. And recompense for injury or harm done. But, again, the question is when and how to give that will do no harm. If The Great White Father in Washington does the giving, then am I absolved of doing my moral duty? The human mind can rationalize many things to justify itself.

    Like

  18. Paul Emery Avatar

    Bill
    Paine was a Deist, not an atheist, as likely was Jefferson and Franklin and Madison. Because Deists do not believe in organized religion it is difficult to verify as such but historically at the time of the American Revolution it is accepted that that was the case. Here are Paines own words describing the Creator, something no Athiest would write.
    “When we survey the works of creation, the revolutions of the planetary system, and the whole economy of what is called nature, which is no other than the laws the Creator has prescribed to matter, we see unerring order and universal harmony reigning throughout the whole. No one part contradicts another. The sun does not run against the moon, nor the moon against the sun, nor the planets against each other. Everything keeps its appointed time and place.
    “This harmony in the works of God is so obvious, that the farmer of the field, though he cannot calculate eclipses, is as sensible of it as the philosophical astronomer. He sees the God of order in every part of the visible universe.”
    Here is a modern definition of Deism.
    “Deism is the recognition of a universal creative force greater than that demonstrated by mankind, supported by personal observation of laws and designs in nature and the universe, perpetuated and validated by the innate ability of human reason coupled with the rejection of claims made by individuals and organized religions of having received special divine revelation.”
    http://www.deism.com/deism_defined.htm

    Like

  19. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    PaulE, torque me? You are too predictable. Too funny. We whip your butt on your own words and you come back for more. Gotta give you credit for getting whooped though.

    Like

  20. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Quite true Paul, which is why I used the term Christian God instead of God. Instead I should have said he rejected Christianity. He rejected the whole notion of a personal God that had blood on his hands. He saw the harmony in place everywhere in nature. That is exactly why Paul Of Taurus wrote that just looking at nature and its harmony to the visible eye, “no man is without excuse.” Which is why another wrote (possibly Solemn) that a fool says in his heart there is no God.
    Solemn was wise by observing. He wrote that it rains, the waters go back to the oceans, forms clouds, and rains again and there is no new water. I suppose a modern scientist would say there is no new matter. Uncovered, not discovered. Thanks for the clarification concerning Thomas Paine. He was 100% correct about the farmer.
    I have had my wars with organized religion which the only verse that makes sense to me and organized religion misses (generally and specifically) “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Some call organized religion “legalistic”. I do, for the most part. Always exceptions. Fox’s Book of Martyrs is an eye opening read if you can still find it around. The other passage that makes sense to me is what Jesus told the religious men of his day. “You search the Scriptures, but you do not come to me for Life.”
    It is foolish for a finite being to put the infinite in a pigeon hole. And it is just as foolish for an ant to tell me I do not exist, like the tiny ant knows everything about everything. Everything in its limited world. But I digress per usual. What was the topic? Guns and roses?

    Like

  21. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, since you took it upon yourself to claim a list of “effective property tax rates” was truthful, you first. Where did you find how they decided their “effective tax rate” was more accurate than the “actual tax rate”, hmmm?
    What I paid for my house and how much I’m paying in taxes are public records. Knock yourself out.
    On an older subject, have you yet accepted that unions can spend all their collected dues on politics and there’s nothing a member can do to opt out?

    Like

  22. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    The NYT article stands on it’s own. I don’t have time to do your research for you. Same with the union stuff. It’s your allegation so it’s you’re research.
    By the way, there are more reports of LaMalfa and McClintock puppy and kitten drops from the Brunswick overpass. It stands as true until you research it and prove otherwise.

    Like

  23. Joe Koyote Avatar
    Joe Koyote

    Todd 3:28 — “if you have additional levels of info then supply it. Oh, you can’t? Then you contention are purely bogus. No facts from you means mine prevail.” Your “facts” are meaningless and your logic absurd. 80% of opiate based pharmaceutical pain killers produced in the world are consumed in the United States. Where are your facts Todd? Mine are better.. I win.
    Does the fact that I taught at a community college for 16 years carry any weight with someone who “attended” Sierra and dated an instructor who “fulled you in”? The other day you mentioned that someone kept going to your blog and calling you an idiot, they were right.

    Like

  24. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    Joe Koyote | 23 August 2013 at 11:50 AM
    Based on your responses here I pray the kids you “taught” will be OK. You libs never have facts just feelings. I supply the budget from Sierra College’s website, you disagree with it and then produce nothing but personal attacks. BTW, I never mentioned anywhere I can recall that people were calling me an idiot. But, you libs make it up from whole cloth anyway.
    16 years of teaching and you can’t produce a budget. My my my, the country is toast.

    Like

  25. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, I’ve done the research but you’ve not retracted your Keachiesque ‘Greg’s lying because he didn’t cough up a link fast enough to suit me’ BS on the other thread. My statements are true and the property tax rates in California are over 1%, including the rate for 45 year old piston engined, propeller driven airplanes.
    And while unions have to ask to move dues money from the general fund to an external PAC, they can spend all they want in “member communications” badgering members to vote the way the leadership wants them to vote, running their own campaigns for a ballot measure or a candidate, and a number of other political actions.

    Like

  26. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    I don’t recall calling you a liar but I do recall questioning why you refused to show any verification of your viewpoint. It’s been almost a month and still no link so I have to assume at this point that it is only your opinion which is fine but I will take it as such. Please, once again show me an example of “badgering” as you put it.
    My NYT link shows average property tax rates so it’s possible some things are over 1%. Average means average and nothing more or less. Their source is Moody’s Economy.com. By all estimations California property taxes are low.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/11leonhardt-avgproptaxrates.html?_r=0

    Like

  27. Joe Koyote Avatar
    Joe Koyote

    Todd; If that was a budget then where were the categories under revenue like revenue from the cafeteria, or parking stickers, or book sales? What you linked to was a balance sheet.. not a budget. What happened Todd, was you made disparaging remarks about course offerings at Sierra based on the Kaleidoscope Community education schedule that you thought was the regular course schedule which Sierra has not sent out in the mail for almost 10 years. I, very politely, pointed out that you may have made a mistake and the rest of our exchanges have been your blowing smoke out your rear trying to cover the fact that you mistook Kaleidoscope for the Schedule of classes and then went off trying to make some lame political statement out of it. Business as usual for you Todd.

    Like

  28. Joe Koyote Avatar
    Joe Koyote

    Todd –“BTW, I never mentioned anywhere I can recall that people were calling me an idiot. But, you libs make it up from whole cloth anyway.”
    You conservatives seem to have selective memory and conveniently forget things. I know you really remember — the guy’s name was Ed Peritz and he would go to your blog and lambast you and call you names. If you want to refresh your memory just read the posts on your blog. They were still there this afternoon in your archives. He was in here one day doing the same thing and you mentioned that he was the same guy who came to your blog and called you and idiot, or stupid, or something like that.
    So just who are the people who makes things up from whole cloth anyway?

    Like

  29. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Think I will bypass this junior college debate and go toss some puppies and kitties off the overpass. Boy, that will get them animals rights ladies protesting at my hearing for sure. Definitely make The Union.
    Since I got thrown out of the last sensitively training at work, I think I will go out amoung the animal rights activists decrying my treatment of puppies, kitties, hamsters, and possums and tell them to grow up and grow a real pair of hooters, like MX Warheads. That should endear them to me.
    Digression over. Back to Dr. Rebane’s update. So, 3 bored young men decided to have some fun and gunned down a tourist. Lets see here. There was a black, a Latino, and a semi white dude. I say this was the work of the Rainbow Coalation. Oh, boys will be boys,
    Kinda like the Treyvon Martin racial thing where no white dudes were involved.

    Like

  30. Todd Juvinall Avatar
    Todd Juvinall

    Joe Koyote, you are too funny. You just can’t tell the truth and you try and hide the facts to cover your sorry butt’s mistakes. But, you libs are all the same. I gave you the facts, you give none except some yapping and we are supposed to marvel at your grand intelligence. Well, maybe when you teach those sorry little minds of mush you can get away with your methods. Not here. Give us the links to back up your claims and we can part. But you can’t, you have nothing. I feel so sorry for the kids you must have wrecked in your 16 years of “teaching”.
    Ed Peritz must be your pal. He was a known-it-all bloviator and I called him on it just like I did you. You should go have a cocktail, change your phony name to your real one, and take a snooze. Too funny!

    Like

  31. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Dear RR readers,
    This is a fascinating debate. I just got back this afternoon from throwing some riding ponies that were left over from the fair off the Brunswick overpass…they didn’t splat as satisfyingly as the big-ass pumpkins I like to toss from Town Talk to celebrate the harvest each Fall, but they’ll have to do for now.
    Anyway, I’m off to Burning Man shortly. I hear there’s an art exhibit out there this year, sort of an audio-animatronics presentation, with Todd Juvenile repeatedly entering and exiting a faux TSA X-Ray scanner and touting his heavy balz in an Algore sort of way, and then proceeding to the end of the conveyor belt where there is a Economics 101 classroom that Todd ends up teaching, ‘splaining the difference between a balance sheet, a budget projection, and a P&L.
    I’m told you can also get snow cones off to the side of this exhibit: “Separate-But-Equal” Coconut Swirls, Big White Vanilla Offerings, and Chocolate “Do-It-In-The-Back-Alley” Surprise.
    Here is the preferred charter operator, flying out of a field (KGOO) near you: http://flyalpine.com/?page_id=2613
    Michael A.

    Like

  32. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    Burning Man was ok until they got all bent out of shape when I accidentally and prematurely set “the BM” on fire before the conclusion of the festivities. Man o man, you would have thought that people would have been a bit more understanding. Good thing they nabbed the wrong guy and I managed to pretend to be disgusted how anyone could do such a dastardly deed. Sure was a great fireball even though a few days early. The guy they nabbed must be a bad lawyer to sit in jail for that long. I better stay away this year in case that convicted man is after revenge. Yes, I better stay low.
    Mr. Anderson, in case you are about to do what I have been thinking about doing again…it is a known fact that a frozen cadaver borrowed from the deep freeze at the morgue will not shatter into a million pieces when thrown off the overpass. It will just bounce. Trust me. But it is rather hilarious to watch people slam on their brakes beneath as the body hits the pavement, especially if they have tailgaters on their rear bumper. Wonder what caused that accident?? Well, off to spread more joy and peace and healing words to those who are hurting tonight. Have fun at BM.
    Oh, on topic with this one. Bored teenagers beat to death 5 foot 88 year old man.
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/veteran-of-battle-for-okinawa-in-world-war-ii-beaten-to-death-in-random-spokane-attack/2013/08/23/71e46118-0c67-11e3-89fe-abb4a5067014_story.html

    Like

  33. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Dear Mister Tozer,
    I am not sure why you insist on delivering to this venue the repeated dysfunction of Washington D.C., Chicago, Detroit, and other fucked up environs of the failed American Zeitgeist. What’s the point?
    Dude, we get it. Why do you think I live in Nevada City Disneyland? Where the biggest problem is whether some boardwalk flower planters and bench seats on Commercial Street will impinge on the flow of heavenly commerce?
    I do thank you for the advice about the cadavers. Not that I was thinking about dropping some of them bad boys, but good to know nonetheless.
    I will definitely have fun at Burning Man, but I will also be working. We have an airport out there, 88NV, that caters to the beau monde of Sillyclone Valley, and wranglin’ those critters is taxiing, let me tell you. Last year there were 17 Global Express machines from Europe and other places in the world (http://www.bombardier.com/en/aerospace/specialized-aircraft/global-6000-and-global-5000.html) parked on the tarmac in Reno, and their passengers were ferried by Jet Rangers to their plug-and-play RV kingdoms through our airport.
    Of course, the hoi polloi aka dirty hippies were relegated to long lines and insufficient services. But isn’t that the American way?
    M.

    Like

  34. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    George, I am watching some of the 50 year March on DC and a question came to my pea brain about one of their complaints. Equal pay for equal work. Is there any place you know of that can show us if a say, engineer, of different races in the USA is paid differently? I could be wrong and maybe these complainers in DC are simply talking about hamburger flippers, but maybe not.
    Reading the fantasies of MA here is like reading a Hannibal Lecter screed in Goodhousekeeping Magazine on the latest recipe. The man is off about 90 degrees from real.

    Like

  35. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Todd, here’s a thought: now that the economy is starting to turn around, isn’t it about time you pulled some permits and built another spec house so you could walk away from it and saddle the taxpayers with another foreclosure?

    Like

  36. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    MichaelA, I have no idea what you are talking about. But tell us all about your trip to take part in the perverted Burning Man. We are all ears.
    Regarding the economy. The news on housing nationwide yesterday was down 13% from last year. Not a good time to build.

    Like

  37. fish Avatar
    fish

    …and then you wind up with a double post! Meh!

    Like

  38. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Todd gushed: “But tell us all about your trip to take part in the perverted Burning Man.”
    Look, I realize you don’t want people to know that you’re a regular at Burning Man. But the truth must out. Here is a picture of you enjoying one of last year’s art projects: http://costumenetwork.com/MainGallery/108/goatsassoftruth

    Like

  39. Gregory Avatar

    “I’m just using Gregory’s tact of spreading unfounded rumors as truth. I guess that’s fair game here.”
    Remember writing that, Paul? It was prompted by your misunderstanding of the CTA’s asking members for their permission to move a small sum (on the order of $20) every year to an unaccountable 501c3 (the CTA Institute for Teaching) as being all of their political spending. If I don’t jump when you demand more information it doesn’t move my assertions into the domain of “unfounded rumor”.
    The CTA funding of politics is legendary… “The CTA alone has spent more money in California politics than Chevron, AT&T, Philip Morris and Western States Petroleum Association combined” (the wiki). Virtually all of regular CTA dues are spent with politics in mind, including member outreach that browbeats members into voting the way the union wants them to. If a teacher quits (or never joins the CTA) they are forced to reaffirm this every year, and the “agency fees”, supposedly only supporting issues related to collective bargaining, includes issues like LBGT outreach activities that some christian conservatives (like the ones named in the lawsuit) are not happy their agency fees are being used to fund.
    I’ve no problem with anyone who wishes to fund LBGT outreach, or DEM causes, but the issue is forcing folks to do so as a condition of employment.

    Like

  40. Todd Juvinall Avatar

    MichaelA, is that you coming out of that? Looks like it to me. Too funny!

    Like

  41. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Todd, if you can still remember what happened, this was your costume design that caused you to become a registered sex offender. Own it.
    http://costumenetwork.com/MainGallery/108/multihandyouthfountain

    Like

  42. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    Why is it so hard for you to provide me a link to back up your assertions?

    Like

  43. Michael Anderson Avatar
    Michael Anderson

    Todd, here’s that costume you designed: http://costumenetwork.com/MainGallery/108/multihandbabe
    I love it!

    Like

  44. Bill Tozer Avatar
    Bill Tozer

    My, my, where do we start??
    1) Mr. Fish, your comment on another thread is the best short statement of the year. “Everybody in, nobody out.” Brilliant. Never heard a better more apt description of socialism or socialized medicine in my life. “Welcome to the Hotel California….but you can never leave.”
    2) Mr. Anderson, you are on a roll lately. This BM stuff has you in fine spirits I might add. Is that Todd’s bum-bum I see on the left of the pic your posted? Ah, the wardrobe designer snuck himself into the picture. Very clever. Alfred Hitchcock would be proud.
    3) Mr. Gregory, at least no one forced somebody to be an educator. They may force you to pay dues or a stippling to unworthy and counter production causes, but here is something more beyond the teachers’ money being confiscated: Everybody now is going to pay The Race, aka, La Raza. Yep, 50 million to start. Oh my, everybody in, nobody out. And I thought Obamacare was complicated. How naive of me.
    http://ricochet.com/main-feed/La-Raza-the-Big-Winner-in-Immigration-Reform-Bill
    3) Mr. Gregory

    Like

  45. Gregory Avatar

    Paul, use Keachie logic and tactics, you’ll get nowhere with me. You didn’t read the links I did leave, so why should I give you more? You’re boxing, not reasoning.
    Why did you think that checkoff to divert funds from CTA general funds into their captive 501c3 was the source of the $300 million a year the CTA has to spend?
    Tozer: “They may force you to pay dues or a stippling [???] to unworthy and counter production causes”
    No, the issue isn’t dues, it’s about freedom of speech. One shouldn’t be forced to fund politics one disagrees with as a condition of public employment.

    Like

  46. Paul Emery Avatar

    Gregory
    Please point me to the links you say were provided and I stand corrected. It’s as simple as that

    Like

Leave a comment