Let's make that a topic shall we?

Sorry, gowflo, the D's don't have more heart than the R's, but they sure do have their head further up their asses. Give aways do not work. It's just that simple. You all say robbing peter to pay paul is bad, well, robbing the rich to give to the poor is just as bad in actuallity. Oh it sounds good on paper, and Robin Hood was a hero, no doubt, but you miss one point, he was fiction. And so is all this tax the rich crap. Sure they won't feel it, WE WILL.

OK, let me pose this question... if you could have $100,000 if you gave me a $Million, would you do it. Of course, because the million doesn't come out of your pocket and we can all use the 100 grand. So, NOW you see how the gov't works. It's not THEIR money they're giving away, it's YOURS, and as long as they give YOU something, you'll vote for them, and the cycle continues. It's called progressivism, and it sux. I'm afraid someday we will know just how bad it sux, probably not in my lifetime, but maybe my kids, and definitely in our grandkids lives.

No NDY, I wouldn't write you off, but the fact that you don't trust the American people as much as the Gov't DOES says something about you. We are the most giving people in the world. And rightly so, I think. The more we have, the more we are obligated to give. But NOT the more the Gov't is obligated to TAKE and distribute on our behalf. The gov't fighting fraud is akin to the fox guarding the hen house. WE the PEOPLE need to get rid of the fraud, but as long as we're "geting our share" we let it go on.

And finally, bringing our soldiers home is a great idea, and it will only cost us.... another 9/11 down the road. Are you willing to pay that price. I'm not. If a line in the sand must be drawn, then I prefer it to be drawn over there in the sand, not in NY, or Chicago, or LA, etc. Are we fighting it correctly? No, I don't think so, It's just like Vietnam, we have the power and the stealth, we just don't have the political balls to do it. Heaven forbid we should offend someone. Screw the muslims. If they're a "peceful people" then weed out your own damn radicals, or I'LL DO IT FOR YOU and there will be a greater loss on your part. You got 1 year, better get hoppin.

OK, putting the soap box away, and getting out the bp pills....

Just sayin'...

I patronize the Foodbanks... The People donate to the Foodbanks. The People give me salty canned vegetables..white pasta...salty soup.... etc. etc. The People give me "belly fillers" that if I continued to eat I would become as BIG as a house!! (Let's hear more complaints about obesity in the USA and the high blood pressure epidemic!)

I know I should be grateful that I have "sumethin" to eat at night. But how about if I eat at The
American People's house each night instead so I can have some fresh food and real meat not salted in a can? And , if that's not bad enough, children are eating this fare every night ... How generous are the American People to them?

So tell me HOW should I trust the generosity of the American People ?

The People begrudge me for doing without so's I can have Cable or even Internet . Or how do The People feel about paying for Welfare so I could have 6 lifesaving surgeries in 2 yrs. If you want to know about the generosity of the American People just kick up the old thread "I'm Fed up ..." Iam lumped in there with all of the welfare abusers..

You are right I DON"T trust the American People for their generosity but then they elect the foxes that guard the hen houses. Don't they?

I am just one of the "victims" voting for programs to keep me from 'going down with the ship'! And as far as I see it You Republicans don't care!!

NDY
(PS: Just because we are Admins doesn't mean we can't disagree however strongly. We are Americans. We are allowed to disagree. We, just occasionally, need to watch our language when we do so!)

So, NDY, I'll see your hypocracy, and raise you one Giving Heart. You don't want to be lumped in with all the leeches of the nation, just out to get what they can, too lazy to work, and would rather just let the rest of us take care of them, But you will lump me and "all republicans" together in the not caring, cut me a check, group.

Well you're wrong on BOTH accounts. Are there greedy repubs? Sure, Dems too. But are there families in America that are willing to help their neighbors? For the answer, you have only to look at Joplin, MO. Of course there are. And THAT is where the giving should come from, NOT from the Government. Does the Gov't need to play some role, of course. Your surgeries are a prime example. Some people will always be dependent on the Gov't, that is a given. But that number is growing, and it shouldn't be. As the population grows, there should be more people to help, NOT more that NEED help.

The only way to stop this trend of 3rd and 4th generation welfare, is to...
OK, maybe that's a topic in it's own right. I know there will always be a legitimate need, NDY, but the fox is NOT going to point that out, he's going to just keep building bigger hen houses. Until one day, the chickens revolt an storm the Bastille. Would not want to ba a fox on THAT day. ;-)

Hugs,
~theGuardian.

Sorry, tG, if I "lumped you" undeservedly! But you are talking about a minority of Americans.helping to rebuild a devastated town. And you made no comment about the Food banks who are run and donated to by average Americans.

Let me tell you a good system: when I lived in Los Vegas and was in between jobs I had to use the system briefly. While I did they had a unique policy: it seems that there in order to collect Welfare you had to put in so many hours of Community Service. I "worked" as a general office worker in the State Dept of Securities. If I didn't put in the hours then required then I wouldn't have collected my benefits! That included a cash allotment, food stamps, and medical benefits. "No workie ~ No money!!"

I think that is what should happen nation wide. Maybe if enough people who were able bodied had to do this they would actually try to get better jobs that actually paid some real money! Meanwhile states could hire less workers and states/charities could get more "volunteers"!

This would also curtail "the Welfare mentality" caused by resignation and traditions in some families. It would give youngsters a goal to shoot for that would seem possible to them no matter how far they got in school.

Oh yeah.. school systems.. Now there's a whole ' nother topic to get political on ... One of the first things our new governor (just happens to be Republican) did was to cut monies to fund education ....

I'd like to hear from some educators/teachers/parents on the subject of politicians "cuts in educational funding" as well..

NDY

I'm all for "Workfare", NDY, I just ain't sure the gov't can run it effectivly. LOL
And for education, WHO ultimately has the responsibility for a persons education? THEY do! The govt should play NO ROLE in education except maybe setting uniform standards, and even that should be a minimal involvement. It's ludicrous to think a bunch of politicians can take our money, and can distribute it more wisely OR more efficiently. It's a "Spread the wealth" mentality. Why should I have to subsidize failing schools in Detroit or San Francisco. If they don't care enough about their kids to provide them a decent education, then I don't think they deserve to be parents. Put the kids into a state or community run bording school, and fine or jail the parents. I realize that the "Little House on the Prairrie" setting is long gone, but the concepts can still be applied. Make your OWN way, and Help your neighbor. These two concepts will get us "as a country", so much further, than... "Where's My Money, Send me some Obama cash. From Obama's stash." Thats a sad indication of where we're headed. THAT is the generation that will support me when I get old? HA! I doubt THAT! Not to worry, I will survive, and I will help as many as I can, but I can't save them all. Some will finally have to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and then become a helper, rather than a leech on society.

Good luck.

Oh and maybe the salty soup kitchen cuisine is MEANT to be temporary? Just a thought. ;-)

Temporary salty cuisine for who tG? It is a supplement to my food stamps .. I get about as much money in food stamps as you make in one day or maybe less I think ... My social security for the month probably equals a half a week of what you get ...Am I supposed to pull food out of my dreams?

I made my own way .. Now that I am ill and unable to work I am ready to be on the receiving end of "Help your neighbor." And you, tG, are telling me my help is temporary, unhealthy food that is going to contribute to my obesity, high blood pressure, and poor health? And, I am supposed to feel guilty because I object to the content? I guess I should just lump it because it is for free ... and die in spite of it.

Just keep your guilt trip as I am a Boomer. Our generation helped to build this country. Went to wars for it and conflicts. We have one of the largest senior populations in history. And you are going to tell us "to pull (ourselves) up by our own bootstraps and become a helper rather than a leech on society?" Because tG not all have been as successful as you. A lot of us have lost our homes, fortunes, and family support. And, like it or not, we are on Welfare.

And who would you have distribute the funds to the schools? You have complained about the inefficiency of the government to do so. For once we agree but what else is in place to do it? Shall we create some new bureaucracy to perform this task? What are your thoughts on this? You have the complaints. Do you have solutions?

Apparently there is no disposable income but there are disposable people.


NDY

OK, Thats it, I can't seem to articulate it well enough, so I'll just say this, and then I'll drop it...

1. There are NO disposable people. You earned and deserve all you get.

2. Why do people think us geeks always have so much, what a joke. If you knew where it all went you sing a different tune.

3. The Bootstrap people I mentioned are the 20-30-40 somethings that never had a job. Went to college on dad's dime, wasted what little education they DID get and now are milking the rest of us for all they can get. OK, I may have to rethink #1.

4, Why do you take everything so personally when I have said before You are NOT the problem. so quit sounding like one. Well, then again, if you support these leeches, (like most dems in washington do), then maybe you ARE the problem.

My life has taught me that when all else fails, just shut up, so....

tG ~ You were the one who addressed ME. Who said that I didn't trust the American people to give I believe your words were, "No NDY, I wouldn't write you off, but the fact that you don't trust the American people as much as the Gov't DOES says something about you. " That sounded personal to me.

But that's OK tG.. Because to me this is VERY personal as we are talking about my being able to live a healthy life. I think the Constitution awards me, " Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Look at how many people who are competing for the same jobs... They are all, for the most part, over qualified for the jobs they are applying! The guys & gals with no experience and few qualifications don't even have a chance .I don't know about the ones who, "Went to college on dad's dime, wasted what little education they DID get and now are milking the rest of us for all they can get."

I do know about college graduates I went to school with that are not taking advantage of the system but are unable to find work. because of out-sourcing where manufacturers, etc were given financial rewards for moving their companies overseas. And now the big companies and millionaire that own them want tax breaks besides.

Then there are the kids that didn't finish school that can't get jobs but you needn't worry about them sucking the life out of Welfare as unless they have kids they don't qualify for the Welfare rolls. They are the ones who end up on drugs or, even worse, prison!! Of course most of them do have children and drain the Welfare system of all they can get while 'the gettin's good'! Most of them received an inferior education, had no support from their parents at home, or no role models within their cultures to lead them!

It isn't that I sympathize with them so much as I have been exposed to them. You just said, "There are NO disposable people." What about all of these people? Oh, that's right, you may have to "rethink #1"!

NDY

There are cuts that need to be made in education. It is not a sacred cow. There is much waste and the cutting of it will not hurt the quality of education one bit. I spent 15 years as a full time teacher, many more as part time
remedial reading teacher at the jr/sr high level. Also for over 6 yr. as elected and nonpaid member of the regional jr/sr. high school where I was head of the curriculum com. I am the mother of two sons who went through the public school system.

First off, do away with tenure. Pay the outstanding teachers well. That way you will keep them and begin to attract more of the best and brightest into the field of education. Quit keeping the mediocre and less till retirement because of tenure which lets them coast along harming generations of students. Merit pay is the way to go. Good teachers would welcome it. Poor teachers find another field where they may do well.

Stop judging teaching on standardized tests. They lead to focusing solely toward the tests where facts are valued over the teaching of concepts. Have more programs like Head Start. No Child Left Behind was a farce. That works ony if each child comes into the system at the same level of reading readiness and ability. They don't. Put the blame for lack of discipline back into the homes. It should not be up to the teachers to teach it. Reinforce it, surely, but it must start in the homes. Demand more of parents. Begin parenting classes for those who could use help. Money spent there is not wasted.

Now to cuts --- cut out night football. Do you know the cost of lighting the fields, paying an announcer? Keep the sports conference groupings to those within reasonable distance. Do away with the in-service days for teachers. What a waste of everyone's time. They sound good on paper but I have rarely seen a worthwhile one. Include good ideas at the monthly faculty meetings. State conventions could well be held in the summer with attendance voluntary instead of during the school year where in our state having two paid days to attend meant in reality driving to Atlantic City , getting a voucher for attendance and going straight back home. Your tax
payer dollar at work?

Go to the open budget meetings, pay attention, give your input. Do you know our boards have to put together the budget before Trenton deems it necessary to tell them just how much state money they wil receive. Guess wrong and money is wasted. Stop approving federally mandated programs without much careful thinking.The gov't ( you) pay the first year and after that the local districts have to come up with the funds.

Build schools with windows that open, no carpets - most have shown to be toxic.The gym need not look like a showplace nor need the offices. Music programs can be cut back, never cut out. Choose plays and programs with the budget in mind. The cost of putting on the high school plays can be cut. Art is important as is music. Discourage waste in materials.Personally i feel the superintendents and principals may be overpaid. Check it out for yourself. Strip costs to bare bones. Choose which frills if any you want to include. School nurses are worth their weight in gold. They can look out for the underpriviledged. They know who could use a new winter coat, receive a food basket at the holidays from service organizations or churches in a way names who get them are kept private .Nurses can be the one to notice physical abuse. Many keep rations in their offices for the hungry to get breakfast in privacy.

Poorer districts receive the most aid as is only fair but give them responsiblity for accountability as to where these funds are really going. My state of New Jersey I believe has the nation's highest property taxes. Most of them go to funding our schools. To us they matter. We spend more on each pupil than almost any other state..
Many of our students come with Englsh as their second language. ESL ( English as a Second Language) is taught widely. Keep the schools open at night for adult education. Use the building. It is there.

I trust the states to be the best judge of what is needed for education there. Don't let the government tell you what you need. How many in Washington in the Dept. of Education have actually taught in a classroom or
observed unannounced to see what is going on? I don't want businessmen or lawyers assuming authority over a field about which they know little. Our schoolboards also need educators on them. Businessmen mean well but are often dollar minded and little else.

Progress is being made in the nutritional value of the lunch programs. Mandate physical eduction of a daily baiss. These two things will make healthy inroads into the obesity problem.

Much needs to be done. Help us to do it.

.

Education in the US - It varies widely from state to state and district to district so it is hard to speak for the whole system. I very strongly believe that tenure is bad. It is no longer the days where teachers were fired each time the opposite party won the elections and fired all to hire new ones of their political party. We reward the best teachers and the worst with exactly the same mandated yearly raises. Now does that make sense? In my opinion merit pay is the way to go. It encourages the best teachers to stay, the mediocre and less to succeed in a different fieldl Most of all it will enourage our best and brightest to go into education. Furthermore I think it absurd to justify rating the teacher using mainly the result of standardized tests. That encourages spending the year in teaching toward that, Facts not concepts and does not allow the learning needs of the class to get sufficient emphasis.

Where to save money? Demand accountability in how the money is spent. Poorer districts need help. Give it but insist the use of it goes where it is meant to. Check on it there and in the other districts besides. Cut the frills. Do we really need night football with the cost of playing under lights, an amount that might surprise you. Must our teams travel long distances for conference games? I am not picking on sports, my son was a top athlete in three varsity sports for three years. So this is an area I have noticed close up.

Head Start was wonderful. No Child Left Behind the pipe dream of someone who did not know that all children do no start school with equal preparation, readiness, ability or having been taugtht discipline at home. Many came with no breakfast for various reasons. Until the children come to school with respect for all, ability to hold still and listen for minutes according to their age and abiliity, the teachers face an uphill road.

School budgets are open for inspection prior to elections. Go review them, Ask questions. Learn. And then VOTE. The more you know and share with others the better the outcome and the better the schools. Good schools cost money so be prepared to pay with your taxes. Or if it does not really matter to you, go vote them down to save money. You benefitted from the taxes paid by those before you. Let's pass it on to these children of today.

just sayin'
April 3third
Social Issues Admin. .

If knowledge is power, then here is some knowledge garnered from long experience. Few topics will polarize any group the way politics does. War and Terrorism is an excellent venue for venting at political parties.

Further: Government in America is broken. Our Charter tells us what is supposed to happen when "Governments instuted among men" cease to function as they ought.

What happens when government breaks?

No easy answers.

Politics are never easy.

No matter who is elected, no one is happy.
The percentage of people who vote is low.

I am independent, and sometimes think this would be better -Non partisan politics?

(In nonpartisan elections, each candidate for office is eligible based on her or his own merits rather than as a member of a political party. No political affiliation (if one exists) is shown on the ballot next to a candidate. Generally, the winner is chosen from a runoff election where the candidates are the top two vote-getters from a primary election. In some elections, the candidates might be members of a national party, but do not run as party members for local office)

(.Even if a government's executive officer or legislature is partisan, appointments of cabinet members, judges, or directors of government agencies, may be nonpartisan. The intent of appointing government officials in a nonpartisan manner is to insure the officers can perform their duties free from partisan politics, and are chosen in a fair manner that does not adversely affect a political party. Twelve US states use the Missouri Plan, and two use a variation of it, to choose judges in a nonpartisan manner. Several countries with partisan parliaments use nonpartisan appointments to choose presidents.)

(In nonpartisan legislatures, there are no typically formal party alignments within the legislature; even if there are caucuses for specific issues. Alliances and causes with a nonpartisan body are often temporary and fluid since legislators who oppose each other on some issues may agree on other issues. Despite being nonpartisan, legislators typically have consistent and identifiable voting patterns. Decisions to investigate and enforce ethics violations by government officials are generally done on the basis of evidence instead of party affiliation. Committee chairs and other leaders within the legislature are often chosen for seniority and expertise, unlike the leaders in a partisan legislature who are often chosen because of loyalty to a party).