No Tax Tuesday: Where Will We Be Led?

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The American people, except California, made a statement last Tuesday. Led  by the Tea Party's mobilization and articulation of the general populaces' cry for less taxation and less government intrusion was made. The question is whether or not this group of Representatives will be able to lead a massive tax reform and equally important reform of the recent expansion of government.  

The biggest problem they face is the group of hard line, shall I say extremist, liberal who are either too entrenched in their ideology and or blind to the reality of the America the rest of us actually live in. I am an ordinary American citizen. I can not afford to pay more taxes. I can not afford to pay the taxes I am already paying.

I am making a call to the old guard and the newly elected Representatives; we are Taxed Enough Already, actually, too much already. If I have to cut back, people who receive entitlements have to cut back too. Make the tough calls. America needs you to help us, not tax us.

Teachers and Reform

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As a 22 year veteran of public education I have lived the tension between my union, the district, teachers and reform. I have seen the status quo, Goals 2000, No Child Left Behind, and now Race to the Top. 

As an educator  I have served as a classroom teacher, categorical program advisor, intervention coordinator and administrator. As a teacher I encountered what all teachers encounter; students, parents and administrative bureaucracy. Now, each of these have an effect on each and every classroom. They also are a constant source of complaints and excuses from educators. I can not tell you how many times I have heard, "These kids," "These parents," and "These administrators." Usually some expression of exasperation related to how impossible it seems to be a successful educator under the present conditions. Personally, I learned that in public education I have no control over which children live in the area I teach, the parents that give birth to them and raise them (or not), and in my present position I have little to no influence with or over the district I work for.  So, I just do the best I can from where we are at. In that sense I find teacher evaluations a tenuous task if it does not take into consideration how little control a teacher has of outside influences that directly affect outcomes. Besides the fact that districts are famous for changing programs every seven years,which means teachers must relearn their material, which may take years to master, on an ongoing basis. Then the outcomes are changed randomly with the change of political leadership (currently and oxymoron).  The Kiss (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle is never applied to educational leadership.

I also question the idea that we just need to fire all the bad teachers. Although I do agree that some should go, I ask who would take their place? If there is an imagined line of "good" teachers waiting to take over classrooms, it is only in someones imagination, not reality. The reality is that even among good teachers not many are highly affective. In a conversation I had last week with a colleague (who I am humbled by his effectiveness) we came to an interesting perspective. I come from a church background and there is a portion of the Bible that describes some (valuable and good) leaders and being "apt" to teach, meaning they were not gifted at teaching but were able to get the point across. Many teachers are "apt" to teach, but few are gifted with a natural talent for helping others learn.

One truth that is often overlooked is that high performing students usually come from good, stable families. As I wrote earlier, teachers have no control over who enrolls at there school and little to no control over which students they get. As an aside, teaching gifted students is really an unfair benefit for a teacher to be judged by or comparison against with other teachers. Gifted and high achieving students usually already get how to learn and have learned it before you teach it.

Where is my union on all this? ...

Loose Cannon Fire 11 6 10

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Brown is a Democrat. Whether he asks voter approval or not, his preferred method of increase state cash flow is to tax the crap out or the populace. More tax means a lower standard of living for all tax paying citizens.

Respectfully, Rabbi, you have done an excellent job of manipulating the Scriptures to say what you want. The passage does not state or imply that any belief is just as acceptable to God.
Remember, Rabbi, you are not accountable to me, but to the One True God who will not share his glory with another.

That is why every Californian should vote Republican , jobs!
Democrats don't create business or jobs, they create government bureaucracy!

When will the liberals get it correct? There is a difference between legal and illegal, and between legal immigration and illegal immigration.
Emotionalism does not help it only confuses issues. It is relativism on a poster.
Illegal is illegal.

OK California. Do not approve of more taxes, more government control, and less real jobs.
No on Brown, Boxer, Newsom and all things Democrat.
Vote yes for Whitman, Fiorina, Maldanado and all things conservative.

[QUOTE who="A voter"]Good to see Brown got it.. True, he aint perfect, but much better than Meg "white" man. She was trying to buy the election to no avail. Her plans were to make her deep pocketed freinds richer. She would have been bad for us. Good luck brown, you have lots of work ahead of you..[/QUOTE]
Wait until you discover that every tax against the "rich" will hurt you more. The death tax will still be taxed upon the middle and lower tax brackets. It is nice of you to donate your lives earnings to the government "redistribution" agency.
Enjoy!

Brown claimed victory, saying he still had a "missionary zeal to transform the world" and that he would work on public education and renewable energy.
How about jobs, Jerry? Transform us into what? Start the impeachment now!

Proposition 25 allows the Democratic legislature to ramrod through any dumb budget they want. Get ready for taxes hidden as fees and the like. Hopefully proposition 26 can allow conservatives some ability to save the state from taxing itself into oblivion.

No Child Left Behind is just Title 1 with teeth.
The senators and representative failed (again) by not trying to adjust the goals of NCLB.
The POTUS has already thrown out the baby with the bath water by creating his Race to the Top program.
I have been in education for 22 years and have 4 children of my own. One truth that is unquestionable: Good parents produce good children.

Brown, Boxer, Newsom, a simple majority to pass any moronic Democratic led state legislature budget? Good buy business, good buy jobs.
Into the abyss we go.

I hope the POTUS is truly ready to listen to the ideas Republicans have been saying for years about how to lower insurance cost. But, it sounds like more BS to me.

Flush 'em Friday

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My fellow Californians! The rest of the country goes right and we stay to the left. What is wrong with you people!?

They say that socialism works great until you run out of other people's money. Wake up California! You ran out of money!!! But no, my fellow Californians want to just keep spending. They remind me of a fifth grade girl I once taught. When discussing jobs and money received for services she said, "No, you just get your money." I told her money doesn't just come out of nowhere for no reason and she said, "It comes in the mailbox on the first and the fifteenth." Yes she was a generational welfare recipient. 

Californians have been hard hit by unemployment, city governments out of control, and a state legislature that had led us into this depression we are in. Our senators, representatives and mayors have proven over and over their ineptitude and yet we voted them in again. 

We voted in (again) Jerry Brown who's first option is to seek our approval to raise taxes. He has already alluded to the fact that Californians may not be in the mood to take on more of a tax burden. Just that it crosses his mind demonstrates that his preferred method of raising tax revenue is by taxation, not my allowing businesses to flourish and thus create more jobs. And what kind of jobs is moonbeam thinking about? Jobs connected to the supposed stimulus bill. Jobs like building roads. That is temporary. That is not a business that  will supply jobs on an ongoing bases. 

The question is will Californians realize by the next election that the liberals polocies of the Pelosi's, Brown's and Boxer's have destroyed jobs and created none.

Flush the following:

Jerry Brown

Barbara Boxer

Jane Harman

Maxine Waters

Nancy Pelosi

Gavin Newsom

California voters...

Here we Go (Downhill) Again

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Late last night I watched Marco Rubio give his acceptance speech for Senator for Florida.  I wish he lived here in California. I had just heard that we here in the formally great state of California had elected Jerry Brown, Barbara Boxer, Maxine Waters, and Jane Harman. My fellow Californians also passed Proposition 25 which changes the vote needed from a 2/3 majority to a simple majority to pass budgets, taxes and stuff. Wow, now the voice of conservatives has no chance to be heard or have any influence because now Democrats won't have to seek compromise, it will be like Nancy Pelosi running the House. Disaster.  My wife has been wanting to move to Florida. It is hard to say no after last night. 

The good news is that at least Republicans took back the House of Representatives and gained some ground in the Senate. Actually the real news is that true conservatives have finally woken up and made their voice heard. For all those racist liberals who called the Tea Party racist I believe the last count I heard last night was that the Tea Party help 11 African Americans get elected. Conservatives are of the common man, regardless of color.

On the whole it was a good night for Conservatives unless, like me you live in California, where we have protected smelt fish, hope for clean air and clean water but no jobs to pay for it.

No Tax Tuesday: This Voter Does Not Approve

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Jerry Brown has said, via annoying commercials, that he believes that California has to live within its' means and no new taxes without voter approval. Since that very statement implies two things that confirm to me what Jerry Brown has always been about is what Jerry Brown will always be about. Taxes and spending every single penny there is and more. I, the voter do not approve. No, on Jerry Brown.

Barbara Boxer is Barbara Boxer. All throughout her campaign she has stressed that she creates jobs. Really? Where? When? What specific jobs is she referring to? The facts are the since 2005 over 1.2 million Californians lost their jobs. Barbara Boxer has been in office since, what 28 years ago, 1982? Her green agenda, as demonstrated by the largely media ignored smelt fiasco shut down a huge part of the central valley which is farming, which is a major part of the California economy. Barbara Boxer is not only a job killer, she is an economy killer. I, the voter do not approve.

Gavin Newsom...Mr. "Whether you like it or not" is definitely a not. Newsom and his liberal Democrats keep saying that what I want as a Californian in "clean air, clean water and no offshore drilling." Hello, McFly! Californians want jobs, less taxes and less government control. I, the voter do not approve of Gavin Newsom.

Maybe I am being repetitive but, I hope my fellow Californians will not approve of the way the Democrats have driven our state into the ground and blamed everyone else but themselves.

On this No Tax Tuesday, show your disapproval of the Democrats and career politicians and vote them out.

OK California, You Make the Call

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If you are like me sometimes sifting through the pile of adds received and voter recommendation guides can be daunting. There is one site I really like and it is http://www.electionforum.org/ . It is from a conservative Christian perspective and I find Craig Huey, the author to be honest and much more informative than anyone I hear on TV, cable or mainstream. The forum gives information and recommendations on California elections.

Here is a little sample of the excellent information he provides:

Vote “NO” on Prop 22: Stop eminent domain land grabs

We have given Proposition 22 the “Government Power Grab & Corporate Welfare 

Award” because it sneaks a poisonous pill into the wording of the proposition so that

most people won’t see it.

I think you’ll agree it's a dubious honor, justly deserved.

Proposition 22 claims to prohibit thieves posing as politicians in Sacramento to

steal local funds. But many voters will be deceived by what's hidden in the wording

of Proposition 22: Language that is bad for every Californian—whether you’re an

apartment dweller, homeowner or business.

In fact, this proposition pits two different government groups against each other

for tax money to support their own programs. The first group opposes it. These are

the recipients of tax money who are fearful of harming their programs—which will be

immediately cut if Sacramento doesn’t borrow local money.

But here is the thing that will help you decide your vote on Proposition 22.

Snuck into the language is the presence of little-known, secretive government

agencies supporting this insidious statewide proposition called

“Redevelopment Agencies.” They are unelected bureaucrats who destroy local

neighborhoods and businesses for a “greater good” by using the unchecked

power of eminent domain.

Redevelopment is largely a failed central policy system intended to solve blighted

areas in cities. They become expensive monuments to politicians and cash cows to

wealthy developers at the expense of the taxpayer and the victims of eminent

domain.

I hope you can vote your conscience and with confidence.