Every now and then when I’m in partnership with other people, and an article I write makes them uncomfortable, they will ask me to remove them or protect them in some way. I’ve had to do this on occasion before, and I’m sure I’ll have to do it many more times.
It is for these reasons that I typically just do things myself, because it’s easier. But, when you involve other people, you have to take their feelings into consideration. The password is available to my frequent readers, but not to the people who wish to use the information against those involved. So to sum up the articles that are password protected here is an article to satisfy your curiosity. Enjoy!
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/the-evaders-of-lakota-why-our-community-suffers/
(If you insist on trying to figure it out, I’ll give you a hint. It’s a variation of the name from a local school.)
Rich Hoffman
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com
The Overmanwarrior 
I don’t get it… where do we put in the password at?
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Only on articles that are pass word protected. There’s only a couple of them. This is a message for those who Google those types of articles and wonder why.
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gotcha… good to know xD
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As you can see some of those latte women who have been bad mouthing me are working to remove my arguments because they can’t argue the facts. So they seek to remove the voice so they don’t have to hear it. It might hurt their little ears, like the person who professes below that “I’m going down.” They will of course act predictably and it will help me see how they are all connected together. We have to do this because the school is setting up for yet another levy, so we have to understand their network. Those radical parents who expect everything for free, and want to sign up the community for more taxes of course think they can kick, scream, and bad mouth anyone who stands in their way. So they are about to prove me right, as predicted.
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LoL so some people you are working with on this project are unhappy with what it is you have to say sometimes? lol seems to me they aught to be shouting at you from the other side… this is YOUR blog… of RICH HOFFMAN… let yourself look as crazy or intelligent as you want… not like its nolakota.WordPress.com or anything… they can always put up their own blog and I for one seldom disagree with what you have to say on most topics so I don’t get their reasoning at all…. and I’m sure as hell not going to write a complaint about you… I’ll just with for the next days morning news and see what you got for me then xD
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It’s all part of the plan. These radical types are trying to divide up people in our group with social pressure, which is why I said the things I said to begin with. They just didn’t come from nowhere. They were in reaction to these radicals who scream and yell and protest to get what they want. And they are the problem in the end. So they are doing what we expect them to. It allows the community to see how they behave and how we arrived at this place. So the attempt is to paint me as a radicle so nobody will listen to me, because they can’t get involved in the facts. They have to fight with emotion only. Most people agree with me, even if they won’t admit it. So the more they do, the better for my position. So don’t worry about it.
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Some of us “stupid” women were thinking ahead and copied every one of your controversial blog entries onto our computers before you had a chance to protect them. You’re going down.
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Oh, I’m not ashamed of them. And don’t count on it. Helps to know who your enemies are.
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lol oooooooooo snap!!… she got you bent over a mamba r-dizzle!!! whatcha fittin tuh do bout that shit dawg?!?!?!? she gonnn’ ruine yo assssssss!!!!
:-.-
he’s had copies of that stuff available to read on the internet for a few years… and you think your little computer copies amount to anything?… lol my aren’t you powerful… how about you worry about working on your own projects? instead of waiting around to try and destroy someone else’s?… just an idea….. I build cars… I recently just painted my truck… I build computers and program routers and all just for fun!… sometimes I davel in art… for instance jikeidan.deviant art.com…… not the prettiest but half way productive… emmm…. I go hiking quite a few times a week… last week I camacross some black bear tracks! it was really exciting!… and that’s a few of the things I like to do to keep myself busy
and you spend your life thrashing blogs and sticking up for things you know little about?… or do you stand to profit from your endeavors unlike everyone in the nolakota campaign?…
you interest me. miss latte…. you really do…
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Speaking of your “special talents” I could use your help at tracing back all these fake email addresses these idiots are using to send me nasty messages. That is a useful enterprise.
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you got it man… let me put my feelers out there a ways and I’ll be happy to put some of these people to shame
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You remember the last group that tried to run me out of town about a decade ago. Didn’t work out so well. : )
You know, these people have selective memories. The only ones who are mad are angry because it hit a truth in them. They completly ignore articles like this one.
https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/luke-hall-for-president-but-first-he-should-be-a-lakota-school-board-member/
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Have to see what your corporate sponsors will say when the read your comments. It’s one thing to have an opinion and back it up with stats, but what you said was just angry ranting.
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Yes, I was very, very angry. And I still am. This site is loaded with facts figures and statistics and nobody wants to pay attention to them. Instead they went for personal attacks. So if that’s the ground they want to fight on I’m fine with it.
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What is latte mama going to do? Maybe pitch a fit for her own way? That works a short time for two year olds. We all know that we are dealing with a union that demands the bulk of the treasury of the district. Every new cent will be used for raises. So go ahead and pitch your fit Ms. Latte, because you have zero credibility. You doppelgangers can scream and holler all you want. We are finished supporting outrageous salaries and gold plated benefits. The party is over.
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Utilitarianism people… if you can use it its worth its value in usefulness… heh. Puts them union crybabies at about minimum wage 10 years ago… xD
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Their plan is to put my comments in a letter writing campaign in the Pulse to attempt to discredit me. They also plan to continue with the Facebook campaign to rally the troops, the same 200 to 300 people who have always hated me. It’s not like I’ll lose any friends or anything. They also plan to pressure those who support me. It’s the same boycott stuff they always try. What they don’t know is that they will make more more popular, because people see through their game……finally. I see all their antics as a ratings increase for this site. Since they started their little campaign to “run me out of town,” the numbers here have almost doubled. So that’s good. They’ve been calling me all kinds of names and I just got sick of it and called them out on it. And they don’t like it. They prove how our budgets have gotten out of control, through actions like these. People just threw money at them to shut them up, and that’s what I’m trying to show the community.
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That is a lead-pipe cinch, Sandra. As Darryl Parks said last Saturday, they will spend every dollar you give them plus one on raises and then come back to the taxpayers for more. It’s like giving a poorly-raised teenager a credit card. It’s “nobody’s money”, after all.
My main objection in this fight is that there is no way to reward good teachers while sanctioning bad teachers due to the union system. Until we have a performance-based compensation system and no union protection or tenure we’re just going to keep going down this unsustainable road of insanity.
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*faceplant*
You can’t insult people the way you do and then get all testy when they comment back. With regard to the increased hits on your site, I think you should be more concerened about being exposed as a righty-Beck/Rand wingnut. I’m just sayin’.
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How can you be exposed when you are right out in the open with it? You imply that I’ve been hiding my thoughts and intentions.
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No. I didn’t mean to imply that. At least I don’t think I did. You just seem to get extremely agitated when someone posts back to you or you hear that they are saying something negative when you’ve been deliberately provacative on your blog. I actually find it all kind of fascinating in a really bizarre way. It’s a shame you have friends like “vicious” down there. Geez. What a fucknut.
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I have a really bad temper. But I’m not always angry. Just when I can’t fix problems as fast as they need to be fixed.
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And Vicious is very protective of me. We recently went bear hunting, and she’s a pretty good shot. Long story……..
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That’s Ms. Fucknut to you. I love it. My bosses who read here will as well. I go by far more incideous names than that, but if that’s all you could come up with, I understand. I feel zero need to explain anything to the likes of you, but If I tagged you an enemy of those I adore, you’re gonna hear it. You are now inconsequential. I already have my name stiched in a jumpsuit at the fema camps. You’ll need more than that to get this chick sideways.
I see things very differently now than my friends here. I used to engage in intellectual dialog until I watched the worms turn until you couldn’t discern them from the mud they lie in.
At 4 million bucks per minute plus, we passed the tipping point. If the shit dosen’t hit the fan soon, wait til ofascistcare. I have family in Canada and Italy, and you have no idea what’s coming. You think healthcare is expensive now, wait til it’s free. And..if “it” get’s another term without the threat of an election, you will weep for a school levy. Child’s play.
I read Daniel who mentioned bear tracks yesterday. I was taken back. I knew we had back up!
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Hoffman can say whatever the fuck comes to mind whenever the fuck he fees like it. It’s HIS space your in pinhead. It’s also a free country.
What you progressive dirtbags just don’t understand is many of us are the right-wing extremist your parents warned you about. Prouder than you’ll ever be of anything, including your little darlings.
Exposed as a Beck/Rand extremist? Dumbass. Did you just arrive? Can you tie your shoes?
Call me that and you handed down a huge compliment. We out rank you in every spectrum of your futile exsistance. You popped kids out, payed your taxes like a good little soldier, go to the PTA and try to gel with the dumbed down masses, go to vote for democracy because you believe it’s what we have, then come here and blather some bullshit like that. Two sentences too many twit.
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The superintendent is involved in this whole thing, she’s passing my link around hoping to build community support against me. And there will be an article about me tomorrow over this. They must have gotten the idea watching how Rush Limbaugh had to back off his statments. She must be upset that I put her contract up. And Julie is helping her out. They have to shut down the opposition before they launch their next campaign.
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You are obviously off your rocker.
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Actually, if its not connected to your group, It is happening in reaction to it. Word gets around quick in Lakota. Which is OK.
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Rush was talking about this today. He said the left needs a “demon” to target and they’ve chosen him and Sarah Palin. They’re all playing by the same playbook. You’re right Rich; 2012 is going to be the year of “demonize Rich Hoffman” on the local level. Glenn Beck was saying this morning how the left is extremely organized and coordinated in some ways…and that we need to be just as organized.
I think you’re 100% right about the coordinated attacks that are going to be flying against the Overmanwarrior. The trouble for them is that we’re two steps ahead of them. Think “Muhammad Ali” and you’re on the right track…
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Phil, you have it! Great metaphor. That’s how you do it.
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Rich, I’m disappointed that you didn’t post my comment on the other blog. And then you password protected it. Was it because of my comment or did you get many? Seems a little cowardice that you won’t post something fairly level-headed from the other side.
By the way, while perusing your site, I found something else we have in common: My husband and I love to rock climb and rappel – especially in Red River Gorge. I wish you would post my comments.
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I may have missed it. I had to password protect to make sure I didn’t say anything too off-the-wall. I don’t think I did, but I need to go back and take a look, primarily because other people are involved. I don’t mind comments for or against or neutral. But I don’t take any of the name calling. For me telling me I hate kids is very offensive, and it really ticks me off, because nothing could be futher from the truth.
Now to the good stuff. I LOVE RED RIVER GORGE! It is one of my favorite places. So you and your husband must be very good people!!
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OK, maybe I did something wrong. I will cut and past the reply that I previously posted on the other blog…
Rich,
I am a mother who has raised two kids in the Lakota district and in 1 more year both will have graduated. I am proud of the high school education my children have received and they are both well prepared for college. I consider myself a conservative, but if I need a label then I am probably a Libertarian. There are facts on both sides of the levy issue with which I agree and disagree; nevertheless, I am a “yes” voter because I think our strong school system is the crux of what makes our community strong. However, I don’t understand why you are categorizing every mother in the Lakota school district as vapid, money-grubbing prostitutes who drive fancy cars, have big diamond rings, and have sex with their husbands for income. I probably know a couple of women (or families) like this in the district, but there are people like that everywhere, and the ones who live here certainly aren’t the ones who are advocating for children in the PTA. Most of my friends and neighbors live in fairly mid-size, moderate homes, have loving marriages and stable careers with normal ups and downs in both, want a good education for their children, and are trying to save for retirement and their kids college education. I don’t understand where you are getting the images that you describe?
Rich, in the past I didn’t like your tactics or opinions but I think I respected your tenacity. Now that I have been directed to your blog, I’m pretty “grossed out” by you. However, I don’t think you hate women or children. I actually wonder if you are jealous of what you perceive the men in our community to be pulling off? Your perception seems to be that all the Lakota fathers are high rollers who make lots of money so they can buy their wives diamond rings and furs in exchange for sex. I’m just not seeing it. From what you have posted, I can only surmise that you live near the wrong people, or you watch too much television.
You and I have some things in common, Rich. I also have lived in the district for a long time; my husband worked while I stayed home to raise the kids; I do not care for vapid people; and I also aspire to live life like Henry David Thoreau. However, I support the school levy – for what I believe to be very valid reasons. Please don’t categorize me or my neighbors in a generalized image of society presented by the media.
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Actually I have quite a few friends who fit in that catagory and jealous behavior is not my drive. But there are some who feel that if you vote down a school levy then it makes you look poor. They will say that you are only paying 1.4% of your property or 1.7% tops, and if you cannot pay it, then you must be poor. That is the wrong attitude, and when people blindly pass higher taxes that hurt everyone, because they view saying yes as a status of wealth. I can’t tell you how many times I hear that and I wonder how many people out there let themselves be pushed into saying yes because they don’t want their friends or neighbors to think poorly of them. I bet there are more than you’d think. So my comments were directed at those types who try to make people feel poor for not voting yes.
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Yeah, what she said. Except for the Thoreau part. 🙂
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Wait a minute……..how could you not like Thoreau?
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Neck beard.
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LOL, OK, I don’t think about things like that, but I see what you’re saying.
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Valerie, I was wondering about something you said in your post above. You described yourself as “conservative” or “libertarian”. This site and its content is a reflection of Rich himself and his philosophies, which he has detailed at great length over the last year. Everything he says is rooted in great philosophers like Rand, Campbell, Nietzsche and others who believe in small government and freedom. He is applying his guiding philosophies to the current situation of the Lakota School district. Starting from that intellectual base and the lessons of history it is plain to see what the problem is…the union influence and corruption. My question is, how do you reconcile voting “yes” on levy after levy with your self-described conservative or libertarian philosophy? If it’s based on an emotional reaction to protect “the children” or your own property values, that’s fine, but realize that many of us are looking at the situation from a more analytical perspective. We’re tired of the status quo of letting the unions dictate what we, the private sector, have to pay to public sector workers for a mediocre education and as Sandra said, indoctrination. If you extrapolate the current situation out to its logical conclusion, the inevitable result of more levies passing will be higher and higher taxes, falling property values due to lost jobs as people flee a highly taxed county, and the same old substandard education, while salaries and benefits of teachers and administrators continue to outpace the private sector citizens who pay them.
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I was just thinking about current events and one thought occurred to me. What Rush said was an “attack” on a specific woman, while RIch’s most pointed comments (as far as I can remember) have been directed a group of people with a certain political philosophy.
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Right. It’s a philosophy, not a specific woman, but rather a mentality.
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Damn, I keep trying to post things and they disappear. It may take me a while to figure this site out, and I may have to unsubscribe, because as I type this I can hear my email inbox filling with new notifications of replies!
But I tried to say that… Thankfully, I don’t think I have ever run into the kind of people that try to make you feel poor for voting a school levy down. But if I have I probably paid them no mind because I would think them ridiculous.
Perhaps the people you have run into were not really trying to make you feel poor for voting no on a school levy. Perhaps that was your perception of what they were trying to say based on your own insecurities. Not trying to be mean, just realistic. I can’t imagine someone overtly saying that voting no on a school levy must mean that you are poor.
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No, I know the difference, and there are plenty of people in our group who have been made to feel that way. And all you have to do is hit comment and it will put you up. It’s supposed to be easy. : )
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I recently heard the superintendent say, “If you can’t put food on the table, then vote no on the levy.” That was a direct attack on people who can no longer afford to live in their homes because the taxes have increased year after year until they are paying triple their original amounts. These are people who have lived in the district for years. Many do not have children. This statement was made to demean anyone who couldn’t afford to pay more taxes. New people have moved into the district because it was a better district than the one they left. They were sold a bill of goods by their realtor. As soon as they got here they wanted new schools and more extras. All cost millions. They didn’t care about the people who were originally living in the district. They felt they could change things because they aspired only the best for their children. Schools like Union Elementary wasn’t good enough for them. Their kids had to have a new school.
Regarding the education your children received and which you are so proud – you really need to check the curriculum. Students are being indoctrinated on a daily basis. They receive 13 years of sex education that goes into and condones every deviante behavior known to mankind. This starts in kindergarten and is the only subject taught K – 12. Every subject has been implanted with multicultural gobbledygook. (For your information multiculturalism is not about differnt cultures. You better read up on that one.) Add to that the socialist agenda that has been part of the government school philosophy for years. If your brain is functioning and you listened to the entire video about the philosophy of economics that is being taught, you might get a little understanding of the leftist agenda being promulgated in the schools. Our children are being taught to blame the United States for everything bad that happens in the world. Wars and famine are the fault of capitalism and the good old U. S. of A. Ask them. We were the owners of slaves, we had child labor, we polluted, we kept down the poor etc. The world economy is in a mess, but that isn’t the fault of capitalism. It is the fault of the socialist/communist leaders that believe that the government should be in charge of everything and everyone. How’s that working out for Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, most of South America, Africa etc.? The rest of the world looked up to this nation. Unfortunately, we allowed our government to destroy everything that was great about this country, by over taxation, over regulation, over involvement in people’s lives and especially by the destruction of the family.
The do-gooders have done more harm than any war. LBJ’s great society has caused the demise of our major cities, our families and our nation. His presidency was the final blow added to the “new deal” of FDR. Previously families worked together, took care of their elderly, infirm and disabled. Because women were encouraged to have one baby after another out of wedlock, the family became a thing of the past. Over 70% of black children are born to single mothers. There is no reliable father figure in the picture. This was true in the past. The women’s lib movement was the final, fatal blow. Girls were encouraged to have sex without the benefit of marriage. Men were feminized by over agressive women. All of this has been covered by volume after volume of statistics and history. Valerie, you WANT to believe what the union tells you. You WANT to believe your children are well educated. If they are well educated, it is because you encouraged them with material other than the school curriculum. No one will change your mind because yu want to be a good mother. A mother that picked the perfect school system for her children. Wrong! There isn’t a perfect, union controled, government controled school system. Just keep voting for levies and things will only get worse. Some of us want to see thing change. We want all children to be well educated. We care what happens to our country and the future of our country will be in the hands of the children of today.
It is really difficult to expose these schools when there are so many people that refuse to do the research necessary to see just where the money is going and exactly what is being taught. Just take a look at the salaries and justify them. Read Darryl Parks web site and read the exorbitant salaries at Forest Hills. It is the same in all districts. Our nation is going bankrupt. We are in line to be just like Greece. Our public sector employees have salaries and benefits that cannot be met. There will be riots in the streets demanding that the promises made to them be kept. A prime example of what is to come was the riots and destruction in the Wisconsin state house and the union rallies (?) in Columbus over SB 5. That bill was a measure to keep the State of Ohio solvent. The voters fell for the rhetoric of the unions. Valerie, do your homework.
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Nice job……oh, and before anyone says it, Sandy was a former school board member…………..at Lakota. So she knows very well what’s going on.
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Valerie
I’m glad you were finally able to post your comments. As you can see, Rich is not a coward–actually quite the opposite–I also hope you figured out that many of the generalities he posts are to get a reaction, he really does not believe that all pro-levy Pta moms are prostitutes…when i first started reading Rich, some of it was quite outrageous to me, and a lot of it was fascinating. He takes all the hits for a lot of people and he’s ok with that.
He is extremely passionate, persistent and willing to do this at great personal cost. insecure…I don’t see it.
It takes a very secure person to continue this day in and day out,
I may not agree with everything he says, but am pretty grateful that he cares so much about this community that he is willing to do all this.
If more people like yourselves would comment and start a dialogue, even if its just posting back and forth on here, i think you’ll see someone who is willing to talk…nicely.
oh and 2 things…Vicious is one of the nicest, most decent people I have ever met-a better and more protective friend I would say you will rarely meet-we should all be so lucky to have a friend like that. and lol to Latte mama who thinks Rich is actually afraid of the words he writes–the only reason he went into password protect was to protect some of his supporters who were feeling the heat. thats the kind of guy he is–he takes the hit for those he care’s about.
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And you used to be a pro levy person, until we started talking. And that’s the reason for some of the inflamitory comments. I know who the No Levy people are. And I know how they will vote in the next election. I am now looking for people on the pro levy side that I can show why they should vote no. And I’ve managed to get some of them to come here and read, and without question, some of them are beginning to question things. Sadly you have to use crazy language sometimes to get people’s attention. It’s soap opera stuff. But once they come to read, I hope they learn something new.
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true, I was pro-levy… you did not “hypnotize” me (although you are rather hypnotic, lol), but rather than blindly voting yes because everyone in my neighborhood was having coffee clatches and meetings and it seemed like the right thing to do( and to be accepted), I just did. I was pretty pissed when the bussing was taken away, it felt like extortion……then I started reading your stuff and on my own, perusing the buckeye institute and looking at where a lot of the money was going, i realized that while a fraction of the money was “for the kids”, but the majority was going for raises……that’s when i had to regroup and think. Im a medical professional and think what I do is very important, but when my employers had to look at what we could do to make ends meet and serve everyone better, like the majority of folks out there today, I had to take a pay cut, pay more for my insurance, and not expect yearly raises. The raises some of my friends who are teachers have received just in the last few years are more than most receive in an entire lifetime. its just not rooted in reality.
Give me a line item budget and tell me EXACTLY where the amount you requested is going to and now we have a real dialogue with purpose.
This levy system, sadly due to the greed on some peoples parts (ie, I cant support issue 2 unless i am guaranteed a raise, I must have 30 K put in a 401 k, etc) makes me distrust the system and also, with my bottom line getting squeezed out, how will i pay the increased taxes on my house??
Huge run on sentence, I apologize but I am not completely close-minded….but as Sandra so eloquently put it, the party HAS to be over.
Like many, I’m glad to be in the “twilight” of my career. I haven’t had a raise in 6 years and am working harder than ever just to maintain.
It’s time for everyone to adjust.
again, itemize your needs, show me a budget,dont tell me I am “anti-community” or ant-school”
i just dont know how i can support my community if i cant afford to live in it.
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also, lol re; the neck beard.
and also wondering what we could have done with that 90 k paid out to Kursman, and the money paid to the consultant who listens to WLW podcasts.
If i asked my neighbors for a raise out of THEIR pocket, i would expect scrutiny–wouldn’t you???
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I talked with another former Lakota board member today. She knows many of the players too. What the taxpayers don’t seem to realize is that we are making millionaires out of some teachers. When a teacher/principal/administrator can retire on one day and be rehired on the next – collecting retirement and salary and benefits it is outrageous. An example: Mantia retired from Pickerington, she collects (depending on her years of service) up to 95% of her final salary. She is rehired at Lakota at $195,000.00, add to the total of those two incomes her gold plated benefits. She probably was also paid a “departure” bonus when she left.
The same story goes for Lakota employees. We discussed a few couples at Lakota that retired and were rehired. Together they pull in $250,000.00 in salary plus close to that amount in retirement. Do taxpayers really want to create millionaires out of teachers or any other public employee? Recently the Ass’t Sheriff of Butler County retired at 47, was paid over $1 million payout and was rehired at full salary. Imagine any business that could survive with those kinds of benefits. Can’t people see that this scenario is totally unsustainable and we are going to be Greece in the very near future. Actually we are already there. We just have more credit than Greece. God help us. We are losing our Republic.
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Great stuff Gatekeeper. Thanks, as usual. : )
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Wow Sandra, you made a lot of assumptions about my beliefs, values, and motivations based on the fact that I support the school levies.
I didn’t move here because I think Lakota is the perfect school and I agree that there is no perfect school. I moved here when this area was still mostly pastures, I had to drive to Tri-county for most anything commercial that my family needed, and I couldn’t get a pizza delivered to my house. I liked it that way and the school system was fairly simple but good. Things have changed. I don’t like all the residential building that has happened since I moved here and it’s a bummer that my children have and will graduate with over 700 students in their graduating classes. (That being said, I am impressed by the fact that Lakota spends less per student than any other school district of comparable size and quality.) Yes, my husband and I supplemented our children’s education with our own values, extracurricular activities, and lessons, as I think every parent should. I don’t think any parent should rely solely on the school to educate their children in sexuality, politics, literature, or world economics, etc. (Oh and there is no need to educate me on the true meaning of multiculturalism.)
I do not “WANT to believe” anything the union tells me. I’m not a fan of unions. But I do not agree that teachers are overpaid. I have always thought both my children would make excellent teachers, but I will not encourage that career for them because although it is a profession which I believe should be highly valued, unfortunately it is not.
To be completely honest, I wasn’t heart broken when the levy failed a couple times. Budget cuts are good for any organization to keep it accountable. But at this point, it feels like it has turned into a personal crusade for Rich Hoffman. Watching his videos and reading his words sound to me like he is on a power high and his crusade is giving him more of an ego boost than his original intention. I know all your friends here will defend you and you will tell me that a power trip is not your motivation, but I am entitled to my own opinions of who Rich Hoffman is. After all, you say you put everything out there, and most of what I am seeing doesn’t gel with your explanations of yourself.
Finally, I think someone said they wished more pro-levy people would come here to have open dialogue. Maybe they would if they thought their opinions would be valued with open-minded discussion. However, the one-sided, closed-minded rantings I have read here remind me of the reasons I stopped arguing with Liberals many years ago. As I aged, I realized it wasn’t just Liberals that rant this way, it’s extremists from any side. No one wants to talk to extremists because they can’t hear anything beyond their own vitriol. I only decided to pop in here because I don’t feel very vulnerable at this point in my life. Like Rich, I am a fairly open person, and the only thing I am in danger of being exposed as is someone who is more apathetic about the school issues than I probably should be. I feel lucky that my kids got the best of Lakota. Next year, my daughter will miss out on one class she was hoping to take her senior year. Then my biggest worry in the Lakota School District will be if I can get the value out of my house when I sell it to go find my own Walden Pond.
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Valerie, you seem to live in your own little dream world. You want to believe things are as you wish them to be. I am sure that you are a thinking person and have your beliefs built on your own past experiences. Most of develop our beliefs from our own experiences. I doubt that you have taken the trouble to revue the check register or financial reports of the district. I have. I can assure you that there is plenty of waste. There are vacations, travel expenses, restaurants, catered meals, personal laptop computers, leather agenda diaries, etc. that the taxpayers have paid. New desks are sold and replaced, buildings built with contracts that are questionable, roofs constantly replaced, buses bought and sold and most expenses never bid. I’ve seen it all. The obscenity of the waste is beyond belief. I’m just saying that people need to check these things out for themselves. Don’t believe the proganda at a coffee that is promoting an endorsed candidate or levy. They always have a biased view. That view is in their own best interest. It is never in the interest of the children.
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I don’t attend “coffees” or meetings where people are promoting a candidate, agenda, or levy. I make my own decisions and you are right, they are based on my own experiences – as are yours. I appreciate the positive experiences I have had in Lakota and in West Chester/Liberty Twp. I guess I do live in my “own little dream world.”
By the way, you are very condescending, Sandra. That annoys me.
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Valerie, please read the following. I would say the teacher’s union would be considered “condescending.” By the way, you seem to be well versed in the
Delphi Technique. Are you really a teacher?
https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:24830.11733983956/rid:0f94dd40ffe584d3405bd1ae4a7868fb
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No, I’m not a teacher. And I am unfamiliar with the “Delphi Technique” so I was a little flattered when you said I was skilled at something and I didn’t even know what it was! So I googled it, and it sounds fairly devious to me. I’m not a devious person. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent, very rational, and quite intuitive person. I only came here to show Rich that not all Lakota moms who vote yes on the levy are latte sipping prostitutes. Nor are we all liberal, union supporting, Obama voting, thoughtless ninnies who vote yes to make ourselves feel like good parents. The generalizations that Rich makes and the assumptions without foundation that you make are astounding.
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Generalizations are important to grasping concepts. For instance, one could say that the Indianapolis Colts are a bad team without Payton Manning, which is shown in their record. That is a generalization. However, if you look at some of the individual players, some of those players are VERY good, I’m thinking of Mathis, and they are not individually bad players. Just the team as it connects.
As for Sandy, being a bit bitter comes with the territory. She’s been doing this a lot longer than I have. But I am glad to hear that you are not liberal. I hope that when we get the Workplace Freedom Amendment that we can give teachers the option of getting out of the union. I believe public sector unions shoud be illegal. Unions should never be in place to divide up the spoils of tax money. That is the root of my position which as you know brings out a lot of anger.
The Delphi Technique is one of those things that is used heavily by different names. In business, they call it Six Sigma or something to that affect. Unions use it aggressively. However, it’s difficult to see if you don’t use generalizations, but instead focus only on the individual players. Without painting with a broad brush you will probably miss it’s influence.
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Valerie, I know you’re going to say that this is a case of our little “group” on this board defending one another, but I’ve met Sandra. She is anything but condescending. She is a very wise lady who has a wealth of knowledge and experience. As was mentioned before she has served on school boards and has seen the waste and corruption first-hand. That’s just one small example of her vast experience. She has an amazing breadth and depth of knowledge. She has looked into the abyss of corruption and sacrificed personally to fight it. I admire her very much and appreciate the contributions she has made to this forum.
I personally have lived my life with my eyes wide open in the quest for knowledge, and constantly remind myself that the minute I think I “know it all” I’m finished intellectually. I came here to Rich’s blog in a quest for knowledge about my own school district’s sticky (and somewhat unique) situation and have learned a ton from Rich and Sandra about matters such as the Delphi Technique, the OSBA, the union/school board relationship and much more. Don’t take their word for it- look into the facts for yourself, look at what’s going on around the world in the battle between socialism and freedom and ask the hard question: is what’s going on in Ohio schools sustainable? I submit that it is not.
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Phil,
Sandra may have an amazing breadth and depth of knowledge; that doesn’t change the fact that she has spoken (or written) to me in a very condescending tone. It’s still annoying. She is assuming I fit the mold of her distorted idea of a Lakota mom who attends coffee klatches to form my political opinions and I don’t know what they are teaching in the schools, and if I did I wouldn’t approve. Our children can only be “indoctrinated” if they aren’t hearing our values and opinions, or if they don’t respect us enough to believe that our opinions have merit. And the waste that Sandra wants to alert me to: I’ve seen the same if not 10 times more in the private sector.
And Phil, YOU seem to be implying that I might think that I “know it all.” On the contrary, I consider myself a lifelong learner. When I was young and immature, I thought I knew it all. I saw the world in black and white. As I get older, I see much more gray in every issue. There are no completely right answers and no simple solutions. Maybe that is why it seems so incongruent to you that someone can lean toward conservatism but still support a school levy, and it seems completely rational to me.
Rich – Really? Generalizations help you grasp a concept? Really? What concept were you trying to get your readers to grasp when you characterized every Lakota mother who supports the schools as mindless train wrecks with big diamonds and furs who don’t know when to shut their mouths and put out; whose husbands only stay with them because they will roll over while their husbands put their manhood in them and slip $100 bills in their purses? Seriously, Rich, what concept are you trying to explain with this and all your other off the wall comments? I know you said you are trying to ruffle feathers to draw attention to your cause, but I find that laughable. You really think people will take you seriously? I mean, when you used to be on Doc Thompson’s show every other week, I didn’t like your opinions, but I took you seriously. Now I’m having trouble putting the voice on the radio with the voice on the blog and the video of the guy working out with his whips. (I just want to stop here and make the point to tell you that I rarely listened to Doc Thompson and made a habit of turning my radio off in the mornings when he was on. He couldn’t hold a candle to Mike McConnell in intelligence, rational thinking, or entertaining. I secretly like to think that me turning my dial off played some miniscule part in his firing.)
I’m growing weary of all the one sided negativism here. Before I retire from my short on-line stint so I can return to my latte sipping, I’d like to stop the banter and give you guys the opportunity to explain how you propose that voting a school levy down over and over again will change the issue with the teachers’ union. It seems to me that your passion and tenacity would be better spent on efforts toward something like SB5. Or how about Ohio’s school funding problem?
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Valerie, I have noted one common theme in many of your posts here. You seem to be looking to be offended when no offense was intended. It kind of reminds me of some black people I know who see racism in every slight and personal dealing they have.
As for your last paragraph: if you have to ask those questions, it tells me that you really haven’t understood any of the points Rich and the rest of us are trying to make. We’re voting “no” because that is our one voice to the system as taxpayers. You compared the outrageous salaries and benefits of public and private workers- there’s a clear distinction. If a private company gives their employees huge salaries and benefits and mismanage the expenses the result is bankruptcy. If a school system hires expensive multiple double-dippers and votes for salaries and benefits way above the norm (payed by the taxpayers!) the answer is to use every tactic possible to pass more and more levies. We’re saying that it’s a microcosm of the federal debt problem: it’s a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Giving more and more money to the beast will only result in more waste and abuse, and residents fleeing the district to avoid confiscatory tax rates.
Also, what makes you think that Rich and the rest of us weren’t *very* involved in the SB5 fight, the right-to-work law fight, and many other avenues of changing Ohio’s school funding system? We have been doing those and more.
Oh, and as for Mike McConnell…I used to enjoy him too, but I (and my best friend, who is female) noticed that as the years went on he got more and more condescending and abrasive to female callers. Near the end of his time here he was hard to listen to in my opinion. This seemed to coincide with his divorce and allegations that he had been messing around with a girl half his age. Doc Thompson is much more concerned with pointing out corruption and government waste than Mike ever was. To say that Doc’s intelligence or rational thinking is laughable. It makes me wonder if you really are conservative or libertarian as you said in your comments above.
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That’s funny, Phil. Because the common theme I’ve noticed in all your collective posts here is the patronizing assumption that I must not know what is really going on in the schools, I must be blindly swallowing information from the teachers’ union or a coffee klatch, and I must not really be conservative or a libertarian. I’m not imagining offense. But let me clear that last one up for you. I said I consider myself conservative because my core values and beliefs most closely match that side. Because I see life with a lot of gray areas, I don’t see either side as ALL right or ALL wrong, but I see more of what *I* believe in the Republican Party, overall. I don’t like to be labeled, because I consider myself a free-thinker, but my beliefs are probably closest to that of a Libertarian; however, I don’t follow anyone’s doctrine. That’s rational thinking. Please stop trying to pigeon hole me and demean me.
I’m glad to hear you are involved in other avenues to fix the system. And I’m sorry that defeating the school levy is the only one in which you have been successful. But let me get this straight, you are rallying people to defeat the school levy because it is your only voice against the teachers’ union? I’m not seeing the connection. Perhaps Rich can explain it better, since he seems to be everyone’s teacher and mentor.
Rich, I need step by step details to understand a concept, not sweeping generalizations painted with a broad brush. Exactly how will voting the school levy down over and over again dismantle the teachers’ union?
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Oh, and Phil, we can agree to disagree on Mike McConnell and Doc Thompson. Personally, I’m glad he is gone and I like Darryl Parks much better. Even though I don’t agree with everything he says, I think he is much more intelligent and entertaining than Doc.
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I meant Scott Sloan when I wrote Darryl Parks above. I don’t mind Darryl Parks but I don’t listen to him much. I’ve been enjoying Scott Sloan in the 9-12 spot, but now I love him.
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So you *know* what’s going on in the schools and choose to support the patented OSBA “pass a levy” tactics by rewarding them with more money?
As for the unions: no, defeating levy after levy will not put an end to the union monopoly. As it stands, public sector unions are legal in this state and as such the only redress is through legislation. That’s what the right to work effort is all about.
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Phil: “As for the unions: no, defeating levy after levy will not put an end to the union monopoly. As it stands, public sector unions are legal in this state and as such the only redress is through legislation. That’s what the right to work effort is all about.”
Thank you.
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“Thank you” for what?
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And all throughout this we have the teachers at Lakota refusing to stay an hour after school for a meeting. The teachers wanted the meeting during school hours, forcing the district to hire substitutes for an hour so these people who “do it all for the kids” could have their meeting during school hours……
Rich made a mistake, a misktake that’s forgiven……..
The point is, things just keep on going, and going, and going at Lakota.
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Come on Phil, Thank you for what? For agreeing with me that your crusade to continuously vote down levies has no true impact on what you consider to be the root of the problem. Everything posted here is about how the teachers make too much money (with which I personally disagree) and how the teachers’ union is extorting money from the taxpayers. But voting the school levy down has NO IMPACT on teachers’ contract negotiations! You said the OSBA continues to use “pass a levy” tactics. Tell me what other legal tactics are available to them?
Waxed, to which mistake made by Rich Hoffman are you referring, and who has forgiven him?
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I forgive myself. Who else needs to?
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You must be new to this blog. Please go back about 6 months (at least) and read what Rich and the rest of us have written. We’ve been over this time and time and time again. The comment section of this particular post is not for rehashing every argument against the levy. I feel like I just answered this question and others in this very comments section.
I guess to distill it down so you don’t think I’m dodging the question, it comes down to this: the school funding system is unworkable and in many instances corrupt, and those in charge are either not capable of balancing the budget or don’t want to due to union influence. The public sector salaries and benefits outstrip what most of us in the private sector get and those salaries are obtained by tactics that hurt the parents and are designed to wear down resistance to another levy. A levy gets passed and all that money and more go to raises and wasteful spending, and another levy is asked for and the cycle starts all over again. The teachers union protects the bad teachers and there’s very little accountability and no competition to lower salaries. It’s a government monopoly with no checks and balances. The pro-levy folks say “vote for the levy to maintain our excellent status” even though by passing levies the property taxes will go higher, causing people to leave the district and businesses to close, negatively impacting property values anyway. The high salaries and benefits are deemed “off the table” even though they make up up to 80% of the budget. It’s been proven time and time again that there’s no relationship between giving the government schools more money and raising test scores. They use emotional pleas like “It’s for the children!” or “Let’s move forward” when in reality it’s “Let’s get a raise!” or “We spent all the money you gave us and now we want more!”
I say “vote no” in Lakota’s case because as Rich and others have documented, Lakota is run by a group of people that could not manage a similar enterprise in the private sector for five minutes and they’re extorting tax dollars from an already overtaxed citizenship. I’m not going to give more money to a group of people that cut busing and art programs while refusing to go to the union and ask for concessions that people like me have had to make in the private sector to keep our jobs. It’s a dead end street and I’m not interested in keeping the gravy train going. It’s not a revenue problem in my opinion, it’s a spending problem- just like on the national level. The difference is that I cannot vote down federal tax income tax increases but I have a say on the local level.
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For what do you forgive yourself?
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Just to be clear, I’m not suggesting that you need forgiveness from me or from anyone else in Lakota on the pro-levy side. (Although some may think you do.) I’m just curious about what you and Waxed are referring to.
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For the perception. I have learned a lot watching this behavior. That is very good.
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I’m sorry, I’m not following your last reply. Can you explain further what you mean?
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Come on Rich, laundry is piling up and bills need paid. If you can’t explain to me what you have forgiven yourself for, then please explain to me how voting the levy down repeatedly will affect the teachers’ union and teachers’ salaries?
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Just a stab in the dark here…if levies are continually voted down, and corruption. And layoffs are revealed, my hope is that rather than relying on the levy vote, they will actually cut the waste and begin to manage the funds more stringently. I just can’t believe they need a consultant to read emails and listen to podcasts for $215 an hour–those are the things I beleive would be looked at more carefully.
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I meant corruption and coverups. Darn auto correct.
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I’ll give you more detail when I have time.
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OH MY GOD! I just found out why you have gone underground! I just turned on Eddie and Tracey! I can’t wait to listen to the podcast from Scott Sloan!
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I did the Scott Sloan show, but I’m not walking into a circus, and that’s what it is. And I’m hardly underground. It’s been a busy day.
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I’m listening to the Scott Sloan podcast right now. Yes, Rich, it is a circus and you started it! You are the ring leader!
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Oh my god, you’re talking about me!
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Phil, you did cover the main points very well. Some people will refuse to understand the basic facts. More people do understand your points. If one is on the receiving end of our tax dollars, they will refuse to accept the basic facts. No one will ever change the mind of someone who supports union activities.
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Thanks sassypatriot. As my best friend and I have discussed many times -and as Rich has pointed out here- that’s how far we’ve come in this country from our founding. Unions are based on socialist and communist theories, and now it’s become accepted in this country as normal. The unions have done a *fantastic* job of self-promotion, or propaganda, or whatever you want to call it. Many people don’t question the notion that policemen, firemen, and teachers are “heroes” and if you cut one penny from their budget you will be unsafe or our children’s future will be threatened. Just look at all the ads that were run by the unions during the SB5 election. All the while many of these public sector union employees are retiring at age 50 or after 30 years with vastly more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes, thanks to the generous union contracts voted in by politicians elected by union money. I’m fine with any private company (like GM) agreeing to give their workers huge benefit-laden union contracts; I can choose to by a Toyota made by non-union labor. I’m not fine with other people voting tax dollars from my pocket to subsidize Karen Mantia’s double-or-triple dipping and huge salary and benefits. Anyone who read Dr. Mantia’s contract (which Rich posted earlier) and wasn’t incensed must be a public sector employee themselves.
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Wow, rough day. I won’t pour salt in that wound.
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<>
even though you just did.
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very well said Phil–Valerie, if I can interrupt you from your gloating, what do you think of what Phil said. i think its an excellent explanation!!!
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No, you don’t know me. I wasn’t gloating, I really meant it.
NLKM – I apologize for disregarding your input, but I’m hoping for a better explanation from Rich. All I heard in Phil’s post was more gobbledygook about how unions are bad, and he hates the school board because they are incompetent, and teachers make more money than us in the private sector, and on and on and on. None of that answered my very specific question.
I can wait. But I will be away from my computer for the next three days.
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Valerie- and I thought Phil said it so perfectly–in not good at expressing myself and what Phil said was just right. Im sure Rich will happily give you the same answer,, perhaps not in the same manner, but Whenever I read one of Phil’s comments I always think”I should have said that!
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Your information here is wonderful, and vast. I am greatly impressed!
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I’m pretty sure that if this was the Rush Limbaugh show, Valerie would get the “seminar caller!!!” alert.
On the Internet they’re called “trolls”.
I don’t believe for one minute that she is a conservative or libertarian as she claims.
I’m not wasting one more minute of my time with her.
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That has been my thinking, that’s why I have been watching her behavior, to keep her talking. She is too motivated.
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very eager to please, too… maybe she’s a salesperson:)
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You guys are cracking me up! I’m really not that motivated, maybe just bored and looking to spice up my life a little. I’m actually having fun!
It’s funny that you don’t believe I’m a real person. Your stereotypes are so stringent that you can’t imagine something unique. I’ll meet you at the Grand Ole Pub some day for a beer and some of Pat’s gumbo.
Oh, I almost forgot, stop comparing yourself to Rush Limbaugh. You, my friend, are no Rush Limbaugh. (and it’s really not a compliment in mainstream society)
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I think mainstream society is on the wrong course, so I don’t care. But you’re right, Rush doesn’t cover nearly the amount of topics that I do. So thanks for noticing. Are you a fan of my Hobbit blogs? I love those.
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Glad to see you posting, since you said you woudnt have computer access for 3 days. I happen to think you’re a real person:)
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They don’t want to, refuse to see the facts figures, payoffs, scandals…so every time you uncover more, they attack. So very sad
–how many views have these people seen? But the best they can do is crude insults? Sad.
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