Category: Policial Science

Pay Rates for top 434 teachers at Lakota Schools

Lakota Levy, by the numbers Blog:  NOTICE--Since this list came out in mid-2010, these numbers have increased dramatically. How much?  Well, there are 625 people in this category just one year later in a bad economy when teachers told the public they took a pay freeze.  So they mislead the public greatly.  Yet, step increases made this number grow when lay-offs and busing cuts have hurt parents all over the district.  Click here to see the new numbers. 

At the bottom of this post are the salaries of all teachers and administrators making over $65.000 per year working at Lakota Schools in Butler County, Ohio.  Why is this important?  Because those wages have moved out of the community’s ability to sustain them, as those same wages have more in common with government positions than the wages of the community. 

Education jobs are now government jobs in practice, and we have to admit this to ourselves first before a community can take action to fix it. This is an ad from Federal Jobs.net, and shows how government advertises positions.

“Are you considering a government job? The federal government employs approximately 2 million federal workers plus 700,000 Postal workers and hires hundreds of thousands each year to replace civil service workers that transfer to other federal government jobs, retire, or leave for other reasons. Average annual salary for full-time federal government jobs now exceeds $79,197.”

Kind of makes you want to get a government job doesn’t it.

Just before writing this I received a message from Darryl Parks of WLW Radio. He wanted me to post something on here for you, “If you vote for a school levy, you’re stupid!”
Why?

Because it’s a scam, where you pay a government agency at a wage greater than your own pay rate, for a service you could in almost every circumstance, do yourself.  Government doesn’t make anything, so they completely rely on tax dollars to supply their income.  So when government jobs pay in the ranges that are higher than private sector jobs, as Mr. Parks says in his statement, you’re stupid.  Your stupid because you are taking your job as a tax payer for granted and not performing to the task of a much-needed regulator within the community.  Did you know that government workers make 45% more than private sector jobs?  Isn’t that stupid?  Yet we’re all responsible for saying yes at some point in the past. 

The U.S. Government is the largest employer in the United States, hiring about 2.0 percent of the nation’s work force and the workforce is expanding significantly due to health care reform, in-sourcing, and many new regulatory programs. Federal government jobs can be found in every state and large metropolitan area, including overseas in over 200 countries. The average annual federal workers compensation, including pay plus benefits, now exceeds $119,982 compared to just $59,909 for the private sector according to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Isn’t that stupid?  How did the American people allow that to happen? 

Unfortunately, school systems are no longer community run, but are still community funded for the most part. Like everything in the government these days, whether it’s Social Security, Medicare, Health Care, you name the government program; you’ll find that universally the same philosophy is at play, a government job will pay more than a private sector job. That’s dangerous, because it actually disrupts the conduct of a republic. After all, who would vote themselves out of a job, so politicians that give out jobs like candy, tend to get re-elected.  And it’s even more foolish to allow education positions to migrate into the ranges of government paid workers, because those are people in our own back yards, not in some far away place like a state capital, or federal government.  We should have noticed it, and done something about it early on. 

Such irresponsible behavior will destroy everything we hold dear as a way of life both locally and nationally.  It’s all coming down as we look around. The cracks are forming everywhere, and where do we see it first, our schools.

The chart below shows that a majority of Lakota’s budget is going to wages and benefits, which is a recipe for disaster. The ratio here is not even something that can be discussed in any sort of business appraisal.  But this type of ratio is not uncommon in government work, which is why to them, it seems perfectly reasonable.  So school board meetings and community events to discuss how bad it is are pointless, because they aren’t even close to a reasonable ratio.  My solutions, and the solutions of the type of people I know in the business community would suggest radical things that the school administrators couldn’t even fathom as cuts.  However, they aren’t alone in this. Most school systems are operating this way. But so is the rest of the government.

These numbers come from Lakota Online. The only difference with this chart and the ones they have are I combined the salaries and benefits together, to show just how much money is going to those activities.  The point of the chart is this, all that blue is bad.  It’s too much for a local community to support, more than $120 million where the real number should be closer to $60 million based on the size of the school district.   If you’d like to see the real numbers of the Lakota School System, see them here.  Click on the pictures of the balance sheets to zoom in on the Excel Docs. 

Why is it so high?  Well, years ago, we heard that teachers were a group that was working too hard and not getting paid enough.  But not anymore.  As you look at the wages below, there are 434 administrators and teachers that make more than $65,000. Just those 434 employees represent more than $31 million dollars.  So that proves how quickly things can get out of control if people aren’t paying attention.  Lakota, like all government, have painted themselves into a financial corner and can’t get out unless they either redo their contracts at a lesser wage and benefits, or the LEA (teachers union) lobbies Columbus and picks up the 21 million they are trying to raise in the levy, from the state.  The community doesn’t have it, and even if they did, it would be irresponsible to spend the money on this levy when the labor cost is so extraordinarily high.

As you can see the people below make up 35% of the salary budget. It is a sad situation that because these people in these positions know there is no place else that they could make this kind of money, they resort to misleading the community into believing that everything will just be ok if they approve one levy after another and continue to throw money at the situation.  They would rather extort the money from the community to preserve their extremely lucrative incomes.  But government does that to us as well.  And when it comes time to cut, they’ll most likely cut teachers out of the 65%, leaving the 35% pretty much alone and protected.  The 35% has the most seniority, and in a union, that means just about everything.  So the people who will be cut will also be the people who are least costly.  So you’d have to cut more people of less seniority to equate the value reached if the desired savings was a 30% to 50% reduction. 

This information is public record, and it’s that way for this very reason, so the public can see what they are spending their tax money on and decide if enough is enough.  So look it over and decide for yourself.  For my own opinion, I’m with Darryl Parks.  Don’t be stupid. 

Lakota Salaries 2010

1 Taylor William Superintendent $ 147,505.00
2 Jones Craig A Treasurer $ 121,571.00
3 Hamilton Richard Principal $ 111,370.00
4 Stettler Lon Assistant Superintendent $ 109,603.00
5 Kline Keith Principal $ 107,844.00
6 Passarge Christopher Director $ 107,844.00
7 Spurlock Ronald Assistant Superintendent $ 106,134.00
8 Pike David Principal $ 104,648.00
9 Linda French Principal $ 100,598.00
10 Laws John Edward Director $ 98,340.00
11 Holbrook Michael V Principal $ 98,131.00
12 Kelly Georgetta Director $ 97,928.00
13 Diblasi Kathy Administrator $ 97,416.00
14 Pangallo Marco Principal $ 97,416.00
15 Spurlock Elizabeth Principal $ 97,416.00
16 Mcglothin Robert Teacher $ 95,374.00
17 Moats Cheryl Teacher $ 94,591.00
18 Ash H. Clayton Principal $ 94,336.00
19 Snyder Gregory Teacher $ 94,147.00
20 Smith Derek Administrator $ 93,504.00
21 Berry Mary A. Media Specialist $ 92,665.00
22 Buschle Judith E Other Educator $ 92,388.00
23 Gendreau Andre Denis Principal $ 92,024.00
24 Weisgerber Gerry Assistant principal $ 91,544.00
25 Simmons Ericka Renee Principal $ 91,354.00
26 Petro Jeri Psychologist $ 90,946.00
27 Scroggins Roger Psychologist $ 90,946.00
28 Bailie Gregory H Teacher $ 90,772.00
29 Malone Scott Psychologist $ 90,510.00
30 Wittich John Psychologist $ 90,510.00
31 Finke Greg E Principal $ 90,197.00
32 Kriner Helene Counselor $ 89,540.00
33 Howard Thomas Teacher $ 89,327.00
34 Shaffer Timothy Assistant principal $ 88,652.00
35 Drumm Christopher E. Teacher $ 78,674.00
36 Burns Amy E Tutor $ 78,600.00
37 Yauss Roger Teacher $ 78,557.00
38 Hackman Pamela Teacher $ 78,426.00
39 Skeldon Elaine Teacher $ 78,426.00
40 Wadl C. Jeffery Teacher $ 78,406.00
41 Reid Jennifer Teacher $ 78,395.00
42 Van Sickle Cheryl Media Specialist $ 78,382.00
43 Stiver Lisa Teacher $ 78,339.00
44 Dunaway Honey L Teacher $ 78,323.00
45 Morrical Kimberly Teacher $ 78,288.00
46 Brumback Kathleen A Teacher $ 78,215.00
47 Saunders Karen Teacher $ 78,215.00
48 Kornau Tracey Teacher $ 78,105.00
49 Combs Lori A Teacher $ 78,043.00
50 Gelter Robert E Counselor $ 77,976.00
51 Hemsworth Ginger Teacher $ 77,949.00
52 Ryan Carol Psychologist $ 77,923.00
53 Cooper Fredrick C Teacher $ 77,829.00
54 Ritz Anne Teacher $ 77,804.00
55 Harvey Kristen Teacher $ 77,761.00
56 Fuchs Beth Marie Teacher $ 77,728.00
57 Folta Mark A Teacher $ 77,684.00
58 Woody Marsha Teacher $ 77,666.00
59 Cornett Brigitte B Teacher $ 77,476.00
60 Beck Dennis E Teacher $ 77,467.00
61 Martin Dana Administrator $ 77,410.00
62 Preston Philip Teacher $ 77,383.00
63 Theimann Carol Teacher $ 77,358.00
64 Gorman Catherine P Teacher $ 77,315.00
65 Popplewell Theresa Speech Therapist $ 77,142.00
66 Teller Frances Occupational Therapist $ 77,142.00
67 Mullins Jewelyn Speech Therapist $ 77,132.00
68 Colliver Tamelaj Tutor $ 77,114.00
69 Landvatter Sandra Teacher $ 77,109.00
70 Andres Stephen E Teacher $ 77,107.00
71 Ray Elizabeth Teacher $ 77,099.00
72 Adams Marilyn C Teacher $ 77,076.00
73 Riffle Angela Teacher $ 76,910.00
74 Davis Julia E Curriculum Specialist $ 76,803.00
75 Berberich Nancy Teacher $ 76,681.00
76 Floyd Michael C Teacher $ 76,680.00
77 Slomsky Scott Teacher $ 76,650.00
78 Osterling Emily Tutor $ 76,619.00
79 Lehman James Teacher $ 76,569.00
80 Heaton Sharon Teacher $ 76,528.00
81 Schallip Jacquelyn Teacher $ 76,499.00
82 Barnes Lori A Teacher $ 76,495.00
83 Anthony Elaine M Teacher $ 76,472.00
84 Supringer Christine Teacher $ 76,373.00
85 Swanson Paricia Marie Psychologist $ 76,304.00
86 Scott Carol Teacher $ 76,300.00
87 Denton Sandra M Teacher $ 76,300.00
88 Latessa Robert Teacher $ 76,179.00
89 Snider Kimberly Teacher $ 76,176.00
90 Fugate David W Teacher $ 76,149.00
91 Jacobson Robin Teacher $ 76,119.00
92 Alford Sharon A Counselor $ 76,114.00
93 Bateman Sue W Teacher $ 76,114.00
94 Gorman John S Teacher $ 76,114.00
95 Montgomery Carrie B Assistant Principal $ 75,986.00
96 Jones Anthony Teacher $ 75,974.00
97 Wiles Randall Teacher $ 75,930.00
98 Dagenbach P. Damian Teacher $ 75,814.00
99 Griffiths Laura Lynn Assistant Principal $ 75,794.00
100 Berry Darryl A Teacher $ 75,750.00
101 Piontek Ana Teacher $ 75,701.00
102 Wernersbach Margaret Baker Speech Therapist $ 75,632.00
103 Kehm Janice Teacher $ 75,629.00
104 Smallwood Lisa Teacher $ 75,629.00
105 Tompkins rebecca Curriculum Specialist $ 75,593.00
106 Derossett Shari H Teacher $ 75,588.00
107 Boerke Margaret L Nurse $ 75,569.00
108 Walls Toni Teacher $ 75,555.00
109 Bauer Susan A. Teacher $ 75,442.00
110 Muia Jennifer Teacher $ 75,375.00
111 Turner Debra Teacher $ 75,326.00
112 Pinder Joanne Teacher $ 75,270.00
113 Klus Richard Adam Teacher $ 75,251.00
114 Valdini Michael Teacher $ 75,246.00
115 Smith Scott Teacher $ 75,126.00
116 Henrich Ronald T.A. Teacher $ 75,037.00
117 Hammond Michelle Teacher $ 75,037.00
118 Alexander Melissa K Assistant Principal $ 74,969.00
119 Brown Benjamin W Assistant Principal $ 74,969.00
120 Wesley Todd Administrator $ 74,969.00
121 Knueven Kathryn Teacher $ 74,955.00
122 Luan-Miller Patricia D Teacher $ 74,942.00
123 Ruder Pamela Teacher $ 74,987.00
124 Meyer Steven Teacher $ 74,872.00
125 Gfroerer Beverly A Teacher $ 74,860.00
126 Szul Jill Teacher $ 74,849.00
127 Mitchell Drews Counselor $ 74,820.00
128 Ebbing Juith A Teacher $ 74,819.00
129 Copeland Sherri Sue Psychologist $ 74,675.00
130 Stamp Audrey Teacher $ 74,670.00
131 Peck Doreen Teacher $ 74,646.00
132 Mcdowell Linda Teacher $ 74,638.00
133 Redden-Jenkins Michelle S. Teacher $ 74,591.00
134 Eldridge Kimberly D Teacher $ 74,591.00
135 Combs Jeffrey A Teacher $ 74,587.00
136 Bugg Ledral A Teacher $ 74,581.00
137 Cantrell Cladia Teacher $ 74,581.00
138 Fisher Carmela A Teacher $ 74,581.00
139 Schnittger Mary Nurse $ 74,560.00
140 Prohaska Melissa Curriculum Specialist $ 74,544.00
141 Dolloff Paula M Teacher $ 74,492.00
142 Senne Julia Teacher $ 74,458.00
143 Lange Gail Speech Therapist $ 74,431.00
144 Girard Connie S Teacher $ 74,422.00
145 Coffman Alyson R Teacher $ 74,328.00
146 Mccracken Nancy Media Specialist $ 74,307.00
147 Hofferberth Mary Teacher $ 74,216.00
148 Dickerson Kathleen S Nurse $ 74,191.00
149 Williams Christina Teacher $ 74,125.00
150 Redman Margaret Teacher $ 74,113.00
151 Shapro Sharon Teacher $ 74,061.00
152 Mays Sharon Teacher $ 74,054.00
153 Schey Janet Teacher $ 73,982.00
154 Farnell Susan K Speech Therapist $ 73,962.00
155 Vanover Lori Teacher $ 73,942.00
156 Gibbs Loris S Speech Therapist $ 73,935.00
157 Draper Ralph A Teacher $ 73,923.00
158 Whiles Lisa Media Specialist $ 73,856.00
159 Tubb Sharon Other Educator $ 73,788.00
160 Rubin Bradley Counselor $ 73,765.00
161 Williams Pamela Teacher $ 73,724.00
162 Smith Rebecca Teacher $ 73,680.00
163 Janusz Diane Teacher $ 73,633.00
164 Darpel Kathleen M Teacher $ 73,628.00
165 Hicks Jeffrey Elliot Assistant Principal $ 73,591.00
166 Davis David L Teacher $ 73,556.00
167 Tipton Sandra Teacher $ 73,519.00
168 Klingelhoffer Sharon Teacher $ 73,496.00
169 Loman Kathryn Teacher $ 73,494.00
170 Durerler Cathy C Teacher $ 73,483.00
171 O’Keefe Marilyn Teacher $ 73,456.00
172 Powers Tamara S Teacher $ 73,456.00
173 Stewart Penny Lynn Teacher $ 73,456.00
174 Tabben Sarah Teacher $ 73,456.00
175 Blaylock Heather A Teacher $ 73,250.00
176 Staley Leanne Cirriculum Specialst $ 73,150.00
177 Weber Angela Teacher $ 73,140.00
178 Hundemer Lorraine Teacher $ 73,117.00
179 Silverglade Lisa Wackler Teacher $ 73,105.00
180 Brewer Troy G Teacher $ 73,096.00
181 Boling Janet Ann Counselor $ 73,039.00
182 Brown Laura C Teacher $ 73,010.00
183 Anderson Judith Ann Other Educator $ 72,987.00
184 Authur Paul E Teacher $ 72,966.00
185 Krayick Amy Teacher $ 72,963.00
186 Corris Ryan Anderw Teacher $ 72,939.00
187 Smith Mary L Teacher $ 72,919.00
188 Vincent William James Teacher $ 72,916.00
189 Long Annette Teacher $ 72,916.00
190 Jenkins Holly Teacher $ 72,879.00
191 Rouff Jeffrey Assistant Principal $ 72,806.00
192 Mckain David Teacher $ 72,806.00
193 Batdorf Brian Ray Teacher $ 72,799.00
194 Hathaway Staci D Teacher $ 72,721.00
195 Carlberg Douglas E Teacher $ 72,628.00
196 Weber Tonya M Tutor $ 72,628.00
197 Grady S. Paulette Assistant Principle $ 72,606.00
198 Klein Jennifer Antoninette Assistant Principle $ 72,606.00
199 Cooper John C Teacher $ 72,599.00
200 Gallagher Linda J Teacher $ 72,531.00
201 Buckenmyer Michael J Teacher $ 72,518.00
202 Alsip Janet Ann Teacher $ 72,486.00
203 Wullenweber Tracy Teacher $ 72,486.00
204 Lvers Susan Teacher $ 72,486.00
205 Kunkel Laura Teacher $ 72,454.00
206 Lidman Monica Teacher $ 72,330.00
207 Spotts Connie Media Specialist $ 72,285.00
208 Tuskey-Woods Karen Teacher $ 72,246.00
209 Fakes Robin D Teacher $ 72,208.00
210 Augutis Linda J Teacher $ 72,168.00
211 Connett Jennifer L Teacher $ 72,168.00
212 Hart Deborah Ann Teacher $ 72,168.00
213 Williams Darmen Teacher $ 72,168.00
214 Thomas Katherine Teacher $ 72,164.00
215 Yaw Jeffrey Alan Teacher $ 72,091.00
216 Baroch Terri L Teacher $ 72,091.00
217 Bodden James F Teacher $ 72,075.00
218 Chapman Dana L Teacher $ 72,035.00
219 Noxsel Douglas W Teacher $ 71,955.00
220 Purcell Pamela Teacher $ 71,946.00
221 Murray Carrie Lynn Teacher $ 71,944.00
222 Kelly Ann Teacher $ 71,818.00
223 Fugate Amy M Assistant Principle $ 71,690.00
224 Akers Jennifer R Teacher $ 71,688.00
225 Jerome Shelly Mary Teacher $ 71,631.00
226 Niebling Marla Administrator $ 71,563.00
227 Alexander Andrew G Teacher $ 71,539.00
228 Banet Peggy M Teacher $ 71,538.00
229 Plymale Jodi Teacher $ 71,457.00
230 Dinsmore Barbara Teacher $ 71,438.00
231 Vidourek Kevin Teacher $ 71,438.00
232 Williamson Terrie Teacher $ 71,438.00
233 Wilson Sara Glynette Teacher $ 71,438.00
234 Kessler Tim Teacher $ 71,389.00
235 Hatterschide Mary Beth Teacher $ 71,362.00
236 Copley Victoria L Teacher $ 71,348.00
237 Allshaouse Gail D Assistant Principal $ 71,272.00
238 Montgomery Valerie Assistant Principal $ 71,272.00
239 Brophy Mary L Assistant Principal $ 71,272.00
240 Reder David Administrator $ 71,264.00
241 Binggeli Janet Terese Tutor $ 71,258.00
242 Martin Karen Teacher $ 71,244.00
243 Berleman Kelly Lynn Counselor $ 71,217.00
244 Terndrup Tamera Teacher $ 71,204.00
245 Anslinger N. Jean Media Specialist $ 70,986.00
246 Kornau Joseph Teacher $ 70,955.00
247 Mahlerwein Gregory Teacher $ 70,819.00
248 Bateman Joann H Teacher $ 70,812.00
249 Tegarden Catherine S Teacher $ 70,773.00
250 Dyer Colleen S Teacher $ 70,772.00
251 Mclinden Denise M Counselor $ 70,766.00
252 Vernile-Fuller Valerie each Teacher $ 70,716.00
253 Klein Edward Teacher $ 70,559.00
254 Sorrell Michelle Teacher $ 70,559.00
255 Tomes Deana Maria Bowling Teacher $ 70,559.00
256 Powell Patricia Teacher $ 70,510.00
257 Aprahamian Ann M Teacher $ 70,480.00
258 Adams Heidi L Teacher $ 70,409.00
259 Meyer Diane Teacher $ 70,390.00
260 Siniger Shirley Teacher $ 70,350.00
261 Degennaro Debra M Teacher $ 70,319.00
262 Hudson Pamela Assistant Principal $ 70,319.00
263 Cox Lawrence J Teacher $ 70,217.00
264 Riley Judi Lynne Speech Therapist $ 70,172.00
265 Alexander Amy G Teacher $ 70,119.00
266 Morrison Lawrence Curriculum Specialist $ 70,055.00
267 Gohmann Kelly L Teacher $ 70,030.00
268 Reed Valerie Media Specialist $ 70,028.00
269 Mcgowan Renee Teacher $ 70,019.00
270 Lofton Gabriel E Principal $ 69,955.00
271 Sizemore Julie Teacher $ 69,796.00
272 Austin Arnie A Teacher $ 69,791.00
273 Helsinger Cheryl Teacher $ 69,775.00
274 Landers Lisa Rene Media Specialist $ 69,775.00
275 Adkins Jason B Teacher $ 69,749.00
276 Hunter Joyce Teacher $ 69,742.00
277 Phipps Michael Teacher $ 69,742.00
278 Scarbrough Kelly Teacher $ 69,705.00
279 Egbers Julie A Teacher $ 69,642.00
280 Moody Mark Teacher $ 69,574.00
281 Hallgarth Dana Michelle Counselor $ 69,536.00
282 Terndrup Glenn Teacher $ 69,507.00
283 Hummer Todd Teacher $ 69,490.00
284 Castner Gary e Teacher $ 69,484.00
285 Perry Donna M Teacher $ 69,464.00
286 Fahrenkamp Ryan B Teacher $ 69,456.00
287 Wittich Tamra Teacher $ 69,422.00
288 Hively Judy Ann Teacher $ 69,416.00
289 Marshall Matt Teacher $ 69,394.00
290 Coats Haan Sande J Teacher $ 69,378.00
291 Bush Margaret R Teacher $ 69,377.00
292 Pease Tiffany Teacher $ 69,366.00
293 Deak Julie A Teacher $ 69,358.00
294 Sylor Cassandra Teacher $ 69,344.00
295 Zugelter Lori Teacher $ 69,333.00
296 Dreisbach George W Teacher $ 69,332.00
297 Abbott Linda L Teacher $ 69,247.00
298 Parks Tracey Teacher $ 69,219.00
299 Emig, Robert Edward Counselor $ 69,202.00
300 Anderson Monica R Teacher $ 69,180.00
301 Peters Michael Teacher $ 69,167.00
302 Thomas David Teacher $ 69,167.00
303 Day Michelle Teacher $ 69,141.00
304 Baxter Katherine A Counselor $ 69,141.00
305 Ralph Donald Teacher $ 69,138.00
306 Davis Cheryl Teal Teacher $ 69,070.00
307 Underwood Trudy Teacher $ 69,023.00
308 Littig John Teacher $ 69,021.00
309 Barnes Melissa R Teacher $ 68,988.00
310 Berry Chris L Nurse $ 68,961.00
311 Koger David Teacher $ 68,875.00
312 Cagle Bryant P Athletic $ 68,832.00
313 Wisser Robert Teacher $ 68,832.00
314 Prior Fredrick J. Teacher $ 68,820.00
315 Simpkins Sandra Teacher $ 68,818.00
316 Nunley John Teacher $ 68,758.00
317 Peipmeier Christine Other Educator $ 68,746.00
318 Mayer Amy r Teacher $ 68,681.00
319 Hattersley Mark Teacher $ 68,658.00
320 Shields Rosemary Teacher $ 68,644.00
321 Nation Tricia Teacher $ 68,505.00
322 Kettler Karen Teacher $ 68,503.00
323 Yost David Teacher $ 68,391.00
324 Jones Pamela W Teacher $ 68,375.00
325 Mickle Martha Ellen Teacher $ 68,366.00
326 Reining Kimberly Sue Teacher $ 68,363.00
327 Den Herder Janet M Nurse $ 68,312.00
328 Waugh Carrie R Teacher $ 68,304.00
329 Tobergte Sarah Teacher $ 68,272.00
330 Prohaska Thomas Teacher $ 68,149.00
331 Lamb Mary Elizabeth Teacher $ 68,123.00
332 Flaig Anna L Teacher $ 68,117.00
333 Cronk Jason B Teacher $ 68,113.00
334 Schultz Terri Teacher $ 68,069.00
335 Trimbell Cindy D Teacher $ 68,050.00
336 Sawyer Tiffany Teacher $ 68,030.00
337 Combs Karla Teacher $ 68,002.00
338 Anderson Ellein Teacher $ 68,000.00
339 Raulin Janet Teacher $ 67,945.00
340 Baird Lara Maria Teacher $ 67,907.00
341 Lamas Patricia Teacher $ 67,811.00
342 Wise Neil Teacher $ 67,774.00
343 Glunt Katherine Media Specialist $ 67,727.00
344 Chumley Phillip Eugene Teacher $ 67,670.00
345 Schotte Tracy Teacher $ 67,650.00
346 Farmer James Teacher $ 67,548.00
347 Garriga Tracey Teacher $ 67,519.00
348 Taylor Stephen Teacher $ 67,467.00
349 Kitchen Deborra Teacher $ 67,384.00
350 Redwine Jeffrey Teacher $ 67,352.00
351 Junderson Julie Lynn Teacher $ 67,336.00
352 Fulmer Stephanie Stein Teacher $ 67,334.00
353 Muir Jo Anne Teacher $ 67,271.00
354 Hart Sean Teacher $ 67,213.00
355 Haar Linda Teacher $ 67,201.00
356 Bodden Debra Teacher $ 67,175.00
357 Minton Amy Counselor $ 67,175.00
358 Richardson Laura Teacher $ 67,175.00
359 Murphy Laura Teacher $ 67,073.00
360 Castner Kieth Teacher $ 67,034.00
361 Inniger Priscilla Other Educator $ 66,981.00
362 Kolbinsky Michael Teacher $ 66,959.00
363 Vanicek Tamea Teacher $ 66,938.00
364 Frentzel Sharon Nurse $ 66,898.00
365 Kelly Anna Marie Media Specialist $ 66,894.00
366 Fortman Michael Teacher $ 66,884.00
367 Peters Linda Teacher $ 66,882.00
368 Parfitt Jane Teacher $ 66,833.00
369 Turull Carmen Teacher $ 66,799.00
370 Nordyke Alan Teacher $ 66,769.00
371 Falato Elizabeth Teacher $ 66,737.00
372 Mueller Michael Teacher $ 66,719.00
373 Marqua Amy Teacher $ 66,716.00
374 Orlando Stephen Teacher $ 66,768.00
375 Snyder Susan Teacher $ 66,638.00
376 Severns John Teacher $ 66,638.00
377 Kirchner Regina Teacher $ 66,623.00
378 Dietsch Jennifer Lynn Teacher $ 66,618.00
379 Conway John Teacher $ 66,595.00
380 Statt Kristen Brenna Teacher $ 66,570.00
381 Heitz Gail Teacher $ 66,535.00
382 Carlin Kevin Teacher $ 66,510.00
383 Siemers Jennifer Teacher $ 66,418.00
384 Castner Kathy Teacher $ 66,389.00
385 Duff Larry Teacher $ 66,322.00
386 Lewis Jared Teacher $ 66,297.00
387 Yates Janine Rudolph Nurse $ 66,271.00
388 Flavin-Harp Faye Curriculum Specialist $ 66,270.00
389 Ash Susan Teacher Teacher $ 66,236.00
390 Ballinger Gerald Teacher $ 66,236.00
391 Dorsey Joellen Teacher $ 66,236.00
392 Joy Gwyn Teacher $ 66,236.00
393 Rosel Mary Teacher $ 66,236.00
394 Stoffer Sherri Teacher $ 66,236.00
395 Hensley Sally Teacher $ 66,236.00
396 Geroni Patricia Teacher $ 66,191.00
397 Smith Nicole Media Specialist $ 66,155.00
398 Jackson Alyce Teacher $ 66,135.00
399 Black Stephen Michael Teacher $ 66,058.00
400 Brockman Theresa Ann Social Worker $ 66,056.00
401 Waits Matthew Teacher $ 66,055.00
402 Lafferty Jennifer Teacher $ 66,033.00
403 Sample Marianne Hunter Teacher $ 65,954.00
404 Zachry Cheryl Teacher $ 65,931.00
405 Fuertges Cheryl Teacher $ 65,903.00
406 Wilkerson Michelle Teacher $ 65,868.00
407 Walsh Melissa Teacher $ 65,778.00
408 Fitzwater Marcie Therese Teacher $ 65,705.00
409 Cruse Teresa Lynn Teacher $ 65,697.00
410 Simpson Sheri Ann Tutor $ 65,653.00
411 Chapman Molly Teacher $ 65,639.00
412 Clevidence Mark Teacher $ 65,611.00
413 Johns Amy Teacher $ 65,549.00
414 St. John Wendy Michelle Teacher $ 65,509.00
415 McGuire Melissa Alma Teacher $ 65,503.00
416 Chaney Heather Teacher $ 65,467.00
417 Wahl Jack Teacher $ 65,457.00
418 Lerman Sandra Teacher $ 65,328.00
419 McDonell Tara Teacher $ 65,316.00
420 Peters Debra Teacher $ 65,314.00
421 Honhart David Frederick Teacher $ 65,309.00
422 Hoctor Krista Teacher $ 65,301.00
423 Nation Jeffrey Teacher $ 65,253.00
424 Bowmann Elen Beth Teacher $ 65,185.00
425 Barrow Jeffrey Teacher $ 65,131.00
426 Winkle Amy Teacher $ 65,131.00
427 Singer Kathleen Nurse $ 65,114.00
428 Revelette Vickie Scott Speech Therapist $ 65,053.00
429 Scott Cathleen Speech Therapist $ 65,053.00
430 Peters Tammy Lee Ann Teacher $ 65,013.00
431 Dupps Gregg Teacher $ 65,011.00
432 Gerhardstein Lynda Teacher $ 65,011.00
433 Waldfogel Elizabeth Ann Teacher $ 65,005.00
434 Hoeting Tanya Teacher $ 65,004.00

Total $ 31,900,416.00

Total spent on saleries $ 92,258,928.00

Total Lakota spends on salery (Benefits excluded) $ 92,258,928.00
Total spent on top 434 teachers making over $65,000 per year $ 31,900,416.00

Total left for the rest of the teachers $ 60,358,512.00

The information provided came from Cox Publishing, March 18th 2010

For more info about the Lakota Levy check out these links as well:

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/education-funding-and-institutional-delusion/

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/the-lakota-school-levy-and-the-infamy-of-bad-decisions/

Here, I explain how to remove politics from public need without hurting the public:

A Whip Trick to Save America

And of course our home site.
www.NoLakotaLevy.com

Rich Hoffman

http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

The Lakota School Levy and the Infamy of Bad Decisions.

I have said a lot about education, and the danger of institutional behavior.  But this is not intended to further analyze that issue.  This is to cover the Lakota School Levy which is on its second attempt in 6 months and promises to be a particularly bloody fight this time around. 

So let me set the stage:

The teachers have just agreed to a pay freeze under a union contract that took months to arrive at.  The districts developers are looking at a tanked economy where many, many properties are left without tenants to support the tax requirements.  The public in general are also feeling the heat of the recession, which after the smoke clears in historical context, is probably a legitimate depression, and many are barely hanging on to their homes as they are victims of the housing bubble.  Lakota has been around a while, so there are a large number of senior citizens in the district that are on fixed incomes and without children in the district, and their charity is strained to a breaking point.  There is a governor in Strickland that is a big government guy, who is tight with labor unions as his base support, and is very close to the president of the United States, who shares much in common with Ohio’s governor.  To both men, Ohio is a battle ground state where much is at stake politically and the nation is watching closely.  And in that context, Lakota is the 7th largest school system in the state.  It is Ohio’s largest “Excellent” district nine years running with distinction two years in a row. 

I contemplated this heavily while practicing in my back yard.

And it really is that simple if you take the emotion away.

The opponents of the levy have joined together, with myself being in that category.  We’re against it for all different reasons.  Mine are that I see the school system displaying the same types of problems we have in government, where accountability is hard to come by, and everything is fixed by spending more money.  And the school government is so big; it’s folding over its own weight financially.         

The Pro Levy people are typically residents that have children in the school system, and many of them moved to the district because of the schools.  And they are threatening to move if the levy fails to a district that supports levies.  The rest of the supporters are employees of the school system in some way and of course they are concerned about the passage of the levy for their own financial stability. 

I listen to the values of the school system and the things they are proud of, like a 90% college attendance rate, a graduation rate of 94.7%.  A student attendance rate of 96.5%.  During 2009-2010 there were 11 National Merit Semi-Finalists.  There was 1 Presidential Scholar in 2008.  They operate at a spending rate per pupil of $9,503 while the State average is $10,253, so on paper, everything sounds profitable. 

But to my thinking, all those statistics are a smoke screen.  All the attendance stats are to the credit of the parents, who obviously care enough about their children to buy a home in a great school district, so naturally, those kids will go to college, attendance will be great, and there will be national honors in a group that has parents that takes education seriously.  And while it is commendable that the school district does operate under the average, it does not question whether or not $9,000 per child actually translates to true excellence.  It doesn’t take much to poke holes in the aspects of their public service that they take pride in; because most of the merit is simply items they are taking credit for.  In fact, I think it is cowardly, to ride on the back of exceptional students, and caring parents, in order to secure funding for an institutional giant that serves as a catalyst for a powerful union. 

That is the beginning of the problem.  Over the years, the Lakota Education Association has grown in power and influence, and this of course leads to the overall problem of political backing of the National Teachers Union which is an organization that I don’t wish to endorse, because the money given to this organization often goes to political agenda’s that I do not support.  Judy Buschle, who just recently announced she was stepping down as the LEA President, has served as the Ohio Education Association board of directors and the National Education Association Resolutions Committee and is a particularly powerful influence locally, and has successfully negotiated many contracts with a bewildered Lakota board of education committee and lap dog superintendants obviously intimidated by the power of the LEA.  In fact, Buschle has been so successful, that the average wage for a teacher at Lakota is $59,000 without any further benefits considered.  And I make that assessment by attending a school board meeting.   I did so after the last levy failure to see if my opinion of the whole situation had been wrong.  I left that June meeting utterly disgusted.  The board was completely outmatched by the union presence.  Don’t believe me, watch the tape.  They film it and have it available for you to judge.  The union people including Mrs. Buschle sat right behind me and were absolutely disrespectful during the meeting.  It was so bad that a parent took the podium and shouted down the union people, blaming them for the anger from the community as to why the levy failed in May.  I left that meeting realizing that everyone in the administration was over their head with the size of the problems they were trying to solve, and the union controlled everything.  So there wasn’t anything they could tell me that would earn my vote until they made serious changes to their leadership structure and outside influence.   

If you’re like me, a person that loves traditional American values, small government, and is suspicious of institutional influence, it is not an option to indirectly supply money to an organization that will then support a governor like Ted Strickland, or a President like Obama.  Even if I did want to give money to the school, because I don’t want my money indirectly converted to union support for a politician that will then in turn come after the way of life that I personally value.  The presence of the powerful union creates a barrier between a person like me, and the school system that I value because I disagree with the philosophy of that union and the politics they represent.  They certainly have a right to exist, but not from the funding of my tax dollars.    

The indirect nature of course comes from the union dues of the teachers, which are paid with our tax dollars.  And because their contracts make them very secure, and keep the highest paid workers the longest, letting go of the teachers with less tenure when they must, those union dues are then funneled to political activity.  Not the kids.  Nothing against Mrs. Buschle, but my political affiliation is much different than her’s, and I don’t wish to support her activity with my money.  So for me, that is the number one reason for not voting for the levy.  No matter how many presentations they present to plead to the public, they still have a costly union that stands between the school system and the public.  As long as that exists, it prevents my full support in a school system.

This isn’t new for me.  I’ve been against union activity for many, many years.  I worked for one once, and it was very contentious and filled with many stories that will be told around water coolers for years.  Many of those stories involve conflict.  I have no tolerance for thug like behavior that comes from pack mentality that often comes out in strikes and threatened union stewards.  I personally blame that type of organization for making America less competitive and responding slowly to changing economic conditions which have resulted in exporting jobs to China, and India.  And such an organization even locally migrates influence up the ladder to large global affiliations that conduct political movement that by-passes our ability to vote.  I can see a time when unions did some good, but as they’ve evolved, they just kept growing to where they became as bad as the companies they originally sought to protect people from.    

But many dissenters to the levy are voting strictly on cost.  They may have been generous in the past, but can no longer say yes because now they are hanging on in a tough economy.  And while many would love to pay the levy, they simply can’t because the taxes are just too high.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a business, or a residential property, the taxes have reached a place where too much is just too much. 

In response the school system is doing the predictable thing; they are making threats, by passing out on the first day of school literature for kids to send home to their parents lobbying for the levy.  Such literature professes that the school system will have to cut an additional $12 million to the $13 million that have been made already.  There will be increases in class size, cuts to two thirds of the athletic budget including elimination of junior high athletics, the termination of 130+ additional teachers and staff, and many other issues.  Superintendent Mike Taylor made the comment that people can’t expect to see the same good school system if all these cuts are made. 

The reality is that the State and Lakota are pointing to one another.  The state needs Lakota and its success.  And Lakota blames the state for unfunded mandates as a rationale for funding.  And they count on the naïveté of the public to not look closely at the shell game.  The confusion has essentially created a revenue stream that is very lucrative to those who work in education.  And because of the union contract, most of the district’s funding is locked up.  So they can only be minimally efficient. 

Stories like we’ve heard of Butler Country Auditor Roger Reynolds who just refunded $502,186 back to the community, won’t happen in Lakota.  In fact, Lakota is getting back $120,600 from Roger’s office.  Roger achieved this savings by reducing overhead and administrative costs by 35% or otherwise $2.1 million since he took office in 2008.  When Lakota cuts, they say we are losing services.  When Roger does it, he is giving money back to the community.  That’s the philosophic difference.  The cuts Mr. Reynolds did were true, efficient cuts and quite extraordinary taking into account that the size of the Auditor’s office doesn’t come close to the enormous size of the Lakota school system.  The cuts Lakota did are cosmetic cuts that should have been done all along. 

For my support, Lakota would have to separate itself from a teachers union.  There is nothing about that relationship that I feel good about.  I simply don’t want my hard earned money going to union support that will be used against me politically.  That would be foolish.  But I suspect that the rest of the community would require a business manager that could come into the school system and dramatically cut costs in a way that Jack Welsh did for GE, and similar personalities have done when costs migrate to unsustainable levels in large organizations.  The community just doesn’t have the money to support levies the way they have in the past, and now we’ve reached a diminishing return.  The growth was caused by aggressive development, and the school system grew because the people moving to the district came here for the schools.  The funding problem comes from the fact that wages migrated out of a zone that a community can fund, and the school system, and the rest of public education is guilty as well, did not stay within a reasonable budget, but allowed things to get out of control.  Dramatic restructuring of their funding practices and revenue stream will have to be implemented, and they’ll have to do it while still performing at a high level.  And the state of Ohio has to properly fund our schools, because we also pay taxes to the state and expect that money to be used where we need it.  And our schools need it.    

If the levy fails, and the pro levy people leave, like they threaten I know the district will survive.  I lived in the district back in the days when Lakota was rural.  Lakota was a good school then, and it will always be, because a school reflects the community, and the community has good people in it.  If the new comers move out, they’ll just overload another district the way they have Lakota, in search of quick and easy answers which never come.

It is naive to even consider that throwing money at Lakota’s problem will solve anything. The solution to the problem will be tough, but starts with understanding that the school system is not the community.  The community will always be good if the people in it are excellent.  It is only natural that kids that come from good people will make a school system good too. 
But the teachers and administrators don’t make good kids or good people.  Parents do that.  Don’t let them take credit for the things you’ve done as a parent.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com

A Journey through Progressive Philosophy

What is the Progressive Philosophy and why it’s a misguided and naive journey that millions of good Americans have fallen to?

What follows is a video journey of progressive ideology. The below video is a clip from Angeles in America.  You will recognize Meryl Streep and Al Pacino, both of whom I think are fantastic actors.  But you have to remember, they are actors, and their thoughts generally come from a writer, which makes them perfect pitchmen of political philosophy.  They often don’t investigate matters too deeply, the same as everybody else in every workplace.  Because the money in Hollywood goes to projects and people who embrace progressive thought, naturally successful actors will reflect that philosophy.  That’s how they stay in work. 

This is the platform:

This is the implementation:

This is the reality:

The Warning from 1946.

The hope to stop the Snake oil salesman that have dominated our political system.



The War:

What are the weapons and when did they strike hardest………sex:

This in 2003

And this in 2004

After these events, sex officially became mainstream on public air waves. Films then had to take the next step, and the pornographic industry had to turn up the marketing blitz. And during this great distraction, which is so very easy and seductive, progressive ideas have grown deeper roots.

With this information, do what you will with it. But don’t be gullible in thinking that this is not an organized insurrection from foreign powers no different than mankind has always experienced. For all those literature buffs out there, read Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, one of my all time favorite plays. The motives from then are the same as now.

My advice, don’t buy the snake oil.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com

A Whip Trick to Save America

It was the conclusion of a particularly difficult week when I read on The Blaze.com  that a group had formed to watch out for hostile Tea Party Members, this coming on the heels of the 8/28 Rally, which may have been one of the most peaceful gatherings of such a large crowd to ever migrate to Washington. Locally, I had several colorful debates with a number of individuals regarding a school levy, which is the second attempt in less than 6 months. The article in The Blaze hit a nerve with me because as I looked into the group that was performing this “Watchdog” of the Tea Party, and saw what they considered to be “hostile, or extremist” behavior, it was apparent to me that I fell in that extremist category just by breathing air. And that the problem wasn’t in some far away land, but the same rhetoric was being applied by local union members and dedicated parents to create the same PR campaign against opponents of a school levy.

I was thinking about all these topics a few months ago also, when I sat down for a steak dinner with some of my friends after the Annie Oakley Western Showcase at the Darke County Fairgrounds, hosted by Gery Deer. Chris Camp had taught me a trick that he was doing for his shows all over the country that I wanted to try, so as I have been working on that trick, these other political problems stayed at the front of my mind, leaving me to come up with a thesis of sorts, which culminated into this video.

Enough said.

After my initial post of this, I am honored that the hottest thing regarding internet news The Blaze did a feature of this video once they heard about it.

http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2010/09/04/a-whip-trick-to-save-america/

Hope those guys keep up the great work, because I am seeing them publish stories quickly, and of a large array of topics that are hard-hitting and to the point.  Too bad the rest of the media hasn’t been doing this kind of work all along, because America wouldn’t have slipped into this propaganda war that we are currently in.

UPDATE —  see the latest version of this trick called A Whip Trick to Save Lakota.  CLICK HERE.  

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com

American Light in the Darkness of Humanity

President Obama is completely wrong when he says in this speech that Europe has a leading role in the world that America has failed to appreciate. 

Obama is naive in his musings.  While he does discuss that Europe looks at America with animosity, it is with similar eyes that a parent looks to a child that has grown up and away and achieved much success on their own, that jealousy corrupts Europe’s judgment. 

Europe is a land where conflict abounds in continued droves of manipulated factions.  In America, our success has always been greatest when the people were not hindered by useless government and the factions connected to it. 

Such a dramatic example of the European model was out in full force when Al Sharpton held his rally at the same time as the Glenn Beck Restoring Honor speech in Washington. 

In this case, if Al wanted to truly take that next step, he would have taken all the people at his rally over to Becks rally and asked Glenn if his rally could be a part of the festivities.  And without a doubt, Glenn would have incorporated them into the Restoring Honor Rally. 

But Al is all about divisiveness.  All his power comes from the conflict of black against white.  He has no desire to truly succeed at a world where white and black work together for a strong America. 

And such is the relationship between Europe and the United States.  Europe will never admit that America has developed a supreme self government that has allowed for fantastic technological advancements and a robust economy.  And this is the reason for the naiveté of the president’s speech to Europe. 

The Restoring Honor Rally at Washington was all about fixing what it means to be American, then seeking to replace the corruption that we’ve allowed to fester in our government like termites in a home, because we allowed ourselves to look to other countries for guidance when the answer has always been within ourselves.  But such a society does not want leaders, because each individual is a leader of their own lives.  And Europe will never go for that.  They’ve been at war with each other since the Neanderthal painted a cave painting in France.  Actually, probably much longer than that, but you get the point. 

And even on the day after, there is much debate over how many people actually showed up.  Was it 100,000, or 500,000?  Such a focus on things like this show how trivial the media is, and why there is a need to discuss spiritualism in American culture, and remind people what it says at the top of the Washington Monument. 

What matters is that we serve as an example of what works, and to not extend a hand out to a corrupt system of government.  But before we can do that, we have to know what it is that we are.  And to consider that, remember that America was founded with voracity to escape Europe’s philosophies.  And the pain of that is reflected in Chief Seattle’s Speech from 1854.

Chief Seattle talks about our Time of Decay, and that is where we are.  And if one wants to truly preserve the Native American, we will make the conflict with them a worthy one, and allow for one country on the face of this planet to serve as a beacon of freedom and perpetuator of goodness for all the world, because we sit in a similar place as the Red Man of Chief Seattle.  Europe is at our doorstep, corrupting us with their divisiveness and corruption, with their greed and quest for power.  And what we do with that will decide the fate of humanity.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmwarrior.com

Taking the Red Pill

The Matrix has a wonderful way of putting a very common dilemma that we all face, the blue pill, or the red pill.  Now a word of warning, this is a long blog, and some of the videos are quite extensive, and are designed to assist the text.  So a bit of time is recommended to read this one. 

This dilemma is one that we are encountering politically, one that we are engaged in spiritually, and it certainly is economic in nature. And it can be best summed up as do you want to take the blue pill, which in the film The Matrix keeps a person asleep and connected to a massive virtual reality simulator, or do you take the red pill, which cuts off your brain from the simulator, and lets you see the truth.

I was watching a show on Fox, some dance show where a black dancer, an Indian dancer, a white female, and actually a person in a wheel chair were dancing on a stage. I thought the wheel chair dancer was a bit strange, and that is what keyed me to look at the other dancer’s ethnicities. I’m certainly not against any of those groups dancing, but what I felt I was witnessing was a bit of propaganda, to advance a social agenda. And for me, that’s where I draw a lot of lines. To me, this was blue pill propaganda. Let me explain.

In 1993, I was part of a “change of use” project for a rehab on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. That year, the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 was well under way, and the building code people for the city of Cincinnati were very sensitive to it. So it made my life a literal hell, because investors I had in the project I was working on were impatient to see a return on their investment, and this ADA thing was delaying the project.

The delay was simple. My change of use was on a third story warehouse space and it had a loading ramp that took people to that floor. It was a nice big ramp that a car could drive up with little trouble. But, the business on that third floor was a commercial business, and in order to get the permit, I had to comply with the ADA, which meant that people in wheel chairs had to be able to get up to that floor on their own.

The grade on the ramp was too steep for the ADA law, so the only option was that I’d have to put in an elevator, which at the time would take the enterprise up an additional $50,000 dollars and push my project over budget. And the investors would not budge on that money, so it left me in a terrible position.

Needless to say, I worked through the problem. I read the law and the Ohio version of it backwards and forwards and back again. It was a huge book of code law. I remember well over a thousand pages, and I eventually found a clause which consisted of 1 sentence which exempted our project from the law.

But until I found that, I was in deep trouble.

Now I went to the extra trouble to find a way around the issue that didn’t involve money, because the money wasn’t available. So in order for the project to move forward, I had to figure it out. I had two architects and an engineer that had to be fired and took those duties over myself in order to proceed, because within those establishments, the ADA was already an accepted practice, and they were telling their clients to spend the money to deal with the law, and they wouldn’t do the extra work to find a way around the law to save money.

What that means to me is that the cost of every project for everyone increased proportionally after the ADA went into effect, which of course drives up the cost of the services they provide, in order to recover the cost. And when it comes to government work, it justified increased spending and revenue collecting, so the ADA was a tremendous revenue stream and job creation bill.

I’ve never had anything against handicaps. My personal thoughts are one of independence. I support advancing technology that would eliminate handicaps. If the money spent on the ADA were spent on scientific research, it can be argued that we could have eliminated handicaps completely by now. But in my experience, and knowing the heart of many politicians including mayors, congressman, city council members, and you know who you are; I believe that there is a strong desire to keep people handicapped so there is job security for government. It’s not religion that is holding back Stem Cell Research. It’s government, because if people healed themselves, there’d be no reason for Health Care reform. There would be no reason for government. But we know through science, now, that aging truly is a choice. We have within ourselves the ability to heal anything, because we were built from the same cells that still reside in us all.

Without question this is the desire behind racism. As long as there is racism, there is a need for government to act as a referee. It’s all about job creation, and has nothing to do with the betterment of mankind. This is certainly the motive behind the immigration issue, which is more about bloc voting than human rights. And this is at the core of the mosque issue in New York. Government loves the conflict because it creates something for them to do, to justify their existence.

What would you say if I told you there was an immediate solution to our transportation problems in this country? Well, there is, a technology exists right now that could put the United States leap years ahead of the rest of the world technologically, and would save billions of dollars on transportation maintenance costs. It’s called the M400 Skycar. It’s been around for a while. Check out the video. Or visit http://www.moller.com.

But government has been dragging its feet with this. They know that such an invention would screw up everything. States wouldn’t need so much highway funding from the Federal government because maintenance of highways would go down dramatically. We’d still need them, but to a much less extent. The Federal government uses funding to supersede the 10th Amendment in the states which allows congress and the President to impose laws they create, such as the ADA, or Health Care, or Education policies. And education is the most dangerous, because we are starting to see that 30 years of sensitivity teaching is having its effect on our population, which was the aim of government from the beginning. It makes it much easier to manage the masses, if the masses just do what they’re told. It’s an involuntary reaction to the primary concern of job security government has as it expands, and creates more and more departments.

Many people forget, but the Department of Education was only created in 1979. It’s not like it’s been around since the founding of the country and is an American tradition that must be preserved. Like many things in government, it was created after World War II, and once people fill those jobs, they go to work to justify those jobs.

It requires an intelligent public to see through the crap and vote correctly.

Now I just dumped a lot on you, and believe me dear reader, I’m sorry. Because, you see, I am on the red pill plan. I like to see things for how they are. And from what I see, most of civilization is on the blue pill.

How can I say this? Go to your local sports bar and look at what people are doing. They’re drinking to forget, and watching sports to fill their head with trivia they understand. The youth values are misplaced. Their primary information is coming from MTV, and American Idol. Their goals are clubbing and getting laid, which to me seems like a terribly short sighted way to spend time. But I’ve been married for over twenty years and one of the benefits of having a partner, and a good sex life, is that you don’t have to waste time on that non-sense. That would normally be harmless entertainment if people were on the red pill plan, but they aren’t. People want it easy, they don’t want to see. They don’t want the conflict, and they don’t want the responsibility of a decision. And being a voter requires all of those things. To be a good voter, you have to want to see the truth.

I’ve said a lot here and hopefully I haven’t lost you. Because there are things here that needs to be said in my opinion and nobody is talking about it. Glenn Beck does to some extent, but beyond him, I can’t think of too many people that truly get it. The one’s that do are either billionaires hiding behind their fortunes, or they are mountain recluses that just stay in their homes and shake their heads in frustration.

I can’t say enough about The Federalist Papers. In that book Alexander Hamilton and Madison go on to great extent about all the dangers we are currently experiencing. It brings to my mind that if attorneys had to read this book in law school, which I understand they do, then they didn’t understand it. Because the practice of law in this country is as out of control as the politics and none of them are following the formula laid down by the founders, they missed the point completely.

But the reason is that they are taking the blue pill. They are only going to law school to get to the good money of becoming a lawyer. They have their eye on the nice home, the nice family by looks only, the nice car and the social respect that only values the surface of things, in other words, the blue pill values.

And these are the people that don’t want to consider that it is a constitutional breech if the President was an illegal alien, and this is why he’s sensitive to the illegal alien issue, aside from the fact that illegal immigration is a major voting bloc of the Democratic Party. Or that it’s possible he’s like a suicide bomber sent on a mission to undo the United States from within. I’m not saying he is or isn’t any of these things, but the fact that people don’t even want to discuss it says a lot. Because the observations any thinking person has witnessed brings up the questions.

One of my favorite video games is Sid Meier’s Civilization. In that game you basically take a civilization from the Stone Age to the space age. You fight wars, develop culture, and maintain relationships with other nations, on a quest to advance your own country. In that game you can use spies to infiltrate rival countries and steal their technology. You can use important people to convert other civilizations cities to function under your control, and generally use large amounts of deception to advance your own civilization. And it is impossible to play this game without wondering if the same strategies are being applied to the United States from aggressive foreign enemies, enemies that shake your hand to your face, and plot your demise behind your back. Is such a thing a foreign concept? Doesn’t every work place in America have these kinds of elements? So why wouldn’t such plots exist at the highest levels of office politics? Why doesn’t anyone want to ask the question, and they point at the ones that do and cry conspiracy in an effort to shut them up? Because they want the relief of the blue pill, they want the simulation.

When you have an entire branch of government that doesn’t listen at all to the needs of the people that are active in government, because they are in a race to make the other half of the country, the youth, the illegal immigrants, the poor, the minorities, empowered enough to become a majority of the country’s population, then you wonder who they are listening to. Is it far fetched to think that a president would be placed into a position to undermine the constitution, and religious foundations by other civilizations? Is it that extreme? Is it far fetched that if America only pulled together after 9/11 when terrorists attacked a symbol of our economic might, hoping it would plunge America into chaos, that the same terrorists would try a different tactic, and undo the United States from within, and take away that sense of pride that was displayed on 9/12?

These are tough problems. But they can’t even be discussed if voters chose to take the blue pill instead of the red one. And it’s a shame. We get the country we deserve. And our worth is only as good as the reality we are willing to accept.

So is it the blue pill, or the red pill? Your decision and the fate of humanity are at your feet.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com

My New Book: The Tail of the Dragon

For the last couple of months I have received a lot of email asking me why I spent so much time dealing with education issues but not addressing the obvious problems involved in law enforcement and the incredibly top-heavy budgets involved with them.  Well, it’s a bigger issue and can’t really be dealt with locally like education issues can.  And to me, I knew I recently completed the first draft of my second book The Tail of the Dragon that takes a hard look at just how far law enforcement has a right to go into our lives and the impact ethically that having too much restriction can have on the human soul. 

It has been quite a journey writing that novel. It started with a trip my wife and I took to the Smoky Mountains, where we ran the famous Tail of the Dragon on our motorcycle.  On that trip we witnessed the heavy hand of the THP as shown proudly in the video below.

I’m a small government guy. My childhood roots are in great car chase films like Hooper and Smokey and the Bandit. The way the Tennessee Highway Patrol acted toward drivers on the Tail of the Dragon set my blood boiling a bit.  So I wanted to do a story about The Tail of the Dragon, and the aggressive, and in some cases oppressive police presence there, and make the whole story like the climax of Hooper.   View that video below.

It is my belief that writing a novel can add new mythology to the embroidery of human existence, and is the most important, and responsible job on the face of the planet.

While most of the old car chase stories are considered to be low brow entertainment, I see a level of sophistication in simplicity that is missing from modern stories, which prevents readers from falling in love with the characters like some of the beloved characters of those old films and TV shows.  

The Dukes of Hazzard, which was on every Friday when I was a kid, still has a popular appeal to many.   To this day they still have these Dukesfest events where they jump and crash cars and everybody has a great time. I love events like this, because everything is so “unsafe,” and people have fun knowing how dangerous everything is. It’s a culture that most in New York and Los Angeles don’t know much about, but it represents a huge part of the country, particularly in the south.  And it’s a market that has been largely ignored.

Below is the famous Blues Brothers mall scene. Nobody has done a mall car chase like this in over thirty years! This is still a classic and beloved by millions, many for this scene alone.  So I made sure there was a mall scene in my book.

This past election put me on every news station in southwest Ohio, I was quoted in every newspaper, my presence was in high demand on talk radio, but above all those efforts, it was my ability to write, and communicate that made the difference on the unpopular issue of forcing education reform and defeating issue 2.  But I don’t plan to stop there.  Those of you that know me best understand I am not new to taking positions where I speak out on topics.  The issues explored in the Tail of the Dragon however, are larger and more complicated and require a broader public tapestry than what I can explore in a blog, and those other forms of communication.     

I think it’s time that something in our modern culture can reflect the happy-go-lucky attitude and tenacity displayed in scenes like this one from Hooper.  Socially, we’ve all become so sensitive that we’re all about to burst with frustration.  I offer the Tail of the Dragon as a relief valve for that frustration.

I wrote The Tail of the Dragon to entertain, and provoke thought.  It is an exploration of an authentic human existence explored through Rick Steven’s who after 20 years of marriage and a grown son that has just moved out of the house, finds he and his wife had seen their personal hopes and dreams drift away over the years.  Rick had put aside a career as a race car driver to raise a family, a decision that had always haunted him. Rick meets Chet Watson, a powerful attorney and former candidate for governor of Tennessee and finds himself caught up in the games of Watson and the current Governor of Tennessee in a plot to run for President of the United States by increasing the hiring of police officers all over the state.

CLICK BELOW AND LISTEN TO ME READ THE FIRST TWO PAGES:

After reading the first draft, I feel the work is close to what I’m looking for. The story is there and I’m happy with how the scenes go to together. Now it’s time for some re-writing. But, I am happy that I was able to capture the good old fashion thrill of the car chase story spewing with romance and danger, and to have characters that people might actually invest their emotions in.

And for the record, it’s OK to thumb you nose at the law……………..it’s even healthy for our republic.  So please, enjoy my new novel Tail of the Dragon, seen in the clip above and celebrate the law breakers who keep America free.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com

For info on my screenplay The Lost Cannibals of Cahokia, check it out here.  I’ve been looking for a good group to assemble for that project.

What is an Overmanwarrior and the Train Metaphor?

Sometimes, when a question is asked, the answer can involve many complicated interconnected themes. Such an answer may involve digging deep. So here it goes:

The term overmanwarrior has certainly created interest of many who hear it? The overman is a concept used in my novel, The Symposium of Justice, where a young woman describes her admiration for a freedom fighter roaming the streets at night in her neighborhood. Being a fan of Friedrich Nietzsche, she learned about the concept of an overman in school by that philosopher which best described her feelings for the controversial vigilante doing the work of a warrior fighting for justice when all others have seemed to have fallen to corruption.

A warrior does not always constitute a person that takes up arms against another human being. Some wars don’t even involve weapons or direct conflict. They are wars of ideas, and such a war is where America currently finds itself. There are hundreds of groups dedicated to the purpose of advancing or repealing current government positions. But, groups are never the answer, because groups are always subject to corruption.

The initial problem with human culture is that although at a core somewhere deep in our unconsciousness, we crave independence; our conscious behavior is still very group oriented. The reason for this is that it is safe, and all humans that breath air, and have a heart beat considers safety as a dominate thought, so self preservation is at the front of everyone’s minds.

The below graph is an example from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance a very fine book by Robert M. Pirsig of quality, of what makes a quality person or great leader. What is featured below is a diagram of a train traveling down a train track. The track, ahead of the train branches off in many directions. And the decisions for turning the train down one of those tracks is at the front.

Click to view:
Quality display

Now the train itself represents the organization. And the leaders of that train you would think would be at the front of the train. But most of the time, what happens, is that the leadership is at the back, because in the back, it is safe. In the back, if the train crashes, the people at the front of the train are the first to feel it. The one’s in the back can jump off to save themselves, if need be. Also, if it is discovered that the train is on the wrong track, the ones in the back can cast blame on the direction chosen.

What any employee realizes, unless you are fortunate enough to work for a company where the leadership is at the front of the train, is that unless you join the leadership at the back of the train, you are vulnerable. In short, we all know people who do this. We call them ass-kissers.

Organizations that I would most attribute to having leaders that spend their time at the front of their institutional train are Microsoft, when Bill Gates was heading the company. George Lucas and all his satellite companies like Industrial Light and Magic, THX, and Lucasfilm. Richard Branson and his many companies, but those are leaders that are very short in supply.

To illustrate the point here, let’s use Star Wars as an example, one of my favorite films, and sources of literary entertainment. That is one of the most popular films in history, and the original trilogy of films is over thirty years old, and is still beloved by fans.

Now consider, that film making institutions have had thirty years to produce similar film makers as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Yet they have been unsuccessful to do it. Film Schools have had thousands upon thousands of hungry enrolments, yet there is nobody, and I mean nobody capable to produce at the level of George Lucas. And when I say that I’m talking not just about making a great movie, many critics would say that Star Wars is not a good movie. What I’m talking about in a good movie is a film that is recognizable to most anyone in the world, and characters that have become part of the human fabric and is almost as recognizable as the members of most people’s family.

Walt Disney was a high school drop out. Lucas was a man that had his life change after a near fatal car crash, and Spielberg snuck onto the Universal Studios lot and pretended to be important until he talked his way into a position. What all those men have in common is they didn’t follow the rules, and stayed close to the front of their individual trains so they could quickly direct themselves.

Oh, you were about to mention Jim Cameron, director of blockbusters like Avatar, Terminator, and Titanic. He was a truck driver for a while, until he became possessed with the hunger to make movies. And he has a long history of pushing rules to their absolute limits. He certainly doesn’t play it safe.

Now I use film makers as an example because I know quite a bit about the industry and it’s always been interesting to me, of how a film will dismantle their teams at the end of production, and re-assemble at the start of a new. It’s a perpetual state of starting a new company with each film, which presents a whole sector of problems of their own. But the point is, no institution under countless millions of collective hours of study, have been able to duplicate the success of the men mentioned above. Not even with any of the great technological leaps. It still requires a great leader with vision way out ahead of everyone else to bring a film like Star Wars to being.

There is a reason some individuals are so good that all others around them fail in comparison, and often fail miserably. And Pirsig’s chart about quality is the place to start in defining what it is.

This is why schools fail, because schools teach institutionalism. In schools, there are dominate factions of groups that emerge, and they often collect in the back of the train where it’s socially safe. And anyone that dares to head to the front of the train, are ridiculed to no end. Because there is a fear among those in the back of the train that the individuals at the front might appear more important, because innately, it is understood that it is very possible that such a thing may occur. So peer pressure forces the leaders to the back of the train. Only the boldest of the bold stay in the front of the train, and can withstand the ridicule coming from the back by the masses of their peers.

I have sat across the table from mayors, state representatives both state and federal, powerful industry tycoons, party bosses, actors, stunt men, pro athletes, company heads, powerful drug cartel leaders, and in some cases worse and more powerful criminal elements, and in all those circumstances I have never met a man, or woman that I was so in awe over that I would cast celebrity worship in their direction which they fully expect. I have enjoyed the company of some of those people, but I’ve never considered them superior in any way to my thoughts, or strategies, and this is a recipe for disaster, because in deep investigation to the motives of individuals and their quests for power, are deep seated needs for honor given by title.

Titles are a very old, European idea, where they somehow elevate a man or woman to a position of respect. I have seen people that have clawed their way into positions of power, who get so lost in this infantile idea, that they can see nothing in front of their faces. The title they’ve acquired they fully expect to deem them respect because they worked hard to obtain it.

But, it’s in the value system of titles that many fail to understand the merit of the United States Constitution. In that brief moment where the truly brave, and truly intelligent gathered together in a small group of colonies in the late 1700’s, far from political influence, they rejected that structure because of the corrupt nature of man, mankind having a tendency to be corrupt, because of their love of titles.

On more than one occasion I have seen these men in high places reward those around them for displaying tendencies of weakness. When men show weakness, they show that they are willing to get in line for the fight for peeking order mentality. They will bide their time till they get to head a company, or a be a powerful politician. So weakness is encouraged in their subordinates.

More importantly, such weak personalities love to sit in the back of the train together where they can huddle against the exit door. The focus of their energy is in preparing to cast blame instead of solving problems. That’s why they sit so close to the exit, at the back of the train.

The bold ones, the ones at the front of the train will always be responsible for success, because it is their hands that guide the train down the correct track. But if they choose unwisely, they are the first to be blamed for taking the whole train down the wrong track.

Now the leaders in the back of the train call out commands, on which track to take. But because they are in the back, by the time the information gets to the front, the front of the train has already passed the point on the track where they could change course. This is not an accident. This is by design, because the leaders in the back are only concerned about the appearance of control. They don’t actually want to be in control. They would rather claim later that they assigned the people at the front to steer the train successfully. And if the people at the front steer onto the wrong track, then the leaders can claim that the visionaries did not follow their directions. It’s the old blame game, and it is the heart of everything that is wrong with the world.

Communism won’t save society because it requires leaders who will gather at the back of the train. Democracy certainly won’t, because the votes take place in the back of the train. Religion won’t work because it’s focus is on the next life, and not the one in front of us, a republic won’t unless there are strong individuals behind it willing to meet in the front of the train. No system of government will ever save society. People have to save themselves at the individual level, and if everyone does this, then society will reap the benefits and become saved.

I was raised a Christian, and learned very young that Jesus Christ was killed because he stirred up trouble at the Temple. What he was teaching was something the organized religions and local governors couldn’t control, and Jesus was a threat to that order. Now I don’t say that to mess up anybodies religious ideas. The motives of why Jesus sacrificed himself can still be debated and embraced. But at the heart of the social problem with the crucifixion of Jesus, he was a threat to political and religious power, and he had to go in order to maintain that order.

Another great revelation for me came after reading the book Forbidden Archeology The Hidden History of the Human Race. In that great book, years of undocumented archeology was reported stacked up in museums and universities because the research done at those universities were published in text books as facts, and would make that information obsolete with the new information. This is not a book of conspiracy, just a catalog of undocumented finds, undocumented because orthodox science does not understand how to document the finds. In this way, science becomes equal to religion and politics, where they hold to ideologies for the sole purpose of maintaining some level of control.

For instance, a university that does work on evolution and publishes those findings may advertise themselves as a leader in the field of science, and use that information to recruit new students. But if information comes out that makes the previous information obsolete, then that information would be dangerous to the university recruiting efforts.

So the university is less concerned about pushing the boundaries of understanding, then it is in growth as an institution, because the leaders are in the back of their train. There are of course parts of the university, scientist, teachers, etc, that are boldly in the front of the train, and the university loves to take credit for those personalities. But they will distance themselves quickly if something goes wrong, because the over-all goal is to maintain power.

I could literally go on and on for hundreds of thousands of pages with such examples. But the bottom line is that the very nature of quests for power prohibits making correct decisions in a timely manner, and all institutions are prone to fail because they are built by the architecture of psychological deficiencies.

So back to the overmanwarrior idea, an overman is a person wishing to creatively, and intellectually move beyond the planes of reality accepted by the current masses. They crave to, metaphorically speaking, be at the front of the train. And given the nature of power, it takes a special person to function without a desire for power. And it takes a warrior of sorts to combat those that will attack any threat to that power base. As shown, it takes a special type of person to be outstanding which should go without saying. But nobody will ever become outstanding, standing with the cowards in the back of the metaphorical train.

So an overmanwarrior is standing against the peer pressure of group institutionalism to uncover the truth of our past, and the fate of our future, while making firm decisions in the present. And they can do this because they are beyond the infintile yearning for power and control of others, because they are masters of themselves.

Rich Hoffman

www.overmanwarrior.com