The discussion that TSA employees were thinking of organizing under a union occurred during the week leading up to the weekend of November 20th. Also during the week Rep Charlie Rangel of the house was found guilty of 11 ethics violations. There was a lot of discussion in the news as to whether or not the house would extend the Bush tax cuts. All this was on my mind while I was rappelling in the mountains with my family.
During one particular decent on a particular rock face that was covered with algae, some apparent similarities became very obvious to me in relation to politics. Algae is a unique form of plant life in that it is a photosynthetic organism that mainly lives in water, and is similar to seaweed. Algae differ from other plants in that they don’t have true leaves, roots or stems. That description sort of reminds me of the typical politician.
If you want to make government smaller, or get control of the out of control costs of your school system, all you have to do is cut the funding that is feeding those systems. It’s that simple. Your tax dollars are the water that feeds the parasites that cling to the rock face of our countries foundations. And the growth of these prevents the kind of sure-footing we all need in running our country.
In school system politics, we’ve seen how schools all across Ohio have developed trouble for themselves. Their collective bargaining has put teaching wages too high, at an unsustainable level. And the teacher’s unions refuse to take steps back now that it is obvious that the wage levels are simply too high. Their wages in some cases rival the wages of those in congress and governing of states. Schools are a good model for the rest of government, because we still have some control over the spending levels in schools. So as I was thinking of all this rappelling down the rock, it came to me that the reason the algae grows is because the sun shines on it intensely as that particular cliff faced south, and water ran pretty freely down that portion of the rock face, giving the algae the opportunity to grow.
Forget the protests, the signs, and the letters to legislatures for more laws. If you want to get control of the out-of-control government spending that we are seeing, cut the funding that allows the government to grow. Nature will force government to become smaller and more manageable. Cut the money that feeds the growth of the politician. And deny the attention from society toward the panicky politicians that seek the funding.
Metaphor KEY:
Algae = Political motivations and political body of government Sun Light = The public attention on a given political topic.
Sum of the two = Control both aspects, and government will be forced to become smaller as a by-product.
If you want the answers to life’s complicated problems, nature always provides it.
And that is precisely why John Locke used so many natural comparisons in his Second Treaties of Government, which deeply inspired Thomas Jefferson and the Anti-Federalist movement of the 1780’s.
I would argue that just such a position is much-needed with the current problems populating our news broadcasts. What they all have in common is the need for your tax dollars to fund their activity. Cut their funding, and they will have to find some other rock to grow on, preferably in some other country.
It was good to hear Doc Thompson cover the issue of needed education reform causing so much trouble in Ohio politics. The problem is a twofold issue. On one hand, the tendency of the state of Ohio to lean on property taxes to supply the funding for schools has allowed for politicians to ignore their constitutional mandate to supply adequate funding for schools within the state. The other problem is that staff wages and benefits have migrated too high to properly sustain, a fact that can no longer be overlooked. Case in point, Kevin Bright, superintendent of Mason Schools makes over $218,000 a year which is more than the governor of California makes. In fact, that’s more than any governor in the entire United States. Yet, somehow Mr. Bright believes that the work he’s doing in education has more value than the governor of a state. Kevin has been an instructor at Levy University at the OSBA’s Capital Conference and Trade Show, which school board members and superintendents all over Ohio attend each November to learn how to pass levies. Cutting busing is one of the strategies. I’ve been meeting with current and former school board members from multiple districts who have given me a step by step analysis of what goes on at that conference.
Currently, the amount of property tax that is paid in the Lakota School district is $11.29 per thousand dollars of home. So a home valued at 200,000 will pay around $2,258. So when the kid from Ohio State made a comment that the cost of the proposed levy would only cost $20 per 100,000 dollar per house, you would have to add $40 to the above figure, which is a lot.
It is with great relief that Doc Thompson joined The Big One recently, and took up the issue of these school levies particularly with Lakota, because as goes Lakota, so goes most of southern Ohio. Below, listen to Doc addressing this issue on the 18th and 19th of November, 2010. I didn’t contact him and ask him to do so. He did it on his own, the same with Darryl Parks and Scott Sloan. In many cases we’re all people who know a scam when we see it, and if any venture has formed between us, it is out of shared annoyance at the arrogance of school officials that are openly taking advantage of the tax payers. And Doc came here and saw this situation for himself, and his opinion is his own. He has not been influenced by anyone from the No Lakota group. And WLW is not bought and paid for by the republican party of Southern Ohio. I can personally proclaim the truth of that. But what we all have in common is that we do have conservative, and libertarian values whether it be as businessmen, entertainers, or radio personalities and we don’t like what we see. That’s why it was very refreshing to hear the fresh opinions of Doc Thompson coming to the immediate conclusion that reform needs to happen, and the unions need to get out of the way, quick.
Doc, is a native of the Buckeye State, growing up in a small town in Ohio. He spent most of his career in Cleveland but has also worked full-time in Lincoln, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque. He is a 5 time Marconi Award (the Academy Award of radio) winner for radio excellence. I’d like to welcome Doc and his Marconi’s to Cincinnati. I’ve listened to him for several weeks now. It was difficult at first because I was getting used to Scott Sloan in that 9 to 12 slot, and since Scott and I shared many ideas on what needs to happen in education it is only natural that you build a sense of loyalty. Doc has clearly earned my respect. In his discussion on education, he wasn’t shy about taking the complete education issues directly, and that is addressing phasing out the teachers unions, which is a conclusion I’ve come to realize is essential before true reform of education can be implemented. And besides, anyone that is on the radar of ThinkProgress, is a man who is good in my book. Listen to the clips in these articles, and be thankful that the Doc is in Cincinnati.
Such a task will take more than just ground troops and yard signs. These school systems have controlled for years newspapers, local politics, real estate firms, and television media, because in television there isn’t time to dig too deeply. A school like Lakota has direct access to over 18,000 students and their parents, so fliers sent home go directly to a potential voter. So it is extremely difficult to fight these types of tax initiatives.A radio station like WLW though and conservative radio in general is about ideas. It doesn’t have the luxury of relying on visual images to make their point. It’s only the voice behind the microphone and the idea behind the voice that can give weight to a concept. So the voice behind the microphone tends to be a person of great thought to start with, and such people are not easy to fool.
Welcome to Cincinnati, Doc. It’s great to hear that there is a great mind behind the microphone and that the power of the Big One can loom over these school districts and prevent the kind of manipulation that they are accustomed to. Because I am personally committed to holding off all of the levies, not just in Lakota but Little Miami, Mason, Talawanda, Fairfield, Lebanon, and Springboro, and forcing proper legislation committed to funding schools in Ohio.
I say that because leaders from all those districts have been meeting now, since the election, and we are forming a group called tentatively Educate Ohio. It will be a force to be reckoned with in 2011. And we will need allies at all levels to undo the destructive network that has formed under collective bargaining.
The information below comes directly from one of my friends who attends every school board meeting and is very much involved in trying to help the school system solve its problems without hurting parents and children. Just because I’m on the No Levy side, it is useful to still speak to people who are for the levy and neutral so I can understand the situation. Below are his notes starting with a letter to the School Board:
Joan & Lynda,
Attached you will find a spreadsheet I prepared. The first two worksheets show the May and September 2010 Lakota Five Year Plans. The third worksheet shows the numbers based on removing the $3M kindergarten costs and removing $3.83M associated with busing and the 15 elementary literary personnel from the $12.2M existing proposed cuts. The fourth worksheet is just a what-if scenario if the district went for a five-year emergency levy in 2011. Here is the 2010 plan.
I really think you have another year before you have to make both the busing and elementary teacher’s cuts. These two items really will have the biggest impact on the students and their parents. You are affecting half of the student population with busing and eliminating crucial early teaching that has a huge leverage impact on later years.
In my assumptions, I did not include any actions to reduce the growth in employee costs, although I feel this is another area that needs to be looked at seriously.
I think you have to take Senator Cates word that the Kasich administration will not force the kindergarten mandate.
Thanks for your consideration.
These documents do not mean we need a levy, but are in fact ways of playing out different financial options.
Lakota has a lot of options. But they elected to extort the public with cuts in busing and other programs and provide the public with information to insight anger and panic.
While we’re in a season of Thanksgiving, I give my thanks to Glenn Beck for holding strong in the face of all the opposition, and continuing to provide insight into the dark exploits of the very rich, very corrupt, and the many, many people that will sell their lives away for a good income, who make themselves willing pawns to people like George Soros. That’s not to take away from my own family or good fortune. But we all need a country to raise our families in, and I am thankful that Beck has put the issues threatening the country on the table for all to see, so we can take steps as Americans to do something about it.
Soros indirectly has had an influence on Hollywood, which Beck hasn’t spent much time covering. His money and those like him are heavily sought after to bankroll films. Anyone that knows the film industry a little knows that Robert Redford’s Sundance film festival is the premier film festival in the country and studios watch it closely for new talent. And, George Soros has contributed a lot of money to the Sundance Institute. Soros is financing the film Better This World which is about the left wing terrorists that plotted to kill republicans at the 2008 GOP convention. And with other money being either directly or indirectly funded to film projects it is no wonder why Hollywood has moved in a radically left political direction. And I personally blame people like Soros for why Hollywood no longer knows how to produce a good western, and why the symbols of American individualism, the cowboy, have been reduced in the minds of the public to drunken fools abusing Indians.
One of the best books I’ve ever read is The Frontiersman. This is something that every kid in grade school should have to read as part of their understanding of history. But, it doesn’t fit with the progressive platform, and is therefore not encouraged as reading material. Dances with Wolves, although a good movie is not a typical western, but does embrace the progressive platform. A book like The Frontiersman does not, so it is ignored by the media outlets, even though the book is a far superior novel, it will never be made into a film while progressives control the funding structure in Hollywood.
Soros recently donated 1 million dollars to Proposition 19 in California to legalize Marijuana use, and I found that absolutely appalling. Many of the talking points about being able to collect taxes off the legalized use, and cost savings of decriminalization were very similar to the campaign I was involved in with education reform in Ohio and that was terrible. So there is no question as to Soros motivations. Proposition 19 is another progressive platform icon, which thankfully failed.
So how do we combat people like Soros and his attempts to undermine American Culture? Well, you do it the way he’s done it, except you turn it back on them. Beck has done that to some extent. The money he has made off his books and various enterprises, he has spent on research into the kind of activity he’s been reporting. Money can flow in the other direction if people are willing to put their money where their mouth like Glenn Beck has done, and because of the urgency of the situation, I am too.
If you’re looking for a hot new gift for Christmas or someone’s birthday, or to read for yourself, the profit I receive will go to a good cause and I can promise you I will create explosive results.
As to Beck’s visit to Wilmington, I will be there for sure. It’s practically just down the road for me. I know Wilmington extremely well. I missed 8/28 due to a wedding. I won’t miss this one!
Lakota Cuts Busing: Announcement made at Monday’s School Board meeting.
Completely on queue and as predictable as tears at a funeral, the school board announced that it was going to cut busing to students grades 9 through 12 including private and parochial schools, and students kindergarten through eighth-grade who live within a two-mile driving distance. This will affect 9,100 students and will put a serious burden on parents all across the district.
Parents showed up at the board meeting and expressed their concerns about the safety of their children, but they might as well of saved their breath. The wheels were already in motion, because cutting busing is one of the OSBA’s methods of getting a levy passed.
Mike Taylor announced that “Transportation is something that we have offered beyond state requirements, and we can’t afford it any longer.”
The No Lakota Group demonstrated how Lakota could work within their budget without hurting parents. See that plan here.
Cutting busing will only save $800,000 for the duration of the school year of 2011, and 2.8 million next year. Lakota is spending over $31 million dollars on teachers and administrators making over $65K per year. Yet, instead of making reductions at the top of their pay scale, like most companies would, they resort to the relatively small amounts of money that will put the community at an inconvenience and actually put the children in danger.
So this isn’t a cut to save money. This is a cut purely based on politics and protecting the top wage earners. It is nothing more than that.
How does that make you feel as a resident? See the history of the last levy attempt and follow the pattern. Cutting busing is part of the politics of the next levy attempt. It’s all about money and greed. Nothing else, otherwise the union would come to the table and offer to help instead of putting children in danger and parents under duress.
For perspective, here is some real numbers by one of our No Lakota people. This has been sent to the school board, so they have this information.
What this shows is that the financial situation does not show a need to cut busing, and in fact does not require such drastic measures until next year.
I will post more on this to show what a poor decision this is.
The freedom fighter, Cliffhanger battles the assassin, R.L. Justice and his Dark Knights of Order as sinister plots unfold upon the seemingly unimportant town of Fort Seven Mile. Inspired by Cliffhanger’s writing and heroic actions council members, Mary Lawson, Misty Finnegan, and the gunsmith, Ben Carter plant the seeds of rebellion as powerful forces set their sights on a secret project called, “The Veil of Knowledge,” a form of mind control being conducted as an experiment soon to be unleashed upon the world.
Plot to The Symposium of Justice, 2004 Rich Hoffman
One thing that is hard to come up with in a campaign is money, especially in a tax initiative. People are reluctant or just can’t give especially when they don’t see any direct result from the money they’ve given.
When you have a situation like we have in Lakota, and now that we’re talking about legislative movement where a very entrenched teachers union has invested millions of dollars lobbying to protect the initiatives that created the legislation that has embroiled itself in this whole education mess, it is apparent that money will be needed to take the fight even further.
If you look at just the idea of a third levy attempt within a year’s period of time, it will typically be the same three or four people that will give money to defeat the levy. And for them, the cost will be over three to four thousand each during that span, and that’s a lot of money for anybody.
Unlike the Pro Levy campaign, which has direct access to over 18,000 students and their parents through direct flyers, and many PTO organizations that contribute large sums of money, it is difficult to generate enough money to combat a tax initiative.
There is also an additional problem, it is apparent that virtually all school systems violate Ohio Revised Code 3315.07 (C)(1) which states:
Except as provided in division (C)(2) of this section, no board of education shall use public funds to support or oppose the passage of a school levy or bond issue or to compensate any school district employee for time spent on any activity intended to influence the outcome of a school levy or bond issue election.
What this basically says is that schools cannot use school resources to pass a levy. And what is happening is that virtually every school system openly violates this because prosecutors turn away from it. What is required for enforcement is a legal precedent to put the issue on the table, and that will cost money as well.
I personally don’t have the financial resources to continue to throw money at these issues, and even the most well off people that contribute to our campaigns can’t as well. It just doesn’t make economic sense. So what we need is a revenue stream, a fundraiser of some kind so we can fund the legal activities of fighting school levies and standing up to the politics that have built fortunes off education.
That puts my mind on a book I wrote back in 2004 called The Symposium of Justice, based loosely on timeless storybook heroes such as Zorro. The lead character and vigilante, Cliffhanger prevents the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the book’s opening chapter and leaves behind the Symposium of Justice, a manifesto that includes Cliffhanger’s 10 rules that read like Moses’ Ten Commandments, and a series of stories that are intended to justify his vigilante behavior.
Henceforth, the main character becomes an avenger of evil while walking the thin line of the law. The local authorities and criminals alike come to despise him.
Woven into the novel are stories of political conspiracies, horror, romance, science fiction and a legal drama that are deliciously vivid in their depictions.
I was very happy to publish this book in 2004, and I accomplished what I set out to do, which was let the book teach my kids some things about life that I wanted them to know. Some of the things I wanted to teach them had more potency coming from a book then if I just sat down and told them. So writing the book helped me introduce them to some very complicated issues in the form of a story. I knew the lessons would sink in, because they both did book reports for school on their dad’s book, which made them proud, and they therefore remembered the material because for a few months they were minor celebrities.
Further sales, although nice, and may contribute to a vacation fund, isn’t the most important thing in the world to me. This leads me to put the book to new use. Any future sales of The Symposium of Justice will go to add a PAC fund starting with the Lakota School Levy, and depending on how much money the book generates, extending to statewide education issues.
So what I’m saying is that starting on November 1st of 2010, I will donate all profit I would otherwise receive from sales coming from The Symposium of Justice and use that money to continue to fight education issues at Lakota and hopefully across the state of Ohio.
Using The Symposium of Justice as a fundraiser option at least gives the donor something back instead of having the feeling of contributing money and not getting anything back as a result, although, we will still take donations the traditional way at the NoLakotaLevy Website, emailing your intentions to NoLakota@roadrunner.com.
If you’re looking for something to read, or a gift to give at Christmas or somebody’s birthday, and you want to know that the money the author is making off the book is going to fight an important issue, then I will make that pledge now, and for the duration of time it takes to get the State of Ohio to fulfill its constitutional obligation, and so long as I continue to work with the original publisher which looks to continue well into the future, the profit I make will go straight to education reform issues.
The book is available at Amazon.com in a traditional format, or it can be purchased as a Kindle version for a much reduced price. Click here to buy the book at Amazon.com
I wrote this book to bring a sense of justice to my kids in a world that seemed to be going mad at a young and impressionable age. It would give me a lot of pride to know that The Symposium of Justice could extend that influence to others not only in the written word, but also as a financial resource to combat education reform resistance.
I’m not the only one saying that government is spending too easy the money that we gave them as tax payers. It’s far too easy to spend other people’s money.
I can’t think of a time in my lifetime when this many different people spoke about the spending problems of government. The problem is at all levels and its each and every person’s responsibility, if you’re a teacher, it’s time to start rearranging your life to something more manageable, because things will not stay the way they have forever. If you’re a superintendent, you need to do the same. In fact if you work for the government in any fashion, you need to make those adjustments now. Get your financial obligations down so you can endure the change.
The tax payers want to pay you well for the service you provide. But the days of blind foolish spending are gone.
Rich Hoffman
Chris Christie is doing now what governors should have been doing for an entire century. He has guts and is willing to address tough subjects. Here is a recent video where he challenges a superintendent from his home district and the money that superintendent expects to be paid in salary. For perspective, keep in mind that Chris Christie, who is running an entire state only makes $175,000.
This is not a problem regulated to New Jersey. In Ohio, Kevin Bright Superintendent of the Mason School System was paid $146,728 in 2005, and now makes over $218,000 in 2010. Is he doing work more valuable than the Governor of a state?
This is how these budgets the schools are working with gets all out of control. Nobody is asking these people to work for free, but over 200K? To be paid more than a governor of a state?
Education can never be discussed realistically in a funding sense as long as there are people in the system that are willing to abuse the system and use children to do it. And as long as there are people who are willing to look the other way and not discuss the value of a position, or to assert that the value of something is based on emotional concerns, all involved act with reckless irresponsibility.
On the picture to the right, the highest paid governor of a state is California and is just over $200K a year. Quite a few of them are making under 100K.
So how do we fix it? You have to tell them no, and what is acceptable. You have to not allow them to manipulate you like children throwing a fit trying to embarrass you in a store, because they aren’t getting what they want.
One thing you’ll find, whether it’s Arnold Engle of Fairfield, or Jennifer Miller from Mason, if you speak out against a school levy, you will be labeled and ridiculed to no end. This is exclusively due to a process of manipulation invented by Saul Alinsky’s Delphi Technique which is used by large organizations such as teachers unions to manipulate a community’s desire to the goals of the union leadership. They may not call it The Delphi Technique officially, but may only be some variation of it. But the strategy is just the same.
Now most people, such as Tony ‘Ambrosio and Leslie Renneker who addressed me in the Pulse Journal directly, are obviously only concerned about their individual situations. People like them want naturally what’s best for their children, and their neighborhood. They don’t look too deeply into things and are quiet happy to keep it that way.
When this Levy started at Lakota, I had no real intention of saying much. I do have my value system, and I think the public education system doesn’t do enough. I see it as vastly insufficient to producing American citizens. But I generally leave it to the public to make up their own minds in the election. However, I was reading the forums on The Pulse Journal web site, and noticed that a “facilitator” or “change agent” was working the board on behalf of the Pro Levy Campaign, as far back as August. When I left a comment that I thought was thoughtful and constructive the facilitator called directly attacked me calling me pathetic for my comment. Now I didn’t bring up the car issue. Somone else did. People never use their real names for these things, so who knows. I do, but for some reason people feel they can only have courage when their discreet. Anyway, all I did was point out that people were sensitive, and that the pro side should take that into consideration. I highlighted my comments in bold.
It was on that day that I decided to call up Mark and the rest of the people from the last campaign and join forces with them. Because I realized that if there were people like “think” working these forums, they were doing the same thing to voters in other ways as well. And that sent my blood boiling. It was the very next day after my last comment on this forum that The No Lakota Levy group was officially formed. And it was one month later that we went on WLW with the wage release information.
So as far as me looking for a fight, this fight found me. And when a fight comes to me, and I see clearly that there are people being hurt, and manipulated, and lied to, I will stand up to meet that fight.
I already had my commercial activities with bullwhips, books, and a few film projects here and there before any of this started. And this activity has been distracting from my usual passions. But the more you dig into it, the more wrong you find.
Read below how the Pro Levy Group was working in August, and if left unchecked, they would have continued with the intimidation and name calling because that is the way The Delphi Technique works. Pay particular attention to the posts left by “THINK.” There are other “professional” facilitator’s on these posts and they are obvious as well. Their goal is to control the flow of the discussion. If you speak against them, they resort to name calling in an attempt to keep those opinions off the board. It’s that simple.
11:35 PM, 8/18/2010
NO-VEMBER. Vote no on tax levy issue. NO-VEMBER. For those who want a private education, go pay for one. Lakota is a fine public school being run like a university. Go back to the basics and regroup. Lakota needs to cut like many families are doing throughout the country. Cuts always smart, but today requires it.
Daniel Moorman
2:07 PM, 8/27/2010
Still looking for a good deal on a house. Mark or Carlos are too busy with all the foreclosures that they are getting to fool with a peon like me. They want to deal with “professional” types. Don’t they know that they are the ones losing their homes and crying over 700 extra a year in taxes. Mark and Carlos are going to be making big money again….it is just a lucrative cycle for them.
HouseHunter
9:41 PM, 8/28/2010
I noticed the girls golf coach at LE driving aroung in a nice red Jag. Must be nice!
But the all one
2:54 PM, 8/29/2010
Are you really worrying about what car teachers/coaches are driving? LOL…is your life that pathetic and full of jealousy? What is her thermostat set on in her house? Does she shop at Wal-mart or Macy’s? Please go ahead and vote no, but stop showing how ignorant your thoughts are!
Are you kidding?
3:03 PM, 8/29/2010
Is the jealousy so rampant in West Chester that they are looking at what kind of car teachers drive? I think that is so typical of the snooty people that are in reality just getting by in the “Chester.” Maybe they should cut back on their own spending and then they wouldn’t be so jealous when they see others doing OKAY. For the record I know a teacher that drives a ten year old Jag that is worth about 4 grand….What should she drive?
Wow….
6:24 PM, 8/29/2010
Of course people are looking at what kind of cars teachers are driving. Most people have been on a wage freeze for over a year now. And many would love to average 51K a year. Tenured teachers are pretty secure in their jobs, unlike many of the voters out there, people will be jealous….of course.
Shame the kids suffer because of politics. Out of space, read more here:
9:24 PM, 8/29/2010
Hey Rich, I was going to eat at Wendy’s and guess what I saw? I saw a teacher going in to eat at APPLEBEE’S! Can you believe that? I think they were driving a 2010 Chevy. I could not believe it. How many of us out here in West Chester would love to be able to eat at Applebee’s? Teacher’s should be ashamed for flaunting their wealth in our faces. Some think you are pathetic Rich, but I admire you for standing up for us beaten down West Chesters!
Lakotian
12:27 PM, 8/31/2010
What parking lot have you been stalking today Rich? You see any expensive cars in the lot? Did they belong to teachers, administrators or parents? Let us know what you find out. I thought Bob was pathetic but I think you might give him a run for the title.
Where you at Rich?
1:05 PM, 8/31/2010
Pathetic…..there’s that word again. Name calling? Intimidation?
4:00 PM, 9/1/2010
All I did was point out that it was logical that people would draw conclusions about the type of car people drive. If you can’t handle that, you are out of touch. No wonder things cost so much money if you can’t understand that basic concept.
I can see what we are dealing with. Bad move on your part……..
I was very happy to have a civil debate and let the public decide. You decided to make it personal. Rich Hoffman
7:19 PM, 8/31/2010 And to those of you that think calling someone pathetic will somehow make money magically appear from thin air, and maintain the status quo, I prepared this little blog just for you.
Look at your own life and then consider if you have a right to call anyone names because they don’t agree with you, or simply brought up a valid point.
Pathetic……..????? That’s cute. Rich Hoffman
Rich, I don’t think pathetic was a proper term to call someone, but I think it is sad if you think it is “mature” to bring up what kind of car a teacher/coach drives. What does that have to do with anything? Pathetic? No! Sad? Yes! Just my opinion, but everyone has their own likes, and I don’t give a hoot what someone drives. Not sure why is would bother you. Oh and Rich I am not a teacher, but I do drive an Audi TT, hope that is alright and acceptable.
Maria
11:28 PM, 9/1/2010
Went to the “manwarrior” site and wasn’t too imressed…lol. My two cents would be that if you think it is appropiate to make commments about what type of car a teachers drives then I would have to agree that you have a big problem. It seems pretty silly with all the problems going on in the world. Hey what would I know though, because I am not a “manwarrior”? Whatever that is?…..Vote your conscience and if it is NO, then so be it….life will go on.
Lakotian
Stinks,
You have very slow reaction time since my note to Brenda was sent a long time ago. You must be getting old…go back to your rocking chair on the porch and stop yelling at the kids for walking across your yard.
Think
9:16 AM, 9/2/2010
Stinks,
First of all, many would argue that SS and Medicare are not American. I’m not in that camp: yet, I think it is arrogant to suggest you shouldn’t have to pay taxes to support the kids because your kids are no longer participating and out of the other side of your mouth say pay for my SS and medicare.
Do your part! Own up to your responsibilities. If you can’t afford it, get a job!
Think
9:11 AM, 9/2/2010
1:19 PM, 9/2/2010
Stinks,
What poor Brenda doesn’t get is that it’s not the government that will give her the 3% increase in her SS check, it’s not her too low past contributions either, it’s me!
She want’s everything for herself; but, somehow thinks its unfair that she has to pay into school taxes. If she can’t afford it, she needs to get a job to make up for her poor planning.
Think
4:37 PM, 9/4/2010
Avg,
Would it be right to say, “I never call the fire department…set a user fee up for that. I never drive on Tylersville road…set up a toll booth”?
What do you think? I don’t believe there are any state mandates for local roads or fire departments. Let’s go back to the old days…if you want to buy fire department insurance so be it. If you don’t so be it.
Geeze you guys are stupid
Think
11:00 AM, 9/5/2010
Most people already have their minds made up and some have been made up my lies that were told on blogs like this. That is okay because that is why this country is so great. Freedom! So let’s get the vote on and if it is no, that is fine, because the majority will decide. I will continue to call out liars as I see them.
Minds Made up!
10:39 AM, 9/7/2010
My dear “Making Stuff Up”….
My view of government’s purpose and yours are vastly different.
You try to draw a comparason between basic government services…. roads(infrastructure), police & fire, etc…. and having the property owners pay for extra-cirricular activities for little Johnny.
That assinine approach is why your side is behind 75% – 25% .(based on your side’s own polling)
10:41 AM, 9/7/2010
Dear below average,
Your view of basic government services that we should “all” pay for encompasses services that “you” use. As a society we’ve greatly expanded the services you consider “basic”. You don’t have to look that far back into our history to find that these services were considered private responsibility.
Think
2:16 PM, 9/7/2010
Dear below average,
Our country/community has a long tradition of considering sports programs as a part of the education system. Only now those such as yourself who’ve squandered your savings and haven’t planned for your future are crying poor. You are rejects from the 60’s me gen. who only think of yourselves. You might wish to change your name to “below average loser”.
Why should we eliminate these basic services that encourage kids development now? Because you are a loser? NO.
Think
4:55 PM, 9/7/2010
Below average,
That’s how you end up with a below average community filled with below average people.
Who wants to move to a backward place like what we’ll likely end up being? Answer…you and your loser family/friends.
I’m embarrassed for our community. How is it that Mason seems to be able to support their kids? The difference is in the make up of the community. We have too many losers here.
Think
Avg Taxpayer
8:07 PM, 9/7/2010
Thinky Boy….
My company told the workforce…15% are going to be laid of (fired), the remainder of you, in order for you to keep your job and for us to stay in business, have to work harder for less money.
I have yet to hear that from ANYONE at Lakota. All I hear is that the teachers have have bigger classroom rosters…
Translated… they need to work harder and they don’t like it. And before you hand me that “it’s all about education” garbage…….
If it was really about educating the kids, no teacher would ever consider walking a picket line.
75-25……
Signed,
Your favorite Loser…..
P.S. when you are out of facts, always call your opponent names… works every time….
It may seem like a small comment to send the word “pathetic” in my direction, but I know it means more than just a name.
And that’s the problem with the people that end up standing against school levies, like Engle, Mrs. Miller and Sharon Poe. They get labeled as radical because they bring up a valid point. And because they may in their private lives be history buffs, or avid readers of various subjects, they are aware that something isn’t right, and they fight back.
Here’s my buddy Jennifer from Mason. I like her fighting attitude.
When a person tries to help, and they get involved, they are singled out as a threat. It happens in every organization. Think of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer if it helps. Only people like Mr. Engle, and Mrs. Miller along with myself don’t require peer acceptance, so peer pressure doesn’t work, much to the frustration of those that wish to keep the status quo in line.
Here’s Jennifer again after she had been ridiculed by teachers and other members of the board trying to defend herself.
The reason for me that peer pressure doesn’t work is that my best friends in the whole world are my wife, my kids and my books, in that order. As long as I can read, I could care less what the rest of the world thinks of me. And that leaves me free to think about a subject without caring of whether people will judge me poorly.
Here’s my other buddy Sharon Poe also from Mason
It isn’t my fault if people like Mr. D’Ambrosio can’t understand the larger game going on. They just want their home values to stay stable, and for their kids to have decent lives. Before I ever became involved in Lakota’s issues, my research had led me to a place of understanding that many people would feel uncomfortable with. But without question, there are elements to public education that are undesirable for the proper assistance of teaching American boys and girls to become American men and women. And much of this happened because people like D’Ambrosio are too busy paying attention to the values of society instead of thinking about the world around them.
Most people like D’Ambrosio wouldn’t think much about these videos. I see this as radical. But to most, this is normal.
I like the song, but if that was my daughter in that crowd there’d be big trouble for her. Again, this is considered in our society as normal.
My wife and I have been to Cancun. I see this kind of thing and I simply don’t get it. I felt like I was from some other planet. But again, to many people, this is normal behavior.
This is how I spend my time with my family. And this is what is “normal” to me. All the videos below were done by my daughters. Because as a parent, you are judged by the kids you raise. And I’m proud of them. They have brains, and tons of guts.
This is my oldest daughter, and her then fiancé, along with her younger sister an best friend as I drug them all over the United States going to whip shows.
This is my family stuck at home during a heavy snow storm.
And here was a ghost hunt in the rugged hills of Ohio and West Virginia.
Becoming a pilot, at 16.
And this is from my youngest daughter
We spend a lot of time talking about paranormal stuff. But she has never lost her perspective on reality. Science is always first.
The reason I put all these videos up here are because I have never left it to a teacher, or an institution to do what is my responsibility as a parent. And I do look at people who do so with sad contempt at what they are missing. I leave it to society to make decisions in life for themselves. But don’t ask me to pay extraordinary amounts of money for a social experiment that doesn’t live up to my personal standards, which I admit are very high, too high for most people to be comfortable with. Just don’t try and scam me with smoke screens, and intimidation. That will make me very angry, very, very angry.
Because whether you want to admit it or not, this is what has happened in public education.
So before you guys try to paint me as some radical have a look in the mirror and the life you’re living. I’m living my life and I love every day of it. And that love of life gets passed on to the people around me especially my children. I have no sympathy to most of the parents that are using public education as a day care, and wanting the public to help foot the bill, because you’re not trying to teach your child. You’re hiring a teacher to do what you should be doing while you pursue a selfish agenda of your own. So judge me, and you’ll get it right back. If you ask me for money, you’re going to get the wrath of my questions and judgment.
NOTICE: THE FOLLOWING LETTER WAS PUBLISHED JUST AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE LAKOTA SCHOOL LEVY IN NOVEMBER OF 2010. IT IS BEING PUT ON THIS SITE BECAUSE I NOW HAVE PERMISSION FROM THE PERSON THAT GAVE ME THE LETTER TO MAKE IT PUBLIC. THERE ARE OTHER SUCH LETTERS LIKE THIS THAT COME TO US FROM PEOPLE WORKING FOR THE SCHOOL, BUT FEAR OF GETTING CAUGHT BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR PASSING US THIS INFORMATION, MAKES PEOPLE RELUCTANT TO LET US DISCUSS IT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROTECT THOSE PEOPLE UNTIL THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE IN DISCLOSING THEIR INFORMATION, SUCH IS THE CASE OF THE LETTER BELOW.
Michael Holbrook is number 11 on the top 434 Teachers at Lakota list. He is a principal at Plains Elementary. On the first Monday after the election of the second school levy attempt, this is what he sent out to everyone that would listen working directly for him at the school. Remember when reading this that Mr. Holbrook is the direct supervisor in that particular school, and his email was sent to his entire staff. This letter says much about not only his political affiliation but also where his loyalties reside.
Dear Students and Parents:Welcome to the Lakota Plains Junior School web page. We hope this page is a source of information for you and anyone considering Lakota Local Schools.Lakota Plains Junior School is a proud and enthusiastic school community of life-long learners where every staff member contributes to a positive learning atmosphere in which students can flourish. The mission of every staff member at Plains Junior is to promote a supportive and positive learning environment which encourages personal growth, academic achievement, and social learning.Every staff member at Lakota Plains is dedicated to lifelong learning, productivity, and enlightened citizenship. Students at Lakota Plains will be in an environment that promotes acceptance of personal responsibility, respect for self, and respect for others. The Lakota Plains school community is committed to exemplify the following virtues: caring, courage, honesty, justice, self-discipline, and wisdom.The Junior School years can be challenging and filled with anxiety for students. In addition to our excellent academic program and outstanding staff, we offer numerous extra-curricular opportunities, including but not limited to the following: band, choir, athletics, school dances, and numerous additional programs sponsored by our Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). We encourage all students to take advantage of these opportunities and experiences.With the combination of engaged students, supportive parents, and a caring and talented staff, we will achieve educational excellence and look forward to a successful 2007-08 school.Sincerely,
I have two children in Lakota schools and one recent graduate. My wife and I both voted no on the levy and will continue to do so. I’d like to offer my assistance to proactively prevent the next levy from passing. In my opinion, the reason the gap narrowed this time was that the teachers union mounted an incredibly successful campaign that worked well. My children and all of their friends passionately pressured us to vote yes because their teaches, the very educators we hired and pay, spent the last few months brainwashing our children to come home and pressure us. My oldest, a freshman in college was sent emails as an alumnus of Lakota and asked to vote absentee for the levy. Wednesday morning, the day after election day my fifteen year old daughter was told by a teacher that the homework assignment handout was printed on a piece of paper one-quarter the size of the normal handout because the teacher had to cut costs to save teachers jobs! I suggested that my daughter ask that teach why he hadn’t been that cost conscience the day before Election Day but just got a dirty look. My children are mad at me because they were told by their teachers that Lakota will lose its rating and they will not be able to get a quality education because we voted down a levy that is hurting them and their teachers. When this approach is done again and coupled with the bus reductions and sports cuts the next levy will pass, and the union will have another 10 years of sacrifice free-living.
I think it is time to put pressure on the teachers union and school leadership by putting them into a position that will expose their shallow attempts to make any meaningful cuts in sacred cows such as teacher pensions, salaries, Cadillac medical plans and other extravagant benefits. My idea is if we can’t beat them doing what you and others were brave enough to do to date, let’s join them. I’d like to collect a bi-partisan group of business leaders to offer free consultation on how to run the district as a business and not a bottomless pit of money. I’d like to publicly suggest that the district not only consult with business leaders who make these cost reduction decisions daily but also ask that the district set up an advisory board consisting of charter and private schools to help objectively evaluate Lakota costs and consider ways to reduce cost. Every time a levy fails the only costs cut seem to be those designed to intentionally hurt students and parents, while preserving the union. If/when the district refuses to work toward a business based solution and refuses to at least talk to charter school professionals; I suggest we mount a publicity effort that exposes the union’s true intention to protect them regardless of how it impacts the community.
I love the Lakota schools. I own a home and business in Liberty Township. I don’t want anything to negatively impact the quality of education or property values. I therefore want to volunteer to help Lakota to help themselves to become a more efficient and cost-effective business that doesn’t over pay and protect the union at the expense of the children, parents and tax payers. If you think this has any merit or I can help you to prevent yet another levy assault by the teachers union, please let me know how I can help.
Dear Students and Parents:Welcome to the Lakota Plains Junior School web page. We hope this page is a source of information for you and anyone considering Lakota Local Schools.
The Overmanwarrior 
