Tag: John Kasich

Still the MOST POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE WORLD: Vote on Tuesday May 3rd to avoid further taxation

“Our problem is not merely to help the students to adjust themselves to world life, but to make them as unlike their fathers as we can. While we are followers of Jefferson, there is one principle of Jefferson’s which no longer can obtain in the practical politics of America. You know that it was Jefferson who said that the best government is that which does as little governing as possible…but that time has passed. America is not now and cannot in the future be a place for unrestricted individual enterprise. The people of the United States do not wish to curtail the activities of this Government; they wish, rather, to enlarge them and with every enlargement, with the mere growth, indeed of the country itself, there must come, of course, the inevitable increase of expense…It is not expenditure but extravagance that we should fear being criticized for.”

That is a quote from the father of modern education and president of progressive policy who along with Social Gospel soldiers such as John Dewey created the situation you see on the below chart. The quotes are from Woodrow Wilson.

Check out the source article of this chart at: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/the-charts-that-show-why-the-u-s-is-screwed/

The new strategy among school systems to pass levies is to not advertise them in the traditional way, to not put out signs, to not send out mailers, and to attempt to keep things quiet so that majorities of the voting people don’t show up. Those who do show up are usually the employees of the school system, or those radical parents that are hoping to use the school to mold their children into miracles of future productivity, which they as parents lack the ability to accomplish on their own. Listen to Darryl Parks of 700 WLW cover this warning along with the pressing coming from extremely high gas prices.

Government, and schools are part of the government, are in a perpetual state of attempted growth. This is why government officials are often concerned with unemployment numbers. Government, especially progressive government, seeks to create a job to be filled by a living body. The focus is not on the productivity of that employee, but simply on creating a position and filling that position with a warm body. This is why government is so extraordinarily inefficient. And schools are no different. They are heavily staffed with senseless positions so that the school system can flaunt the numbers as if the number of employees a district carries is a proper measure of productivity. It’s not. Schools carry too many assistants at the administration level; there are too many councilors, and media specialists. And the invisible culprits to a school budget are substitute teachers where the normal teacher takes one of their many personal days (3) at Lakota and 15 sick days and must hire a substitute teacher so the district is not only paying the teacher for not being in the classroom, but must hire a substitute teacher to fill in. Now remember that teachers are only in the classroom for 9 months out of a year, so every calendar year a teacher is able to take 18 days off with pay, which requires a substitute teacher. Consider that the average month on a 5 day work week is approximately 20 days.

For a better investigation of these numbers listen to Scott Sloan break down the teacher’s contract for Lakota on the air with some levy campaign supporters. Most school systems in Ohio have comparable contracts, because the standards are set by the Ohio Education Association.

Yes Lebanon, you are in the same boat. Your superintendent rushed through a new contract prior to signing S.B.5 so that the wages and contracts were secure for the teachers union. Mark North proved where his loyalty was and how little respect he had for the tax payers that employee him. What are you going to do about it on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011?

Government is a corrosive, corruptible creature, and teachers are a reflection of everything that’s wrong with it. They take too much and do too little. Tocqueville proclaimed in 1840 “Having thus taken each citizen in turn in the powerful grasp and shaped him to its will, government then extends its embrace to include the whole of society. It covers the whole of social life with a network of petty, complicated rules that are both minute and uniform, through which even men of the greatest originality and the most vigorous temperament cannot force their heads above the crowd. It does not break men’s will, but softens, bends, and guides it; it seldom enjoins, but often inhibits, action; it does not destroy anything, but prevents much from being born; it is not at all tyrannical, but in hinders, restrains, enervates, stifles, and stultifies so much that in the end each nation is no more than a flock of timid and hardworking animals with the government as its shepherd.”

That’s what is coming out of our schools where the kids coming out of this public education system being taught by teachers that take 18 days off over a 9 month period and are off over the summer averaging a yearly salary of 55K in Ohio to 62K in some of the wealthier districts. Kids are being raised in this environment and they expect to be given a job like this when they graduate from college someday. Tocqueville was 100% correct in his assessment, the seduction of the weak, to become herded by a government shepherd in exchange for a good wage to perform in a mediocre way. This is what our tax money is funding, and essentially why schools continue to ask for more and more money in taxes.

Few tax payers ever really consider how much they actually pay in taxes, which robs them of money for themselves and gives it them to the mediocre only to feed a government monster with a big appetite.

If you listened to Darryl’s radio broadcast he also covered gas prices. There are two reasons for the dramatic increase at the pumps; one is that the Fed as driven up inflation, by printing too much money, and the second is that there are a lot of hidden taxes in our gas. In Ohio it’s between .47-.48 cents per gallon. This is why states like Tennessee and Georgia are .30 cents cheaper per gallon, because of the tax allocation between the states. Where is all that money going? What about all the sales tax we send to the state? And the federal tax. We are taxed on everything, and schools want to continue to tax our property to fund mediocrity when they’ve irresponsibly spent the money. All they know to do is to ask for more!

We have allowed ourselves to be herded around by the meek of society, people who are not the best we have to offer, but are the flocks of mediocrity that will bring a nation to its knees in lack of competition. We have thrown countless dollars at these flocks and they eat them mindlessly like cows eating straw from our hands with nothing to do with the energy the food gives but to convert it to fat.

Meanwhile the rest of us struggle to even fill up our cars to drive to work, to make a living so 57% of everything we make can go to taxes to pay these flocks of animals just grazing in a field while government proudly announces the unemployment rates without even considering if the job created has any real merit and adds to the productivity of the nation.

I’ve changed my primary job 6 times over my lifetime so far and I’ve never taken an unemployment check. Every time I’ve ever lost a job it was not from anything that was my fault. Yet it never occurred to me to file for unemployment. Heck, I’ve actually been impelled by sharp metal rods that went into one side of my hand and came out the other, I’ve had the skin ripped off the end of my fingers and pulled completely off, fingernail and all. I simply picked up the skin, cleaned it, and slid everything back in place, got my stitches and reported back to work by the time to leave for the day, and I never missed work for such things, and I never took a workman’s compensation payment. The people those Senate Democrats are talking to are those flocks of helpless little animals that just want a friendly hand to reach into the fence to feed them.

Compassion costs money, other people’s money and robs the people who receive the money the benefit of self-reliance. In this clip, Reid wants desperately to be a shepherd of the people because it gives him power over the meek. His secret desire is to be a manager of people and a hero to the less fortunate.

All he accomplishes in his ignorant grasp on society and history is a weakening of the resolve in the human spirit. He robs a man, or a woman, of their honor by placating their basic necessities.

How is what Harry is saying any different from what this farmer is saying?

To make this easy for all the teachers out there, the Senate Democrats, the progressives and media types looking for their next award covering “humanitarian stories” let’s go back to the basics and let Earnie explain to us all what happened to our tax money from these flocks of mindless animals that ate it.

And that’s where your tax money is going ladies and gentlemen. Remember, if you vote for a school levy, a social welfare levy, a tax increase of any kind…………………………..you’re stupid!

“If we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy.” Thomas Jefferson.

See, this isn’t a new problem. And here we are, the government is wasting the labor of the people both in unnecessary expansion of government programs and filling those jobs with warm bodies so it can claim a job creation statistic, and then wasting the money that the tax payer generates by robbing them of their labor and taking their money to spend carelessly on foolishness.

And to perform the scam this time, on this election on Tuesday, school systems, labor leaders, and bureaucrats everywhere are prying that nobody shows up to vote. Voting is still the most powerful weapon we have over the thieves that seek to rob us. Have the courage to use it and take the time to protect yourself from further tax increases on Tuesday. Only by cutting the revenue that feeds the monster which is government, can you hope to restrict the power it has to inflict itself upon your life.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

If You Vote for a Levy, of ANY Kind, YOU’RE STUPID: The Ten Planks of Communism

I have to give the disclaimer more and more these days because my comments are aggressive and as I see it. I see no benefit in dancing around the subject. There is no gain in a lie, such as, at the end of a movie you’re wife likes, and you didn’t, one might be tempted to say, “I liked the movie.” Well, regarding taxes here’s what’s going on, we are being robbed and forced to spend our money on things we don’t agree with. To get a taste of the problem have a listen to Darryl Parks on 700 WLW.

Now, a lot of people don’t want to deal with viewing tax collection as a form of robbery. So they put on the blinders and just try to forget about it. And if you make them look at it, they’ll be angry with you……….at first. Everybody knows the truth whether they speak it or not. Taxes are organized crime style extortion that is outright theft taken from us under a legal premise and sold as good intentions.

How do I know? It’s easy. You can conduct a simple test, the same type of test that you might use to check the chlorine content of your pool. Just take a sample of the water and check the chemical mix. For our society where education is the centerpiece of our social programs funded with tax money from funds collected and spent in our own communities, just take a sample and study the behavior patterns. It’s fairly easy to track. The superintendents of school systems are collecting enormous sums of money for phantom administrative needs while they actively cut teachers at the bottom of the pay scale. When they are directly challenged for their inefficiency and lack of control over school budgets, such as we have done in Lakota, and Mason, and now Lebanon, they scamper off in retirement or transfer to another system to maintain the façade rather than face the music of corruption that happens under their watch. (See the Channel 9 News story coming up on May 9th at 6pm.)

So if it’s happening right under our noses, what do you think is happening at the federal level? Where do you think all our hard-earned money is going? Well, let’s start at the top, with President Obama and his trip out to California to raise money for his re-election campaign. President Obama declared the 41st annual Earth Day as proof of America’s ecological and conservation spirit—then completed a three-day campaign-style trip logging 10,666 miles on Air Force One, eating up some 53,300 gallons at a cost of about $180,000. And that doesn’t include the fuel consumption of his helicopter, limo, or the 29 other vehicles that travel with that car.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/04/22/earth-day-ends-obamas-53300-gallon-trip

Why does he talk out of both sides of his mouth? Well, he’s  practicing communism just like most of government. Communists, socialists, and progressives believe that as the ruling class they know better than you do, and you are their children to care for. But they have a “do as I say, not as I do attitude,” which doesn’t fly with me. I don’t need a single one of them for anything. There is isn’t anybody in any government position including education that I can’t do for myself and do it better. Oh, I heard that, you say we need the military. Well, I like the military and for offensive weapons and the expansion of American ideas, I’m ok with some money going to a military. But for self-defense, if I didn’t have to waste money on the taxes, I could easily have my own militia that would protect my community or even my city. I don’t need a third-party for that kind of thing. So every dollar of money I spend in taxes is going to some inferior person to do a job that I could do better. That’s not to say that they are bad people, but it means that they function from a different ideology than many Americans. For instance, Obama and his friends while smoking pot in college sat around reading The Communist Manifesto, which I’ve talked about in great length. I read the whole book in one evening while I was waiting for my wife to pick her supply of books for the week, but that’s beside the point. Myself, and the people I tend to enjoy spending time with read Atlas Shrugged, which is the polar opposite of The Communist Manifesto.

Now, to my reasoning mind, The Communist Manifesto has been proven to be wrong. Poor Ayn Rand who wrote Atlas Shrugged was a direct victim of the Communist Revolution when the Bolsheviks over took the Russian government in 1917 under the long arm of Lenin, who began the revolution while not even on Russian soil. That’s how it starts. Today in America it is George Soros who is playing the Lenin role, with the massive amount of money he pours into the cause and he achieves his objective with his media power. Only he’s not trying to overthrow a country, he’s trying to create a World Government, and to do that he must eliminate the United States. He’s said as much. It’s easy to find.

But in essence, it’s no different from what Lenin did. But the idea is to create an army from within our own nation. Guns and frontal attacks are such a messy business. People don’t engage in war like that anymore, especially against a technologically superior opponent. You have to bring them down from the inside out, and the first step is to undermine the economy so the superior enemy can’t produce those powerful weapons. That’s what’s happening to us whether the weak-kneed want to believe it or not.

How has that happened in our nation? Well, it starts in our education system. It has always baffled me how protective a mother is when she has a young child, but how willing that same mother just surrenders her children to the minds of strangers within a school system, as if the mother has no right to question a school district about what goes into their children’s heads for 7 hours out of a day. Not all teachers are socialists, but quite a few are. Is that what you want your children learning, and do you want to pay for it with YOUR money, and pay excessively well for it? This chart is what teachers are making in Ohio compared to what the rest of us make. What are they doing that is so special and unique that only they can do?  How did we let them get paid so much?  Because they threatened to strike, often, so we threw money at them so we wouldn’t be late for work if the school wasn’t open?

Ayn Rand’s family suffered greatly under communism and she came to America and told the story of how it happened in Atlas Shrugged, which to me is the answer to any theory that Marx worked up in his poverty driven depraved state while writing The Communist Manifesto. The problem is that Atlas is a big book. The Communist Manifesto is a very small book, and is easy to read by losers, malcontents, hippies, punks, creeps, and the very lazy, so they make it their kind of Bible of philosophy because of the ease in mastery of the subject.

And we all know that it is a majority of the people described above that are drawn to politics. So it is simply a math problem to deduce that communist leaning politicians have infested our political system like termites since the middle of the 19th century. And they have done their damage.

Don’t believe me. Ok, you want proof. Fine.

Here are the 10 Planks of Communism as listed in The Communist Manifesto. Does any of this sound like the kind of activity you’re pouring your hard-earned tax money in to?

The 10 PLANKS stated in the Communist Manifesto and some of their American counterparts are…
1. Abolition of private property and the application of all rents of land to public purposes.
Americans do these with actions such as the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution (1868), and various zoning, school & property taxes. Also the Bureau of Land Management (Zoning laws are the first step to government property ownership)

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
Americans know this as misapplication of the 16th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, 1913, The Social Security Act of 1936.; Joint House Resolution 192 of 1933; and various State “income” taxes. We call it “paying your fair share”.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.
Americans call it Federal & State estate Tax (1916); or reformed Probate Laws, and limited inheritance via arbitrary inheritance tax statutes.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
Americans call it government seizures, tax liens, Public “law” 99-570 (1986); Executive order 11490, sections 1205, 2002 which gives private land to the Department of Urban Development; the imprisonment of “terrorists” and those who speak out or write against the “government” (1997 Crime/Terrorist Bill); or the IRS confiscation of property without due process. Asset forfeiture laws are used by DEA, IRS, ATF etc…).

5. Centralization of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
Americans call it the Federal Reserve which is a privately owned credit/debt system allowed by the Federal Reserve act of 1913. All local banks are members of the Fed system, and are regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) another privately owned corporation. The Federal Reserve Banks issue Fiat Paper Money and practice economically destructive fractional reserve banking.

6. Centralization of the means of communications and transportation in the hands of the State.
Americans call it the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated through the ICC act of 1887, the Commissions Act of 1934, The Interstate Commerce Commission established in 1938, The Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Communications Commission, and Executive orders 11490, 10999, as well as State mandated driver’s licenses and Department of Transportation regulations.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the state, the bringing into cultivation of waste lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
Americans call it corporate capacity, The Desert Entry Act and The Department of Agriculture… Thus read “controlled or subsidized” rather than “owned”… This is easily seen in these as well as the Department of Commerce and Labor, Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Mines, National Park Service, and the IRS control of business through corporate regulations.

8. Equal liability of all to labor. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
Americans call it Minimum Wage and slave labor like dealing with our Most Favored Nation trade partner; i.e. Communist China. We see it in practice via the Social Security Administration and The Department of Labor. The National debt and inflation caused by the communal bank has caused the need for a two “income” family. Woman in the workplace since the 1920’s, the 19th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, assorted Socialist Unions, affirmative action, the Federal Public Works Program and of course Executive order 11000.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries, gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equitable distribution of population over the country.
Americans call it the Planning Reorganization act of 1949 , zoning (Title 17 1910-1990) and Super Corporate Farms, as well as Executive orders 11647, 11731 (ten regions) and Public “law” 89-136. These provide for forced relocations and forced sterilization programs, like in China.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labor in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.
Americans are being taxed to support what we call ‘public’ schools, but are actually “government force-tax-funded schools ” Even private schools are government regulated. The purpose is to train the young to work for the communal debt system. We also call it the Department of Education, the NEA and Outcome Based “Education” . These are used so that all children can be indoctrinated and inculcated with the government propaganda, like “majority rules”, and “pay your fair share”. WHERE are the words “fair share” in the Constitution, Bill of Rights or the Internal Revenue Code (Title 26)?? NO WHERE is “fair share” even suggested !! The philosophical concept of “fair share” comes from the Communist maxim, “From each according to their ability, to each according to their need! This concept is pure socialism. … America was made the greatest society by its private initiative WORK ETHIC … Teaching ourselves and others how to “fish” to be self-sufficient and produce plenty of EXTRA commodities to if so desired could be shared with others who might be “needy”… Americans have always voluntarily been the MOST generous and charitable society on the planet.

Source article:
http://www.libertyzone.com/Communist-Manifesto-Planks.html

Now, to me, it is totally unacceptable that America has been tricked into a direction of communism. Communists are now in every layer of our government and our lives, and people no longer remember the basic premise of American life. We have several generations now that think history is listening to “oldies” from the 50’s. Their minds and sense of history is shallow and easily manipulated. But my mind is not shallow. I see that the state of our nation is wrong and I don’t like it, and I certainly don’t want to pay for it. Why would I give my money to a system of education I don’t agree with, that I believe trains kids to become less intelligent instead of more so? Why would I want to pay any money in taxes that gets funneled back to a public sector union that then spends some of that money on union dues that finances democratic candidates that are preaching communism with different names? Why would I want to send money to a health care system that just throws money at people who smoke, drink, have illicit sex and allow their waistlines to form their own gravitational pull on the moon? Yet my money is taken from me and given to places I don’t want it to go. It is taken from me without choice, and the thieves are asking for more every year.

The poor and sick need help you say………then let me give them a job. Get out of my way and I’ll put them to work. Don’t waste my time in court over your silly laws and I might eliminate the poor class altogether. What about the sick and handicapped, or the elderly? Get the hell out of my way and I’ll solve that problem for you too. Why do people need to get sick and die? And why do people have to be handicapped? Genetic engineering and regenerative medicine eliminates those archaic forms of medicine completely. But that’s not the real motive here. The real motive is the same as the superintendents of these school systems. Government has token positions that are all about power. Nobody actually wants to solve a problem. They want a needy public addicted to their services. That’s all communism understands.
On a daily basis, how much tax is stolen from us to be spent on anti-American activities?

Item Rate Notes
Federal personal income tax 17%
(2011 est. – 18.2%) Top 25% rate. It ranges from a credit up to well over 40%. Source

State & local income taxes 10.1%
(2009 – 10.6%) State taxes range from under 6% to over 12%. Local taxes run from zero to 2.75%. Source, source, source, 2009 source

Sales tax 9.7%
(2009 – 10.3%) Figure is the average rate. State sales taxes range up to 8% and local taxes run from zero to over 5%. Source, source, source, 2008 source, 2009 source

Social security & Medicaid 7.65% Total rate is actually 15.3% since half is paid by the employer, but we’re ignoring that to be kind. Source, box 1

Federal corporate income tax share 3% Based on corporate taxes being approximately 1/6 of personal taxes, and that they are paid by individuals in the final analysis. Source

Property tax 2.5%
(2007 – 2.7%) Yearly average actual costs range from under $200 in Alaska to almost $1900 in New Jersey. Source

Fuel/gasoline tax .5%
(2009 est. – .6%) Approximately 23% of the 2005 gasoline price is for federal & state taxes. The federal excise tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. Per the CPI, about 6% of the average budget is for transportation. Estimated. 2010 estimate, $.45 per gallon average. Source

Other 5%
(2009 est. – 7%) Includes estate tax, fees, licenses, inflation losses, inheritance, deficit allowance, gift, and others too numerous to mention. Estimated.

Total tax percentage paid by the above average US citizen, 2005 – 54.4%
Total tax percentage paid by the above average US citizen, 2009 est. – 57.7%

It went up 3% points in just 4 years. With that type of trend what will it be like four years from now? How about 10 years from now? What about when your children are raised and trying to start a life for themselves.

Now ask yourself what you get out of any of these services. I mean, what do you really get? What if you were able to keep that 57% of your money, and you didn’t feed the thieves that are stealing it from you and placing it where they see fit. Have you considered how wealthy you’d be if you didn’t spend over 57% of your money on taxes. How much of that money do you think finds its way to a whore on K Street or a lobbyist pocket for a vacation to the Caribbean? You don’t want to know, do you? You just want to keep paying the bully and thieves so you don’t have to think about it. So you don’t have to act or carry any guilt, because inaction is safe.

Meanwhile today in my town, the union thugs were hard at work collecting signatures to repeal S.B.5 so they can put the issue on the ballot this fall for repeal, so they can continue to extort money from all of us, leaving us without any legal weapons to protect ourselves from their greed!

So this comes back to the school systems.

A school system is something that you still can control. And if you want to get your hands around this problem, you start with the corruption that’s in your back yard and you work from there.

This is why Darryl Parks says if you vote for a levy, a levy of any kind, you’re stupid. You’re stupid because you are allowing yourself to be robbed, extorted, and manipulated to feed an evil, tyrannical monster hell-bent on destroying the American way of life. And they are doing it with YOUR money.

Taxes are legalized crime. And if you have any doubts about what I put down here, go check out Marx and his list. I didn’t write it. He did. I know about it because I read and I know history. Unlike many out there that just wants to keep watching the box score of the latest ball game, and tries to figure out how they’re going to put their kid through college without even asking if what the kids are learning has any merit or value for their life-long adventure. Most people are content to dumb down their children’s minds so they can get a good job, as if the trade-off were an even exchange.

So, if you vote for a levy………………….any levy at all…………………………you’re……………………….well, you know the rest.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Channel 9 News Report on Eduction Issues Coming Soon: The Art of Divergent Thinking

Divergent thinking to me is the only form of eduction suitable for the 21st century. What is divergent thinking? Watch this video and learn about it.

On Monday April 18th, 2011 I did a long interview with Channel 9 News that will be shown on May 9th 2011. This will be an investigative report involving education issues and will also feature two other education reformers in Jennifer Miller formerly of the Mason School Board, and Sharon Poe, the leader of the levy defeat of the last Mason levy attempt. It promises to be a revealing report that I will not disclose until the airing of the program. Needless to say, there is a lot wrong with modern education, one of those things is in the quality of the teachers. It has been taboo to speak about this quality problem, but as evidence to those concerns look at this video just released.

To me, as I told the reporter, education is one of the most obvious things you tackle when you’re dealing with corruption, because it is obvious that there are many that work in the education profession that wish to hide behind the good will of the tax payer, and the robbery of that group is blatant. Now calling it robbery is not a stretch of extremist rhetoric. When money is taken from one group of people and given to another against the first person’s will, it is robbery. And all forms of taxation could be said to fall under that category to some extent. With schools money is given freely, and the money is spent and when the money runs out, more money is asked for. Most of the money is taken from the people who vote against a levy, and the money is taken from them against their will. I don’t want one cent of my money to go to a teacher who thinks like the young girls that are in that video. “Empowering?” I don’t want people like that teaching the kids that we’re going to hand this world to.

That kind of abuse makes me furious! And it is wondered by many, why people allow crimes to be committed right out in the open for all to see. Well, the answer is that people want to believe that other people are good, and have their best interests in mind when action is taken. But what makes people so naive to begin with? What makes them so weak-willed and soft to the core. What makes their beliefs so fragile, even malleable? I would put the blame on public education, where social engineering has been underway for many years.

I don’t believe that the social engineering was consciously manipulated, but is the result of an inner desire of all forms of government to dumb down its customers so that those customers will continue to seek the services of government. And the customers of government are the tax payer. This is the reason that at every turn government seeks to make the world excessively safe, and dependent, so that government can survive and expand providing security to the fraternity of government agency.

Any threat to that fraternity is to be sought out and destroyed out of preservation of the government entity. I make no secret about it. I don’t like public education. It does not produce the type of students I think are relevant to society. It’s not the kids fault or even the parents directly. The school systems have for decades allowed them to become social police officers regulating life’s dangers such as making the shape of a gun with a child’s hand while they try to play cops and robbers, or discouraging any type of behavior that might be perceived as violent. And the result is that kids grow up to become passive adults that are easily steered by the persuasive words of a con artist like Barrack Obama, or even a Bob Taft. (He was a Republican) How anyone in society could listen to Jessie Jackson or Louis Farrakhan without asking why those people have a national platform to speak from, but just to accept it as a fact says everything, that people have allowed themselves to become so dumbed down and sensitive that they can no longer think critically. The fault of that starts with parents and then public education is to blame. As I look around at the way people vote and spend their time, I would say that public education is a miserable failure, because people are only living the lives of a fraction of what they should be.

As long as Farrakhan convinces people of these types of things, people will look to him for help, just like the silly teacher wearing the “Tax the Rich” shirt. Anyone that listens to a person like this is not capable of divergent thinking, and will be victims of manipulation. Hitler used the same methods as Farrakhan and people followed for the same reasons leading to the destruction of Europe.

The way the world should be is that a school should not have any business in whether or not a kid attends school. Truant officers have no place in American society. Who gave them any authority at all? Of what intention were they even conceived? Is it of the social need of a child to get an education and become a productive citizen? If so, how have the results been? Have they successfully made American civilization a better country, or just a complacent country that easily follows new rules such as seat belt legislation, or legislation against texting in a car. Look at the definition of truancy as described at Wikipedia:

Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate “excused” absences, such as ones related to medical conditions. The term’s exact meaning differs from school to school, and is usually explicitly defined in the school’s handbook of policies and procedures. It has no relation to homeschooling, although sometimes parents who practice homeschooling have been charged with this.[1]

A good friend of mine recently said to me, “kids need to be pushed, and that is the role of the teacher.” That thought drove me to consider……………………..why?

People have a natural desire to do well. So that leads to the definition of, “well.” Someone must understand what, “well,” is before they can define it. But public school defines well in a mechanical way, by grades A thru F. Wellness is somewhere between those two measures. But wellness is much more than that, so with such a narrow scope we are already setting kids up to fail. We believe that to perform “well,” we can coax them to perform with force, and that is the role of the teacher, to push the child to wellness.

But this does not work, because if the child is not inclined to act on their own, then the action of their being is built on a false premise and a life of inauthenticity will lay in front of that person that they will carry into their adulthood. So if a child is forced against their nature, they are broke down and rebuilt into something else, and that something else is what we are seeing the impact of in the brain-dead nature of our society.

That is just the beginning of my dismay at public education. But as a fundamental thought I see abuse of public school officials taking advantage of a broken system by falsely advertising the benefits of their services to busy parents that don’t want to consider the success or failure of public education as a whole.

So there is a lot to consider on this public education topic. At the most simple form it is disgusting that we’ve allowed public officials to police us with so many restrictions, and for us to accept it without debate.Because we have been so complacent, it has empowered these useless officials in New York to contemplate the removal of kick ball and wiffle ball from summer camps. That’s how far it’s gotten and if allowed to continue, we won’t have much of a society in a few decades. We will have softened ourselves up like veal to be eaten by a superior competitor, in this case another country, or even a hostile religion, because we’ve allowed ourselves to be taught not to question, but just to get a good grade from the teacher who trains us to follow direction without thought.

This happens because of traditional learning that does not prepare the mind to think critically with divergence. If our society is to survive, we will “PRESERVE” the divergent thinking of our children and not destroy their minds with mind numbing, Marxist disguises of social engineering known as “public education.”

Reform now before it’s too late. And certainly don’t throw any more money at it. To find out why, tune in to Channel 9 in Cincinnati, Ohio on May 9th at 6 PM.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Donald Trump for President: Why Not?

Why should Donald Trump be the next president? Let’s forget that he’s flip flopped on several issues. Let’s forget about his multiple marriages. Let’s forget about all the morality of the position. After the Clinton administration and now the Obama administration, the American Presidency is a joke. The royal illusion intended for that symbolic appointment is gone.

Obama has made an absolute comic exposition of the presidency. He has shown the world that the President of the United States is a token, iconic role that means nothing. Obama is a community organizer, no different in intellect than someone who runs a union like friend Richard Trumka. He knows how to rally people to a cause, but he doesn’t know what to do with those people or the idea once he gets there. Obama reminds me of the underwear gnomes from South Park. Obama has lots of ideas, and he knows what he wants the end result to be. But he doesn’t understand the process in between of actually getting to the target. He’s an idealist at best, but a terrible manager. He wouldn’t make it past round one of Celebrity Apprentice. I would say that Sharon Osborn has greater management ability.

So when I hear people say that Donald Trump is not a serious enough candidate to even consider for the American Presidency, that Trump’s desire to throw his hat in the ring as a kind of circus stunt and not to be taken seriously is misguided. I say why?

Does Donald Trump know business? Yes. He wrote The Art of the Deal, a pretty good book about business. That would be a good guy to represent America at the United Nations and foreign countries. That would also be a good guy to help our economy out of the slump it’s in, and see beyond lobbyist to put the tools in the hands of business to get America back on its feet, such as drilling for oil in again. After all, isn’t that why we made Alaska a state? Yet we’re not using it. China and the Soviet Union are using their resources. Trump is already rich, so who thinks that money from George Soros could influence Trumps opinion?

Obama is going to raise over a billion dollars for his next campaign. Where does anybody think that money is coming from? It’s from our enemies, and yes, the United States has enemies. Call them that! What presidential candidate can overtake a president with so much money and ability to manipulate the population with rhetoric?

The next election will be a circus. Don’t have any illusions that it’s going to be a serious endeavor. So why not have a president that is actually successful at business, that represents what being an American truly is, that represents capitalism in all its glory and ugliness. I would like to have a negotiator like Trump on the world stage, and as for a circus actor, nobody is worse than Obama. He has lowered the bar to make any candidate a legitimate option. I could run one of my nephew that is 5 years old and get better results.

I remember the negotiations Reagan had with the Soviet Union during the 80’s and Reagan held the line in his sheer belief that he was on the moral side of God. His determination shocked many of his advisors who second guessed him to no end. But Reagan did us all a favor with his hard-line negotiations and in hind-sight appeared to be a brilliant negotiator. The United States could use the best that we have in that department, and in this modern age, it’s Donald Trump.

So I say put Donald Trump on the ticket. Let him go at Obama, because the next election will be a fist fight, and that’s the kind of guy it’s going to take to win this presidential election. Not some soft-spoken nice guy that is super smart but doesn’t have the ability to convey their ideas to a public that just wants to watch TV reality shows. Trump understands how to do that. He’s currently a TV star, so why not?

I think Trump is the best candidate. For those that believe otherwise and are looking for the spotless hero on a white horse, they are not options for 2012. Those people are working in the cracks of society and are not in a position to become president. Trump is the best strategic option to beat Obama. He’s the best option because Trump knows how to win at everything he does. The goal of the next election is to beat Obama. The current president is a cancer to the body of America.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Kasich’s Epic Clash with the Voice of the Common Man

It is rare that any state, locality, or federal entity runs into a politician that is competent and intelligent. It is rare to find a politician that is a self-made man not looking at politics as a stepping stone to career advancement. It is rare that a politician actually puts the honor of their office first, before anything else. It is rare to meet a politician that has the guts and fortitude to endure the criticism of special interest.

It also is rare to see a politician that will take on an old-time friend and conservative that prides himself as the conservative voice of the common man, and in the times when it really counts between those two old friends, it is obvious who meant what they said over the years and who was all talk.

That’s what the State of Ohio has in Governor John Kasich and it’s evident in this video shot at 700 WLW when Kasich was on the Bill Cunningham show for a fiery showdown of ideas over the casino issues, retirement and the controversial stance the governor has taken on “collective bargaining” specifically the S.B.5.

I’m not one that tosses praises around easily. So it is with great merit that I say that I can’t recall a politician in my lifetime that matches the passion of their mouth with actual action. John Kasich is a rare person that has greater ability in management than he does in his ability to speak, which is exceptionally good. I was deeply impressed with this exchange between Kasich and Bill Cunningham.

I suspect that Kasich is like many in Ohio and he doesn’t want casinos in the state. That would explain his behavior toward the casino deal that Cunningham is so against. I can remember when Cunningham in the mid 90’s was completely against the casinos so that would explain why Kasich is so surprised in Cunningham’s defense of a socially liberal concept, such as casinos are.

Kasich should be representing the position that all businesses have an equal opportunity even if he doesn’t like them. There is a Hustler of Hollywood store near my house that I can’t stand. I think it ruins the small town of Monroe, Ohio with its presence. But, every time I drive by it, it’s full of people looking for their pornography fix and all the tax collected through each sale is paying taxes. I don’t agree with the pornography, but I vote by not going, and I won’t be going to a casino in Cincinnati for many of the same reasons. If the business model fails, it fails. I’d be happy about it, but I won’t do anything to bring it about either, because it’s a business that has the right to attempt. If it finds a market, even if that market is evil, so be it. It’s not for me to decide what’s evil for someone else.

Kasich needs to have the same position on the casinos. You can’t expect to tax them out of existence like we attempt to do with cigarettes and alcohol. Those are all anti-business stances. But, that does not ruin the great banter that Kasich engaged in. It was refreshing to see such a person in the position of a governor.

This clash of ideas is something that will resonate for quite some time because of the truths revealed. And we are better for it.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Atlas Shrugged is Coming: Obama and Lakota need to see it to learn about economics

It took me a full day for the anger to steam away from my mind once I took three showers and spent hours reading to relax from the most audacious speech I can recall hearing from a president of the United States. The president’s speech was very telling, and ignorant. It is everything warned to us by Ayn Rand over 50 years ago.

Rand warned us in the epic book published in 1957 called Atlas Shrugged of everything the president said in that speech and more.  And finally, a movie is hitting the big screen from that prophetic work.  That movie comes out April 15, 2011. GO SEE IT!!!!!! What is most infuriating with the way the president stood up in front of a room full of people and declared that taxes must be increased to pay for a great America, is that he was simply saying the same mindless rhetoric that our local politicians throw our way when they are trying to pass a school levy. The thought from these people is that money equals success, so we must raise taxes to achieve more success……………………………..

………………are you freaking serious????????????????????


Where do these people come from? Obama is a so-called academic, yet did he take a single class on finance, or don’t they teach that to kids anymore?

I recently spoke about these topics but focused on the local issue of the Lakota School District finance issues to Pulse Journal reporter Lindsey Hilty which she composed in the below article.

The theme of the article was that Lakota is operating with fewer administrators than the state average, so doesn’t that mean they are operating more efficiently than other school districts?


No. Statements like that, just like the president’s speech, is full of smoke and mirrors designed to justify excessively high costs of an out-of-control government at all levels, hoping that people will be foolish enough to just look at the smoke and not at what causes it.
Read that article here:

Lakota has 58% fewer administrators per pupil than state average, report says
By Lindsey Hilty, Staff Writer Updated 1:43 AM Thursday, April 14, 2011

LIBERTY TWP. — At a time when finances of the Lakota Local School District have come under intense scrutiny from voters, officials say state data shows they are running a lean operation.

The district has 58 percent fewer administrators per pupil than the state average, and 20 percent fewer administrators than similar districts, which are categorized by size and demographics, according to the latest report released from the Ohio Department of Education in March.

In the 2009 report, Lakota had 43 percent fewer administrators than the state average, Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlcok said; however, “with our recent budget reductions and consolidations, we have seen that number grow.”
While that number may be touted as a good thing for the bottom line, he warned that it puts a strain on operations.

Assistant principals are responsible for discipline and also must sit in on all individual education plan meetings for students with disabilities.

“We realize economies of scale by running larger buildings, so we can economize where possible,” Kursman said.
However, fewer administrators in larger buildings means a bigger demand for their time, whether it is handling parent concerns, analyzing student data or reviewing teacher performance.

Many buildings now share assistant principals, she said, if the principal is called away for a meeting or to direct traffic due to transportation cuts, there is no one left to manage the building.

Levy opponent Rich Hoffman said he isn’t impressed with the numbers.
“I don’t believe any of the stats they give me anymore, because the reality is that they could do a lot more with a lot less if things really get pushy,” he said.

Hoffman said administrators could be reduced more, but they aren’t the issue.

The problem, he said, is “I think Lakota has drowned itself in salary obligations, and when you’re trying to cover 22 buildings when management of those salary obligations has been bad, it turns out to be a catastrophic mistake. Administrators get paid a lot, but there aren’t so many of them that it affects the bottom line costs, so their damage to the budget is negligible.”

There are too many employees netting more than $65,000 annually, he said, and that is the crux of the problem. He pointed to the salary lists recently published in the Pulse-Journal, and said the increase in employees in just one year who reached the $65,000 plus benchmark is unsustainable.

“You have to get the costs in line, but the costs are your salaries … None of us can afford it anymore.”
Hoffman called for tough negotiations as the board as the Lakota Education Association reopen the 2011-2012 school year contract, and said many in the community would stand behind the board as long as it was aggressive in controlling costs.

In fiscal year 2010, Lakota spent $96 million on salaries. In 2011, that number dropped $2 million due to retirements, no increase to the base salaries and a reduction in force. Employees still earned close to $2 million in step raises, Treasurer Jenni Logan said, but one third of employees, who are at the top of the pay scale, saw no step increase.
As details from legislation like SB 5 keep the district in a holding pattern, Logan said, “Inside the walls of Lakota, we’re focusing on the job at hand, which is educating our students.”

This isn’t just centered on the Lakota School District. Not even the President of the United States seems smart enough to understand the basics of finance. These people who think that showing some false numbers like “Lakota has fewer administrators,” will convince people who all the money we send their way will be spent wisely, are sadly mistaken.

Only a fool thinks that, and in the last Lakota Levy there were many fools that blindly spouted phantom facts because they were too lazy to think about the real problem. Just as the President of the United States received rounds of applause for embarrassing our nation in the eyes of anyone that has any sense throughout the world. Their collective belief is that money will make something better, when all it really ever does is compound the original problems.

It is my hope that when Atlas Shrugged Part 1 comes to the big screen that people intimidated by the length of the book will begin to understand the complex nature of freedom and the value of it.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

35deg 39’17.80″N 83deg 26’27.77″W—-My Little Secret: The Obama Budget Plan

There is so much wrong with President Obama’s speech on April 13, 2011 that I couldn’t possibly comment on them all without writing another book. The bottom line is that he’s a fundamental socialist. He used two examples of success, China and Brazil which are countries not tied down with much regulation, that was instrumental to those success stories.

Obama is a progressive. His mistake is that he believes like other progressives do, that money equals value, and it does not. He is completely lost, like the others of his kind. His America is not my America. My America is described below.

Speaking of progressives, they are all upset with the upcoming release of Atlas Shrugged. What is with all the Weiners that are part of the progressive movement? When I saw the sad little article from The Huffington Post about Atlas Shrugged, and the terrified attempts from a “Weiner” named Ellis Weiner to paint Atlas Shrugged as something bad and unsophisticated for mankind, I had mistaken him for the Congressman Weiner, thinking they were both the same Weiner. Read that article for yourself

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellis-weiner/on-atlas-shrugged-as-a-gu_b_157295.html

Both Weiner’s are extreme progressives that are characters straight out of the pages of Atlas Shrugged. In that book, those characters are villains, so I would conclude that those Wieners would not like the book.

But Weiner crosses the line when he puts down the aim of the film, which will not be discovered in the part one portion of the film released. He reveals as anyone who is a fan of the book knows, that the “Men of the Mind” that have went on strike, have moved to the high mountains of Colorado to create a society of their own while the rest of the world perishes. It is obvious that Mr. Weiner just as in Congressman Weiner are a couple of people who have a limited intellectual capacity so they missed many of the deep subjects of the film. But Ellis Weiner seems to not understand that such places as mountaintop retreats of this kind exist, same as the mountain refuge mentioned in Atlas Shrugged.

Well……I’m going to give you a secret dear reader, so that you can know for yourself that fools like these Weiners live their whole lives seeing the world from the perspective of their city streets or their congressional districts. Their perspective is so warped and limited that they cannot see what is right in front of them and therefore cannot even conceive of the kind of world or ideas of a John Galt. I personally know of a place very similar to the mountain retreat from Atlas Shrugged. I will provide you with the coordinates, but shhhhhhhhh. It’s a secret. 35deg 39’17.80”N 83deg 26’27.77”W

I have spent some wonderful moments at that location. Here are some of the pictures from that place. It is one of the best kept secrets in the United States, but it is a real honest to god place and it exists for all the same reasons as in the book Atlas Shrugged.

If the world ended tomorrow, as we know it, if there were an economic collapse, that appears unavoidable at this point, and our political structure crumbles to the ground, the people who live and visit this spot on the earth will continue living and will not miss a beat. The people who know this place I’m speaking about will never miss President Obama. They’ll never care whether congress or the senate ever shows up for work again. Everything in the United States could end tomorrow and this place would still continue on.

From that place, the world is placed into its perspective. All the things that the “looters” like the aforementioned Weiner’s proclaim to be important will quickly be seen for what they truly are, just the cries of small-minded children.

When you are at that retreat it is evident, especially if you do like I do, where I download video, and radio programs onto my Ipod to watch and listen to in that remote location where power is not available, the voices of politicians sound meager in such a place. But literature, where a good book doesn’t require power, so I’ll never give them up for a Kindle, holds true from such a place. And Atlas Shrugged is meant to be read from a mountaintop and understood by the people who go to such places. It’s not intended for people like the Weiner’s.

The Huffington Post must spend hundreds of thousands of words to attempt to counter the truth which everyone knows deep down inside.

When Nietzsche proclaimed in “Beyond Good and Evil,” that GOD IS DEAD, he didn’t mean it literally so much as metaphorically. Nietzsche believed, as Ayn Rand did, and as I do that religion is used to hold mankind down. That doesn’t mean that one should not go to church or to find solace in religion on a Sunday morning. Religion is a personal thing that takes one to the thresholds of eternity. However, it was religion that ushered in progressive thought even though now progressives seek to move toward atheism and other non traditional religions. This is why the founders sought to separate church and state. They didn’t write it down that way, but it was warned against, so religion couldn’t be used to manipulate the masses through collectivism. We see that the Muslim faith is suffering from this very kind of social movement. Most of the intolerance and conflict in the middle-east is over religious topics, over who is correct and who is not. So it is concluded by thinking people that religion should be free to be practiced, but not related to government action.

The reason is that we don’t want a return to the type of foolishness that led the United States to our current position, where religious zealots of the left and right plagued our nation with progressivism, which led directly to prohibition, Social Security, Welfare, Medicare and all the other “cares,” all in the name righteousness.

In the either-or world of the small-minded, they cannot understand such a spiritual division. It is in human weakness that they feel they must impose upon others the merits of their home religion in order to eliminate from their own minds temptations which may lure them off a spiritual path. And the government do-gooder, who wishes to be the modern Robin Hood, who takes from the Rich and gives to the Poor, my allegiance is the same as the pirate from Atlas Shrugged, Ragnar Danneskjold who proclaimed in that book that his aim in life was to KILL Robin Hood! Of course this is figurative in its assessment, but the metaphor is one that intends to change the focus of value on those that take and loot, to one that creates and employees.

Such thoughts are preposterous to progressives like the Weiner’s of the world. They do not have the intellectual capacity to even understand the basics of self-reliance, and the merit of individualism. Because that is the salvation of mankind, it’s in an evolution to a man of self-reliance that pushes away all forms of collectivism and takes care of their own sector of existence. By becoming good at a trade, that individual has something to trade with others and that is the limit of the collectivism. But the Weiner’s and their kind are part of the old plague driven world of medieval Europe. Shakespeare knew that the old world of Europe was full of deception and corruption. I’ve read Titus Andronicus from a mountaintop and it reads differently there than from a library or classroom.

So now you know a secret of mine. I fear no breakdown of society because of that place. I know what the world could look like if you took away all government, because there isn’t a government at that place. It is beyond the reach of people like President Obama, George Soros and his silly Huffington Post and all the Weiner’s he likes so much. Those people are the representatives of the lead-foot travelers that are either too scared or too unhealthy to move on their own. And they do not represent the direction of the human race.

All things should evolve into improvements, not in decline, and Atlas Shrugged besides the book Thus Spoke Zarathustra is the first serious work that explores that evolution. And it is understandable that those who are close to that transition themselves would be attracted to the message. That message will be missed by the Weiner’s and those like them. Because of their limited perspective, they will cleave like fools to the world of their understanding, and will always fear the perspective of a mountaintop hideaway. The revelations that would fall upon them will shatter their reality in ways that they aren’t prepared to deal with.

I heard the Tea Party movement identified by people like those Weiner’s as being of the “extreme” hard right. They are mistaken. The Tea Party is of those types that are reaching for that next step. It has nothing to do with the current order of things. It has nothing to do with right or left. It’s about right and wrong, and passing between those dualistic principles to a place of human evolution. And that is what critics of Atlas Shrugged fear with all the essence of their being.

The world of President Obama is based on old technology of an emerging third world county, such as where the United States is headed under the Obama types.

As I’ve seen from the mountaintop the future of America can and should be this:

The future of medicine, forget Social Security and Medicare. Invest in this.

The future of transportation will be this sooner or later. Sooner if we have the guts, later if we allow another country to beat us to it.

The future of food. There is no reason to  under use our land, as we currently are.

And the future of education is not the traditional way.

This is an age of two America’s. The progressive one that will take us toward Europe. And the innovative one that accomplished those railroads across the nation like Obama took credit for, back in a day when the government hadn’t let learned to suck the life out of industry with regulation. It’s up to us all which America will win, because they both can’t co-exist any longer.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Put Back a Few Cookies: Lakota Teachers took too many and didn’t leave enough for others

When you were a kid did your mother ever make cookies and put them in a cookie jar, only to have her catch you taking too many? “Now don’t eat all those cookies,” she would have said. “I made those for you, your brothers and sisters and all your friends. If you eat them all there won’t be any for the rest of them.” Well, at Lakota that’s what the teachers have done, they’ve taken too many cookies for themselves, and they’ve told the community through the teachers union that if you want to make us all happy, then you’ll just make more cookies. Problem solved. But the problem isn’t solved, because while we’re making all these cookies, we’re not being productive in other ways, when the reality is that all we need to do is exercise some common sense and fairness.

It is encouraging, yet there is still plenty of room to be skeptical, that the Lakota School Board appears to be looking for some room to gain much ground by voiding the second year of their contract with the teachers union.

The contract was voided because of the following clause: This contract shall become effective on the 1st day of July, 2010 and shall expire on the 30th day of June 2012. Contingent upon the District’s legal ability for the Board President, Treasurer, and Superintendent to sign the R.C. 5705.412 certificate. In the event that the Board Representatives are unable to sign the R.C. 5704.412 certificate the second year of this Agreement then agreed to between the parties related to the second year shall be considered null and void.”

The 412 certificate (see link: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/5705.412 ) basically says that the District has to declare that it has sufficient revenues to meet its planned expenditures. This is Lakota’s press release: http://www.lakotaonline.com/news.cfm?story=2754

According to the Pulse Journal the move allows the board to void its contract with its teachers’ union, while at the same time, giving it flexibility to create a more sustainable long-term plan for the district, board President Joan Powell said.
“In the past three weeks as this information started coming to us from Columbus, it has become apparent that to maintain the future viability of this district, we need to look deeper than just the proposed budget reductions,” she said.
“Some fundamental changes to the contract are needed, and we have a window of opportunity to do so,” Powell said. “In light of the negative impact of this proposed state budget, we must take that opportunity. Our financial reality today is different than it was last November or last August when we executed this contract.”

Lakota Education Association President Sharon Mays said the union will continue to work cooperatively with the board to find the best solution for students and teachers, but the process now will take longer.

“I’m anxious to see the forecast, because we have not been able to look at it,” she said. “We feel as though we’ve been cooperating and collaborating, and have given up a lot of things in those memorandums of understanding. And to change direction this late in the game — now everything is slowed down.”

Treasurer Jenni Logan said deficit spending next year is expected to be $22 million, up from $13.9 million in 2011.
A $28 million negative cash balance is expected in 2013.

The stress to the budget, Logan said, is coming from three areas: the state is reducing tangible personal property taxes starting next year, Lakota is expecting less money locally, and federal stimulus dollars have gone away.

The $22 million deficit is something that has been a concern for a long time, and it is driven by one primary factor, wages. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here to see the type of wages we’re talking about. It is my sincere hope that the Lakota School Board will take this opportunity to drive those wages down. No other measure will be acceptable because no other budget cutting device will bring costs in line properly taking into account that federal money will not be there and the reductions in the personal property taxes. The days are gone where the teachers union could just blindly demand the incredibly high wages that put us in this trouble to start with.

During this next round of negotiations I proclaim that I will stand behind the school board fully if they’ll not allow the union to dictate terms to our community. I don’t want to hear any threats of any strikes from the teachers union. I don’t want to hear any threats at all. If the teachers of that union truly want to be a part of this community, they’ll dig deep and consider themselves lucky to work in such a nice district. We’re not asking teachers to work for free. But an average wage of over $62K per year is not acceptable. They asked for too much, broke the back of the community in the process, and now it’s time for them to come to the table and give back enough for Lakota to balance its budget. No other measure is acceptable.

For those that just want money, go to another district. Because soon that district will be going through the same problems Lakota is going through. So run from district to district like a thief in the night and collect your money. But for those teachers that want to work for Lakota, and want to be a part of our great community, work with us and we’ll work with you. But don’t even think of a strike or any other public relations stunt. There are people this time that will be there to expose you for what you truly are.

With all this encouragement, I hope that there isn’t some phantom intention to place another levy on the ballot in August or November, because the money isn’t there and such a thing would be incredibly arrogant. Higher taxes in our community in any capacity would be economically devastating in light of the increase in fuel costs, rise and in food costs which is directly influenced from increases in transportation costs. The amount of income that is required to purchase a $250,000 dollar home, which is what most homes cost in the Lakota School District along with the dollar shrinking in value and facing tax increases on their property is prohibitive. The only room for meeting the budget needs comes in reducing the impact of the wage costs of the employees.

The teachers took too many cookies and the community is done making cookies. The teachers need to put some of those cookies back so there’s some left for all the other teachers. Our budget is just under 160 million dollars, not a small amount. So there should be plenty of cookies for everyone. The only reason there’s not is because some teachers took too many cookies, which is robbing others from having a cookie. So do the responsible thing and put the extra cookies back in the cookie jar and play nice teachers union. Don’t be greedy. Don’t be vain. And don’t throw a fit of rage like some child that didn’t get their way. Help our school board balance their budget and do your part to make sure everyone gets along. But more (cookies) taxes, are not the solution.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

Mark North is Non-Essential: What does he do to earn his money if he can’t even do public relations?

What I learned today was that Mark North, superintendent of the Lebanon School System is a non-essential employee.

I write a lot about education. Within the education reform movement, I receive a lot of information from very passionate people who are doing their best to address some of the issues involving education, and today I heard from a couple of them that find themselves defending the community of Lebanon from another tax increase.

Cyd Zimmerman was on the Darryl Parks show on Saturday April 9, 2011 because the scheduled debate between Mark North and Rick McPherson was forfeited by Mark North after proclaiming that “nobody listens to 700 WLW.” In short, he didn’t have the guts to go on the air and defend his actions in the district which prompted Cyd to step in and discuss North’s absence from the debate.

After that interview I received notes from Cyd and Sandy Trugrul about Lebanon and education issues in general, that they both spent a lot of time putting together. I thought those notes deserved to be listed in their entirety below.

A Note From Cyd Zimmerman: The woman on the Darryl Parks interview below.

It’s important to preface this conversation by laying the framework as to how I got here and why I’m so angry and frustrated.
So many that are staring down the barrel of another school levy have the same feeling coursing through their veins and are confused or unorganized in how to go about change. After all, Spring now means levy season. Not good.

Radio is a tough gig and it’s easy to lose your way. So much to say, and so little time, and that happened to me.
I had caught wind of yet another school levy mid January of this year. This was on the heels of a 5.41 mill emergency levy that was passed in November of 2010. It generates 4.2 million per year. I could not believe it. I had no clue who to talk to or where to begin so I attended my first ever board meeting that following Monday. It was just an announcement that they were deciding one of three amounts to choose from in my early understanding. Nevertheless, I was alone in a sea of empty chairs. There were a couple of others and I now know one of those people was Rick McPherson filming. I left as they were just finishing up and thought to myself…I’m screwed. Where are all the people? Where are the taxpayers? I was aware of the Lakota levy last November and the great deal of press it had gotten, having moved to Lebanon from West Chester. I Googled them and was pleased to see the site still up. I contacted them through the email and asked for help. The response was immediate. I had found Rich Hoffman’s site via the NolakotaLevy.com and the journey began. I found someone commenting on the site, speaking of the levy, and contacted her. I then met Rick McPherson who was looking for others and they gave him my email.

That’s all takes, but you can’t be thin-skinned or shy. That’s not a problem if you’re mad enough to demand some answers.
On to the bigger picture and where does the money go? I went to the Lebanon School site and it was pretty well layed out. Here’s the problem. 77.6% going just for wages and benefits. I would never begrudge the salary of a great teacher. They are pillars of the community. But where is the line in the sand?? Here is where SB5 would have made a huge difference. Don’t call it a pay freeze and continue step increases not to mention the other perks still in play. This has happened and you had no say. Contracts signed before the bill. We all know it. This is all about fiscal responsibility and accountability. I have to do it in my home and I expect the same from this entity.

Broken

Someone school me on why we pay for this supers $650.00 a month car allowance, family YMCA membership which on their site is $73.00 per month, cell phone (50 bucks a month), when he makes more than the Governor of Ohio?? More than the Lieutenant Governor, more than the Secretary of State, more than the Attorney General, on and on. It’s all on the web site.
http://www.lebanonschoolfacts.com

I’m sorry, but that is borderline criminal in my book. And it’s NOT ok. And shouldn’t be with you either.

Broken

3.2% goes for supplies and materials. Hold on…3.4% is for other. What other? If it’s all about the children why is the “other” number higher? I still don’t have that answer…Do You?

I hear the phone calls have started for support of more sweaty cash. I’d like to get one of those calls. Hopefully it would not be a shallow conversation as was the one that ensued yesterday with Mr. North. He totally missed my side. Fine. He’s doing his job. Straddling the line between the unions and community must be brutal. Don’t say to me you have no intentions of having at the very least, an open Q&A or a town hall and then ask for millions. NO. Why? Because they can’t answer the tough questions on the spot. Oh sure, I can fill out the card and send it in. He said he has hundreds of cards. How much would the postage and cost be to them if I took them up on that offer? Small in the massive scope but this is the mindset I do not understand.

School bus drivers making over 16 bucks an hour? Really? Shrink wrapping the books at Little Miami because you have to be a certified librarian to hand them out? This is all just so bizarre.

Broken

This is the tip of the iceberg but some of the key points from emails I get. I understand. They ask the simplest questions. I know exactly where they come from. They are busy. It gets so deep, it will blow your mind. But I too have a life and if I had time to say on the radio what was on my mind, this touches the surface.

To those out there in our shoes…We hear you. Darryl spoke of the numerous emails last week asking him to pick your district. We never would be here without the help of those from neighboring districts, particularly Dan Varney and Rich Hoffman. These guys get it.

So reach out to us. We’re busy but you can email the lebanonschoolfacts site and we’ll respond. Keep the hate mail at bay. It won’t be tolerated and end up in spam. Our vision is clear and we won’t be bogged down with the naysayers. You had your time.

Cyd

__________________________________________________________

Note from Sandy:

I’ve been working to educate people on school funding and the effects of the “mandatory” school curriculum for over thirty years. The one and only reason I have stuck to this is because I believe that the demise of our country is at stake.

The schools, their funding, their administrators, their unions are the lowest level of government that “we the people” have any hope of effecting change. If we can’t make an impact at that level the Federal level is certainly hopeless. I have not wanted to give up on my country.

In my opinion, last night’s fiasco regarding the federal budget was a diversionary tactic for covering up other more serious issues taking place in the world. I feel sure of that. The media loved covering the situation. Another 7.++ earthquake in Japan hardly got noticed. I guess the four nuclear towers are “all better.” That’s off topic now too.

The school unions and leaders use the same tactics when going after the property owners for more money. Anyone that is against raising taxes “hates the children” and doesn’t support education. In their propaganda their job is the most important job in the country. No salary level is too high. I have heard teachers say that they should be paid at the level of doctors. Their mantra is that the future of our country depends on the great education that the children receive from the union teachers. Of course “the more it costs the better the outcomes.” Nothing could be further from the truth in that statement unless you consider the outcomes that they want to occur. These may be much different from what the average person believes should be happening.

We all notice that the cuts that the boards propose are always ones affect the children the most harshly. You have mentioned all of them quite precisely.

Many people are afraid to speak out regarding their opposition to a levy. They are afraid of retaliation to their children or to themselves. One parent told me that her child came home crying because she didn’t love him. She said, “where did you ever hear such a thing.” His answer, “My teacher said that if you weren’t voting for the levy you don’t love me.” He had heard his parent discussing that they couldn’t afford to vote for the levy. In other words, the teachers are polling the children. The teachers are working in the classroom against the parents; this for their own monetary gain. How repugnant is this?

When I checked on “who funds levies” through the years, it is always the same people with the same vested interests. In Lebanon it is highly touted and supported by LCNB. (Chip Bonny, a board member, now works for LCNB. He formerly worked for Huntington Bank. The district obtained over $1M from Huntington Bank last year to buy back the buses that they formerly turned over to Laidlaw.) (I was told by my banker that transaction was a totally irregular transaction and would not be tolerated by his bank. He also said that Bonny, no doubt, received a nice bonus for that business. It would have been the case at his bank.)
The postcard sent out by the Pro-Levy group lists Eric Meilstrup as the treasurer. He is an officer with LCNB. Steve Wilson, CEO of LCNB has served on the district finance committee and heads up the full page of endorsements listed in the local paper.

LCNB also owned (until this month) Dakin Insurance. Lebanon buys it’s insurance from Dakin.

Other special interest groups funding levies are developers, construction companies, architectural firms, lawyers and other business leaders. Small amounts are given by the teachers, who can look forward to nice raises every time a levy passes.

Over 85% of the budgets pays for salaries and benefits. Other salaries can be hidden in many areas of the financial states and could make that percentage go up.

Any cuts suggested are called “draconian” and “extreme.”
No cuts are acceptable to the schools, county, city, township, state or federal levels of government.

The costs listed to give the per pupil amount are only from the General Fund that is for the operation of the schools. They never list the huge debt owed for the costs pertaining to the buildings And other loans they get (buses, copy equipment, phones, etc.) Those projections go on for years and years into the future. Our great-grandchildren will still be paying off those debts. ironically the buildings and equipment will be considered obsolete or even trashed. By the time the final payments are made.

When they speak to the people they try to use terminology that most people don’t understand. (I call it educationese.) This way they speak “down” to you, as though you are a child. They are the “professional” and you are insignificant in the scheme of things. They are taught how to “handle” the public a part of their college curriculum. It is part of the “Training for Change Agents” text. They study how to change your beliefs and those of your children. How to change your values from Christian to Secular Humanism.
The fact is that last year the board hired at least two new administrators.

Krista Foley (from Piqua – Student Services and Mason, Kindergarten Supervisor.) She is listed as administrator of various student programs
at a salary of $95,626.

Bill Lautar, former student services director in Kettering (where he retired)
Director of Human Resources at $98,343. (double-dipper)

July 15, 2010, Western Star: Lautar said he is in the process of filling
other certified and classified positions before the next school year, including
a secretary for the transportation office, coaching and extracurricular positions and teaching positions in special education, language arts and science.”

Schools are divided in this totally ridiculous configuration.

Louisa Wright – Early Childhood, Principal, secretary, 17 teachers
Bowman – First and Second Grades, two principals, two secretaries,
53 teachers.
Donovan – Third and Fourth Grades, two principals, two secretaries,
53 teachers.
Berry – Fifth and Sixth Grades, two principals, 2 secretaries

Jr. H. S. – (Former H.S.) Seventh and Eighth Grades, two principals,
two counselors,

High School – Three principals, 1466 total students 9-12

The total enrollment is around 5,000. I see plenty of room for cuts.

There are several people listed in the salaries listed on the blog as receiving “Retirement Incentive” payments.

Many “Teacher Assistants” listed for our overworked teachers. Many substitutes listed. I am told they have a higher absentee rate than the students.

We pay the entire retirement costs for the administrators (pickup on the pickup), we pay the entire health benefits for North and other admin. I admit that I haven’t read all of the contracts. Mark North is given unlimited time off to attend meetings and to consult. (I can’t imagine him consulting at anything.) There are numerous meeting held all over the country and world. I am going to request who traveled where in the past five years. It won’t help this time around, but good to have on hand for the future. I assure you that the Lakota people travel all the time. There is a NSBA conference in San Francisco this weekend. Most of them go with their “significant other.” After all, the room is paid for.

____________________________________________________________

All the issues discussed above are out of sheer frustration. It is obvious to anyone that cares to look, that there are many things wrong with how tax money is collected and spent. The people who grab this money from taxpayers are called by society as “trusted officials” or even “leaders.” But to those who look into things as they actually are, those trusted officials are just simple looters. These looters give the appearance that they are doing something beneficial for the community, but it’s all a smoke screen. What’s really going on is a lot of nothing and the tax payer is paying for things they don’t need to pay for.

Prior to Cyd’s interview on the radio Darryl spoke about the “non-essential” personnel in government. With that said, everyone in government that got a letter from the government on Friday April 8, 2011 stating that they are non-essential personnel shouldn’t be working in those positions, because they are wasting taxpayer money. It would also appear Mark North, superintendent of Lebanon is one of those “non essential” personnel. He didn’t have the guts to go on the radio today and debate the levy. He doesn’t know how to work with the community and answer questions. And he caves under the union pressure at the beginning of negotiations. So what good is he? He’s non-essential personnel and he could save the tax payers a lot of money if he wasn’t employed.

How many non-essential personnel is Lebanon employing if the superintendent isn’t doing anything? That’s the kind of question you have to ask before any levy should ever be put on a ballot. And the fact that the question wasn’t ask should insult every person in Lebanon that pays taxes.

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com

GO SEE ATLAS SHRUGGED: Watch the movie, learn how the scam works, and vote this November against “collective bargaining”

I am proud to announce that I just spoke to the booking agent of Atlas Shrugged and he assured me that a print of the film will be sent to Newport on the Levee and it appears now to also be showing in two other locations within Cincinnati. This is good news for a film that was originally slated for only New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Now, because a lot of you participated in the action requested on this site, the producers of Atlas Shrugged are showing the movie in Cincinnati. So pat yourselves on the back.

A few years ago I was speaking to an agent about my script, The Lost Cannibals of Cahokia that won awards in the horror and action adventure category at the Indie Gathering Film Festival, and the people that read it there liked it a lot. But a film festival in middle-America is different than the culture of Wilshire Blvd and Santa Monica. And this agent I was talking to about pitching that script to the studios of Hollywood were the type of people that lived that “cultured” life in LA, which is nice, but far removed from what is really going on in America.

Their criticism of my story and a subsequent script that also won a few awards called “The Overman” was “your characters are too strong. They don’t appear to have any weaknesses. People identify with characters that have faults. You need to alter your leads to have something in their lives that they fear, and must overcome by the end of the movie. Also, you’re film is too bloody. And I find it hard to believe that any of these characters could survive the dangerous situations you’ve created for them. It appears to be unrealistic.”

I could only shake my head. Some of the most powerful characters in film history exhibited such traits so the agent was wrong. I thought of Indiana Jones, James Bond, Lara Croft, The Man with No Name, the list in my mind went on as to popular characters that are the kind of personalities that people love. And one of those characters that will soon come to film but has only lived in literature is John Galt.

John Galt is one of those characters that people will love once they meet him in the movie Atlas Shrugged which comes out on April 15th 2011. I think it is important for films like Atlas Shrugged to have success for all my personal reasons, because I have learned over the years that Hollywood certainly has an agenda and that agenda speaks loudly on television and film. The agenda is that people should not strive to be too good. People should not pay too close attention to the world around them. And people should focus on the “collective.” They routinely shy away from stories with strong characters, even though the box office shows a great hunger for such characters. And it is very rare that a major film makes it through the jungle of opposition and ends up on the screen with an anti-progressive message.

And that’s what Atlas Shrugged is; anti-progressive.

In the film you will learn:

• How government regulation chokes off business.
• How people who invent new, and better products are bribed by the government to not reveal those products to the market place for fear of putting older companies out of business.
• You will learn the secret behind farm subsidies.
• You will see how corruption migrates from the smallest character on the street all the way up the political ladder.
• You will see how unions shape public policy through corrupt politics.
• You will see what the true nature of American pride is.
• You will understand the definition of merit.

Those are just a few of the topics from the film and this is just the first movie of a three movie series.

There will be a lot of people that will misread the messages of the film. I’m already reading that liberals think the film endorses high speed rail. The trains in the film are there because trains were important in 1957 when Ayn Rand wrote the book. So to stay true to the book, they built the story around “trains.” The gist of the story is how government destroys innovation. It openly explores the greatness possible in the human race and shows the reason for the decadence of the many that fall short of greatness. But the theme is one of greatness, something progressives avoid like the plague.

So now that the film is coming to Cincinnati, GO SEE IT! If you want to spend your hard earned money on something useful, see that movie on April 15th. Sell it out! Spread this message around to your friends and make sure they see it too. Because in my mind, filmmakers that have went against the grain as much as the producers of Atlas Shrugged have “deserve” our support, because if they get it, Hollywood will be inclined to make more films like Atlas Shrugged. So your participation in the opening is sort of a vote. Your ticket to that film is the same as voting in a voting booth on election night. The Hollywood Reporter will be ready to declare Atlas Shrugged a failure because nobody in Hollywood wants to see this film become successful, because of the anti-progressive message.

By seeing this movie you will do more than enjoy a good movie. You will send a powerful message to a progressive establishment. This film hopefully is the first of a wave of films and stories that will emerge in our society that grabs hold of what Americanism truly is. In American art, it is time to explore the American identity so that future generations can embrace that spirit. That’s a spirit not created in war, such as World War II. It’s not an identity created in the Revolution, or the Civil War. The American spirit was created in its inventions, and its industry. In its skyscrapers and its film culture. It’s in the farms all across the country on a Sunday afternoon with an AM radio blaring a baseball game from a garage.

I have seen the American culture intimately in Wild West Arts shows that I’ve been a part of. It’s watching the guys from the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) dressed like cowboys and dueling each other in quick drawl competitions. I’ve seen the face of the American in the white man, the black man, the woman, the Indian, the handicapped. The American is in the small town and works from sun up till sun down. They come up with a better way to do jobs because they want to spend more of their time doing something else, which only a rich culture can incentivize one to do. All those facets are explored in Atlas Shrugged for the first time in film history. And you will now have a chance to see it. So go…….see the movie and get on the train that will deliver you to truth and understanding of the world we live in and understand why things are the way they are.

And consider also that if this movie does well, and has a good running at the theater, the film should hit the DVD market around September, just in time for the very important election that we will see in Ohio over S.B.5. It will be a great thing for those of us defending Ohio from collective bargaining if voters can begin to understand what the genius behind Kasich’s plan truly is, and how collective bargaining only helps those in the unions, leaving the rest of us bankrupt. All those themes are explored in this film, so go get in line now, and see this film again and again and again and again………………………!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then go read the book, and see the movie again!!!!!!!

Rich Hoffman

https://overmanwarrior.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/ten-rules-to-live-by/
http://twitter.com/#!/overmanwarrior
www.overmanwarrior.com