The following FACT BASED viewpoint is the kind NEVER heard on the AM radio or FOXnotNews and it is seldom heard on network news, CNN or MSNBC. Don't you wonder why when the facts are on the side of teachers? See my previous post to find out that answer.
Viewpoints: State's teachers are being scapegoated
Special to The Bee
Published Friday, Jun. 18, 2010
Linguist and activist Noam Chomsky once said, "Either you repeat the conventional doctrines everybody is saying, or else you say something true, and it will sound like it's from Neptune." Here are some things that are not conventional wisdom about public schools. They will sound like they're from Neptune, but they are true.
One pernicious assertion about the public schools is that it is exceptionally hard to get rid of "bad teachers" and that teacher "tenure" is a big problem in the state of California. In fact, teachers in the state don't have "tenure"; rather, following a two-year probation, during which they can be fired for any reason or no reason at all, they gain due process rights: the right to a hearing before being fired. A look at the statistics from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics shows California releases 1 percent of its probationary teachers, with the national average being 0.7 percent. Permanent teachers are removed at the rate of 2 percent per year, with the national average at 1.4 percent.
In other words, California removes teachers at a greater rate than the rest of the nation, and, in fact, exceeds the rate of states without collective bargaining and due process rights for teachers.
Nearly half of new teachers in California leave the profession voluntarily within their first five years because they are dismayed at barriers to success such as the lack of resources. In other words, California has a bigger problem keeping teachers than getting rid of them. Yet legislation to further restrict teachers' due process rights has been introduced by the governor and anti-union legislators.
The attacks on teachers are grounded in a number of urban myths. One of the most insidious is that we have a school dropout crisis. The U.S. Census Bureau delivered a press release in June of 2004 with the title: "High School Graduation Rates Reach All Time High: Non-Hispanic White and Black Graduates at Record Levels." Black graduation rates had increased by 10 percentage points from 1993 to 2003. Hispanics' rates rose by 11 percent in the same period.
The college graduation rate had also reached another historic high point. The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor (April 2010) reveal the highest percentage ever of new high school graduates were enrolled in colleges last fall.
Although you hear hyperbolic statements about California's dropout rates, the reality, as reported by The Bee, which actually looked at the numbers reported by the California Department of Education, is 18.9 percent; the national average is around 15 percent. This certainly can be improved on, but it doesn't deserve the hysterical reactions it seems to generate.
This picture contradicts the "conventional wisdom"; it sounds like it came from Neptune. It didn't. It came from government sources easily accessed via the Internet.
So why do national and state politicians (and the media, for that matter) ignore the reality and pump up the hysteria, keeping the public's attention focused on a symptom instead of causes?
Perhaps it's because the underlying problems are many, difficult and expensive. This begins with the state's low level of school funding, 46th in the nation on a per pupil basis. An education coalition recently filed a lawsuit calling the current school funding system unconstitutional for denying students the opportunity to master the educational program the state requires. Increasing numbers of students' families, particularly those of minority students, are falling into poverty and homelessness.
The U.S. Education Department reports that the number of schools where at least 75 percent of the students are eligible for free lunch has risen from 12 percent in 2000 to 17 percent in 2008 (prior to the full impact of the recession). The same report indicates that economic segregation of children has increased. Politicians ought to be fixated on these real problems. But it is much more convenient to scapegoat teachers.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Scapegoating of Teachers by the CON machine
In this country there has been a one sided fusillade of abuse directed at public servants, especially teachers, by the hired gun con men on AM radio and FOXnotNews.
Teachers are seen as an easy target to use to focus hate on because they do not fight back.
Teachers are also seen as enemies by certain religious cults because they are usually supporters of rational thought, fact based curriculum. Our little god cult folks who falsely claim to follow Christ virulently hate correct information and facts about science, history and health. They want to write and teach their own made up facts instead.
The problem is that if they succeed in moving all our public school curriculum to fantasy based curriculum, our country and world are in danger. Fantasies kill. Fantasy worldviews kill in massive fashion.
Here are two fantasies that regularly kill. Its safer to drive not wearing seat belts because you could get trapped. Vaccinations for children are more dangerous than the diseases they protect against. Each of these fantasies kill thousands of Americans each year. Fantasy world views are self limiting when they only involve individuals but if they become the view of a nation, like the denial of human caused global warming, massive death will inevitably follow.
School teachers tend to be the largest group of delegates at Democratic Conventions--as many as one in eight delegates at the last one. Daring to have different more compassionate views than the selfish mean spirited views of those that currently control the local, state and national Republican Party also makes teachers a target of the propaganda mills put together by billionaires.
These billionaire boys' propaganda think tanks exist for the sole purpose of making billionaires more wealthy. One key way is to destroy the American middle class created by unions, union wages and union benefits. The less billionaires pay to workers, the more for gold faucets in their multiple mansions.
Here is a partial list of propaganda mills funded anonymously and with tax exempt money by the tiny group of wealthy elites that now run our country--American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, Hudson Institute, Manhattan Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute.
These and other propaganda mills run Madison Avenue style focus groups to find phrases that can be used to create false impressions about those like school teachers who want this country to work for the good of all not just multi billionaires. These deceptive talking points are given to "opinion makers" for hire on the AM radio and sent to FOXnotNews.
Hired guns "opinion makers' are paid extremely well to convince the uniformed that these talking points are good for America. Many of those crafted talking points have been aimed at school teachers. The average American hears ten thousand times each of these anti tenure, anti seniority, anti pension, anti union lies for every one allowed on the air to counter them. It is no wonder that Americans are so misinformed about the value of and integrity of public school teachers unions in general and the importance of fact based science when deciding issues of the grave magnitude of global warming.
Teachers are seen as an easy target to use to focus hate on because they do not fight back.
Teachers are also seen as enemies by certain religious cults because they are usually supporters of rational thought, fact based curriculum. Our little god cult folks who falsely claim to follow Christ virulently hate correct information and facts about science, history and health. They want to write and teach their own made up facts instead.
The problem is that if they succeed in moving all our public school curriculum to fantasy based curriculum, our country and world are in danger. Fantasies kill. Fantasy worldviews kill in massive fashion.
Here are two fantasies that regularly kill. Its safer to drive not wearing seat belts because you could get trapped. Vaccinations for children are more dangerous than the diseases they protect against. Each of these fantasies kill thousands of Americans each year. Fantasy world views are self limiting when they only involve individuals but if they become the view of a nation, like the denial of human caused global warming, massive death will inevitably follow.
School teachers tend to be the largest group of delegates at Democratic Conventions--as many as one in eight delegates at the last one. Daring to have different more compassionate views than the selfish mean spirited views of those that currently control the local, state and national Republican Party also makes teachers a target of the propaganda mills put together by billionaires.
These billionaire boys' propaganda think tanks exist for the sole purpose of making billionaires more wealthy. One key way is to destroy the American middle class created by unions, union wages and union benefits. The less billionaires pay to workers, the more for gold faucets in their multiple mansions.
Here is a partial list of propaganda mills funded anonymously and with tax exempt money by the tiny group of wealthy elites that now run our country--American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, Hudson Institute, Manhattan Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute.
These and other propaganda mills run Madison Avenue style focus groups to find phrases that can be used to create false impressions about those like school teachers who want this country to work for the good of all not just multi billionaires. These deceptive talking points are given to "opinion makers" for hire on the AM radio and sent to FOXnotNews.
Hired guns "opinion makers' are paid extremely well to convince the uniformed that these talking points are good for America. Many of those crafted talking points have been aimed at school teachers. The average American hears ten thousand times each of these anti tenure, anti seniority, anti pension, anti union lies for every one allowed on the air to counter them. It is no wonder that Americans are so misinformed about the value of and integrity of public school teachers unions in general and the importance of fact based science when deciding issues of the grave magnitude of global warming.
Who will run?
As of this morning, Monday August 2, at 7:30am, there is only one person who has pulled papers for VUSD school board. That person is incumbent Jim Gibson. So far he has not filed (returned) the papers to the County Registrar of Voters. But no one doubts that he will. We know he can't pass up the chance for getting his name in the paper. Like many former members of the Republican Central Committee, he has long harbored dreams of personal glory at the ballot box.
There are two positions available on the board in this election cycle. Incumbent Carol Herrera's position is the other one. So far she has not pulled papers. It would be a real shame for the children of our district if she did not. We know her long record of selfless work for the children of VUSD--the reading programs, community outreach, and especially her single minded determination to get desperately needed new schools built including our new high school.
You have seen all the new schools around our fine district, right? The person most responsible for them being there is Carol Herrera. She is the person who spearheaded the successful bond election for Prop O that funded the building of those schools. After three previous VUSD school bond failures, Carol had no easy task. Getting a fourth school bond passed seemed an exercise in futility but it was not. She organized it and got it done.
In addition while she has been on the school board she has focused laser like on the most important role of a school board member--the education of our children. She always puts our kids first. They are real people to her. She takes the job of making their education the best possible as her number one priority. Contrast her commitment to our kids to Jim Gibson's goals. He only sees our children as props that can be conveniently used to further his quest for political and personal glory.
If both Jim Gibson and Carol Herrera file papers with the Registrar, then the filing deadline is August 6. There can be no additional candidates (except write ins) other after August 6. However if Carol has grown tired of the travails of being a school board member and does not decide to run again, the deadline will be extended one week to August 13th. For some reason the law extends the filing deadline one extra week if all the incumbents do not file to run again.
We know Jim will run. Dr. Stephen Guffanti, who so damaged our school district, has told Stacy Brandt that he will not run, but from hard experience we know a Guffanti promise is not worth much.
We do know that Jim is an organizer. He has someone waiting in the wings. If not Guffanti then he has charmed and deceived someone into believing the famous Gibson fantasies of evil teachers who do not want to work, need to be fired, and spend their time picking on Gibson's favorite hero, himself. He has used these made up tales to motivate someone to enter the race. No one will know who until the very last hour of the last filing day.
In the past, the Gibson dupe has always been counseled to file in this last hour of the last day that filing is permitted. The dupe is found waiting in the parking lot of the Registrar's office until minutes before the filing period ends. Then the Gibon Group acts and gets dupe into the Registrar's office. The candidacy papers are pulled and filed in a matter of minutes. We expect the same this year.
At the training for extremist board members conducted in the early 1990's done at a 'church' in El Cajon, the late filing strategy was a key part of the overall grand 'stealth' campaign strategy. The extremist strategy was to keep their candidates as hidden as possible from the public. The less time the public and the media had to find out about their candidates and their candidates views the better.
As you may recall from previous elections, the Gibson/Guffanti group's candidates try to avoid public forums. They attend as few as possible. The candidates on the extremist slate are given short, simple, meaningless; but kind of generically good sounding phrases about the importance of education and reading. The extremists repeat the phrases over and over with little or no variation. What they never do is fully answer questions or tell their philosophy for public education. That is verboten. Their rule is 'Never never let folks know who you are or what you really think.' The extremists realize that if the public truly knew them and their views, that they would never get any votes.
I know this grand strategy of stealth, deception and out right hiding sounds like just the opposite of real democracy, but that's what they use. This grand strategy has worked in the past. The extremists took over our board with in 1992. Even after the recall, Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti have been elected several times. These folks stick with what works.
So the question remains, who will run? Who has the courage to face the dirty tricks and the campaign of defamation that Jim Gibson will throw at any challenger who puts our kids first. Will the children of VUSD have a champion who is willing to put up with the dirt to try to improve their futures? Or will Jim be successful in getting not only himself but the crucial second vote against the betterment of our children's futures on our school board again.
With Jim alone on the board in the last two years, he still can grandstand and get quotes in the North County Times after each board meeting; but he is powerless to damage our children's future. However, as we so bitterly found out, when Jim and his extremists have two seats, on our school board, they can thwart the will of the people and waste taxpayer money by the boat load.
Never forget that two selfish men, Gibson and Guffanti, cost this district nearly fifty million dollars by delaying the third high school start of construction by nearly five years. We can never let that happen again. It will take years for our district to recover from this financial catastrophe those two despicable men inflicted.
So who is out there with the courage to face the Gibson slime machine for the good of this district and its children? "The world waits"
There are two positions available on the board in this election cycle. Incumbent Carol Herrera's position is the other one. So far she has not pulled papers. It would be a real shame for the children of our district if she did not. We know her long record of selfless work for the children of VUSD--the reading programs, community outreach, and especially her single minded determination to get desperately needed new schools built including our new high school.
You have seen all the new schools around our fine district, right? The person most responsible for them being there is Carol Herrera. She is the person who spearheaded the successful bond election for Prop O that funded the building of those schools. After three previous VUSD school bond failures, Carol had no easy task. Getting a fourth school bond passed seemed an exercise in futility but it was not. She organized it and got it done.
In addition while she has been on the school board she has focused laser like on the most important role of a school board member--the education of our children. She always puts our kids first. They are real people to her. She takes the job of making their education the best possible as her number one priority. Contrast her commitment to our kids to Jim Gibson's goals. He only sees our children as props that can be conveniently used to further his quest for political and personal glory.
If both Jim Gibson and Carol Herrera file papers with the Registrar, then the filing deadline is August 6. There can be no additional candidates (except write ins) other after August 6. However if Carol has grown tired of the travails of being a school board member and does not decide to run again, the deadline will be extended one week to August 13th. For some reason the law extends the filing deadline one extra week if all the incumbents do not file to run again.
We know Jim will run. Dr. Stephen Guffanti, who so damaged our school district, has told Stacy Brandt that he will not run, but from hard experience we know a Guffanti promise is not worth much.
We do know that Jim is an organizer. He has someone waiting in the wings. If not Guffanti then he has charmed and deceived someone into believing the famous Gibson fantasies of evil teachers who do not want to work, need to be fired, and spend their time picking on Gibson's favorite hero, himself. He has used these made up tales to motivate someone to enter the race. No one will know who until the very last hour of the last filing day.
In the past, the Gibson dupe has always been counseled to file in this last hour of the last day that filing is permitted. The dupe is found waiting in the parking lot of the Registrar's office until minutes before the filing period ends. Then the Gibon Group acts and gets dupe into the Registrar's office. The candidacy papers are pulled and filed in a matter of minutes. We expect the same this year.
At the training for extremist board members conducted in the early 1990's done at a 'church' in El Cajon, the late filing strategy was a key part of the overall grand 'stealth' campaign strategy. The extremist strategy was to keep their candidates as hidden as possible from the public. The less time the public and the media had to find out about their candidates and their candidates views the better.
As you may recall from previous elections, the Gibson/Guffanti group's candidates try to avoid public forums. They attend as few as possible. The candidates on the extremist slate are given short, simple, meaningless; but kind of generically good sounding phrases about the importance of education and reading. The extremists repeat the phrases over and over with little or no variation. What they never do is fully answer questions or tell their philosophy for public education. That is verboten. Their rule is 'Never never let folks know who you are or what you really think.' The extremists realize that if the public truly knew them and their views, that they would never get any votes.
I know this grand strategy of stealth, deception and out right hiding sounds like just the opposite of real democracy, but that's what they use. This grand strategy has worked in the past. The extremists took over our board with in 1992. Even after the recall, Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti have been elected several times. These folks stick with what works.
So the question remains, who will run? Who has the courage to face the dirty tricks and the campaign of defamation that Jim Gibson will throw at any challenger who puts our kids first. Will the children of VUSD have a champion who is willing to put up with the dirt to try to improve their futures? Or will Jim be successful in getting not only himself but the crucial second vote against the betterment of our children's futures on our school board again.
With Jim alone on the board in the last two years, he still can grandstand and get quotes in the North County Times after each board meeting; but he is powerless to damage our children's future. However, as we so bitterly found out, when Jim and his extremists have two seats, on our school board, they can thwart the will of the people and waste taxpayer money by the boat load.
Never forget that two selfish men, Gibson and Guffanti, cost this district nearly fifty million dollars by delaying the third high school start of construction by nearly five years. We can never let that happen again. It will take years for our district to recover from this financial catastrophe those two despicable men inflicted.
So who is out there with the courage to face the Gibson slime machine for the good of this district and its children? "The world waits"
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Preview of a few lies that Jim Gibson will be using in his coming campaign
I will reprint the lies and misrepresentations of North County Times blogger ironically self-named "Plain Truth"* because he reflects the campaign propaganda being used by members of the Jim Gibson group. He wrote the following incorrect comment today:
THE LIES: "The union took over $500,000 of district funds. They were caught the board asked for about one-third of it back and accepted the union position that they would think about it. If that isn't fiscal irresponsibility what is?"
Others in the Gibson group have repeated variations of this lie many many times in the blogs even though they have been given correct information time and time again.
First to answer the question that Plain Truth asks, Fiscal irresponsibility is the wasting of almost five years to construct the third high school and nearly FIFTY MILLION dollars of taxpayer money in excess expenses caused by Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti due to their repeated refusal to support the immediate building of our third high school when Prop O passed in 2002. Cheap level land was found immediately after the bond passed in March of 2002 by the search committee; however, Gibson and Guffanti neither of whose children attended schools in VUSD, repeatedly refused to be the state required fourth trustee in favor of acquiring the property. Without four trustees in favor, the land could not be acquired.
Funny how the Gibson group does not care a bit about the waste of nearly fifty million dollars. Funny they do not care that for five additional years our high school students were subjected to being crowded into high schools with more than 3000 students which were originally built for a maximum of 1800 students.
In fact for years VUSD had the two largest high schools for total student numbers in California Interscholastic Federation sports competitions in San Diego County. Big campus population numbers might be could for football coaches to recruit from, but they are not great for giving our kids the best opportunities to learn. Gibson and Guffanti did not care. Our crowded schools did not affect their own children who did not attend our great VUSD schools.
As to Plain Truth's second point, no one 'took' any money. The union bargained with the elected representatives of the voters of Vista Unified School District for a release time president. As part of the negotiated agreement the VTA agreed to pay for a replacement teacher in the same manner allowed by labor law legal precedents going back several decades.
The VTA release time president payment to VUSD was done no differently than it has been done in hundreds of other California school districts over the last several decades. The agreement repeatedly passed legal muster a number of times over that same time.
Here is what was written about the former agreement in a VUSD school board document presented to the board on September 8, 2005:
"In March 2003, a legal opinion was provided to the Vista Unified School District regarding the legality of this full release."http://vistaschools.blogspot.com/2009/09/release-time-president-vusd-board.html
Now a brand new 'baby' law firm less than four years old has decide that in its 'considered' legal opinion that decades of labor law was wrong. I, personally, think it is unlikely that their opinion will carry. If it does,it will end collective bargaining for many small school districts.
Why? Because in small districts, associations rather than having a full time release president, their president and bargaining teams are released only during bargaining. They are replaced with substitute teachers on those days. Since the subs make less than the salaries of established teachers, according to this 'baby' law firm's opinion, it follows that the associations for these tiny districts must pay the full price of the president and bargaining teams salaries rather than the traditional required lower cost of a replacement teacher.
Never before in the history of California Collective Bargaining law has any other law firm said this common and customary policy was a violation of labor law.
Look for the opinion to be overturned and look for our school district to actually owe money to the Vista Teachers Association. Why you ask? Because the good folks of the VTA have been paying the full cost of the president's salary since shortly after the 'baby' law firm gave its 'legal' opinion. All of this money for the last six months may very well come back to the VTA when the final decision is in.
Read more here:http://vistaschools.blogspot.com/2010/07/vista-teachers-owe-540000-to-school.html
If against all reason, by some legal fluke, the final decision goes against precedent and against the VTA (and CTA), the statue of limitations reduces any amount owed by the VTA to a MAXIMUM of $128,242 and no more, not one penny more. Not the half million claimed by Gibson supporters like "Palin" Truth. Jim Gibson knows that. His supporter blogger, Plain Truth, knows it. They both also know the matter is years from being settled.
I just hope the process does not go on past the three year limitation for the VTA to recover the excess payment it has made to the district since early this year for the full salary of the president. The VTA was only legally required to pay the much lower amount for a replacement teacher. That was the legal precedent and that was what was bargained and written into our legally binding contract. Nothing more.
In cases like this dispute between the VTA/CTA and VUSD, the money is usually put into an escrow account until the matter is resolved. I would urge VTA leadership to check with CTA counsel and see if using an escrow account is a possibility. Without such an account and if the final decision takes longer than three year statute of limitations than VTA could be lose the money that it has paid in beyond that time.
There is an additional amount of money VUSD may end up owing the VTA depending on how the court case goes.
It is conceivable that the VTA could gain additional money in another way. There could be a substantial difference between what the district actually paid for the replacement teacher over the last fifteen years and the compensation set in the contract that the VTA has paid. The VTA may have paid far more than the district has actually spent on a replacement teacher. Depending on the judge, this excess could be awarded to the VTA.
*Isn't it odd that those who post comments that are the least truthful give themselves blog names so dymatrically opposite of what the comment they write? Other examples of this phenomenon are bloggers who call themselves, "Veritas," "Akamai," "justthefacts" etc.
THE LIES: "The union took over $500,000 of district funds. They were caught the board asked for about one-third of it back and accepted the union position that they would think about it. If that isn't fiscal irresponsibility what is?"
Others in the Gibson group have repeated variations of this lie many many times in the blogs even though they have been given correct information time and time again.
First to answer the question that Plain Truth asks, Fiscal irresponsibility is the wasting of almost five years to construct the third high school and nearly FIFTY MILLION dollars of taxpayer money in excess expenses caused by Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti due to their repeated refusal to support the immediate building of our third high school when Prop O passed in 2002. Cheap level land was found immediately after the bond passed in March of 2002 by the search committee; however, Gibson and Guffanti neither of whose children attended schools in VUSD, repeatedly refused to be the state required fourth trustee in favor of acquiring the property. Without four trustees in favor, the land could not be acquired.
Funny how the Gibson group does not care a bit about the waste of nearly fifty million dollars. Funny they do not care that for five additional years our high school students were subjected to being crowded into high schools with more than 3000 students which were originally built for a maximum of 1800 students.
In fact for years VUSD had the two largest high schools for total student numbers in California Interscholastic Federation sports competitions in San Diego County. Big campus population numbers might be could for football coaches to recruit from, but they are not great for giving our kids the best opportunities to learn. Gibson and Guffanti did not care. Our crowded schools did not affect their own children who did not attend our great VUSD schools.
As to Plain Truth's second point, no one 'took' any money. The union bargained with the elected representatives of the voters of Vista Unified School District for a release time president. As part of the negotiated agreement the VTA agreed to pay for a replacement teacher in the same manner allowed by labor law legal precedents going back several decades.
The VTA release time president payment to VUSD was done no differently than it has been done in hundreds of other California school districts over the last several decades. The agreement repeatedly passed legal muster a number of times over that same time.
Here is what was written about the former agreement in a VUSD school board document presented to the board on September 8, 2005:
"In March 2003, a legal opinion was provided to the Vista Unified School District regarding the legality of this full release."http://vistaschools.blogspot.com/2009/09/release-time-president-vusd-board.html
Now a brand new 'baby' law firm less than four years old has decide that in its 'considered' legal opinion that decades of labor law was wrong. I, personally, think it is unlikely that their opinion will carry. If it does,it will end collective bargaining for many small school districts.
Why? Because in small districts, associations rather than having a full time release president, their president and bargaining teams are released only during bargaining. They are replaced with substitute teachers on those days. Since the subs make less than the salaries of established teachers, according to this 'baby' law firm's opinion, it follows that the associations for these tiny districts must pay the full price of the president and bargaining teams salaries rather than the traditional required lower cost of a replacement teacher.
Never before in the history of California Collective Bargaining law has any other law firm said this common and customary policy was a violation of labor law.
Look for the opinion to be overturned and look for our school district to actually owe money to the Vista Teachers Association. Why you ask? Because the good folks of the VTA have been paying the full cost of the president's salary since shortly after the 'baby' law firm gave its 'legal' opinion. All of this money for the last six months may very well come back to the VTA when the final decision is in.
Read more here:http://vistaschools.blogspot.com/2010/07/vista-teachers-owe-540000-to-school.html
If against all reason, by some legal fluke, the final decision goes against precedent and against the VTA (and CTA), the statue of limitations reduces any amount owed by the VTA to a MAXIMUM of $128,242 and no more, not one penny more. Not the half million claimed by Gibson supporters like "Palin" Truth. Jim Gibson knows that. His supporter blogger, Plain Truth, knows it. They both also know the matter is years from being settled.
I just hope the process does not go on past the three year limitation for the VTA to recover the excess payment it has made to the district since early this year for the full salary of the president. The VTA was only legally required to pay the much lower amount for a replacement teacher. That was the legal precedent and that was what was bargained and written into our legally binding contract. Nothing more.
In cases like this dispute between the VTA/CTA and VUSD, the money is usually put into an escrow account until the matter is resolved. I would urge VTA leadership to check with CTA counsel and see if using an escrow account is a possibility. Without such an account and if the final decision takes longer than three year statute of limitations than VTA could be lose the money that it has paid in beyond that time.
There is an additional amount of money VUSD may end up owing the VTA depending on how the court case goes.
It is conceivable that the VTA could gain additional money in another way. There could be a substantial difference between what the district actually paid for the replacement teacher over the last fifteen years and the compensation set in the contract that the VTA has paid. The VTA may have paid far more than the district has actually spent on a replacement teacher. Depending on the judge, this excess could be awarded to the VTA.
*Isn't it odd that those who post comments that are the least truthful give themselves blog names so dymatrically opposite of what the comment they write? Other examples of this phenomenon are bloggers who call themselves, "Veritas," "Akamai," "justthefacts" etc.
A Monster Passes, Dr. Keith Richman Dies--38th Assembly District
Dr. Keith Richman represented the 38th district of the California State Assembly. He is infamous for a VERY expensive website where he does something that in America has always been considered off limits--publicly publishing the retirement salaries of elderly Americans online.
Richman did not pay for the site himself. He found anonymous deep pocket donors for that. His website financing is as unethical and creepy as the website itself.
He was also one of the lockstep Sacramento Republicans who cheerfully voted to bankrupt the state, put a college education out of the financial reach of a majority of California high school students, and cut back services for the least well off Californians--school children, the elderly, the ill, and the poor.
He consistently voted against forcing major corporations, especially the oil industry, to pay their fair share for the running the state.
Even Sarah Palin believed in and signed a major tax on companies pulling oil out of Alaskan soil. Keith Richman refused to allow even a fraction of that tax on the oil companies sucking oil out of our good California soil.
Our state is the third leading oil producing state out of all fifty and the only one where the oil companies get a free pass*, thanks in part to Keith Richman.
As a well paid physician I guess he could not relate to the poor. As a lock step Republican he made the poor, the elderly and the ill even more sorry that they were born. But his true moral monstrosity was the publishing of the retirement income of elderly Californians, who had given the productive part of their lives in service of our fine state.
How many of these elderly will be taken advantage of by confidence men who now know EXACTLY what their incomes are? Richman did not care.
Richman and other monsters (the ones who funded his website) like him would be outraged if their incomes were on-line. They as a group are basically bullies and moral cowards whose currency is hypocrisy. They feel 'righteous' when they abuse those weaker themselves, but are outraged if someone treats them the same way.
California is better off today than it was last Friday. See Richman's obituary here.
*The oil companies get to use our aging California infrastructure of roads, water, etc. as well as benefit from police and fire protection, but pay in taxes less than it cost the state to provide those services to them, let alone the costs of their despoiling of the good California land they leave stained with oil and blighted with broken down oil pumps.
The oil companies dismiss this once beautiful California land as 'oil fields' as though that was all the land was good for.
I have seen beautiful, potentially very productive agricultural land or wild life habitat turned into wasteland. You can to just drive north from Bakersfield on Highway 65.
Outside the desolation of the oil fields that same land, some with topsoil over one hundred feet deep, is the most productive agricultural land in the world. The top soil is so deep and rich because it has been washed down from the Sierra Nevada over thousands of years--layer by layer--one new layer every year.
The east side of the San Joaquin Valley has soil and a climate that is the best in the world. Virtually any fruit or nut tree, or any other crop can be grown there and is, except where the oil fields are. There the soil is destroyed and will stay that way for centuries after the last drop of oil is sucked out.
Richman did not pay for the site himself. He found anonymous deep pocket donors for that. His website financing is as unethical and creepy as the website itself.
He was also one of the lockstep Sacramento Republicans who cheerfully voted to bankrupt the state, put a college education out of the financial reach of a majority of California high school students, and cut back services for the least well off Californians--school children, the elderly, the ill, and the poor.
He consistently voted against forcing major corporations, especially the oil industry, to pay their fair share for the running the state.
Even Sarah Palin believed in and signed a major tax on companies pulling oil out of Alaskan soil. Keith Richman refused to allow even a fraction of that tax on the oil companies sucking oil out of our good California soil.
Our state is the third leading oil producing state out of all fifty and the only one where the oil companies get a free pass*, thanks in part to Keith Richman.
As a well paid physician I guess he could not relate to the poor. As a lock step Republican he made the poor, the elderly and the ill even more sorry that they were born. But his true moral monstrosity was the publishing of the retirement income of elderly Californians, who had given the productive part of their lives in service of our fine state.
How many of these elderly will be taken advantage of by confidence men who now know EXACTLY what their incomes are? Richman did not care.
Richman and other monsters (the ones who funded his website) like him would be outraged if their incomes were on-line. They as a group are basically bullies and moral cowards whose currency is hypocrisy. They feel 'righteous' when they abuse those weaker themselves, but are outraged if someone treats them the same way.
California is better off today than it was last Friday. See Richman's obituary here.
*The oil companies get to use our aging California infrastructure of roads, water, etc. as well as benefit from police and fire protection, but pay in taxes less than it cost the state to provide those services to them, let alone the costs of their despoiling of the good California land they leave stained with oil and blighted with broken down oil pumps.
The oil companies dismiss this once beautiful California land as 'oil fields' as though that was all the land was good for.
I have seen beautiful, potentially very productive agricultural land or wild life habitat turned into wasteland. You can to just drive north from Bakersfield on Highway 65.
Outside the desolation of the oil fields that same land, some with topsoil over one hundred feet deep, is the most productive agricultural land in the world. The top soil is so deep and rich because it has been washed down from the Sierra Nevada over thousands of years--layer by layer--one new layer every year.
The east side of the San Joaquin Valley has soil and a climate that is the best in the world. Virtually any fruit or nut tree, or any other crop can be grown there and is, except where the oil fields are. There the soil is destroyed and will stay that way for centuries after the last drop of oil is sucked out.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Jim Gibson pulls papers to run for VUSD school board
According to the San Diego Registrar of Voters website, Jim Gibson has pulled nomination papers for Vista Unified School District school board ten days ago on July 10. He has not yet filed the papers with the Registrar. He has until August 6 to complete the process. Incumbents seldom pull papers without the intention to run. So we can count on another dirty Jim Gibson school board campaign full of outrageous charges and made up paranoia about other candidates and the fine teachers of VUSD.
By the way thanks to the anonymous poster who alerted me about Gibson pulling papers.
If this election campaign is like the previous Gibson campaigns, we can also count on his friend and rabid hater of the middle class and all unions, Kent Davy, editor of the North Times, providing lots of inches in the North County Times to Gibson's unholy views of public schools and public school teachers. There will be uncritical articles in the main body of the newspaper that Stacy Brandt is forced to write. Davy will also provide as much space on the editorial page as Gibson and his tiny group of supporters ask for. Kent Davy, himself, will write editorials in support of Gibson's candidacy. The opinion pieces and editorials will feature Jim Gibson's made up stories and fantasies of hate while promoting his candidacy. They will not be fact checked for accuracy.
The only question is how much money can Gibson raise with his tired old made up stories from folks ignorant of what he is and what incredible damage he has done to Vista Unified School District and VUSD taxpayers' money. Will the local Republican Party continue to provide Gibson with the thousands and thousands of dollars he has used so unscrupulously in the past to create 'mailers of slander' that he fills our mailboxes with just before the election?
His trade mark final mailer is a hit piece that arrives four or five days before the election with wholly fabricated, but very salacious "Gibson facts" about the good schools and fine teachers of VUSD. These 'mailers of error' come out when there is no time to refute his made up stories. The uniformed VUSD voters are left with his warped and self surviving version of events just before they go to the polls.
I am hoping that Jim Gibson as a three time losers (twice for Oceanside City Council and once for State Assembly) will have a much tougher time getting funds this time around. But Jim is a slippery fellow and very good at finding money and talking folks out of it. Malicious story telling and knowing what his audience wants to hear have been his most successful fund raising attributes in the past campaigns.
We might get lucky again like in Dr. Stephen Guffanti's pathetic and lackluster 2008 campaign and not see much of an effort. In 2008 temper impaired, Guffanti was not able to raise money from anyone. He made almost no effort at all in the campaign, apparently thinking he was going to win on charm. Ha!
Jim Gibson does not have Guffanti's personality issues, the only question is how good are his political contacts still? He burned a lot of bridges with his viscous campaign and 'website of deception' that he used against fellow Republican Diane Harkey in his assembly bid. He lost big and she was elected. Has she forgiven him? Will she get in the way of Jim being able to open the golden pockets of local wealthy Republicans? Only time will tell.
If Jim is fully funded by local Republicans, look forward to robo phone call hell again, with Gibson robo calls by the dozens. In past election campaigns, Gibson as a former Republican Central Committee member has been allowed full access to the local Republican robo phone system. In those campaigns, Gibson has been allow to use and use and use that Republican robophone without limit. I have had as many as three Gibson robo calls in one day.
All we will have to counter Gibson's lavish use of expensive robo-phones our are own real people volunteers to make live phone calls where actual people have conversations with the good voters of VUSD. We may not have Gibson's access to the money and wealth but we have truth on our side. We may not be able to hire political consultants, have unlimited money for malicious mailers, get automated VUSD voter phone lists, and the use of a very expensive, state of the art robo phone system, but we have honest folks whose first priority is fact based education not Gibson style, self-aggrandizement and self promotion.
What we do have that Gibson can never get are people like you who will make the phone calls, walk precincts, stuff envelopes and do all the things that an honest grass roots campaign needs. Let's retire Gibson for good in November of 2010.
By the way thanks to the anonymous poster who alerted me about Gibson pulling papers.
If this election campaign is like the previous Gibson campaigns, we can also count on his friend and rabid hater of the middle class and all unions, Kent Davy, editor of the North Times, providing lots of inches in the North County Times to Gibson's unholy views of public schools and public school teachers. There will be uncritical articles in the main body of the newspaper that Stacy Brandt is forced to write. Davy will also provide as much space on the editorial page as Gibson and his tiny group of supporters ask for. Kent Davy, himself, will write editorials in support of Gibson's candidacy. The opinion pieces and editorials will feature Jim Gibson's made up stories and fantasies of hate while promoting his candidacy. They will not be fact checked for accuracy.
The only question is how much money can Gibson raise with his tired old made up stories from folks ignorant of what he is and what incredible damage he has done to Vista Unified School District and VUSD taxpayers' money. Will the local Republican Party continue to provide Gibson with the thousands and thousands of dollars he has used so unscrupulously in the past to create 'mailers of slander' that he fills our mailboxes with just before the election?
His trade mark final mailer is a hit piece that arrives four or five days before the election with wholly fabricated, but very salacious "Gibson facts" about the good schools and fine teachers of VUSD. These 'mailers of error' come out when there is no time to refute his made up stories. The uniformed VUSD voters are left with his warped and self surviving version of events just before they go to the polls.
I am hoping that Jim Gibson as a three time losers (twice for Oceanside City Council and once for State Assembly) will have a much tougher time getting funds this time around. But Jim is a slippery fellow and very good at finding money and talking folks out of it. Malicious story telling and knowing what his audience wants to hear have been his most successful fund raising attributes in the past campaigns.
We might get lucky again like in Dr. Stephen Guffanti's pathetic and lackluster 2008 campaign and not see much of an effort. In 2008 temper impaired, Guffanti was not able to raise money from anyone. He made almost no effort at all in the campaign, apparently thinking he was going to win on charm. Ha!
Jim Gibson does not have Guffanti's personality issues, the only question is how good are his political contacts still? He burned a lot of bridges with his viscous campaign and 'website of deception' that he used against fellow Republican Diane Harkey in his assembly bid. He lost big and she was elected. Has she forgiven him? Will she get in the way of Jim being able to open the golden pockets of local wealthy Republicans? Only time will tell.
If Jim is fully funded by local Republicans, look forward to robo phone call hell again, with Gibson robo calls by the dozens. In past election campaigns, Gibson as a former Republican Central Committee member has been allowed full access to the local Republican robo phone system. In those campaigns, Gibson has been allow to use and use and use that Republican robophone without limit. I have had as many as three Gibson robo calls in one day.
All we will have to counter Gibson's lavish use of expensive robo-phones our are own real people volunteers to make live phone calls where actual people have conversations with the good voters of VUSD. We may not have Gibson's access to the money and wealth but we have truth on our side. We may not be able to hire political consultants, have unlimited money for malicious mailers, get automated VUSD voter phone lists, and the use of a very expensive, state of the art robo phone system, but we have honest folks whose first priority is fact based education not Gibson style, self-aggrandizement and self promotion.
What we do have that Gibson can never get are people like you who will make the phone calls, walk precincts, stuff envelopes and do all the things that an honest grass roots campaign needs. Let's retire Gibson for good in November of 2010.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Silvia Peters strikes out again. What will 'Roxy' blog about this latest debacle?
City of Oceanside resident, Silvia Peters, failed again to find much public support for her newest angry cause--forcing Frank Lopez to resign from the City of Vista's city council. According to the North County Times she was able to muster just six people for her demonstration against Frank Lopez. Supporters of Frank Lopez far out numbered her sad little group of six protesters.
You may recall that Silvia Peters was a vociferous supporter of the recent poorly organized, and failed, recall stunt launched against three pro public education (Jaka, Chunka, and Lilly) Vista Unified School District trustees.
Now another embarrassing flop.
Not even her philosophically aligned friends like Kent Davy, editor of the dying North County Times, could provide enough support for her angry cause to get off the ground either this time or for last January's recall stunt.
No matter how many articles Davy demanded that his reporters write to 'highlight' the recall in January, there was no traction then or now for Silvia and her very few angry friends.
Davy tried again last week to give Peters and her new cause against Frank Lopez all the free publicity he could, but still almost no one pays any attention to her or her cause. Silvia was convinced that with Kent Davy's help, she could become the leader of a great sweeping populace cause. But who pays attention to the North County Times anymore? The answer is other than Silvia perhaps just the six people Peters conned into coming with her to the Frank Lopez protest.
On the other hand, Silvia Peter's latest embarrassment is still a win for her since she got her name (and picture!) in the North County Times. Whoopee.
Silvia Peters is also of interest because I believe her to be Roxy, the infamous angry and irrational, ANTI public education blogger who posts so frequently in the comment sections following NCTimes articles about VUSD.
Roxy is the blogger who uses CAPITALS CONSTANTLY WITH LOTS OF EXCLAMATION MARKS !!!!!!! to write her wild fantasies about VUSD teachers not caring to teach and really only being interested in terrorizing children, parents and taxpayers in their role as "UNION THUGS!!!!" . Roxy also calls Jan O' Reilly, the "QUEEN OF MEAN!!!!"
As to why I think that the angry blogger, Roxy, is Silvia Peters, My thinking rests on four lines of evidence. (1)The NCTimes blogger,Roxy, has blogged that her child used to attend Casita, a school she now hates. I am told that coincidentally Silvia Peters had a child at Casita, then transferred the child to Guajome Park Academy (2)Blogger Roxy seems very familiar with GPA as well. Blogger Roxy writes about GPA venomously and frequently. I am told that Silvia Peters had a reputation for making mountains out of molehills at both Casita and then later at GPA. She verbally harangued nice staff members at the two schools who were doing their level best to address her concerns and imaginary perceived slights against herself and her child. No one at either school could make Silvia Peters happy.
(3)Both blogger Roxy and Oceanside resident, Silvia Peters, seem to have the same angry temperament and both make the same kinds of over the top statements.
(4) Following the recent North County Times article about Silvia Peters' plan to demand Frank Lopez resign, the blogger Roxy made the most comments on the article and had by far the largest number of inches of comments. Roxy, the blogger, defended Silvia Peters, Oceanside resident in those comments.
Just thought of one more, Roxy, the blogger, has made several references to the FOXnotNews' Tea Party movement. Roxy wrote she could not blog much one day a few months back because she had a Tea Party rally to attend. Another coincidence, Silvia Peters is using Tea Party "wanted posters" with Frank Lopez face on them that are very similar to the ones that the FOX controlled Tea Party movement has used against President Obama.
In summary, both Roxy and Silvia first had a child at Casita then at Guajome Park. Roxy and Silvia have the same angry temperament. Blogger, Roxy, defended Silvia Peters attacks on Frank Lopez. Both Roxy and Silvia Peters seem associated with the Tea Party. Therefore, I conclude that they are indeed one and the same person.
Why cover Oceanside resident, Silvia Peters, attacks on a Vista city councilman in this blog? Because blogger Roxy (Silvia Peters) has been so prominent in the ANTI public schools, VUSD, VTA and school teachers attacks in the North County Times. Any failure for Roxy/ Silvia is a gain for fact based public education in VUSD.
You may recall that Silvia Peters was a vociferous supporter of the recent poorly organized, and failed, recall stunt launched against three pro public education (Jaka, Chunka, and Lilly) Vista Unified School District trustees.
Now another embarrassing flop.
Not even her philosophically aligned friends like Kent Davy, editor of the dying North County Times, could provide enough support for her angry cause to get off the ground either this time or for last January's recall stunt.
No matter how many articles Davy demanded that his reporters write to 'highlight' the recall in January, there was no traction then or now for Silvia and her very few angry friends.
Davy tried again last week to give Peters and her new cause against Frank Lopez all the free publicity he could, but still almost no one pays any attention to her or her cause. Silvia was convinced that with Kent Davy's help, she could become the leader of a great sweeping populace cause. But who pays attention to the North County Times anymore? The answer is other than Silvia perhaps just the six people Peters conned into coming with her to the Frank Lopez protest.
On the other hand, Silvia Peter's latest embarrassment is still a win for her since she got her name (and picture!) in the North County Times. Whoopee.
Silvia Peters is also of interest because I believe her to be Roxy, the infamous angry and irrational, ANTI public education blogger who posts so frequently in the comment sections following NCTimes articles about VUSD.
Roxy is the blogger who uses CAPITALS CONSTANTLY WITH LOTS OF EXCLAMATION MARKS !!!!!!! to write her wild fantasies about VUSD teachers not caring to teach and really only being interested in terrorizing children, parents and taxpayers in their role as "UNION THUGS!!!!" . Roxy also calls Jan O' Reilly, the "QUEEN OF MEAN!!!!"
As to why I think that the angry blogger, Roxy, is Silvia Peters, My thinking rests on four lines of evidence. (1)The NCTimes blogger,Roxy, has blogged that her child used to attend Casita, a school she now hates. I am told that coincidentally Silvia Peters had a child at Casita, then transferred the child to Guajome Park Academy (2)Blogger Roxy seems very familiar with GPA as well. Blogger Roxy writes about GPA venomously and frequently. I am told that Silvia Peters had a reputation for making mountains out of molehills at both Casita and then later at GPA. She verbally harangued nice staff members at the two schools who were doing their level best to address her concerns and imaginary perceived slights against herself and her child. No one at either school could make Silvia Peters happy.
(3)Both blogger Roxy and Oceanside resident, Silvia Peters, seem to have the same angry temperament and both make the same kinds of over the top statements.
(4) Following the recent North County Times article about Silvia Peters' plan to demand Frank Lopez resign, the blogger Roxy made the most comments on the article and had by far the largest number of inches of comments. Roxy, the blogger, defended Silvia Peters, Oceanside resident in those comments.
Just thought of one more, Roxy, the blogger, has made several references to the FOXnotNews' Tea Party movement. Roxy wrote she could not blog much one day a few months back because she had a Tea Party rally to attend. Another coincidence, Silvia Peters is using Tea Party "wanted posters" with Frank Lopez face on them that are very similar to the ones that the FOX controlled Tea Party movement has used against President Obama.
In summary, both Roxy and Silvia first had a child at Casita then at Guajome Park. Roxy and Silvia have the same angry temperament. Blogger, Roxy, defended Silvia Peters attacks on Frank Lopez. Both Roxy and Silvia Peters seem associated with the Tea Party. Therefore, I conclude that they are indeed one and the same person.
Why cover Oceanside resident, Silvia Peters, attacks on a Vista city councilman in this blog? Because blogger Roxy (Silvia Peters) has been so prominent in the ANTI public schools, VUSD, VTA and school teachers attacks in the North County Times. Any failure for Roxy/ Silvia is a gain for fact based public education in VUSD.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Rumor: Guffanti will run again. Gibson will as well.
Recent rumor has it that Dr. Stephen Guffanti is planning a new run for the school board again this coming November. His last humiliating defeat in November 2008 seems to have not deterred him from his quest to rain further ruin on our fine VUSD school district.
(1) Guffanti's part in the waste of almost fifty million dollars of VUSD taxpayer money does not seem to bother his conscience enough to not run.
(2) Guffanti's participation with Jim Gibson in the delay of the new high school by almost five years causing five additional years of needlessly over crowded high school campuses does not seem to trouble him enough for him to stay out of the race.
(3)Guffanti's support for the teaching in public schools, of the theology of the 'little liar god' creationism*, not only doesn't bother him. It is something he is very proud of.
(4) Nor does Guffanti's support of an organization dedicated to the destruction of all public schools in the United States embarrass him enough to stay out.
No, he wants to come back. He has started his emails again.
The pattern for Guffanti and all the ANTI fact based public education crowd is to turn in their candidate papers on the last possible day at the last possible hour. That day is usually in the second week of August. Look forward to it, NOT!
*NOTE: Little god creationism theology/cult philosophy says that the entire universe is only six thousand years old but only has been made to look 13.6 billion years old. Their 'god' is a poof poof creator god who is a liar and trickster. Their god demands we believe the universe in less than one millionth of one percent of the age their god made it appear to be. This cult like group is a Christian offshoot. Members believe only they and no one else is truly good and moral. Only they are 'real' Christians.
JIM GIBSON
It goes without saying that Jim Gibson will run again. Yes, I know he is currently pretending to be making up his mind. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't." Then suddenly he says, "Ah shucks, people just wanted me to run so bad I had, too."
Jim uses the same ploy before every election, but he always runs.
It seems that running for political office is what gives Jim's life meaning--twice for Oceanside City Council, once for California State Assembly Representative both while a sitting VUSD school board member.
Gee what's more important to Jim? His paid job as VUSD school board member with full medical, dental, vision, and life insurance or running for higher office? Yes, Jim has been PAID by VUSD for every year he has been a school board member with that pay comes full family insurance benefits as good as a full time teacher in the district. What an insult to the good taxpayers of VUSD!
No question, he is running for office again. Gibson loves to run for anything he comes across. Every election provide more chances for him to get his name in the newspaper. Besides where else can he get the 'free' full family insurance coverage and a salary for little or no work?
(1) Guffanti's part in the waste of almost fifty million dollars of VUSD taxpayer money does not seem to bother his conscience enough to not run.
(2) Guffanti's participation with Jim Gibson in the delay of the new high school by almost five years causing five additional years of needlessly over crowded high school campuses does not seem to trouble him enough for him to stay out of the race.
(3)Guffanti's support for the teaching in public schools, of the theology of the 'little liar god' creationism*, not only doesn't bother him. It is something he is very proud of.
(4) Nor does Guffanti's support of an organization dedicated to the destruction of all public schools in the United States embarrass him enough to stay out.
No, he wants to come back. He has started his emails again.
The pattern for Guffanti and all the ANTI fact based public education crowd is to turn in their candidate papers on the last possible day at the last possible hour. That day is usually in the second week of August. Look forward to it, NOT!
*NOTE: Little god creationism theology/cult philosophy says that the entire universe is only six thousand years old but only has been made to look 13.6 billion years old. Their 'god' is a poof poof creator god who is a liar and trickster. Their god demands we believe the universe in less than one millionth of one percent of the age their god made it appear to be. This cult like group is a Christian offshoot. Members believe only they and no one else is truly good and moral. Only they are 'real' Christians.
JIM GIBSON
It goes without saying that Jim Gibson will run again. Yes, I know he is currently pretending to be making up his mind. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't." Then suddenly he says, "Ah shucks, people just wanted me to run so bad I had, too."
Jim uses the same ploy before every election, but he always runs.
It seems that running for political office is what gives Jim's life meaning--twice for Oceanside City Council, once for California State Assembly Representative both while a sitting VUSD school board member.
Gee what's more important to Jim? His paid job as VUSD school board member with full medical, dental, vision, and life insurance or running for higher office? Yes, Jim has been PAID by VUSD for every year he has been a school board member with that pay comes full family insurance benefits as good as a full time teacher in the district. What an insult to the good taxpayers of VUSD!
No question, he is running for office again. Gibson loves to run for anything he comes across. Every election provide more chances for him to get his name in the newspaper. Besides where else can he get the 'free' full family insurance coverage and a salary for little or no work?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Our "angry friend," Silvia Peters attacks Frank Lopez, City of Vista council person
Silvia Peters, believed by me to be notorious anti-public education North County Times blogger, Roxy, has a new target for her vast ever bubbling pot of anger--Frank Lopez. Apparently she has become bored with attacking the good Vista Unified School District and its fine teachers.
Now City of OCEANSIDE resident, Silvia Peters, is calling for the resignation of City of VISTA Council person, Frank Lopez. Could this new campaign be part of the tea party activities that Roxy posts about? Why else would a resident of one city organize a political campaign against a city council person in a different city from the one she resides in?
Poor Frank Lopez, he now has a very persistent, if not a very smart, and certainly not at all nice opponent.
Read more about Silvia Peters new 'crusade' below.
VISTA: Citizens group asks councilman to step down
Group looking for people who received bad checks
By CIGI ROSS - cross@nctimes.com | Posted: July 21, 2010 6:26 pm |
A group of Vista residents is calling for Councilman Frank Lopez Jr. to resign and for people who may have received bad checks from him to step forward.
The group, called Vista Citizens for Responsible Government, started its campaign against Lopez after officials from the San Diego County district attorney's office said they couldn't prove the councilman intended to write more than $20,000 in bad checks from 2004 to 2008.
After a yearlong investigation, Lopez and his wife, Mary, were charged in June only with a misdemeanor, alleging they failed to pay workers' compensation insurance for employees at their Casa Linda Mexican restaurant on South Santa Fe Avenue.
Silvia Peters, a community activist who lives in Oceanside, said the citizens group handed out about 100 fliers in Vista Village on Friday to solicit witnesses who could help prove the bad check case.
The flier is a mock-up of a Wild West "wanted" poster with a photo of Lopez with jail bars placed over the picture. It also lists an e-mail address and phone number to call for those who believe they received bad checks.
Read the rest of the North County Times article here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_482f703a-fecd-509c-b2bd-79536ada45ab.html
NOTE: Notorious angry blogger, Roxy, has three posts and by far the largest column space after this article. Click on the comment section at the URL above if you wish to read them.
Now City of OCEANSIDE resident, Silvia Peters, is calling for the resignation of City of VISTA Council person, Frank Lopez. Could this new campaign be part of the tea party activities that Roxy posts about? Why else would a resident of one city organize a political campaign against a city council person in a different city from the one she resides in?
Poor Frank Lopez, he now has a very persistent, if not a very smart, and certainly not at all nice opponent.
Read more about Silvia Peters new 'crusade' below.
VISTA: Citizens group asks councilman to step down
Group looking for people who received bad checks
By CIGI ROSS - cross@nctimes.com | Posted: July 21, 2010 6:26 pm |
A group of Vista residents is calling for Councilman Frank Lopez Jr. to resign and for people who may have received bad checks from him to step forward.
The group, called Vista Citizens for Responsible Government, started its campaign against Lopez after officials from the San Diego County district attorney's office said they couldn't prove the councilman intended to write more than $20,000 in bad checks from 2004 to 2008.
After a yearlong investigation, Lopez and his wife, Mary, were charged in June only with a misdemeanor, alleging they failed to pay workers' compensation insurance for employees at their Casa Linda Mexican restaurant on South Santa Fe Avenue.
Silvia Peters, a community activist who lives in Oceanside, said the citizens group handed out about 100 fliers in Vista Village on Friday to solicit witnesses who could help prove the bad check case.
The flier is a mock-up of a Wild West "wanted" poster with a photo of Lopez with jail bars placed over the picture. It also lists an e-mail address and phone number to call for those who believe they received bad checks.
Read the rest of the North County Times article here:
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_482f703a-fecd-509c-b2bd-79536ada45ab.html
NOTE: Notorious angry blogger, Roxy, has three posts and by far the largest column space after this article. Click on the comment section at the URL above if you wish to read them.
'MySpace' caution--your career is on the line
Interesting article about the danger to your career of posting on "MySpace" type web sites. The judge in the case, who made the ruling against the student teacher, was Paul S. Diamond appointed by President George W. Bush. Elections matter.
See the beginning of the article below:
July 19, 2010
The Web Means the End of Forgetting
By JEFFREY ROSEN
Four years ago, Stacy Snyder, then a 25-year-old teacher in training at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa., posted a photo on her MySpace page that showed her at a party wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup, with the caption “Drunken Pirate.” After discovering the page, her supervisor at the high school told her the photo was “unprofessional,” and the dean of Millersville University School of Education, where Snyder was enrolled, said she was promoting drinking in virtual view of her under-age students. As a result, days before Snyder’s scheduled graduation, the university denied her a teaching degree. Snyder sued, arguing that the university had violated her First Amendment rights by penalizing her for her (perfectly legal) after-hours behavior. But in 2008, a federal district judge rejected the claim, saying that because Snyder was a public employee whose photo didn’t relate to matters of public concern, her “Drunken Pirate” post was not protected speech.
When historians of the future look back on the perils of the early digital age, Stacy Snyder may well be an icon. The problem she faced is only one example of a challenge that, in big and small ways, is...
Read the rest of the article at today's edition of the New York Times here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25privacy-t2.html?src=me&ref=general
Another article with very good links to a copy of the judge's decision and the photograph in question is found in the Washington Post here.
See the beginning of the article below:
July 19, 2010
The Web Means the End of Forgetting
By JEFFREY ROSEN
Four years ago, Stacy Snyder, then a 25-year-old teacher in training at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, Pa., posted a photo on her MySpace page that showed her at a party wearing a pirate hat and drinking from a plastic cup, with the caption “Drunken Pirate.” After discovering the page, her supervisor at the high school told her the photo was “unprofessional,” and the dean of Millersville University School of Education, where Snyder was enrolled, said she was promoting drinking in virtual view of her under-age students. As a result, days before Snyder’s scheduled graduation, the university denied her a teaching degree. Snyder sued, arguing that the university had violated her First Amendment rights by penalizing her for her (perfectly legal) after-hours behavior. But in 2008, a federal district judge rejected the claim, saying that because Snyder was a public employee whose photo didn’t relate to matters of public concern, her “Drunken Pirate” post was not protected speech.
When historians of the future look back on the perils of the early digital age, Stacy Snyder may well be an icon. The problem she faced is only one example of a challenge that, in big and small ways, is...
Read the rest of the article at today's edition of the New York Times here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/magazine/25privacy-t2.html?src=me&ref=general
Another article with very good links to a copy of the judge's decision and the photograph in question is found in the Washington Post here.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Jim Gibson as a bully, the Lincoln Club of San Diego, and Letha McWey
According to an article* in archives of the North County Times written by NCTimes reporter Michael J. Williams, Jim Gibson received $9000 for his successful 2002 Vista Unified School Board campaign from the Lincoln Club of San Diego County--a fund raising arm of the San Diego Republican Party.
The Lincoln Club of San Diego County is the same organization whose current president T.J. Zane says that public employees 'are like drug addicts and taxes are their drug of choice.'
In the November 2002 article entitled, "Funds pour in for two VUSD candidates," Jim Gibson is quoted as saying, "the Lincoln Club representatives just like my philosophy...these people know me."
The reporter in this November 1, 2002 article points out for the first and only time in any North County article that Jim Gibson was a former Republican Central Committee member.
Jim Gibson also said he viewed the 2002 VUSD school board race as between Republicans and Democrats and that is how he has treated all subsequent school board elections.
The position of school board is a NON-PARTISAN position. In California there are no party affiliations listed in the Voters Guide because in our state party affiliation is irrelevant. The first priority of all elected non partisan school board members is supposed to be to getting the best education possible for local students. There are not supposed to be party politics, nor party grandstanding, nor use of the office for political advancement. The office is supposed to be about putting the education of our children ahead of all else.
Jim Gibson does not seem to understand the NON-PARTISAN concept. Like all bullies, he is always looking for an unfair advantage to take for the advancement of his personal power and influence.
The race in 2002 was one in which a registered Republican and school board incumbent, Letha McWey received NO support from the local arm of the local Republican party, the Lincoln Club of San Diego County. That is correct. An incumbent VUSD school board member, who was a Republican in good standing, received ZERO money from the local Republican Party.
Not so odd you think. It was a NON PARTISAN race. So nobody should have received money from a POLITICAL PARTY.
Yet one person did indeed receive money from a political party. Running as a Republican for a NON PARTISAN office, School board member (Jim Gibson) on the same VUSD school board as Letha received NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS from the Republican Party.
How strange that he received any POLITICAL PARTY money at all in a non partisan race. Stranger still that the other incumbent (Letha McWey) who was also registered as a Republican, received ZERO money from the Republican Party. Could Letha's snub have anything to do with Jim Gibson's POLITICAL connections on the Republican Central Committee?
Another similar odd incident happened four years before in the 1998 school board campaign, the first school board election in which Jim Gibson ran for VUSD school board. Letha McWey was at the time, a first term school board incumbent. The incident happened at the local North County women's Republican club. Their meetings were held at the Shadowridge Country Club.
The women's Republican club had invited all the Republican School candidates to speak at their regular October 1998 meeting. Letha McWey, as a registered Republican and prominent, incumbent VUSD school board member running for re-election , came to the meeting to speak. I also attended, as I, too, am a registered Republican. I came to support Letha whom I had known for the last a decade through Y Indian Guides. I, and several other of her supporters, expected to applaud wildly after her chance at the podium.
The event was advertised as a forum for Republicans school board candidates to address this North County Republican women's Club. A little odd, seeing that it was a non partisan race but still we went to support Letha.
The Republican women of Shadowridge allowed Jim Gibson to make his campaign speech at the podium in the front. His speech was filled with very impressive and very emotional, but wholly fabricated, stories about how he and his family had been picked on by evil, union thug, school teachers. The 'supposed' abuse in his most prominent fictional story had purportedly happened at a recent school board meeting where he spoke. I happened to have attended that meeting.
His story(ies) had no basis in fact or reality, but the Shadowridge Republican Women members ate them up--applauding loudly at his 'bravery'. They were the typical "poor Jimmy" stories, he has become so famous for. None of Republican women had been at the school board meeting. How could they know he was lying? In his stories, he cast himself as the lone voice for the taxpayers who was being bullied by those mean teachers. Had I not been at the meeting in question, I might even have believed Jim Gibson. He is a very convincing raconteur.
Letha was ready to speak next. She was sitting up front at the candidates table not with us in the audience. But when her time came to speak, the chair denied her the podium!
The chair 'dissed' Letha to her face while all of us sitting at her table of supporters looked on in shock.
The chair was refusing to allow a Republican candidate for VUSD school board to have equal time with another Republican candidate. We could not believe it. What was going on?
There Letha was, a registered Republican who had paid to attend a meeting advertised as a Republican school board candidate forum and she was not allowed to speak! She had a table full of supporters who had also paid to attend. How rude! How wholly unfair! Why?
Neither she nor we, her supporters, made a scene. We left quietly at the conclusion of the meeting. We were bewildered by this turn of events.
Only some Republicans were allowed to be heard. Other Republicans were silenced. Letha was silenced. Her views were not heard.
Only much later did we find out about Jim Gibson being on the Republican Central Committee. Apparently Gibson had used his influence to prevent her from speaking at Shadowridge Women's Republican Club.
Jim is not a nice guy. He does not like competition. The free enterprise of ideas is something he avoids. He hates to allow folks with actual facts to contradict his made up stories. He prefers folks only hear his fables of personal heroism against the terrible bullies that pick on him, cheat taxpayers, and don't educate children in VUSD.
One of the reasons Gibson opposed Letha McWey in the 2002 election was that she had voted as part of the three person, fiduciary responsible, majority in favor of a Board Resolution to support Proposition 47. She had supported our local bond, Prop O. She also advocated for the immediate building of the third high school which Jim Gibson opposed and was in the process of trying to kill through delays.
More unbelievably Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti VOTED AGAINST a VUSD resolution in support of Prop 47, the state school bond potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to our district, the district that they were school board members of and supposedly running for the benefit of students and taxpayers.
At the time Gibson and Guffanti voted supporting Prop 47, it was projected to provide as much as 103 million dollars for school construction in VUSD!
Thankfully this state school construction proposition did ultimately pass, but with no help from Jim Gibson or Dr. Stephen Guffanti.
Jim Gibson was Letha McWey's political enemy because she supported fact based public education in 1998 election when both he and Letha were elected. He remained her political enemy in the 2002 election when he was re-elected and Letha lost.
Jim has apparently used his considerable political influence with the local Republican party to hurt Letha because she had supported both our local school bond, Prop O, passed in March of 2002, and the statewide school construction bond (Prop 47) resolution which brought so much more money to our district for new schools. Jim has never been in favor of building new public schools that teach a fact based curriculum.
Jim mostly subverted Letha chances because he could. Bullies are like that. Bullies fear competition. Bullies fear facts and fairness. Bullies make up stories when confronted with the facts of their misdeeds. Bullies cheat to win. Jim Gibson fits the description of a bully to a 'T'.
*NOTE: The North County Times archives have been corrupted apparently by a virus, so the article may no longer be available. Most from before 2005 are not. I have a cut out copy of the article and can reproduce it for anyone interested.
ADDITIONAL EDITOR NOTE AND CORRECTION:
After I first posted this article a few days ago, I realized that the incident at the North County women's Republican Club where Letha McWey was publicly snubbed by her fellow Republican women must have happened in the 1998 school board campaign, not the 2002. My apologies for any confusion it may have caused. My only excuse is 'old man brain'. Sorry.
The Lincoln Club of San Diego County is the same organization whose current president T.J. Zane says that public employees 'are like drug addicts and taxes are their drug of choice.'
In the November 2002 article entitled, "Funds pour in for two VUSD candidates," Jim Gibson is quoted as saying, "the Lincoln Club representatives just like my philosophy...these people know me."
The reporter in this November 1, 2002 article points out for the first and only time in any North County article that Jim Gibson was a former Republican Central Committee member.
Jim Gibson also said he viewed the 2002 VUSD school board race as between Republicans and Democrats and that is how he has treated all subsequent school board elections.
The position of school board is a NON-PARTISAN position. In California there are no party affiliations listed in the Voters Guide because in our state party affiliation is irrelevant. The first priority of all elected non partisan school board members is supposed to be to getting the best education possible for local students. There are not supposed to be party politics, nor party grandstanding, nor use of the office for political advancement. The office is supposed to be about putting the education of our children ahead of all else.
Jim Gibson does not seem to understand the NON-PARTISAN concept. Like all bullies, he is always looking for an unfair advantage to take for the advancement of his personal power and influence.
The race in 2002 was one in which a registered Republican and school board incumbent, Letha McWey received NO support from the local arm of the local Republican party, the Lincoln Club of San Diego County. That is correct. An incumbent VUSD school board member, who was a Republican in good standing, received ZERO money from the local Republican Party.
Not so odd you think. It was a NON PARTISAN race. So nobody should have received money from a POLITICAL PARTY.
Yet one person did indeed receive money from a political party. Running as a Republican for a NON PARTISAN office, School board member (Jim Gibson) on the same VUSD school board as Letha received NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS from the Republican Party.
How strange that he received any POLITICAL PARTY money at all in a non partisan race. Stranger still that the other incumbent (Letha McWey) who was also registered as a Republican, received ZERO money from the Republican Party. Could Letha's snub have anything to do with Jim Gibson's POLITICAL connections on the Republican Central Committee?
Another similar odd incident happened four years before in the 1998 school board campaign, the first school board election in which Jim Gibson ran for VUSD school board. Letha McWey was at the time, a first term school board incumbent. The incident happened at the local North County women's Republican club. Their meetings were held at the Shadowridge Country Club.
The women's Republican club had invited all the Republican School candidates to speak at their regular October 1998 meeting. Letha McWey, as a registered Republican and prominent, incumbent VUSD school board member running for re-election , came to the meeting to speak. I also attended, as I, too, am a registered Republican. I came to support Letha whom I had known for the last a decade through Y Indian Guides. I, and several other of her supporters, expected to applaud wildly after her chance at the podium.
The event was advertised as a forum for Republicans school board candidates to address this North County Republican women's Club. A little odd, seeing that it was a non partisan race but still we went to support Letha.
The Republican women of Shadowridge allowed Jim Gibson to make his campaign speech at the podium in the front. His speech was filled with very impressive and very emotional, but wholly fabricated, stories about how he and his family had been picked on by evil, union thug, school teachers. The 'supposed' abuse in his most prominent fictional story had purportedly happened at a recent school board meeting where he spoke. I happened to have attended that meeting.
His story(ies) had no basis in fact or reality, but the Shadowridge Republican Women members ate them up--applauding loudly at his 'bravery'. They were the typical "poor Jimmy" stories, he has become so famous for. None of Republican women had been at the school board meeting. How could they know he was lying? In his stories, he cast himself as the lone voice for the taxpayers who was being bullied by those mean teachers. Had I not been at the meeting in question, I might even have believed Jim Gibson. He is a very convincing raconteur.
Letha was ready to speak next. She was sitting up front at the candidates table not with us in the audience. But when her time came to speak, the chair denied her the podium!
The chair 'dissed' Letha to her face while all of us sitting at her table of supporters looked on in shock.
The chair was refusing to allow a Republican candidate for VUSD school board to have equal time with another Republican candidate. We could not believe it. What was going on?
There Letha was, a registered Republican who had paid to attend a meeting advertised as a Republican school board candidate forum and she was not allowed to speak! She had a table full of supporters who had also paid to attend. How rude! How wholly unfair! Why?
Neither she nor we, her supporters, made a scene. We left quietly at the conclusion of the meeting. We were bewildered by this turn of events.
Only some Republicans were allowed to be heard. Other Republicans were silenced. Letha was silenced. Her views were not heard.
Only much later did we find out about Jim Gibson being on the Republican Central Committee. Apparently Gibson had used his influence to prevent her from speaking at Shadowridge Women's Republican Club.
Jim is not a nice guy. He does not like competition. The free enterprise of ideas is something he avoids. He hates to allow folks with actual facts to contradict his made up stories. He prefers folks only hear his fables of personal heroism against the terrible bullies that pick on him, cheat taxpayers, and don't educate children in VUSD.
One of the reasons Gibson opposed Letha McWey in the 2002 election was that she had voted as part of the three person, fiduciary responsible, majority in favor of a Board Resolution to support Proposition 47. She had supported our local bond, Prop O. She also advocated for the immediate building of the third high school which Jim Gibson opposed and was in the process of trying to kill through delays.
More unbelievably Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti VOTED AGAINST a VUSD resolution in support of Prop 47, the state school bond potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to our district, the district that they were school board members of and supposedly running for the benefit of students and taxpayers.
At the time Gibson and Guffanti voted supporting Prop 47, it was projected to provide as much as 103 million dollars for school construction in VUSD!
Thankfully this state school construction proposition did ultimately pass, but with no help from Jim Gibson or Dr. Stephen Guffanti.
Jim Gibson was Letha McWey's political enemy because she supported fact based public education in 1998 election when both he and Letha were elected. He remained her political enemy in the 2002 election when he was re-elected and Letha lost.
Jim has apparently used his considerable political influence with the local Republican party to hurt Letha because she had supported both our local school bond, Prop O, passed in March of 2002, and the statewide school construction bond (Prop 47) resolution which brought so much more money to our district for new schools. Jim has never been in favor of building new public schools that teach a fact based curriculum.
Jim mostly subverted Letha chances because he could. Bullies are like that. Bullies fear competition. Bullies fear facts and fairness. Bullies make up stories when confronted with the facts of their misdeeds. Bullies cheat to win. Jim Gibson fits the description of a bully to a 'T'.
*NOTE: The North County Times archives have been corrupted apparently by a virus, so the article may no longer be available. Most from before 2005 are not. I have a cut out copy of the article and can reproduce it for anyone interested.
ADDITIONAL EDITOR NOTE AND CORRECTION:
After I first posted this article a few days ago, I realized that the incident at the North County women's Republican Club where Letha McWey was publicly snubbed by her fellow Republican women must have happened in the 1998 school board campaign, not the 2002. My apologies for any confusion it may have caused. My only excuse is 'old man brain'. Sorry.
"Vista Teachers Owe $540,000 to the school district!" SCREAM the ANTIs
Our angry friends, aka ANTIs, repeatedly claim that the Vista Teachers Association owes a large sum to the school district. In addition they have said the VTA knows it owes the money and refuses to pay. They ask when will the VTA pay the money it owes to the district. They also imply that this money would go a long way toward paying for needed school supplies for our VUSD students. Yet the almost fifty million dollars wasted by Jim Gibson causes them no concern at all. They say it was only school bond money.
Of course we all know the truth. The VTA owes no money to VUSD, none at all. And if they were concerned about wasting taxpayer money they would not support the greatest waster or taxpayer money in VUSD history, Jim Gibson.
Yes,there is a dispute between the VTA and VUSD over what is fair compensation to the school district for a release time president. When the legal dispute is settled, it may turn out that the VTA does owe some money to the school district due to a new interpretation of labor law. However, the statue of limitations on such matters reduces any potential award to $128,242 no where near the half million dollars they SCREAM about in all capitals in their posts.
It may just as likely turn out that school district actually owes money to the VTA. It may well turn out that the VTA has been overpaying the district for the the last six months. It seems the VTA to be above reproach has been paying the district the full president's salary and benefit cost as though the district might prevail, unlikely as that is.
The amount the VTA pays for the release time president was collectively bargained in fair bargaining over many years.
The amount decided for the reimbursement was found to be according to labor law in March 2003 during another legal review by a different law firm.
Reimbursement by the VTA was based on the long standing principal going back to the very beginning of public school collective bargaining in the mid 1970's of paying for the replacement teacher not the full president's salary. When union presidents were released for the day to participate in bargaining, their associations paid only for a sub for their class.
If this new interpretation holds, small teacher associations (bargaining units) will have to stop collective bargaining or only bargain on the weekends as they will not be able to pay a full day's teacher's salary for each release day.
The law firm, Fagen, Friedman, and Fulfrost LLP, hired by our district last fall and whose lawyer came to this brand new conclusion about a collectively bargained policy common in hundreds of school districts across California, including many others in the North County, is a very new law firm founded only four years ago. The quote on their website, "Since our inception in June 2006 with nine attorneys, the firm has grown to 55 attorneys."
The mission statement of F3 (as the law firm calls itself)is, "Our Mission is to help clients achieve their missions." In other words their legal decisions always come out the way their clients (management) want them to come out.
Fagen Friedman and Fulfrost is a law firm used exclusively by management and never by labor.
It is not a surprise given their motto and their clientele that they would decide that our VUSD contract provision bargained for by the VTA for reimbursement of the VTA release time president was 'possibly' illegal.
Personally I do not think their unique opinion will hold. It goes against more than four decades of collective bargaining law.
Here are the articles in the North County Times if you wish to read further:
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_4e832ad6-cc37-5559-95aa-326d5b65e538.html
VISTA: Union challenges VUSD repayment request
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: February 10, 2010 4:20 pm
------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_deb20837-3110-5b3d-833a-9a5364675995.html
VISTA: Union reimbursement challenge in VUSD could set precedent
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: January 9, 2010 7:00 pm
----------------------------
VISTA: School board agrees to seek limited reimbursement
Union has reimbursed district less than cost of teacher's salary
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: December 10, 2009 11:20 pm |
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_5061cdeb-dfc6-546f-b4c2-0e5bc0c59b43.html
--------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_5134d22d-eaec-503b-98ff-064e15921fcd.html
VISTA: VUSD board to discuss union reimbursement
Lawyer tells district current arrangement is illegal
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: December 7, 2009 8:20 pm |
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_6164f23a-ab93-5977-af1c-23b5bfc4db9b.html
FORUM: Vista Unified is seeking legal opinion on VTA pact
R. ELIZABETH JAKA -- VUSD trustee | Posted: October 2, 2009 12:00 am
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_63509623-7cf4-5259-9fb7-2817cc3670d8.html
FORUM: Vista teachers union needs to return money
---------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_c9e6be3a-c966-5c67-9dbd-d6744ed46385.html
VISTA: School board trustee wants review of union chief's pay
Gibson asks for lawyers to examine salary issue
STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: September 9, 2009 8:05 pm |
JILL PARVIN -- Vista | Posted: September 25, 2009 12:00 am |
Of course we all know the truth. The VTA owes no money to VUSD, none at all. And if they were concerned about wasting taxpayer money they would not support the greatest waster or taxpayer money in VUSD history, Jim Gibson.
Yes,there is a dispute between the VTA and VUSD over what is fair compensation to the school district for a release time president. When the legal dispute is settled, it may turn out that the VTA does owe some money to the school district due to a new interpretation of labor law. However, the statue of limitations on such matters reduces any potential award to $128,242 no where near the half million dollars they SCREAM about in all capitals in their posts.
It may just as likely turn out that school district actually owes money to the VTA. It may well turn out that the VTA has been overpaying the district for the the last six months. It seems the VTA to be above reproach has been paying the district the full president's salary and benefit cost as though the district might prevail, unlikely as that is.
The amount the VTA pays for the release time president was collectively bargained in fair bargaining over many years.
The amount decided for the reimbursement was found to be according to labor law in March 2003 during another legal review by a different law firm.
Reimbursement by the VTA was based on the long standing principal going back to the very beginning of public school collective bargaining in the mid 1970's of paying for the replacement teacher not the full president's salary. When union presidents were released for the day to participate in bargaining, their associations paid only for a sub for their class.
If this new interpretation holds, small teacher associations (bargaining units) will have to stop collective bargaining or only bargain on the weekends as they will not be able to pay a full day's teacher's salary for each release day.
The law firm, Fagen, Friedman, and Fulfrost LLP, hired by our district last fall and whose lawyer came to this brand new conclusion about a collectively bargained policy common in hundreds of school districts across California, including many others in the North County, is a very new law firm founded only four years ago. The quote on their website, "Since our inception in June 2006 with nine attorneys, the firm has grown to 55 attorneys."
The mission statement of F3 (as the law firm calls itself)is, "Our Mission is to help clients achieve their missions." In other words their legal decisions always come out the way their clients (management) want them to come out.
Fagen Friedman and Fulfrost is a law firm used exclusively by management and never by labor.
It is not a surprise given their motto and their clientele that they would decide that our VUSD contract provision bargained for by the VTA for reimbursement of the VTA release time president was 'possibly' illegal.
Personally I do not think their unique opinion will hold. It goes against more than four decades of collective bargaining law.
Here are the articles in the North County Times if you wish to read further:
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_4e832ad6-cc37-5559-95aa-326d5b65e538.html
VISTA: Union challenges VUSD repayment request
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: February 10, 2010 4:20 pm
------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_deb20837-3110-5b3d-833a-9a5364675995.html
VISTA: Union reimbursement challenge in VUSD could set precedent
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: January 9, 2010 7:00 pm
----------------------------
VISTA: School board agrees to seek limited reimbursement
Union has reimbursed district less than cost of teacher's salary
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: December 10, 2009 11:20 pm |
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_5061cdeb-dfc6-546f-b4c2-0e5bc0c59b43.html
--------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_5134d22d-eaec-503b-98ff-064e15921fcd.html
VISTA: VUSD board to discuss union reimbursement
Lawyer tells district current arrangement is illegal
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: December 7, 2009 8:20 pm |
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_6164f23a-ab93-5977-af1c-23b5bfc4db9b.html
FORUM: Vista Unified is seeking legal opinion on VTA pact
R. ELIZABETH JAKA -- VUSD trustee | Posted: October 2, 2009 12:00 am
-----------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/article_63509623-7cf4-5259-9fb7-2817cc3670d8.html
FORUM: Vista teachers union needs to return money
---------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_c9e6be3a-c966-5c67-9dbd-d6744ed46385.html
VISTA: School board trustee wants review of union chief's pay
Gibson asks for lawyers to examine salary issue
STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: September 9, 2009 8:05 pm |
JILL PARVIN -- Vista | Posted: September 25, 2009 12:00 am |
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Local Republican leader says unions are: "are like drug addicts and our tax dollars are their drug of choice."
Did you know that you are a drug addict? Yes you are, and your drug of choice is taxes. That is according to T.J. Zane, a prominent local political consultant for the rich, and elected president and CEO of the San Diego Chapter of the Lincoln Club, a fund raising arm of the California Republican Party.
Well actually he only said that the good teachers you elect to leadership positions in the Vista Teacher's Association and other similar folks elected by firefighters and police officers are drug addicts. I guess that makes the rest of us only 'potential' drug addicts who can become addicted at any time we volunteer to run for a leadership position.
Here is T.J. Zane's quote, "...the public labor union bosses...are like drug addicts and our tax dollars are their drug of choice." See it in full and disgusting context here.
Well actually he only said that the good teachers you elect to leadership positions in the Vista Teacher's Association and other similar folks elected by firefighters and police officers are drug addicts. I guess that makes the rest of us only 'potential' drug addicts who can become addicted at any time we volunteer to run for a leadership position.
Here is T.J. Zane's quote, "...the public labor union bosses...are like drug addicts and our tax dollars are their drug of choice." See it in full and disgusting context here.
Jim Gibson--Master of Unmitigated Gall
Jim Gibson, the last Vista Unified School District board member left on our school board who does not believe in FACT based public education, had the unmitigated gall to tell Stacey Brandt, North County Times education reporter that he (Gibson) would not be supporting Dave Cowles run for Vista City Council because:
"We always need people in politics that represent taxpayers and put taxpayers first," he (Gibson) said. http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_272ade39-da28-594b-8655-2a075aa17eb2.html
This from the school board member responsible for the greatest waste of VUSD taxpayer money in its eighty year history!
Jim Gibson, with help from now former board member, Dr. Stephen Guffanti caused a five year delay in the start of construction at our third high school, Mission Vista High School, that increased the projected costs from 50 million dollars (in 2002) to the actual cost of nearly 100 million today.
That's right Jim Gibson and his henchman in crime against taxpayers, Dr. Stephen Guffanti cost taxpayers in VUSD FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS, yet Jim Gibson claims he is worried about hypothetical taxpayer money waste by someone else! Wow! I guess when you are an expert at something, you talk about it a lot.
Jimmy Gibson, the absolute master of unmitigated gall says he does not think someone else will put taxpayers first! What Chutzpah! Jim Gibson, the remaining VUSD school board member most responsible for the dire economic situation VUSD finds itself in today, claims to be worried about some vague future problem with taxpayer money being wasted by a person not yet elected to public office! Talk about seeing a mote in someone else's eye while having a beam in your own! See Matthew 7:3
Gibson and Guffanti refused time after time to support the start of construction on the new high school at the cheap level primary site identified by the search committee in the Spring 2002 just after our school bond issue, Prop O, was passed. Read the exact quotes (in blue) with URLs from the North County Times about Gibson and Guffanti's wasteful obstructionism here.
Start of construction on what is now named Mission Vista High school was delayed from the summer of 2002 until the spring of 2007 by Gibson and Guffanti. This long delay left our children in overcrowded classrooms and campus for five years more than they needed to be.
In 2002 VUSD for the first time in decades had money in hand to build the high school, yet could not because of Gibson and Guffanti's obstructionism and an obscure California law requiring four out of five school board members to support the acquisition of land.
All VUSD taxpayers needed was either Gibson or Guffanti to allow construction to start. Neither one would. Their ridiculous cries of no! no! no! to every effort to build the school cost our good district taxpayers dearly.
Now spendthrift, Jim Gibson with an apparent straight face pretends to care about taxpayer money. Could that be because an election is coming up for his position on the school board this November?
Monday, July 5, 2010
Levanthal vs VUSD, the real truth
The always angry to completely irrational, North County Times blogger calling herself Roxy has repeatedly "screamed" the following comment after articles about our fine district in her inimitable all capitals style:
VUSD HAS A PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST IT!!!! LEVANTHAL VS VUSD!!!!!!!
VUSD HAS A PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST IT!!!! LEVANTHAL VS VUSD!!!!!!!
A blogger self named. Ozoner has twice blogged that VUSD was the best district around until 'the ACLU sued the district in the 1980's and all the white children left. Roxy chimed after his most recent post with her LEVANTHAL VS VUSD comment pretending that that case had something to do with Ozoner comment about an imagined ACLU lawsuit in the 1980's.
So much mad spittle and foam on the chins, so little accuracy. Levanthal vs VUSD was a 1997 case. It had nothing to do with 1980s ACLU fantasy of Mr. Ozone
Ozoner wrote on July 3 at
Nothing about Ozoner’s allegation is true.
(1) VUSD is still one of the finest school districts in
(2) I can recall no case where the ACLU sued VUSD in the early 1980’s and
(3) even if the ACLU had sued, one court case does not change the personnel of a school district. The same fine employees would still be employed before, during, and after a lawsuit even the fantasy one that Ozoner has made up.
Roxy never at a loss for misrepresentations pretends that the 1997 Levanthal vs VUSD case has something to do with what Ozoner baseless charges about something Ozoner alleges happened in the early 1980’s--only a decade and a half after Ozoner's 'early 1980's allegation was supposed to have happened, I guess that 15 year gap is what goes for accuracy and truth in Roxy's alternate universe.
Levanthal vs VUSD concerned only a VUSD board policy which prohibited the PUBLIC criticism of HIRED, not elected, employees of VUSD at public meetings. Elected public officials could always be criticized in public, before, during and after Levanthal and Mary Bristol brought the lawsuit against the district. ( Aside Mary Bristol was a former losing, ANTI school board candidate who became infamous for her videotaped comment at a public school board forum that 'anal sex was responsible for the rise in teenage pregnancy.' One wonders how sperm meets egg anally. Worse Bistol profession was nurse.)
Back in 1997, our angry friends, not content with the infamy they brought to our district from 1992-94 (creationism, fact free and racist sex ed, turning down multi million dollar grants), decided they wanted to create ever more problems for our fine district by suggesting publicly at school board meeting after school board meeting a romantic liaison between the then superintendent and a sitting school board member. As I recall both the superintendent and the board member (a clergy member) were married to other people at the time that our angry friends decided the two were having an affair and that it was right and proper had to accuse the two of them of the affair at every school board meeting. Of course our angry friends also included their favorite baseless charge, then and now, financial improprieties of some kind that no one not living in paranoid fantasies could understand.
Most decent folks would think such charges, especially the salacious ones, should be made in private, but not our angry friends.
Our angry friends were stopped from publicly criticizing the then superintendent by the then chair of the VUSD school board on the grounds that the PUBLIC criticism violated not only common decency. but VUSD school board policy.
Most school boards at the time had similar policies. These types of policies against PUBLIC criticism of NON-elected employees were not meant to stop criticism, just to move it into proper channels where all allegations could be investigated for truthfulness before any charges were made publicly. Making the charges privately was not enough fun for our angry friends. They wanted to do it publicly. When they were stopped, they decided to sue.
For some weird reason they prevailed.
Why the court chose to allow personnel matters concerning hired not elected folks, matters that have always been restricted to closed session by every governmental body in America, to now be allowed to be discussed in public, I cannot fathom.
Note:
(1) None of the five school board members then on the board (1997) and named in the suit are currently on the VUSD school board. (One has died)
(2)The permanent injunction is against the enforcement of a single board policy by VUSD--the prohibition against public criticism of the district.
(3) Our angry friends did not completely win their argument in 1997 as the judge in the case wrote, “Court grants in part and denies in part Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and permanent injunction and grants in part and denies in part the Defendants' motion for summary judgment” Plaintiff equals our “angry friends.” Defendant equal the five FORMER VUSD school board members.
Read the case summary here: http://www.firstamendmentcoalition.org/handbook/cases/Leventhal_v_VistaUSD.pdf
Friday, July 2, 2010
Recall fizzles, as expected angry friends miss deadline for November election
There will be no Vista Unified School District recall on the November ballot for Elizabeth Jaka, Angela Chunka, and Steve Lily.
According to Rosemary Ganzon and Kristi Toscano of the San Diego Registrar of Voters, no recall petitions have been turned in--not one petition, not one signature. It is now too late to turn petitions in and get the potential recall placed on the November ballot.
The reasons that Ganzon and Toscano gave for the failure had to do with time constraints. The Registrar's office needs at least 30 days to count and verify the signatures as duly registered voters in VUSD on any petitions turned in. Then the VUSD school board has to have time to act on the result and place the issue on the ballot. There is not enough time before August 6th deadline for those actions to happen. Therefore there can be no recall on the November 2nd ballot.
Cathy Glaser of the Registrar's office said that it was not uncommon for no signatures to be turned in early. With recall attempts the organizers commonly keep all the signatures until the day they are ready to turn them in--all at once.
I believe in the 1994 recall, we kept the petitions with signatures until the very end as well. However before we turned them in we did massive checking and rechecking of the petitions and signatures to make sure they were correct. Each signature has to have a correct address, the signatures must be signed exactly as the voter signed his/her voter registration card, etc. Checking and counting is a very time consuming process. I have seen no evidence of a organization by our angry friends that is capable of those activities.
Technically our angry friends could turn in recall petitions as late as August 6 and still force a later recall, however the August 6th date would require a special election to be held sometime after November. This special election would cost between $461,000 and $523,000 out of district funds according to Danielle Enriquez of the Registrar's office. Enriquez bases her estimate on the recent costs of the most similar local election--the attempted Oceanside City Council recall that failed during the special election held this spring.
Our angry friends last January when they announced their recall stunt repeatedly said they were launching it at that time so it would go on the November ballot and 'not cost the district one dime'.(1) In this they have failed. There is not enough time for it to make their self imposed deadline.
Of course it would have cost the district far more than a dime even in November. As usual our angry friends were wrong. Even had they qualified for the November 2 election, there still would have been printing and other election costs to the district. A recall on the November ballot would have in fact cost VUSD taxpayers several thousand dollars, but still that would have been considerably less than the half million dollars a special election would now cost our district taxpayers.
Not that our angry friends really care much about wasting taxpayer dollars.
Their great heroes current school board member, Jim Gibson, and former school board member, Dr. Stephen Guffanti, wasted nearly fifty million dollars of VUSD taxpayer funds on the new high school by delaying the start of construction by nearly five years. That delay resulted in increased land costs, increased construction costs, a much inferior site that needed tens of millions of dollars in grading as well as extensive and expensive road work on Highway 76.
Our angry friends have consistently and repeatedly supported Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti and their delays of the third high school along with the colossal waste of taxpayer money those delays cost. It is safe to conclude that another half million dollars of taxpayer waste would not really cause them any concern at all.
However there has been little attempt on the side of our angry friends to collect signatures. There have been no reports of signature gathers outside any stores in town. No reports of church goers confronted by signature gathers after church services. No reports of a very expensive mail in signature gathering campaign. There has been only one letter to the editor in support of the recall and that was back in January. One would have expected many many more letters to the editor if there were a real recall organization. There has virtually been no activity at all with the exception of a short lived booth briefly manned at the City of Vista Strawberry Festival.
This whole thing appears to just be a stunt to get attention for a small group of sad and pathetic folks who have no other purpose in life then to create paranoid fantasies of conspiracies that they can act on to try to hurt hardworking teachers and our fine school district.
The truth is that the voters of VUSD are sick of these people. Even the notoriously anti-union North County Times editorial board has stopped supporting our angry friends. Let's hope our angry friends can find some one else to focus their unearned wrath on. (The blogger, Roxy believed by me to be Silvia Peters, has repeatedly said she is a 'tea party' activist. Perhaps she and the others can use their excess energy in that cause and leave us alone.)
More reading on the failed and fizzled recall by our angry friends:
-----------------------
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/28/three-trustees-in-recall-bid-deny-criticism/
Three trustees in recall bid deny criticism
By Bruce Lieberman, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.
OVERVIEW
Trustees targeted: Steve Lilly, Angela Chunka, Elizabeth Jaka.
Signatures needed for recall, for each trustee: About 9,600, equal to 15 percent of registered voters in the district.
What’s next: Verification of paperwork expected within two weeks, then recall backers have 160 days to collect signatures. If enough signatures are collected, the election would be Nov. 2.
VISTA — Three Vista school trustees who face a recall campaign are rebutting allegations that they are mismanaging district affairs while favoring teacher union interests. (More at URL above)
-----------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_d47c6d4f-e3f5-5433-ae25-f08f7c4633fc.html
VISTA VUSD could face another recall
Activists start process that could remove three trustees
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: January 15, 2010 7:20 pm |
A small group of community activists took the first step Friday toward getting a recall election that would target three Vista Unified School District trustees on the November ballot.
Jill Parvin, a longtime critic of the district's teachers union, presented recall letters to Trustees Angela Chunka, Elizabeth Jaka and Steve Lilly just past midnight Friday at a board meeting that began hours earlier.
(More at the URL above)
--------------------------
Here are some comments of our angry friends following the above North County Times article last January:
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 8:41 pm
Always Right~~ so are you saying that UNION THUGS are PREDATORS? You are probably right if they bully kids the same way they bully their parents.
Congrats to Jill Parvon (sic) for having the courage to recall the three union puppets. Too bad she did not add Herrera's name to it but she is a sitting duck since she is up or reelection in November.
Where and when cam (sic) I get a petition to sign?????(sic)
****
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 8:36 pm the Oceanside recall is a completely different and quite distinct from VUSD.
In Oceanside the unions were doing the recall and people showed they had enough and were disgusted with union thugs.
here Vista will have an opportunity to get rid of union thugs.
****
VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 4:45 pm
After reading all these blogs, it sounds like the Union thugs have their talking points passed out to their mind-numbed robots!
*****
(1)VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 4:43 pm
A recall will not cost a dime because it looks like it will coincide with the November election.
****
(1)Plain Truth said on: January 16, 2010, 4:37 pm
There is no added cost to the taxpayer as this November is a general election.
****
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 9:48 am
Cal ~~ rage against the district? Try saying that over 85% of the budget goes to pay for their SALARIES, BENEFITS and PENSIONS.
For what? Dirty union politics and no education, kids can’t read, can’t write and cannot calculate, add the highest dropout rate in the state.
Herrera says its because of SIATech dropout recovery program, yeah OK. How and where did these students dropout from?
Before 1994 was when the KIDS COULD READ, WRITE and CALCULATE.
See this is the problem with union thugs, they don’t seam to understand kids attend school to LEAN how to READ, WRITE and CALCULATE.
****
(1)VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 9:21 am
By the way, this recall sounds perfectly timed for the November election so it should not cost the school district one dime.
****
VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 9:19 am
Well done, Jill Parvin and her group! It's about time somebody in the community realizes how bad these 4 board members are. They don't represent us the tax payers - they are bought and paid for by the Union.
Thanks to Stacy who reminded us that the Union has had control of the Board since 1994 AND our district has done nothing but go downhill since 1994! VUSD used to be one of the top districts in Southern California now we have schools that are being sanctioned.
****
BEST PRO PUBLIC EDUCATION POSTS last January:
Cal said on: January 16, 2010, 8:02 am
Roxy - Your rage against the teachers in this district is misguided and silly. You got a lot of moxy to say the district was viable in 1994. Wasn't that when the community got together and sacked the right-wing religious fanatics who were on the board? If you can "recall" the anti-science whackos who wanted to teach creationism along side science were hell bent on taking VUSD's curriculum back to the dark ages. They were recalled because the community wanted our children to have a 21st century education.
And what white flight? Where are all the white folks flying to? Did they get angel wings?Seems like they are all still here driving their kids to school in super-sized SUV's.
This recall is going to be as popular as a fart in church. There is not enough anger in the community to sustain it this tempest in a tea party cup because the legitimately elected board is doing a fine job.
If anyone should be recalled it's that obstructionist hack Gibson, who's sole purpose on the board seems to be developing name recognition for his inevitable run for a higher public office.
****
lostnacfgop said on: January 16, 2010, 7:36 am
The District can't afford this kind of costly, wasteful distraction. The activists proposing it obviously have some energy, some willingness to work to improve things - focus it on a more reachable, more constructive goal. Volunteer in the District to close gaps; push on the existing board to make cuts; push - firmly but civilly, on the VTA to concede that teaching cuts will have to be made - the single biggest component of any school district's budget is salaries and benefits - 65 to 75 percent of most District's budgets. So when you have to cut, there are only so many erasers you can stop buying. Only so many computers you can pass on. Only so many paint jobs you can defer.
This nonsensical recall stuff wastes time, effort and money better spent elsewhere.
****
Discouraged said on: January 16, 2010, 6:34 am
Yes... let's waste half a million dollars like Oceanside did with their recall effort - all to no avail. This district can hardly afford this action, and frankly, I question the soundness (sanity?) of this woman's actions. I remember voting in the recall election back in the early 90s and it had more to do with the fact that the newly elected (Christian) trustees were trying to change curriculum that would have likely been challenged and deemed unconstitutional - and involved a very costly lawsuit. It was such big news that it was covered on "ABC World News Tonight" with Peter Jennings.
Anyone - ANYONE - elected in 2008 inherited an office that included a deficit and guaranteed tough times ahead. This recall will just further divide the community. My kids are grown, but I would probably remove them from this district - not because of the teachers, because my kids with very few exceptions had great teachers - but because of the toxic, vitriolic attitudes and actions of people who are clearly anti-public education.
What a really sad situation.
------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/trageser/article_873b4dde-cd22-5004-a04b-e4c1c1bfd356.html
TRAGESER 94 recall still splits VUSD
By JIM TRAGESER -- jtrageser@nctimes.com | Posted: January 24, 2010 12:00 am |
This opinion piece by Jim Trageser is full of easily checked factual inaccuracies about the 1994 recall and the Vista Teacher's Association. Trageser never allowed facts to get in the way of his biases. Please do a search for Jim Trageser on this site to read more about this Glenn Beck wannabe.
--------------------------
Dale Weston Letter to the Editor in support of the recall
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_dc99e3f6-5738-561e-ba55-ed6b63810242.html
January 23, 2010
VUSD recall is a good thing
According to Rosemary Ganzon and Kristi Toscano of the San Diego Registrar of Voters, no recall petitions have been turned in--not one petition, not one signature. It is now too late to turn petitions in and get the potential recall placed on the November ballot.
The reasons that Ganzon and Toscano gave for the failure had to do with time constraints. The Registrar's office needs at least 30 days to count and verify the signatures as duly registered voters in VUSD on any petitions turned in. Then the VUSD school board has to have time to act on the result and place the issue on the ballot. There is not enough time before August 6th deadline for those actions to happen. Therefore there can be no recall on the November 2nd ballot.
Cathy Glaser of the Registrar's office said that it was not uncommon for no signatures to be turned in early. With recall attempts the organizers commonly keep all the signatures until the day they are ready to turn them in--all at once.
I believe in the 1994 recall, we kept the petitions with signatures until the very end as well. However before we turned them in we did massive checking and rechecking of the petitions and signatures to make sure they were correct. Each signature has to have a correct address, the signatures must be signed exactly as the voter signed his/her voter registration card, etc. Checking and counting is a very time consuming process. I have seen no evidence of a organization by our angry friends that is capable of those activities.
Technically our angry friends could turn in recall petitions as late as August 6 and still force a later recall, however the August 6th date would require a special election to be held sometime after November. This special election would cost between $461,000 and $523,000 out of district funds according to Danielle Enriquez of the Registrar's office. Enriquez bases her estimate on the recent costs of the most similar local election--the attempted Oceanside City Council recall that failed during the special election held this spring.
Our angry friends last January when they announced their recall stunt repeatedly said they were launching it at that time so it would go on the November ballot and 'not cost the district one dime'.(1) In this they have failed. There is not enough time for it to make their self imposed deadline.
Of course it would have cost the district far more than a dime even in November. As usual our angry friends were wrong. Even had they qualified for the November 2 election, there still would have been printing and other election costs to the district. A recall on the November ballot would have in fact cost VUSD taxpayers several thousand dollars, but still that would have been considerably less than the half million dollars a special election would now cost our district taxpayers.
Not that our angry friends really care much about wasting taxpayer dollars.
Their great heroes current school board member, Jim Gibson, and former school board member, Dr. Stephen Guffanti, wasted nearly fifty million dollars of VUSD taxpayer funds on the new high school by delaying the start of construction by nearly five years. That delay resulted in increased land costs, increased construction costs, a much inferior site that needed tens of millions of dollars in grading as well as extensive and expensive road work on Highway 76.
Our angry friends have consistently and repeatedly supported Jim Gibson and Dr. Stephen Guffanti and their delays of the third high school along with the colossal waste of taxpayer money those delays cost. It is safe to conclude that another half million dollars of taxpayer waste would not really cause them any concern at all.
However there has been little attempt on the side of our angry friends to collect signatures. There have been no reports of signature gathers outside any stores in town. No reports of church goers confronted by signature gathers after church services. No reports of a very expensive mail in signature gathering campaign. There has been only one letter to the editor in support of the recall and that was back in January. One would have expected many many more letters to the editor if there were a real recall organization. There has virtually been no activity at all with the exception of a short lived booth briefly manned at the City of Vista Strawberry Festival.
This whole thing appears to just be a stunt to get attention for a small group of sad and pathetic folks who have no other purpose in life then to create paranoid fantasies of conspiracies that they can act on to try to hurt hardworking teachers and our fine school district.
The truth is that the voters of VUSD are sick of these people. Even the notoriously anti-union North County Times editorial board has stopped supporting our angry friends. Let's hope our angry friends can find some one else to focus their unearned wrath on. (The blogger, Roxy believed by me to be Silvia Peters, has repeatedly said she is a 'tea party' activist. Perhaps she and the others can use their excess energy in that cause and leave us alone.)
More reading on the failed and fizzled recall by our angry friends:
-----------------------
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/28/three-trustees-in-recall-bid-deny-criticism/
Three trustees in recall bid deny criticism
By Bruce Lieberman, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.
OVERVIEW
Trustees targeted: Steve Lilly, Angela Chunka, Elizabeth Jaka.
Signatures needed for recall, for each trustee: About 9,600, equal to 15 percent of registered voters in the district.
What’s next: Verification of paperwork expected within two weeks, then recall backers have 160 days to collect signatures. If enough signatures are collected, the election would be Nov. 2.
VISTA — Three Vista school trustees who face a recall campaign are rebutting allegations that they are mismanaging district affairs while favoring teacher union interests. (More at URL above)
-----------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/vista/article_d47c6d4f-e3f5-5433-ae25-f08f7c4633fc.html
VISTA VUSD could face another recall
Activists start process that could remove three trustees
By STACY BRANDT - sbrandt@nctimes.com | Posted: January 15, 2010 7:20 pm |
A small group of community activists took the first step Friday toward getting a recall election that would target three Vista Unified School District trustees on the November ballot.
Jill Parvin, a longtime critic of the district's teachers union, presented recall letters to Trustees Angela Chunka, Elizabeth Jaka and Steve Lilly just past midnight Friday at a board meeting that began hours earlier.
(More at the URL above)
--------------------------
Here are some comments of our angry friends following the above North County Times article last January:
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 8:41 pm
Always Right~~ so are you saying that UNION THUGS are PREDATORS? You are probably right if they bully kids the same way they bully their parents.
Congrats to Jill Parvon (sic) for having the courage to recall the three union puppets. Too bad she did not add Herrera's name to it but she is a sitting duck since she is up or reelection in November.
Where and when cam (sic) I get a petition to sign?????(sic)
****
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 8:36 pm the Oceanside recall is a completely different and quite distinct from VUSD.
In Oceanside the unions were doing the recall and people showed they had enough and were disgusted with union thugs.
here Vista will have an opportunity to get rid of union thugs.
****
VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 4:45 pm
After reading all these blogs, it sounds like the Union thugs have their talking points passed out to their mind-numbed robots!
*****
(1)VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 4:43 pm
A recall will not cost a dime because it looks like it will coincide with the November election.
****
(1)Plain Truth said on: January 16, 2010, 4:37 pm
There is no added cost to the taxpayer as this November is a general election.
****
Roxy said on: January 16, 2010, 9:48 am
Cal ~~ rage against the district? Try saying that over 85% of the budget goes to pay for their SALARIES, BENEFITS and PENSIONS.
For what? Dirty union politics and no education, kids can’t read, can’t write and cannot calculate, add the highest dropout rate in the state.
Herrera says its because of SIATech dropout recovery program, yeah OK. How and where did these students dropout from?
Before 1994 was when the KIDS COULD READ, WRITE and CALCULATE.
See this is the problem with union thugs, they don’t seam to understand kids attend school to LEAN how to READ, WRITE and CALCULATE.
****
(1)VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 9:21 am
By the way, this recall sounds perfectly timed for the November election so it should not cost the school district one dime.
****
VUSD Taxpayer said on: January 16, 2010, 9:19 am
Well done, Jill Parvin and her group! It's about time somebody in the community realizes how bad these 4 board members are. They don't represent us the tax payers - they are bought and paid for by the Union.
Thanks to Stacy who reminded us that the Union has had control of the Board since 1994 AND our district has done nothing but go downhill since 1994! VUSD used to be one of the top districts in Southern California now we have schools that are being sanctioned.
****
BEST PRO PUBLIC EDUCATION POSTS last January:
Cal said on: January 16, 2010, 8:02 am
Roxy - Your rage against the teachers in this district is misguided and silly. You got a lot of moxy to say the district was viable in 1994. Wasn't that when the community got together and sacked the right-wing religious fanatics who were on the board? If you can "recall" the anti-science whackos who wanted to teach creationism along side science were hell bent on taking VUSD's curriculum back to the dark ages. They were recalled because the community wanted our children to have a 21st century education.
And what white flight? Where are all the white folks flying to? Did they get angel wings?Seems like they are all still here driving their kids to school in super-sized SUV's.
This recall is going to be as popular as a fart in church. There is not enough anger in the community to sustain it this tempest in a tea party cup because the legitimately elected board is doing a fine job.
If anyone should be recalled it's that obstructionist hack Gibson, who's sole purpose on the board seems to be developing name recognition for his inevitable run for a higher public office.
****
lostnacfgop said on: January 16, 2010, 7:36 am
The District can't afford this kind of costly, wasteful distraction. The activists proposing it obviously have some energy, some willingness to work to improve things - focus it on a more reachable, more constructive goal. Volunteer in the District to close gaps; push on the existing board to make cuts; push - firmly but civilly, on the VTA to concede that teaching cuts will have to be made - the single biggest component of any school district's budget is salaries and benefits - 65 to 75 percent of most District's budgets. So when you have to cut, there are only so many erasers you can stop buying. Only so many computers you can pass on. Only so many paint jobs you can defer.
This nonsensical recall stuff wastes time, effort and money better spent elsewhere.
****
Discouraged said on: January 16, 2010, 6:34 am
Yes... let's waste half a million dollars like Oceanside did with their recall effort - all to no avail. This district can hardly afford this action, and frankly, I question the soundness (sanity?) of this woman's actions. I remember voting in the recall election back in the early 90s and it had more to do with the fact that the newly elected (Christian) trustees were trying to change curriculum that would have likely been challenged and deemed unconstitutional - and involved a very costly lawsuit. It was such big news that it was covered on "ABC World News Tonight" with Peter Jennings.
Anyone - ANYONE - elected in 2008 inherited an office that included a deficit and guaranteed tough times ahead. This recall will just further divide the community. My kids are grown, but I would probably remove them from this district - not because of the teachers, because my kids with very few exceptions had great teachers - but because of the toxic, vitriolic attitudes and actions of people who are clearly anti-public education.
What a really sad situation.
------------------------------
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/trageser/article_873b4dde-cd22-5004-a04b-e4c1c1bfd356.html
TRAGESER 94 recall still splits VUSD
By JIM TRAGESER -- jtrageser@nctimes.com | Posted: January 24, 2010 12:00 am |
This opinion piece by Jim Trageser is full of easily checked factual inaccuracies about the 1994 recall and the Vista Teacher's Association. Trageser never allowed facts to get in the way of his biases. Please do a search for Jim Trageser on this site to read more about this Glenn Beck wannabe.
--------------------------
Dale Weston Letter to the Editor in support of the recall
http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/letters/article_dc99e3f6-5738-561e-ba55-ed6b63810242.html
January 23, 2010
VUSD recall is a good thing
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The end of "at large" voting in Vista Unified School District
The VUSD board has voted to end 'at large' voting for school board members starting with the 2012 school board election. This means our school district will be divided into five small voting districts and each of the five board members will be elected from the one smaller voting district that they live in.
School boards and city councils throughout California are being forced to get rid of 'at large' voting for school board and city council candidates as a result of a couple of court decisions which determine that district wide 'at large' voting tends to discriminate against Latino candidates. The court rulings are based on the state of California's Voting Rights Act.
In dozens and dozens of districts across California with a majority of Hispanics in the population, but whose school board or city council members, there has been a threat by a national group with a California office in San Francisco called the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of expensive lawsuits if the 'at large' system is not dumped.
Madera Unified School District and the City of Modesto chose to fight the lawsuits and both lost. It cost Madera Unified 1.2 million dollars to lose and the City of Modesto three million dollars to lose.
The Los Angeles Times has a wonderful article about this issue of "at large' voting being discriminatory. It is very informative and thorough. Read it here.
Our local VUSD has repeatedly been threatened by Roxy, an infamous North County Times blogger, with similar legal problems like Madera had. In addition our local District English Learner's Advisory Committee (DELAC) has a new president Eduardo Preciado who along with members Alejandro Sanchez and Tina Jillings have also brought up the Madera lawsuit at DELAC meetings and at the school board meetings. The issue is very alive in our district.
Tina Jillings is an out spoken advocate for Hispanic rights. She ran for a City Council seat here in Vista a couple of years ago. The San Diego Minuteman hate her. On that basis alone I like her. She has spark and gumption and I believe if she did get a California Voters Rights lawsuit filed against VUSD, she would win.
Our school board cannot afford to ignore this clear and present danger to our already severely cut back school funds. They have prudently voted to divide our school districts into smaller 'sub' districts as quickly as possible which in our case is the 2012 election cycle. Likely the City of Vista will be doing the same thing soon along with many other school board and cities throughout San Diego County and California.
So who is against the idea? Jim Gibson and his buddy, North County Times editor, Kent Davy.
Gibson was the only VUSD school board member to vote and speak against the idea. Jim quote in the North County Times was something about being afraid that if the 'at large' system for electing school board members were enacted than school board members from the local 'sub' district voting area would actually serve the interest of that area rather than the grander political controversies, Jimmy, likes to advocate for. Remember his Carrie Prejean Day fiasco? In Jim's weird world it is terrible to have all five school board members (instead of only four currently) actually have the education and welfare of our VUSD students as their top priority.
Jim Gibson has taken his views to Kent Davy, the NCTimes editor, and Kent has dutifully written an editorial for Jim in today's North County Times.
Besides Jim Gibson, Kent Davy,and the San Diego Minuteman, the Pacific Legal Foundation is also against the idea of getting rid of 'at large' elections for school board and city councils. The Pacific Legal Foundation is a pro lung cancer, pro pollution group that advocates for and gets it funding from Big Tobacco (Phillip Morris). With enemies like these, I am finding I am more and more in favor of this idea of getting rid of 'at large' elections. Of course no matter how any one feels about the idea, it is going to happen. Either by expensive court action or by a reasonable process organized by our local school board and likely our Vista City Council.
NOTE: However the final plan for dividing up our school district comes out, it will not take effect until it is also approved by the San Diego County of Education and the State of California State Board of Education. I am sure the process of dividing the district will be contentious but with three levels of scrutiny, the final plan should be fair.
School boards and city councils throughout California are being forced to get rid of 'at large' voting for school board and city council candidates as a result of a couple of court decisions which determine that district wide 'at large' voting tends to discriminate against Latino candidates. The court rulings are based on the state of California's Voting Rights Act.
In dozens and dozens of districts across California with a majority of Hispanics in the population, but whose school board or city council members, there has been a threat by a national group with a California office in San Francisco called the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of expensive lawsuits if the 'at large' system is not dumped.
Madera Unified School District and the City of Modesto chose to fight the lawsuits and both lost. It cost Madera Unified 1.2 million dollars to lose and the City of Modesto three million dollars to lose.
The Los Angeles Times has a wonderful article about this issue of "at large' voting being discriminatory. It is very informative and thorough. Read it here.
Our local VUSD has repeatedly been threatened by Roxy, an infamous North County Times blogger, with similar legal problems like Madera had. In addition our local District English Learner's Advisory Committee (DELAC) has a new president Eduardo Preciado who along with members Alejandro Sanchez and Tina Jillings have also brought up the Madera lawsuit at DELAC meetings and at the school board meetings. The issue is very alive in our district.
Tina Jillings is an out spoken advocate for Hispanic rights. She ran for a City Council seat here in Vista a couple of years ago. The San Diego Minuteman hate her. On that basis alone I like her. She has spark and gumption and I believe if she did get a California Voters Rights lawsuit filed against VUSD, she would win.
Our school board cannot afford to ignore this clear and present danger to our already severely cut back school funds. They have prudently voted to divide our school districts into smaller 'sub' districts as quickly as possible which in our case is the 2012 election cycle. Likely the City of Vista will be doing the same thing soon along with many other school board and cities throughout San Diego County and California.
So who is against the idea? Jim Gibson and his buddy, North County Times editor, Kent Davy.
Gibson was the only VUSD school board member to vote and speak against the idea. Jim quote in the North County Times was something about being afraid that if the 'at large' system for electing school board members were enacted than school board members from the local 'sub' district voting area would actually serve the interest of that area rather than the grander political controversies, Jimmy, likes to advocate for. Remember his Carrie Prejean Day fiasco? In Jim's weird world it is terrible to have all five school board members (instead of only four currently) actually have the education and welfare of our VUSD students as their top priority.
Jim Gibson has taken his views to Kent Davy, the NCTimes editor, and Kent has dutifully written an editorial for Jim in today's North County Times.
Besides Jim Gibson, Kent Davy,and the San Diego Minuteman, the Pacific Legal Foundation is also against the idea of getting rid of 'at large' elections for school board and city councils. The Pacific Legal Foundation is a pro lung cancer, pro pollution group that advocates for and gets it funding from Big Tobacco (Phillip Morris). With enemies like these, I am finding I am more and more in favor of this idea of getting rid of 'at large' elections. Of course no matter how any one feels about the idea, it is going to happen. Either by expensive court action or by a reasonable process organized by our local school board and likely our Vista City Council.
NOTE: However the final plan for dividing up our school district comes out, it will not take effect until it is also approved by the San Diego County of Education and the State of California State Board of Education. I am sure the process of dividing the district will be contentious but with three levels of scrutiny, the final plan should be fair.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Why we fight. What our angry friends say about us and others.
In the last post we saw a letter to the editor by a fine example of VUSD students, Kelsey Munson.
In this post I have taken the comments of a prominent ANTI, who calls himself unlaxx. Over the years he has left many comments on the North County Times about teaching being a part time job and teachers being over paid.
Below is his comment after an article in the North County Times about Escondido Union Elementary Teachers hoping to not have their five furlough days made a PERMANENT part of their contract. They would like the cuts in pay to be temporary say in a Memorandum of Understanding. Sound familiar?
Unlaxx did not quite understand the article but I think you will understand his sentiments.
Here is Unlaxx in his own words:
unlaxx said on: June 11, 2010, 5:22 am
Working five fewer days is not a salary reduction.
A salary is a RATE of pay per TIME worked.
It's like not driving your car for five days, then claiming you got better gas mileage because you didn't use any gas those days. Or claiming that you got worse gas mileage because in those five days your car didn't take you anywhere at all.
Truth is, you got the same gas mileage.
Teacher's salaries are dishonestly portrayed from the start by expressing them as annual pay - as if they worked 8 hour days, 40 hour weeks, 52 day years with nominal vacation and holiday time off.
Teacher's should come to grips with the fact that they have a part-time job. If they want more income, work during their time off instead of complaining.
He and others like him in our district are the enemies of FACT based public education. They are the ones who opposed every school bond for twenty years. The two school board members they elected, Dr. Stephen Guffanti and Jim Gibson managed to delay the start of construction on our third high school from fall of 2002 to spring of 2008 at an increase in projected cost of almost fifty million dollars. The warped world view, of our angry friends, sees FACT based public schools as an 'evil' that must be destroyed.
As you may recall Dr. Stephen Guffanti was a charter member in a nationwide group with the stated goal of the end of all public education in the United States. Guffanti holds anti FACT based views on science and science education and he speaks at conferences that prominently feature science denial.
As you read below what unlaxx wrote about folks who are different than he is, remember he feels the same intolerance for you and the profession you have chosen. Unlaxx and his ilk are why we fight. His hate filled intolerant variation of Christianity that I call the "little god cult" allows no room for anyone different from themselves or better educated than they are.
Unlaxx also posted the following in today's North County Times. Unlaxx is responding to a comment in the letters to the editor section of the North County Times regarding tolerance.
unlaxx said on: June 11, 2010, 6:20 pm
Your racial analogy doesn't work. Blacks had to overcome discrimination on several fronts, and interracial marriage was just one of them. But they didn't have to redefine the term to do so. And the black folks don't appreciate you using their civil rights struggle to make your point. Blacks are even more against same sex marriage than whites.
Homosexuals don't make me feel hatred. Nauseous maybe. Amusement. But not hate.
I'm not against same-sex marriage because of the homosexual angle. If two heterosexual people of the same sex want to marry each other because perhaps, one can transfer their employer's health benefits to the other, or they can get a tax break, or some other logical reason, I'm still against it.
The homosexual lobby WANTS to paint my opposition as homophobic. Too bad for them because I'm not feeling the guilt they're trying to sell. My opposition to same-sex marriage has nothing to do with being anti-homosexual. Marriage is a time-honored institution of husband and wife. Not wife and wife. Not husband and husband. Not "Party 1" and "Party 2".
You play checkers on a checkerboard because it has two different alternating colors.
A light switch is called a switch because it has two different positions: ON and OFF.
The marriage of Steve and Howard next door damages my marriage because now I'm forced to explain what used to be a self-defining term. In your world, you can't buy a light "switch" and know it will turn the lights ON and OFF because you've let some special interest group change the meaning of the word "switch".
Below is a response from PRO-public education blogger, Emerald. She has on many occasions launched a spirited defense of FACT based public education.
Emerald said on: June 11, 2010, 6:36 pm
Response to Unlaxx at 6:20 p.m.:
No Unlaxx, “Steve and Howard next door” does NOTHING to your marriage.
Your problem with defining words is YOUR PROBLEM.
Marriage has always been defined and redefined throughout history, from the time - such as, you know, the Biblical definitions - when most of the world practiced polygamy to women being defined as chattel property with no rights, through all the changes that have always occurred AND ARE STILL OCCURRING.
Your problem with defining words is purely your own and reflects your own rigid inflexibility.
It is not pushed on you by those less rigid who choose to live their lives as who they really are, and don’t need those who HATE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY to stand in their way.
And if you don’t think that gays/lesbians are discriminated in many, may other ways - as blacks were (and are) - in employment, in education, in social ostracism, then you are more naïve than I ever though.
AND her second thoughts on the subject:
Emerald said on: June 11, 2010, 6:54 pm
Further response to Unlaxx at 6:20 p.m.:
Your desperation to resort to “definitions” to justify bigotry actually reinforces Caro’s point.
Definitions of terms are the hallmarks in which bigotry is harbored
Accepting blacks into the definition of “human being” forced some uncomfortable changes in terms for some racial bigots.
Of course, Germans found it convenient to define “religion” in such a way that excluded Jews and then used that to justify treating those defined out of the loop as not deserving to remain in the human race.
“Definitions” are the last resort for those who must rely on words to change what cannot be changed in the reality of objective truth.
In this post I have taken the comments of a prominent ANTI, who calls himself unlaxx. Over the years he has left many comments on the North County Times about teaching being a part time job and teachers being over paid.
Below is his comment after an article in the North County Times about Escondido Union Elementary Teachers hoping to not have their five furlough days made a PERMANENT part of their contract. They would like the cuts in pay to be temporary say in a Memorandum of Understanding. Sound familiar?
Unlaxx did not quite understand the article but I think you will understand his sentiments.
Here is Unlaxx in his own words:
unlaxx said on: June 11, 2010, 5:22 am
Working five fewer days is not a salary reduction.
A salary is a RATE of pay per TIME worked.
It's like not driving your car for five days, then claiming you got better gas mileage because you didn't use any gas those days. Or claiming that you got worse gas mileage because in those five days your car didn't take you anywhere at all.
Truth is, you got the same gas mileage.
Teacher's salaries are dishonestly portrayed from the start by expressing them as annual pay - as if they worked 8 hour days, 40 hour weeks, 52 day years with nominal vacation and holiday time off.
Teacher's should come to grips with the fact that they have a part-time job. If they want more income, work during their time off instead of complaining.
He and others like him in our district are the enemies of FACT based public education. They are the ones who opposed every school bond for twenty years. The two school board members they elected, Dr. Stephen Guffanti and Jim Gibson managed to delay the start of construction on our third high school from fall of 2002 to spring of 2008 at an increase in projected cost of almost fifty million dollars. The warped world view, of our angry friends, sees FACT based public schools as an 'evil' that must be destroyed.
As you may recall Dr. Stephen Guffanti was a charter member in a nationwide group with the stated goal of the end of all public education in the United States. Guffanti holds anti FACT based views on science and science education and he speaks at conferences that prominently feature science denial.
As you read below what unlaxx wrote about folks who are different than he is, remember he feels the same intolerance for you and the profession you have chosen. Unlaxx and his ilk are why we fight. His hate filled intolerant variation of Christianity that I call the "little god cult" allows no room for anyone different from themselves or better educated than they are.
Unlaxx also posted the following in today's North County Times. Unlaxx is responding to a comment in the letters to the editor section of the North County Times regarding tolerance.
unlaxx said on: June 11, 2010, 6:20 pm
Your racial analogy doesn't work. Blacks had to overcome discrimination on several fronts, and interracial marriage was just one of them. But they didn't have to redefine the term to do so. And the black folks don't appreciate you using their civil rights struggle to make your point. Blacks are even more against same sex marriage than whites.
Homosexuals don't make me feel hatred. Nauseous maybe. Amusement. But not hate.
I'm not against same-sex marriage because of the homosexual angle. If two heterosexual people of the same sex want to marry each other because perhaps, one can transfer their employer's health benefits to the other, or they can get a tax break, or some other logical reason, I'm still against it.
The homosexual lobby WANTS to paint my opposition as homophobic. Too bad for them because I'm not feeling the guilt they're trying to sell. My opposition to same-sex marriage has nothing to do with being anti-homosexual. Marriage is a time-honored institution of husband and wife. Not wife and wife. Not husband and husband. Not "Party 1" and "Party 2".
You play checkers on a checkerboard because it has two different alternating colors.
A light switch is called a switch because it has two different positions: ON and OFF.
The marriage of Steve and Howard next door damages my marriage because now I'm forced to explain what used to be a self-defining term. In your world, you can't buy a light "switch" and know it will turn the lights ON and OFF because you've let some special interest group change the meaning of the word "switch".
Below is a response from PRO-public education blogger, Emerald. She has on many occasions launched a spirited defense of FACT based public education.
Emerald said on: June 11, 2010, 6:36 pm
Response to Unlaxx at 6:20 p.m.:
No Unlaxx, “Steve and Howard next door” does NOTHING to your marriage.
Your problem with defining words is YOUR PROBLEM.
Marriage has always been defined and redefined throughout history, from the time - such as, you know, the Biblical definitions - when most of the world practiced polygamy to women being defined as chattel property with no rights, through all the changes that have always occurred AND ARE STILL OCCURRING.
Your problem with defining words is purely your own and reflects your own rigid inflexibility.
It is not pushed on you by those less rigid who choose to live their lives as who they really are, and don’t need those who HATE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY to stand in their way.
And if you don’t think that gays/lesbians are discriminated in many, may other ways - as blacks were (and are) - in employment, in education, in social ostracism, then you are more naïve than I ever though.
AND her second thoughts on the subject:
Emerald said on: June 11, 2010, 6:54 pm
Further response to Unlaxx at 6:20 p.m.:
Your desperation to resort to “definitions” to justify bigotry actually reinforces Caro’s point.
Definitions of terms are the hallmarks in which bigotry is harbored
Accepting blacks into the definition of “human being” forced some uncomfortable changes in terms for some racial bigots.
Of course, Germans found it convenient to define “religion” in such a way that excluded Jews and then used that to justify treating those defined out of the loop as not deserving to remain in the human race.
“Definitions” are the last resort for those who must rely on words to change what cannot be changed in the reality of objective truth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)