In an interview with Politico, deadbeat dad Joe Walsh attacked Tammy Duckworth this week by saying, “She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat. David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel just picked her up and dropped her into this district. What else has she(Ms. Duckworth) done? Female, wounded veteran...ehhh."
REALLY?!??!!? First of all, yep SHE's a VETERAN...one that lost her legs protecting your sorry ass Joe Walsh! She is a Purple Heart recipient, served as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004 and lost both legs and part of the use of her right arm...where were YOU, Mr. Walsh during the war???? Oh...yeah...hiding your money so you wouldn't have to pay child support.
What else has she done? She's been the head of the Veteran's administration in both Illinois and in the U.S., ran for congress and didn't even hide from paying bills, unlike you.
And why the "female" part of your answer??? Are you again dismissing women in general??? The quote wasn't "female wounded veteran", it was "female,(pause), wounded veteran" like she was wounded by breaking a nail or something.
And then his racist statements about Congressman Bobby Rush, "I hope Congressman Rush will be as outraged with all of the black on black crime going on in the city of Chicago weekend after weekend." Well, obviously Mr. Walsh doesn't understand, but I'm sure Congressman Rush understands about black on black crime...and how black men(and women) are sentenced at a much higher rate than whites, how African Americans, while being less than 15% of the population are almost 50% of the prison population. While white "cocaine dealers" get treatment, black crack users get prison time....10 years prison time. I think Rep. Rush understands all too well. Its just sad that the male that has ran from his own responsibilities(like paying child support) wants to play holier than thou with others who have served their country...and lost part of their body and Joe Walsh just dismisses the losses that veterans have suffered.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Illinois is NOT broke, but our Tax System is!
HUH??? But all the media says Illinois is one of the worst business states in the universe!!!! If ET had landed in Illinois, he'd still be stuck! Sure...don't ya just love the crap the right/rich/corporate/take you pick like to try to shove down our throats? Too often it works because sound bytes and snappy little phrases work much better for people who don't feel like they have the time or the knowledge to understand these things. Oh, and you know its MY fault Illinois isn't paying its bills...so, what are some facts?
First: Illinois has the least amount of state employees per capita than any other state, yes, that means that even Mississippi cares more for their residents than we can. You can't lay off more employees, because many places are down to bare bones minimum to begin with.
Second: Why make cuts???? Our tax system is antiquated and needs to be updated. We also need to get rid of a couple tax laws that either aren't needed any longer or are not needed in a time when we, the middle class, state employees and/or retirees, are expected to pay more while the corporations are paying less.
So, some facts about the tax system. In my last post, I spoke about the difference between our flat tax and a graduated income tax, like all of our neighbors have('cept Indiana):
- Iowa: 9 rates that start at 0.36% to 9% (rate is higher than Illinois at $12K-6.12%)
- Kentucky: 6 rates that range from 2.0% to 6% (rate higher than Illinois at $5000)
- Missouri: 10 rates from 1.5% to 6% ( rate is higher than Illinois at $9,000)
- Wisconsin: 5 rates starting at 4.6% to 7.75% (rate is higher than Illinois at $13,580 - 6.15%)
- Indiana: 3.4%--ok, they're lower, but...its Indiana(spoken like a true FIB).
OMG!!! LOOK--all of the states have rates that actually are higher than ours at the top end! How could that be??? You mean all those fine business/media types have been lying to us?!?!?!?? Sure seems that way.
Not only that, but all, including Indiana tax services as well as goods. In other words, they have broadened the sales tax base. So, what services? Dining, marina fees, landscaping, dry cleaning are some that were in a bill a couple of years ago(that also included seniors being able to get a property tax rebate on income taxes-now its just a credit). And how do those state sales tax rates compare?
- Illinois: 6.25% Indiana: 7%
- Kentucky: 6% Michigan: 6%
- Iowa: 6% Missouri: 4%
Illinois is not out of bounds on sales tax, in fact it looks like we're about the same place as everyone else.
Another area that we could set up a tax is on financial transactions--sales of stocks, etc., not withdrawing $100 from your savings. Again, this is something that would be small, but effective in 2 ways: first, more revenue, second-more stability in the market and less fluctuation--think gas prices and how they've been manipulated in the last couple of months by speculators...same thing can happen statewide vs. nationwide.
So, now that I've begun to get Illinois out of the trash bin that others have built for her, I've got a couple more ideas...
Large businesses in my state get a much larger piece of the tax cut pie than small and medium sized businesses, specially in the area of the "Single Sales Factor"(I will try to explain this later in another post because its very, very, wonky), suffice to say that this bomb allowed Caterpillar to pay NO sales tax in Illinois, this costs us about $600 million annually! But there are 2 other cuts/credits that businesses receive that just don't seem very fair: the Retailer's Discount on Sales Taxes and Accelerated Depreciation.
Accelerated depreciation is very easy to understand. Some businesses get to depreciate equipment (computers, cars, JETS) at a faster rate than other businesses--doesn't sound very fair to me.
The Retailers Discount goes sorta like this---I go to a store, buy $100 worth of clothing and pay the 6.25% state sales tax. The retailer then sends the $6.25 to the state at the end of the quarter/year, right? Nope. This tax cut allows the retailer to keep some of the sales tax. It was established years ago when it was more difficult to figure out the taxes in a small window of time. My idea? To the State legislature...ummm, we have computers now, this problem is alleviated! Get rid of this giveaway NOW!
Yes, Illinois needs to budget the balance, but there are many ways to balance that would be fair to the state employees, the retirees and to all of the people in Illinois, not just kow-towing to the Chamber of Commerce and the Chicago Civic Federation.
Friday, March 23, 2012
The state of the State of Illinois-it ain't broken
The Chamber of Commerce and the Chicago Civic Federation have been jumping up and down about how Illinois is broke and its all "my" fault, being a retired state employee who receives a pension that I put up to 9% of my salary into....naw, I don't have an issue with their lies....but anyways.....
First, nothing to do with finances directly, but Illinois received a "C" in public integrity, placing 10th in the nation...yep, there are 40 states that are worse than Illinois and that includes all the ones that surround us, imagine that. Yes, we've had our share of corrupt politicians, but ours actually end up in prison or at least indicted and out of public office.
So, back to the financial state of Illinois. I do agree that our tax system is broken, but not because its too much...its broken because its a "flat tax"--everyone alleges to be taxed at the same rate...not really. We have an antiquated tax system--flat tax, no taxes on service(unlike the surrounding states). We have not actually changed the tax structure since the 70's, partially because to change the flat tax, we need an amendment to our constitution, but we do need to do something.
So, how broke is Illinois? Not very. Illinois has the 5th largest economy in the United States...and has been for over a decade! Obviously, some people are doing all right in the Land of Lincoln. Much of this is in northern Illinois--Cook, Will and DuPage counties. So why do we have such a problem with paying our bills? Greed?
I do believe that part of the problem is greed, considering the disproportionate income/wealth inequality that has developed in this country in general, but in Illinois we also have a very unfair tax system, the one that so many right wing folks dream of--the flat tax. The idea is that everybody pays the same, and that's more fair than a progressive income tax.
So, why is a flat tax unfair? It seems to be fair, a guy making $10K pays the same as a guy making $10M, right? Wrong...
The less income you have, the more you pay in taxes, when all taxes are considered. The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is a bi-partisan non-profit think tank that promotes fair, efficient and progressive tax, spending and economic policies--the definition on their website. This group has been instrumental in research on different ways to end the funding problems in Illinois and make it a better system for all Illinoisans, not just the top percentage.
In February of this year, the CBTA issued a report on why Illinois needs an overhaul of the tax system and why the flat tax is one of the most recessive ways of taxing. The first graph in this report shows the different taxes we all pay, Sales/excise, property and income. People making $18K or under spend 13.7% of their income on taxes...people making $500K and over? Only 5.3%! Now, if you're sitting there with the idea that, "well those poor folks should try harder...they're the burden"...if you make under $50K, you're still paying about 12% of your income on taxes. So how fair is it that we (middle class) should pay more than the wealthiest? I'm not talking about a percentage point or so, its almost 7% difference! This report also points out that the bottom 60%(making up to $58K annually) of working people in Illinois bring home less than they did in 1979! And our taxes really haven't changed much since the 70's.
Part of the reason that Income tax is such a big issue is that its the only one that can be controlled by our present situation. For example, I'm very lucky and I'm making $100K...all of a sudden, the company I'm working for closes up and all I can find is a job as a barista making $20K...with a progressive income tax(and to a point, the regressive income tax), the tax automatically adjusts. That doesn't happen with other types of taxes...I can't go to the gas station and tell them, "I can't pay that much right now cuz I lost my job"...best they may do is say, "Fill out an application, we're hiring", that is if they don't laugh me out of the door....
So, you're still cynical...."What about cutting spending? We all know that the government spends too much!" that might work somewhere else, but Illinois is 47th in the country when it comes to spending and we are 50th when it comes to state employment rolls(not the lowest in number, but as a ratio of state employees per capita). If we go along with some of the budget cuts that are running around, we are not only putting more people on unemployment, we are putting the clients in danger. Illinois does not act like a drunken sailor on Friday night, more like a spinster librarian on Sunday morning!
"What about all of those businesses that would move?" Hasn't happened yet. Remember when WI and IN scab governors put out ads and billboards about the great business climate in their states? In the last year, Illinois has gained 30K jobs, while both IN and WI have lost thousands of jobs....hmmm....but, then again, our tax structure does some other interesting perks than others for business, such as a retailers discount on sales taxes. Huh? This began years ago when it was difficult for retailers to figure out the exact amount to send to the state...we have computers now...I think we can stop this practice. I'll have more tomorrow-this has gotten reallllll long and I'm hoping you haven't fallen asleep.
First, nothing to do with finances directly, but Illinois received a "C" in public integrity, placing 10th in the nation...yep, there are 40 states that are worse than Illinois and that includes all the ones that surround us, imagine that. Yes, we've had our share of corrupt politicians, but ours actually end up in prison or at least indicted and out of public office.
So, back to the financial state of Illinois. I do agree that our tax system is broken, but not because its too much...its broken because its a "flat tax"--everyone alleges to be taxed at the same rate...not really. We have an antiquated tax system--flat tax, no taxes on service(unlike the surrounding states). We have not actually changed the tax structure since the 70's, partially because to change the flat tax, we need an amendment to our constitution, but we do need to do something.
So, how broke is Illinois? Not very. Illinois has the 5th largest economy in the United States...and has been for over a decade! Obviously, some people are doing all right in the Land of Lincoln. Much of this is in northern Illinois--Cook, Will and DuPage counties. So why do we have such a problem with paying our bills? Greed?
I do believe that part of the problem is greed, considering the disproportionate income/wealth inequality that has developed in this country in general, but in Illinois we also have a very unfair tax system, the one that so many right wing folks dream of--the flat tax. The idea is that everybody pays the same, and that's more fair than a progressive income tax.
So, why is a flat tax unfair? It seems to be fair, a guy making $10K pays the same as a guy making $10M, right? Wrong...
The less income you have, the more you pay in taxes, when all taxes are considered. The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is a bi-partisan non-profit think tank that promotes fair, efficient and progressive tax, spending and economic policies--the definition on their website. This group has been instrumental in research on different ways to end the funding problems in Illinois and make it a better system for all Illinoisans, not just the top percentage.
In February of this year, the CBTA issued a report on why Illinois needs an overhaul of the tax system and why the flat tax is one of the most recessive ways of taxing. The first graph in this report shows the different taxes we all pay, Sales/excise, property and income. People making $18K or under spend 13.7% of their income on taxes...people making $500K and over? Only 5.3%! Now, if you're sitting there with the idea that, "well those poor folks should try harder...they're the burden"...if you make under $50K, you're still paying about 12% of your income on taxes. So how fair is it that we (middle class) should pay more than the wealthiest? I'm not talking about a percentage point or so, its almost 7% difference! This report also points out that the bottom 60%(making up to $58K annually) of working people in Illinois bring home less than they did in 1979! And our taxes really haven't changed much since the 70's.
Part of the reason that Income tax is such a big issue is that its the only one that can be controlled by our present situation. For example, I'm very lucky and I'm making $100K...all of a sudden, the company I'm working for closes up and all I can find is a job as a barista making $20K...with a progressive income tax(and to a point, the regressive income tax), the tax automatically adjusts. That doesn't happen with other types of taxes...I can't go to the gas station and tell them, "I can't pay that much right now cuz I lost my job"...best they may do is say, "Fill out an application, we're hiring", that is if they don't laugh me out of the door....
So, you're still cynical...."What about cutting spending? We all know that the government spends too much!" that might work somewhere else, but Illinois is 47th in the country when it comes to spending and we are 50th when it comes to state employment rolls(not the lowest in number, but as a ratio of state employees per capita). If we go along with some of the budget cuts that are running around, we are not only putting more people on unemployment, we are putting the clients in danger. Illinois does not act like a drunken sailor on Friday night, more like a spinster librarian on Sunday morning!
"What about all of those businesses that would move?" Hasn't happened yet. Remember when WI and IN scab governors put out ads and billboards about the great business climate in their states? In the last year, Illinois has gained 30K jobs, while both IN and WI have lost thousands of jobs....hmmm....but, then again, our tax structure does some other interesting perks than others for business, such as a retailers discount on sales taxes. Huh? This began years ago when it was difficult for retailers to figure out the exact amount to send to the state...we have computers now...I think we can stop this practice. I'll have more tomorrow-this has gotten reallllll long and I'm hoping you haven't fallen asleep.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
ACA and Protecting Women's Health
With all the crap and lies that have been going around about the ACA and women's health care, I hope this gets some notice as fact:
Fact: Insurance Companies Can’t Deny Coverage to Women.
Although a new report by the National Women's Law Center really shows the bias against women by health insurance companies and denying women coverage due to "pre-existing" conditions, including acne, pregnancy and cancer, the ACA will ban this type of behavior by 2014. It already bans the excuse of pre-existing conditions in children.
Fact: Its your choice of doctor
All people, under this law have the freedom to keep their insurance, stay with their doctors. All Americans joining the new state insurance exchanges can choose any primary care provider in their health plan network, as well as an OB-GYN, or pediatrician in their health plan’s network, or emergency care outside of the plan’s network, without a referral.
Fact: Preventative Care without Co-paysAll women(in fact, all people) may receive recommended preventive tests/screenins such as mammograms, Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, all Americans joining a new health care plan can receive recommended preventive services, like mammograms, new baby care and well-child visits, cervical cancer screening without co-pays. And yes, this includes birth control...even health insurers know that birth control costs them a lot less than pregnancies!
Fact: Insurance premiums will go down for Women As I began with the teaser on the report from the National Women's Law Center, women are discriminated against due to their gender by Insurance companies. This costs about $1 Billion annually! In 2014,discrimination by insurance companies due to gender will be illegal.
There are many other areas that affect all citizens, such as insurance companies having to spend at least 80% of premiums on health care, not on bonuses, salaries or junkets to Costa Rica!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Benefits Small Businesses gain from "ObamaCare"
Yesterday, I wrote about how seniors are helped with the Affordable Care Act...today I'm highlighting benefits for small businesses:
Fact: New tax credits for small businesses
The ACA sets up a tax credit(35% now, up to 50% in 2014) for small businesses to assist with health insurance costs. The CBO estimated a savings of $40 billion for small businesses by 2019.
Fact: State Insurance Exchanges will open more savings for small businesses.
Small businesses, historically, have little bargaining power with insurance companies and generally pay premiums that are 18% higher than larger companies. With the formation of the exchanges, small businesses get more choices, lower prices and greater bargaining power(this is limited to firms with 100 or less employees).
Fact: Small businesses will not be discriminated against due to a "sick" worker.
Fact: New tax credits for small businesses
The ACA sets up a tax credit(35% now, up to 50% in 2014) for small businesses to assist with health insurance costs. The CBO estimated a savings of $40 billion for small businesses by 2019.
Fact: State Insurance Exchanges will open more savings for small businesses.
Small businesses, historically, have little bargaining power with insurance companies and generally pay premiums that are 18% higher than larger companies. With the formation of the exchanges, small businesses get more choices, lower prices and greater bargaining power(this is limited to firms with 100 or less employees).
Fact: Small businesses will not be discriminated against due to a "sick" worker.
Before ACA, if a small business had a chronically or terminally ill employee, they could face much larger insurance premiums. the ACA ends this discrimination in 2014 by enforcing "community rating" rules which will prohibit this practice of punishing all for one person's health issues.
Fact: ACA lifts "job lock"The way insurance companies work now, because its tied to work, is that people who have chronic illnesses(could be as small as allergies) or an ill child cannot better themselves by looking for another job or opening up their own business because they are "uninsurable"--pre-existing condition. What do we, as a country, lose when people are locked into one position? The ACA eliminates the idea of "pre-existing conditions" and with the state exchanges, again gives small businesses more bargaining power on price concerns.
Fact: ACA lifts "job lock"The way insurance companies work now, because its tied to work, is that people who have chronic illnesses(could be as small as allergies) or an ill child cannot better themselves by looking for another job or opening up their own business because they are "uninsurable"--pre-existing condition. What do we, as a country, lose when people are locked into one position? The ACA eliminates the idea of "pre-existing conditions" and with the state exchanges, again gives small businesses more bargaining power on price concerns.
Fact:Reduces hidden tax that affects small businesses (and all of us)
Anyone who drives really hates that one premium...you know the one...uninsured driver...we responsible ones think, WTF why doesn't these lazy SOB's start taking responsibility for their driving???? And now, with ACA, we're doing the same with health insurance. At this time, the cost of treating the "uninsured" adds about $1000, annually to every health care premium. Because ACA gives the states the ability to set up health care exchanges, mandates all people to have some insurance, and forces the insurance companies to spend at least 80% of premiums on health care instead of junkets to the Bahamas, these "hidden taxes" will dissipate.
Again, President Obama helps the little guy.
Happy Birthday ACA, and how it affects Seniors
March 23 marks the two year anniversary since President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law and made health care reform a reality. The Alliance for Retired Amercans hosted about 30 events across the country to celebrate the anniversary - and the benefits for seniors were enacted by this bill.that come with it. While the whole week will celebrate the anniversary, March 19 is a day for all seniors to celebrate the ways that the ACA is improving their own lives.
When we hear people bad-mouth the new health law by derisively calling it ‘Obamacare,’ say, ‘Damn right! Obama cares for seniors – that is why his new law is closing the doughnut hole, lowering the cost of prescription drug costs, and helping seniors better afford their doctor visits and medical tests,’” said Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance.
There's been many lies by the right on what "ObamaCare" does to the American Health Care machine...I prefer dealing in facts and realities:
Fact: Cheaper prescription drugs for seniors. Since the ACA began, seniors have saved over $2 billion for medication coverage. President Obama and the Democratic led congress knew the burden that the Part D "Donut hole" had caused for many seniors. This has now been cut in half and will be gone by 2020.
Fact: Free vaccinations and screenings such as mammograms, prostate cancer screenings. All seniors are eligible to an annual "wellness" health check up with their doctor, which covers a multitude of tests/screenings, smoking cessation, nutritional information.
Fact: You choose your doctor. If the doctor that you want to see accepts Medicare, then you are covered.
Fact: ACA reduces waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare which extends the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and ensures that seniors receive their "money's worth".
Fact: There are NO death panels in Medicare. This was an outright lie. If there are any type of death panels, it would be under the guise of insurance companies denying clients health care!
So...if you are a senior and you are under the Medicare act, your health care has been strengthened by the Affordable Care Act...enjoy your new benefits and stay healthy!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Teachers, The Right's new version of Welfare Queens
For the last decade, but specially the last couple of years, I've heard from the media rabble and the right about the horrible problems with our educational system. Well, not all of the system, just the part that all Americans have a stake in--public schools. I've heard how its failing, failing, failing and its all because of those union thug teachers!!! Making all those millions of $$ and just sitting around eating bon bons...funny, the teachers I know seem to be working pretty hard, they start about 7 in the morning and usually don't finish until evening. Sure they aren't "in the office" for some of that time, but they bring work home all the time.
So the right keeps telling us how much greater our education system would be if we got rid of the antiquated public education form..Private Schools!...Charter Schools! They work so well and everyone that goes to them do so much better! Sure...too bad the stats don't really bear that out.
First: Both private schools and charter schools get to pick and choose the "cream of the crop", you know those kids that aren't a problem and don't have those stupid learning, behavioral or physical disabilities. OK that means that they already have at least "C" students to start with. In May of 2010, there was a story in the NYT magazine explaining how much better charter schools were by comparing a charter and public school that were not only in the same neighborhood, but shared the same building! Same kids, same community and you know that charter school soared much higher on standardized tests than the public school so that just goes to show how much better the charter is, right? Umm, not really.
A deeper look at the data showed some illuminating facts about those kids...yes the came for the same neighborhoods but again the Charter School gets to choose their students.
At the public school, 20% of the students were in some form of special ed and about 2/5 of those students were considered "severely disabled"...the charter school? They did have about 17% of special ed students, but none were considered severely disabled.
The public school had 13% of their students which English was their second language, only 2% of the charter school were ESL students.
The public school had 20% more of their students that were eligible for free lunches(68% of the students qualified for free lunch, 49% in the charter) and a 10% homeless rate for the public school kids, the charter only had about 1% of homeless students. Now, are these two populations the same??? And since the public school(which teaches to all, not just the easy ones) did improve on the tests after the charter school raided their best and brightest away, shouldn't those public school teachers get an award for doing as good, if not better than in the past? OF COURSE NOT! Their job is to teach and we know there are bad teachers because the UNION protects the bad ones...
So, the teachers at charters allegedly get paid better, better benefits so that means the best come there, right? Again, not necessarily. Charter schools have a much higher turnover of staff than public schools which does hurt the continuity of service...having to train the teachers over and over. Why the higher turnover? Because charter school teachers have more responsibilities and longer hours. Also, without collective bargaining and union membership, teachers aren't treated fairly across the board...its a brown noser's paradise. Most professional teachers prefer the traditional public school, not because they're lazy, but because they are treated on a fair basis.
Another issue of charter and public schools is segregation. Historically, private schools(most being religion-based) have been notoriously segregated. Charter schools also have the same inclination, in fact there are white supremacist sites that extol this as the best reason to send your kids to charter schools, not better schools. Oh, and the scandals that surface with charter schools? Shoved under the rug of ignorance.
And all in all, after all of the high marks of the media, corporations, "civic" leaders, charter schools, in general, do not do better than public schools on the same level as Stanford University has studied, time and time again. It seems all charter schools really do is break the union(although some charter schools are now organizing), segregate school children and take more money out of public funds into private bank accounts.
So the right keeps telling us how much greater our education system would be if we got rid of the antiquated public education form..Private Schools!...Charter Schools! They work so well and everyone that goes to them do so much better! Sure...too bad the stats don't really bear that out.
First: Both private schools and charter schools get to pick and choose the "cream of the crop", you know those kids that aren't a problem and don't have those stupid learning, behavioral or physical disabilities. OK that means that they already have at least "C" students to start with. In May of 2010, there was a story in the NYT magazine explaining how much better charter schools were by comparing a charter and public school that were not only in the same neighborhood, but shared the same building! Same kids, same community and you know that charter school soared much higher on standardized tests than the public school so that just goes to show how much better the charter is, right? Umm, not really.
A deeper look at the data showed some illuminating facts about those kids...yes the came for the same neighborhoods but again the Charter School gets to choose their students.
At the public school, 20% of the students were in some form of special ed and about 2/5 of those students were considered "severely disabled"...the charter school? They did have about 17% of special ed students, but none were considered severely disabled.
The public school had 13% of their students which English was their second language, only 2% of the charter school were ESL students.
The public school had 20% more of their students that were eligible for free lunches(68% of the students qualified for free lunch, 49% in the charter) and a 10% homeless rate for the public school kids, the charter only had about 1% of homeless students. Now, are these two populations the same??? And since the public school(which teaches to all, not just the easy ones) did improve on the tests after the charter school raided their best and brightest away, shouldn't those public school teachers get an award for doing as good, if not better than in the past? OF COURSE NOT! Their job is to teach and we know there are bad teachers because the UNION protects the bad ones...
So, the teachers at charters allegedly get paid better, better benefits so that means the best come there, right? Again, not necessarily. Charter schools have a much higher turnover of staff than public schools which does hurt the continuity of service...having to train the teachers over and over. Why the higher turnover? Because charter school teachers have more responsibilities and longer hours. Also, without collective bargaining and union membership, teachers aren't treated fairly across the board...its a brown noser's paradise. Most professional teachers prefer the traditional public school, not because they're lazy, but because they are treated on a fair basis.
Another issue of charter and public schools is segregation. Historically, private schools(most being religion-based) have been notoriously segregated. Charter schools also have the same inclination, in fact there are white supremacist sites that extol this as the best reason to send your kids to charter schools, not better schools. Oh, and the scandals that surface with charter schools? Shoved under the rug of ignorance.
And all in all, after all of the high marks of the media, corporations, "civic" leaders, charter schools, in general, do not do better than public schools on the same level as Stanford University has studied, time and time again. It seems all charter schools really do is break the union(although some charter schools are now organizing), segregate school children and take more money out of public funds into private bank accounts.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thank you Dad
March 14 would have been my father's 86th birthday. He died in 1990, but I know he'd be very unhappy with the way life in this country, one that he fought for in WW2 has turned. Although my father was not the rebel that I am(I think I got that from his sister, my Aunt Helen), his views were still much more liberal than conservative and he was the first one that I ever heard use the phrase, "If there was a pig on the republican ballots, those idiots would vote for it!" So, I guess I'd just like to thank my dad for some of my attributes:
First, my red hair--it fits my personality
Second, my love of reading; although both of my parents read and my mother probably read a bit more to me when I was a child, my father was the one who introduced me to the magical world of newspapers. Dad worked in Chicago and took the train. In those days there were 4 Chicago papers--the Trib, Sun-times, Daily News and Chicago Today. Two were morning papers and the other two were afternoon. We never read the Tribune, dad called it the newspaper for the rich and middle class people who read it were duped into believing they were just like the upper class. He got me interested in the papers by way of the comics-HEY I was only 7 or 8! As I got older, he'd mention different articles that I might like to read, he was sneaky!
Third, my love of knowledge; yes, if you are reading articles by the time you're 10, you're also being told that knowledge is important. My father and I would debate topics, debate football, debate why I should be able to stay up later(I usually lost that one) and we'd do it without yelling(that started in my teen years...hormones and independence ya know). He wanted me to be sure I knew what I was speaking about, not just talking about something because my friends liked it.
Fourth, my passion for social justice; my mother always said my father was always bringing home strays--dogs, cats, people and he did, specially the people in later years, but his heart was in the right place. I remember one time when I was still in elementary school and he had his secretary and her husband to our house for dinner. Her name was Millie and she was New Orleans and she was....black! In a middle/blue class neighborhood in the suburbs!!! Talk about throwing the neighborhood for a quake, you'd have thought Dad had invited MLK, Jr., Malcom X and Jesse Jackson to move in with us! Now, my dad thought those men were evil, it was the 60's and civil rights were just awakening, but he was so angry that our neighbors would be so....stupid(read racist in this day and age) about friends of his! My father showed me, whether he knew it or not, how blind racism can be--he would give his shirt to someone he knew, no matter what race/creed/religion, but to ones he didn't, he thought the worst. The indirect definition of white privilege.
He gave me my love of football, taught me how to dance(although he never got me to understand that I was the girl, I wasn't supposed to lead), my humor and my sarcasm.
He had been a mid-level manager for all of my life and really didn't have much good for unions, but when I started getting involved with mine, he said it was good that I was standing up for other people and now, in his late 50's, understood how important unions could be. After working over 30 years for one company, they terminated him before he turned 60 and he never really recovered from that in some ways. At least he had a pension that started when he was fired.
In 1986 I became a correctional officer, after working for 6 years in the clerical department of the prison. After about 6 months, he told me that it had changed me, made me a bit more hard hearted, but he said, "That's good Kim, you were too softhearted, like me." No, dad I'm very proud to be as soft hearted as you. I love you and I miss you and may you find peace in the your world.
First, my red hair--it fits my personality
Second, my love of reading; although both of my parents read and my mother probably read a bit more to me when I was a child, my father was the one who introduced me to the magical world of newspapers. Dad worked in Chicago and took the train. In those days there were 4 Chicago papers--the Trib, Sun-times, Daily News and Chicago Today. Two were morning papers and the other two were afternoon. We never read the Tribune, dad called it the newspaper for the rich and middle class people who read it were duped into believing they were just like the upper class. He got me interested in the papers by way of the comics-HEY I was only 7 or 8! As I got older, he'd mention different articles that I might like to read, he was sneaky!
Third, my love of knowledge; yes, if you are reading articles by the time you're 10, you're also being told that knowledge is important. My father and I would debate topics, debate football, debate why I should be able to stay up later(I usually lost that one) and we'd do it without yelling(that started in my teen years...hormones and independence ya know). He wanted me to be sure I knew what I was speaking about, not just talking about something because my friends liked it.
Fourth, my passion for social justice; my mother always said my father was always bringing home strays--dogs, cats, people and he did, specially the people in later years, but his heart was in the right place. I remember one time when I was still in elementary school and he had his secretary and her husband to our house for dinner. Her name was Millie and she was New Orleans and she was....black! In a middle/blue class neighborhood in the suburbs!!! Talk about throwing the neighborhood for a quake, you'd have thought Dad had invited MLK, Jr., Malcom X and Jesse Jackson to move in with us! Now, my dad thought those men were evil, it was the 60's and civil rights were just awakening, but he was so angry that our neighbors would be so....stupid(read racist in this day and age) about friends of his! My father showed me, whether he knew it or not, how blind racism can be--he would give his shirt to someone he knew, no matter what race/creed/religion, but to ones he didn't, he thought the worst. The indirect definition of white privilege.
He gave me my love of football, taught me how to dance(although he never got me to understand that I was the girl, I wasn't supposed to lead), my humor and my sarcasm.
He had been a mid-level manager for all of my life and really didn't have much good for unions, but when I started getting involved with mine, he said it was good that I was standing up for other people and now, in his late 50's, understood how important unions could be. After working over 30 years for one company, they terminated him before he turned 60 and he never really recovered from that in some ways. At least he had a pension that started when he was fired.
In 1986 I became a correctional officer, after working for 6 years in the clerical department of the prison. After about 6 months, he told me that it had changed me, made me a bit more hard hearted, but he said, "That's good Kim, you were too softhearted, like me." No, dad I'm very proud to be as soft hearted as you. I love you and I miss you and may you find peace in the your world.
DuPage Republican campaigns, AKA Mean Girl vs. Jock bully
I opened up my local newspaper today to see an "Election Guide" interviews for candidates on why we should hire them for the next 2 years. Since I live in a red-leaning area, this usually means that I'm not gonna be represented very well. We've been getting a lot of campaign compost(the stuff that's sent through the mail that you really don't pay much attention to--just throw it into the recycling bin) and I noticed a bit of "Republicans Eating Their Own" going on....hmmm, could be a bit entertaining.
I live in the 81st District(State house) and we(Democratic Party) don't have a candidate running this time and although I know I'm not voting for either of them(thinking I'll write in Noam Chomsky, even tho he doesn't live in the district), I found myself researching both to see how mean spirited the local election may be...
First, we have Ron Sandack, who's best known in our area for being anti-worker and getting into a pretty large bruhaha with the fire fighters and the police officers during contract negotiations. Oh and some pretty mean-spirited words towards others that don't agree with him. See, Mr. Sandack doesn't believe in allowing employees to have pensions...actually doesn't like them having many rights at all. His history is of a corporate lawyer who represented banksters and other financial institutions, not the little guy. He has a "business litigation and business transactional practice" which represented small and medium businesses involved in civil action, employment litigation matters; read: anti worker/labor/consumer. And the business transactional practice? Making sure his client gets as much as he can out of the poor sot going through a bankruptcy, foreclosures, etc. Yes, it could be between two businesses(over 70% of all court time is spent on a business suing another business or business suing an individual), but the business acumen usually wins over the little guy...
Now, Mr. Sandack was DG mayor and seemed to enjoy belittling council members and others who did not agree with him, to the point of some thinking him abusive with his title. In fact, at least one newspaper contributor(more editorial than reporter) has also seen the wrath of this jock bully--if they don't agree with you, intimidate them; such a patriotic, adult thing to do. He's also made many disparraging remarks against public employees, specially fire fighters and police by saying that, "When I meet retired firefighters and police, I thank them for their service and then tell them they(stuck the taxpayers for pensions)are on the dole, we shouldn't have to pay for them after retirement". Lovely man, eh? People risk their lives everyday while working and this idiot wants them to oh...I don't know...finish off being a greeter at mallwart????
And there is the rub(one of them) with me, I worked and paid into my pension for about 28 years and this guy thinks we're living lavishly! I know people who are living on about $1000 a month(and no Social Security) and he talks about "lavish pensions". Well, he made a big deal about refusing the lavish pension and health care benefits when he was appointed to finish off the state senate term, but he isn't even close to being vested, so I don't know how big a deal that is. He does take the salary. He is still listed as one of the attorneys(and a partner) at the law firm so I'm pretty sure he already has health insurance and some type of retirement plan and receives at least a percentage of the profits.
In the Senate his voting is your regular republicon style-- he voted against SB 4 which increased the amount of exemptions over a 3 year period for all taxpayers, increased EIC over 3 years for the less fortunate tax payers...it passed without his graces. Guess some of our legislators do care about the little guy. He also voted against civil unions, refuses the idea of gay marraige...and, yes, he's anti-abortion and will not vote for marijuana legalization...have I hit the far left pinko knee jerk items for my 'con friends? He loves to say how Illinois is 48th in job creation, although in the past year Illinois has created more jobs than Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky(hmm, didn't know we had 52 states) and Illinois is just toxic to businesses...although we have the 5th largest economy in the country...and if we were a country our GNP would be greater than Saudi Arabia! Nope...he must not have studied economics or facts...but then we do have the mean girl to consider...
Deborah Boyle has lived in DG all of her life. In 2006, she requested a boundary exemption from the school board because all of her family had attended Downers Grove North and she wanted her son to attend there also...funny thing...I wanted my children to attend DGN so I bought my house in that district! Imagine that! So anyway, the district denies the boundary exemption, Ms. Boyle sues the school district...and loses; again, imagine that! Its not that the school her son would be going to was not up to par, it was just cuz of the family tradition and I guess Ms. Boyle thought she was above the rules.
So a couple of years later, she runs for the school board. I remember her candidate interview and when asked if she attends school board meetings, she replied no, she felt they were a waste of time or something like that. So why run for the office? I thought to myself that anyone that voted for her either was a moron or didn't pay attention...to this day I wonder how many were just morons, because she won. Let the fun begin.
It seemed that every meeting now became a battle, to the point that Ms. Boyle seemed to pad the audience at least at 2 meetings(one that I was at) Ms Boyle took it public, that's when I learned that she sued the school board because she blamed the other members as holding a grudge against her because of the lawsuit. Her biggest and most public outburst was because the board had this silly little policy that if a board member had a family member that was employed by the school, the board member must recuse him/herself. Again, Debbie feels that policy shouldn't apply to her even tho her brother works for one of the high schools. Now, she could vote on anything but employee benefits(salaries & insurance, etc.), but you'd have thought the board had told her she couldn't vote on anything and locked her in a closet! I sure wish they had about then, but no. The board changes the rules and Debbie finally gets her way, I guess. Our very own Caribou Barbie, without her shooting moose.
Now she's running against the jock bully for state rep. She does the perfect mean girl about how Sandack was endorsed by a Teamsters local once in early 2000's so that means he's actually a friend of unions(I figure the Teamsters didn't know what a jerk he was until the next year...and haven't endorsed him since). He sends out flyers about how much havoc she caused on the school board and yells about how he's the true conservative. She flings back that she is the true conservative because the tea party endorsed her! And Sandack voted for evil liberal things...like....the smart grid! OH MY GOD, how heinous. And he's being mean to her.....sorry, but she reminds me of the blond in Mean Girls that gets hit by the bus.
So, where do these candidates stand on the issues? Both want to bring back the death penalty, strip employees' pension rights, cut taxes for those poor rich people, trim government(even tho Illinois has the least amount of state employees, per capita in America, they want to cut more) and so on and so on and so on. So for all their bickering, they pretty much agree on most things...just trying to see who can be meaner or more of a bully to the working stiffs of Illinois District 81.
Let's see how I feel next term...we need some reps that actually care about the people, not the corporations.
I live in the 81st District(State house) and we(Democratic Party) don't have a candidate running this time and although I know I'm not voting for either of them(thinking I'll write in Noam Chomsky, even tho he doesn't live in the district), I found myself researching both to see how mean spirited the local election may be...
First, we have Ron Sandack, who's best known in our area for being anti-worker and getting into a pretty large bruhaha with the fire fighters and the police officers during contract negotiations. Oh and some pretty mean-spirited words towards others that don't agree with him. See, Mr. Sandack doesn't believe in allowing employees to have pensions...actually doesn't like them having many rights at all. His history is of a corporate lawyer who represented banksters and other financial institutions, not the little guy. He has a "business litigation and business transactional practice" which represented small and medium businesses involved in civil action, employment litigation matters; read: anti worker/labor/consumer. And the business transactional practice? Making sure his client gets as much as he can out of the poor sot going through a bankruptcy, foreclosures, etc. Yes, it could be between two businesses(over 70% of all court time is spent on a business suing another business or business suing an individual), but the business acumen usually wins over the little guy...
Now, Mr. Sandack was DG mayor and seemed to enjoy belittling council members and others who did not agree with him, to the point of some thinking him abusive with his title. In fact, at least one newspaper contributor(more editorial than reporter) has also seen the wrath of this jock bully--if they don't agree with you, intimidate them; such a patriotic, adult thing to do. He's also made many disparraging remarks against public employees, specially fire fighters and police by saying that, "When I meet retired firefighters and police, I thank them for their service and then tell them they(stuck the taxpayers for pensions)are on the dole, we shouldn't have to pay for them after retirement". Lovely man, eh? People risk their lives everyday while working and this idiot wants them to oh...I don't know...finish off being a greeter at mallwart????
And there is the rub(one of them) with me, I worked and paid into my pension for about 28 years and this guy thinks we're living lavishly! I know people who are living on about $1000 a month(and no Social Security) and he talks about "lavish pensions". Well, he made a big deal about refusing the lavish pension and health care benefits when he was appointed to finish off the state senate term, but he isn't even close to being vested, so I don't know how big a deal that is. He does take the salary. He is still listed as one of the attorneys(and a partner) at the law firm so I'm pretty sure he already has health insurance and some type of retirement plan and receives at least a percentage of the profits.
In the Senate his voting is your regular republicon style-- he voted against SB 4 which increased the amount of exemptions over a 3 year period for all taxpayers, increased EIC over 3 years for the less fortunate tax payers...it passed without his graces. Guess some of our legislators do care about the little guy. He also voted against civil unions, refuses the idea of gay marraige...and, yes, he's anti-abortion and will not vote for marijuana legalization...have I hit the far left pinko knee jerk items for my 'con friends? He loves to say how Illinois is 48th in job creation, although in the past year Illinois has created more jobs than Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky(hmm, didn't know we had 52 states) and Illinois is just toxic to businesses...although we have the 5th largest economy in the country...and if we were a country our GNP would be greater than Saudi Arabia! Nope...he must not have studied economics or facts...but then we do have the mean girl to consider...
Deborah Boyle has lived in DG all of her life. In 2006, she requested a boundary exemption from the school board because all of her family had attended Downers Grove North and she wanted her son to attend there also...funny thing...I wanted my children to attend DGN so I bought my house in that district! Imagine that! So anyway, the district denies the boundary exemption, Ms. Boyle sues the school district...and loses; again, imagine that! Its not that the school her son would be going to was not up to par, it was just cuz of the family tradition and I guess Ms. Boyle thought she was above the rules.
So a couple of years later, she runs for the school board. I remember her candidate interview and when asked if she attends school board meetings, she replied no, she felt they were a waste of time or something like that. So why run for the office? I thought to myself that anyone that voted for her either was a moron or didn't pay attention...to this day I wonder how many were just morons, because she won. Let the fun begin.
It seemed that every meeting now became a battle, to the point that Ms. Boyle seemed to pad the audience at least at 2 meetings(one that I was at) Ms Boyle took it public, that's when I learned that she sued the school board because she blamed the other members as holding a grudge against her because of the lawsuit. Her biggest and most public outburst was because the board had this silly little policy that if a board member had a family member that was employed by the school, the board member must recuse him/herself. Again, Debbie feels that policy shouldn't apply to her even tho her brother works for one of the high schools. Now, she could vote on anything but employee benefits(salaries & insurance, etc.), but you'd have thought the board had told her she couldn't vote on anything and locked her in a closet! I sure wish they had about then, but no. The board changes the rules and Debbie finally gets her way, I guess. Our very own Caribou Barbie, without her shooting moose.
Now she's running against the jock bully for state rep. She does the perfect mean girl about how Sandack was endorsed by a Teamsters local once in early 2000's so that means he's actually a friend of unions(I figure the Teamsters didn't know what a jerk he was until the next year...and haven't endorsed him since). He sends out flyers about how much havoc she caused on the school board and yells about how he's the true conservative. She flings back that she is the true conservative because the tea party endorsed her! And Sandack voted for evil liberal things...like....the smart grid! OH MY GOD, how heinous. And he's being mean to her.....sorry, but she reminds me of the blond in Mean Girls that gets hit by the bus.
So, where do these candidates stand on the issues? Both want to bring back the death penalty, strip employees' pension rights, cut taxes for those poor rich people, trim government(even tho Illinois has the least amount of state employees, per capita in America, they want to cut more) and so on and so on and so on. So for all their bickering, they pretty much agree on most things...just trying to see who can be meaner or more of a bully to the working stiffs of Illinois District 81.
Let's see how I feel next term...we need some reps that actually care about the people, not the corporations.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
News of the Day-3/13/12
I'm going to try this as my carrot--news of the day that interests me or is important in the eyes of the media.
DOJ rejects Texas Voter ID Law
The Department of Justice rejects the Texas Voter ID law due to data that shows the law clearly discriminates, at least, against Hispanics.
Although Texas could not show any evidence of widespread voter fraud(or even a small piece of evidence) or voter impersonation, both of which could be used to require a specific photo id, the data did show that nearly 11% of registered voters with hispanic last names would be denied their right to vote due to not having a driver's license or other specific government ID compared to about 5% of non-hispanic voters. Another issue has been that to get the specific ID's, a person must go to the Public Safety office in the area. Only problem? There are about 80 counties that do not have an office so people must travel much farther--and these are people that don't have a driver's license so I doubt many of them drive!
Alabama, Mississippi and the 19th Century
This week, we learned that Alabama and Mississippi republicans are stuck on stupid, with about 2/3 of those polled thinking that evolution is not real, about 1/2 thinking President Obama is a Muslim and about 25% thinking that interracial marriage should be illegal.
But then half of them also like Rush Limbaugh. My biggest problem? I know that every one of those crackers are white and they really make if difficult for us white folks who actually listened in school! Sometimes we just need to pour some bleach in the gene pool.
And the preferred candidate of those that still think interracial marriage should be illegal? Newt Gingrich. I guess its lucky they are in the minority.
Surprise! Bank Officials are responsible in Foreclosure problems
It seems that all those problems with foreclosures and paperwork that was blamed on the little beancounters was actually part of the scheme to just steal OUR property! Bank managers told their underlings just to make up titles for themselves and run the documents through, even when the underlings were against it. The report is a result of an audit done by the Department of Housing and Urban Development . Many of the findings show just how greedy banksters can be when they have no regulations stopping them.
Rush Limbaugh and moments of silence
Well, minutes...long minutes....of silence since over 130 sponsors dropped him like the radioactive rabid gerbil that he is. Dead air is one of the worst things that can happen on radio and it happened for about 5 minutes on his show...go ahead Rush, spew forth your lies and hatred some more.
Well, that's all for now, hope everyone has a good evening!
DOJ rejects Texas Voter ID Law
The Department of Justice rejects the Texas Voter ID law due to data that shows the law clearly discriminates, at least, against Hispanics.
Although Texas could not show any evidence of widespread voter fraud(or even a small piece of evidence) or voter impersonation, both of which could be used to require a specific photo id, the data did show that nearly 11% of registered voters with hispanic last names would be denied their right to vote due to not having a driver's license or other specific government ID compared to about 5% of non-hispanic voters. Another issue has been that to get the specific ID's, a person must go to the Public Safety office in the area. Only problem? There are about 80 counties that do not have an office so people must travel much farther--and these are people that don't have a driver's license so I doubt many of them drive!
Alabama, Mississippi and the 19th Century
This week, we learned that Alabama and Mississippi republicans are stuck on stupid, with about 2/3 of those polled thinking that evolution is not real, about 1/2 thinking President Obama is a Muslim and about 25% thinking that interracial marriage should be illegal.
But then half of them also like Rush Limbaugh. My biggest problem? I know that every one of those crackers are white and they really make if difficult for us white folks who actually listened in school! Sometimes we just need to pour some bleach in the gene pool.
And the preferred candidate of those that still think interracial marriage should be illegal? Newt Gingrich. I guess its lucky they are in the minority.
Surprise! Bank Officials are responsible in Foreclosure problems
It seems that all those problems with foreclosures and paperwork that was blamed on the little beancounters was actually part of the scheme to just steal OUR property! Bank managers told their underlings just to make up titles for themselves and run the documents through, even when the underlings were against it. The report is a result of an audit done by the Department of Housing and Urban Development . Many of the findings show just how greedy banksters can be when they have no regulations stopping them.
Rush Limbaugh and moments of silence
Well, minutes...long minutes....of silence since over 130 sponsors dropped him like the radioactive rabid gerbil that he is. Dead air is one of the worst things that can happen on radio and it happened for about 5 minutes on his show...go ahead Rush, spew forth your lies and hatred some more.
Well, that's all for now, hope everyone has a good evening!
Introduction of a Union Thug
Hello, my name is Kim and I'm a union thug...or so it seems. In fact, I'm one of those sleezy union thugs that not only had the audacity to find a union job, but a cushy gomminent union job! The best of the best, Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois. We had the largest cockroaches I ever saw and when the cafeteria had "lunch meat" we'd count the ground hogs, trying to alleviate our fears of what type of meat we were being served. We fought hard and long for the benefits we had gave up raises, but no one speaks about that...doesn't fit in with right wing lies.
So, a little more about me. I've been politically active since about age 14, worked my first presidential campaign in 1971(for the 72 election). Even tho I was only able to walk the neighborhoods, handing out literature, manning the phones and answering questions about the candidates, I impressed many of the older volunteers because I knew some of the issues and where the candidates stood on issues. Before I could vote, I was an informed voter. I tip my hat to my father for teaching me that, but I think he and I had much more in common than the rest of my family.
I began working at Stateville in 1980 and became involved with AFSCME, our union within the first year of hire. I held offices, assisted with the newsletter(and that was before desktop publishing), went to lobby days and helped on political campaigns. I am now the president of my local subchapter of retirees and still fighting the good fight...or at least trying to ensure that my members who only receive a pension(no social security) are protected, along with us that have coordinated benefits.
I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Why can't we skip the "child" part and go straight to the "grandchild" part, they listen so much more to me than the first 2! But I guess they are the payment for having to put up with their parents...and it is fun when my children complain about their children....I just laugh and laugh...
I also have 3 German Wirehaired Pointers and a husband and we drive each other crazy in a loving way.
We live in "yuppieville", DuPage County in Illinois. Besides trying to get my blog read, I have a degree in MIS and a certificate in Graphic Design, which I try to use this to make a bit of money...
I describe myself as a bleeding heart liberal feminist---that shoots straight(had to for my job); yes liberals do own firearms, we just believe in some basic safety facts.
So, will I have a liberal bias? OF COURSE! I am a working person, I am of the 99% I want the little people have as much of a voice, if not more, than the 1%, the banksters and the corporations. And, if you make less than $500K, you really need to decide how you can vote republican and vote against your best interests.
Hope you enjoy this little idea of mine! Thanks for reading.
So, a little more about me. I've been politically active since about age 14, worked my first presidential campaign in 1971(for the 72 election). Even tho I was only able to walk the neighborhoods, handing out literature, manning the phones and answering questions about the candidates, I impressed many of the older volunteers because I knew some of the issues and where the candidates stood on issues. Before I could vote, I was an informed voter. I tip my hat to my father for teaching me that, but I think he and I had much more in common than the rest of my family.
I began working at Stateville in 1980 and became involved with AFSCME, our union within the first year of hire. I held offices, assisted with the newsletter(and that was before desktop publishing), went to lobby days and helped on political campaigns. I am now the president of my local subchapter of retirees and still fighting the good fight...or at least trying to ensure that my members who only receive a pension(no social security) are protected, along with us that have coordinated benefits.
I have 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Why can't we skip the "child" part and go straight to the "grandchild" part, they listen so much more to me than the first 2! But I guess they are the payment for having to put up with their parents...and it is fun when my children complain about their children....I just laugh and laugh...
I also have 3 German Wirehaired Pointers and a husband and we drive each other crazy in a loving way.
We live in "yuppieville", DuPage County in Illinois. Besides trying to get my blog read, I have a degree in MIS and a certificate in Graphic Design, which I try to use this to make a bit of money...
I describe myself as a bleeding heart liberal feminist---that shoots straight(had to for my job); yes liberals do own firearms, we just believe in some basic safety facts.
So, will I have a liberal bias? OF COURSE! I am a working person, I am of the 99% I want the little people have as much of a voice, if not more, than the 1%, the banksters and the corporations. And, if you make less than $500K, you really need to decide how you can vote republican and vote against your best interests.
Hope you enjoy this little idea of mine! Thanks for reading.
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