Monday, April 09, 2007

Random Thoughts

* Will anyone make an issue about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria and the Logan Act?

* A recent Toledo Blade article featured City Council President Rob Ludeman's comment on the trash tax going into effect EARLIER than anticipated...that it was a good thing because the government "needs the money." And we, the taxpayers, don't????

* The mayor wants us to donate time, equipment and materials to plant gardens on public property...great idea, except for the fact that our taxes already pay for this to be done. Perhaps if the mayor had cut this out of his budget, more citizens might be willing to step up to the plate. But considering that 'there's no where else to cut,' who knows?

* Gov. Strickland's plan to eliminate the voucher system will force children back into failing schools...I just don't understand why eliminating parental choice is a good thing.

* And why is that all those opposed to charter schools or vouchers make a point of saying that charter schools who don't measure up should be closed, but that public schools that don't measure up need more money?

* And why do the same people who advocate for 'choice' when it comes to sexual orientation and abortion, oppose 'choice' when it comes to education?

* Considering the management position at the Blade regarding their unions, isn't it odd that they've not covered a decertification vote for the union representing the nurses at St. Vincent Medical Center?

* Overall government spending in FY 2004 came to $3.75 bil­lion, or $32,706 per household across the entire U.S. population, according to a study by The Heritage Foundation. How much will you have paid in taxes on April 15th?

* Oil company earnings are about 10% of the cost of a gallon of gas. Taxes are about 17% of the cost of a gallon of gas. Before government officials start complaining about the greed of 'big oil,' shouldn't they maybe look at themselves, first?

* The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) is a pending bill that will remove the right of employees to have a secret ballot when voting on union representation. In an Aug. 2001 letter to Mexican labor authorities, EFCA sponsor George Miller (D-CA), said: "We feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose." Yet Miller's legislation enables the very intimidation he warns against. Will anyone in the mainstream point out the hypocrisy or even ask Rep. Miller to explain?

* Why do so many believe that climate change is something humans can control? The Earth warms and cools - this area once had glaciers. Are we so arrogant to believe that we can or should stop the formation of glaciers? I know - the earth is warming...but if we can't or shouldn't stop the cooling, can we or should we stop the warming?

* And what is the optimum temperature of the Earth, anyway? Shouldn't that be the FIRST question we ask and answer?

* As I heard on tv the other night...If you had to choose between saving a tree or feeding your child, what would you decide?

* William Pitt said, “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants.” Perhaps we should remember this anytime someone looks to government to provide money because something is 'needed.'

7 comments:

Hooda Thunkit (Dave Zawodny) said...

Maggie,

Those are fourteen very interesting questions, and each deserves a separate comment, but let me address a few here.


On Rob’s off-the-wall comment about the taxes:
It is another indication that an “intervention” is needed, lest his very soul gets sucked into the abyss.


On the mayor wanting us to donate time, money and more to the already funded, but never cut, garden scheme of his:
Ha, hah, hah, hah, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he, he MUST be kidding.

So that, if he doesn’t approve, he can (and probably will) have them ripped out? Noooo way in hell... Not for “The Charlatan!”

Respectfully, I suggest that hizzoner go find a nice quiet playground somewhere, and go “Pound Some Sand...”


On Gov. Strickland’s opposition to vouchers and his disdain for charter schools:
Methinks that he should concentrate on funding all school children with vouchers equally, so that the voucher will go anywhere that the parents choose to send their child for education. Vouchers are the only way to get Ohio’s education out of the quagmire that it is in.

And, I mean ALL children EQUALLY. Government must get off of this “Tax Money ONLY for Public Schools” kick and start looking at education, not just public schools.


Big Oil doesn’t look so bad, once the REAL villain has been exposed, now does it?


RE: ECFA, someone (namely our government) shows, yet again that, to them, bilingual means talking out of both sides of their mouth. . .


RE: Climate Change:
Let’s just say that there is a wave of temporary “insanity” spreading across the globe, which is driven by arrogance, and which will dissipate in a relative short time, globally speaking; that is, in another hundred thousand years or so, give or take.



BTW, if your post was intended as a rant, it was a very good one ;-)

Barb said...

Good questions. On the schools --vouchers make the most sense --however, what if the fundamentalist Islamic schools are established? --preventing the assimilation that our schools now do for the Muslims?

The melding pot idea of public ed is still a good one --but we have so championed diversity that it comes back to bite us --like equal access legislation can theoretically be used to start a satanic or witchcraft club or a jihadist club as well as a Bible club in schools. The argument against all such clubs could be made, that they pull students away from the values and beliefs of their parents. And yet, Bible clubs in schools have really been a positive influence.

Maggie said...

Barb - there are several Muslim schools in our area already. Just as in Catholic or Jewish or Baptist schools, if parents want to send their children to a religious school, they should have that choice.

Maggie said...

Hooda - not a rant, specifically, just thoughts that keep popping up ... but it does sort of sound like a rant - and I feel much better, now, thank you!

-Sepp said...

Everytime we have to pay that fee, look upon it as being "Robbed" by Ludeman.

Carty's version of volunteerism..."and when we ask them how much should we give, the only answer is more, more, more!
-creedence clearwater revival

Strickland and vouchers...it must be a fairness thing meaning that every kid should get an equally crappy education as the next.

Big oil...here is OPEC's version of the story, http://www.opec.org/home/PowerPoint/Taxation/taxation.htm

Climate change...it's been changing for billions of years on it's own. When some leftist sponsored scientist determines that the earth's spinning motion is causing a problem will they try to stop that too?

Right Wing Toledo said...

On vouchers & the public school system
I have no problem with vouchers being used at Islamic schools - as long as they maintain the standards required of every other school (not too hard, considering what passes for education in the public school system).

Remeber that the liberal agenda requires that they indoctrinate children - to eliminate common sense. The "science" of Lenin calls for such in order for socialism to succeed. Independent thought (a primary goal of many religious schools) is the anthesis for such a government. The "choice" argument is inconsistent, don't you think (where have I heard about liberals and inconsistency???)

Regarding taxes
Rob has gone to the dark side - he's become Darth Ludeman. Like liberals, he has forgotten whose money it is. If the government dosn't preform the work for the wage, it's not their money. And if they're working for me - I'm the boss.

As far as gas taxes - did anyone else hear that Michigan was going to add another $.09 tax per gallon? Hmmm, wonder why the economy isn't going gangbusters there?

On the environment
Once liberals removed God from their lives, they needed something to replace him. As good narcissistic beings, they elevated themselves, and by extension - humankind, to the level of supreme being (excepting the dolphins, of course). If humankind is that powerful, of course we can singlehandedly destroy the planet.

As to the Earth's optimum temperature - 75 and mostly sunny works for me.

Barb said...

About the Islamic schools, one national mag. reported on the textbooks produced in Saudi Arabia for Islamic schools around the world --and how insulting and hate promoting they were to Jews and Christians--calling them derogatory names. How jihadist they were in the negative sense of the word. So some investigatory think tank or agency called them on it and they said they changed the books --but they just moved the info. to different pages thinking they would not be found a 2nd time.

Yes, all religions should have a right to their own schools --but Islamic fundamentalism would have to refrain from such texts, I should think, to qualify for vouchers. We wouldn't fund a red neck school with KKK rituals, would we?

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