Ray has a message for every able-bodied person out there on the government dole, a message the Legislature is afraid to deliver because they're too worried about the election in Novemeber: Fend. For. Yourself.
If working parents in this state can take on two or three jobs to make ends meet, there's no reason why able-bodied people looking for a handout can't go out and find work.
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About Me
- Ray Richardson
- I live in Westbrook with my wonderful wife Dee Dee and our four children. We have been residents of Maine for a little over 22 years, moving here from Florida in 1985.
32 comments:
And Ray can decide who is "able bodied" Should be a piece of cake for someone as omniscient as he.
To quote our wonderful leader "W"
How "uniquely american", to have 2 or 3 jobs.
Of course nowadays "making ends meet" could mean ,and I realize I am making a generalization here just as Ray does, paying cell phone bills or buying an suv to go grocery shopping or the $100.00 a month cable tv bill.
Wouldn't it be nice if one of those parents were able to stay home and be with their kids as they grow.
Of course, that might mean minimum wage might have to go up, so someone could make a decent living on one job. Can't have that can we?
Bruce,
I think reasonable people who are actually interested in solutions, not government being all things to all people, can reasonably determine who is capable and stealing from others by their refusal to contribute and who is truly needy.
Is paying a cell bill a necessity?
SUV?
Why can't it be a matter of priority?
Do you really believe the government ought to support someone who has simply decided that it is easier to do nothing?
Just curiuos?
Do you support allowing someone to stay at home and not support themselves when they are in fact capable of doing so?
It is the fundamental difference between liberals and conservatives.
Liberals believe government has a responsibility in all situations.
Conservatives simply want to be left alone by their government.
Where are you in this issue?
So now we have to decide who is "reasonable' so they can decide who is "able bodied
And maybe "able minded"
You throw out terms that probably mean different things to different people.
My point in mentioning the cell phone, etc. was to point out that "making ends meet" is used by a lot of people to describe things that I would call wants instead of needs.
I don't believe people "simply decide" not to work.
I use to think Conservatives were aginst taxes, now I know they are for govt spending as long as it directly and only benefits them.
If I were a conservative, I might want to cap public school funding at 2 kids per household and if people want more than 2 kids they should pay for their education.
Or better yet, if I had no kids, I would be against publicly funded schools altogether like Milton Friedman
There are lots of ways to milk the system besides just not working.
There are working people who get back much more than they pay in.
Clever ....
Government mandates your children go to school, mandates what is spent on public education and mandates what indoctrination efforts that are actually outside of education and all of these things drive up the costs that we all pay.
Since, as you know, I have four children, lets see .... I had no children in school the first nine years I was married .... where was my break?
Assuming I live long enough, I will have no children in school the last 20 years of my working life ..... where is my break?
When I die and they take their "death tax" ..... where is my break?
By the way, I have paid lots of money into social security. I will never see a return on it, much less my actual money .... where was my break?
We will never agree. You like government. I do not.
By the way, our government currently determines, very poorly who is needy, why can't they simply do a better job of doing their job?
Oh I forgot, that would not be compassionate.
Why should you get a "break"
See I was right you only want to pay enough taxes to pay for what you use.
4 kids, if you put them through public school for 13 years counting kindergarten would be about $416,000 at todays rate. According to state mandated rates for towns with no schools that have to tuition their kids
Have you reached that yet in your state and local tax bill?
I always amazes me that people who have grown up kids all of a sudden get upset when schools get more of their tax dollar.
Govt may mandate education, but it allows home schooling as an alternative for people who don't want their kids minds polluted by liberal agendas
The difference between you and a liberal is that we do not mind paying for someone elses kids to go to school or get health care because we see it as a benefit to society in general.
My mother is getting social security checks and she is 85 now.
20 years ago you would have said she would never see any money from ss.
You and I will get money from SS if we live long enough to retire.
I pay the self employment rate just like you on the business you run.It doesn't bother me to do that.
I do like our govt.
Obama 08
Help is on the way
I never said I only wanted to pay for what I use. You said that.
I don't mind paying taxes that help our community, our state and our nation.
I am proud to pay taxes that support our boys over seas.
I RESENT paying taxes that support petty, partisan, personal, political agendas and experiments.
I will gladly pay more in taxes if my fellow man was truly helped. My family has been very blessed and very lucky. I am grateful for it.
Why folks like yourself don't want to look at the incompetance that is our government, I do not understand.
We could cut 500 million dollars from teh state budget today and not affect a single service for those truly in need, if our government operated efficiently.
What folks like you will not admit is this. The money will run out at some point. It always does and when it does ... then what?
We are starting to see it already in Maine.
By the way, no I did will not pay 400,000 plus in taxes in 13 years, but I will also not be far behind that number either.
If i live long enough, my fifty years of work will have more than compensated my government, a lot more.
My contributions to my government will have allowed countless capable, but unwilling to contribute, people to get a goverment check.
ray...it's obvious that bruce is one of the following: he's:a mask wearer.. a trust fund baby..has never grown up..has no children..has a degree in uselessness..social worker..union worker..state employee with a side job or worst of all...a teacher...trying to earn a greater gross pay to offset paying for self employment taxes.. he's not very good at math...before you can deduct..you have to spend...before you spend..you have to earn it..6.7% vs 15.8% is alot to make up on gross pay...just means you have to work harder for the same pay if you're self employed...sounds like bruce is fibbing on that one..and the cost to educate kids today has erupted for one reason only..special interest groups...reading..writing...math...history..and sciences are no longer important..i see it everyday...people coming though the door looking for a job can't read specs...think there's only 3 states in new england and never changed a flat tire in their life..last one just graduated from bates with honors..yes being capable is relative...if someone receives tender...and that someone is capable of spending that tender..other than using the phone or mail because of being truely disabled....the only conclusion is that someone is capable of rendering services for that tender..too many boo hoo masks to hide behind and the state keeps making more masks...not only that...they employee people to show more people how to hide behind that mask.....
It seems to me that far too many have bought into the idea that society, through the government, owes them something.
We as human beings have an obligation to support those who are not capable of supporting themselves. Beyond that, we do not owe our fellow citizens financial support.
More and more Maine people are filing tax returns with 2, 3 and 4 W-2s. Why should a fellow citizen have to work that hard to support an able-bodied, able-minded adult who refuses to contribute?
There is no justice in allowing a capable person to live off the government. It is a disgrace and immoral.
Further, by allowing it, we undermine the truly needy because the resources to support their very real needs are diminished. It is amazing to me that any educated person cannot see this.
The treasury is not a bottomless pit and every nation throughout the long history of the world which has treated it as such has ultimately failed.
Our nation has dramatically been undermined over the last 20 years by the Clinton-Bush years. We cannot sustain 9 trillion dollars in debt, 44 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities and no clear direction on bringing our government back to some semblance of sanity when it comes to money.
The Federal Stimulus Package is only the latest in a long line of political engineering for election day over principle by both sides.
Neither party deserves to be in the majority. They have both failed us.
To crs etc.
Actually, I am self employed and I pay payroll taxes and workers comp for my employee, (who is not a family member)just in case you were going to assume that.. and since I am a sole proprietor I do pay the self employment taxes
Actually when I started working in 73 running a plumbing busines, self employed people got a break and did not have to pay double the fica rate.
Having to do so does not bother me. I think it is fair.
During the Reagan years it crept up to eqaul the employer employee contribution.
You seem to like math and you have disdain for teachers.
You should not make generalizations about people you have never met. especiallly accusing them of lying.
Ray knows I am not lying about being self employed.
Not every self employed employer hates paying payroll taxes.
And no, I do not have kids, but I do not mind paying to educate someone elses. As I said, it is a benefit to society.
Hopefully one of those teachers had some positive impact on you. Even though you have such low regard for them.
As for growing up, I am 58 and hope I never do.
PS
Ray good luck with the car washing.
I thought you were getting broad minded when you were talking about what a good idea it is that the Westbrook kids are going to London and Paris on an educational trip. Then you made the Chirac comment...
Ray,
I said $400,000 in state and local taxes. Although Westbrook probably does not get a lot of state aid.
Since we know the feds mainly hand down rules, not much money, I was not including your fed taxes. You like those because they mainly support the military budget theese days.
So at your current annual prop tax bill, how many years will that be to catch up? I don't mind helping to make up your deficit.
OH, It's not "boys" that you support
It's men and women that are overseas.
I also believe in supporting our troops. Especially when the guys were draftees.
My draft number was 248. Too high for them to need me, what was yours?
crsjonben said
"or worst of all...a teacher"
Ray, this gentleman is one of your faithful it seems.
Is this what you think about teachers too?
Ray,
See the feds are happy with us even though we make some mistakes.
"To err is human to forgive is devine"
This is from a Press herald article that went into it a little more than just your sound bite.
"For DHHS Commissioner Brenda Harvey, it's a balancing act between wanting to extend benefits to as many people as are eligible, and keeping an eye on state spending".
"In fact, the federal government honored Maine three years ago for doing a good job of getting food stamps to those who qualify. With a 96 percent penetration rate, nearly everyone in Maine who is eligible to receive the federal benefit receives it".
"On the state side, we have an administration, the governor, who's been listening to the taxpayers, and a Legislature that says pare back government," she said. "What our challenge is in DHHS is to live within the resources that are appropriated for the administration of the program while trying to help those same people understand why we have an error rate."
"The federal government also praises Maine because caseworkers offer three programs to those who walk in the door seeking help. It's part of the "no wrong door" approach that's designed to keep people who need benefits from having to drive from office to office to qualify for programs".
well bruce my number was 51 and i did get drafted out of college..you were lucky..i started my electrical/building construction co. in 73' also..had at one time 9 employees..now 4...having one employee..can be a pain for sure..try to pay fica/works comp/state txs/vaca and health insurance for several people..again..it's called experience which based on what you write you have a little...huge difference between 1 vs 9 employees..as far as regan years you missed the boat...bar none the best years i ever had as well as my crew..re: teachers:..grandmother..wife..sister..2 cousins are teachers..not many quit..starting pay is $31,700/175days/6hrs/day comes out to $30/hr plus benefits..not too shabby for a job you don't have to be accountable for..bigger cry babies than the students..if you had gone to college when i did the old saying was.."no matter how bad you do in school you can always go into education..how true that was..seen the career ladder try to work..it doesn't because you've got the hen's policing the chicken barn..i apologize about fibbing..i know many who started out quite liberal..after a few years in the trenches they're all in the same fox hole as me..you must remember being second class to borrow money being seff-employ but your employees could qualify..do a bunch of low-income housing or HUD projects..you have no children..there is nothing more precious than your child or family..but to take away from your family and give to another..is simply wrong...there's a big difference from taking vs sharing..i do love math because it always has an answer..you write the federal government praising the state of maine..now just step back and look at that statement..that's a minus plus a minus equals a minus..can you run your business like that..?..it's very hard for me to believe you're self employed..myself i cannot imagine anyone truely in the trenches..bidding/working/babysitting/collecting/regulations could have any association with the government..
Wow
I am speechless.
Almost
Sounds like we are about the same age. I graduated from college in 72.
No my degree was not in Political Science. I assume that is what you meant by a "useless" degree.
I guess I must have gone wrong somewhere along the way to be as happy as I am with things in general. Must be my inexperience
The Reagan years were busy in construction in my area too.
But it died very quickly at the end of the decade. Well before the Clinton Era
Your relatives would be pleased to know you think they only work 6 hours a day as teachers.
Your analysis of their pay reminds me of the time I was on a Casco Bay ferry listening to two white collar guys complaining about how much electricians and plumbers charge.
It seems they thought we were overpaid for our education.
The grass is always greener...
I appreciate our audience. I believe, based on the calls and emails, our audience is very educated about the issues Maine faces.
My support of teachers is well-known and well-documented. My issue is with school adminstrators and the teachers' union. We have too many adminstrators and their employment is a drag on resources that could go to the classroom.
The teachers' union argues for more money for public education without establishing priorities that would improve education and teacher pay. Maine averages roughly $2200 per pupil above the national average for education costs, yet our teacher salaries consistently rank in the bottom 15 in the country. Instead of asking why the expenditures do not make their way to the classroom, they simply say, "If you do not support more money for public education, you do not support public education."
The draft ended when I was ten or eleven years old. They do not give draft numbers to children that young.
Yes, it is true DHHS was given an award for giving out food stamps. Shortly there after, they were cited for the worst error rate in the nation 10.1%
I do not find it noble that so many Maine families are on food stamps just to survive. It is not an accomplishment that we have allowed our government to drive the economy into the ground causing the need for government subsidies.
Brenda Harvey and DHHS are not forthcoming when it comes to what goes on in that organization. They testified last year at Lansley's welfare bill that no one comes in and gets welfare services on day one. Of course, we know for a fact that is not true, but no one in the room dared challenge them.
I still do not understand how any Maine citizen can find it okay to pay more for government services than is necessary. Why do we need such a greater number of state employees per 10,000 citizens above the national average?
Why is it necessary to spend 2200 dollars above the national average on a per pupil basis for public education and not have higher SAT scores or a better graduation rate?
Why are these issues not a concern?
I am not opposed to government. I am opposed to bad government and I believe that is what we have in Maine.
Ray,
I agree with you about administration costs in education.
Did you see the report this week about the 50% drop out rate in some cities? Dropouts cost a lot of money
Good quote about "if you do not support more money...
Sort of the same thing I keep hearing about If you don't support the war in Iraq you don't support the troops.
Bad statements both.
Everyone has an idea on how education dollars can be best spent. And education goals and programs seem to be reinvented evey few years by the "professional educators" who do not spend time in the classroom.
By saying you think teachers are unfderpaid you may have lost a follower in crs.. though
He thinks it is one of the cushiest highest paying easy jobs going
I did teach for 5 years at SHAPE Belgium and after being out of college for 19 years and a self employed plumber it was a big shock.
The kids were the best part of the expeience. Kids want to learn.
I know you will disagree,but one of the things I learned through seeing, not hearing, was if the teachers did not have a union, the administrators would role over them like tanks in the Ardennes.
I believe the right to organize helped keep us a democracy in the early 20th century.
And they are still needed today.
Good show this morning.
Although I wish you would not use the word stupid so much. Doesn't it bother you when you hear kids saying this is stupid or that is stupid?
If there was a draft today, there would definitely be more resistance to W's war
I did not realize you were so young.
I was only kidding about the Poly Sci degree
No education is useless.
I believe my English major made me a better plumber
Bruce,
You are right about the stupid use, but I have grown very fond of that phrase, "Stuck on stupid."
It reminds me of Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992. He got people to focus on the economy with his, "its the economy, stupid."
I know it is a little crass, but it makes a point and it is irritating legislators, which for me, is a side benefit.
If unions were about the power of collective bargaining, I could support them.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that is what their current mission is. They protect their own, even at their own peril because some have it that they are infalliable (spelling).
I would love to be supportive of my government and to be proud of it. I love my country, but I think my government is corrupt. Corrupt, not in the sense of criminal, but corrupt in the sense of perpetual incompetance.
I am just personally weary with the Legislature. I cannot wait for them to adjourn. I think this particular group was among the worst ever. They do not have a single accomplishment under their belt except to remove some of our liberties and take more of our money so they can mis-spend it.
While I would trust almost anyone of them to watch over my family, there are only a hand-ful that I would trust to watch over my government if the choice were mine.
I value my family more than anything in life, so that hopefully allows you to conclude that I think they are good human beings and awful public servants.
mmmmm..bruce...pronouns and adverbs vs math and science...mmmmm..what's done more for mankind...the man that designs the bridge...the man that builds the bridge..or the man that can spell bridge correctly..i guess all are important though the man in the trenches have always made the general a hero....one's life is based on his/hers experience..we all start life at the same starting gate..some take the lead..some not too far behind..some can't leave the gate..and some will always lag behind..do you think it is fair for those that lag behind can hobble all in the same race..it is not my fault people are poor...it is not my fault my family was middle income..it is not my fault i want to better myself and my family...but that is exactly what any big government wants to do..hobble all to impower themselves..there are many who aspire to go from a 3rd floor apartment to a first floor apartment..that's good...why should i be penalized(taxes/regulations)to want to own the apartment house..ask any painter or lobsterman about teachers coming into their trades during the summer...jump in my truck and we'll take a drive around the state and see how many camps are owned by those "underpaid..overworked" teachers..like i said..read all the studies from all 6 new england states about pay and benefits...guess what..time on task/wages paid/benefits/ top 5% wage earners..education should show results and if the results are poor then replace the crew like any business...yes unions had a part in this nation's history..beneficial as well as devastating..my whole career i have not only worked for people that own a lincoln..they own ford motor company..yes many a time i realize how unfair wealth is in this country but they also spend it..and i've been there to collect..i have wined and dined with the kings and queens of industry..and put new services on an old double wide..fact is..it bothers me more to see people get a new apartments(low-income/hud) and they're all destroyed before i've completed the project..if unions didn't breed complacency and complacency didn't breed discontent and discontentment didn't breed poor production then our country would be stronger than ever..unfortunately it would be easier to solve world hunger and greed...taxes/regulations have always hobbled the working man/woman..lawyers and court decisions do a pretty good job at that right now...
Ray
Are you believing what he is saying?
Or are you not replying to his statements because like any good politician, you do not want to upset your constituency?
I guess he wants kids to go to school year round so teachers won't Lobster or paint in the summer.
We are all in the trenches.He just thinks his trench is the most important.
Railroads are a good example of our govt screwing up. We are paying for the policy of letting the barons develope them. We should have nationalized them years ago.
Bruce,
You should know by now, upsetting people with my commentary is not something I worry about. If someone doesn;t like something I say or write, I assume they will ignore it.
I understand where his anger comes from. The quality of our public education system, once the envy of the world, has now been undermined by unions and political correctness. At Westbrook High, they have a "day of silence" to stand in solidarity with oppressed gays and lesbians.
How can a child go through an entire school day in silence and that not be a lost day of education? It is not up to the school to socially indoctrinate our children, but they interject their social values at the expense of teaching and the band just continues to play on, except that the band is now a fiddle and public education is now burning.
The non-sense that occurs in what pass for public education is disgraceful and yet the unions encourage it. It is leading to their own demise, but they are so focused on the political power aspect of public education they do not see the harm they are causing.
Although this is a national issue, Maine is a prime example of tax dollars wasted and results not achieved. We spend a little over 20% above the national average on per pupil basis, yet our test scores are not in the top realm of other states. Our graduation rate, which used to be touted as the top in the nation, was a fallacy. The rest of country calculated drop-out based on who entered ninth grade. At the time this was discovered, Maine was only calculating drop-outs based on those who entered 12th grade.
What is my point? We are not getting a good bang for our buck.
IF our test scores were near the top, graduation rates near the top and our kids were going on to higher education opportunities, I think we would feel differently about the money spent.
The yankee way is to be thrifty financially. In Maine, our government expects its citizens to be conservative with their money while the government is wasteful and redundant.
I disagree that teachers are overpaid. For some reason, teachers complain about the lack of compensation, yet do not make the connection between per pupil costs and their low pay.
Teachers, next to parents, have the most impact on our children. They should be compensated for the professionals they are, but they never will be as long as they do not ask the right questions .... and those questions start with their union.
bruce...you're reading but not understanding..my wife is a teacher.28 yrs..supposedly in the absolute best system in the state bar none...they never compare themselves to maine schools but to conn. schools..that's how arrogant they are..gone to parties..all the meetings..all the mailings as bathroom readers..i hate the term expert..but i am qualified in what i am saying...TEACHERS IN MAINE FOR TIME ON TASK ARE NOT UNDERPAID..should the good teachers be paid more..absolutely..thta's the problem..because the unions protect the bad teachers...what's a good teacher..not following the buses out of the school parking lot everyday..do the grub work not use ed techs...time on task with students and modst of all..have students remember who they were..if a kid remembers a teacher then they've done their job..there's another whole darkside to education..it's social experimentation..i have seen first hand how history of our country has been completely rewritten..teachers retirement was based on 62yrs of age..now they collect after 20 yrs service..it's broke..you talk about teaching in belgium through SHAPE..sorry..that and a dollar is worth only a dollar over here..whole different picture:geography/kids/income/parents..kids are not the same everywhere..they're products of their enviroments..we're not in the same trench..you're trench is waving france's white battle flag..my trench is throwing hand grenades.. you say no education is wasteful..again..stand back and think how stupid that is..you're saying i could go to new mexico and spend $1,000,000 on a course on how to bait a lobster trap..common sense and intelligence have to drive education..secondary education is big business nothing more..that degree is not worth the paper it's written on if that person has no ability..educated beyond their intelligence..see it everyday..bring back the draft or i'd rather call it service to your country for eberyone...2 years service..cut the apron strings..get them out of their enviroment and pay for their education after discharge...get rid of the "useless" filler courses..don't hide behind the "it's makes them more well rounded" mask..what a joke..music appreciation..basket weaving..folklore..been there done that..not much worth in an electrical engineering degree..core courses only..and yes grading..pass/fail/rankings..hope i do get you upset bruce..obviously you're common sense gene was denied..you feel all should have the same..why..i work more to have more...why deny people like me..
CRS
Having been in the military, you should know the product of SHAPE American school. They represent the people in the real trenches not ones you lay conduit in.
I don't get upset debating. You seem to be very uopset though.
Unlike you I feel great to be able to run my small business in this country and I do not mind paying taxes.
Ray, Its's funny that some of the prople who do not want schools to "socally indoctrinate" want them to mandate prayer in school.
Unfortunately nowadays it seems that teachers are having more impact than parents in a lot of cases. Teachers don't want to be in that position. They want to teach. They are handed down the instructions from above and given all sorts of tasks that interfere with getting the job done.
As for the day of silence. I don't know all the details, just your soundbite so I cannot venture an opinion on it. Ray you don't think tolerance should be promoted in schools?
As for unions, I guess you and crs and I just will have to disagree.
I have belonged to the overseas NEA and I have also run my own small business, It gives me first hand experience on both sides. I realize my little business does not compare to the great business crs runs, as he has told me.
1 or 4 employees, the paperwork is the same. he should know that.
I have been told Cumberland has the greatest school system in Maine
Crs should check his facts on the teacher retirement. They are wrong
His wife can fill him in on the whole story and how it actually tightened up in the late 80's or early 90's.
I believe the whole Maine State Retirement system should be scrapped and turned into a 401 k type program like the University system has. The teachers who have taught 28 years and want to get out would not feel trapped so they don't "lose" by leaving early.
Don't think Music Appreciation is worthwhile?
That's a shame.
I still say all education has value. 1 mill to learn how to bait a lobstah trap is the type of argument I would expect from someone who does not value music appreciation etc.
Sorry you are feeling denied.
Must be awfull going through life like that.
So Ray, You don't think schools should promote tolerance?
This years day of silence was in memory of a 15 year old boy who was killed by a 14 year old at school.
So, you do not want to promote safer schools either? I know. that is like the questions you ask.
Archie Bunker suggested everyone getting on a plane should get a gun so they could defend themselves against hijackers. Maybe you would want every school kid to be issued a gun so they can defend themselves against anyone who bullies them. I know,absurd analogy, sort of like the million dollar lobstah baiting lesson.
This from the website about the day
"The day is a positive educational experience.
The Day of Silence is an opportunity for students to work toward improving school climate for all students. GLSEN advises students interested in participating to discuss their intentions with their administration and teachers long before the event.
The day is most successful when schools and students work together to show their commitment to ensuring safe schools for all students. Many schools allow students’ participation throughout the day. Some schools ask students to speak as they normally would during class and remain silent during breaks and at lunch. There is no single way to participate, and students are encouraged to take part in the way that is the most positive and uplifting for their school."
Please not that kids were not asked to be silent during educational lesson time.
Your sound bite about it did sound good though
sorry bruce..wrong on that one..i love music..a gift..no need for a course to have me enjoy it more..nor art..nor theatre..nor the search for bigfoot..everyone has a thurst for knowledge..some more than others..but to ignore the obvious..that's stupidity..the history of music has nothing to do with finding the volume of a cylinder or voltage drops....life is educational for sure..being in the military is far different than teaching in a military school..you could have left at anytime and harmless of any insubordination..again..describing how it feels to have broken an arm with never breaking an arm..yes they have tighten up the retirement..but there's still many sucking the system dry and it'll be another 20 years before they stop...wrong again bruce..#1 cape elizabeth doesn't even use any of maine's stats to go by..their idol is conn. schools..ever heard of career ladder..proof in the pudding right there about unions..the purpose was to get rid of the "no-performers"..1-5 scale..5's stayed..4's more training..less than 4's contract not signed..guess what...all but 8 got 5's..who observed..fellow teachers..guess what the 8 did..ran to union..career ladder was shot dead before it got out of the starting gate..yes teachers have it tough no doubt..boo hoo..who doesn't..it's all relative..again the facts are stubborn..teachers as a whole do not leave their jobs at a rate close to any other profession..right from mea/nea/neta mailngs...now all may have changed in the last 10 years because i lost interest..it is impossible to reason with a utopian which most teachers are...they seem to think money grows on trees and no exspense questioned or themselves questioned regards to education..there's more than enough money spent on education it is how it is spent..i was wrong about the lobsta course..in a liberal arts college and required filler for my major in theatre it would be $1200..again your math skills are lacking..if you think the paper work and stress for 1 employee vs 4-9 is the same..wow..wish you'd explain to me why you think i shouldn't have more if i work more and why some that does virtually nothing still gets to eat drink and be merry..how the earned income tax credit is nothing but a gift to guy#1 that qualifies yet guy#2 next to him earning more per hour doesn't..you throw in tax credit..food stamps..medical/housing assistance guy#1 is making more than guy#2..explain the fairness in that..or myself taking risks to earn more..sometimes i do and sometimes not..i have no problem paying taxes for monies spent well..protection of our masses/country and infrastructure..i love to debate ask anyone...but one has to debate with reason..not with the unreasonable..if we're the same age.. then you can remember when it all started..the death spiral of this country..LBJ and the GREAT SOCEITY..as a teenager i remember this commerical like yesterday..i believe it was a public safety annoucement..think back bruce..it showed a steering wheel column with the keys daggeling from the ignition..and you hear this voice.."please lock your car...don't make good kids go bad"..remember that bruce..i said to myself...good kids don't steal cars...and then i thought to myself..wow..it's never going to be anybody's fault if they steal a car..remember math bruce..always an answer..look where we are now...it's never anybody's fault..it's always someone elses..yes i'm pretty angry about lots of things with just cause..LA riots..vietnam..NOW..affirmative action..OHSA..minority owned..ADA..taxes..regulations..it's not my fault i'm a healthy white male with ambition..but seems like all the hurdles i've been jumping were never there when we were kids..based on stats..guess if i'm here 30 years from now then i will be a minority..when our ancestors jumped off at plymouth rock..blood sweat and tears made this country great..today..there would be a worker's comp office sitting on the rock..stats/figures/polls/opinoins mean absolutely nothing..look at the state of this country...like all great civilizations have always destroyed themselves from within..do we have the ability to prevent that...individuals not government...unfortunately both have the root to all evil...greed....
You must be the hardest working and most under compensated and under appreciated guy on the planet. Congrats.
I noticed OSHA was on your list and Workers Comp also. Not surprised
You would probably like to go back to the days when an employee got maimed or killed at a dangerous job, the employer could give the widow a bouquet of flowers and call it good.
commrade bruce..no doubt you were a child of some sort of privilege...you have no grasp of "real" life..spirit of the law vs the practice of the law..if one truely gets hurt..disabled/temp/perm..that person most defintely be compensated..not a stubbed toe injury..OSHA is self-funding..they have not done a thing for safety on jobsites(self/acclaimed)..it's called lawyers/court/decisions..life is dangerous all by itself..it is not beneficial to anyone if someone gets hurt..i can only train/provide the crew with knowledge/safety/equipment..ultimately if that person gets hurt from theirs or someone else's stupidity..i am liable..that is unreasonable..again math..proof..work/comp/fraud a cottage industry..built new house/business for gal that employs 4 people just going after people in me/nh/vt..the stories she has..guess who pays..?
"Life is dangerous"
I agree.
National single payer health and disability is the way to go.
Workmen's comp isn't necessary when people are covered for health and disability anyway.
In your scenario I suppose the employer would get to determine what a real injury is and whose fault it was
My dad was a plumber too. Lots of privilege. Sorry you didn't get any of that. Again, you should not make asumptions about peoples background without knowing them.
Cape Elizabeth school system seems to be getting a little heat lately.
Better get working on those unruly kids.
You are right I have no grasp on your definition of "real life"
Thank goodness for that.
You seem to be so well rounded in all your experience with "real life" that there is more than enough for both of us.
Do you provide or have health insurance in your electrical business or are you on the teacher's policy like I am through my wife's employer?
well that's something we agree on..single payer..if one pays for it..it has more value..with more value one takes more interest and won't abuse..i offered to pay for 1/2 their health or take it in money..guess which way they went...nope..have always self insured myself..still way ahead..as a matter of fact..thur my savings on med/ins with investments..retiring.. i'm throwing in the towel 1/09..call it quits and the boys will fend for themselves..you say you don't have kids..you should have retired 20 years ago.. truely tired of babysitting..watched my father work till he can barely walk..i'm not far from that now so i'm gona play..you're right about assumptions but all the liberals i know..worked with or dealt with have such a disconnect with..for lack of words.. "real" life..i mean..tree hugger vs sportsman..washing a paint brush in sebago lake vs stopping a project because of a tire track full of h20 and a frog in it..(fertile/vernal?/pools).. buy 6 cords of wood split and delivered vs equal abled man gets 6 cords free from PROP..i could go on forever about the opposites..you believe in the unreasonable and unfairness..and i believe i the reasonable and fairness..i am an enviromentalist/sportsman..i do not nor believe in polluting..but i believe in prosperity..i believe man/woman should work for what he/she gets..i will give the shirt off my back and compassion for anyone who wants to help themselves..but not take a hand nor have any compassion if it is stuck out..help vs support..big difference..don't you agree..my wife and i had to pay the clintons and joe brennan $27,000 in taxes last year..you say you enjoy paying taxes..please by all means you can pay mine...
Making my first comment here... I have worked since I was 16. I have spent my entire life holding down a job (24 years in just in teaching) and I can't imagine how people can sit at home and not work. What kind of picture does that give their children? It used to be embarrassing to be on public assistance. i understand some people truly need the support. But believe me, I am amazed at the numbers of 18-30 year olds who do nothing all day- their kids go without the necessities for school- but the parents come to pick them up with a coffee in one hand, and talking on their cell phone in the other. Ray, I'd LOVE to have you look into what qualifies as being disabled for all these people to receive assistance. At least if they're home all day, you'd think they could at least prepare their kids for kindergarten. They enter not knowing their colors and which end of the pencil to write with.
Anyway, I am a total believer in workfare, not welfare. EVERYONE should be able to contribute in some fashion. We should demand it. Yes, a teacher who is a Republican, imagine that.
April was such a nice month. Only a half hour left. I wonder if MAY will have flowers, or snow?
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