Being 'Pro-School' in Oregon

I read an editorial by S. Nielsen about a new definition of being ‘Pro-Schools’ in the 20-Mar Oregonian paper: the article indicated that Oregon liberals tend to “lock arms with teachers and lobby for more money, They’d fend off most reforms as divisive or anti-union…” But now there’s a whole new approach.
Now if the truth were to be told, that’s not quite true. Note none of the ‘approaches’ suggested came from the teachers’ unions. Schools in communities across the state are forced to close schools, lay off teachers. Where are the teachers stepping up to solve the problem? They must be picking who gets fired first, being grateful that seniority will protect them another year. Waiting and hoping for more ‘stimulus funds’ – which provides little long term economic benefit. There is no smiley face – the inevitable crash has just been delayed – these are not remedies, purposely ignoring the problem.
Oregon has big problems, and taxing the few to death to support even fewer is not the solution. Our problem is not vilification of the teachers. (BTW: almost all of the vilification of Wisconsin teachers and unions was self-inflicted. Their actions betrayed their character. It did not require the governor or the legislature to say one bad thing about them. It is difficult to find denigration of the teachers coming from the Republicans. It was the Democrats that ran away rather than face the fact their agenda had been rejected by the voters.) Yet the financial problem remains – the teacher and public service unions stubbornly balk at helping by making reasonable concessions.
Look at the examples shown in the editorial: the Black Parent Initiative wants better teachers to be retained to improve the education of their children. I would bet the teachers’ union wants no part of this. The Portland Business Alliance demands ‘major oversight’ if billions of dollars are going to be dredged up for the education system. I would bet the teachers’ union wants no part of this. Oversight and getting rid of mediocre employees involves taking responsibility for the end product. This concept is an anathema to entrenched unions - which hold to the concept of ‘it all pays the same’ whether you work hard or not. And as for the last example – that the legislators have finally seen the light – maybe not so much. The Oregon legislators are still knee deep in figuring out how to get more taxes (e.g., reducing the kicker) than in cutting expenditures. I have yet to see an attempt to decide that not “everything we want (zoo! arts! children’s levy! libraries! streetcars!)” is on the chopping block. Are the legislators truly taking a hard look at what is required, what is constitutional, rather than what makes them feel good?
“None of this is comfortable.” It will not be easy to reduce the size of a bloated, run-away government, one that wants to control minute pieces of our private lives. This control is not free – it costs money (more taxes) and more public employees (more taxes) to implement the soft tyranny. Churches and charities face oversight – remember, most of these organizations do not have the ability to force you to pay, your contribution is voluntary and they eventually must answer for their decisions. The schools need to adopt best practices, accountability, and responsibility, because the schools are not underfunded. They may not be Scrooge McDuck, swimming in cash, but they are fully funded, under-performing, and unwilling to change. This is an unsustainable triumvirate. The schools might deserve more money when they start providing an acceptable product – educated children - and quit shoving the blame on the parents, the buildings, the tax payers. “It’s not my fault” just won’t cut it any more.

Obama’s Consumer Protection Bureau

Welcome to the Obomination. Their motto: “We can do anything we damn well please, and you have to like it.”
Another executive branch organization or bureau has been created that has no congressional oversight. While it true that the results of congressional oversight are spotty at best, (Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac) at least we the people have a chance for input. Theoretically we can force the government to respond to our needs/concerns because of the power of the vote.
This administration uses czars to bypass that modicum of control. The czars answer to
no one but the president. They are not approved by the Senate. Their budgets are not
controlled by the House. They doe to answer for their actions to the people.
In fact, congress has passed legislation that this bureau does not answer to them, that congress can do nothing about any of the rulings made. Congress cannot cut off funding to the bureau – it is funded by the Federal Reserve.
The head of the bureau, Elizabeth Warren, is another college professor with no experience in the real world other than an affinity for socialism and Marxism. It is extremely troubling for a person who does not have the best interests of the United States of America at heart to be in charge of a bureau that will have its fingers in almost every financial transaction we do. Your credit card purchases – she will track them. Consumer or other loans – she will track them. Your checking account activity – she will track them. Your savings account, your investments, almost everything will lie open and exposed to the federal government’s prying eyes.
Talk about invasion of our privacy!

We have to stand up and be heard. This has to stop.

WYSWYG Part 2

When are perceptions reality? When does what we witness, over-ride what we are told to believe? We are told that Americans do not rightly perceive Muslims as peaceful, that Islam is a peaceful faith. There are several articles in the local newspaper, the Zero, showing concern that our perceptions are wrong.

Is Islam a religion of peace? The answers are mixed based on the evidence available. It does seem that most of the Muslims you bump into, or work with, or walk the grocery store aisles with, are peaceful. They, just like you or me, want to live their lives, raise their kids, worship their god in peace and safety. They do not want to be hassled; they want to mind their own business and expect the non-Muslims to do the same.

Which brings us to the question: in the last 10 years, how many suicide terrorist bombers have been Hindu? Buddhist? Catholic? Baptist? Protestant of any persuasion? In the last five years, how many Christians have launched rockets loaded with explosives at villages, or cities to kill innocent civilians? In the last 30 years how many commercial airliners have been hijacked by Lutherans? Wiccans? Since 1972, when the Muslim terrorists kidnapped and killed the Israeli Olympic team, what is the percentage of terrorist acts done in the name of the Muslim’s god? There are terrorist acts perpetrated by communist insurgents in South America, Indonesia, etc., but these are in the minority.

This presents a dilemma: Is Islam a peaceful religion?
Yeah, but…the terrorists, suicide bombers, hijackers, rocket launchers are a radical minority, they don’t represent the majority. Okay, let’s say that’s true. Where is this ’majority’ in their denunciation of the ‘minority’ perpetrated atrocities? Those dancing in the streets when the Twin Towers fell – a minority? Show me any Christians celebrating when lives are lost in Muslim countries – either by Muslim-on-Muslim violence, or any other means. This one fact is illustrative. There is another not-small problem: when gun-toting, bomb-wearing nutjobs are all around you, of course discretion is required. You and your family can be killed, tortured, beheaded for mentioning you do not agree with the 'minority'. Again, what about those peaceful Muslims in America, why don't they speak up, speak out? They are not surrounded by crazies, are they? If they fear for their families here in America, then the crazies are everywhere and the peaceful Muslims are the minority, not the majority as we are led to believe.

When a nutball preacher in Florida threatened to burn the Koran, there was moral outrage from Christians all over the U.S. We received threats of violence, and got mob riots from the Muslims. One imam, or mullah, or whatever said that burning the Koran would cut the heart of Islam. Really? Islam is so weak, so fragile that one person can ruin the Islam faith? If we publicly destroyed thousands of Korans, would the whole theocratic Islamic empire collapse? I doubt it. The religion we see has a way to go to prove itself by its actions as peaceful.

***

WYSWYG

I was reading the local newspaper, oft-times referred to as “the Zero”, and found several seemingly unrelated articles. Therw was a link between them – “perception”. The first article was worried that the president is “perceived” to be a Muslim. The second article pondered the perception that Muslims are not peaceful or peace-loving. Another article wondered why the American people can’t perceive how great the economy is doing. There are other examples of things not perceived as the liberal progressives think we ought to do so – “the border is more secure than it has ever been”, “the Tea Party is populated by racist homophobe bigoted trailer trash red-neck fools”, etc.

Which brings me to What You See is What You Get: I don’t believe that we Americans are misunderstanding what we are seeing daily from our leaders, and the world around us. If perhaps we were discussing a fleeting incident, happening only once and flashing by at that, then maybe you could chalk it up to mis-perception. We have read, or seen, statistics that show for any group of witnesses to an event there are at least as many versions of the event as there are witnesses. But like watching a commercial on TV, or listening to a song; repetition begins to crystallize what is being seen or heard. With personal behavior, what is observed has more impact, than what is said. When a wife-beater says, “I love you,” but still smacks his wife around we conclude that perhaps he doesn’t, or has sick and twisted version of love. In any case, we don’t want any part of it. When a person says he is a Christian, but shows few outward signs (aka: hypocrite) we can doubt his salvation. Yes, I know that this is between him and God, and I am glad I do not have to make that judgment.

Is the president a Muslim or a Christian? I don’t know – but I have some observations. Based on his actions, I think perhaps he is a socialist, a secular humanist. He is a believer in social justice, a social gospel. His foundation, background, upbringing leads me to believe this. The church he 'attended' in Chicago preaches the social justice, liberation theology. Let me ask you: if your pastor spoke about the United States as did reverend Wright, would you sit there and say nothing? If you thought he was wrong, dead wrong, could you remain silent? Would you remain a member of that church? It seems more likely that Obama ‘joined’ the church to pad his resume, similar to joining Kiwanis or the Rotary – it looks good in the CVs. Listening to the several inflammatory statements from Wright, a person is rightly puzzled that the president ‘never heard these statements’. It makes more sense that the president is a ‘member’ of the church, but hardly ever attended. Many of the actions Obama has shown that he is happy “poking a finger in God’s eye”- he won’t participate in a National Day of Prayer (a nominal Christian event), but will participate in Ramadan; doesn’t attend church (too disruptive) but will play golf (not at all disruptive!) and so on.

His spiritual advisors are socialists. Reverend Wright is a liberation theology leader. Father Flagler ( a nominal catholic) is a socialist rabble-rouser. Obama’s latest spiritual advisor, Wallis, is a socialist. Remember Obama during the election campaign told us to judge him by the company he keeps, the people with which he surrounds himself.

When I was much younger, my friend (attended the University of Oregon, drove a psychedelic VW bus, wore long hair and a long mustache, tied-dyed clothes and sandals) could not understand why the State Police stopped him when he drove around. He wanted to know, “What was their problem? I don’t smoke pot. I’m not driving drunk, or stoned.”

My reply, “Why wouldn’t they think you might be a dope-smoking hippy? You look like a hippy. You drive a stereotypical hippy vehicle. Ninety-nine percent of the people they stop who look like you, dress like you, drive a bus like you are hippies, and have pot in the vehicle with them. ”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what? They have to get to know you to know that you aren’t what you seem. But they don’t have the time to do that, they have to make a judgment based on experience. If you don’t want them to stop you, don’t give them the reasonable cause.”

I think the president has the same problem. He wants us to accept what he says, but our experience with similar behaviors renders a different conclusion.

Time to Act - Our governments are corrupt

People of Oregon, when will you realize that our governments are corrupt? They are not going to help you, only exercise power over you to make do their wishes. This is not government of the people, but oppressing the people. Our state government is corrupt, starting with the governor, the attorney general and secretary of state.

Our cities are corrupt - look at Portland as an example. The mayor is a lying pedophile, a morally corrupt individual. He is willing to lie about his relationship with a boy, knowing that if the truth came out, he would have lost the election. Then he remains defiant, refusing to resign the office. He figures that furor will eventually die down, and then he can continue on as before. The city councilmen are corrupt. They know Adams is unfit for the job, but won't say a word. They are all corrupt. Saying nothing in these instances make them as guilty as he.
These city leaders are bound and determined to do what they want, rather than how the people have spoken. Whether it is homosexual marriage, or light rail, or changing the name of the streets - They Don't Care what you think, or want. They are going to do it their way.

The state government is corrupt. The governor does not listen to the people, other than those toadies in his inner circle. The elections in Oregon are fraudulent - they have been corrupted by rulings that prevent ballot initiatives from coming to the people. They have been corrupted by voter fraud in the vote by mail process. Dead people are voting! More ballots are cast than registered voters. Boxes of ballots are 'found' - It's a Miracle! - and enough votes to swing the election...

Our government officials, and legislators are increasing the size of government both in employees and in salary raises. During this economic downturn, our legislators added more state employees. Rather than cutting back in the budget, the governor adds bloat. This does nothing but exacerbate the recession. Tax increases will cripple any chance of recovery. We will see companies fleeing the state, removing jobs.
People of Oregon, we must rise up and put these people out of office. We must reclaim the state for us. Pass and sign petitions to roll back the tax increases, the fee increases, the salary increases.
***

A Crooked and Perverse Administration.

Welcome to the Obomination. Motto: "Why tell the truth when a good lie will do?"
I think this will be the most corrupt administration since the Harding presidency. The 'Bama is skilled at saying one thing, like, "I have no intention of running General Motors," and then in the next sentence describe exactly how his administration is going to run the car company. Or, how he wants to promote bi-partisanship, but then tells the Republicans that it will be his way, and no other because "I won." Even more than Clinton, this president is an exceptional liar. It is astounding how easily he compartmentalizes and separates events - as if what he says now has no relation to what was said yesterday, or will say tomorrow. He means what he says when he says it - even if it contradicts other statements.
This administration has more tax cheats, and liars, and morally corrupt members than any previous administration - worse than Nixon.
The 'Bama has gone to the Middle East, but ignores Israel. If BHO turns our nation's back on Israel, we will suffer - more than at the hands of Sotamayor, or Biden, or Pilosi.
The late Jack Murtha, that poor put-upon representative, was treated so "cruelly" by the Republicans. He was corrupt; taking bribes, in the form of campaign contributions, and directing work to the company that gave the bribe. He was so bold to then claim to not know a thing about it.
The thugs the 'Bama needs to force people to do his bidding come in several shades: the SIEU, ACORN, the media (in particular, NBC), the New Black Panthers, the Justice Department.
ACORN and SIEU are paired together in voter fraud. The new Black Panthers are great at intimidation and the Justice department looks the other way. The news media refuses to report it.