soft and sweet I Heart Faces

Not your traditional soft and sweet, but she can be sweet and I edited it to soften the background. Head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/04/photo-challenge-sweet/ to see all of this weeks entries. 

It'll be a great day when education gets all the money it wants and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy bombers. ~Author unknown, quoted in You Said a Mouthful, Ronald D. Fuchs, ed.

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

As Americans, we are the owners of the public school system. As owners, we bear a responsibility to participate in the system. Accountability for our public schools, their safety, and its employees and its funding rests with us and the rest of the system’s owners. Our children’s future depends on the improvement of the public schools. And this improvement depends on our participation. -President Woodrow Wilson

Are you in the La Vista Nebraska Area?

Calling all military supporters in the La Vista Nebraska area! Please go out and support the family of Joe Cemper and honor a great service member who lost his life so we can be free.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=205051916195374

Cemper's funeral is scheduled for Friday, April 29 at 11:00 AM. It will be held at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, located at 7706 South 96th Street in La Vista. He then will be escorted to Cederdale Cemetary in Papillion.
If you are able, please bring your American Flags and show your pride and honor of another fallen soldier at the church and again at the cemetary.

The family is concerned that the picketeres will be there. As family friends we would like to help ease that concern by inviting everyone and asking you to invite your friends and family to help block the picketers so the family may lay their son/brother/father/fiancee to rest.

Keep these people and their families in your thoughts and prayers

Man opens fire on U.S. troops at airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing at least six, Afghan military official says.

"A 50-year-old man opened fire at armed U.S. military soldiers inside the airport after an argument between them turned serious," said Col. Baha Dur, chief of the public relations for the Afghan National Army.

PRESS RELEASE: Free High School Graduation Test Remediation Offered to Students

 

Free High School Graduation Test Remediation Offered to Students
Project ExPreSS to be offered at 40 sites across Georgia

MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

April 26, 2011 -- State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge announced that the Georgia Department of Education will be offering Project ExPreSS in mathematics for summer 2011.

Project ExPreSS (Exam Preparation for Student Success) is a free, two-week summer remediation program for Georgia public high school juniors who were first-time test-takers this year and did not pass the mathematics portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Tests (GHSGT).

"Due to the past success of Project ExPreSS in social studies and science, we feel this program is an opportunity to fill the gap in mathematics and help students succeed," said Superintendent Barge. "With this year being the first year that our students will take the Georgia Performance Standards-based GHSGT, we anticipate that some students will need remediation with our state's best teachers, which is exactly what Project ExPreSS provides."

Project ExPreSS in mathematics will be offered June 13-24, 2011, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

There are 40 high school host sites located throughout the state to make the program accessible to students statewide.

For more information on registration and site locations for the summer Project ExPreSS, visit https://www.georgiastandards.org/resources/Pages/Tools/ProjectExPreSS.aspx.

In addition to the summer Project Express in mathematics, an online tutorial of the GHSGT is available in all four content areas at https://www.georgiastandards.org/Resources/Pages/Tools/OnlineExPreSS.aspx.

 

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Kelsey's birthday present from Matt and Angela, her reaction

Please light a Luminaria in our Ceremony of Hope

	If you are unable to view the message below, click here to view
For many people who attend Relay For Life, one of the most moving parts of the event is the Ceremony of Hope. As the light dims over campsites and team members complete laps, the night is brightened by the glow of lighted bags called luminaria, each of which has a special meaning. Some luminaria celebrate the survivorship of people who have battled cancer and lived to tell the tale. Many commemorate the lives of those who have been lost to this disease. All represent a person who has been profoundly affected by cancer and the family and friends who continue to be touched by that experience. Will you help spread the light of hope? Just go to my personal page and click on Luminaria to honor or remember your loved one today! The link to my page is at ths bottom of this email. After making your donation, you will also have the option to send an e-card to inform family members and friends of your special gift. Please light a candle in honor of or in memory of a friend or loved one who has had cancer. Your contribution will help save lives, give hope, and empower people through the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission. Thank you. Click here to visit my PERSONAL page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=2496022&pg=personal&fr_id=32840&fl=en_US&et=cCK1brGwnrLKufdZTZCp0Q..&s_tafId=678722 Click here to view the TEAM page for JES Tropical Heroes If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=853786&pg=team&fr_id=32840&fl=en_US&et=z4FapplAOiAO-xkTh6rFmg..&s_tafId=678722 This message has been sent by a friend who thought you would be interested in information about the American Cancer Society's special events. If you no longer wish to receive emails messages sent from your friends, family members or colleagues on the subject of the American Cancer Society's special events, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=caf675fba0a1c62ef6d86d35709b9e0e1ccd4c50a5c00593
Copyright 2010/2011 © American Cancer Society
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Deadline Approaching for 2011 Saban Military Wife Educational Scholarship

The deadline for the 2011 Saban Military Wife Educational Scholarship is

fast approaching. Applications must be received by May 1, 2011 to be
considered for the scholarship.

The scholarship award, sponsored by Operation Homefront and The Women's
Self
Worth Foundation, is offered to wives of uniformed service members to
attend
vocational training programs in the medical field. Fifteen $8,500
scholarships and five $10,000 scholarships will be awarded for tuition
for
vocational training in one of the following fields: dental assistant,
medical assistant, medical billing and coding specialist, medical
insurance
technician, patient care assistant/ technician, nurse assistant training
program, or medical transcription. Two $30,000 scholarships will be
awarded
for tuition for vocational nursing programs.

Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2011. The scholarships will
be
awarded to recipients in July 2011. Selection for the scholarships will
be
made by a panel of judges, and the award will be scored in two areas:
the
applicant's response to the essay question and her commitment to
volunteerism.

Detailed information on eligibility and application requirements is on
Operation Homefront's main Web site at
http://www.operationhomefront.net/highlights.aspx?id=9431.

This message was sent to wralc.ccc.cmd.chief@robins.af.mil from:
Operation Homefront | 8930 Fourwinds Dr., Suite 340 | San Antonio, TX
78239

I Heart Faces Wind

The theme this week at I heart Faces is wind. This is a picture that Kelsey took yesterday at the Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival.



Head on over to http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/04/photo-challenge-wind/ and check out all of the other entries!

Teacher Pay Still Losing Ground

I just want to say, that 6 years ago when I still worked in DODDS I made $12,000 more a year than I do now, with 6 years less experience. Admittedly I  did senior class, and got paid extra curricular pay for this, but that was only like $1,500, which in no way makes up for the difference in pay! A teacher these days can not live on simply their salary, if they are unmarried, most have a second job. 

 

Teacher Pay Still Losing Ground

April 5, 2011 by clong  
Filed under Featured News, Salary, Top Stories

9 Comments

By Cindy Long
When Jason Hubler, a fifth grade teacher from Jefferson County, Kentucky, heard a Fox News host claim families making $250,000 a year aren’t rich, he was floored.
“Maybe at the end of my career I might earn a third of that. But yet teachers are considered overpaid?” he asks in astonishment.
Hubler is weary of all the news reports claiming that overpaid, greedy teachers are to blame for budgets shortfalls and are simply unwilling to sacrifice. He works at least 10 hours a day and many weekends, has a master’s degree, and pays for extra supplies for his classroom out of his own pocket. He’s even used his own money to rebuild computers so everyone in his class has access to technology.
After 12 years in the classroom, Hubler makes $50,000 a year. He feels he puts in more than his fair share, and yet, when he compares his level of education and years of experience on the job with those in the private sector, he finds a discernable difference in pay.
Turns out Hubler is right, and the pay difference is more than discernable.
According to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), public school teachers in 2010 earned about 12 percent less than comparable workers – a pay gap that’s been persistent for the past two decades and that accelerated between 1996 and 2000, an economic boom time for other workers.
“The teacher pay penalty is much larger than it was 50 years ago,” says Lawrence Mishel, co-author of The Teaching Penalty: An Update Through 2010. “And it grew over the last 15 years because teachers didn’t benefit from the late 1990s boom in wages that other workers experienced.”
With so much attention on how teachers are faring during this recession, it’s easy to forget that nobody complained when they didn’t receive the big wage increases the private sector enjoyed during the heyday of real estate bubbles, dotcom booms, and economic prosperity. It was a period of low unemployment and the only period of rapid pay growth over the past forty years, yet none of it trickled down to educators.
Pay No Attention to What’s Behind the Curtain
Renee Moore has been a tax-paying, hard-working classroom teacher in Mississippi for more than 20 years, and she resents the notion that her state pension is a gift from other taxpayers.
“A hefty chunk of our own paychecks goes into that retirement fund every month and year,” she says. “That’s in addition to the money we pay into Social Security and taxes like almost everyone else—everyone except those who make so much money, they barely pay taxes at all. Teacher pension packages breaking the state budget? Hardly.”
Moore wants to know why, instead of picking on teachers, other taxpayers aren’t accusing the wealthy of shirking their fair share.
That’s because right-wing politicians don’t want people looking at the very wealthy. In a strategy of divide and conquer, they’d rather pit private sector workers against public employees than have them pay attention to the fact that wages in both the public and the private sector have fallen far behind gains in U.S. productivity. They also don’t want middle class workers to know that the top five percent of Americans hold almost 65 percent of the country’s wealth.
The Rich Get Richer
Between 1989 and 2010, U.S. productivity grew by 62.5 percent, but wages only grew by 12 percent for both private sector and public workers. When the recession hit – with its foreclosures, falling housing values, and skyrocketing employment – it devastated the net worth of millions of Americans. But the wealthy kept getting wealthier.
“Typical workers and families continue to struggle against high rates of unemployment, stagnating wages, and foreclosure, while the wealthy have enjoyed significant gains in the stock market, and benefited from corporate profits,” says Economic Policy Institute economist Sylvia Allegretto.
And right-wing politicians like New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie are exacerbating the situation by rewarding the wealthy with tax breaks.
“You know, at some point there has to be parity,” Christie said in a speech last year. “There has to be parity between what is happening in the real world, and what is happening in the public sector world.”
Some in New Jersey are questioning whether Christie knows the definition of parity.
The average salary for public school teachers in his state is $67,000. But Christie has rewarded millionaires by extending income tax breaks for those earning over $1 million dollars.
At a town hall meeting last month, Christie said that the “most important thing to student success is the quality of the teacher in front of the classroom.”
But how do you attract the best and brightest to classrooms when you continue to chip away at their salaries and silence their voices at the bargaining table?
“You can’t on one hand say that an effective teacher is the most important thing in a school and on the other hand not pay attention to the pay and working conditions those teachers need to be effective in their profession,” says EPI’s Mishel.
What it boils down to is what people believe a teacher’s value is to society.
While Wall Street hands out millions in salaries and bonuses to attract top talent, parents at Jason Hubler’s school back in Kentucky accuse teachers of being overpaid if they’re seen driving a convertible.
“It’s disheartening,” he says.
Learn more about how NEA advocates for professional educator salaries by visiting www.nea.org/pay.

Twiggs County prom pictures

Since I got a call tonight asking: For anyone that is wondering, yes I will do your prom pictures if you want/need me to. Not sure of an exact time, sunset is at 8 on prom night, and I am thinking the riverside park unless anyone has a different suggestion. I will also be at Senior walkout. I just need to know ahead of time call me or message me on here. 

Painful Education Cuts in Budget Deal

I found this article to be interesting, once again Congress and the President are hurting our future and saving the big companies that take their jobs to other countries.

Painful Education Cuts in Budget Deal

April 13, 2011 by Tim Walker  
Filed under Education Funding, Featured News, Top Stories, Uncategorized

1 Comment

By Tim Walker

The 11^th hour budget agreement reached last Friday between President Obama and Congressional leaders may have staved off a federal government shutdown, but who will be paying the price? It looks like many of the nation's most vulnerable citizens, according to the just-released final details of the agreement.

More than half of the $38 billion in cuts in the FY2011 bill, or continuing resolution (CR) — described as the largest-ever reduction in U.S. domestic spending — were in education, health and labor (See this chart for the full slate of cuts). President Obama described the measures as "painful" but necessary. The National Education Association (NEA), while recognizing the need to address the nation's budget deficit, opposes the budget deal because it cuts critical education programs that provide essential services to students with the greatest needs.

"Everyone must make hard choices during these tough economic times, but our kids should not bear the brunt of the burden," said NEA President Dennis Van Roekel.

Although the CR protects funding for Pell Grants and Head Start, NEA is concerned specifically about the impact of cuts in proven programs like Title I and IDEA.

In a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives released on Tuesday, Kim Anderson and Mary Kusler, NEA's director of government relations and manager of federal advocacy, respectively, wrote:   "Congress has long recognized the critical role that federal funding plays in attempting to level the playing field for poor students, as well as its promise to provide funding necessary to provide students with disabilities services to which they are legally entitled.  Cutting such programs and relying increasingly on competitive grants to distribute any increases in education funding will not ensure students the resources they need to succeed."

The budget deal, say Anderson and Kusler, represents an abandonment of Congress's historic support for and responsibility to provide basic aid to all states.

NEA also opposes the use of taxpayer dollars to fund private school vouchers for the District of Columbia—a program that is neither successful for students, nor supported by local government. The inclusion of the voucher program in the CR is particularly troublesome, given the cuts to other programs and the overall scarcity of dollars.  Instead, NEA urges Congress to fund education programs that prepare all students for the jobs of the future, not ineffective programs that allow a few students and parents to choose a private school at taxpayer expense.

Cutting spending for education will not only hurt students, it will hurt the U.S. economy. Research has consistently demonstrated that a robust economy depends on investments in education. In addition to widespread productivity increases, the higher earnings of educated workers generate higher tax payments at the local, state, and federal levels.  Targeting programs that contribute to this goal is misguided and counterproductive

"It is shortsighted to use scarce taxpayer dollars to fund an unsuccessful voucher program," Van Roekel said, "while cutting funds for important education services, Medicaid and other programs that deliver essential services that students need. Congress should go back to the drawing board and find a solution that doesn't harm America's students. Students should be a top priority, not an afterthought."

 

I heart faces Shadows

The theme this week is Shadows over at I heart Faces, so I am using this picture from DJ's base ball game this week. He was the catcher the entire game (which didn't make him super happy, but he will get over it, the leg guards were pinching him)



This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces photo challenge – http://iheartfaces.com

Tell your congressmen to vote NO House FY2012 Budget Proposal as written

Message sent to the following recipients:
Representative Scott
Message text follows:



April 8, 2011


As an educator and a constituent, I want to express my strong opposition
to the House FY 2012 budget proposal.

I believe that the budget resolution should reflect the priorities of our
nation. Unfortunately, the proposed budget reflects the wrong priorities,
choosing to meet arbitrary budget targets on the backs of the middle class
and our most vulnerable populations.

I understand that Congress must work to ensure America's long-term
economic prosperity. And, I recognize that we must address the nation's
serious fiscal challenges. However, I do not believe that cutting
education funding is the right way to address these challenges. Slashing
programs that serve children, the elderly, and working families is also
not the answer.

Investing in education should be a top priority for the budget resolution.
Yet, the proposed budget all but ignores proven education programs, and
focuses instead on slashing critical student financial aid and funneling
taxpayer dollars to private schools. This is shortsighted policy that
will jeopardize our students' future and the future strength of our nation.

I also oppose dismantling health care for the poor, disabled, and elderly
by turning Medicaid into a block grant program. I worry that this will
put additional pressures on stretched state budgets and have a direct,
negative impact on the resources available for students and schools. I am
also concerned about the impact on children. Fifty percent of Medicaid
enrollees are children and one-third of all children receive their health
care through Medicaid. Students who lack access to health care services
are less likely to come to school healthy and ready to learn and to
succeed academically.

I am also very concerned about the proposal to cut Pell Grants. Without
the federal commitment to student financial aid, there will not be enough
educated, skilled Americans to sustain economic recovery, or to secure our
nation's future for the next generation.

The proposed budget places the burden for addressing the nation's
financial crisis squarely on the shoulders of the middle class and the
poor. It runs completely counter to our values as a nation, by failing to
take care of those most in need while sparing those at higher income
levels. It asks our children, working families, elderly, and disabled
populations to make greater sacrifices than others.

Sincerely,


Patricia L. Cleveland

Test Taker Face By JES 4th Grade

Here is our fourth grades take on Test Taker Face, with thanks and apologies to Lady Gaga and Centennial Arts Academy in Gainesville, GA

Walmart Greeter--a classic

 

Not a clue if it is true or not but I like the story.

 

 

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just   couldn't seem to get to work on  time.  Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker,  really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to  the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.  One day the boss called him into the office for a talk. "Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job, but your being late so often is quite bothersome." "Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it." "Well  good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though your coming in late. I know you're retired from the Armed Forces.   What did they say if you came in late there?"   "They said, "Good morning, Admiral, can I get you coffee, sir?"

 

Please keep this young Marine and his family in your PRAYERS!

http://www.macon.com/2011/04/09/1519055/hawkinsville-marine-loses-both.html

Tony Mullis who turns 21 this coming week, lost both of his legs at/below the knee on Wednesday, the day after his son was born here in Georgia.

The good news is that from all reports Cpl Mullis is doing well, and is on his way stateside.

Now the hard part starts, the healing, and the getting on with life.

Please keep Cpl. Mullis and his family in your prayers, for healing, for understanding, and for continued love and support.

Thank you!

Tell your congressmen to vote NO on H.R. 471, the Scholarships for Opportunity Results (SOAR) Act.

Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Chambliss
Senator Isakson
Message text follows:

Patricia Cleveland



April 8, 2011

I strongly urge you to vote NO on H.R. 471, the Scholarships for
Opportunity Results (SOAR) Act. This unnecessary bill would renew and
expand the failed District of Columbia private school voucher program at
taxpayer expense.

Vouchers are not real education reform. Pulling 1,200 children out of a
system that serves 65,000 doesn't solve problems - it ignores them.

Rather than offering an empty promise for a few, we should be ensuring
that every child has access to a great public school. And, instead of
taking money out of public schools for private schools, Congress should be
investing in strategies to improve student achievement.

Our focus should be on strategies proven to increase student achievement,
such as increasing parental involvement, strengthening teacher training,
and reducing class size. And, our goal should be to prepare all students
for the jobs of the future, not to allow a few students and parents to
choose a private school at taxpayer expense.

When public schools are struggling and teachers are being laid off, the
last thing we need is to spend money on private schools. As Congress is
proposing drastic reductions in federal spending, including a House-passed
bill slashing billions from core education programs, there is no reason to
divert millions of dollars to vouchers.

I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 471.

Sincerely,


Patricia Cleveland

Dear Congress

Dear CONGRESS!
You are paid $174,000 annually, for which the U.S. Constitution clearly states your responsibilities to include maintaining and SUPPORTING the military, and creating and maintaining a budget.
Clearly you have done neither... in any other workplace, failure to do the job for which you were hired is cause for TERMINATION. Quite frankly, if a member of the armed forces so blatantly refused to do their job as you have, they would be court-martialed for failure to obey an order or regulation, dereliction of duty, and sent packing!
So while I am sitting at home with my children wondering when we will get the small amount of money YOU deem adequate, please continue to run around Washington with your heads up your neighbor's derriere, and sleep well knowing your next paycheck is in the bank.
Yours Truly~Military Wife



"Borrowed" from a former student

He took a job knowing he would never get rich. He's missed out on many holidays & spent them working. He may have to lay down his life or take one. His life expectancy is shorter than yours because of the stress. But yet you think he's overpaid & won't pay him because you can't work together to keep our govt running but yet you will pay yourself?"

STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, RETIREES: NO ONE IS SAFE FROM DAMAGING HOUSE BUDGET!

Trouble viewing this email? Read it online.   This Week's News: STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, RETIREES:  NO ONE IS SAFE FROM DAMAGING HOUSE BUDGET!  A budget proposal for fiscal year 2012 released by House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) would attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and our most vulnerable populations.  The House proposal would, among other things: Make deep cuts to non-security "discretionary" spending – which would cause dramatic reductions in education services to students and ballooning class sizes; Dismantle health care for the poor, disabled, and elderly by turning Medicaid into a block grant program.  Fifty percent of Medicaid enrollees are children and one-third of all children receive their health care through Medicaid; Cut the maximum Pell Grant award, dashing the dreams of higher education for millions of students;  Extend the District of Columbia Voucher Program, funneling scarce taxpayer dollars to private schools while slashing funding for programs serving public school students;  Convert Medicare into a voucher system in which recipients would purchase insurance.  Under such a system, insurance companies could reject the sickest patients or charge higher premiums to the oldest. The proposal passed out of committee on April 6 and the full House is expected to vote on it the week of April 11.  Take Action TODAY:  Tell your Representative to vote NO on a proposal to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class and the poor.  Read NEA's letter opposing the budget proposal. At the same time, discussions continue on a continuing resolution for the current fiscal year (FY2011).  To avoid a government shutdown, Members of Congress must reach an agreement this weekend.  With many in Congress pushing for deep cuts in education and other programs, congressional supporters of public education must hold firm and stand up against such cuts.  At stake is funding for critical education programs like Title I, IDEA special education, and Pell Grants – programs that are critical to ensuring every student the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century.  Your voice is critical to keep up the pressure for investments in education.  Take Action TODAY:  Tell Congress to craft a full-year continuing resolution that invests in education for our nation's future. Back to Top ATTENTION NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS:  HELP SAVE NBPTS FUNDING! Discussions around the continuing resolution have included proposals to eliminate all "earmarks," including funding for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).  We need your help to save this important funding!  The NBPTS improves teaching and student learning.  National Board Certified Teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards.  Elimination of this funding would decrease the ability of over 20,000 teachers and other educators annually in all 50 states and D.C. to seek National Board Certification, and impede the participation of Board Certified Teachers in school improvement efforts.  Take Action TODAY:  Tell Congress to protect funding for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Back to Top BILL TO REPEAL UNFAIR SOCIAL SECURITY OFFSETS INTRODUCED! The Social Security Fairness Act, (H.R. 1332) which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, was reintroduced this week with 49 original cosponsors .  The GPO and WEP unfairly cut or eliminate Social Security benefits that public employees or their spouses have earned.  Learn more about these unfair offsets Take Action TODAY: Tell your Representative to cosponsor and support passage of the Social Security Fairness Act.  Back to Top TELL THE SENATE TO REJECT VOUCHERS AND STAND UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION As we reported last week, the House has passed legislation to renew and expand the District of Columbia private school voucher program.  NEA strongly opposed the bill, which diverts millions of scarce taxpayer dollars to private schools through a program already proven ineffective.  Senator Lieberman (I-CT) is expected to try to move the voucher bill in the Senate by trying to attach it to multiple pieces of legislation coming to the Senate floor.  Take Action TODAY:  If your Representative voted against the voucher bill, send a thank you e-mail.  Tell your Senators to VOTE NO on renewal and expansion of the DC voucher program, when it comes up for a vote in that chamber.  Back to Top CHEERS AND JEERS Cheers to: Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), who sponsored and fought for an amendment in the budget committee to protect our students' and our nation's future by blocking proposed deep cuts to education and Head Start.  The amendment, which failed on a 16-22 party line vote, was an important attempt to correct the backward priorities espoused in the Chairman's proposal. Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH), who spoke eloquently in the budget committee in opposition to a budget that does nothing but ask the poor and middle class to sacrifice.  Representative Ryan cited studies backing wise cost-effective investment in early childhood education and argued that we should be investing more in education.  Representatives Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Howard Berman (D-CA), who stood up for educators and other public employees by reintroducing the Social Security Fairness Act -- to repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision.  Jeers to: House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), who proposed a budget that runs completely counter to our values as a nation, by asking our children, working families, elderly, and disabled populations to make greater sacrifices than others.  A particular jeer to Chairman Ryan's characterization of safety net programs for the disabled and elderly as "hammocks" that allow people to become comfortable rather than helping themselves. Representative Reid Ribble (R-WI), who, in speaking against Representative Honda's budget committee amendment to protect education funding, argued that money isn't what matters in education, what matters is holding schools and teachers accountable. Back to Top   April 8, 2011   In this edition:   STUDENTS, EDUCATORS, RETIREES:  NO ONE IS SAFE FROM DAMAGING HOUSE BUDGET!   ATTENTION NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS:  HELP SAVE NBPTS FUNDING!   BILL TO REPEAL UNFAIR SOCIAL SECURITY OFFSETS INTRODUCED!   TELL THE SENATE TO OPPOSE VOUCHERS AND STAND UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION   CHEERS AND JEERS Education Insider is sent to your in-box once a week. We deliver inside information on developments in the federal government that affect children and public education. If you find this information useful, tell a friend. They can sign up for their very own copy at http://www.nea.org/lac and click on "Become a cyber-lobbyist and subscribe to our weekly e-mail newsletter". Visit our Education Votes site to share your story and read about other actions you can take to make sure your voice is heard on the issues that matter the most. Follow us: Unsubscribe •Privacy Policy Published by the National Education Association, 1201 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from us, please click here.

The Shutdown is looming how will it effect you?

I have talked a little bit in the past couple of days about how the Government's shut down will effect me and my family, so now the question is how will it effect you?

Have you even taken the time to think about the long term consequences of this shutdown and how it will effect you and your loved ones?

Ponder this... if you own a small business where military members, and government workers are patrons, you can expect that they will not be in to shop over the next several weeks, as they will not get paid and will not have money to spend in your small business.

If you are an owner of a rental home, you can expect that if you rent it to a military member or government worker, they may be calling you and asking you for an extension on their rent, which I pray that you are understanding and you will grant them this extension, since not having the money to pay the rent is NOT their fault at all.

If you own stocks in service or commercial companies that depend on people buying goods in said companies, think about this... your bottom line will go down, because government workers and military members will not be shopping.

If you work in retail or grocery, expect your hours to be cut, because government workers and military members will not have their paychecks to come and spend. Thereby effecting your bottom line.

If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, expect it to be put on hold, as no one will be around to approve the Government subsidized loans.

If you are planning a vacation to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC, or to a National Park, forget it, because they will all be shut down.

If you have questions or claims about your social security, or VA benefits? Hold them, because no one will be around to process your claims, or answer your questions.  

 
Don't preach at me about being too dependent on the Government, and how we as a family should get over it. My husband works good long hours trying to help keep this country safe. He does not just expect someone to cut him a check for doing nothing. Ultimately this shut down will hurt all Americans, not just those of us who work for the government.

My thoughts on this budget mess we are in, and Military not getting paid, because our politicians are idiots

Dear Mr. Obama, I would like you to kiss your wife and children goodbye for 365 days, and maybe not make it home, then get told that you may not get paid because your boss can't make up his mind to pay you! 




Oh WAIT Now I remember the reason why Mr. Obama doesn't give a rats tail about the military not getting paid is because HE NEVER HAS BEEN THERE! I forgot for a minute there that we have a President who has never served his country! Dang it, just goes to show what happens....


I have the solution to the current crisis with military pay.... Lock the doors to the Capitol building and don't let any of the idiots out until they come up with a feasible solution! If they end up killing each other in the process, all the better! Because then we will be down at least 2 idiots, one dead and one in jail where the crooks belong!


A quote I saw today on Facebook:
“As a historian, it always occurred to me the smart thing for government was always to pay the guys with guns first.” ...U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates




Help for military members if it comes down to it:
http://j.mp/hL2S7K A MUST READ from the blog of an Army wife living through her husbands third deployment. "An Open Letter to President Obama and Congress

Time to write to your Congressmen, Senators, and the President!

Dear Soldiers, 

Please keep risking your lives, dying for our country, and fighting for our freedoms all while leaving your families behind for a year at a time...but we're not going to pay you. 
Sincerely, 
The Government

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/04/government.shutdown.military/index.html?iref=allsearch&iid=EL

All right people, it's time to write to your Congress members http://www.house.gov/ , Senators http://www.senate.gov/, and the President http://www.whitehouse.gov/ and tell them to get their acts together! If the government shuts down the military men and women fighting for this country, giving their lives every day, will not get paid! 

However, if I read it right in other articles that I have read, Congress, Senate, and the President will all still get paid! Now that is CRAP! 

We as military families give our all, every day. We have immediate family members, friends and comrades fighting on the front lines of two wars on a daily basis. We do not know if our loved ones are coming home whole or at all. We also put up with the long hours, the recalls, and the stress for crappy pay all the time. 

Now you are going to tell us, SORRY, you are not going to get paid this month, but when we finally get our acts together we will get you back pay. 

Oh but are you Congress going to call all of our creditors, electric, rent, etc and ask them to give us time to pay them and not charge us interest for the time that you couldn't get along like grown ups? 

I am so fed up with the politicians of this country it isn't even funny!

Please light a Luminaria in our Ceremony of Hope

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For many people who attend Relay For Life, one of the most moving parts of the event is the Ceremony of Hope. As the light dims over campsites and team members complete laps, the night is brightened by the glow of lighted bags called luminaria, each of which has a special meaning. Some luminaria celebrate the survivorship of people who have battled cancer and lived to tell the tale. Many commemorate the lives of those who have been lost to this disease. All represent a person who has been profoundly affected by cancer and the family and friends who continue to be touched by that experience. Will you help spread the light of hope? Just go to my personal page and click on Luminaria to honor or remember your loved one today! The link to my page is at ths bottom of this email. After making your donation, you will also have the option to send an e-card to inform family members and friends of your special gift. Please light a candle in honor of or in memory of a friend or loved one who has had cancer. Your contribution will help save lives, give hope, and empower people through the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission. Thank you. Click here to visit my PERSONAL page. If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=2496022&pg=personal&fr_id=32840&fl=en_US&et=cCK1brGwnrLKufdZTZCp0Q..&s_tafId=678722 Click here to view the TEAM page for JES Tropical Heroes If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=853786&pg=team&fr_id=32840&fl=en_US&et=z4FapplAOiAO-xkTh6rFmg..&s_tafId=678722 This message has been sent by a friend who thought you would be interested in information about the American Cancer Society's special events. If you no longer wish to receive emails messages sent from your friends, family members or colleagues on the subject of the American Cancer Society's special events, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=caf675fba0a1c62ef6d86d35709b9e0e1ccd4c50a5c00593
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Fritters

Tonight we went out to dinner with Jerry's mom to a place that my friend Mimi told me about. And I have to say it was WONDERFUL! If you live or are visiting the Warner Robins/Macon GA area, I highly recommended Fritters! Located about 5 miles off of I-16 on HWY 26, as you head toward Cochran, it is an old plantation house first founded in about 1842. Now it is a wonderful place to go eat.

The other thing? This is the setting:

How cool is that?