Friday, December 22, 2006
.....FOR ALL YOU REPUBLICANS COMPLAINING YOUR TAXES ARE TOO HIGH.... YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET
If this report is accurate, we haven't seen anything yet. Just look at the depth of debt over the last four years to pay for a useless war.
AN OH SO SUBTLE STINK
That muffled explosion you heard today came from the Worcester County School Board. Seems some administrators were a trifle irritated after the county teachers association published the results of a recent in-house poll dealing with job satisfaction. After it was done and the numbers were crunched, the results were.... well, someone with a more polite and politically astute vocabulary wight say "the outcome was interesting, maybe even bears closer examination." But, as my lovely wife knows, I'm not that polite and I don't give a rat's ass for political correctness. So, I'll say YIKES.
On the good side, teachers at Snow Hill High School reported the highest level of satisfaction. Seventy-five percent of those responding to the poll reported they have a high level of job satisfaction. But lest anyone think that the remaining 25 percent are just malcontentts, rabble-rousers and square pegs, an elementary school in the north end of the county came in at the bottom of the list with just 42 percent of teachers there reporting satisfaction. Even worse, there were more schools tied for the bottom three rankiings than there were at the top five.
That means that the problems teaches are having finding job satisfaction do not related to individual schools and administrators but are instead, systemic in nature. In effect, the problem is not individuals, but with policies.
Reportedly, school Superintendant Jon Andes got a heads-up, some time ago, that this report was coming out and, being the smart man that he is, sought to counter that implication with his own mandatory poll. Those results have not yet been published.
Look for a spirited discussions process as teachers and adminstrators negotiate next year's contract in the coming months.
On the good side, teachers at Snow Hill High School reported the highest level of satisfaction. Seventy-five percent of those responding to the poll reported they have a high level of job satisfaction. But lest anyone think that the remaining 25 percent are just malcontentts, rabble-rousers and square pegs, an elementary school in the north end of the county came in at the bottom of the list with just 42 percent of teachers there reporting satisfaction. Even worse, there were more schools tied for the bottom three rankiings than there were at the top five.
That means that the problems teaches are having finding job satisfaction do not related to individual schools and administrators but are instead, systemic in nature. In effect, the problem is not individuals, but with policies.
Reportedly, school Superintendant Jon Andes got a heads-up, some time ago, that this report was coming out and, being the smart man that he is, sought to counter that implication with his own mandatory poll. Those results have not yet been published.
Look for a spirited discussions process as teachers and adminstrators negotiate next year's contract in the coming months.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
COPS KNOW WHAT TO KISS, AND WHEN
Delaware Rep. John Adkins got extra-special treatment two months ago when Ocean City cops stopped him for drunken driving, but let him call a friend to take him home. No charges, no trip to the jailhouse, and certainly no embarrassing questions from nosey-assed reporters..... until now.
But while Adkins may suffer some embarassment, it is the police officer who has some 'splainin' to do. Actually, according to yesterday's reports, there were two police officers at the scene- one a rookie, identified in the police report as Natalie Smolko and the other, her training officer, Douglas Smith. Seems Smith took it upon himself to promise Adkins he would not be arrested, even before any sobriety tests were issued. And after the breathalyzer tests were done, well, he blew a .14. That almost twice the benchmark of .08 for drunken driving in Maryland. And his wife blew even higher; .16.
So, we all know that a street cop has a lot of discretion in dealing with petty stuff. But can he let someone go on a drunken driving charge.... I mean, where they are clearly over the limit? And if so, how often do they do it, and why? Aren't drunk drivers one of the major causes of death on the nation's highways? Shouldn't there be some penalty that uniformly enforced? Well, of course there is. but it's only for the little people, the people without power.... not Republican lawmakers from another state. And so what, if that lawmaker was arrested later that same night and charged with domestic violence (don't you just love Family Values) on his equally drunken wife? That didn't happen on Officer Smith's beat. And speaking of being let off, maybe that's what needs to happen to officer Smith.... about 30 days off the job, without pay should be the minimum penalty. He was, after all, sworn to uphold the laws of the state and the city. The fact that he didn't do so, marks him as someone too afraid to do the job he swore to do. Maybe he needs some time to think about whether he's cut out for this line of work.
But while Adkins may suffer some embarassment, it is the police officer who has some 'splainin' to do. Actually, according to yesterday's reports, there were two police officers at the scene- one a rookie, identified in the police report as Natalie Smolko and the other, her training officer, Douglas Smith. Seems Smith took it upon himself to promise Adkins he would not be arrested, even before any sobriety tests were issued. And after the breathalyzer tests were done, well, he blew a .14. That almost twice the benchmark of .08 for drunken driving in Maryland. And his wife blew even higher; .16.
So, we all know that a street cop has a lot of discretion in dealing with petty stuff. But can he let someone go on a drunken driving charge.... I mean, where they are clearly over the limit? And if so, how often do they do it, and why? Aren't drunk drivers one of the major causes of death on the nation's highways? Shouldn't there be some penalty that uniformly enforced? Well, of course there is. but it's only for the little people, the people without power.... not Republican lawmakers from another state. And so what, if that lawmaker was arrested later that same night and charged with domestic violence (don't you just love Family Values) on his equally drunken wife? That didn't happen on Officer Smith's beat. And speaking of being let off, maybe that's what needs to happen to officer Smith.... about 30 days off the job, without pay should be the minimum penalty. He was, after all, sworn to uphold the laws of the state and the city. The fact that he didn't do so, marks him as someone too afraid to do the job he swore to do. Maybe he needs some time to think about whether he's cut out for this line of work.
Monday, December 18, 2006
EXPANDING THE OC AIRPORT .... BUT FIRST, THIS WORD FROM THE CAN OF WORMS
The Daily Crime today published an editorial calling for the Town of Ocean City to honor its word to the FAA to expand it's airport. This, despite the residential and commercial growth in the surrounding area that has taken place in the intervening years since that agreement was signed.
But conditions have changed, and so must the terms of the original agreement.... So in the immortal words of Ron Ziegler; "that statement is no longer operative."
Listen, we all know what the agreement was but, we also know that the city, under the leadership of virtually every mayor and council since Fish Powell has adamantly denied there were plans to expand the airport for jet traffic. And those denials came in response to community opposition to doing so. But we also know that those plans were already on the drawing board, because we saw them with our own four eyes.
Ocean City has no need for a larger airport; it already has one less than 20 miles to the west. If the FAA wants its money back, then the city needs to float a bond to pay them, not to build something nobody wants.
But conditions have changed, and so must the terms of the original agreement.... So in the immortal words of Ron Ziegler; "that statement is no longer operative."
Listen, we all know what the agreement was but, we also know that the city, under the leadership of virtually every mayor and council since Fish Powell has adamantly denied there were plans to expand the airport for jet traffic. And those denials came in response to community opposition to doing so. But we also know that those plans were already on the drawing board, because we saw them with our own four eyes.
Ocean City has no need for a larger airport; it already has one less than 20 miles to the west. If the FAA wants its money back, then the city needs to float a bond to pay them, not to build something nobody wants.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
THERE ARE INCREASINGLY LOUD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE WTC COLLAPSE AND FEW ANSWERS
I'm trepadacious about bringing up this subject, both because I don't know a lot about structural analysis of large buildings and because I strongly suspect that my government- specifically the Bush Administration- is a rogue state. In effect, I fear it more than I do terrorists in turbans. Nevertheless, I'm posting a link to a very interesting film about the unanswered questions surrounding the collapse of the three buildings at the World Trade Center. You guys need to watch it and judge for yourselves if it has any legitimacy..... Personally, I think it does. I'm just not sure how much.
PISSING AND MOANING IN WICOMICO COUNTY
Oh look, Wicomico County schools made the AP national wire this week for the incident in which three schoolboys were forced to avail themselves of a soda bottle in leiu of a urinal.... I'll just bet school officials are so proud to make national headlines.
But now that their 15 minutes of fame has passed, perhaps they can take a moment to look back on the path that brought them such dubious fame. And given the decision-skills they've exhibited thus far, let's make clear that the examination should keep in in mind they want to avoid similar notariety in the future.
Okay. So the question was how to curtail vandalism and other untoward behavior in the restrooms visited by Mom and Dad's little darlings. Two words: toilet training. Do it before sending the kids to school. Failing that, the plan to have then escorted to and from the restrooms was not bad. But it fell apart without a backup plan.... Plan B, we'll call it.... So, what happens when there's no escort available?
Well, "we just wing it" did not prove to be as successful as they had hoped... But hey, on the Up side, these people may be more than qualified enough to get high paying jobs as War Planners in the Bush administration.
I mean, having the boys piss in a soda bottle carries with it several logistical questions such as privacy, contact with possibly diseased human waste and disposal - what happened to that bottle... whose job was it to empty and dispose of it?
Couldn't this have just been avoided by having the boys visit the restroom one at a time and having the custodian check conditions before and after each visit.... And is the teacher who thought this was a good idea even smart enough to be teaching children?
But now that their 15 minutes of fame has passed, perhaps they can take a moment to look back on the path that brought them such dubious fame. And given the decision-skills they've exhibited thus far, let's make clear that the examination should keep in in mind they want to avoid similar notariety in the future.
Okay. So the question was how to curtail vandalism and other untoward behavior in the restrooms visited by Mom and Dad's little darlings. Two words: toilet training. Do it before sending the kids to school. Failing that, the plan to have then escorted to and from the restrooms was not bad. But it fell apart without a backup plan.... Plan B, we'll call it.... So, what happens when there's no escort available?
Well, "we just wing it" did not prove to be as successful as they had hoped... But hey, on the Up side, these people may be more than qualified enough to get high paying jobs as War Planners in the Bush administration.
I mean, having the boys piss in a soda bottle carries with it several logistical questions such as privacy, contact with possibly diseased human waste and disposal - what happened to that bottle... whose job was it to empty and dispose of it?
Couldn't this have just been avoided by having the boys visit the restroom one at a time and having the custodian check conditions before and after each visit.... And is the teacher who thought this was a good idea even smart enough to be teaching children?
Monday, December 11, 2006
WATCHING THE WATCHERS
Check out this report on corruption in the Department of Homeland Security from Judicial Watch.
Rampant Fraud At Dept. Of Homeland Security
The massive federal agency created after the 2001 terrorist attacks to patrol the nation’s borders and guard it against terrorism is infested with criminal employees who regularly commit fraud, theft and smuggling.
In its short history the Department of Homeland Security has battled widespread corruption from within and the problem seems to be growing. A lengthy report filed with Congress this week details the severe misconduct of many of the agency’s 180,000 employees.
The report, published by Homeland Security’s Inspector General, lists an array of illegal behavior on the part of U.S. Government employees, ranging from immigration officials exchanging sex for visas, airport screeners stealing money from tourists’ luggage, federal air marshals smuggling drugs and other agency employees distributing child pornography.
In a six-month period this year more than 300 Homeland Security employees were arrested and 243 were convicted. They included Transportation Security Administration screeners taking jewelry and cash from luggage, another agent smuggling $80,000 into the country and two federal air marshals accepting bribes to smuggle cocaine through various airports. Also arrested were two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who sold alcohol and cigarettes to illegal immigrants in their custody.
This isn’t the first scathing report detailing the severe problems at the department, which was created in 2002 by unifying various existing agencies in an effort to secure the nation. Many other reports critical about mismanagement, security flaws and the wasting of millions of taxpayer dollars have been published in the past. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security’s first Inspector general, Clark Ervin, lost his job for thoroughly investigating the agency and exposing its many flaws.
Ervin has remained a big critic of the department and he even launched an informative web site, Open Target, that features reports and inside information on various homeland security issues. Ervin has called the Department of Homeland Security dysfunctional and disingenuous and has accused it of not conducting criminal background checks for the very employees who supposedly guard the nation.
Rampant Fraud At Dept. Of Homeland Security
The massive federal agency created after the 2001 terrorist attacks to patrol the nation’s borders and guard it against terrorism is infested with criminal employees who regularly commit fraud, theft and smuggling.
In its short history the Department of Homeland Security has battled widespread corruption from within and the problem seems to be growing. A lengthy report filed with Congress this week details the severe misconduct of many of the agency’s 180,000 employees.
The report, published by Homeland Security’s Inspector General, lists an array of illegal behavior on the part of U.S. Government employees, ranging from immigration officials exchanging sex for visas, airport screeners stealing money from tourists’ luggage, federal air marshals smuggling drugs and other agency employees distributing child pornography.
In a six-month period this year more than 300 Homeland Security employees were arrested and 243 were convicted. They included Transportation Security Administration screeners taking jewelry and cash from luggage, another agent smuggling $80,000 into the country and two federal air marshals accepting bribes to smuggle cocaine through various airports. Also arrested were two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who sold alcohol and cigarettes to illegal immigrants in their custody.
This isn’t the first scathing report detailing the severe problems at the department, which was created in 2002 by unifying various existing agencies in an effort to secure the nation. Many other reports critical about mismanagement, security flaws and the wasting of millions of taxpayer dollars have been published in the past. In fact, the Department of Homeland Security’s first Inspector general, Clark Ervin, lost his job for thoroughly investigating the agency and exposing its many flaws.
Ervin has remained a big critic of the department and he even launched an informative web site, Open Target, that features reports and inside information on various homeland security issues. Ervin has called the Department of Homeland Security dysfunctional and disingenuous and has accused it of not conducting criminal background checks for the very employees who supposedly guard the nation.
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