Category: Politics

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Texas Comptroller Cutting 12000 Elementary Teachers?!

Update 01/13/2011:

Someone from my area e-mailed her directly for clarification and here’s her answer:

January 11, 2011

Mr. ******

Dear Mr. *****:

Thank you for your message concerning our recent Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST) report.

The education of Texas school children is among the state’s highest priorities. The recommendations in the FAST report are intended to provide school districts with options to manage their budgets during these difficult times.

The FAST report does not recommend firing Texas teachers; the report recommends replacing the current 22-students-per-classroom cap in grades K-4 with a requirement that districts maintain an average of 22 students per teacher for those grade levels. In practice, this would give school districts the flexibility to have slightly more than 22 students in a particular class as long as it was offset by a classroom with fewer than 22 students. In this way, districts could determine student class size based on the needs of their particular students and district rather than a state-set mandate.

To read a detailed description of our recommendation to allow school districts to maintain an average of 22 students per teacher, please see Page 31 of the FAST Appendix, which can be found at www.fastexas.org/study.

In addition, we have recommended a study of the growth in school district administrative positions. Reducing growth of these positions could result in increased resources for teachers. Please see Page 32 of the FAST Appendix for more information on this recommendation.

Legislative action would be required to adopt any of these recommendations, which may be discussed in the 82nd Legislature convening Jan. 11. If you would like to contact your state legislators concerning education policy, you can find their contact information at www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us.

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Susan Combs

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

So if the above e-mail is indeed true (and it starts at page 30, not 32), then I would like to do the decent thing by retracting my anger towards the Comptroller.  I guess I will not read from The Dallas Morning News anymore.

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As I am about to go to sleep, I come across this disturbing news that the newly elected Texas comptroller is planning to cut 12,000 elementary school teachers to save $500 million! What the %23@#!$!$

Of all the stupid things to do to save money, you cut education?! Cut your own salary first! Even more infuriating is the fact that I see this on her website!

Combs

I added the red circle to point out that she promised two things she’s breaking as we speak! What kind of baloney is this?! How is she FOR education by destroying the basic foundation of the education: elementary schools?! Kids first get exposed to school through this system and I can’t see any of my kids being happy to hear that their teachers may not return next year!

I am soo mad right now! I hope people take notice and address this!

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Democrats (and Republicans) and Prejudice

If you had asked me which political party I belong to about 10 years ago, I’d have said Republican w/o a doubt.  However, since then, I have had my share of doubts about the party and have now become a moderate.  But don’t party now just because you are a democrat.  I still have bones to pick with you yet.

You see, 10 years ago, I’d have said that it is just the republicans that are prejudiced.  Against everything and everyone.  Be the issues of abortion or gay rights or death penalty or “War against Terror”, I’d definitely agree with you on that the Republicans are prejudiced.  However, it seems that the Democrats are not that different.  You see, among my list of friends, many who are younger tend to be democrats.  However, I was just as surprised to find out that they are still prejudiced against me.

For what you ask?  Simply for being me.  I’m going to be taking lots of flak for this, I’m sure.  What I mean is that my democratic friends are prejudiced against things that are not cool.  Take Star Trek for example.  During our retreat, the speaker used the Star Trek reference and she misused the reference to which she meant “Starfleet Academy”.  Upon my correction, slew of people reacted as if it’s a taboo.  So it’s a crime to be a geek and a nerd?

I am a die-hard PC gamer.  And people ridicule me for being one.  They use lines like “Why don’t you grow up?”  So picking up other expensive habits are better?  And take sports as another example.  In my 2 cents worth of opinion, sports is a waste of time unless you are playing it.  So my not watching it becomes another point of ridicule.  I can go on and on.

My point is thus a simple one.  Prejudice runs in both republicans and democrats.  I wish everyone would stop using it as an excuse.  Just for being different, it is a (bad) human nature to pick on someone else, be it color of skin, economic status, political status, how nerdy you are, or if you suck at sports and make them look bad so that you look better.  Just admit it.  We all should belong to “Prejudiced Anonymous” and we all need to repent of it…  I know I do.

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State of Iran Compared to S. Korea

As news of Iran’s popular unrest and demonstration against what seems like a rigged election spreads out more and more, one comparison thought came to mind.  This reminded me of South Korea in its ’60s through ’80s.

Mousavi’s wife says that it’s more like marshal law there.  And the reaction of Iran’s Republican Guards and other “security” forces that resulted in deaths like this woman here, reinforces my thoughts of the state of Iran.

It’s a rather graphic and unedited picture so be warned.  Bunches of mostly peaceful demonstration and the police start firing tear gas and beating down protesters and arresting them, and some eventually get killed.  Sounds familiar?  This is South Korea winded back to ’70s and ’80s era when martial law was the way things went, and coup d’etat was as frequent as your mail.

The Kwangju Massacre.  That alone says it all.  When the “government” sent in tanks to kill hundreds of civilians, the images are similar.  Iran’s reaction, in my humble opinion, is that of a marshall law.  If it wasn’t, the government would have just let them continue demonstrating.  But lashing out at them with violence is not a democratic way but rather that of dictatorship.

I empathize with the pro-democracy citizens of Iran… and pray for good changes to come and that the bloodshed would lessen…  But all democratic movements, including the likes of Tiananmen Square Massacre, comes at cost.  I sure hope the Iranian leadership realizes their follies…

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Two US Asian-American Reporters Imprisoned for 12 Years

Yahoo/AP Release

Two Asian-American reporters who snuck into North Korea were sentenced to twelve years(?!) of prison for allegedly spying on them.  Here are my thoughts…

1. What were they thinking to sneak into North Korea, aka. Not-just-communist-country-but-dictatorship country?!!  Common sense would dictate that they should’ve stayed well out of the border area.

2. North Korea sentenced them to 12 years?!!  WTH?!  Year or two may be somewhat distantly understandable… but TWELVE?!!

3. Let’s not forget that North Korea isn’t exactly known for being “understanding”.  56 years of dictatorship and strict rule doesn’t exactly cry fair.

4. I seriously hope & pray that these two get released but with other serious issues (like North Korea’s long-distance missile testing and nuclear armament), this may get buried…

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Things that make me MAD: Children taken away from illegal immigrants

NY Times Article

Warning!  You may become way too mad after reading the article!  I know I am!!    Illegal immigration is a hot issue.  Yes, I understand that.  And deporting back home is one thing but to take their children away from them while they are in jail?!  Who the hell gave these stupid judges the right?!

As a parent myself, I can NOT imagine anything worse than my kids being taken away from my against my will!  Yet, that’s what some of these judges (you know who you are, Judge David C. Dally and others) doing exactly!  Ok.. so they are put in jail for being here illegally but it does NOT give us the right to take their kids away and place them elsewhere!

The kids are happiest when they are with their parents.  And so are the parents ourselves!  I am really flabbergasted right now!  That judge is sooo lucky that I don’t live in North Carolina ’cause I’d be petitioning for his impeachment!  If we are going to deport them, do it completely and send the kids back with them!  Unless the parents are harming the kids, the right to the caring for the kids lies with the parents!!  I feel soo bad for the parents… My prayers go with them…  Someone with the power PLEASE make this right!!

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Another $1 trillion “into” the economy?!!

Source: NY Times

What?!! The government is planning on pumping another $1 trillion “into” the economy?!! With what money?!! Just by printing more?!! And going into more debt?!! What’s wrong with these politicians?!! So far, we’ve dumped just about $1 trillion into the “economy” and what have we gotten so far?!! Not much. AIG used its $170 billion bailout money to pay back other banks! WTH?!

Create more jobs or pump it directly into the economy by giving it to the people this time then!!  This is a bogus plan…

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Cold War 2: The Return of … USSR?!

Source: Gizmodo

CNN article

I wonder if Russia thinks we all need the Cold War back in order to return the world economy to normalcy.  I sure hope not, but these long range bombers that they will “place” in Cuba and Venezuela sure seem like it’s back!!  What the hell are they thinking?!

But it’s also rumored that the Russian president is doing this to see how our new president would react, as many seem to think he will be a pushover.  Hate these power struggles…  “My gun is bigger than yours” crap.   I sure hope it’s just a bluff!  >.<