Stop This Madness!

Via Misfit Animal Rescue Inc.

I have cut and pasted the following paragraph from the Audit, dated April 15,2013. This Audit was done on Lake County Animal Services which also includes animal services for 14 cities. They have a fund set up on there Lake County Animal Services website where people can donate money to the well being of the animals. Currently there is approximately 245,000. dollars in this account. According to the Audit money that is incurred by the adoption of a dog for sterilization that we pay goes into the General Fund. Which basically is used by other departments. But guess how they are paying the vet that we already paid for?? Here it is right from the audit.

The Animal Control Sterilization Trust Fund does not have clear criteria for its funding and use. We noted that Animal Services’ revenues and expenditures are mismatched between the Animal Control Sterilization Trust Fund and the County’s General Fund. For example, we noted that Animal Sterilization fees received by Animal Services are being deposited into the County’s General Fund while the related expenses are being paid out of the Animal Control Sterilization Trust Fund.

HB 7011: FRS as we know it in danger

There are several proposals to change the teachers retirement plan floating around the Capitol; but the most egregious of these bills has been put on a fast track in the Florida House. HB 7011, which is being pushed hard by House Speaker Will Weatherford, would close the FRS pension plan to new hires beginning next year and force them into a 401k-style investment plan.

Weatherford claims it will not impact current enrollees but that is simply NOT TRUE. Closing the plan to new participants means the cost of maintaining the system for current enrollees will increase because fewer people will be paying into the plan. These increased costs will have to paid by somebody: either by the state, by employees, by local governments like school boards OR by reducing benefits.

The long-term fiscal viability of the FRS Trust Fund would be undermined and ultimately destabilized by HB 7011. This change will likely mean employees will be forced to pay more than the 3 percent they started paying in 2011; benefits will be cut and school boards will get a bill for the rest — taking more money off the bargaining table and away from classrooms.

HB 7011 will be voted on tomorrow morning –Thursday, March 14– at 9 a.m. by the House State Affairs Committee – the last stop before a full vote by the Florida House.

Call or email members of the State Affairs Committee NOW and tell them to oppose HB 7011. Tell them FRS is not broken and does NOT need to be fixed. Tell them to protect retirement security for public school employees and their families. Be sure to remind them that:

· Florida’s Retirement System is financially stable and healthy.

· Changing the system to a 401k would cost taxpayers millions.

· Dismantling FRS would have a huge impact on Florida’s economy.

Name
Party
District
Phone

Ben Albritton
REP
56
(850) 717-5056

Jim Boyd
REP
71
(850) 717-5071

Jason Brodeur
REP
28
(850) 717-5028

Matt Caldwell
REP
79
(850) 717-5079

Neil Combee
REP
39
(850) 717-5039

Steve Crisfulli
REP
51
(850) 717-5051

Dane Eagle
REP
77
(850) 717-5077

Mike Fasano
REP
36
(850) 717-5036

James Grant
REP
64
(850) 717-5064

Mike LaRosa
REP
42
(850) 717-5042

Jake Raburn
REP
57
(850) 717-5057

Ricardo Rangel
DEM
43
(850) 717-5043

Darryl Rouson
DEM
70
(850) 717-5070

Linda Stewart
DEM
47
(850) 717-5047

Dwayne Taylor
DEM
26
(850) 717-5026

James Waldman
DEM
96
(850) 717-5096

Clovis Watson
DEM
20
(850) 717-5020

Ritch Workman
REP
52
(850) 717-5052

Free Lunch Share

Shared by a Tangerine resident. I’m not taking sides on this issue. I want to hear what you have to say about this post.

FREE Lunch? 900 teachers just got laid off from the Los Angeles Unified School District . They are $650,000 over their annual budget. The following English teacher helps to explain one area that looms large over California ‘s educational crisis.

“As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of: I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.

Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens , Huntington Park , etc.. where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.

Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program.  When I say free breakfast, I’m not talking a glass of milk and roll — but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud.  The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.

I estimate that well over 50% of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight.  About 75% or more DO have cell phones.  The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.

I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial.  I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America .

I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less than 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them “Putas” (whores) and throwing things, that the teachers were in tears.

Free medical, free education, free food, day care, etc, etc, etc.  Is it any wonder they feel entitled not only to be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?

To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they like their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the true costs.

Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc.  For me, I’ll pay more for tomatoes.

Americans, we need to wake up.  The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won’t have the guts to enforce it.  Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?

It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about “political correctness”that we don’t have the will to do anything about it.

If this makes your blood boil, as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know including your Congressmen and Senators.

CHEAP LABOR?  Isn’t that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business doesn’t want to pay a decent wage.  Consumers don’t want expensive produce.

Government will tell you Americans don’t want the jobs. But the bottom line is cheap labor.  The phrase “cheap labor” is a myth,a farce, and a lie.  There is no such thing as “cheap labor.”

Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children.  He takes a job for $5.00 or 6.00/hour.  At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an “earned income credit” of up to $3,200 free.

He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent. He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free (no deductible & no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. He requires bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled, they qualify for SSI.

Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare. All of this is at (our) taxpayer’s expense.  He doesn’t worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. He and his family receive the equivalent of $20.00 to $30.00/hour in benefits.

Working Americans are lucky to have $5.00 or $6.00/hour left after paying their bills and his. The American taxpayers also pay for increased crime, graffiti and trash clean-up.  Cheap labor?  YEAH RIGHT!
Wake up people!

Florida Teacher Evaulations: On the wrong track

Recently an administrative law judge that invalidated the DOE rule on teacher evaluations and ordered that they be re-written because they did not follow the guideslines of the legislature. Teachers are unsure how they will be evaluated [see the formula above.]

With our Education Commissioner leaving without notice following serious FCAT grading problems, there is no question that using student test scores to evaluate teachers will be problematic. Parents no longer trust the system and teachers never actually did.

It’s time to scrap the current evaluation system and rewrite it from the beginning. Are you listening, Governor Scott?

Raises: School Board, Yes, Teachers, No?

Yesterday was a bad day to be a Seminole County School Board member. They are terribly embarrassed that it’s come to light that they quietly accepted a 4.58 percent raise 7 months ago and recently denied teachers a 3 percent raise. Word has been trickling out about this situation but yesterday it was all over the news.

School Board Gets $ But None for teachers (video)

Seminole County Teachers Protest Again (article)

Last weekend, two board members quietly returned the money, doing so only under pressure from constituents. The teachers say they will continue to apply pressure for raises, something they haven’t seen in years. Currently school board members are paid more than a first year teacher for a part-time job.

Sound like good work if you can get it. Seminole County Teachers plan to keep up the pressure in the coming weeks.

Proposed HB 543 to Rate Parents

HB 543 doesn’t sound bad at first blush:

“Parent Involvement” HB 543 by Rep. Stargel (R-Lakeland) passed the House K-20 Competitiveness Committee by a vote of 10 to 3. Three Democrats (Chestnut, Clark-Reed, Fullwood) voted NO. Voting YES were nine Republicans (Bileca, Burgin, Coley, Corcoran, Davis, Fresen, Grant, Perry, and Trujillo) and one Democrat (Reed).

This bill would require that school districts inform parents of its expectations regarding parental responsiveness to teacher requests for communication, such as accurate contact, emergency and medical information and oversight of their child’s school attendance, completion of homework and preparation for tests. They can use existing guides or checklists or new formats to communicate but would require parents to acknowledge, in writing, the receipt of that information.

Until you read this part:

Teachers of PreK through grade 5 students would be required to evaluate each parent’s involvement on a quarterly basis. The evaluation must be based upon the frequency of unexcused absences and tardiness, responsiveness to requests for conferences or communication, submission of accurate information such as emergency contact information and student immunization records.

The teacher must rate each parent as satisfactory, needs improvement or unsatisfactory and also provide the parent with a written report regarding the evaluation. The district would develop a process for parents to dispute an unfavorable evaluation.

School districts would then submit an annual report of parental involvement evaluation dates to DOE – the DOE would report to the Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House

If it passes, the bill would go into effect in the 2013-14 school year.

The bill has been heard in one committee – and has two more committee hearings (House PreK- 12 Appropriations and House Education) before it can be heard by the entire House. The Senate version SB 944 by Wise (R-Jacksonville) has not yet been heard in committee.

That ought work wonders with parent/school relations.

Newt Gingrich

Tangerine Blog personally can’t stand the thought of polarizing force Newt Gingrich as president but the news is the news. He’s coming to Mount Dora Thursday. Hey, a hit on the page is a hit on the page. Apologies.

Hooked on Growth

This link was passed on the me via Facebook by some of my “Yes on 4” buddies. Check it out. The film was made by a group called Growthbusters. I believe the film was released in Canada but not in the United States yet.

Comments about the film

“This could be the most important film ever made. It tackles the three lethal taboos that threaten our civilization, those against discussing overpopulation, overconsumption, and the nonsensical idea that economic growth itself is a net benefit even in rich countries and can and must continue forever.”

Paul Ehrlich
Biologist, Professor of Population Studies, Stanford University
Author, The Population Bomb

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“The cult of endless growth has kept us from seeing clearly the choices in front of us. It’s time we paid attention to some alternatives.”

Bill McKibben
Co-Founder, 350.org
Author, Earth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

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“The world really needs this film. I encourage everyone who understands the critical importance of these core issues to support this project in every way possible.”

Richard D. Lamm
Governor of Colorado, 1975 – 1987
Author, The Angry West
View the complete letter.

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“This is the great untold story about growth and your community — the one many developers and land speculators don’t want you to hear….Here’s your ticket to getting off the “endless growth” treadmill and onto the sustainable communities train.”

Eben Fodor
Community Planning Consultant
Author, Better, Not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community

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“We have to stop growth of populations and of rates of consumption of resources if we are going to have any hope of achieving sustainability. GrowthBusters is a great effort to educate people to see the need for this obvious step.”

Albert A. Bartlett
Former Professor of Physics, University of Colorado
Author, Laws Relating to Sustainability

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“it was so powerful it felt like a virtual punch in the stomach.”

Ed Hartman
Author, The Population Fix
View the complete letter.

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“We at the center are very excited about your documentary project…. There is an urgent need for popular media to explore society’s obsession with economic growth and its inability to comprehend or acknowledge the conflict between perpetual growth and environmental sustainability.”

Brian Czech, Ph.D.
President, Center for Advancement of the Steady State Economy
Author, Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train 
View the complete letter.

Is Earl K Wood’s Job Redundant?

Why are Orange County Taxpayers paying 95-year-old  Orange County Tax Collector Earl K. Wood a salary of $153,082 a year when he does exactly NOTHING to justify his job? Unlike the Property Appraiser Bill Donnegan, he has no impact on the public’s taxes, nor does he need to interact with taxpayers. Clearly Wood feels no civic responsibility to Orange County taxpayers in this economic climate. According to an interview with the Orlando Sentinel 

…Wood doesn’t keep a calendar or any type of record of appointments, but he says he tries to make it into one of his offices three times a week.

In this age of computerized systems, do we really need someone to attend retirement parties and employee picnics which seem to be his primary duties? It’s time for the Charter Review Commission to eliminate this job entirely. [They did not do so previously as the savings to taxpayers would be “too small.”]

Wood himself thinks he’s a shoo-in for the next election which would give us a 100-year-old napping at the helm. To the contrary, public outcry to this situation so ably highlighted by The Orlando Sentinel’s article should result in Wood’s immediate resignation and the elimination of his position.

Scott’s not sweating the “pension tax” lawsuit

A total of  556,296 public workers, including teachers, is suing the state of Florida saying that the new required pension contribution without a pay raise is really a pay cut for hundreds of thousands of state, county and city employees. Florida educators are suing the state on behalf of all public employees in the state retirement system. In filing suit, FEA President Andy Ford said the contribution requirement is “essentially an income tax levied only on workers belonging to the Florida Retirement System.”

According to Florida Educational Association President Andy Ford:

“This pay cut was used by legislative leadership to make up a budget shortfall on the backs of teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and other state workers,” Ford said. “It’s unfair and it breaks promises made to these employees when they chose to work to improve our state.”

This change is most unfair to those nearing, but not eligible to retire for a few years. They will be left with precious few years to make up the income lost let alone save more for retirement. According to Bob Rushlow, president of the Support Personnel Association of Lee County, which represents bus drivers, custodians and other support staff:

“The bottom line is when people came to work, the public employees were led to believe it was part of compensation package that the employer contribute to the FRS,” Rushlow said, “and now they’re changing the rules in the middle of the game.”

Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford of Tallahassee will set a hearing on a motion for temporary injunction by the plaintiffs, asking that money collected after July 1 be set aside in an interest-bearing fund until the lawsuit is resolved. The hearing is expected to take place in late June depending upon availability of the interested parties.