Voodoo economics?...

I don't know if the Whitehall teachers are underpaid or overpaid. The real amount is a secret from the taxpayers. But I do recognize voodoo when the witchdoctor starts pokin' me with his/her spear....
How 'bout this. We taxpayers will OK the 2.5%/per year raise if 50% of the highschool seniors can compute what 2.5% compounds up to over 3 years(*). Shouldn't be too tough given the stellar job our teachers are doing, right?
Teachers' pact includes 2.5% raise, sharing of health costs: "The tentative contract calls for 2.5 percent salary increases for teachers in each of the three years of the contract, including retroactive to the 2005-06 school year, and 177 student days and 185.5 teacher days for the next two school years. The number of student days remained the same as the 2005-06 school year and the number of teacher days was reduced by one.
Teachers will keep their union-affiliated MESSA Supercare I health insurance, but they will share in some of the costs for the low-deductible Blue Cross plan. "
(*7.7% increase over 2 year's ago. Not too bad for 185.5 days work...less sick days. personal days, etc.)

Junk science on the march!

Clock's ticking for phosphorus on Ottawa lawns: "Commissioner Jane Ruiter of Ferrysburg spoke in support.
'It's very reasonable,' she said. 'A more comprehensive plan would be desirable, but it is a good start.' "
They are warning us. Are we listening?

Another reason we should privatize as much as we can!

Imagine how this would be reported if a private company had allowed this series of sewage spills....
Sewage spill contaminates Mona Lake, Little Black Creek: "The Muskegon County Health Department has advised residents to avoid contact with Mona Lake and Little Black Creek west of Getty Street, following a Thursday evening sewage spill at a county wastewater pump station. "

Please pardon my lack of compassion....

Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: TRAPPED ON FLIGHT 63: "The flight was due to leave Gatwick for Havana "

Interesting letter to the Chronicle

not likely to get published. Free speech for me...but not for thee....
They can't handle the truth!

Mr. David Kolb,

James Q. Wilson, (teacher at Harvard, UCLA, and Pepperdine) in the Wall Street Journal of August 21, says that even if the wiretapping is considered against the FISA act, it is definitely not unconstitutional. The Constitution was never intended to be a suicide pact and the ACLU has no standing to bring the suit unless they can prove they were adversely affected. The FISA act can easily be righted by passage of another law by Congress.
If this is unconstitutional in time of war, then how can we open mail, detain suspected terrorists, and inspect any packages or baggage of people entering this country?

Now you have to get on the case of Christians for not getting up in arms about the persecution of same by Chinese Communists. If you would read Christian publications like "World Magazine", you would know that this subject has been brought up time and again over the years by them and other Christian publications.
It was because of the ceaseless reporting of the atrocities against Christians by Muslims in Africa that it was finally picked up by the mainstream media and was finally then determined to be a real problem.
"World" has also stated that at this time in history, more Christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith than at any time in history. I haven't seen that reported in the mainstream media either.
So maybe if you would get your nose out of the liberal hate blogs and read something else you could come up with more balanced editorials.

Sincerely,

Stephen H. Sikkenga

The people have spoken!

Alaska Governor Latest Incumbent Ousted: "The defeat of Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski in Alaska's GOP primary may have resulted from missteps throughout his first term - but vulnerable incumbents should take heed, political observers said Wednesday."
Classy commentary by "political experts". The moke finished last in a 3 way race and this "journalist" suggests he may have pissed off his constituents? Brilliant analysis........

Another giant ripoff of citizens by the education establishment

Jeepers, how tough would it be to find out why these worthless books cost so much? Maybe the monopoly and educator's ethics out of whack?
SCRIMP AND SAVE 101: Students battle book prices
By the numbers
$75= Average cost of a college textbook.
$801 to $904=Amount the average student spends on textbooks each year.

Is a safer HumVee in the offing?

Breast implants save Israeli woman The Daily Telegraph: "ONE Israeli woman has received an unexpected boost from her breast implants during the Lebanon war "the silicone embeds saved her life during a Hezbollah rocket attack, a doctor said today."
Hey. Just wonderin'....if they save just one life.....?

Proof of the value of our primary election process.

George Allen was my early favorite to snag the GOP nomination. Good thing he was weeded out early.
OpinionJournal - The Western Front: "Mr. Allen himself said, somewhat convincingly, that he didn't know what the word 'macaca' meant when he used it. "
Yeah. Right.... He's toast.

Going around on the internet.

Wasn't President Bush the first to "touch the third rail" of SS reform? And aren't the democrats proud of their obstruction?

Our Social Security
Many years ago in Seattle, two wonderful neighbors, Elliott and Patty Roosevelt came to my home to swim on a regular basis. They were a great couple full of laughter and stories that today I continue to marvel at. Both are now deceased, but their stories remain. During the years of our friendship we had many, many discussions about Elliott's parents (President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt) and how his father and mother never intended for the Social Security and Welfare programs to turn out the way they are today. Elliott used to say that if his parents returned to earth and saw what the politicians had done to their programs they would have burned all of them in hell.
Here is a story I received today regarding the Social Security Program and I immediately thought of Elliott's comments. I Hope you will read this and think about it.
_____________________________________________
Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:
1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,
2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program,
3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,
4.) That the money the participants put into the independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and,
5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month -- and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to "put away" -- you may be interested in the following:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust Fund" and put it into the General fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled House and Senate.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democratic Party.
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Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?
A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?
AND MY FAVORITE:
A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it!

Don't forget Abramoff and his democrat friends

Captain's Quarters: "When the Democrats adopted the 'culture of corruption' meme as their campaign theme earlier this year, we noted that the culture hardly respected party lines. The leader of the Senate Democratic caucus, Harry Reid, took contributions from clients of Jack Abramoff and intervened on their behalf at least four times, and Abramoff hired one of Reid's staffers and started holding fundraisers for the Senate Minority Leader in Abramoff's offices."

Down the drain?

(Muskegon Heights H. S. another wallet grabber)
Taxpayers! Grab you wallets on this one! Add up the numbers on this ripoff and they'll have to sell the "condos" for $400,00 just to break even.......Unless Uncle Sam and Aunt Jennie pony up some of your moolah for "subsidies"........
Heights tries to put condos on sewage site: "A former Muskegon Heights city councilman, Lottie was the longtime affirmative action officer for the city of Muskegon. "

Yeah, right.

My Way News - Crash of Russian Passenger Jet Kills 170: "The crash 'was not a terrorist attack,' said Leonid Belyayev, acting director of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry in St. Petersburg."
Maybe accident. Maybe terrorist. But since Leonid and everyone else has no real clue about what brought the plane down, why do they lie so transparently?

Citicide Detroit-style...

Detroit teachers rally ahead of possible strike vote: "School is scheduled to start Sept. 5 for the approximately 130,000 students in the district, which is the largest employer in the city."
One constant in every story about teachers is the aversion to report any facts about teacher compensation. The liberal MSM always assures us that if teachers want more....well, it is for the children after all, right?

Citicide in Muskegon Heights

Heights city council gives rare 'no' to business breaks: "When asked by Councilwoman Bonnie McGlothin, Dorato told the council that only one of his employees is a Heights resident.
City residents pay a 1 percent income tax. Nonresidents pay 0.5 percent. "
If there was ever any hope for the Heights, it ended when they passed the city income tax. I wonder if the Councilwoman would have voted for the tax break if the employees were residents. Otherwise, why ask the question?

Granholm... pathetic....

Granholm calls for review of state prison health care system: "Critics say the Legislature, governor and correction officials have failed to properly oversee the 190 million dollars a year the state spends on prison medical care."
Can we really afford 4 more years of this gross incompetence?

Unintended consequences?

Anyone think that a whole bunch of small firms that used to cover prescriptions for their employees are gonna drop their coverage. Soon?
Firms must pay for birth control, Michigan Civil Rights Commission rules : "Small businesses that offer comprehensive prescription coverage but fail to cover birth control are violating the state's civil rights act and could be forced to change their policies under a ruling Monday by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission."

The MSM kinda buried this one, eh?

Imagine if Kilpatrick was a white mayor. Would the MSM play it a bit louder?
Feud divides Democrats: "The feud between Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's supporters and opponents remains a festering wound in the Democratic Party that could threaten its ability to deliver a strong voter turnout needed in Detroit to notch wins in statewide November elections."

Men in cell phone case still jailed

Men in cell phone case still jailed: "But the Palestinian-American men now each face one count of conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and carrying out an unlawful activity involving a financial transaction. They each could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the federal charges."

Way to go Jenny!

Camaro to be made in Canada: "General Motors of Canada announced Monday morning that GM's car assembly plant in Oshawa, Ontario, will make the 2009 Chevrolet Camaro."