If You Don't Do Your Job, Should You Still Get a Raise?

The teacher's union in our fair county has ratcheted up their rhetoric on a new contract....by wearing orange t-shirts, skipping the school open houses and telling our children that they deserve a raise and are not being treated fairly. That's right, my children have come home from school recently and asked me why the teachers are being mistreated? All this after the Tribune reported on August 12, 2008 that four of our schools are starting the year on probation and eight are on academic watch. All twelve are city schools.

This scenario brings up several interesting questions....1. We all know that teachers are under paid. Teachers especially know they will be underpaid when they choose to teach. When the school board has to pay bad teachers the same as exemplary ones, who benefits? 2. When the teacher's union refuses to allow more certification tests for teachers to prove they know the subjects they are teaching, who benefits? and 3. When schools do not show improvement year to year, do the teachers deserve a raise?

Here is the link to the Tribune article http://www.news-tribune.net/archivesearch/local_story_225120721.html

Dems turn out the lights, GOP turns up the heat!

Speaker Pelosi refused to hold a vote on off shore drilling today and instead adjourned for a late summer break over the objections of Republicans. Why would she not even schedule a vote or hold the members over for a special session? It is really simple once you gaze at the calendar. We are less than 100 days from fall elections and voting no on more oil exploration does not look good to the constituents. Let's take a look at how the House has voted historically on oil and energy bills:


ANWR Exploration
House Republicans:91% Supported
House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Coal-to-Liquid
House Republicans: 97% Supported
House Democrats: 78% Opposed

Oil Shale Exploration
House Republicans: 90% Supported
House Democrats: 86% Opposed

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Exploration
House Republicans: 81% Supported
House Democrats: 83% Opposed

Refinery Increased Capacity
House Republicans: 97% Supported
House Democrats: 96% Opposed

SUMMARY

91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of American-made oil and gas.

86% of House Democrats have historically voted against increasing the production of American-made oil and gas.

The numbers don't lie folks. Let me wrap this up with a quote from the next Congressman from the 9th district, Mr. Mike Sodrel. “When I was running my business, I never took a vacation while there was critical work to be done,” said Sodrel. “Congressman Hill voted twice to adjourn and take a 5-week long break while Hoosiers are suffering with high gas prices. I urge Speaker Pelosi to call an emergency session of Congress and schedule a vote on expanding America’s energy supply.”

Don't hold your breath Mike. Meanwhile, Hoosiers will try to hold onto their wallets.

The Answer for Neighborhoods

Recently at a town hall meeting, I learned that little ole New Albany has the third highest number of public housing units in the state. Yep, that's right, a town of around 40,000 has more public housing than Evansville or Fort Wayne. Only Indianapolis and Gary have greater quantities of public housing. Now I am all for helping people find shelter if they really need help. But, if New Albany wants to build on the revitalization that has started downtown, public housing is not the answer. Home ownership is the number one key to building great neighborhoods. These places must have residents that are here to stay, not renting month to month. A vested interest by long time home owners will turn these streets around and save the schools that are on the chopping block.

I propose that the city set aside a percentage of the funds received from the government to be used for down payments, rehab expenses or mortgage fees to those that will commit to living in these homes for an extended period of time. The landlords don't care about Silver Street, the tenants don't care if their kids move to another school. This cycle repeats itself over and over and the blocks get neglected by those that don't have a long term interest. If you own a car, you will take care of it. If you rent a car, chances are you won't treat it the same. There have been no solutions put forward in this area that I have heard and my suggestions may not work. The conversation needs to be started now before we lose valuable time and schools. With folks looking to move closer in because of energy costs, now is the perfect time to act.

Personal Demons, Public Humiliation

Former GOP mover and shaker Glenn Murphy Jr. pleaded guilty today in a Clark County courtroom. He will likely serve one year in prison, four years probation and have to register as a sex offender. What went wrong? A promising career as the chairman of the growing Clark County Republicans, where he helped orchestrate the election of more Republicans in the past ten years than in the past fifty combined, is obviously over. His stint as National Chairman of the Young Republicans barely got started. How does a man with so much going for him lapse into what must have been a drunken loss of control of his sexual desires. This has nothing to do with Glenn being gay. I've known Glenn for years and the subject never came up. This has to do with men in powerful positions lusting for more and thinking they can't or won't get caught. He has brought embarrassment to himself and his family, and this incident wasn't even the first. He has disgraced his family and forced friends and colleagues to denounce him. He has put aside the future of politics in Southern Indiana and the country for an impulse in the middle of the night. Let this be a lesson to those in positions of power or authority. Whether in business, family or politics - there are things in this world more important than the selfish desires of flesh. I hope and pray that Mr. Murphy's life somehow gets back on track after prison. I hope and pray that these incidents become rare rather than commonplace.

Definition of a Person

This week, the Colorado Secretary of State validated more than 100,000 signatures and assured a place on the November ballot for Amendment 48. This measure defines a "person" as "any human being from the moment of fertilization." It amazes me that we even have to define what a "person" is. If the amendment passes, every person at every stage of life would be granted due process under the Constitution of the United States. This measure will not make abortion illegal, but it will set the framework to rid our nation of this bad law decision. That's right, I said Roe v. Wade is bad law.

One must only look to California to see how the will of the people, i.e. voting in the marriage definition amendment stating that marriage is between one man and one woman, can be overturned by a small group of former ambulance chaser lawyers that now are on the state's Supreme Court. The good people of Colorado could very well pass this measure with an overwhelming margin, only to have it struck down by the court.

When will America listen to the will of the people instead of the will of a few rogue Justices? When will we learn that the sanctity of life is our most important cause, from conception to natural death? What ever happened to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - for every "person?"

Thank a Soldier

I just wanted to take a moment to say a big THANK YOU to all who have served our country to preserve our freedoms. Americans may never be in total agreement on the wars we fight, but we should be in total support of those that are serving. My neighbor just returned from a 15 month stint in Iraq and he told me he was grateful for the green trees and grass. Man, I love this country. So, thanks again to you all for allowing all of us to argue over the details while you do the heavy lifting. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

I went to the NRA convention, and all I got was this book!

I know this picture is very small. It was uploaded from my cell phone. Anyway, that is me standing next to Grover Norquist on Friday. I am holding a signed copy of his latest work, "Leave Us Alone." It was a pleasure meeting him and he was kind enough to talk for a few minutes. We talked about bath tubs and blogs. We traded contact information and I look forward to his contributions to this little rant. All in all, a good convention. I won't be around to vote at the board meeting, but at least I got a new holster.