Joe Donnelly on Obama exec order

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So…Joe Donnelly was on the local radio station getting free air time, er I mean, informing the public…

…when he was laying into President Obama for the executive order to force the minimum wage to $10.10 for federal workers.

Donnelly casually mentions that George W. Bush did this (and so did several other presidents, including Reagan and Clinton, who were neck and neck with executive orders). More here on Mike Pence (now Indiana’s governor) who thinks executive orders are just fine for George W. Bush.

Donnelly stated that President Obama “should have tried to work with us…and he jumped the gun…”

bwahahahahahaha

Um, he has tried to work with Congress.  Members of Congress have had a secret agreement to deliberately thwart Obama and block nominees, legislation, etc.

They have blocked raising the minimum wage for as long as I can remember.  While they complain that they need an automatic pay raise every year, Congress looks the other way while people go hungry, lose their homes, go without medical care, and live under constant stress of deciding whether to pay the light bill, mortgage, heat bill, or put food on the table.

You might remember Donnelly phrased cutting food stamps as “savings” when on the radio just before Thanksgiving….absolutely callous while ignoring waste and fraud and bloated budgets in other areas, such as Defense spending.

 

The mother of the dying child speaks out

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Ken Previtti (Reclaim Reform) has a follow up to the mother whose child was in hospice and the state of Florida was demanding he be tested.   Keep the kleenex handy.

Godspeed to her and her family.

Heartless creeps.

Charter Schools Gravy Train

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(hat tip to scathing purple musings)  Forbes, of all places, has this article up that pretty much summarizes all that is wrong with charter school profiteers.

As mentioned here before, the article notes that Bill Clinton allowed them to proliferate by giving them tax credits and not only that, but green cards for foreign investors.  Yep.

As I’m reading about the for-profit scheme and how the author notes that they have not been that profitable…I’m thinking of the “classes” being given to kids via video or online “learning”…so they don’t have to pay a teacher at all.  Or–they have one teacher to answer questions or grade tests for however many kids they can squeeze in….I don’t even know the answer to that and I’m not going to even try to guess.   They don’t really care, anyway, if the child is getting a good education…as long as it looks something like an education, they’re just fine with that…

Lastly, I’m even more impressed with public schools after reading this–the author notes that charter schools can pick and choose their students, so they should be showing better test scores than public…less than a third do that.

So…even with the students that are autistic or mentally challenged, the public schools still outdid the charters.  Here’s to the dedicated and beleaguered public school teachers….::clink::

Helping neglected animals

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This is for Canada, but I hope that folks will help the shelters in their own areas.  They need cash and volunteers, always.  And this goes without saying– they need folks willing to give a home to an abandoned animal.  Two of the best pets I’ve ever had were from shelters.

And let them “choose” you–they will show an interest, wag their tail or purr, come towards you, or get that “light” in their eyes…

The Fourth Amendment

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…is the right to be let alone.  The right to have privacy from the government unless there is a court order stating there is probable cause (there is evidence you did something against the law).

It should also be fiercely enforced for whistleblowers.…a democracy depends on it.

Bode Miller

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I was watching the nooz and the episode of Bode Miller was aired.  Christin Cooper repeatedly asked him about his dead brother until he began to cry.  She didn’t just ask him once and let it go…but kept bringing it up until she got what she wanted–him breaking down in tears in what should have been  a private moment.  For shame.

Bode was interviewed later and was defending this callous behavior, saying it was her job to push and get the reaction.  Bullshit.  Reporters need to push when a leader or public figure is hiding the truth—not athletes who lost a brother to seizures.  That’s just cold and unnecessary.  As a viewer, I don’t want to see someone in distress by being badgered by a reporter.  That’s not journalism, but sensationalism.