tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90783851349184129832024-02-08T14:20:56.929-05:00Paul Kersey's BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-72819425020371498152022-10-05T17:13:00.001-04:002022-10-05T17:13:32.245-04:00It's been a while....<p> Paul approves of this take bigly.</p><h1 class="entry-title"><a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/psaki-buries-her-knife-in-bidens-back/" rel="nofollow">Psaki Buries Her Knife in Biden’s Back</a></h1>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-63822182735907823832017-11-06T17:31:00.001-05:002017-11-06T17:31:58.826-05:00I hope this thuggishness never happens in Miller Place...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-3379829026862613062016-05-18T16:34:00.003-04:002016-05-18T16:34:58.567-04:00I do not think Charles Bronson was miscast.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/7/26/death-wish-5/">Death Wish: Mr. Bronson's Planet</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-79400247666911872862016-05-10T16:37:00.000-04:002016-05-10T16:37:03.894-04:00I lie low for a while and then something pops up that makes me ask myself: why is it that politicians, usually democrats but (all too) often republicans, wake up each morning and ask themselves "how am I going to boss someone around today?"<br />
<br />
Case in point, local division:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tbrnewsmedia.com/bonner-proposes-vape-and-hookah-ban-to-curb-drug-use-in-youth/">Bonner proposes vape and hookah ban to curb drug use in youth</a><br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">A quote from the story above: </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">"During last week’s Rocky Point Drug
Forum, Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) announced her
new step to combat drug use, with a ban regarding hookah lounges and
smoke and vape shops in Brookhaven Town.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2">If the town approves and implements the
councilwoman’s proposal, prospective shop owners cannot establish their
businesses within 1,000 feet of family- or child-oriented institutions
or various public places. These locations include educational and
religious facilities; non-degree granting schools, like ballet and
karate studios; and swimming pools. The ban won’t apply to existing
lounges and shops that have proper permits and certificates of
occupancy."</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2">Though not a smoker any more (I stopped around the same time I quit busting punk's jaws with sockfuls of quarters), I have no problem with people partaking in legal smoke and drink. Nor do I have a problem with the lawful sellers of such. As long as a person is old enough to fight for our country they should be able to have a drink and a smoke, and it is nobody's business. Why do some with the power they are given (supposedly) by us, the voters, desire to regulate every fiber of our beings?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2">On a side note, hookah and vaping should not be considered one and the same. The FDA, to the chagrin of nannies everywhere, even (grudgingly) came out and said that it is relatively harmless and it has the added benefit of weaning people off of more problematic cigarettes. Hookah is taking in tobacco smoke, so it is not harmless.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2">If this is what our local pols are worried about, they should shut down the whole legislature because if this is the most pressing thing they have to deal with then they are not needed.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-73864296617191066052011-10-21T09:30:00.000-04:002011-10-21T09:30:04.716-04:00It's been a while.......but here I am again. So, who said this?<br />
<br />
".... also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform." X proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year."<br />
<br />
Hint: A liberal hero.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-2405186194447533022011-05-02T11:57:00.000-04:002011-05-02T11:57:55.928-04:00Hitler's not happy about Osama joining him in Hell...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/u8A2unABbtA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-54153109808388358522011-04-19T15:28:00.000-04:002011-04-19T15:28:40.945-04:0010 of The Worst Teachers Ever....<a href="http://www.oddee.com/item_97686.aspx">None of them from Miller Place (whew!). Pretty outrageous stuff. What were they thinking?</a> Check out the amount of Scotch tape on that kid's mouth!<br />
<br />
h/t <a href="http://linkiest.com/">Linkiest.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-53707612542809994472011-04-18T15:20:00.000-04:002011-04-18T15:20:55.150-04:00Wisconsin...I have a picture in my mind (or used to) of Wisconsin being populated by polite and well-mannered people. Like Miller Place. Now, look at this video posted by <a href="http://althouse.blogspot.com/">Ann Althouse</a> on her blog of Sarah Palin's Tax Day/TEA Party speech in Madison, WI on Saturday: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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About 2 minutes in there is extensive video of a guy screaming "shame, shame" while hiding his face and attempting to stop the filming. The crowd is doing it best to drown out Palin. They only want one viewpoint heard -- theirs. So much for free speech. Heck, so much for common courtesy! <br />
<br />
This is what the left and the unions do -- they shout down, browbeat and attempt to intimidate their opposition. They use these tactics rather than debate because their positions have very little merit. Will we see this type of behavior in Miller Place? We are starting to. At the last board meeting, the teacher's union president spat out a "thank you' to one of the board trustees who had the temerity to point out that maybe the deal worked out with the teachers was not a good one for the district's long-term fiscal health. Rather than counter his detailed arguments she accused him of bad faith, said that she was not about to take a vow of poverty (I don't remember that be discussed), and then stormed away from the microphone, to the applause of the teachers assembled in the auditorium.<br />
<br />
The country/state/county/pick one is BROKE. There is no more money. The public employees must realize that the people who pay their salaries, pensions and benefits are tapped out. They don't want to hear it, though, let alone understand that it is true. So, the public employee unions are channeling their inner two-year-olds and covering their ears and yelling I CAN'T HEAR YOU (just like in the video). In the long run it is not going to work, but we are in for a few years of this stuff. Madison is now; Miller Place is teed up for the (near) future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-47443969012037880952011-04-15T12:11:00.003-04:002011-04-15T12:13:24.893-04:00Iowahawk: 16 Tons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DpeIV9X-smg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-34398837547504840942011-04-14T15:04:00.001-04:002011-04-14T15:09:17.690-04:00Further proof that...."<strike>Global Warming</strike>" "Climate Change" is a total money-making scam.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theothermccain.com/2011/04/14/its-time-everyone-keep-their-naughty-bits-under-control/">Introducing the "Carbon-neutral Bra".</a><br />
<br />
I wish I was shameless enough to scam idiots out of their money like these GW shysters do. Alas, I have a conscience.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-78654387147918868452011-04-14T12:31:00.000-04:002011-04-14T12:31:12.535-04:00Miller Place school board adopts a budget....... at what cost?<br />
<br />
The agenda handed out mentioned "amendments" to the employment agreements of some of the bargaining units, most notably the teacher's union. My guess is that if the meeting went according to the administration and 4/5ths of the board's plan we would never have learned the details of the deal with the teachers.<br />
<br />
Trustee Mike Unger took a lot of heat last night. He simply pointed out that the deal that the board was about to vote on was not a good one -- AS POINTED OUT BY THE DISTRICT'S OWN LAWYER. That certainly should have, at least, been discussed among the board before it was presented as the saving grace of the '11 budget season. What did he get in return? The ire of the teacher's union, as evidenced by the glares aimed at him from the audience.<br />
<br />
As he pointed out, it is a very short term solution to a long term problem, and he is absolutely right -- the problem will be back next year, and it will be worse. Many in the auditorium wanted to shoot the messenger.<br />
<br />
And I hate it that the unions turn every criticism of them into criticism of the teachers themselves. The union's job is to negotiate the best deal for the teachers. The board is there to protect the interests of the residents, but the teachers unions have made it an art to equate hard-nosed bargaining tactics with disrespect to the teachers. And, too often, that tactic works in their favor. It is nonsense and dishonest.<br />
<br />
To the person who equated paying school taxes to buying gasoline at Hess -- do you have any idea how NOT correlated those examples are? No one is mandated to buy gas from Hess. One can take the bus, or carpool, or ride a bike. While gasoline is certainly a necessity, is not purchased by anyone by force of law. Taxes, on the other hand, are extracted from us at the point of a gun (don't pay your taxes and armed people will show up and escort you away). You can, in a fashion, "negotiate" what you pay for gasoline by moderating your consumption. Try negotiating your tax bill.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-Unexamined-Veil-of-Tenure/127067/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en">I close with this interesting article on tenure</a>. It talks about it in the university setting, but it has the same implications in K-12, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-56290646271714689982011-04-13T12:13:00.000-04:002011-04-13T12:13:48.780-04:00Good News!<a href="http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9MIQNBG0&show_article=1">GE to return $3.2 billion to US Treasury.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/42570045">Uh, never mind.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-39131234248382756832011-04-13T10:00:00.005-04:002011-04-13T10:00:04.922-04:00R.I.P. Flip video camera (2007-2011)<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20053337-266.html">Why did Cisco kill the Flip video camera, a brand they paid $509MM for in 2009? </a>Some analysts have said it is because margins on the cameras have dropped significantly due to competition and the advent of HD video being built into smart phones.<br />
<br />
While this is true, I still see a place for these video cameras, especially the ruggedized and waterproof ones from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030MITDK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paulsblo09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0030MITDK%22%3EKodak%20PlaySport%20%28Zx3%29%20HD%20Waterproof%20Pocket%20Video%20Camera%20%28Black%29%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0030MITDK%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E">Kodak </a>and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0044DEEJC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=paulsblo09-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0044DEEJC%22%3EGE%20DV1-GG%20Waterproof/Shockproof%201080P%20Pocket%20Video%20Camera%20%28Graphite%20Gray%29%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=B0044DEEJC%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E">GE</a>. For citizen journalists -- the regular person who goes to a public meeting and sees something "irregular" -- these cameras are very valuable. Sometimes things get ugly, like here:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsVfuJ1InUs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<br />
When some goon gets in your face and tries to slap your camera away (skip to about 5:17 in the vid to see my point illustrated), do you want to be holding a $99 Flip or a $$$ smartphone that, if stolen, contains all of your personal data?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-72991493256077523122011-04-12T16:00:00.001-04:002011-04-12T16:00:05.968-04:00The teachers unions are firmly on the side of...Us? The children? Not likely. In the immortal words of Albert Shanker, the founder of the United Federation of Teachers, "When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children."<br />
<br />
Here are a pair of articles that illustrate the point.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2011/04/12/understanding-the-adults-insatiable-thirst-for-school-spending/">Understanding the Adults' Insatiable Thirst for School Spending</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/11/teachers-support-cop-killer/">Teachers Support Cop Killer</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-60195206579768468032011-04-11T22:00:00.004-04:002011-04-13T10:23:18.747-04:00Newsday and TrumpNewsday is trying to arrest its slide into oblivion and eventual demise by going the hyper-local route. Like Patch.com, a division of AOL. But, Patch was there first, has a real team of internet techs behind them (I know, AOL is to tech as the Amish are to the Kardashians, but have you ever looked at Newsday.com?) and people who are already online for news slide right into Patch, an easy and logical site to navigate (again, totally unlike Newsday.com).<br />
<br />
So, what kinds of stories does the new hyper-local Newsday snag? How about this one:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/bellport-residents-say-yes-to-higher-taxes-1.2802156">Bellport Residents Say Yes to Higher Taxes</a></b></span><br />
<br />
Uh, does anyone really believe that? A few people show up at a village meeting (about 30) and say they would be willing to pony up more to "save" village amenities. The total population of Bellport is around 2,500, so 30 people don't represent much of a groundswell.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, this thinking goes on in Miller Place, too. There are about 12,000 residents of MP and even if a school board meeting is packed the attendees only represent a small fraction of the populace. If the board thinks that the people who attend meetings are representative of the voting public they are going to be in for a shock.<br />
<br />
I know this is like shooting fish in a barrel, but Newsday supplies soooo much to mock.<br />
<br />
Earlier in the week, they ran the following story from the AP:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/glenn-beck-s-fox-show-ending-1.2803949">Glenn Beck's Fox Show Ending</a></b></span><br />
<br />
I am not a big Beck listener/viewer, but my thinking is that if that one guy can make the liberals/democrats that bat-schitt crazy, well, then, he must be doing something right. But, even for Newsday, it was a fact-free, no-attribution hatchet job (of course, it was ripped right from the AP wire). Just a few pages in, however, was this article (and picture, too):<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/obama-seeks-re-election-help-from-sharpton-s-group-1.2803198">Obama Seeks Re-election Help from Sharpton's Group</a></b></span><br />
<br />
Oh, the irony. They absolutely demonize Beck because he says things that the libs find uncomfortable (ie, true). But here is the POTUS standing there and beseeching Al "Tawana Brawley Freddie's Fashion Mart Howard Beach" Sharpton -- the guy who tells the IRS that he doesn't even own his own clothes -- for his help to get re-elected. Wow. Newsday, you are not even worth the $2/week (delivered) that you cost me.<br />
<br />
Donald Trump. My gosh, is he getting under President Birth Certificate's skin. I don't think that he will ultimately run (the job is way too confining for an Alpha like that) but he is gonna have fun making O squirm, and he is rubbing the media's nose in it. I predict that the big story is going to be the discovery of the millions of dollars O and his handlers/enablers have paid to bury this story, and that is what is going to blow up in their faces. Go Trump! On Nov 3, 2012, I predict the front page of the NY Post is going to have Trump's pic on it with the headline "Obama, You're Fired!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-396463831749960372011-04-03T20:43:00.001-04:002011-04-03T22:20:16.850-04:00This currently sums things up...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TB8ABt9ahg4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">h/t <a href="http://powerlineblog.com/">Power Line</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-40381499440394885052011-04-01T16:18:00.000-04:002011-04-01T16:18:52.255-04:00Isn't that interesting....<a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2011/04/01/retired-teachers-in-california-earn-more-than-working-teachers-in-28-states/">Retired Teachers in California Earn More Than Working Teachers in 28 States</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-60751100794274990152011-03-31T14:39:00.002-04:002011-03-31T14:40:45.162-04:00Local District Tax Increases (Not Decreases, of Course)<span xmlns="">Shoreham-Wading River +2%, programs and teaching positions maintained<br />
<br />
Rocky Point +5%, programs and teaching positions maintained<br />
<br />
Longwood +4%, cuts in staff and programs<br />
<br />
Miller Place +7%, cuts in teachers and programs<br />
<br />
<br />
Which budgets do you think will pass?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-32582262612063350172011-03-31T12:17:00.003-04:002011-03-31T12:20:39.114-04:00W.W.B.S? (What Would Belushi Say?)<span xmlns="">Well, this was the final "budget hearing" meeting. What was accomplished over these past four meetings? Nothing. The board, administration and the unions (er, units) missed a great opportunity to take control of this crisis, hammer out a deal and present it to the crowd and show how all of the interested parties could work together for the common good -- themselves and the residents. Lumps would have to be taken, but if all shared in the pain the taxpayers would have, in all likelihood, rallied behind them and passed a budget. <br />
<br />
But, noooooo.<br />
<br />
We went to four excruciating meetings, each one building on the pointlessness of the one before. The bad news was presented as a done deal, the crowd complained, cried, begged, and exhorted, all probably for nothing. We were presented with no valuable information. We are still in the dark as to what negotiations are taking place with the unions -- we don't even know if there <i>are</i> any negotiations. All we know is that 30+ teachers are likely to get the axe, and all of the good stuff that the kids participate in is getting cut. And, we are gonna get a big tax increase. So, what was accomplished?<br />
<br />
Other districts in the area have worked together and taken proactive steps to save jobs, programs and present a unified, coherent plan to their residents. Middle Country comes to mind. Their unions all agreed to concessions and they worked out a deal with the district. Then, they let the residents know what they were doing. There is a high probability that their budget will be passed because the residents there have been kept informed, and the unions got a PR coup by proactively making concessions. They acknowledged to the people that pay them that they understand we are in tough times, and they wanted to do their part. Good for them.<br />
<br />
Mr. Mangani, you told the audience that the board is kept well informed via the state's clip service, so you all must have known about the Middle Country deal. Why didn't you at least try to get out in front of this matter, rather than have these pointless hand-wringing meetings?<br />
<br />
What do we have in Miller Place? A board that answers very few questions and hides behind legalisms. They should have been having round-the-clock talks with the unions right after the first budget meeting (debacle) and then presented something to the public at the next meeting, and by the third meeting that information would have been digested and we, the taxpayers, would at least have a reasonable picture of what to expect for next year -- program-wise and tax-wise. Instead, we heard more of the same. Nothing.<br />
<br />
Now we learn that Jim Moran has quit as president and trustee. But, did he really? The email read by Angela Guido was confusing, and even the board seemed befuddled. And then(!) we learn that two or possibly three trustees (did that include Moran?) will not stand for reelection. My guess is that the two who should go will not be the ones leaving. What is going on here?<br />
<br />
Some valuable questions were asked again last night -- again because they were not answered by last night as they should have been. A parent asked what AP classes were being cut. That should be an easy one to answer especially since the schedules are already be made up (or may be completed by now) for next year. Why won't they answer the question?<br />
<br />
The agitated guy spoke again last night, but this time he was more like Columbo than My Cousin Vinny. I think the new persona works well -- run for a seat! I would vote for you!<br />
<br />
Another rumor floating around is that the PTA president is going to run for a board seat. That would be a bad move as this person is widely thought to be way too friendly with the administration and the teachers. The district needs someone who will represent the residents and not be a rubber stamp for the unions and administration. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-75799997940139782011-03-28T15:11:00.000-04:002011-03-28T15:11:45.937-04:00The Backbencher vs Pelosi 2.0<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>AR-SA</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">There is a special election scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 for the Suffolk County Legislature's 6th District,<span> </span>which includes Miller Place.<span> </span>Can you feel the electricity in the air?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The contenders are Martin Haley, a career pol from the Miller Place/Rocky Point area.<span> </span>He has already been in the legislature and he is currently building commissioner for the Town of Brookhaven.<span> </span>He had a stint as a realtor, but he seems to have stuck to government work.<span> </span>He is running on the Republican ticket.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Democrat is Sarah Anker, a "longtime community leader, public servant and working mom with a track record of standing up for the community and getting results", to quote her website.<span> </span>While she has yet to hold a political office, she has mingled with the Dems for quite a while on such pressing issues as helicopter over flights of the North Shore (against) and duck hunting in Mt. Sinai Harbor (also against but, curiously, she is endorsed by Planned Parenthood).<span> </span>She was able to grab a small slice of the limelight with her helicopter issue, when she got Chuck Schumer to come out for a press conference about it (but, now that I think about it, how difficult is it to get Schumer to appear someplace where cameras are also present?).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Who to pick?<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pick the quintessential political benchwarmer?<span> </span>A nice guy, probably with his heart in the right place, but one of those guys who's specialty is staying under the radar while keeping on the public payroll, doing enough to hold a job but not enough to tick anyone off or bring much attention to himself.<span> </span>Or, the energetic community activist who has plenty of ideas on how to make your life better and, by golly, she is gonna make sure your life is better!<span> </span>As per her website, she is a mom (mom's know best) <span> </span>and she gets results.<span> </span>She was "Woman of the Year for the Environment", so I am sure she knows what is our best interest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even better, Anker is endorsed by a whole bunch of unions.<span> </span>The Long Island Federation of Labor endorses her, and the unions are so great for our economy, aren't they?<span> </span>But wait, Haley has the endorsement of the Sheriff's union.<span> </span>That makes him a "law and order" guy, right?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, who to pick?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anker is a woman, and her election would mean that there would be FOUR, not a measly three, women in the legislature.<span> </span>And, as a woman, she would bring us all up to speed on womanly-type stuff, right?<span> </span>Haley is a guy, and he does not represent anyone special.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, after much thought and deliberation (well, some, at least), I have come to a conclusion.<span> </span>I am going to vote for Martin Haley.<span> </span>He is old enough and been at the public trough long enough to have his income and retirement covered, so he is not going to do anything really radical to upset the apple cart and really make government "responsive" (which means, "even more expensive and ridiculous") .<span> </span>He will be a reliable Republican vote and that will be good enough for me.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sarah Anker, on the other (left) hand, represents the Nancy Pelosi-ing of local politics.<span> </span>She fits the mold of the well-off stay at home mom who is no longer challenged by her kid's homework, shoe shopping and nail-saloning, and her husband probably wants her to do something other than spend money.<span> </span>She exudes the self righteousness that most liberals have -- that they know what is best for us, and they want the government to force us to conform to their ideal image.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With both candidates, you know what you are going to get.<span> </span>With Haley, you get a career go-along-to-get-along, slightly back-roomish, pol.<span> </span>With Anker, you get <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Kravitz">Gladys Kravitz</a> (although Sarah is much easier on the eyes).</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-14255227195366239932011-03-26T20:24:00.000-04:002011-03-26T20:24:10.744-04:00If it can happen in London, it can happen here...."The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. " <br />
— <a class="authorName" href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/198468.Margaret_Thatcher">Margaret Thatcher</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370053/Anti-cuts-demo-Protesters-occupy-Fortnum--Mason-half-million-march-London.html">This is what happens when the public gravy train jumps the tracks. </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-54834356481897931552011-03-24T07:42:00.000-04:002011-03-24T07:42:07.301-04:00Chuck Norris' Japanese twin brotherA good read to start the day....<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">On a day when the news about radiation levels has turned more ominous, we need something to boost morale. So here you go: Meet Hideaki Akaiwa, formerly an unknown resident of northern Japan, recently a hero responsible for saving two lives, soon to be global Internet shorthand for alpha-male bravado in the same way Chuck Norris is. </span><br />
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<a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2011/03/23/the-toughest-man-in-japan/">Read the whole thing at HotAir.</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-69204774203384598512011-03-23T16:19:00.000-04:002011-03-23T16:19:29.469-04:00How long before it comes to Miller Place?<a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2011/03/23/we-are-at-war-neas-plan-of-attack/">“We Are at War” – NEA’s Plan of Attack</a><br />
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Via HotAir.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-16507476746862975742011-03-23T12:39:00.002-04:002011-03-23T12:52:46.403-04:00More on the public pension timebomb...Via <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/117247/">InstaPundit</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="color: #666666;">Actuaries got another rebuff this week when the labor-friendly CalPERS board voted to leave its earnings forecast unchanged, much like a CalSTRS board action in December that did not lower its forecast as far as actuaries recommended.<br />
A lower earnings forecast raises pension costs for state and local governments struggling with budget cuts during a deep recession. But another rate increase also might fuel the drive for pension reforms that increase worker costs and cut their benefits.<br />
“I was afraid we were going to throw gasoline on the fire in the public pension debate,” Neal Johnson of the Service Employees International Union told a CalPERS committee after a key vote.</blockquote><br />
Herein lies the main problem with public employee pensions: they are administered by politicians (who are influenced by union campaign contributions) and investment advisors (chosen, in part, by the parties that will collect the pensions) BUT the vast bulk of the funds contributed come from public coffers (ie, us, the taxpayer). If the calculations are all wrong, the pension beneficiaries don't care -- they have us to make up the shortfall. <br />
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The unions have very little skin in the game. And few people know this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9078385134918412983.post-32516213733998641102011-03-23T09:08:00.000-04:002011-03-23T09:08:39.244-04:00Public Employees Rush to Retire<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704433904576212882952061352-lMyQjAxMTAxMDIwMjEyNDIyWj.html">Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal</a>. It mostly references public workers in CA and WI putting in their papers quicker to avoid any potential future downside to their benefits. Can this be far behind in NY? Is it already happening in Miller Place? And, are we prepared for it? My guess would be no. Retiring employees represent a big short-term hit to the budget. The deadline in MP (maybe the whole state) to submit retirement papers was this past February 28. We, the residents, will not know until later in the year who is retiring, so we have no idea what budgetary impact this will have.<br />
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Just another financial thing to be concerned about.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1