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From the article, "It's all about empire!"
Consider: The U.S. Empire’s official spokesman to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright announced to the world that the deaths of half-a-million Iraqi children from the sanctions were “worth it.” That was in 1996, and the sanctions lasted another six years.
You can never make me believe that we are not The Anti-Christ that is leading American souls to eternal damnation!!!
http://original.antiwar.com/eland/2011/05/10/unprovoked-attacks-from-1812-to-911/
Unprovoked attacks are common in the American psyche.
http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2011-05-09.asp
It’s all about empire.
@dowdotica #16, good comments! @AJ #17, it is best to write to the lawmakers. @Palindrometary #18, we have too many economic Manchurian candidates and presidents from the GOP. Medicare and social security will be history in 2014. @john sawyer #25, good comments! You have said it more correctly. We can learn from other cultures but the Anti-Christ believes she is right in everything.
For the light blue in my comment I must have pressed the wrong key. My computer skills are basic skills at best!
On the average, CEO's are worth maybe 10% of that they presently "earn," because in fact they do not earn what they get; they basically steal it from the shareholders, defraud the public for it, help their corporations avoid costs of doing business such as cleaning up their wastes and pollution, bribe government officials here and abroad. In other words, many of them are thieves, plain and simple. And what do we pay thieves?
Teachers, on the other hand, should be paid far more than they are currently paid, they should have the advantage of collective bargaining, job security, and frankly, ____ the corporations that want to take over the education of our children, because thieves don't make good educators. We wouldn't need to lay off any teachers if more corporate officers and bribe-seeking government officials were "laid off" and sent to prison, which is where they belong.
@2950-10k:
Sounds a lot like the CEO I worked for. He owned so many expensive top-of-the-line sports cars that he had to have a big multistory garage built to house them all...one sports car could have bought my house...maybe a couple of houses.
"He who dies with the most expensive toys wins!!!"
Part of the problem is that many people glamorize and idolize these people..they want to be just like them...and so they tend to support the ponzi scheme ideology.
@John Sawyer:
Unfortunately, CEOs and other executives are out for short term profits (maximizing their offshore bank accounts in the shortest time). The time has long passed when people with such titles looked to build their companies to grow and last for a long time. In fact, it is not just those heads of companies...it is their stock holders as well...they are all in it to maximize their profits in the shortest time. Perhaps it is because they all know (unlike those who work for them and who may have been convinced to put some wages away in some instrument for a nest egg for retirement) that the whole ponzi scheme of capitalism and the dominance of the US dollar is crumbling. The financial bubbles and collapses are getting worse. They know that they can only keep up the charade of continuously fooling the people for a limited time and they have all been making a mad rush to steal as much as they can before the people finally realize that the crooks have gotten away with all of the money and the gates are slammed shut by mass revolution or by some more restrictive change in our system. Many people now know that there is really no difference between the Democrat and Republican parties...they are both owned and controlled by the rich...those who have been grabbing all they can. If you want to look into our future...look at Latvia. Go to www.michael-hudson.com to see what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.
I have not seen or heard of any lies that President Obama has engaged in. Exactly what lies did he make? I doubt that you can come up with any.
You cannot put a dollar value on a good teacher. But my guess is most are not from the wealthy class and got their degrees with student loans. Teachers need to make enough to pay those loans (takes 10 yrs, most don't qualify for those forgiveness programs) and provide a decent livable wage. Needing a degree and (in most states) a masters at some point, not to merntion continuing ed puts them in the professional career category. Why would anyone think they don't deserve a "good" wage? If you ask me CEO's are a dime a dozen, its the workers and middle management that make a company profitable.
Please expain how they can give away millions every week with the lotteries that where supposed to be funding publc schools.There has been some misdirection of funds or the percentage needs to be increased in favor of education.Or of course the rich can pay there fair share and bring all the troops HOME.I'm sure they are going to have a hard time fighting for a country that can even afford to educate they children......
Union Teachers teach our kids, Right Wing Republicans don't like that !!... you figure it out.....
No doubt CEOs are overpaid-they should be lucky to get 3-4 times the worker's wage let alone that there was a maquilladora boss making 134,000X the production worker wage.I don't think the education system is great either-a seconday education is what most of us will ever get and it only qualifies one to push a broom or a mop-considering this, we should all grad from high school with at least a trade.I don't think any teachers are over paid.
Thom,
I don't know how to tell you this but i'll try. you still put your faith in government it's broken...
it runs on MONEY for favors if you don't have the MONEY you lose. Fairness whats that?
Listen did your hear that . They have us fighting over peanuts, and they stole the farm.
There is no MONEY left, and whats sad, nobody from congress is jail, state or federal......
,
Oh, but those banksters earned it gambling with other people's money. Teachers are all glorified babysitters. [/sarcasm]
The right wingers make no secret that they are aware that stupid people vote republican. (Read that again, right wingers: not all republicans are stupid, but if you're stupid, chances are you vote republican) So dismantling education to give tax breaks to the greediest among us is all part of Ayn Rand's epic troll of humanity.
Anti-education/anti-intellectual and religion usually go hand-in-hand. Religion is their tool and greed is their end game. "Whoever has the most toys wins."
@Stan:
Yes, it's been shown many times, both in practical situations and in behavioral experiments, that positive reinforcement works better than negative reinforcement, overly harsh punishment, etc. I helped run a company for about ten years in which I found that to be the case. Given that the proof has long been there, it still surprises me that this fact isn't universally acknowledged. At the least, cynical corporations should incorporate this, if for no other reason than it's better for the bottom line if done right. If employees treated properly stick around longer, and thus accrue more benefits, larger salaries, etc., then I see no reason why a clever CEO couldn't figure out how to prevent that from impacting their profits, rather than go the supposedly easy route of structuring their company in a way that uses the "hire and fire for profit" technique.
Tensions arising, The Rich are Richer so it time to Spy on everyone. There are many thieves out there everywhere. The Rich, The Oceans of greed will never fill up no matter how much you feed them. They are now putting a lock on the our nation making tensions of unhappiness arise like in themselves. The money bomb effort, the desires for power to control, tensions, accumulating over the need obtaining competing money for rule and the Jones and head butting with the Jones, So locking the wealth up in a box so it can be watch so no one can get at it, There are thieves that can take it away but I must keep watch. (Tensions) All that money of Happiness is lock up in a box just like Scrooge, Scrooge was tense and unhappy and he would watch everyone, tensions would ruled the air waves. 99 pieces for me 1/2 piece for you. You were late! Its a old game! Money talks nobody walks. ~Lao Russell said > The greatest urge in all Nature is Unity ! Disharmony brings tension. "Get together one more time. The Doors
@gerald:
Anthropology is indeed one of the most important kinds of classes that someone can take, at any stage of education. But while I agree with you that it can show us how bad some cultures have been, I think an equal or greater value is in showing us how fascinating and functional other cultures have been, and how much of western culture has been shaped by their contributions, thereby teaching us the proper level of respect for other cultures, and leaving them be, either to stay the same or evolve on their own, rather than trying to reshape them in our own image.
AS a school counselor from WISCONSIN who has 27 years in with a MASTERS DEGREE, I have personally known 20% of all students who graduated from my high school- the largest in the state- over that period of time. Considering the city is only 40,000 that is a significant number of people who put their trust in me. How am I repaid? Instead of being valued in my last few years - SCOTT WALKER wants me out. I guess since our last Rep Gov Tommy Thompson put caps on total compensation since 1992 to be no more than 3.8%- I was too expensive. My salary since 1992 went up 1.65% and each contract my insurance went to higher deductible, less coverage, higher preimum or all three. Now- for any teacher to get a raise over cost of living in Wisconsin, state law will have to be changed. As a counselor I stood up for kids all the time to insure the system-teachers, principals, and more would give kids a fair shake. Without union protection- I won't be standing up for anyones kid anymore.
There are a variety of beliefs held by people who think teachers (and others) are one cause of economic problems rather than the corporations (and their bought politicians) that actually are, and therefore these people are happy to have their money siphoned off by the corporations--of course, none of these are justifiable reasons:
• Dissatisfaction with the quality of education--and rather than working to fix this, they want to cut or yank teacher's incomes altogether
• The idea that teachers are "brainwashing" kids, and so they're a misuse of funds
• Personal grudges against locals, sometimes expanded into larger, self-serving "philosophies" about where money should go--not to local individuals, but to corporations who make all kinds of promises about doing the job better
• Fear that corporations, being bigger, more powerful targets, could somehow retaliate, and since the economically ignorant have to find some easy target, they go after people less able to defend themselves
• The idea that corporations somehow produce jobs out of thin air, or through their own genius, and so education for their employees isn't as important--this is one of the harder ideas to understand (because it's not possible to)
• The weasel's desire to side with the biggest gorilla possible--the corporation.
At the bare minimum, teacher's unions can prevent the government from firing all of them, which some state governments these days would be happy to do if they could. Hence one reason for their attacks on teacher's unions.
What are CEOs and Teachers worth? Truck drivers often make more than high school teachers. But teachers are so instrumental in the forming of America generation after generation. They have our children in a structured inviroment from the time they are small. Teaching them, influencing them. We had better have a qualified person there at the wheel. They have a great deal to do with what America is becoming don't kid yourself.
Looking at what it takes to live I think teachers should be making $75,000 a year after their first year on the job. Teachers should have a highly respected place in society, but they are looked down on by many.
CEO's in most cases are dirt. I had a neighbor that bought and lived in a house across the street from me last year. He fixed it up inside and out. Replaced tons of sheet rock, new plumbing, new electrical, new roof. Amazing work that he and his son did.
Well when I first got to know him he told me his biggest regret. He said he once was a CEO of a big corporation. He told me in his own words, "I was worse than the devil", "I was worse than a murderer". WOW.
I know one thing for sure, when you fire someone or constantly put pressure on an employee usually needlessly you take away their security. You hurt them physically and take years off their life. This is murder. Is this what Americans are aspiring to, to get a good high paying job so they can murder others?
This neighbor I had for a short time had changed. He was a good person when I knew him. I wish I could say the same for all CEOs. Teachers, many of them really care about people and America. Many CEOs care about themselves and their bank account. Yes, they are so often over paid and what they do to others they should be put into prison for several years for, that is if there was any justice.
Something that needs to stop in America is the "Hiring and Firing for Profit". This was the title of a book that was written in the early 70s. Most all companies anymore use fear motivation. Fear motivation is very short lived. Positive motivation works far better. I worked at a company that used positive motivation. It worked so well that we broke efficiency records there that had never been broken before. But people have a tendency to stay with a company with the positive motivation. Not as much medical insurance used at companies like this, but more employees stay around and build up their benefits, raises, and retirement. In all reality companies can't afford this and this is why it is like hell to work for most companies. Companies want a fast turnover to not pay all the benefits. Even government organizations are hiring and firing for profit now.
This is why when I go to do grocery shopping I see so many sad people in public places. People that look like they have been verbally abused most of their lives because they have. This is what the corporations have done to america. It's true and I think the big bosses should come to grips with reality and take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves do I really like what I have become? Stan
When the US, again, violated Pakistani sovereignty, and went in to get OBL (now a martyr), and again murdering many civilians in their wake...maybe it wasn't such a good idea...it just further infuriated some very radical groups that have their hands on nukes:
"The head of Pakistan's army disagrees with President Asif Ali Zardari's rule to never initiate a nuclear first strike against another nation, the Press Trust of India reported on Friday quoted leaked U.S. diplomatic dispatches as saying."
"Despite increasing financial constraints, we believe that the military is proceeding with an expansion of both its growing strategic weapons and missiles," then-U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson wrote ahead of Kayani's February 2009 trip to Washington.
"The potential for a Pakistani nuclear weapons insider to incrementally steal key atomic ingredients or for rogue actors to target nuclear weapons as they are transferred worried the United States more than the possibility of an extremist pilfering a bomb in a single act, the records indicate."
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20110509_9875.php
Julian Assange of Wikileaks wins the Sydney Peace Prize.
Photo of him wearing the gold medal here:
http://twitpic.com/4vx2ef
"...we can expect the next Republican or Democratic administration to step in and “save” the country from economic emergency by scaling back Social Security while turning its funding over, Pinochet-style, to Wall Street money managers to loot as they did in Chile."
Michael Hudson-economist.
"...banksters – and not teachers – pay up for what they did to the economy." ...right on, Thom Hartmann!! banksters--and not retirees; banksters--and not the laid off; banksters--and not those who lost their homes. I saw one sign carried by a protesting teacher that said "Silent Revolution works". Demonstrating in the streets is one thing but it has to be in every city and town and it has to be so continuous that it drastically disrupts business as usual. It will have to get so bad that Obama is left with a decision to send out the helicopter gunships to restore order.
I'm glad that Maria finally dumped her groping hubby. I never liked the gropenator nor did he ever do California any good. But Jerry Brown is well known to practice what he preaches...not that I know him all that well...he is known to be quite an ascetic...but Ronald Reagan was once known as quite a progressive till his mental condition began to set in or was used as a "economic Manchurian candidate"? ...perhaps injected with some mind-bending exotic neuro-toxin from his wife's rich and famous neurosurgeon father? And Obama was once thought to be on the side of the people until he drank the neoliberal cool-aid. But then he was probably just acting that way to get elected. His foot in the door to power and riches as he sucks on the tit of the sinister right wing sow leaving everyone else to starve and die the lowly peons that they are. He got his..now eveyone else can just go to hell. He climbed the ladder of exploitation with his smooth-talking promises and after showing us his gratitude by constantly destroying our country he wants us to vote for him yet again? Nothing will change until voters make it very clear to these political tricksters that they will not vote for them again. "no other choice" is a scare tactic that needs to be abolished.
Stand up and stop the PIGS. The GOP is enabling the capitalists to rob us blind. Get a handle on this, or be responsible for the death of the American middle class! Education is the number one place to steal away the working classes window to the American Dream. All the Corporationists want is slave!
Give a kid a fish? He will have food for a day.
Teach a kid to fish he will have food for life!
Seems to me they just want to starve us out of oppertunity.
I mean really, by the time i was in ninth grade I could design and build, I could bake a cake! I learned that men are suppose to open the door for women! lol I could wash my own laundry change a tire on a car! Oh yeah, I could read and write too! and even do some "basic" math?
I knew right from wrong? I could fill out a job application and type.
seriously though? Kids today? Hell most of them can't even read a ruler!
That my good people is the saddest.
As a victim of retail management for more then 20 years I have seen the decay first hand year after year as part time christmas help would come in to fill out applications. Half of them can't read and half of them can't write and worst yet? Most of them can't even articulate the simplest, logical answers to now prefab interview questions.
Just where did we go wrong?
Where did the core go and why.
Is it the pay? I'd say so, I'd have a hell of time trying to work in a school on paupers wages knowing that at any moment some parent might try to get me fired because i excercised some firmness with their other wise ill mannered child. I can't even phathom the amount of strees teachers have to deal with.
I gave up volunteer work all because of that. I'd see a kid out of line on the playground ,call him down on it and sure as Bob's your uncle he'd go cryin' to his mommy. "that mean man" and yet in my art classes the kids knew full well when your in my room you respect the teacher and myself or hit the road.
Funny I ran into one of those kids a few days ago. I couldn't tell who he was but he sure remembered what a great teaching experience he had in my art class.
Sad where we have arrived. A society nil and void of ...uh, hmm..what do I remember from my youth?
oh...thats it unity and community!