9.6 percent swing and drop in teacher enrollment since Act 10.

Thank you Scott Walker, for diminishing a once admired profession, and reducing the number of teachers getting into education:

WSJ: Since Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature enacted sweeping changes to collective bargaining and teacher compensation, the number of junior and senior undergraduates enrolled in state teacher-training programs appears to have dropped, state data show. The 2.8 percent decrease between 2010 and 2012 at University of Wisconsin System campuses comes after a 6.8 percent increase between 2008 and 2010.

That's a 9.6% swing. Walker’s insulting response to statewide teacher hatred? He denies he had anything to do with their vilification, and instead, challenges everyone to search through and watch all of his YouTube videos for just one time he might have said something negative. Gee, can’t wait to do that.

Teaching Poisoned by Politics: And yet, teachers on the front line are now complaining about the politicization of the teaching profession:

Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell, associate dean of the UW-Madison School of Education, said some graduates there are now reporting feeling ill prepared for what they call the political atmosphere surrounding teaching. “Until our most recent surveys, we’ve never had a complaint that ‘you didn’t prepare us for the political atmosphere’” of teaching…

Profession now just a Short Term Job: But that’s not all. The future looks even worse for experience educators:

Hanley-Maxwell also said since 2009, the number of survey respondents planning to teach as long as they are able or until retirement has dropped significantly — from 85 percent in 2009 to 39 percent last year. She said she doesn’t know why just yet. “There’s something going on out there — whether it’s Act 10 or negative commentary (about teachers),” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s definitely something going on out there.”

I thought I would include the following comment so everyone could see it.

Actually the decline in teaching candidates is FAR worse than 10%. 

The study only looked at larger UW campuses; in the smaller campuses and private colleges, the decline is closer to 50%.

Even better for Wisconsin's future is that the number of candidates going into STEM areas (science, technology, mathematics) is down about 80%...and most of the recent graduates during the past 2 years have left Wisconsin for teaching jobs in Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan where a teacher will earn well over 1 million dollars more during their career than if they stay in the WORST place to teach in America: Wisconsin.

One former math teacher put it best: "Life is short, don't waste it in Wisconsin". 

ABC News Honors Teachers in Oklahoma as Persons of the Week.

Remember this the next time you hear snarky conservatives bash teachers as thugs, money grubbing and less than dedicated. Moving and honest, this is what I see in every teacher watching over my sons. Send a link over to trash mouth Vicki McKenna.

Dumb Ron Johnson must be Fired!!! Says He'll vote Against Oklahoma Aid without Budget Cuts.

The ego enveloped arrogance of Dumb Ron Johnson is just too much to take anymore. Did Wisconsinites vote for this kind of unencumbered cruelty in pursuit of a balanced budget?

WSJ; Several Republican senators said that the cost of any emergency aid bill crafted to provide aid to people affected by the enormous tornado that touched down in Oklahoma Monday must be offset by cuts elsewhere to the federal budget to defray costs to the taxpayer.

Conservative GOP senator Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) said that any emergency aid bill must include matching spending cuts to ensure there is no increase in the budget deficit.

“We should be able to find plenty of areas in the budget to offset that,” said Mr. Johnson, a tea-party backed lawmaker from Wisconsin. “I would vote against a bill that didn’t include offsets.”

This ABC video summary should tell you everything you need to know about Johnson's detached irrational response. One more thing, anyone want to continue to beat up on teachers?:

Double Dipping good for Schools, Bad for Teacher hating Republicans.

Taking further aim at the teaching profession, Republicans hate it so much when teachers collect benefits earned previously and get them after going back to work for less, that they want to penalize them or just stop them completely. We're talking just 2,800 employees. Worth it?

jsonline: Public workers would have to wait longer, 75 days after retirement before they could return to the government workforce and in some cases would be barred from receiving retirement benefits while working the new job, under a double-dipping provision Republicans on the Legislature's budget committee … The measure passed 12-4, with all Republicans voting for it and all Democrats voting against it.  

This will cost taxpayers...of course, like everything else base on pure ideology. They are the great envious judges of unfairness.

It seems almost everything Scott Walker and his "pet legislature" is doing is costing taxpayers more and more. Job training for FoodShare will cost taxpayers $26 million a year, turning down Medicaid expansion will cost $73 million, not to mention businesses paying up to $36 million a year for employees, interest on borrowed road construction costs and interest, costly changes to voting regulations, public schools raising taxes to make up for lost voucher money...that's just a sample. And then on top of that, he wants to throw away the upcoming internet sales tax revenue on cutting income taxes even more.

And when we go from feast to famine...how's that going to work out? 

Teacher Vilification trashes profession, job satisfaction from 62% to 39%!!! Republican Wrecking Ball to Education Keeps Swinging.

Thanks to Bluecheddar1 for noticing this recent and devastatingly depressing poll about teacher satisfaction.

Education can’t take this kind of hit, and teachers vilification can’t continue unabated like this without completely demoralizing and delegitimizing the profession itself.

This morning I heard a radio caller blame opposition to mining in Ashland on retired teachers who have relocated there. Teachers wreak havoc wherever they go?

There’s no way to soft pedal this poll, it’s really bad and only the beginning:

Teacher job satisfaction has plummeted to its lowest level in 25 years, from 62 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2012 – a total of 23 points, according to the annual Metlife Survey of the American Teacher, released this week.

Teachers reporting low levels of job satisfaction were more likely to be working in schools with shrinking budgets, few professional development opportunities, and little time allotted for teacher collaboration.

What used to be the teaching “profession” has been turned into an salaried “job.” For private sector workers who are powerless to change their own horrible job conditions, wages and benefits, this just levels the playing field and they couldn't be happier. And although this is national survey, statewide cuts like the ones put in place by Gov. Scott Walker must be considered as well:

According to results of the annual survey, teacher stress levels have sharply increased, with half of teachers reporting that they feel like they are under great stress several days per week, as opposed to a third in 1985. Van Roekel said "Classrooms are already crammed with students, programs and services are being cut, and teachers are entering pink slip season — all while further budget cuts loom as a result of fiscal cliff inaction."

The survey results come as the nation prepares for draconian cuts set to kick in on March 1.

"Lawmakers must ask themselves, 'how much longer can our schools continue to be drastically underfunded and understaffed without significant damage to the quality of the education our students are receiving?”

Check out the MetLife survey here: www.metlife.com/teachersurvey.

Poor Republican Public School Teachers, Victimized by All.

Poor Republican teachers, it all start out so innocently:

Thousands pack(ed) a convention center, Barack Obama T-shirts, videos celebrating the health care law … But this Obama love fest in Washington (saw) nearly 9,000 gathered were teachers in town for the National Education Association's weeklong annual convention.

Get out the crying towel, here come the “victimized” Republican teachers comments:

Edweek: For the Republican teachers in attendance, the digs at their political views were impossible to overlook. "What I don't like is the harassment going on for people to be an 'EFO'—an educator for Obama," said Maureen van Wagner, a special education teacher … roughly a dozen teachers who identified themselves as Republicans said they felt pressure from union leaders and the rank-and-file to support Obama's re-election—and felt marginalized when they wouldn't. Some interviewed said they were so worried about retribution from their colleagues that they wouldn't provide their names for publication.

What a wonderful example of individualism, strength, free speech and liberty. What is striking is the lack of confidence shown by these losers unless their surrounded by likeminded ditto-heads.

So voting against their own best interest, their students best interest, and being vilified by their own party should be applauded and encouraged by their fellow teachers? Ideological idiocy.

But what did take Republican teachers off guard was the criticism they received for expressing support for Mitt Romney. A Republican teacher speaking at the convention was booed for doing just that. The incident prompted NEA President Dennis Van Roekel to intervene, saying that everyone had the right to speak. Then there were the T-shirts. Some Republicans said they were presented with NEA T-shirts featuring Obama's name—and that it felt like being forced to choose between their profession and their politics.

Say it together; “Poor babies.” Even a few conservative teachers understand just how dumb their party allegiance really is:

"For Republican teachers, it's almost like we're stepchildren in NEA, and then in the Republican Party we're also stepchildren, because we're public schoolteachers, and that's not part of their focus," said Keiser, who teaches high school math in Long Beach, Calif.

Doh! What many voters don’t know and should about the NEA:

NEA officials said the union, which has never endorsed a Republican for president, makes every effort to ensure all its members feel welcome. The union holds a Republican Leadership Conference the same week as the annual convention. Union dues are kept separate from the NEA's political action committee, which spends donated funds to promote candidates such as Obama. And the NEA has endorsed GOP candidates who are pro-public education. 

Romney-not-so-smart...teachers, police and firefighters need federal dollars too.

Michael Eric Dyson, filling in for Ed Schultz, spells out just how out of touch, and blustery Mitt Romney has been in lately about downsizing government. He apparently doesn't know how much the federal government helps states nationwide fund our teachers, police or firefighters.

Dyson picks Romney apart.

Schools Districts may have the power to lower teacher wages 30%, beyond limiting raises.

As the story originally appeared in the Journal Sentinel, it looked like Scott Walker was attempting to change the base salary teacher raises could be calculated from.

jsonline: The rule change would not use an individual's actual salary as a "base salary" to calculate raises and would exclude factors such as a teacher's higher degree … lower inflation-based raises that public unions can negotiate by 30% or more for teachers in public schools and technical colleges. Walker ordered changes to the rules that would limit base wages to exclude pay given to workers such as teachers to reflect factors such as having a graduate degree.

But now the story has taken an even uglier turn; districts may be able to lower actual wages to the lower pre-education wages, separate from the issue of raises. If districts wanted too, they could lower a teacher’s wages by around 30%.

Check it out at Sly in the Morning:

The spin he's generated everywhere has effectively taken the spotlight off the assault, convincing even the state's largest newspaper, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, in to believing that the measure only affects pay increases.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and listen to the evidence from attorney Tim Hawks who's handling the situation on behalf of Wisconsin's teachers' unions.  

We now have 1500 fewer teachers than last year, do to Walker's tools, without any layoffs. This new wrinkle will do exactly what?

New Berlin’s Glen Park Elementary falls victim to after effects of Walker’s “tools.”

I’m beginning to think the Republicans and Scott Walker should be thankful the full effects of their “tools” have not been realized yet. There will be hell to pay when our states education system begins its downward trajectory in the next few years. Hell, it’s happening already in a Republican district, where one of the better performing schools is getting deep sixed. Yes, even good schools are getting the axe. Check out the frustration and shock one parent had at the last school board meeting.

CBS-58: NEW BERLIN -- Police were called in to calm down a man who made an obscene outburst at a controversial school closing meeting. He yelled out an obscene phrase as board members discussed shutting down Glen Park Elementary School.

Parents and students launched a Facebook campaign to garner support to keep the school open.

But the school district said its hands were tied as it faced budget cuts and tough decisions. The school district is facing a $25 million budget shortfall. Its decision to shut down the school was unanimous.

The only way to close that gap is to close one school according to the school board.

What, a $25 million budget shortfall? In Waukesha County of all places? But…but what about the “tools?”

For parents it's disappointing since Glen Park is one of the best peforming schools. 

While a few comments mentioned the school has been on the chopping block for awhile, it still seems odd that even with success and great grades, it still couldn't be saved? Here are two comments that hit home:

1. Seems to me if a city is growing in population and the majority is in their child bearing years, having to close a school is a sign of mismanaged funds by city officials. Maybe instead of closing schools, they should do some recalling and get people in office that care about the people.

2. Big crowds mean nothing to anybody holding office in New Berlin, so, support from the community is meaningless. Nobody will save this excellent school. Like one New Berlin Mom said, this was in the works and a long time coming. Enough said, and good luck selling your fine home in THAT school district.

Unexpected Number of Teachers Leaving, Mid-Year. Walker Policy to Blame!!!

Conservative voters and Walker backers will stop at nothing to balance the state and local budgets. It doesn’t matter what happens, or how divesting the “unintended consequences” are, spending taxpayer money needs to stop. But these cheap bottom feeding freeloaders who already have theirs, will never be happy with the cuts. More will follow.

And with these cuts our kids’ education will suffer, creating a whole new complaint from conservatives that public schools are lousy, and need to be done away with.  

Fox11: Fifth-grade teacher Kathi Sikich has worked in public schools for more than a quarter century, the last 12 years at McAuliffe Elementary. John Dunlap, a math teacher at Preble high, has spent 37 years in public education. "I love watching the kids understand math," Dunlap said.

On January 20, both will become former teachers. The two are among 70 employees in the Green Bay district calling it quits in the middle of the school year. Sixty-six of those employees are teachers; four are administrators and staff. If that sounds like a lot, it is. In fact, last year, just one teacher retired in the middle of the year. The year before that, just three retired.

But it’s working, according to the Walker administration.



Parents supporting Walker should be ecstatic.

Some parents aren't too happy with what's happening this year. "It is unfortunate for the kids," said Chris Busse. His son is in Sikich's class at McAuliffe. Busse found out at the start of the school year that she would be leaving in January. "I was a little put off by it," he said. "It's a whole new transition in the middle of the year that kids probably don't need to go through."

Rich Carlstedt from the Brown County Taxpayers Association says he doesn't have a problem with it. That's because the district will now save money by hiring new teachers. "Now is the time to do it, believe it or not. I don't look at the sudden increase in retirements as anything negative. I think it's good." 

See, who the hell cares. I have kids in elementary and middle school, and it would be horrible to see the teacher they've developed a daily routine with leave. I hate these tax cutting sons of bitches. 

Maybe it's good for the district's bottom line. But what about the students? John Dunlap knows some of the students in his algebra class will be affected by the mid-year change. "Why not stay? Because of the threat at that time," Dunlap said. "We had to decide to retire or not with the old retirement package and there was no guarantee because we didn't know what the new contract was going to offer.

Can you blame these teachers? It’s “everybody out for themselves” now. This is the world conservatives crave. And we’ll get cheaper inexperienced teachers with no seniority, all in pursuit of the almighty bottom line. Oh, the cutting has only just started too.

This comment followed the story:

This has hurt the prison system also. The experienced staff all retired because of Walker's policies. Now things aren't so good. Assaults on staff are on the upswing and things are getting ugly. The truth is the same. The compensation is their money. The tax payers pay them for work done. How and where they put those wages is up to them. I kinda wish the tables could be turned. God forbid an employee at some company like Oshkosh Truck give up a percentage of their wages because the public said it wasn't fair that they had that money to begin with.

Not so Surprising, 85% of School Employees Vote to Reinstate Unions!

Now all we have to do is remove Scott Walker from office: 

WSJ: School employees approved state certification for about 85 percent of the unions seeking the limited collective bargaining rights allowed under Wisconsin's controversial new law governing public employees, officials said Thursday. In November, all six state employee unions that sought official status won recertification elections. Unions certified under the collective bargaining law are allowed to negotiate for cost-of-living pay increases only, with benefits and working conditions considered out of bounds. 

Teachers in Walker's Ads face Criticism, and then Whine about it!!!

Love the headline:

Union Radicals Harass Teacher Who Dared to Support Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker

Poor conservative bullies, the heat in the political kitchen is getting to be too much for one charter school teacher. Keep in mind; since Scott Walker became governor, public teachers in this state have been bullied, vilified, threatened and trashed in the media for standing up for their rights in the workplace and in the classroom. And that doesn't even include losing their collective bargaining rights.

But turnabout is fair play; a conservative charter school teacher and Walker drone, spouting the governors talking points, is whining about how horrible her life is now that she’s taken a stand. Maybe she thought conservatives were exempt from criticism. Get a load of the crap from Breitbart’s Big Government propagandist online tabloid:

Apparently there’s no room for free thought or disagreement within the Wisconsin Education Association Council … not terribly surprising for a group that has to force its members to join. Still, it’s troubling to hear that Kristi LaCroix, the courageous public school teacher who had the guts to film a television ad supporting Gov. Scott Walker’s reforms, is being harassed by union zealots to the point where she wants to change careers. LaCroix recently posted the following on her Facebook page, according a news story from WISN 1130:

“Going through and deleting my daily amount of hate mail that is sent to my work email. I have now been assured, by one of the emails (all of which I forward to my Principal) that there is an online movement called ‘Fire Kristi‘ where they are going to email, post and talk to everyone (telling) millions of stories to ruin my reputation, career and life.“Kind of hard to keep my head up with stuff like this. I have said for a couple of years that I really need to leave teaching. I think that it is time for me to move on.”

That’s a very important point. Kristi admits she’s been thinking of getting out of teaching for a couple of years. Many of the reader comments ignore that fact, and have created a narrative Walker opponents are forcing her out. Point two: Recent research has found charter and private school have a higher turnover rate than public schools. But there’s so much more:

Here’s a sample of an email that’s been sent to LaCroix: “On Facebook there are lots of people willing to join the Fire Kristi movement. You are alone in a wilderness. Your financial help from the likes of the Koch brothers will dry up once your liabilities outweigh your assets, which will be very soon. Your best bet is to start a job search soon. Enjoy your isolation.”

Ouch, tough stuff? Cry me alligator tears. The article goes on to compare the political debate to “bullying.” All the phony outrage:

The disgusting people attacking LaCroix and Rajnicek are probably the same folks who threatened business owners who refused to put anti-Walker signs in their windows, or who terrorized the Catholic elementary school in Milwaukee where Walker read to children earlier this year.

“Probably the same folks?” Like Fox News says, “some people say…” Now for a little conservative projection:

If Big Labor is known for anything, it’s lowering itself to whatever disgusting level is necessary to get what it wants. In the world of collective bargaining and group think, the end always justified the means, regardless of how nasty the tactics might be. Consider the following from her Facebook page:

“I have sat by for my 14 years and have been saddened by the amount of non-learning that is allowed to take place in our school. The unions are destroying public education and it makes me sick … “I just don’t fit in the education system. I would like to actively search for a new job where I can still work with kids and not have to work for public education. I just want a classroom, students and to be left alone to teach.”

Funny, Republicans have done everything they can to not leave the teachers alone. How ironic.

Conservative Wisconsin State Journal front page: Teachers Porn Lovers Too!!!

Teachers sit around all day looking at porn in school.

Just in case you missed it, Republican vilification of teachers reached its peak in Wisconsin with legislation that portrays them as panting purveyors of porn and/or felons.

This below the fold headline nails those lousy teachers!

The smear campaign wasn't over after stripping collective bargaining. It's not like you couldn't fire a teacher before this law was signed into law by Gov. Walker. But Republicans had to go one step further, by actually revoking their teacher license. That'll teach 'em. It wasn't enough to be able to pull their license for immoral conduct.

Looking at porn at school is a bad idea, sure, but does it end a career or make a great teacher bad? The answer:

Gov. Scott Walker said the new law will help ensure children are being educated by qualified teachers. 

These moral upstanding beacons of perfection can hopefully spend more time now ripping up recall petitions or making it harder for adults to get birth control.

And to make room for law abiding citizens to get jobs, Walker signed into law the ability of schools to discriminate against former felons, even if their offense doesn't directly relate to the job in question. That was the actual reason given by a Republican legislator for passing this law. I guess mistakes like drunk driving, a tragic fatal accident, burglary, theft, white collar embezzlement can be a job ending moment...for life.

Former Full Time Teacher Hired back as Full Time Substitute at half the pay.

This report is a shocking story about a public school teacher hired back at half the pay and no benefits. She had 15 years in the profession before she was released, temporarily, until she was hired back as a "full time" substitute. It's nice to we value the skills of those who've dedicated their lives to our kids.

You'll also meet a former factory supervisor for 30 years, now in his mid sixties, out of work for nearly two years and demoralized.

Both people in this story can only blame themselves for not being rich, as Herman Cain would say. This is where we're headed. The scary thing is, in less than one year, we're nearly there:

Teachers should be paid based on "peer benchmarking," not performance. What do you think? We want only the best...

Republicans are big on teacher performance pay. It isn’t an effective incentive for the kind of profession it’s being applied too, but what the heck, how else can you discipline bad teachers. And most of them are bad, or, they’re in it for the money and union benefits.

But I’ve got a better idea, one that Wall Street and free market Republicans have endorsed; peer benchmarking. The Republican congress had a fit when Wall Street compensation and bonuses became an issue because limiting either would discourage the best from staying in their jobs.

What is “peer benchmarking?” I’ll let thisHuffington Post article explain:

The American economy may be faltering, but corporate executives needn't worry: Regardless of how well they perform, each one of them stands a good chance of getting paid as much as all the others -- if not more. That's because of a practice known as "peer benchmarking" -- a widely used method wherein corporations set pay for their executives at or above the median level of, well, other executives. No company wants their top brass leaving for another job with better pay, so executives are often compensated not based on how well they do, but on how much their competitors in the industry make.

See how well it works? If we want the best teachers, let’s go to “peer benchmarking” and do away with that silly carrot and stick approach. It’s worked on Wall Street say the CEO’s and Republican politicians.

The result? Salaries at the top are inching higher all the time. The financial crisis and subsequent worldwide economic slowdown haven't stopped executives from taking home bigger paychecks … In general, executive salaries have grown far faster than the incomes of average workers in the years since the crisis. Median CEO compensation pay rose by 27 percent in 2010, compared with an increase of just 2.1 percent for workers. Such figures suggest that the prevalence of peer benchmarking, as outlined in a recent Washington Post article, may play an important role in the United States' ever-widening wealth gap. (The) middle- and lower-class incomes became more or less stagnant. A recent study shows that countries with a more equitable income distribution tend to have longer periods of economic growth -- and that "more inequality lowers growth."
 

The Walker Effect; Public Schools see big changes ahead for kids, parents and quality.

I’m reposting this revealing look at what one teacher is experiencing now that Act 10 is in place, because as they indicated in the post, the blog MisleadingWisconsin might be forced to end. I’ve always focused on education here and will continue to point out the destructive effects of the right wings ultimate goal of turning the education our kids into another profit center for big business. The following was accomplished by our Republican legislature in just 6 months:

Real-life effects of WIS GOP on education

Now that the rhetoric has died down regarding Walker's union-busting here in Wisconsin, here's how it has affected me--a teacher--my students, and my school.

The moment Walker's Act 10 took effect, my school board froze salaries, changed the upcoming school calendar (which had been agreed upon with the union a couple months earlier), canceled already scheduled, out-of-school-day continuing education for its staff, created a grievance procedure that is, in effect, settled by the district superintendent or a district-selected third party, instituted health care changes without real input from the insured, and, as of yet, six weeks into the school year, has not provided a handbook with conditions of employment to its teachers.

Despite Walker's declarations that districts will save money (despite state funding cuts), our district has eliminated some aide positions, sacrificed some curriculum updating, and reduced staff development opportunities.

As a result of district changes, my teaching time has increased, my prep time has decreased, and there are new policies to provide more and daily information on student progress and lessons (the added "transparency" will take me an estimated 30+ minutes per day, with no apparent link to improving student learning).  There are less services for students requiring additional reading help, and no specific plans or staff for students demonstrating severe behavioral problems.

My salary, including new health care deductibles as well as pension and health care payments, is down about 10%, while new state mandates require more actual work in the classroom including more identification, specific work with, and documentation for students who are below level.

Some parents, now that our state government has led the way in calling teachers (or their representatives) greedy, slobs, and thugs, voice similar opinions.  I documented in an earlier post parents cursing and hurling insults at teachers as we walked down the street in our town in a show of non-confrontational solidarity. When the local parent-teacher group's budget revealed a thank you gift for teachers at Christmastime, one parent rolled her eyes and said, "You've got to be kidding me."

And upcoming changes (should we ever be provided a handbook), will very possibly include a "pool of money" for teacher salaries, from which the subjectively determined "better" teachers will score more than their subjectively-judged "lesser" peers.  For all the district initiatives and admonitions to promote collaboration, pitting colleague against colleague for their wages certainly doesn't seem like a very collaborative or efficient or wise thing to do.

Lastly, I have been advised by a third party consultant that continuing a blog reporting my district's policies or providing criticism of state government policies so ardently backed by the locals--and identifying myself with my real name, background, or photo--could actually come back to haunt me in terms of disciplinary action (now that I may no longer have a union).

And all these individual concerns don't even include the low-income families here that are affected by cuts to programs they may utilize, or those that may not be able/willing to vote because of new voter ID laws, or a government that changes laws to suit personal agendas or kowtow to businesses at the expense of those in need, or changes in environmental policies that affect everyone's quality of life, or the deep and abiding breach of trust between a people and its elected government.

I'm unsure whether I will continue this blog.  If so, it will be under an assumed name (as advised by the previously mentioned consultant).  There are many wonderful blogs out there fighting this good fight, and I have yet to determine, with the added responsibilities and scrutiny of my job, if I have the ability to do this justice.  Until then, my state senator Grothman is still (as I have termed him before) a major d-bag, and my governor is still a liar.

Thanks for visiting over the last year.

Recalled Republican Sen. Luther Olsen unmoved by the Loss of our schools and community.

I hope you have a chance to watch one of the most powerful political ads, in my opinion, produced this year.

I'll tell you why. On my trips up north, I usually drive through a little town by the name of Navarino. I always looked forward to driving past a beautiful little school with a great looking playground, baseball field and stands. But it's empty now, abandoned. My heart sinks every time I drive by that building now. A little school that was once filled with life, dreams, educated the area children and brought the community together. It also created many childhood friends, playdates and memories for life.

But that's all over now.  We don't have the money to keep schools like Navarino open anymore.

This ad by Democracy for America, running against Sen. Luther Olsen, supporting Rep. Fred Clark, is an emotional roller coaster for me. Take a look: