Saturday, April 9, 2011

Obama DemoPods Feed Tea-GOP Zombies, Keep Washington Monument Open | MyFDL

Obama DemoPods Feed Tea-GOP Zombies, Keep Washington Monument Open
By: Scarecrow Saturday April 9, 2011 6:05 am	Tweet15

You would think that a sentient President of the United States would be embarrassed, ashamed, and contrite after one of the more mindless and destructive governmental performances in years. Nope. Not the President who foolishly believes the federal government needs to tighten its belt because he’s clueless about the difference between families and the federal government. Has there ever been a Democratic President more befuddled about what leadership requires?

Having locked his own DemaPod Party into voting to slash $38 billion for their own programs, Mr. Obama didn’t apologize. Instead he thought it was a moment to make another speech urging you to visit the

DEMOCRACY IS NOT SAFE

Teach for America alum: Problems with the model - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Teach for America alum: Problems with the model

By Valerie Strauss

This is the second in a series of posts written by Anna Martin, an alumna for Teach for America who has stayed in her original placement school in California for seven years, five years longer than the TFAdemands of its recruits. (You can find the first post here.)

Martin calls herself “conflicted” about the organization, which places college graduates from top schools into schools with high rates of low-income students after providing them with five weeks of training.

The organization is a favorite among current school reformers, and is supported by the Obama administration, as an innovative way to rejuvenate the country’s corps of teachers. TFA’s many opponents say, among other things, that five weeks of training is hardly enough to prepare a young person for the difficulties of teaching needy children and that this approach devalues the teaching profession and winds up

If you wanna dance with me

YouTube - Rock and Roll Music(WITH LYRICS): ""

Just let me hear some of that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lost it,
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

I've got no kick against modern jazz
Unless they try to play it too darn fast
And change the beauty of the melody
Until they sound just like a symphony

That's why I go for that that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lost it,
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

I took my loved one over 'cross the tracks
So she can hear my man awail a sax
I must admit they have a rockin' band
Man, they were goin' like a hurrican'

That's why I go for that that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lost it,
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Way down South they gave a jubilee
The jokey folks they had a jamboree
They're drinkin' home brew from a water cup
The folks dancin' got all shook up

And started playin' that that rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lost it,
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Don't care to hear 'em play a tango
I'm in the mood to gear a mambo
It's way to early for a congo
So keep a rockin' that piano
So I can gear some of that

Rock and roll music
Any old way you choose it
It's got a back beat, you can't lost it,
Any old time you use it
It's gotta be rock roll music
If you wanna dance with me
If you wanna dance with me

Milwaukee’s school voucher scam « Larry Miller's Blog

Milwaukee’s school voucher scam

by millerlf

JOEL McNALLY | state columnist | Posted: Saturday, April 9, 2011 6:45 am

The vicious scam behind Milwaukee’s school voucher program now is becoming public for all to see. The program is about to take another ugly turn transferring money from our neediest students to the most privileged. It was always suspicious that right-wing Republicans were enthusiastically supporting a tax-funded government program they claimed would help poor children of colorreceive a quality education.

Historically, the right has consistently fought tax funds going to people in need, especially those of other races. The only government programs they support are huge tax cuts and corporate welfare benefiting the wealthy. For two decades, voucher supporters resisted testing of poor

Lessons in Negotiations from Marian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt | Firedoglake

Lessons in Negotiations from Marian Anderson and Eleanor Roosevelt

by Peterr

Marian Anderson on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Watching the news last night hurt.

President Obama’s remarks on the budget agreement with the GOP included this signature line: “Like any worthwhile compromise, both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them. And I certainly did that.”

Yes, Mr. President, you certainly did. Nobody can “give ground” on important issues like you can. (See Iraq, the public option, Dawn Johnsen, . . .)

It wasn’t always like this in DC. Once upon a time, there were folks there who took on entrenched opponents

Rants & Raves for the Week of April 4th, 2011 | California Progress Report

Rants & Raves for the Week of April 4th, 2011

by megan

By California Labor Federation

Wisconsin-style worker-bashing took a trip to California this week when Riverside County supervisors endorsed a measure to gut pension benefits for new hires. The proposal—which might not even be legal—creates a second-tier where new workers would not only fund pensions entirely on their own, but would also be forced into a stripped-down and non-negotiated plan. Now, we know what you’re thinking: How does attacking future employees—who will only be hired when our economy recovers—address immediate budget gaps? The answer is simple- this move is nothing but a vicious attack on public employee retirement security and a naked stab at union-busting.

Balanced Approach to Budget Best Hope for Recovery

by megan

By Assemblymember Jerry Hill

SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic Weekly Address, Assemblymember Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, discusses recent positive employment news and the importance of having a balanced approach to fixing the State’s budget shortfall in order to “protect the fragile economic recovery that is finally beginning to be felt in California.” Hill states that the goal of Legislative Democrats remains a budget that solves the deficit through a balanced approach that saves jobs and protects vital services while their Republican counterparts have delayed action through outrageous demands that would increase the deficit. Hill adds that Californians need both parties to be part of the solution, and “the time for action is now.”

Click onto the following link for the English language MP3 file. The running time is 2:28.

Daily Kos: Ignore this Mr. President. You already ignore me.

Ignore this Mr. President. You already ignore me.

by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken)

Here I am doing my civic duty, working on my taxes. I am paying my fair share.

My wife and I gave you money when you ran for President. We supported you.

But now? Blow, after blow, after blow.

The 'deal' about which you bragged is perhaps the final straw for this camel, whose back is breaking at the same time as his heart is shattered.

Dear readers, I apologize for what I am now writing. It will not be coherent, because I am responding to the policy and actions of an administration that are not coherent.

It is an expression of ... what? Disappointment to be sure, anger, almost despair.

Mr. President, with what you have just done, on top of all else your administration has done - and failed to do - you have destroyed the hopes of millions, and shifted power and wealth in the direction of those who are fueled by hatred and anger.

And you expect us to continue to support you?

Perhaps you had better ignore this. Because you will not be happy with what I have to offer.

Saturday coffee. + Old school « Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee. « Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee.

by Fred Klonsky

No Haymarket riots are expected today as Chicago’s labor unions rally at 1PM the Daley Plaza.

It is a cloudy but mild day. And all should be peaceful.

Thousands are expected to march, a culmination of a week of national actions marking the day 43 years ago that Martin Luther King was murdered while in Memphis to support union sanitation workers.

Today we march in solid solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Florida,

Old school.

by Fred Klonsky

Bill Withers. I watched a documentary on Bill Withers last night, called Still Bill. See it if you can.

Popout

Work Together! USA: WE ARE ONE #1u #solidarity #WIunion #p2

YouTube - Work Together!: ""

Budget Compromise a Bad Deal for Democrats, American Economy - E.D. Kain - American Times - Forbes

Budget Compromise a Bad Deal for Democrats, American Economy

by E.D. Kain

Man of the hour, Speaker John Boehner (via Daylife.com)

While Republicans may have fallen short of their intended cuts in the deal struck last night between Speaker of the House John Boehner and congressional Democrats, it was a worse deal for Democrats. More importantly, it was a bad deal for the American people and the American economy, still struggling to recover from the crash of 2008 and the housing crisis. Ezra Klein notes the peculiar nature of the deal:

In the end, the real negotiation was not between the Republicans and the Democrats, or even the Republicans and the White House. It was between John Boehner and the conservative wing of his party. And once that became clear, it turned out that Boehner’s original offer wasn’t even in the

Jersey Jazzman: Christie's Lying Education Statistics - Part IV

Christie's Lying Education Statistics - Part IV

from Jersey Jazzman by Duke

Chris Christie published a little statistical whine about New Jersey's schools as part of the rolling out of his corporate-based school reform plan. I've already picked apart how his financing claim are completely bogus; let's take a look at his claims about student achievement.

The first thing you'll notice is how every claim is about the "achievement gap" between poorer and wealthier students, or about the gap between white students and black or Hispanic students.

Which is bizarre, because his false and/or misleading claims about teacher salaries, education spending per pupil, and total spending are geared toward ALL students. Why doesn't he say anything about the achievement

Robert Reich (Why the Right-Wing Bullies Will Hold The Nation Hostage Again and Again)

Why the Right-Wing Bullies Will Hold The Nation Hostage Again and Again

When I was a small boy I was bullied more than most, mainly because I was a foot shorter than than everyone else. The demanded the cupcake my mother had packed in my lunchbox, or, they said, they’d beat me up. After a close call in the boy’s room, I paid up. Weeks later, they demanded half my sandwich as well. I gave in to that one, too. But I could see what was coming next. They’d demand everything else. Somewhere along the line I decided I’d have a take a stand. The fight wasn’t pleasant. But the bullies stopped their bullying.

I hope the President decides he has to take a stand, and the sooner the better. Last December he caved in to Republican demands that the Bush tax cut be extended to wealthier Americans for two more years, at a cost of more than $60 billion. That was only the beginning — the equivalent of my cupcake.

Last night he gave away more than half the sandwich — $39 billion less than was budgeted for 2010, $79 billion less than he originally requested. Non-defense discretionary spending — basically, everything from roads and bridges to schools and innumerable programs for the poor — has been slashed.

The right-wing bullies are emboldened. They will hold the nation hostage again and again.

In a few weeks the debt ceiling has to be raised. After that, next year’s budget has to be decided on. House

As a Wisconsin Election Takes A Fishy Turn, is the Tea Turning Toxic? - WNYC

As a Wisconsin Election Takes A Fishy Turn, is the Tea Turning Toxic?

Thursday, April 07, 2011

WNYC

By Alec Hamilton

Enlarge
Wisconsin state workers protest proposed cuts to benefits. (Getty)
It's A Free Country
Read. Argue. Listen. Act.
More
I think independent voters have seen enough to know they're uncomfortable. I think democratic voters are mobilized. And I think that's a microcosm of what's going on in many places around the country.
— David Axelrod

What had been a low-profile state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin yesterday drew national attention as it appeared to be an early indicator of impending toxic blowback from the Tea Party’s hard-line politics.

Surprise!

Progressive challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg appeared yesterday to have pulled off a surprise victory over incumbent conservative justice David Prosser. Prosser, who had expected an easy win, initially looked to have lost by 204 votes, largely as a result of high voter turnout by Wisconsinites angry about Governor Scott Walker’s battle with state unions.

Surprise Again!

Now the tables are turned. In what the Washington Post called a "stunning twist," a County clerk announced Thursday that she had forgotten to record 14,000 votes, which gave Prosser the lead by 7,500 votes. Clerk Kathy Nickolaus (R) of heavily Republican Waukesha County said that she had inadvertently failed to import and save information into the database, omitting the votes. Nickolaus previously worked under Prosser in the Assembly GOP Caucus years ago when Prosser was Assembly Minority Leader.

Congress.org - News : Seven traits of a successful boycott

Seven traits of a successful boycott

Arizona could be in trouble if activists follow these tips.

By Ambreen Ali

Arizona faces a boycott over its new immigration law but, if history is an indicator, there may be little for the state to worry about.

Few boycotts succeed, even though the tactic has part of the fabric of American activism since before the Boston Tea Party. They work by hurting the income that companies and states generate, but that's not easy to do.

"It is so hard to affect the bottom line of a company," said Lawrence B. Glickman, author of "Buying Power: A History of Consumer Activism in America." It's especially hard to hit the bottom line of a state, which has numerous sources of income.

Boycotts can even backfire, hurting the very population that they aim to protect. Many of Arizona’s Latino community work in the very sectors that immigrant rights groups are targeting.

Ohio Lawsuit Against Private School Chartering Company by 10 of Its Own Schools and the State « Larry Miller's Blog

Ohio Lawsuit Against Private School Chartering Company by 10 of Its Own Schools and the State

by millerlf

For-profit charters lack transparency. How are public funds being used?

Excerpt from the article:

“Government data suggest that schools with for-profit managers have somewhat worse academic results than charters without management companies, and a number of boards have clashed with managers over a lack of transparency in how they are using public funds.”

by Sharona Coutts
ProPublica, April 6, 2011, 10:09 a.m.

Since 2008, an Ohio-based company, White Hat Management, has collected around $230 million to run charter schools in that state. The company has grown into a national chain and reports that it has about 20,000

Diane Ravitch on the Myth of Charter Schools « Larry Miller's Blog

Diane Ravitch on the Myth of Charter Schools

by millerlf

The Myth of Charter Schools

November 11, 2010 Diane Ravitch

Ordinarily, documentaries about education attract little attention, and seldom, if ever, reach neighborhood movie theaters. Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for “Superman” is different. It arrived in late September with the biggest publicity splash I have ever seen for a documentary. Not only was it the subject of major stories in Time and New York, but it was featured twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show and was the centerpiece of several days of programming by NBC, including an interview with President Obama.

Two other films expounding the same arguments—The Lottery and The Cartel—were released in the late spring, but they received far less attention than Guggenheim’s film. His reputation as the director of the Academy Award–winning An Inconvenient Truth, about global warming, contributed to the anticipation surrounding Waiting for “Superman,” but the media frenzy suggested something more. Guggenheim presents the popularized version of an account of American public education that is promoted by some of the nation’s most powerful figures and institutions.

The message of these films has become alarmingly familiar: American public education is a failed enterprise.

“	The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.	”
	— Franklin D. Roosevel

Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, April 9, 2011

DEMOCRACY IS NOT SAFE

Teach for America alum: Problems with the model

As a Wisconsin Election Takes A Fishy Turn, is the Tea Turning Toxic?

Thursday, April 07, 2011

I think independent voters have seen enough to know they're uncomfortable. I think democratic voters are mobilized. And I think that's a microcosm of what's going on in many places around the country.

— David Axelrod

Surprise!

Surprise Again!

Seven traits of a successful boycott

Arizona could be in trouble if activists follow these tips.