Virginia’s faux surplus? Don’t believe it for a minute!

MoonHowler

From Robley Jones email.  Robley is a VEA outreach specialist.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on Friday that Governor McDonnell says Virginia will have a surplus for the third year in a row.  How has that surplus been achieved?  This is a surplus achieved, in part, by shortchanging Virginia’s students and teachers.  Here are a few ways the surplus was achieved which affect our schools and school employees:
  • We are still funding our schools at a level less than what was provided in 2008-09.

 

  • We are still funding VRS at a level significantly below the VRS Board of Trustees certifies rate for all employee groups. The 2013-14 certified rate for teachers was 16.77%, the state budget provides that state share of funding for 11.66%.  This increases the unfunded liability of the fund.

 

  • No funds have been provided for teacher salaries since 2008.
Shouldn’t some of the surplus go to funding public education?
Obviously, Virginia doesn’t have a real surplus because its pension liability is under-funded.  How long are we going to operate on lies and bull crap?  While this email specifically addresses VRS as it pertains to the teacher pool, the same can be said for all other state workers who are eligible for  the state pension.  While this communication is not just about teachers, it does show how enimic funding for education has been since 2008.  When the state doesn’t fund, guess who picks up the slack?  We do.  We pay, pay, pay out of our local taxes.   Next time you hit a pot hole that has been there since God was a child, start connecting the dots.
Its time to face the music and tell the truth, Governor McDonnell.  The chickens have come home to roost, to quote the Sheriff.   He and I just disagree whose chickens.

Labor, health and education spending bill craters most reproductive freedoms plus title X

MoonHowler

Huffingtonpost.com:

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) released a labor, health and education spending bill on Tuesday that would defund Planned Parenthood and Title X, block the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, allow any employer to deny women birth control coverage under the ACA for “moral reasons” and increase spending for abstinence-only education.

Specifically, the bill prevents federal dollars from flowing to Planned Parenthood clinics until the family planning provider can certify that it no longer offers abortions, even though Planned Parenthood only uses federal money for non-abortion services.

The legislation also states that none of its funds can be used to carry out the Title X family planning program or be used to “implement, administer, enforce, or further the provisions” of the Affordable Care Act.

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New winery ordinance threatens to shut down Fauquier County wineries

MoonHowler

Fauquier County is now known as Footloose County, named after the famous movie and remake movie about a town that didn’t allow dancing or partying for its kids.  In this case, its the winery crowd who gets their wings clipped.  There are  currently 26 wineries in Fauquier County.

Its rather difficult to understand why Fauquier wanted to take a perfectly good, positive thing about its county and step on it like a bug.  Here are the nuts and bolts of the new restrictions:

Kipp Hanly reported the following in insidenova.com:

FAUQUIER CO., Va. —

If the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors passes a winery-related ordinance this week, Pearmund Cellars owner Chris Pearmund said the county would be tagged with a less than flattering nickname.
Fauquier County will be known as “Foot­loose County,” said Pearmund, a reference to the rigidly conservative fictional place in the 1980s where dancing was outlawed.

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Cuccinelli refuses to sign off on State Board of Health regs on abortion clinics

MoonHowler
Coo Coo Nellie refuses to certify State Health Dept directives on abortion clinics

Washingtonpost.com

 

The office of Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli II (R) on Monday refused to sign off on state Board of Health regulations that had exempted current abortion clinics from new, hospital-style construction standards.

In a surprise move a month ago, the board voted to exempt existing facilities from the new rules, which would have required extensive renovations.

In a four-sentence letter to the health department, senior assistant Attorney General Allyson K. Tysinger said that the the office would not certify the regulations.

“The Board does not have the statutory authority to adopt these Regulations,” it says. “[T]he Board has exceeded its authority. Thus, this Office cannot certify these Regulations.”

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Valerie Strauss: Why UVa.’s governing board should go

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com

There’s a charade playing out right now at the University of Virginia — and it’s not a game.

It’s the batty pretense that President Teresa Sullivan can and should be able to work well with people on the governing board who orchestrated her ouster — or acquiesced in it — but then reinstated her when the school community revolted. That Sullivan should be forced into a “healing” process with people who deceived her and lied to her — and who still won’t tell the public what really happened. That there isn’t a better way to end this episode.

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Responsible Blogging: The sky is not falling, Henny Penny

MoonHowler

Blog owners have the responsibility to “report” accurately.  Much of blogging is opinion.  However, when facts are discussed, a blog owner has the responsibility to report facts as accurately as possible and to correct when they are wrong.  that is just common decency.  We also feel the blog owners have to be careful not to harm people with what they say either through innuendo , statement, or suggestion.

We are most concerned over the fear mongering that is being spread about the pension funds.  Funds from the county and the school board all go to VRS.  The State mandates what is to be paid.  The counties and school systems must follow that directive.  State employees are also part of the system.   I have read so much inaccuracy that it is impossible to correct at this point.  How do you prove a negative?

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Obama campaigns in Clifton

MoonHowler

 

President Obama gave a rousing middle class speech to the middle class at Centreville High School right outsdie of Clifton.  An Annandale High School teacher welcomed the President along with elected officials.  According to the Centreville Patch:

 

“Hello Wildcats!”

On Saturday afternoon, President Barack Obama ended two days of campaigning across Virginia at Centreville High School, where he spoke about the need to renew the American middle class and the economy.

Central to his theme was his call to Congress to extend a Bush-era tax cut to families that make less than $250,000. Republicans want to see that cut applied to all, including families making more than $250,000. Obama has said previously that he would veto anything that includes tax cuts for all.

 

Photo gallery of today’s campaign stop at Centreville High

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Open Thread………………………………………………….Saturday, July 14

MoonHowler

One award recipient at the BOCS meeting this week will be the county mosquito people for “thinking outside the box.”  The blurb says that it is for using an ipad 2 and putting the data in the cloud (assuming icloud) rather than using a pencil and paper in the field.  I am curious why using one of the main applications for ipad is being considered an example of thinking outside the box, but ok.  When I told Mr. Howler of the good news, he asked if “thinking outside the box” meant another years worth of excuses for not spraying on Sudley Manor Drive.  That must be it.

Why does the truck not spray on Sudley Manor Drive?  I have been told because the speed limit is 35 minutes per hour.  Stop!  It isn’t 35 miles per hour.  It hasn’t been for 15-20 years.  Its 25 and 30 mph.  No matter what I say, I cannot convince this office to update their records on the speed limit.  Furthermore, so what.  I have given up trying. I don’t go outside in the summer.  I am allergic to mosquitoes. I get huge bites, often larger than old silver dollars.  I have to “suit up” with Deep Woods OFF just to get from my front door to the car.  Sitting outside is impossible for me.  It has to be a near perfect day for it to even be worth the trouble.

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Superbug in Antibiotic Fed Chickens?

Elena

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

 

 

I have to share, my husband, for years, made fun of me for “wasting” our money on organic chicken, beef, and pork.  I would say “honey, I am NOT feeding my kids meat laden with antibiotics, hormones, and other crap.”

Furthermore, the conditions in which animals are raised in factory farms is not only incredibly inhumane, its DISGUSTING!  They live in their own feces, often develops sores, etc, due to their crowded living conditions.  Which is WHY they are fed antibiotics like its their food, to inhibit diseases which would normally grow in such living conditions.

Apparently, a superbug may be putting several million women at risk for a hard to treat bladder infection.  I always thought it was common sense, if we ingest meat full of antibiotics, wont’ we become immune to its medicinal effects?

Anyway, the article is “food for thought” !

This a great article from ABC news.

A growing number of medical researchers say more than 8 million women are at risk of difficult-to-treat bladder infections because superbugs – resistant to antibiotics and growing in chickens – are being transmitted to humans in the form of E. coli.

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Is it Time to Drop the Invocation before the BOCS Meetings?

MoonHowler

Richmond Times Dispatch:

HENRICO, Va. —

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors has dropped the traditional prayer before its meetings.

At a June 12 meeting, the board took up the appeal of an approved plan of development for a mosque on Hungary Road. With dozens of Muslims in the packed meeting room, the Rev. Tommy Knighten, associate pastor for children and families at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church, delivered the invocation, closing with “in Christ’s name I pray.”

The next day, County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett received an email saying that such a prayer “at a government meeting that is set to determine the fate of a Muslim religious center serves no other purpose than to create an atmosphere of hostility.”

County Attorney Joseph P. Rapisarda Jr. declined to release the name of the email’s author.

The email went on to say, “It would sadden me greatly if I were to learn that Henrico County viewed me as less important due to my lack of membership in the ‘right’ group” and asked the board to stop having prayers at its meetings.

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Who wants 20 thousand more people living in the Linton Hall Corrider?

Elena

Allow me to answer my own question……NOT ME!

Some of you may, or may not remember the infamous “Brentswood” proposal a few years back.  Like the outer beltway, whose path remains the same, but name changes, “Brentswood” has now morphed into Stonehaven.

So here was the promise by Developers, “we’ll front you the money for the 66 improvements, including the 29 overpass, if you let us build SEVEN THOUSAND homes on the Atlantic Research property.”  Yet, the Developer wasn’t even going to proffer the money themselves, they were going to make citizens pay for the improvements while they pocketed the profits!

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Congress continues to waste time

MoonHowler

The Congressional  Research Service estimates the repeals have cost over $50 million.  So much for stopping spending.

This has been the 33rd vote to repeal all or part of the ACA.

Congress, you are wasting our time and our money.  You need to fund the government and you need to  make sure the tax rate doesn’t expire on the middle class.  You have done nothing about the jobs you promised us  before the 2010 midterm elections.

Stand and deliver.  You have 42 more days to get it all done this year.  That isn’t much time.

Dinosaur Sex? Inductive reasoning at its best

MoonHowler

So

Sometimes there are questions that no one wants to ask. Let us take care of those little annoying questions for you.  Watch our movie.  Have some pop corn.

Tell Ken Cuccinelli to get ready for another court case.  Tell Orrin Hatch that Utah hasn’t rocked this much since the dinosaurs did the deed.

I am very curious how this crap passes the  scientific whiff test.  How does one put this through the scientific process?  Very carefully I would guess.

Funniest thing about science.  Most of it is “solved” by looking at clues from the past and piecing together data.  Do we ever prove anything beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Not usually because scientific inquiry is inductive, unlike a math proof that is generally deductive.

Further information and pictures on dinosaur sex.

How can anyone possibly determine how dinosaurs really had sex?  All sorts of smart-arsed comments come to mind.  Science is a tricky business.

 

Ex-CIA Agent Says Roswell UFO Was Not Of This Earth

MoonHowler

The Roswell incident turned 65 this week.   The above video is from 1989 and is excellent, but it is lengthy.  So is Roswell for real or just another bunch of nut jobs with conspiracy theories?

The Huffington Post:

Happy anniversary, Roswell, N.M. It was 65 years ago today that the Roswell Daily Record blasted an infamous headline claiming local military officials had captured a flying saucer on a nearby ranch. And now, a former CIA agent says it really happened.

“It was not a damn weather balloon — it was what it was billed when people first reported it,” said Chase Brandon, a 35-year CIA veteran. “It was a craft that clearly did not come from this planet, it crashed and I don’t doubt for a second that the use of the word ‘remains’ and ‘cadavers’ was exactly what people were talking about.”

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