Obama Demands Action

Finally!

“I don’t see how another year of negotiations would help.”

Oh, I though he was talking about Iran.  Nevermind.

Milwaukee Democrats Seek to Make Milwaukee County a Tax Island

Yeah, good plan 

Struggling to enact a transit sales tax before the end of the legislative session, Democrats are pushing a revised bill that still would establish a new Milwaukee County transit authority, funded by a 0.5% sales tax, that could take over the Milwaukee County Transit System, with County Board approval and eventually could merge into the existing Southeastern Regional Transit Authority.

But it would drop earlier plans for separate Kenosha and Racine transit authorities funded by hotel, vehicle registration or property taxes. Instead, starting Jan. 1, the Kenosha and Racine bus systems would become part of the regional authority, which already is responsible for the planned KRM Commuter Link rail line. The state could provide some added transit aid to those cities’ transit systems.

I fully support this legislation.  I look forward to consumers and businesses moving to Washington County in order to escape Milwaukee’s ever-increasing tax burden. 

We welcome all of you to Washington County.  We’re not perfect, but we’re a helluva a lot more sane than Milwaukee

Average Teacher Compensation in MPS Tops $100k

Stunning.

For the first time in history, the average annual compensation for a teacher in the Milwaukee Public School system will exceed $100,000.

That staggering figure was revealed last night at a meeting of the MPS School Board.

The average salary for an MPS teacher is $56,500. When fringe benefits are factored in, the annual compensation will be $100,005 in 2011.

Obama Fails to Fill Civil Liberties Board

Heh.

When President Bush two years ago failed to name members to a federal board to monitor the protection of civil liberties, Democrats and activist groups were duly outraged, seeing it as one more example of his administration’s indifference to the subject.

But more than a year into a new presidency, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board—created by Congress in 2007—remains as much a cipher under Barack Obama as it was under George W. Bush. The White House has yet to nominate a single person to sit on the five-person board. It has no members, no staff, and no office.

Chileans Defend Themselves From Looters

Scary stuff. 

Garrido’s son armed himself with a garrote and joined a local crime watch whose other members wielded knives and pistols. But it didn’t make Garrido feel much safer. She worries they’ll kill someone.

She also worries that criminals will get in anyway, simply by wearing twisted plastic bags that patrol members use as armbands to identify themselves.

“I’m destroyed,” Garrido said. “Last night I heard gunfire all around me. They’re looting things and walking around with rifles doing anything they want. Nowhere is safe.”

Like her neighbors, she must make the stressful decision each day of briefly abandoning her home so she can fill a wheelbarrow with water from a system that in normal times irrigates a traffic circle.

Under a state of emergency declared by Bachelet on Sunday, about 14,000 troops were sent into the quake zone. They can shoot to kill if necessary. The military says that hasn’t happened.

A homeowner shot and killed a young man entering his house in the town of Chiguayante, El Mercurio newspaper reported.

In Concepcion, an unknown number of looters set fire to the El Polar department store Tuesday and were caught inside by the flames. Their bodies have yet to be recovered.

It’s a good lesson that when society breaks down, you will have to rely on yourselves and your neighbors.  Prepare for it before it happens.

Rangel Temporarily Steps Down From Chairmanship

If he had any ethical standards, he would resign permanently.  But, of course, he doesn’t have any standards. 

Rep. Charles Rangel announced Wednesday he will temporarily step down as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, saying he didn’t want his ethics controversy to jeopardize election prospects for fellow Democrats.

The 20-term Harlem congressman held a news conference on short notice, telling reporters, “My chairmanship is bringing so much attention to the press, and in order to avoid my colleagues having to defend me during their elections, I have this morning sent a letter” asking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “to grant me a leave of absence until such time as the ethics committee completes its work.

Customer Service Fail

I recently needed to set up some additional email accounts with my ISP.  I can do this online, so I went to take care of it.  After having some issues, I decided to chat with support.  I’m a big fan of web chat because I can multi-task while I work on the issue.  Here is the text of my chat with some specific company and personal information removed:

Thank you for choosing ******* Chat Live! A Customer Care representative from My Account will be with you shortly.
You have been connected to TTD Pia .

TTD Pia : Thank you for contacting *******. My name is Pia. How may I help you today?

Owen Robinson: Hi Pia. My Account appears to be behaving improperly. When I login, I can only login with my old zip code and it takes me to an account called “Owen Cleanup.”... I’m trying to get into “My Account” to manage my email addresses, but it keeps going to the “Owen Cleanup” account and I don’t have access.

TTD Pia : I apologize for the inconvenience you are experiencing with your account access. Are you using Internet Explorer?

Owen Robinson: yes. IE8

TTD Pia : I see.

TTD Pia : Before I could assist you further, may I please have the account holder’s name, phone number, and service address?

Owen Robinson: Owen Robinson. ********************************

TTD Pia : Thank you for verifying the account. May I know who I am chatting with?

Owen Robinson: Owen Robinson

TTD Pia : Thank you. Please try to delete your cookies, then access the site again.

TTD Pia : To delete the cookies and clear the contents of your browser’s temporary Internet files folder, please do the following:

1. On the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, click Internet Options, and then click the General tab.
2. Click Delete Cookies, and then click OK.
3. Click Delete Files, and then click OK.
4. Click Clear History, and then click Yes.
5. Click OK.

Owen Robinson: OK, hold on

TTD Pia : Alright.

Owen Robinson: done

Owen Robinson: working on accessing the site again

TTD Pia : Alright.

TTD Pia : Is it working now?

Owen Robinson: I went to the main page and clicked Log In. I logged in with my email address and password. It worked and welcomed me as “Owen.” I then clicked on “My Account and Help” and then “Manage Email Accounts.” At this point it prompted me to login again with a login page that asks for a username, password, and zip code. It does not accept my email address as the username, but does accept my username “*********” and my old zip code.

TTD Pia : Your login information is incorrect.

Owen Robinson: It accepts that login, but then takes me to the “Owen Cleanup” account and won’t do anything from there.

TTD Pia : I can certainly assist you with your login information.

TTD Pia : For security and identity verification purposes, may I please have the account holder’s name, phone number, and service address?

AAARRRGGGGHHHHH!  At this point, I disconnected the chat.  If your company is going to offer a customer service web chat option, please have people on the other end that know what they are doing.

Teachers’ Union Gives Finger to Taxpayers

This reaction was expected.

West Bend School Board members crossed a line when they sent a letter to teachers about labor negotiations Friday, according to the representative of the West Bend Education Association.

   Contract negotiations for teachers in the West Bend School District started last fall, and moved into mediation in February. If a voluntary settlement cannot be reached through mediation, which can take place over a series of meetings, the terms of the contract will be settled through binding arbitration.

   “The approach taken by the board was disrespectful to the membership,” said Jeff Wickland, who is representing the West Bend Education Association and is executive director of Cedar Lake United Educators Council.

   The two-page letter, which was signed by each School Board member, stated that the “current collective bargaining process is going to directly impact the amount that has to be reduced for next year’s budget.”

   Superintendent Pat Herdrich recently recommended $2 million in cuts for 2010-2011 school year budget. The cuts are necessary to bring the budget under the revenue caps, and as a result of reduced state funding for schools, she said.

   “To target our members, their wages and benefits is unfair,” Wickland said. “We are not the problem. The school funding formula is the problem.”

In other words, “FU, give us more money.”  Personnel costs constitute roughly 85% of the district’s budget.  You CAN NOT seriously address the district’s finances without addressing those costs.  The reason that the union doesn’t like the school funding system is that it prevents the board from jacking up taxes to pay higher personnel costs. 

Look, here’s the reality.  Even if the school district taxes to the max again, which will draw even more fire from the public, they will come up short.  The school board does not have the power to change the school funding formula.  It has to play the hand it’s dealt.  And if the union insists on increases in this economy, that money has to come from somewhere.  It will come from programming, teacher jobs, or the other 15% of the budget. 

The school board is doing the right thing here.  There will be consequences if the teachers’ union insists on an increase.  We don’t live in a fantasy land of endless resources here. 

If you are a teacher in West Bend and disagree with your union, it is your responsibility to tell them AND the school board that they don’t speak for you.  Silence is acceptance.