A Forum for Grinches and Ho-Ho-Hoes

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Huh? I don't understand your post. I said all I think he's done is bought time for the fiscal issues.

Sorry -- I misread your post. Never mind. It no longer exists.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by bilmore
When you say "stature", do you mean his ability to threaten other pols with his hordes of following voters if they fail to do what he wants?

Yes.

(Because I wonder how his "stature" will survive once he has to tell those hordes what the bill's really gonna look like on their paystubs to clean everything up.)

In his address last night, he again pledged to hold the line on taxes and to cut spending. But even if he were to raise taxes, I think he could sell it. The people here LOVE him. The believe he is one of them. Since he started campaigning, he has been a "We need to battle the politicians" type of candidate.

[Secret_Agent_Man]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Not me. My Charlie poet having been ignored, and on this, the boringest day in PB history, I thought it appropriate to make a somber announcement. I have given it a lot of thought and have decided to retire from the internet-style Lawtalker lawyer chatting boards. I've learned a lot, I've laughed a lot, but ultimately, I believe it is time to move on. I will miss sharing my musical and grammatical insights and getting updated daily about who is sick and with what disease they have been stricken. And I will always have sweet memories of Friday Flame Wars and Juan the Marine. Thanks to everyone for everything.

Peace out.

Hank Chinaski

Don't do it Hank! I really liked your last Gilligan post (the mine episode). Honest!

S_A_M

[The Larry Davis Experience]

Originally posted by sgtclub
I agree, hence my excitement regarding his proposals last nignt. There are structural changes in his proposals, especially in respect of education.

Strikes me as a strange way to fix education when there are massive numbers of school districts on the brink of applying for state bailout loans. It's window dressing, from where I'm sitting. But it will be a convenient way to knock the teacher's unions when they oppose it.

If pay were truly based on merit we'd be jacking teachers salaries UP, almost across the Board. Some of these people are doing yeoman's work in a time when the financial support is not there, at least in part due to the state raiding the K-12 cookie jar to balance its own budget and avoid raising income taxes back to Pete Wilson levels. I say some, not all, and I'm sure a lot of the folks who aren't pulling their weight are the tenured folks being paid the highest. But scapegoating only gets me so far when it comes to our budget problems. You may feel differently.

Why would you expect him to work with the legislature. Those guys (and girls) are morons and don't have any respect from the people. The people buy in to Arnold (or at least the idea of him). He doesn't need the legislature.

I expect him to work with the legislature because he was elected to be the executive in a republican (small r) form of government. Just because less than half of the state's voters voted for him in the recall does not mean he can ignore our elected representatives, no matter how stupid he, and you, think they are.

The "people" can be just as moronic, if not more so, than the pols. But the people don't get to negotiate a solution that works for all of them. They just vote up or down on a measure on the ballot that few of them (us) really take the time to understand.

I think AS's support is a mile wide, but not so deep. He didn't have a ton of opposition on his measures in the fall, it will be interesting to me to see what happens if he plays the ballot measure card again. Interesting, in the political sense; I will be annoyed at the continued use of blunt object policymaking.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Not me. My Charlie poet having been ignored, and on this, the boringest day in PB history, I thought it appropriate to make a somber announcement. I have given it a lot of thought and have decided to retire from the internet-style Lawtalker lawyer chatting boards. I've learned a lot, I've laughed a lot, but ultimately, I believe it is time to move on. I will miss sharing my musical and grammatical insights and getting updated daily about who is sick and with what disease they have been stricken. And I will always have sweet memories of Friday Flame Wars and Juan the Marine. Thanks to everyone for everything.

Peace out.

Hank Chinaski

I'll miss your posts. Always so fresh and original, never the same thing twice. For you, on your parting:



Realize, you're the only one I've gotten roses.

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
don't-tax, just-spend conservative.

Department of Redundancy Department.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
As I said, hypocrite, heal thyself.

I assume it's not your view that we all should rise up to protect free speech only when it advocates killing more Muslims, of course.

Sidd,

I'm missing something here. Has Bilmore EVER advocated free speech on this board? I challenge anyone to find a single post of his doing so. I don't think he's a big fan.

G^3

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
Sidd,

I'm missing something here. Has Bilmore EVER advocated free speech on this board? I challenge anyone to find a single post of his doing so. I don't think he's a big fan.

G^3

Shut up.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
I'll miss your posts. Always so fresh and original, never the same thing twice.

Just back to check messages!

You do realize how humorous your little barb is, given the 100 posts of white noise-all having been said 12 times before- generated here today, don't you?

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Just back to check messages!

You do realize how humorous your little barb is, given the 100 posts of white noise-all having been said 12 times before- generated here today, don't you?

That's why I got you roses, Skipper!

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Just back to check messages!

So you couldn't pull off the "nicer in 2005" vow and decided to just hang it up instead? I'll miss you, Hank Chinaski. Check messages often.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
Strikes me as a strange way to fix education when there are massive numbers of school districts on the brink of applying for state bailout loans. It's window dressing, from where I'm sitting. But it will be a convenient way to knock the teacher's unions when they oppose it.

Fixing education is not the goal. Fixing the budget is. His proposals had no specificity, but what it sounds like he wants to do is "fix" the pension system for teachers and other state employees, and work some sort of incentive system into school funding.

If pay were truly based on merit we'd be jacking teachers salaries UP, almost across the Board. Some of these people are doing yeoman's work in a time when the financial support is not there, at least in part due to the state raiding the K-12 cookie jar to balance its own budget and avoid raising income taxes back to Pete Wilson levels. I say some, not all, and I'm sure a lot of the folks who aren't pulling their weight are the tenured folks being paid the highest. But scapegoating only gets me so far when it comes to our budget problems.

I don't think teachers are underpaid. They work 3/4 of a day and 3/4 of a year. Their salary should reflect that. My mother is a teacher. I have this discussion with her all the time.

I expect him to work with the legislature because he was elected to be the executive in a republican (small r) form of government. Just because less than half of the state's voters voted for him in the recall does not mean he can ignore our elected representatives, no matter how stupid he, and you, think they are.

query whether CA has a republican form of government, given the initiative process.

I think AS's support is a mile wide, but not so deep. He didn't have a ton of opposition on his measures in the fall, it will be interesting to me to see what happens if he plays the ballot measure card again. Interesting, in the political sense; I will be annoyed at the continued use of blunt object policymaking.

I think you are wrong here, but we shall see. I think a deal will be struck.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by The Larry Davis Experience
If pay were truly based on merit we'd be jacking teachers salaries UP, almost across the Board.

Also, we need to pay cops more - risking themselves for our safety.

And firemen. And emergency room nurses and docs. And prison guards.

And those guys who search out weird diseases in the public health sector. And the poor Wal-Mart checkers who hardly get enough to live on. And . . .

Problem is, you can make this case for each and every one of these jobs, and for a whole lot more. You can almost always make a case for "they add so much to our lives, and we pay them peanuts, and they deserve more . . ."

But, looking at the macro view, it doesn't work to do that. If you simply deal with each emotional argument in turn, you end up with . . . well, . . . California.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by sgtclub
Fixing education is not the goal. Fixing the budget is.

Those of us with kids feel differently. Those of you without them have, over time, wrecked a great educational system.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Those of us with kids feel differently. Those of you without them have, over time, wrecked a great educational system.

I don't mean to suggest that we shouldn't have a goal of fixing education. I just meant that that wasn't the stated goal last night.