Twi-lite Super needs to be a resident and taxpaying member of the community in which she is employed, and the PISD should demand this take place immediately. The same goes for Assistant Twi-lite Super. Being a member of a local service club does not give you the necessary status of resident and local taxpayer. At the very least show some class and remove the D-field window decal off your automobile. I understand that many from D-field would like the decal removed as well.
The PISD board make-up was changed with the election of two new members back in the spring; however, the board still operates as if nothing changed. Bad for the taxpayers, for we had such high hopes for some new independent thinkers, but to date they have only achieved 'flame-out' status. From your business background you know taxpayer money is not being spent in the most efficient manner, but not one objection during the budget process.
Why serve if you are just going to be an attender of meetings? Anyone can complete this task.......... at least the folks at the county called the CAD budget into question.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Twi-lite Super and her admin staff
Congrats to Twi-lite Super and staff for achieving better school rankings for the previous school year. Unfortunately the state increased the 'curve' so more schools could achieve better rankings in general. Looks like the TEA has adopted the current theme of grade inflation that was written about in the Dallas Morning News a couple months back. Oh well, the press coverage was a good shot in the arm..................................
Twi-lite Super and staff were busy on fluffing the budget with school aides which increase the overhead expenses of the taxpayer funded organization. Being curious about the necessary number of aides needed phone calls were made and a simple survey taken of other districts to determine the appropriate number of aides for a district, and it was determined that the PISD employs far more than necessary for districts of similar size. Many larger districts had fewer than the PISD. Must be a power thing! On another note it is being whispered that the PISD might like to try and float another bond election. Get ready folks they will try and play the increasing population theme once again, so be on your toes and do your own research to be in a position to verify good or bad numbers.
It is still opinioned that for the PISD to be truly successful the board must remove Twi-lite Super for a more modern, younger, and progressive individual who understands the education world of the day. Be on the look-out for that bond proposal............................
Twi-lite Super and staff were busy on fluffing the budget with school aides which increase the overhead expenses of the taxpayer funded organization. Being curious about the necessary number of aides needed phone calls were made and a simple survey taken of other districts to determine the appropriate number of aides for a district, and it was determined that the PISD employs far more than necessary for districts of similar size. Many larger districts had fewer than the PISD. Must be a power thing! On another note it is being whispered that the PISD might like to try and float another bond election. Get ready folks they will try and play the increasing population theme once again, so be on your toes and do your own research to be in a position to verify good or bad numbers.
It is still opinioned that for the PISD to be truly successful the board must remove Twi-lite Super for a more modern, younger, and progressive individual who understands the education world of the day. Be on the look-out for that bond proposal............................
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Two of Rangel’s top aides
get in on the action of restating their financial disclosures.
Rangel: The Most Corrupt Dem?
By Ross Kaminsky – Human Events.com
First there was “Countrywide Chris” Dodd (D-Conn.), whose combination of poor judgment and possible corruption qualifies him to be Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Then there was Tim “TurboTax” Geithner, whose false tax return filings qualify him to be Secretary of the Treasury.
And now, in keeping with the Democrats’ recent tendency to have scoundrels in the highest positions involving regulation of the nation’s finances, we have the Chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who recently filed amended financial disclosure reports showing a net worth about double what he had previously reported.
In addition to showing his net worth increasing from a range of $516,015 and $1,316,000 to a range of $1,028,024 to $2,495,000 in his amended 2007 financial disclosure form filed last month, Rangel also reported substantial 2007 income and several transactions involving mutual fund sales, purchases, and exchanges which he had not disclosed earlier. The new numbers are not small, especially as a percentage of Rangel’s total net worth.
For example, while Rangel was reporting net worth in the area of $1 million, he “overlooked” two accounts worth over $250,000 each (one checking, one mutual fund), another bank account, several other mutual fund accounts, and holdings of stock and land totaling another roughly $300,000. In other words, Rangel’s unreported assets were worth about as much as his reported assets.
According to the Sunlight Foundation, “Rangel failed to report purchases, sales or his ownership of assets at least 28 times since 1978 on his personal financial disclosure forms. Assets worth between $239,026 and $831,000 appeared and disappeared with no disclosure of when they were acquired, how long they were held or when they were sold, as House rules require.”
And while Rangel offered a weak excuse of having delegated the completion of these forms to his staff, there is reason to be suspicious that the omissions were unintentional or unexpected. Two of Rangel’s top aides — who serve as staffers to the Ways and Means Committee — also recently filed financial disclosure amendments going back to 2002 and showing previously unreported rental and business income, with one of those aides, George Dalley, failing to report over $200,000 in income over a 4-year span.
Rangel’s public trouble with numbers started well before these disclosure issues. In 2008, Rangel was found to be renting four rent-stabilized apartments in Upper Manhattan in violation of state and city regulations, paying a total rent of about half of the “fair” market rates. The New York Times reported last July that the landlord, the Olnick Organization has “been accused of overzealous tactics as they move to evict tenants from their rent-stabilized apartments and convert the units into market-rate housing… Yet Mr. Rangel, a critic of other landlords’ callousness, has been uncharacteristically reticent about Olnick’s actions.”
Shortly afterwards, it was widely reported that Rangel earned “more than $75,000” in rental income from a villa he owns in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic — income that was not only “overlooked” on his Congressional financial disclosures but also on his federal and state tax returns. The National Legal and Policy Center (“NLPC”), a watchdog group that has uncovered much of Rangel’s wrongdoing, says they “were puzzled that the media simply accepted Rangel’s figure of $75,000 when it appeared the total was much higher.” In his original 2007 disclosure form, Rangel reported zero income from the Punta Cana property, but the amended filing shows between $5,001 and $15,000. For these errors he first blamed his wife and then his inability to speak Spanish.
The NLPC also found that Charlie Rangel had illegally claimed homestead exemptions (to reduce property taxes) in both Washington, D.C. and New York simultaneously.
These issues and more are currently before the House Ethics Committee for investigation. “How could there be more?” you might ask. Here are just a couple other items: Rep. Rangel parked a 1972 Mercedes in a House of Representatives parking lot for several years in violation of House rules…probably a tax code violation as well for not reporting the value of the parking space as income. He spent about $80,000 of campaign funds over less than 4 years on “cheap-looking and shoddy” websites run by his son, stopping the payments only after his son was given an $80,000 annual salary to work for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. All possibly legal, but certainly unethical.
Rangel impermissibly used official congressional letterhead to solicit donations to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York. Also, it appears he helped pass a tax loophole for a corporation while asking the corporation’s CEO for a donation to the Center. According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, by no means a conservative group, Rangel “may have committed bribery, deprived his constituents of his honest services, and accepted an illegal gratuity.”
And just days ago, it was reported in the New York Post that “Rangel reported no rental income for eight years on his rundown Harlem row house, even though public records show tenants were living there.” The NY Post article describes years of chaotic swings of income reporting, non-reporting, and amendments.
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation has been dragging on for a year. On one hand, each passing month seems to give the committee some other Rangel malfeasance to look into. Yet one wonders why there are not at least interim findings when the subject is the legislator with the single greatest ability to influence the tax code.
In 2008, the House tabled a resolution brought by Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to reprimand Rangel for “dishonoring himself and (bringing) discredit to the House.” According to news reports, at least 25 Republicans voted against the resolution. But with the continued flow of information about Rangel’s ethical lapses, Boehner has now called (pdf) on his friend to give up his position as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee because “trust is everything.” Reached for comment for this article, a spokesman for Boehner suggested that “given the staggering array of ethics allegations he faces, Chairman Rangel really has no choice but to give up his gavel at the powerful Ways and Means Committee.”
Even the Washington Post is now calling for Rangel to step down, a full year after the New York Times called for him to do so “while his ethical problems are investigated.” However, Charlie Rangel seems in no mood to give up the gavel and Nancy “Culture of Corruption” Pelosi is saying she will not remove Rangel from his chairmanship unless the Ethics Committee finds a violation or a prosecutor charges him with a crime.
In the meantime, the committee that writes our tax code will be operating under a cloud, with citizens wondering just what sort of double-dealing may be happening right under our noses, guided by the shifty hand of Charlie Rangel. After all, as the Sunlight Foundation’s Bill Allison notes dryly, “It makes people suspicious when all of a sudden you double your wealth.”
Rangel: The Most Corrupt Dem?
By Ross Kaminsky – Human Events.com
First there was “Countrywide Chris” Dodd (D-Conn.), whose combination of poor judgment and possible corruption qualifies him to be Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Then there was Tim “TurboTax” Geithner, whose false tax return filings qualify him to be Secretary of the Treasury.
And now, in keeping with the Democrats’ recent tendency to have scoundrels in the highest positions involving regulation of the nation’s finances, we have the Chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who recently filed amended financial disclosure reports showing a net worth about double what he had previously reported.
In addition to showing his net worth increasing from a range of $516,015 and $1,316,000 to a range of $1,028,024 to $2,495,000 in his amended 2007 financial disclosure form filed last month, Rangel also reported substantial 2007 income and several transactions involving mutual fund sales, purchases, and exchanges which he had not disclosed earlier. The new numbers are not small, especially as a percentage of Rangel’s total net worth.
For example, while Rangel was reporting net worth in the area of $1 million, he “overlooked” two accounts worth over $250,000 each (one checking, one mutual fund), another bank account, several other mutual fund accounts, and holdings of stock and land totaling another roughly $300,000. In other words, Rangel’s unreported assets were worth about as much as his reported assets.
According to the Sunlight Foundation, “Rangel failed to report purchases, sales or his ownership of assets at least 28 times since 1978 on his personal financial disclosure forms. Assets worth between $239,026 and $831,000 appeared and disappeared with no disclosure of when they were acquired, how long they were held or when they were sold, as House rules require.”
And while Rangel offered a weak excuse of having delegated the completion of these forms to his staff, there is reason to be suspicious that the omissions were unintentional or unexpected. Two of Rangel’s top aides — who serve as staffers to the Ways and Means Committee — also recently filed financial disclosure amendments going back to 2002 and showing previously unreported rental and business income, with one of those aides, George Dalley, failing to report over $200,000 in income over a 4-year span.
Rangel’s public trouble with numbers started well before these disclosure issues. In 2008, Rangel was found to be renting four rent-stabilized apartments in Upper Manhattan in violation of state and city regulations, paying a total rent of about half of the “fair” market rates. The New York Times reported last July that the landlord, the Olnick Organization has “been accused of overzealous tactics as they move to evict tenants from their rent-stabilized apartments and convert the units into market-rate housing… Yet Mr. Rangel, a critic of other landlords’ callousness, has been uncharacteristically reticent about Olnick’s actions.”
Shortly afterwards, it was widely reported that Rangel earned “more than $75,000” in rental income from a villa he owns in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic — income that was not only “overlooked” on his Congressional financial disclosures but also on his federal and state tax returns. The National Legal and Policy Center (“NLPC”), a watchdog group that has uncovered much of Rangel’s wrongdoing, says they “were puzzled that the media simply accepted Rangel’s figure of $75,000 when it appeared the total was much higher.” In his original 2007 disclosure form, Rangel reported zero income from the Punta Cana property, but the amended filing shows between $5,001 and $15,000. For these errors he first blamed his wife and then his inability to speak Spanish.
The NLPC also found that Charlie Rangel had illegally claimed homestead exemptions (to reduce property taxes) in both Washington, D.C. and New York simultaneously.
These issues and more are currently before the House Ethics Committee for investigation. “How could there be more?” you might ask. Here are just a couple other items: Rep. Rangel parked a 1972 Mercedes in a House of Representatives parking lot for several years in violation of House rules…probably a tax code violation as well for not reporting the value of the parking space as income. He spent about $80,000 of campaign funds over less than 4 years on “cheap-looking and shoddy” websites run by his son, stopping the payments only after his son was given an $80,000 annual salary to work for the House Energy and Commerce Committee. All possibly legal, but certainly unethical.
Rangel impermissibly used official congressional letterhead to solicit donations to the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York. Also, it appears he helped pass a tax loophole for a corporation while asking the corporation’s CEO for a donation to the Center. According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, by no means a conservative group, Rangel “may have committed bribery, deprived his constituents of his honest services, and accepted an illegal gratuity.”
And just days ago, it was reported in the New York Post that “Rangel reported no rental income for eight years on his rundown Harlem row house, even though public records show tenants were living there.” The NY Post article describes years of chaotic swings of income reporting, non-reporting, and amendments.
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation has been dragging on for a year. On one hand, each passing month seems to give the committee some other Rangel malfeasance to look into. Yet one wonders why there are not at least interim findings when the subject is the legislator with the single greatest ability to influence the tax code.
In 2008, the House tabled a resolution brought by Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) to reprimand Rangel for “dishonoring himself and (bringing) discredit to the House.” According to news reports, at least 25 Republicans voted against the resolution. But with the continued flow of information about Rangel’s ethical lapses, Boehner has now called (pdf) on his friend to give up his position as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee because “trust is everything.” Reached for comment for this article, a spokesman for Boehner suggested that “given the staggering array of ethics allegations he faces, Chairman Rangel really has no choice but to give up his gavel at the powerful Ways and Means Committee.”
Even the Washington Post is now calling for Rangel to step down, a full year after the New York Times called for him to do so “while his ethical problems are investigated.” However, Charlie Rangel seems in no mood to give up the gavel and Nancy “Culture of Corruption” Pelosi is saying she will not remove Rangel from his chairmanship unless the Ethics Committee finds a violation or a prosecutor charges him with a crime.
In the meantime, the committee that writes our tax code will be operating under a cloud, with citizens wondering just what sort of double-dealing may be happening right under our noses, guided by the shifty hand of Charlie Rangel. After all, as the Sunlight Foundation’s Bill Allison notes dryly, “It makes people suspicious when all of a sudden you double your wealth.”
Friday, September 25, 2009
Lou Dobb's sure knows how to speak
If you are a Texian you are an American and Mr. Dobb's has become the 'burr' under the saddle so to speak. He is one genuine fool with all this talk about amnesty. The man needs to give up the TV spot lights and anchor desk, and come live among those who are paying the bills. We all know that CNN is paying his bills to promote their liberal agenda.
Mr. Dobbs and CNN we already have an amnesty plan, and it is called go home and come legally to apply for citizenship! The link is a 2 minute Lou Dobb's commentary on his plan for America.
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/17260182/1610997888/name/ftc-vi26.wmv
Mr. Dobbs and CNN we already have an amnesty plan, and it is called go home and come legally to apply for citizenship! The link is a 2 minute Lou Dobb's commentary on his plan for America.
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/17260182/1610997888/name/ftc-vi26.wmv
Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people
1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a popquiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade."Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing onthe side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs.Nat King Cole
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it."Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willingto give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never beenhurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a popquiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade."Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing onthe side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 60s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs.Nat King Cole
3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it."Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.
4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.
5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willingto give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.
"Work like you don't need the money, love like you've never beenhurt, and dance like you do when nobody's watching."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
American capitalism gone with a whimper
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/107459-0/
The Russians take on our new Commander and Chief.
The Russians take on our new Commander and Chief.
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