The superintendent of Keansburg schools is about to receive a ridiculous severance package. The school itself is a poor school that receives most of it's funding from state aid. First, she's getting $184,586 for 235.5 unused sick days. That works out to about $784 per sick day. I don't know about you but when I left my last job, I only got to cash out my unused vacation days for the year, any leftover personal time was not paid out. Plus it didn't carry over from year to year to accumulate 235.5 days.
On top of that, she's getting $120,000/year retirement pay. That's more than I, and presumably most of the parents who's kids attend the school's, make working for a living. I'm not saying she's not entitled to something but that's a little ridiculous.
But wait, there's more, she is also getting $556,290 which is her monthly salary times the number of years she's worked there (38) as a bonus. That means her monthly salary was about $14,639.
If this is what the superintendent of one of the poorest schools in the state gets, it's not wonder we have high taxes. I really think the state needs to publish all the salaries of every state employee so we can see how much we are getting ripped off. If I understand it right, the state does provide this information currently but you need to know the sate employee's name to get the information. And there's probably a processing fee for each person. If we really want to do something about taxes, let's start by re-evaluating state employee's salaries.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Dissatisfied Voters
The title "Zogby Poll: 48% of Voters Dissatisfied With Candidates" I think says it all. I know that I am not satisfied with any of the candidates still running with the exception of Ron Paul who at this point does not have a chance to win the Republican nomination. Now imagine if instead of voting for the lesser of two evils come election time, those people actually voted for a 3rd party candidate. Even if they didn't win, it would certainly send a message that the country is not happy with the direction the company is headed.
When people tell me that a vote for candidate X is a vote for the lesser of two evils I always tell them that a vote for the lesser of two evils is still a vote for evil. I then ask, "Who would you vote for Hitler or Stalin?" Personally I'd vote for other. The democrats want to take away my guns and redistribute my money while the new republicans want to take away my liberty. I think this year is an excellent year to not vote for Fascism or Communism and instead vote for other!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Gun Free Zones
Are "gun free zones" really safe? This article has some food for thought and finally got me to start blogging again. I've been thinking about this issue for a little while now and have some thoughts on it. It doesn't matter if you read the article first or read my comments below first, they are related but not dependent on one another.
A number of states have concealed carry permits (often abreviated CCW) available to law-abiding citizens. There are different requirements and it varies by state to state but some form of concealed carry is currently available in about 48 states. (As of Feb 2008 according to wikipedia) Vermont and Alaska don't even require a permit, any non-felon can legally carry a concealed firearm.
But what about the shootings in the street? Complete mayhem I tell you... Some opponents of CCW tell you that there will be more violence than before but that hasn't been the case. One reason is that if you mis-use your firearm in any way, you can have your CCW taken away. And let's face it, those who are going to follow the law (by getting their CCW to carry in the first place) are more than likely going to continue following the law by not using it in an illegal manner. Those that ignore the law anyway (by carrying without a CCW) are the ones you really have to worry about.
Imagine how different Columbine or Virginia Tech would be if one teacher had a concealed firearm. Or, since Virginia Tech is a college with students eligible for CCW, one student who could have stopped the mentally ill students who felt the need to go on a killing spree. In fact at Virginia Tech, there were students who had their CCW but were not allowed to take their weapons on campus.
I'm not saying everyone should be armed, there are people out there who are mentally unstable who if they had a firearm would most certainly be a danger to themselves and others. There are also criminal types who are going to ignore the laws anyway and then there are those who are just uncomfortable with the idea of having a gun. That's fine, I can completely understand, firearms are not to be treated lightly. In the wrong hands they can be very dangerous and if you are uncomfortable handling one, I don't think you should be forced to. On the flip side, if I am comfortable in carrying a firearm to protect myself and my family, I should be able to.
But don't take my word for it, go out and do your own research. There is a lot of information on this from both sides of the argument. Keep in mind that a lot of studies (from both sides) have certain agendas they are trying to push. Look at the studies, look at the stats and come up with your own opinion.
A number of states have concealed carry permits (often abreviated CCW) available to law-abiding citizens. There are different requirements and it varies by state to state but some form of concealed carry is currently available in about 48 states. (As of Feb 2008 according to wikipedia) Vermont and Alaska don't even require a permit, any non-felon can legally carry a concealed firearm.
But what about the shootings in the street? Complete mayhem I tell you... Some opponents of CCW tell you that there will be more violence than before but that hasn't been the case. One reason is that if you mis-use your firearm in any way, you can have your CCW taken away. And let's face it, those who are going to follow the law (by getting their CCW to carry in the first place) are more than likely going to continue following the law by not using it in an illegal manner. Those that ignore the law anyway (by carrying without a CCW) are the ones you really have to worry about.
Imagine how different Columbine or Virginia Tech would be if one teacher had a concealed firearm. Or, since Virginia Tech is a college with students eligible for CCW, one student who could have stopped the mentally ill students who felt the need to go on a killing spree. In fact at Virginia Tech, there were students who had their CCW but were not allowed to take their weapons on campus.
I'm not saying everyone should be armed, there are people out there who are mentally unstable who if they had a firearm would most certainly be a danger to themselves and others. There are also criminal types who are going to ignore the laws anyway and then there are those who are just uncomfortable with the idea of having a gun. That's fine, I can completely understand, firearms are not to be treated lightly. In the wrong hands they can be very dangerous and if you are uncomfortable handling one, I don't think you should be forced to. On the flip side, if I am comfortable in carrying a firearm to protect myself and my family, I should be able to.
But don't take my word for it, go out and do your own research. There is a lot of information on this from both sides of the argument. Keep in mind that a lot of studies (from both sides) have certain agendas they are trying to push. Look at the studies, look at the stats and come up with your own opinion.
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