Responding to the ridicule of teachers and the teaching profession by politicians and self proclaimed "experts"!
"Where is Albert Shanker now that we need him?" - Walt Sautter

Sunday 3 December 2017

The Jobs Are Coming! The Jobs Are Coming!


Our "President" continually claims that he will "bring jobs back to America". However based on the article below will he be bringing jobs for American workers or American robots? My guess is the latter.
Additionally, the recent tax "reform" (get out your jar of Vaseline) will create an abundance of new jobs! Didn't I just hear Mr. Trump crowing about the historically low unemployment figures? 
The new "reform" will dramatically reduce corporate tax and they will all scurry to hire millions more workers (or maybe robots)? 

No! Not robots! All new "retrained" workers will be hired! Really - retrained to do what? 
Maybe to program the robots? But with A.I. rapidly looming on the horizon they will (and in some already are)  program themselves.
But someone is needed to make the robots! They make themselves! Just look at auto manufacturing - a car is essentially a robot made by another group of robots!
But someone has to repair the robots! They repair themselves. Just type "sfc /scannow " into the prompt command of your computer and watch it repair itself!
Go to Home Depot or the ShopRite. Five workers have been replaced by Self Checkout robots with but one overseeing employee. 

Now, I don't know what the answer is and it appears that neither does anyone else (if they do I haven't heard of it?).  However I think I do know what the answer isn't - shoveling more and more money to large corporations, their C.E.O.s and the wealthiest people in the country while raising taxes on the middle class under the guise of "reform".

Most of SALT go to public education and now that will no longer be a deduction - a back door assault on the public school system - and meanwhile deductions for those sending their children to private schools are enhanced! 
And by the way - the final slap in the face is the elimination of the minuscule $250 deduction for teachers spending their own money in order to help their students. 

PS - Happy Holidays (including Christmas, New Years, Hanuckkah and any others I missed) 


Friday 20 October 2017

The "Rod" Gives Jersey the Rod!

"Lance, along with Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd Dist., and Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., broke with their party and voted against the House budget resolution. Only two New Jersey Republicans, Reps. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., and Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist., supported it." - I will remember this in 2018 especially in November. How about you??




http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/10/senate_republicans_just_asked_nj_taxpayers_to_send.html

Sunday 24 September 2017

Maybe NJEA Should Rethink Their Lesson Plan?



Aron: Grenier is said to be an arch-conservative, pro-Trump, pro-Christie and doesn’t believe in climate change, that’s who the NJEA is with?

NJEA is pissed off at Sweeney for aligning with Christie so now they support a guy that aligns with Christie? It appears it is all about vindictiveness and stupidity!



Richardson: Fran Grenier is running for state Senate in legislative district three and on the issues that we had put in front of him through our screening process, a very extensive screening process, Fran Grenier aligns with our issues. He supports our positions on school funding, on charter schools, on steps to prevent the privatization of support staff in schools who have active contracts, pension funding.

How can Grenier align with our issues and align with Christie too? Is NJEA really that naive as to believe him?
I kind of remember someone who aligned with NJEA interests until he got elected anyway!! 


If Grenier wins all the Dems in Trenton (and possibly including a new Governor) will be plenty pissed at NJEA.
If Sweeney wins (which seems to be most likely);he's already pissed and is likely to convince the rest of the party to feel the same. So how can NJEA possibly win by supporting Grenier.
They want to teach Sweeney a lesson and unfortunately it may be they that learn an unpleasant lesson!! (and so will the membership).



Tuesday 20 June 2017

A Moronic Oxymoron

  I constantly read of corporations and individuals being sued for producing unsafe products and services. Wouldn't you think that a car capable of traveling at 130 mph is an "unsafe" product? But I guess not since I have never heard of a suit disputing production of cars with this kind of speed capability. 
  Instead we are continually deluged with commercials touting dozens of safety features (air bags, crumple zones, lane drift warning, etc.) all these with an additional safety feature of a 450 horsepower engine! And by the way it's always good to have 450 horses under you when you're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the Parkway day after day!! 
  Even the advertisements for these vehicle are themselves unsafe! They portray stunt drivers making nearly impossible turns, skids and jumps as if to say - "Buy this car and you can terrorize the roadways with a myriad of insane driving calisthenics". To counter all this promotion and advertising we then expect high school Driver Education courses to produce a sane and carefully driving public? "If only you believed in miracles!" LOL 


Friday 9 June 2017

Draining the Swamp Huh???

While you were entranced watching the Comey hearing this was what
was going on behind the curtain!! PS- Don't you just love those spectacular titles they
assign to their baleful schemes - "The Financial Choice Act"? Sweet!!

Trump's Tax Plan - Bend Over New Jersey!

 I especially like Mnuchin's statement - 
In other words the States should just keep sending tax money  
to the Feds and receive little or nothing in return? 

"High income households" - 
Over $50K is high income? 
How about over $150K is 
"high income"in New Jersey?

It seems here being a "high income earner" doesn't matter. 
As a matter of fact it helps!! 
Talk about Newspeak!!

Saturday 13 May 2017

HealthCare vs. WealthCare

While most people sit and complain about who is going to pay for healthcare, the question that really should be asked is - "Why should it be so expensive?" 
Insurance companies don't care how high the bill is; it will be just another excuse to raise premiums and pay CEOs even more. Whether the country ends up with Obamacare or Trumpcare the problem is actually the cost and neither plan seems to address this issue. 








The Trump Boat

Wednesday 26 April 2017

Indentured Servitude - It's Back



If you have a child or grandchild who is planning to attend college you must listen to this. If you are interested in the economic prospects of future generations (as am I) this is for you too.

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Those Who Kiss a Toad Should Get Warts!


Remember this when the time comes to vote for the 
Democrats who cozied up to this bum before the last election! 



Sunday 26 March 2017

Disregarding the Future of Employment



This article reflects the quality of our current leadership. Just as with climate change they refuse to acknowledge the obvious.  Evidence cited by the scientific community and even that which can be ready confirmed by simple observation is dismissed. Mr. Mnuchin, our Treasury Secretary claims that the effect of technology on employment is “50 to 100 years” away. It is not something to be reckoned with presently or in the immediate future.
Based on his statement, I must suppose that Mr. Mnuchin has never been to Home Depot or even the local supermarket. If he has how could he fail to see self-checkout “cashiers” acting under the auspice of one person rather than the six persons they have replaced? How can he not see an ATM as a machine replacing a bank teller? How can he not see the advent of self-driving vehicles replacing taxi drivers and trucker drivers? The list goes on and gets longer with every passing day.
Finally, if he really believes that automation of most all current jobs is “50 to 100 years” off, he has never heard of Moore’s Law and A.I.
It is truly unfortunate for us that we are governed by people with such little foresight and so much ignorance.
We must find leaders who will face the future and deal with it instead of just continually denying its ominous certainty. 


The original Moore's Law derives from a speech given by Gordon Moore, later a founder of Intel, in 1965, in which he observed that the number of microcomponents that could be placed in an integrated circuit (microchip) of the lowest manufacturing cost was doubling every year and that this trend would likely continue into the future. As this observation and prediction began to be frequently cited, it became known as Moore's Law. In later years, the Law was occasionally reformulated to mean that rate. The pace of change having slowed down a bit over the past few years, the definition has changed (with Gordon Moore's approval) to reflect that the doubling occurs only every 18 months.

Monday 20 February 2017

Preparing for the Non Existent

Gigantic debt incurred by students preparing for jobs that probably won't exist.


Even "The Donald's" great promise to bring jobs back to America
can't stop this unless he's talking about bring jobs back to American
robots!!