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Our Election Choice: Open Door to the Future or Slam It Shut
Open the door to the future or slam it shut? That’s the choice in this fall’s elections as a new AFSCME ad makes clear. While Republicans in Congress blocked Democratic efforts to advance job-creating bills, they voted to lay off hundreds of thousands of Americans—while taking care of CEOs by closing tax loopholes.
The two-week ad is running in Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania to back Democratic candidates in those states now under attack, in part, because of their support for the jobs bill passed in August. The jobs bill provided states with $26 billion in emergency funding for vital services. The TV ad will be complemented by radio spots, Web ads, and this week, AFSCME is sending more than 300 staff to targeted districts around the country to engage in member education and get-out-the-vote drives.
Is the nation’s economy what we want now? No. Would it be far worse under Republican leadership? You betcha.
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5 Comments
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What is happening now democrats? You are in power and its getting better.? You take 26 billion of tax payers money to save public employees. That is not helping private employees. You borrowed the money from China or the Fderal Reserve printed it. 850 billion later and unemployment is still higher. Government spending never ever will take the place of private investment.
The reason why the Democrats can’t do much is the stupidity of the senate rules allow one or more of one side to debate however long it takes to get SIXTY votes to cut it off!!WE NEED TO DO AWAY WITH THE FILIBUSTER!Nothing good comes from it!This is why I’m against the excessive recesses the congress takes!NOTHING GETS DONE!!
Well this Republican led, during 2000-2006, “GREAT RECESSION” of October 2007-8 will not be over easily. The “again” Republican led during the “Roaring” 1920′s, “Great Depression” of October 1929, took until after WWII to recover from. Only then because the rest of the world was DESTROYED or BANKRUPT, as compared to the U.S. economy! Thus the “good 50′s” came about.
Same “lazzie-faire” Republican Governmental attitudes of letting the “Market Correct” itself, both times in October 1929-31 and October 2007-8 . Well the Market is correcting itself, duhhh!
Some people have thoughts that this will be easy to get out of, WRONG! You better figure 10 years to dig out of this one, we are “lucky” this is NOT another GREAT DEPRESSION of 1929 again! That was ONLY averted thanks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Democratic Legislative Banking/Investment/Social Security/Unionism REFORMS starting in 1933-35!
1.) In 2000 we had a $250 BILLION SURPLUS, plenty to cover ALL Social Security benefits. After all, this is a TRUST FUND paid for by WORKING PEOPLE their entire working lives!
“Well EXCUUUSE ME”! How are your 401K, or should I say 201K’s doing right now with “privatization”?
After 9/11/2001 Afganistan/Al Quadea/Taliban had to be attacked, no questions there.
2.) Iraq was all President W. Bush’s & V.P. Cheney’s “bright trumped up” idea, about a $$TRILLION+ in costs so far, over 4K dead and tens of thousands crippled in Iraq only. President W. BUSH did not try to investigate the 12 Volume “Iraq Report”, made up in 1992 for his Presidential Father Bush Sr., about the problems and costs associated with invading Iraq.
In fact Predsident W. Bush did not even attempt to read the ONE PAGE brief made up for him in desperation, by sane people, from these 12 volumes!
You want to know why Colin Powell resigned? Over the disgust of seeing President W. Bush and V.P Cheney ignore all “common sense” by invading Iraq, and not doing their “homework” before.
3.) President George W. Bush supported and was friends with ENRON, Kenneth Lay and Jeffery Skilling. These guys were his “business” role models/pals! If I have to explain that “problem of doing business’ to you, you will not understand.
4.) So when President Obama took over in February 2009:
A 250 BILLION surplus BLOWN/SPENT/GONE.
About 800+ million in the red from Iraq ALONE.
Another 700+ Billion bailout of “Wall Street” from the failed Republican “lazzie-faire” Government, for corporations “too big to fail” during the “GREAT RECESSION”!
5.) I can tell you, as a Union member. I will not be voting Republican this November. In fact non-union workers get paid “just under” Union Scale/benefits, don’t you. Even “if” you are unfortuanate to be working non-union now, if you do EVER want better pay, you had better vote union this November. Unless you marry that non-union “boss’s daughter or son”, to get your “merit” non-union promotion.
I wonder how those people who went through 1929 retired, and what they lived on. What happened to peoples retirement savings during the financial melt down of the last few years. How will they ever be able to retire? Where are they going to get jobs, if they lose what they have now? I am sure they will appreciate Social Security.
Social Security came about because there was no way for people to ensure there means for living in old age or disability, or death with young children. There was no way for people to take care of elderly parents , or orphaned children, and the same problems are much worse today.
It was a great thing that the people of the greatest generation who saved the world , had the foresight to enact Social Security.
No, you took the money from the food stamp program. Hungry children cannot learn and often grow up to adults who cannot learn.
Before you robbed Peter to pay Paul – you should have checked first to see if what you advocated for was true. Certainly doesn’t appear to be true in one Ohio county. Most of these districts are banking these funds for a rainy day – not hiring teachers. Your commerical is factual incorrect!
Schools plan to use funding to save teachers
September 12, 2010 – By TOM GIAMBRONI (tgiambroni@reviewonline.com)
LISBON – When Congress passed a bill last month resulting in $4.6 million in additional federal funding for local school districts, U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson said it was “needed immediately to prevent layoffs or actually rehire teachers.”
A media survey of school districts in Columbiana County found that none appeared to be in imminent danger of laying off teachers, and only a few non-teaching jobs are expected to be added immediately with the money.
In an Aug. 10 news release announcing his support for the bill, Wilson said: “These funds are needed immediately to prevent layoffs or actually rehire teachers. Ohio will receive enough funding to save about 5,500 teacher jobs. In the Sixth Congressional District the National Education Association estimates that 369 teacher jobs will be saved.”
Funding under the Education Jobs bill is for two years, and some school superintendents contacted said the money may be better used next year when financial problems could force them to lay off teachers. Even the districts that are currently in good shape are worried because their five-year financial forecasts show them heading into deficit situations by the middle of the decade, attributable mostly to expected cuts in state education funding starting next fall.
Others said they are considering using the new money to retain positions funded with federal stimulus money received in 2009 because the stimulus funding expires next year. The additional federal funding can also be used to pay for teaching positions filled after Aug. 10, which some districts plan to do.
Besides salaries and benefits, the money can also be spent for incentives for early retirement (which can lead to new teachers being hired), tuition reimbursement, to help repay student loans, transportation subsidies and childcare reimbursement.
The following is a breakdown of what each school district received and what they may do with the money:
- Beaver Local, $527,861. The school district ended the past school year with a $314,914 balance. Superintendent Sandra DiBacco, like most superintendents, said she has yet to discuss the issue with her school board to decide what to do with the money. She said they may hold on to it and spend it next year to retain their four stimulus-funded positions.
- Crestview, $323,578. The district ended the past school year with a $1 million balance. Superintendent John Dilling said their five-year forecast shows them heading into a deficit situation. “We’re planning to retain teachers if we continue on the path we’re on,” he said, adding they might spend the money to help retain stimulus-funded positions. “That’s a consideration.”
- Columbiana, $76,078. The district ended the past school year with a $1.9 million balance. Superintendent Don Mook said the amount they received is insufficient to fund a full-time position, so they are likely to use it to help pay for existing tutors and special education teachers.
- Leetonia, $229,842. The district ended the past school year with a $227,170 balance. Superintendent Rob Mehno said the district has been struggling financially and could be in a deficit situation as early as the end of this school year. He said they may use the money to pay for teachers hired after Aug. 10 to save general fund revenue in an attempt to avert a budget deficit.
- Southern Local, $312,137. The district ended the past school year with a $920,557 balance. Superintendent Jim Herring said they intend to use some of the money to pay a special education teacher hired after the Aug. 10 deadline. They are also investigating using some of the money to bring back a school resource officer by contracting with either the sheriff’s office or the Salineville Police Department. They may also hire an academic intervention person to work with students having trouble passing the Ohio Graduation Test.
- Buckeye Online School for Success, $574,742. BOSS ended the school year with a $90,000 balance. Director Randy Calhoun said they have yet to decide how to spend the money. “There’s lots of possibilities, so we always want to be fair and spend it where it can be used the best,” he said.
- East Palestine, $353,493. The district ended the past school year with a $129,000 balance. Superintendent Tom Inchak said they are leaning toward holding onto the money and spending it during the next school year. “We may need that money to avert a deficit,” he said. The district’s financial forecast shows them being $750,000 in the red by June 30, 2012.
- Wellsville, $335,338. The school district ended the past school year with a $2.1 million balance. Superintendent Richard Bereschik said he is recommending they hold off spending the money until the following school year because of expected state funding cuts. “Unless someone has a different crystal ball than we have, we’re going to take a major hit next year … We plan on keeping all our programs in place and this money would help us do that.”
- Salem, $307,446. The district ended the school year with a $2.2 million balance. Superintendent Tom Bratten said they are leaning toward spending the money to pay for new teachers hired after Aug. 10 rather than on new positions “because at the end of the next year the money runs out and you would have to continue to fund those positions.”
- Lisbon, $327,409. The district ended the past school year with a $3.8 million balance. Superintendent Don Thompson said he has yet to discuss the issue with his board, but like Wellsville’s superintendent, the district may want to hold off spending of the money to see what happens with state funding. “The reality is we’re trying to keep our heads above water and some are in better shape than others … but we want to make sure we don’t get into the position” by creating positions that become unaffordable in the future, he said.
- East Liverpool, $846,667. The district ended this past school year with a $6 million balance. Officials said they haven’t decided what to do with the money.
-United Local, $388,125. The district ended the past year with a $3.7 million balance. Superintendent Ruth Ann Rinto said they may use some of the money to hire a tutor, but she wants to wait until they get a clear picture of how the funds can be used because there appears to be conflicting regulations. “We are really going to wait and see what the guidelines say and then spend it conservatively,” she said.