Last in the series of Sunday morning messages for March.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
"I'm fine with the cuts, now get a spine like Gov Walker!"
On Friday at DeSales University the Lehigh Valley Tea Party in partnership with Freedom Works ran a townhall discussion forum on SB1, the school choice bill currently in the PA state senate.
Coverage by channel 69 WFMZ is can be found HERE
Proponents for school choice who are split on their support for the bill showed up to debate if the bill goes far enough in giving parents and children enough options. The meeting began with clips from the movie "Waiting for Superman" documenting how poor families in Washington DC depend on a lottery system to get their children into the better schools.
The first panel discussion took on potential solutions to what ails the public school system.
Special guest speaker Deneen Borelli, who serves on the board of trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York described how the NAACP is "fighting to keep failing schools open" instead of helping to get children out of failing schools.
One of the most vocal and energetic panel members was Simon Campbell, a School Board Director from the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County. He had a list of recommendations for the legislature in Harrisburg to end what he called, "the massive corrupting power of the teachers unions". He culminated his talk on the frustration that the school district experiences with it's inability to cut wages by aiming a broadside at Gov Corbett and his budget cuts. He said, "I'm fine with the cuts, now get a spine like Gov Walker!" Again and again throughout the evening the theme returned to the need for school boards to reign in costs and that can only be done after Harrisburg changes the rules that schools operate under.
During the SB-1 forum discussion State Senator Mike Folmer defended the limited scope of the bill saying, "We do not have enough money for a universal voucher". Matthew Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation spoke to the political reality we face and the fact that, "One election does not a revolution make". More at the Commonwealth Foundation
Most of the case for not going with SB-1 was made by columnist Chris Freind. He often referred to the attempt at statewide school choice in 1995 that failed to pass by a mere three votes and how the political landscape is more favorable now. The current bill under consideration is tailored to help only the poorest families and he argued that a comprehensive bill is needed to bring accountability and competition to all schools. More at the FreindlyFireZone.com
Everyone agreed that a more active role by the senate leadership and the Governor would be needed to pass a bill that would have a greater effect on the states education system. To that end everyone was encouraged to contact their state legislators. All the local state legislators were invited to come to the townhall event but only Senator Folmer, from the Lebanon County area, came out.
Coverage by channel 69 WFMZ is can be found HERE
Proponents for school choice who are split on their support for the bill showed up to debate if the bill goes far enough in giving parents and children enough options. The meeting began with clips from the movie "Waiting for Superman" documenting how poor families in Washington DC depend on a lottery system to get their children into the better schools.
The first panel discussion took on potential solutions to what ails the public school system.
Special guest speaker Deneen Borelli, who serves on the board of trustees with The Opportunity Charter School in Harlem, New York described how the NAACP is "fighting to keep failing schools open" instead of helping to get children out of failing schools.
One of the most vocal and energetic panel members was Simon Campbell, a School Board Director from the Pennsbury School District in Bucks County. He had a list of recommendations for the legislature in Harrisburg to end what he called, "the massive corrupting power of the teachers unions". He culminated his talk on the frustration that the school district experiences with it's inability to cut wages by aiming a broadside at Gov Corbett and his budget cuts. He said, "I'm fine with the cuts, now get a spine like Gov Walker!" Again and again throughout the evening the theme returned to the need for school boards to reign in costs and that can only be done after Harrisburg changes the rules that schools operate under.
During the SB-1 forum discussion State Senator Mike Folmer defended the limited scope of the bill saying, "We do not have enough money for a universal voucher". Matthew Brouillette of the Commonwealth Foundation spoke to the political reality we face and the fact that, "One election does not a revolution make". More at the Commonwealth Foundation
Most of the case for not going with SB-1 was made by columnist Chris Freind. He often referred to the attempt at statewide school choice in 1995 that failed to pass by a mere three votes and how the political landscape is more favorable now. The current bill under consideration is tailored to help only the poorest families and he argued that a comprehensive bill is needed to bring accountability and competition to all schools. More at the FreindlyFireZone.com
Everyone agreed that a more active role by the senate leadership and the Governor would be needed to pass a bill that would have a greater effect on the states education system. To that end everyone was encouraged to contact their state legislators. All the local state legislators were invited to come to the townhall event but only Senator Folmer, from the Lebanon County area, came out.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Support your Congressman
Being a United States Congressman must be a very stressful job with constituents, lobbyists, and special interest groups all vying for your attention. It must be doubly hard during times of budget constraints. People can be passionate and unrelenting for their causes when they think the government should aid them in their endeavors. One man's special interest group is another man's passion.
We're no different in our passion, concern for the future of our country and the tidal wave of crushing debt that is on the horizon. Forty cents out of every dollar that the federal goverment spends is borrowed money. Think about that, how is that sustainable?
That is why we would like to ask our Congressman, Charlie Dent, to stand firm against spending and to roll back the debt that is robbing our children's future. The Tea Party, 9-12'ers, Americans for Prosperity, and other groups are unique constituencies in that we do not want anything from the government other than to expect it to live within it's means.
There's a rally in Allentown on Tuesday at noon to support Charlie in standing firm against runaway spending and for those who can't make that there is an online petition to sign.
We're no different in our passion, concern for the future of our country and the tidal wave of crushing debt that is on the horizon. Forty cents out of every dollar that the federal goverment spends is borrowed money. Think about that, how is that sustainable?
That is why we would like to ask our Congressman, Charlie Dent, to stand firm against spending and to roll back the debt that is robbing our children's future. The Tea Party, 9-12'ers, Americans for Prosperity, and other groups are unique constituencies in that we do not want anything from the government other than to expect it to live within it's means.
There's a rally in Allentown on Tuesday at noon to support Charlie in standing firm against runaway spending and for those who can't make that there is an online petition to sign.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Business Matters... and integrity does also
A few weeks ago the WFMZ (channel 69) show, Business Matters, recorded a show on National Healthcare with host Tony Iannelli, and guests, Jon Getting – Activist & Blogger, Dr. Anthony Dippolito – Surgeon, Jude-Laure Parisien – Activist, and Donna Rovito – Lehigh Valley Tea Party. Also there was a live studio audience with members from the LV Tea Party participating.
The show can be watched online here:
http://www.wfmz.com/video/27097955/index.html
You can watch for yourself and decide who had the better arguments, but I think Jon's wishing for a time machine so he could "say all the awesome points" he thought of after the taping of the show is pretty telling. I think it was pretty awesome when a nurse who actually read the bill tried asking the panelists, that complained that Americans don't know what's in it, a question. Turns out they didn't know what's in it either. Or their total lack of an answer for why large businesses and unions are getting exemptions from the administration.
On a sour note, at the end when Donna was supposedly given the "final word" and began responding to previous comments by pointing out that Social Security was passed in a bi-partisan fashion the other panelist can be heard saying, "Actually not true". Then at the very end the host, Tony Iannelli, repeats that to make sure that everybody heard, in effect, Donna being called a liar. For the record, an overwhelming majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate voted in favor of Social Security when it was passed in 1935. The vote totals are right here on the Social Security website.
Nobody likes being called a liar.
The show can be watched online here:
http://www.wfmz.com/video/27097955/index.html
You can watch for yourself and decide who had the better arguments, but I think Jon's wishing for a time machine so he could "say all the awesome points" he thought of after the taping of the show is pretty telling. I think it was pretty awesome when a nurse who actually read the bill tried asking the panelists, that complained that Americans don't know what's in it, a question. Turns out they didn't know what's in it either. Or their total lack of an answer for why large businesses and unions are getting exemptions from the administration.
On a sour note, at the end when Donna was supposedly given the "final word" and began responding to previous comments by pointing out that Social Security was passed in a bi-partisan fashion the other panelist can be heard saying, "Actually not true". Then at the very end the host, Tony Iannelli, repeats that to make sure that everybody heard, in effect, Donna being called a liar. For the record, an overwhelming majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate voted in favor of Social Security when it was passed in 1935. The vote totals are right here on the Social Security website.
Nobody likes being called a liar.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
It's Sunday Morning
I've been lax in my posting this past month, other duties and life in general has intruded.
This Sunday, and for the rest of the Sundays in March I would like to include a short Sunday morning sermon, or sermonette, of about 5 minutes length if it was being read out loud.
Time for something completely different.
Friday, March 4, 2011
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