Part of the fun of living is observing and figuring
out things that aren't quite so obvious. A few years
back, while living in Illinois, I bought and weighed
two dozen eggs, one large and one extra-large carton.
The weight difference at that time was 1 ounce for
the entire dozen, and I stopped then and there
buying the extra-large eggs.
A few weeks ago I weighed eggs from Angeli's Central
Market with the following results:
Extra-large dozen 26.4 oz
per egg 2.2 oz
Large dozen 24.4 oz
per egg 2.0 oz
Medium dozen 22.0 oz
per egg 1.8 oz
By weight of product, if medium eggs cost $ 1.00, then the
relative value for large eggs is $ 1.11 and for extra-large the
relative value is $ 1.20.
Looks like I'll be buying the medium labeled eggs, as the best
value, for a while.
Oh, I probably should mention that we are working on some
other political stories, they just aren't ripe for publication
as yet.
Bill Vajk
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Iron River City Workers 2/24/2010
I was about town yesterday and noticed that the
city workers were taking down the Christmas, oops
in Iron River that's called Holiday, decorations that
they installed on the lamp posts last fall.
It all seemed normal enough to me, as I sat and
watched them for a short while, till they began
to move to the next position.
As you can see from the photo, the lead truck
is driving down the street with an employee
still in the bucket. This scene would make any
safety oriented supervisor soil his pants. Moving
a truck while a worker is in the bucket is among
the worse of the no-no's in private industry as
well as government departments.
The balance sheet shows that the city workers got
the installation of the banner across US2 right
after the cables were fixed some months ago after
a written complaint by Iron County Doings to the
city.
So the public works department placed the entire
city at risk through a dangerous practice on one
day, but properly earned their keep another. The
city needs to change that ratio to every day being
a 100% safe day.
Bill Vajk
city workers were taking down the Christmas, oops
in Iron River that's called Holiday, decorations that
they installed on the lamp posts last fall.
It all seemed normal enough to me, as I sat and
watched them for a short while, till they began
to move to the next position.
As you can see from the photo, the lead truck
is driving down the street with an employee
still in the bucket. This scene would make any
safety oriented supervisor soil his pants. Moving
a truck while a worker is in the bucket is among
the worse of the no-no's in private industry as
well as government departments.
The balance sheet shows that the city workers got
the installation of the banner across US2 right
after the cables were fixed some months ago after
a written complaint by Iron County Doings to the
city.
So the public works department placed the entire
city at risk through a dangerous practice on one
day, but properly earned their keep another. The
city needs to change that ratio to every day being
a 100% safe day.
Bill Vajk
What's Happening To Us At The State Level?
But first a note about the national level:
"To understand Washington today, we have only
to look at European Communist antics of the
20th century."
In my travels I have been led to discover a web site
www.michiganvotes.org , a site that lists legislation
that's in the works or recently proposed by our
repcritters. Mike Lahti's data is available at:
http://www.michiganvotes.org/SearchVotes.aspx?EntityID=10879&Keywords=&op=Search
Blogs are available there for your comments on
individual bills.
I'm impressed with Lahti's work overall, but I
don't have the time or energy to look at his
record where it comes to a bunch of state
pension issues for teachers and other employees.
A couple of years ago I briefly met with Mike
Lahti here in Iron River and I gave him a series
of written requests for legislation with the
caveat that I only asked him to consider the
requests, that is, to think about them.
Among the requests was one that's come to the
forefront nationwide, that is, how to define
a "job saved or created." It is now important
to all of us to understand what the expression
means. You'd think it would be an easy thing to
do at the state level IF government were honest.
I haven't been able to find any reference to
such a proposal in Mike Lahti's record. Instead
there's tons of anti-business legislation, one
example from Lahti's voting record page is quoted
below:
"Supported 2009 House Bill 4782 (Enforce RV
dealer "territories" ). Passed in the House
(98 to 5) on April 23, 2009, to impose state
regulation on the terms of commercial
relationships between recreational vehicle
manufacturers, wholesalers, warrantors, and
dealers. The terms of these relationships
are currently voluntary and are the product
of negotiations and contractual agreements
between the parties. The bill would authorize
the state to enforce certain exclusive dealer
'territories' and other commercial relationships,
in a manner similar to regulations which apply
under current law to new car dealers and
manufacturers."
It looks a lot like Mike Lahti and Michigan's House
of Representatives is against free trade, and still
Grandholm et troupe wonder why business avoid
this state like the plague? We need not wonder at
all. State treatment of business forces investors
to look elsewhere.
Here's a partial list of legislation brought to our
attention by the Mackinac Center for Public
Policy.
House Bill 4813 Give state employee benefit increase
Senate Bill 927 Authorize "pension obligation bonds"
for government retiree health benefits
Senate Bill 682 Authorize a bicentennial of the War
of 1812 specialty license plate
House Bill 4577 Increase school employee pensions
House Bill 5233 Allow some state employees to
collect pension check and state paycheck
House Bill 5197 Authorize enhances pension
"early out" for state employees
House Bill 5449 Give $40,000 to some state
employees who retire early
House Bill 4275 Cap government employee health
benefits at national average
Now just where is all this money for state employee
benefits coming from? Our state government can't
seem to get a handle on what it takes to manage a
budget, that is simply you can't spend more than
you take in.
At the same time the state is cutting back on
things like law enforcement and prisons, things
they think the average citizen isn't going to
notice.
The web page michiganvotes.org needs a workout
by the voters of this state.
Bill Vajk
"To understand Washington today, we have only
to look at European Communist antics of the
20th century."
In my travels I have been led to discover a web site
www.michiganvotes.org , a site that lists legislation
that's in the works or recently proposed by our
repcritters. Mike Lahti's data is available at:
http://www.michiganvotes.org/SearchVotes.aspx?EntityID=10879&Keywords=&op=Search
Blogs are available there for your comments on
individual bills.
I'm impressed with Lahti's work overall, but I
don't have the time or energy to look at his
record where it comes to a bunch of state
pension issues for teachers and other employees.
A couple of years ago I briefly met with Mike
Lahti here in Iron River and I gave him a series
of written requests for legislation with the
caveat that I only asked him to consider the
requests, that is, to think about them.
Among the requests was one that's come to the
forefront nationwide, that is, how to define
a "job saved or created." It is now important
to all of us to understand what the expression
means. You'd think it would be an easy thing to
do at the state level IF government were honest.
I haven't been able to find any reference to
such a proposal in Mike Lahti's record. Instead
there's tons of anti-business legislation, one
example from Lahti's voting record page is quoted
below:
"Supported 2009 House Bill 4782 (Enforce RV
dealer "territories" ). Passed in the House
(98 to 5) on April 23, 2009, to impose state
regulation on the terms of commercial
relationships between recreational vehicle
manufacturers, wholesalers, warrantors, and
dealers. The terms of these relationships
are currently voluntary and are the product
of negotiations and contractual agreements
between the parties. The bill would authorize
the state to enforce certain exclusive dealer
'territories' and other commercial relationships,
in a manner similar to regulations which apply
under current law to new car dealers and
manufacturers."
It looks a lot like Mike Lahti and Michigan's House
of Representatives is against free trade, and still
Grandholm et troupe wonder why business avoid
this state like the plague? We need not wonder at
all. State treatment of business forces investors
to look elsewhere.
Here's a partial list of legislation brought to our
attention by the Mackinac Center for Public
Policy.
House Bill 4813 Give state employee benefit increase
Senate Bill 927 Authorize "pension obligation bonds"
for government retiree health benefits
Senate Bill 682 Authorize a bicentennial of the War
of 1812 specialty license plate
House Bill 4577 Increase school employee pensions
House Bill 5233 Allow some state employees to
collect pension check and state paycheck
House Bill 5197 Authorize enhances pension
"early out" for state employees
House Bill 5449 Give $40,000 to some state
employees who retire early
House Bill 4275 Cap government employee health
benefits at national average
Now just where is all this money for state employee
benefits coming from? Our state government can't
seem to get a handle on what it takes to manage a
budget, that is simply you can't spend more than
you take in.
At the same time the state is cutting back on
things like law enforcement and prisons, things
they think the average citizen isn't going to
notice.
The web page michiganvotes.org needs a workout
by the voters of this state.
Bill Vajk
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Planning for the Future
Iron County looks like an area that hasn't had
anyone planning for the future in realistic terms.
The only growth here for the past several decades
has been in the negative direction. I've been
watching a series on TV History Channel called
"Life After People." In episode after episode
they demonstrate what will happen to the things
that humanity has built. Literally everything
collapses over time.
Looking around Iron River, such signs are on
us already, and it is happening in an inhabited
community.
In 2006, the City of Iron River participated in
what was then called the Cool Cities project. As
a result a report and plan was prepared by a
consulting firm, some 47 pages of data, information,
and four items on the primary wish list created
from information provided by the people who live
here. The report is available on line at
http://www.ironriver.org/government/cool-cities.htm
I attended one of the evening meetings at City Hall
where, in addition to the discussions, a sincere
sounding request was made for ideas to help the city
progress and grow.
In December 2006 I made my presentation to John
Archocosky for a trolley project that eventually
grew to two phases. The first was to provide public
transportation in the city but to duplicate, in terms
of a trolley system, a railway that resembles, in
operation, a main line railway.
The second phase would have instituted a school for
high school age children to experience railway
operations. Since then several rail accidents have
demonstrated the need for a railroad operations
school, another growth possibility for the proposed
Iron River Trolley.
In the end, the proposal failed because, in my
opinion, those who were the decision makers were
too afraid that their political power would probably
become diluted, and they would no longer enjoy the
prestige they currently held among their similarly
placed peers.
And that, dear reader, is why I have come to accept
the opinion first offered me by a lifetime resident,
that no progress can ever be made here that has even
a remote possibility of threatening the existing
power structure. In fact, it is this same threat that
leads to so many in this county being frightened of
increasing the tourism that is presently probably the
largest single contributor to the local economy. I
have heard it expressed as the fear of any change
(despite the fact the local population voted for a
President who offered nothing other than change.)
I have heard it expressed as a fear that more money
in the community will drive land prices, and thus
existing property taxes, up.
In discussing the problem with one public official
I asked the individual what they thought an improvement
in the local economy and property taxes might to
the income they were being paid by the county. They
hadn't thought about it, but the reality is that with
an overall increase in revenues in all aspects of
private business and local governments, the income of
all those employed by both would necessarily increase
as well.
Consider the fact that the US Government has begun a
railway improvement program in the USA.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0128/Obama-s-high-speed-rail-plan-Which-states-get-the-money
A recent article in the Iron Mountain Daily News
discusses the approval of the Madison-Milwaukee
line improvements by the Wisconsin Legislature.
Every region, like Iron County, has been unhappy about
the fact that rail lines have been ripped up and
are no longer available. In most of the civilized
world railways provide the bulk of transport of goods
to all parts of the country. And in some places the trolley
tracks connect to main line railroads and are used at
night to deliver freight cars to make deliveries in
cities and towns.
But this reporter's best guess is that we don't need
to worry about progress in our community because those
in power will see to it that their little fiefdoms
remain undisturbed, and the community can continue to
deteriorate around us so long as they retain their
pecking order among their peers. By all rights, if we
had a few "highly placed folks" wanting progress, we
should be close to having a trolley system in place,
the Middle School would become a Railroad Operations
School, and we could be looking forward to a bright
future for our community.
Bill Vajk
anyone planning for the future in realistic terms.
The only growth here for the past several decades
has been in the negative direction. I've been
watching a series on TV History Channel called
"Life After People." In episode after episode
they demonstrate what will happen to the things
that humanity has built. Literally everything
collapses over time.
Looking around Iron River, such signs are on
us already, and it is happening in an inhabited
community.
In 2006, the City of Iron River participated in
what was then called the Cool Cities project. As
a result a report and plan was prepared by a
consulting firm, some 47 pages of data, information,
and four items on the primary wish list created
from information provided by the people who live
here. The report is available on line at
http://www.ironriver.org/government/cool-cities.htm
I attended one of the evening meetings at City Hall
where, in addition to the discussions, a sincere
sounding request was made for ideas to help the city
progress and grow.
In December 2006 I made my presentation to John
Archocosky for a trolley project that eventually
grew to two phases. The first was to provide public
transportation in the city but to duplicate, in terms
of a trolley system, a railway that resembles, in
operation, a main line railway.
The second phase would have instituted a school for
high school age children to experience railway
operations. Since then several rail accidents have
demonstrated the need for a railroad operations
school, another growth possibility for the proposed
Iron River Trolley.
In the end, the proposal failed because, in my
opinion, those who were the decision makers were
too afraid that their political power would probably
become diluted, and they would no longer enjoy the
prestige they currently held among their similarly
placed peers.
And that, dear reader, is why I have come to accept
the opinion first offered me by a lifetime resident,
that no progress can ever be made here that has even
a remote possibility of threatening the existing
power structure. In fact, it is this same threat that
leads to so many in this county being frightened of
increasing the tourism that is presently probably the
largest single contributor to the local economy. I
have heard it expressed as the fear of any change
(despite the fact the local population voted for a
President who offered nothing other than change.)
I have heard it expressed as a fear that more money
in the community will drive land prices, and thus
existing property taxes, up.
In discussing the problem with one public official
I asked the individual what they thought an improvement
in the local economy and property taxes might to
the income they were being paid by the county. They
hadn't thought about it, but the reality is that with
an overall increase in revenues in all aspects of
private business and local governments, the income of
all those employed by both would necessarily increase
as well.
Consider the fact that the US Government has begun a
railway improvement program in the USA.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0128/Obama-s-high-speed-rail-plan-Which-states-get-the-money
A recent article in the Iron Mountain Daily News
discusses the approval of the Madison-Milwaukee
line improvements by the Wisconsin Legislature.
Every region, like Iron County, has been unhappy about
the fact that rail lines have been ripped up and
are no longer available. In most of the civilized
world railways provide the bulk of transport of goods
to all parts of the country. And in some places the trolley
tracks connect to main line railroads and are used at
night to deliver freight cars to make deliveries in
cities and towns.
But this reporter's best guess is that we don't need
to worry about progress in our community because those
in power will see to it that their little fiefdoms
remain undisturbed, and the community can continue to
deteriorate around us so long as they retain their
pecking order among their peers. By all rights, if we
had a few "highly placed folks" wanting progress, we
should be close to having a trolley system in place,
the Middle School would become a Railroad Operations
School, and we could be looking forward to a bright
future for our community.
Bill Vajk
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Comments about Page 1-Feb 10, 2009 issue
Looking at the most recent release of the misnamed
Iron County Reporter, I decided there's quite a
bit of content on page 1 that deserves comment.
The issue is Feb 10, 2010.
At the top left of the page is an article headlined
"Stambaugh Township Board OKs salary recommendations."
Sure enough, the board approved a 4% raise for
themselves for the upcoming year if those attending
the annual meeting set for March 3.
This is being done in the face of no senior citizen
in the US achieving any cost of living increase
for Social Security because, according to the
federal government, the US has not experienced a
cost of living increase.
Disgusting, isn't it?
Next comes the EDC's pet project to build a Disk
Golf course adjoining the RV park in Iron River.
Bruce Benkley, a physician assistant at NorthStar
has been appointed the chairman of the committee.
While I disagree that this should be a government
project in the first place and have written about
this issue before, how did the decision to name
Mr. Benkley the chairman come about? Why wasn't
there some public significant discussion about
the position in the first place?
We note that the photo of the group that attended
the meeting about Disk Golf consisted of 5 people,
one of which was Julie Melchiori, our county
Economic Developer, and another was Robert
Rafferty, the Iron County Mine Inspector who was
there because there are some mine shafts in the
immediate vicinity of the proposed course. While
Mrs. Melchiori's estimate of the materials cost
for the course is in the range of $15,000, we
have to wonder what the cost of protecting the
public from mine shafts in the area will run,
and who will pay for that!
We note that with 5 people attending the meeting,
two of them county officials, leaves the total
interest in this project some three individuals.
Considering a county population of 12,800 or
so individuals, the public interest level in
this project is 0.0023%. Even if we say that only
10% of those interested attended the meeting, we
would have am interest level of 0.023% of the
entire population of Iron County, say 30 people.
Is that sufficient reason for the county to expend
the funds and effort to build this facility?
Next is the discussion about the Habitat project
meeting invitation. The newspaper was first
available on Tuesday, February 9th, and the
meeting that's offered for as the public
informational meeting was scheduled for this
evening at 6 PM in Crystal Falls. Two days
notice for an informational meeting is, in
a word, inadequate!
But my real question is, why is any organization
interested in building new houses for the poor in
a community where there are so many vacant,
easily repairable, homes in the county? For
the cost of building one new home we could be
repairing 5, with five poor families reaping the
benefit and future eyesores being brought back
onto the tax rolls, a win win all the way around?
Someone needs to take a deeper look at why a new
home is going to be built in Iron County for
this purpose. If something seems too good to
be true, it usually is, and it would be good to
know in advance whose pockets are going to be
filled by this project. Even if high school
students in a construction trades program were
going to be involved, it seems that it would be
of greatest benefit to rehab several houses
instead of building one from scratch.
Finally, the Iron County Medical Facility is at
the beginning of expansion projects to increase
the number of beds available. We wonder is this
is going to become another construction project
like the NorthStar Hospital expansion that
employed very few people from Michigan, let
alone from Iron County. I am one of those who
believes we live and work in an economic
region that includes parts of Northern Wisconsin,
but it was clear that all the subcontractors
came from a goodly distance away in Wisconsin
because of the convenience of their having a
place in the general contractor's rolodex.
We certainly hope that this project will
represent a turning point in larger construction
projects by making a point of employing as many
local contractors as possible.
Please bear in mind that this entire article
discusses issues arising out of articles only
on the first page of the local weekly "newspaper."
In Iron County we have lots of issues, with no one
bothering to challenge how things are being run
locally. That needs to change. We really need
people to shake things up a bit.
Bill Vajk
Iron County Reporter, I decided there's quite a
bit of content on page 1 that deserves comment.
The issue is Feb 10, 2010.
At the top left of the page is an article headlined
"Stambaugh Township Board OKs salary recommendations."
Sure enough, the board approved a 4% raise for
themselves for the upcoming year if those attending
the annual meeting set for March 3.
This is being done in the face of no senior citizen
in the US achieving any cost of living increase
for Social Security because, according to the
federal government, the US has not experienced a
cost of living increase.
Disgusting, isn't it?
Next comes the EDC's pet project to build a Disk
Golf course adjoining the RV park in Iron River.
Bruce Benkley, a physician assistant at NorthStar
has been appointed the chairman of the committee.
While I disagree that this should be a government
project in the first place and have written about
this issue before, how did the decision to name
Mr. Benkley the chairman come about? Why wasn't
there some public significant discussion about
the position in the first place?
We note that the photo of the group that attended
the meeting about Disk Golf consisted of 5 people,
one of which was Julie Melchiori, our county
Economic Developer, and another was Robert
Rafferty, the Iron County Mine Inspector who was
there because there are some mine shafts in the
immediate vicinity of the proposed course. While
Mrs. Melchiori's estimate of the materials cost
for the course is in the range of $15,000, we
have to wonder what the cost of protecting the
public from mine shafts in the area will run,
and who will pay for that!
We note that with 5 people attending the meeting,
two of them county officials, leaves the total
interest in this project some three individuals.
Considering a county population of 12,800 or
so individuals, the public interest level in
this project is 0.0023%. Even if we say that only
10% of those interested attended the meeting, we
would have am interest level of 0.023% of the
entire population of Iron County, say 30 people.
Is that sufficient reason for the county to expend
the funds and effort to build this facility?
Next is the discussion about the Habitat project
meeting invitation. The newspaper was first
available on Tuesday, February 9th, and the
meeting that's offered for as the public
informational meeting was scheduled for this
evening at 6 PM in Crystal Falls. Two days
notice for an informational meeting is, in
a word, inadequate!
But my real question is, why is any organization
interested in building new houses for the poor in
a community where there are so many vacant,
easily repairable, homes in the county? For
the cost of building one new home we could be
repairing 5, with five poor families reaping the
benefit and future eyesores being brought back
onto the tax rolls, a win win all the way around?
Someone needs to take a deeper look at why a new
home is going to be built in Iron County for
this purpose. If something seems too good to
be true, it usually is, and it would be good to
know in advance whose pockets are going to be
filled by this project. Even if high school
students in a construction trades program were
going to be involved, it seems that it would be
of greatest benefit to rehab several houses
instead of building one from scratch.
Finally, the Iron County Medical Facility is at
the beginning of expansion projects to increase
the number of beds available. We wonder is this
is going to become another construction project
like the NorthStar Hospital expansion that
employed very few people from Michigan, let
alone from Iron County. I am one of those who
believes we live and work in an economic
region that includes parts of Northern Wisconsin,
but it was clear that all the subcontractors
came from a goodly distance away in Wisconsin
because of the convenience of their having a
place in the general contractor's rolodex.
We certainly hope that this project will
represent a turning point in larger construction
projects by making a point of employing as many
local contractors as possible.
Please bear in mind that this entire article
discusses issues arising out of articles only
on the first page of the local weekly "newspaper."
In Iron County we have lots of issues, with no one
bothering to challenge how things are being run
locally. That needs to change. We really need
people to shake things up a bit.
Bill Vajk
Anyone Else?
I received this email from the Emily
Salvette at the Libertarian Party:
=====================================
Ms. Emily Salvette:
My name is Mitch Foster and I, along
with others are in the process of
trying to create a Northern Michigan
University chapter of the College
Libertarians that would also be open
to local community members to participate
in. Is there any way that you could send
me information about local Libertarians
so that I may contact them? Also, if you
could help us in our process that would
be wonderful!
Thank You
Mitch Foster
mifoster@nmu.edu
==========================================
Shall we start our own here in Iron County? I've
mailed the prior articles posted here to Iron
County's P. Ashcraft, county chair of the
Republican Party, and received exactly what I
expected, nothing!
Bill Vajk
Salvette at the Libertarian Party:
=====================================
Ms. Emily Salvette:
My name is Mitch Foster and I, along
with others are in the process of
trying to create a Northern Michigan
University chapter of the College
Libertarians that would also be open
to local community members to participate
in. Is there any way that you could send
me information about local Libertarians
so that I may contact them? Also, if you
could help us in our process that would
be wonderful!
Thank You
Mitch Foster
mifoster@nmu.edu
==========================================
Shall we start our own here in Iron County? I've
mailed the prior articles posted here to Iron
County's P. Ashcraft, county chair of the
Republican Party, and received exactly what I
expected, nothing!
Bill Vajk
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Libertarian Party Responds!
Well the Libertarian Party has expressed an
interest in getting things moving here on the
UP. They seek volunteers and organizers. Please
contact them directly but also let me know if
you are undertaking work on behalf of the
Libertarian Party. If you have any problem in
establishing contact please email me.
The Republican party remains silent, as always.
We need conservatives to run for offices, the
more the merrier. Too bad the Republican Party
is intent on continuing the political failures
we're experiencing here in Michigan.
===============================================
Dear Mr. Vajk,
Bill Hall has forwarded your message to me. We
would love to have Libertarian organizations
going on in the UP. In fact, we really want to
find someone to run for State Rep up there! But
we need an organizer (or 20) in the UP...someone
with energy and enthusiasm who can set up
meetings, publicize and conduct them; someone
who is reliable and can build an organization
that will recruit candidates and do what's
necessary to get their names on the ballot.
Bob Black did a great job of this in the past.
Do you know someone like that I can contact?
Attached is our standard information about
starting a local LP group to give you background.
It's how we have to start...
As for working with the Wisconsin LP, the issue
there is if you live in the UP and want to run
for office, you need to run in Michigan and be
nominated through our procedures, which are
mandated by state law. Certainly participating
with the Wisconsin LP for educational and social
events is encouraged if that is more convenient.
I'm not sure where their active groups are, but
here is contact information for the WI state
chair, Ben Olson:
benolson3@gmail.com
chairman@lpwi.org
P.O. Box 20815
Greenfield, WI 53220
800-236-9236
608-963-2285 (cell)
I would be delighted to work with you and/or
others who would like to work for limited
government and greater personal responsibility
through the Libertarian Party. Please let me
know where we can start. Thanks.
Best regards,
Emily Salvette, State Chair
Libertarian Party of Michigan
interest in getting things moving here on the
UP. They seek volunteers and organizers. Please
contact them directly but also let me know if
you are undertaking work on behalf of the
Libertarian Party. If you have any problem in
establishing contact please email me.
The Republican party remains silent, as always.
We need conservatives to run for offices, the
more the merrier. Too bad the Republican Party
is intent on continuing the political failures
we're experiencing here in Michigan.
===============================================
Dear Mr. Vajk,
Bill Hall has forwarded your message to me. We
would love to have Libertarian organizations
going on in the UP. In fact, we really want to
find someone to run for State Rep up there! But
we need an organizer (or 20) in the UP...someone
with energy and enthusiasm who can set up
meetings, publicize and conduct them; someone
who is reliable and can build an organization
that will recruit candidates and do what's
necessary to get their names on the ballot.
Bob Black did a great job of this in the past.
Do you know someone like that I can contact?
Attached is our standard information about
starting a local LP group to give you background.
It's how we have to start...
As for working with the Wisconsin LP, the issue
there is if you live in the UP and want to run
for office, you need to run in Michigan and be
nominated through our procedures, which are
mandated by state law. Certainly participating
with the Wisconsin LP for educational and social
events is encouraged if that is more convenient.
I'm not sure where their active groups are, but
here is contact information for the WI state
chair, Ben Olson:
benolson3@gmail.com
chairman@lpwi.org
P.O. Box 20815
Greenfield, WI 53220
800-236-9236
608-963-2285 (cell)
I would be delighted to work with you and/or
others who would like to work for limited
government and greater personal responsibility
through the Libertarian Party. Please let me
know where we can start. Thanks.
Best regards,
Emily Salvette, State Chair
Libertarian Party of Michigan
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Few Points About Conservatism
Last night Sarah Palin's keynote address to the
first national Tea Party convention was aired.
It is a political party, it isn't a political
party, who knows for sure? Nobody knows how this
political movement will evolve. It could simply
embrace political conservatism that lives within
both our primary political parties that exist
today.
But the problem that conservatism has, about
small government, seems to spill over where
organizational skills are concerned.
Sarah Palin advised the Obama White House to
start listening. Unfortunately she failed to
warn the Republican Party, and the conservative
factions within the Democratic Party, to do the
same thing.
But this problem, in terms of Michigan's
conservatives at least, doesn't stop with those
two parties. We also have a Libertarian Party
that's somewhat active downstate, in Michigan's
lower peninsula.
I exchanged some email with Bill Hall, Political
Director of the Michigan Libertarian Party. They
don't seem very interested in the UP because of
the distances from their headquarters. That's the
same reason I won't go to their April 17 meeting
at Brighton, MI. One of the announced purposes of
the meeting is to encourage and assist individuals
who are willing to run for political office this
year.
I then suggested to Bill Hall that since we are in
a much closer proximity to a goodly number of
Wisconsin population centers, perhaps the Michigan
branch of the Libertarian Party should encourage
the organization and merger of UP chapters with
existing groups in Wisconsin. Brighton, Michigan,
is some 498 miles from Iron River. That's further
than Chicago and further than most, if not all,
population centers in Wisconsin.
My best guess is that despite Mr. Hall taking the
matter to the group in charge, I'll not hear back
from him on this matter.
So for all practical purposes, there is no one in
Michigan politics doing anything about conservatism
for the UP. The local Republicans are merely
placeholders, filling out their terms and doing
nothing. I've lived in this area since 2003 and
never have I seen or heard anything in the local
media about the Republican Party save a few people
who simply announced their affiliation when running
for office. The Iron River Township treasurer is an
excellent example.
There was a local meeting or two claiming some
connection to the Tea Party, but other than a few
speeches, (I mentioned one by Dan Stafford earlier)
nothing has been done and there's no continuity.
The dearth of organization in the entire conservative
movement is clear. I'm willing to participate if
we can develop either a Tea Party movement or a
Republican or Libertarian Party with some staying
power here in Iron County. How else can we hope to
vote out and replace those in office who are deadwood?
And it seems we have plenty of standardized yes
voting commissioners and councilmen to get rid of.
We're presently rid of conservative organizations,
and that's a situation that must be remedied if
we're to get out of the economic depression we're
experiencing in Iron County.
Bill Vajk
first national Tea Party convention was aired.
It is a political party, it isn't a political
party, who knows for sure? Nobody knows how this
political movement will evolve. It could simply
embrace political conservatism that lives within
both our primary political parties that exist
today.
But the problem that conservatism has, about
small government, seems to spill over where
organizational skills are concerned.
Sarah Palin advised the Obama White House to
start listening. Unfortunately she failed to
warn the Republican Party, and the conservative
factions within the Democratic Party, to do the
same thing.
But this problem, in terms of Michigan's
conservatives at least, doesn't stop with those
two parties. We also have a Libertarian Party
that's somewhat active downstate, in Michigan's
lower peninsula.
I exchanged some email with Bill Hall, Political
Director of the Michigan Libertarian Party. They
don't seem very interested in the UP because of
the distances from their headquarters. That's the
same reason I won't go to their April 17 meeting
at Brighton, MI. One of the announced purposes of
the meeting is to encourage and assist individuals
who are willing to run for political office this
year.
I then suggested to Bill Hall that since we are in
a much closer proximity to a goodly number of
Wisconsin population centers, perhaps the Michigan
branch of the Libertarian Party should encourage
the organization and merger of UP chapters with
existing groups in Wisconsin. Brighton, Michigan,
is some 498 miles from Iron River. That's further
than Chicago and further than most, if not all,
population centers in Wisconsin.
My best guess is that despite Mr. Hall taking the
matter to the group in charge, I'll not hear back
from him on this matter.
So for all practical purposes, there is no one in
Michigan politics doing anything about conservatism
for the UP. The local Republicans are merely
placeholders, filling out their terms and doing
nothing. I've lived in this area since 2003 and
never have I seen or heard anything in the local
media about the Republican Party save a few people
who simply announced their affiliation when running
for office. The Iron River Township treasurer is an
excellent example.
There was a local meeting or two claiming some
connection to the Tea Party, but other than a few
speeches, (I mentioned one by Dan Stafford earlier)
nothing has been done and there's no continuity.
The dearth of organization in the entire conservative
movement is clear. I'm willing to participate if
we can develop either a Tea Party movement or a
Republican or Libertarian Party with some staying
power here in Iron County. How else can we hope to
vote out and replace those in office who are deadwood?
And it seems we have plenty of standardized yes
voting commissioners and councilmen to get rid of.
We're presently rid of conservative organizations,
and that's a situation that must be remedied if
we're to get out of the economic depression we're
experiencing in Iron County.
Bill Vajk
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Smoking Gun
We spend a lot of time looking for someone holding
the smoking gun that clearly proves guilt. This is
no less true in political circles where understanding
what's actually happening despite purposeful
misdirection by a political party is often very
important. Never in the history of the US has
understanding been more important than today.
Our children are being indoctrinated very much
like German children were during the Third Reich.
Recommended reading for children volunteering for
internship under the "Organizing for America"
program includes the following list:
Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky
The New Organizers, Zack Exley
Stir It Up: Lessons from Community Organizing and
Advocacy, Rinku Sen
Obama Field Organizers Plot a Miracle, Zack Exley,
Huffington Post
Dreams of My Father Chicago Chapters, Barack
Hussein Obama
Alinsky's rules include the following:
1."Power is not only what you have but what the
enemy thinks you have.
2. "Never go outside the experience of your people.
3. "Wherever possible go outside of the experience
of the enemy.
4. "Make the enemy live up to their own book of
rules.
5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.
6. "A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.
7. "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
8. "Keep the pressure on.
9. "The threat is usually more terrifying than the
thing itself.
10. "Major premise for tactics is development of
operations that will maintain constant pressure
upon the opposition.
11. "If you push a negative hard and deep enough it
will break through into its counterside.
12. "The price of a successful attack is a constructive
alternative.
13. "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and
polarize it.
Please click here for further information.
Any reasonable reading of Alinsky's rules demonstrates that
dishonesty and deception are acceptable.
"Organizing for America, the successor organization to
Obama for America, is building on the movement that
elected President Obama by empowering communities across
the country to bring about our agenda of change."
If you read Obama's web page by clicking
here
please take notice of the far bottom left corner of the page,
where it states that "Organizing for America is a project of
the Democratic National Committee" and that they're paying for
Obama's web page.
Now if that weren't enough, the National Educational
association jumps on the bandwagon and recommends Alinsky's
books.
www.nea.org/tools/17231.htm
Obviously we've found a smoking gun, but who is willing to
do anything about it?
During my pursuit of this story I ran across another web
page that is worth reading.
http://faustasblog.com/
As a warning I need to add that once the radicals who
promote socialism/communism eventually need to get rid
of the very people who put them into power for fear that
activists will eventually turn against their new masters
once they're eventually offended, as they always are.
Typical of that genre was Béla Kuhn, a Hungarian communist,
came to power in 1919. The promises made were all too
familiar when compared to those we're hearing today:
"The Communists also promised equality and social justice."
"In terms of domestic policy, the Communist government
nationalized industrial and commercial enterprises,
socialized housing, transport, banking, medicine,
cultural institutions, and all landholdings of more
than 400,000 square metres."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hungary
Soon driven out for his failures, Kuhn fled to Moscow
where he was initially welcomed as a hero "come home."
His popularity was short lived as he was soon
assassinated by the Russians. That's the reward
offered by socialists/communists who hold with
Alinsky's other rule, that the end justifies the
means.
Those who forget history are destined to relive it.
Bill Vajk
the smoking gun that clearly proves guilt. This is
no less true in political circles where understanding
what's actually happening despite purposeful
misdirection by a political party is often very
important. Never in the history of the US has
understanding been more important than today.
Our children are being indoctrinated very much
like German children were during the Third Reich.
Recommended reading for children volunteering for
internship under the "Organizing for America"
program includes the following list:
Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky
The New Organizers, Zack Exley
Stir It Up: Lessons from Community Organizing and
Advocacy, Rinku Sen
Obama Field Organizers Plot a Miracle, Zack Exley,
Huffington Post
Dreams of My Father Chicago Chapters, Barack
Hussein Obama
Alinsky's rules include the following:
1."Power is not only what you have but what the
enemy thinks you have.
2. "Never go outside the experience of your people.
3. "Wherever possible go outside of the experience
of the enemy.
4. "Make the enemy live up to their own book of
rules.
5. "Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.
6. "A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.
7. "A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
8. "Keep the pressure on.
9. "The threat is usually more terrifying than the
thing itself.
10. "Major premise for tactics is development of
operations that will maintain constant pressure
upon the opposition.
11. "If you push a negative hard and deep enough it
will break through into its counterside.
12. "The price of a successful attack is a constructive
alternative.
13. "Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and
polarize it.
Please click here for further information.
Any reasonable reading of Alinsky's rules demonstrates that
dishonesty and deception are acceptable.
"Organizing for America, the successor organization to
Obama for America, is building on the movement that
elected President Obama by empowering communities across
the country to bring about our agenda of change."
If you read Obama's web page by clicking
here
please take notice of the far bottom left corner of the page,
where it states that "Organizing for America is a project of
the Democratic National Committee" and that they're paying for
Obama's web page.
Now if that weren't enough, the National Educational
association jumps on the bandwagon and recommends Alinsky's
books.
www.nea.org/tools/17231.htm
Obviously we've found a smoking gun, but who is willing to
do anything about it?
During my pursuit of this story I ran across another web
page that is worth reading.
http://faustasblog.com/
As a warning I need to add that once the radicals who
promote socialism/communism eventually need to get rid
of the very people who put them into power for fear that
activists will eventually turn against their new masters
once they're eventually offended, as they always are.
Typical of that genre was Béla Kuhn, a Hungarian communist,
came to power in 1919. The promises made were all too
familiar when compared to those we're hearing today:
"The Communists also promised equality and social justice."
"In terms of domestic policy, the Communist government
nationalized industrial and commercial enterprises,
socialized housing, transport, banking, medicine,
cultural institutions, and all landholdings of more
than 400,000 square metres."
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Hungary
Soon driven out for his failures, Kuhn fled to Moscow
where he was initially welcomed as a hero "come home."
His popularity was short lived as he was soon
assassinated by the Russians. That's the reward
offered by socialists/communists who hold with
Alinsky's other rule, that the end justifies the
means.
Those who forget history are destined to relive it.
Bill Vajk
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Progress, page 2
I received the following email in response to
yesterday's article "Progress?".
>Bill : Your going to be very unpopular with
>this kind of column. Have you noticed the
>number of pages in the local media lately?
>Even telephone time has suffered from late
>of participants, both sponsors and callers!
My response:
Popular but screwed is not where I want to be! If
real progress demands unpopularity, then so be it.
Obama said yesterday, in his State of the Union
address, that he's not content to have the US come
in second. How do we achieve as good as second
with a docile population? We'd be lucky to come
in behind all the members of the European Union!
Bill Vajk
yesterday's article "Progress?".
>Bill : Your going to be very unpopular with
>this kind of column. Have you noticed the
>number of pages in the local media lately?
>Even telephone time has suffered from late
>of participants, both sponsors and callers!
My response:
Popular but screwed is not where I want to be! If
real progress demands unpopularity, then so be it.
Obama said yesterday, in his State of the Union
address, that he's not content to have the US come
in second. How do we achieve as good as second
with a docile population? We'd be lucky to come
in behind all the members of the European Union!
Bill Vajk
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Progress?
I received a flier from Congressman Bart Stupak.
It is the usual "I'm wonderful" sort of sheet
we're used to seeing once a year or at least at
election time. There are a few points I want to
comment about because they're so problematic.
"Since February the stimulus bill has created or
retained 1,950 jobs and committed $461 million for
Northern Michigan, according to the recovery.gov
web site."
Here's the problem: The web page has been debunked
by many because a lot of money went to congressional
districts that don't even exist and when pressed,
some of those making claims of "created or saved
jobs" had pulled numbers out of thin air. The
listings that follow are, in my opinion, bogus.
Not covered by the Stupak flier is the automated
weather station that, I believe, was funded by
stimulus money. The photo below shows the only thing
I've found so far attributed to stimulus money in
Iron County. It is located at the northwest corner
of the intersections between US2 and FFH16. Funny,
this has not been reported in the local newspapers
or WIKB, and it qualifies as "feel good news" that
Marian Volek of the Iron County Reporter prefers to
publish.
While on the topic, it seems that our local newsprint
media is, as Karl Marx called religion, "the opiate of
the people" way back in 1843.
It is just plain wrong for a newspaper to sew contentment
in a population that is living in a region where
government corruption is rampant because that only fuels
more corruption and misery. Of course Ms. Volek is only
repeating the "bucket filling" of joy and kindness that's
being presently taught to Stambaugh elementary students
who are in process of being taught to live happily in the
midst of the deceit and corruption that runs rampant in
this region.
Please note this well!
The only road to progress is through discontent.
The individual who is unhappy with working for
others, or on welfare in one of the many available
forms, opens his or her own business. Perhaps it
takes several attempts. I expect that eventually
Rex Angeli, for example, will once again start a
new business.
No, Ms. Volek, more of the same is unacceptable here
in Iron County. We need people, especially those
growing up here to be tomorrow's potential leadership,
to be discontent with how things are. Supporting a
program of "life is great in Iron County" is a
disservice to the community. Christianity teaches us
to love one another, and church or religious training
is where that sort of thing belongs. In the secular
realm, where a newspaper and schools belong, teaching
students to cast a critical eye on life in general
is the only legitimate lesson they should be learning.
Although "trust but verify" is generally attributed
to Ron Reagan, it was actually borrowed from a much
older Russian paradigm, "doveryay, no proveryay." I
think this is the idea that should be taught in Iron
County schools if we want a better life for the children.
Bill Vajk
It is the usual "I'm wonderful" sort of sheet
we're used to seeing once a year or at least at
election time. There are a few points I want to
comment about because they're so problematic.
"Since February the stimulus bill has created or
retained 1,950 jobs and committed $461 million for
Northern Michigan, according to the recovery.gov
web site."
Here's the problem: The web page has been debunked
by many because a lot of money went to congressional
districts that don't even exist and when pressed,
some of those making claims of "created or saved
jobs" had pulled numbers out of thin air. The
listings that follow are, in my opinion, bogus.
Not covered by the Stupak flier is the automated
weather station that, I believe, was funded by
stimulus money. The photo below shows the only thing
I've found so far attributed to stimulus money in
Iron County. It is located at the northwest corner
of the intersections between US2 and FFH16. Funny,
this has not been reported in the local newspapers
or WIKB, and it qualifies as "feel good news" that
Marian Volek of the Iron County Reporter prefers to
publish.
While on the topic, it seems that our local newsprint
media is, as Karl Marx called religion, "the opiate of
the people" way back in 1843.
It is just plain wrong for a newspaper to sew contentment
in a population that is living in a region where
government corruption is rampant because that only fuels
more corruption and misery. Of course Ms. Volek is only
repeating the "bucket filling" of joy and kindness that's
being presently taught to Stambaugh elementary students
who are in process of being taught to live happily in the
midst of the deceit and corruption that runs rampant in
this region.
Please note this well!
The only road to progress is through discontent.
The individual who is unhappy with working for
others, or on welfare in one of the many available
forms, opens his or her own business. Perhaps it
takes several attempts. I expect that eventually
Rex Angeli, for example, will once again start a
new business.
No, Ms. Volek, more of the same is unacceptable here
in Iron County. We need people, especially those
growing up here to be tomorrow's potential leadership,
to be discontent with how things are. Supporting a
program of "life is great in Iron County" is a
disservice to the community. Christianity teaches us
to love one another, and church or religious training
is where that sort of thing belongs. In the secular
realm, where a newspaper and schools belong, teaching
students to cast a critical eye on life in general
is the only legitimate lesson they should be learning.
Although "trust but verify" is generally attributed
to Ron Reagan, it was actually borrowed from a much
older Russian paradigm, "doveryay, no proveryay." I
think this is the idea that should be taught in Iron
County schools if we want a better life for the children.
Bill Vajk
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Climate Change
Climate change and political understandings of it affect all
of us. There's a huge battle between those who, for whatever
reason, believe in what is called Global Warming and those
who are more appreciative of Climate Gate, the name given
to the apparent falsification of data at East Anglia
University that's been used as a basis by former VP Gore
and his followers.
It cost a few million dollars for the US to ship President
Obama to the climate talks recently, and the rest of the to
attend those talks as well as the earlier Kyoto conference
doubtless spent similar amounts and burned plenty of fuel to
get there in the fashion to which they're accustomed. Of
course they would be immune from any resulting energy taxes.
We would be the ones footing that bill.
The entire cap and trade legislation movement used the
falsified data from East Anglia as a foundation to "remake
America" by taxing the dickens out of all energy consumption.
I wonder how they intended to collect taxes on firewood here
in Iron County and many other places around the US? If that
tax were successful the USA would doubtless be denuded of
trees, much like Hati, in a few decades.
It looks like the information found on the NOAA web site,
US Government funded data, is accurate. It shows that while
there's a slight recent upturn in temperatures, those
numbers fall well below the high points during earlier times
when mankind was so sparse of population that our carbon
footprint was less than that of the naturally occurring
forest and meadow fires to say nothing of volcanic activity.
This is probably a good place to start your own investigation:
NOAA data4
Raw numbers going back a few thousand years, based on central
Greenland ice cores can be found at:
click here
The NOAA web page has lots of information for those eager to
understand our climate. I urge everyone to spend a lazy
afternoon perusing the topics available there.
Bill Vajk
of us. There's a huge battle between those who, for whatever
reason, believe in what is called Global Warming and those
who are more appreciative of Climate Gate, the name given
to the apparent falsification of data at East Anglia
University that's been used as a basis by former VP Gore
and his followers.
It cost a few million dollars for the US to ship President
Obama to the climate talks recently, and the rest of the to
attend those talks as well as the earlier Kyoto conference
doubtless spent similar amounts and burned plenty of fuel to
get there in the fashion to which they're accustomed. Of
course they would be immune from any resulting energy taxes.
We would be the ones footing that bill.
The entire cap and trade legislation movement used the
falsified data from East Anglia as a foundation to "remake
America" by taxing the dickens out of all energy consumption.
I wonder how they intended to collect taxes on firewood here
in Iron County and many other places around the US? If that
tax were successful the USA would doubtless be denuded of
trees, much like Hati, in a few decades.
It looks like the information found on the NOAA web site,
US Government funded data, is accurate. It shows that while
there's a slight recent upturn in temperatures, those
numbers fall well below the high points during earlier times
when mankind was so sparse of population that our carbon
footprint was less than that of the naturally occurring
forest and meadow fires to say nothing of volcanic activity.
This is probably a good place to start your own investigation:
NOAA data4
Raw numbers going back a few thousand years, based on central
Greenland ice cores can be found at:
click here
The NOAA web page has lots of information for those eager to
understand our climate. I urge everyone to spend a lazy
afternoon perusing the topics available there.
Bill Vajk
Monday, January 18, 2010
For Want of a Nail
Page 1 of the January 16-17, 2010 Iron Mountain
Daily News has an article entitled "Community
colleges soar; Bay West no exception."
The article points out that, "One of the greatest
challenges is the graduation rates at Michigan
community colleges. This is primarily because
too many students arrive without basic math and
reading skills. Bay College is focused on this
and has received federal grant money to support
such areas."
I know this is an old problem, and a national
one, not purely a local UP problem. About 1973,
while I was still living on the east coast, I
undertook a job of teaching at Trenton Technical
Institute in Trenton, NJ, for a brief period. I
had a class of 8 students, primarily Vietnam
veterans who had an interest in bettering
themselves by learning what at that time was
about computers.
Please bear in mind that this was well before
the advent of small personal computers of the
sort you're undoubtedly using to read this text.
Computers, back then, were at the least in large
floor model cabinets called racks, and the
operator hadn't an inkling, usually, of what
was on all those punch cards they fed into the
infernal machine. Computer operator was a simple
clerical job. Programmer was separate, as it is
today. What these fellows in my class were there
to learn was how computers worked with an eye to
maintenance.
At the most elementary level, computers utilize
what is known as Boolean algebra, also known
as Boolean logic. The building blocks for that
are known in the computer biz as gates with names
like AND, OR, NAND, NOR. AND, for example, can
have 2 or more inputs of a high or low state. In
order to get a high state output from an AND gate,
all the inputs must be high.
What I discovered for my class was that not one of
them was able to perform 6th grade arithmetic out
of the workbook my daughter was using in school at
that time. Beyond that, the students weren't very
good at ordinary reading either. Never did any of
these students come to class carrying a newspaper,
or any reading materials other than those required
for class.
How was I supposed to teach these young men, all
in their 20's, to understand elementary electronics,
gates, and logic so they could have at least a
handshake acquaintance with the equipment they said
they wanted to work with? This stuff was nothing
like changing a tire on a car.
And that's the point. Not everyone is destined to
greatness. Not everyone should attend college, no
matter what the dreams and hopes of their parents.
Some people need to stick to changing tires. They're
good at it and it is an honorable job.
My father undertook to teach a neighbor elementary
algebra, something the adult man desired.
A=16 solve 3A=?
The neighbor, after several hours of effort, was
unable to solve this caliber of problem. He was a
perfectly nice man with a home, wife, one child,
and a good job. But he had achieved the highest
level to which he was destined and was unable in
his lifetime to achieve more. There's no dishonor
or disgrace in that. In fact he took pride in his
achievements, as well he should have.
That's the point of this discussion. If everyone
were able to be a rocket scientist we'd have plenty
of those around. There's a reason we don't.
So the trick is to explore one's limits, bump into
them, and do the absolute best one can with such
gifts as your creator has seen fit to bless you
with. Back to Bay College, my question is a simple
one. Why do we need federal grants so that
individuals can learn, in their 20's, how to do the
things we paid for in the 12 years of educational
opportunities already extended to everyone in this
country? If kids are blowing off opportunities for
12 years, why are we, in this time of massive
unemployment, paying for one more time around on
this issue?
We have, in the Iron River community, some individuals
who give their time freely to help those who haven't
learned to read, to read, if they possibly can. In my
experience, such volunteerism works much better than
any government funded initiative where the individual
can "fall through the cracks" again as they managed to
do for 12 years already. I applaud this charitable act
and suggest that if young people want to attend college,
community college or otherwise, that they be required
to come equipped to deal with the necessities. They
should be required to read, write, and do arithmetic,
on at least the 7th grade level before they're
admitted to any college level courses.
College should not be an extended High School. It is
a place for advanced studies, not a repeat of what
went before.
Bill Vajk
Daily News has an article entitled "Community
colleges soar; Bay West no exception."
The article points out that, "One of the greatest
challenges is the graduation rates at Michigan
community colleges. This is primarily because
too many students arrive without basic math and
reading skills. Bay College is focused on this
and has received federal grant money to support
such areas."
I know this is an old problem, and a national
one, not purely a local UP problem. About 1973,
while I was still living on the east coast, I
undertook a job of teaching at Trenton Technical
Institute in Trenton, NJ, for a brief period. I
had a class of 8 students, primarily Vietnam
veterans who had an interest in bettering
themselves by learning what at that time was
about computers.
Please bear in mind that this was well before
the advent of small personal computers of the
sort you're undoubtedly using to read this text.
Computers, back then, were at the least in large
floor model cabinets called racks, and the
operator hadn't an inkling, usually, of what
was on all those punch cards they fed into the
infernal machine. Computer operator was a simple
clerical job. Programmer was separate, as it is
today. What these fellows in my class were there
to learn was how computers worked with an eye to
maintenance.
At the most elementary level, computers utilize
what is known as Boolean algebra, also known
as Boolean logic. The building blocks for that
are known in the computer biz as gates with names
like AND, OR, NAND, NOR. AND, for example, can
have 2 or more inputs of a high or low state. In
order to get a high state output from an AND gate,
all the inputs must be high.
What I discovered for my class was that not one of
them was able to perform 6th grade arithmetic out
of the workbook my daughter was using in school at
that time. Beyond that, the students weren't very
good at ordinary reading either. Never did any of
these students come to class carrying a newspaper,
or any reading materials other than those required
for class.
How was I supposed to teach these young men, all
in their 20's, to understand elementary electronics,
gates, and logic so they could have at least a
handshake acquaintance with the equipment they said
they wanted to work with? This stuff was nothing
like changing a tire on a car.
And that's the point. Not everyone is destined to
greatness. Not everyone should attend college, no
matter what the dreams and hopes of their parents.
Some people need to stick to changing tires. They're
good at it and it is an honorable job.
My father undertook to teach a neighbor elementary
algebra, something the adult man desired.
A=16 solve 3A=?
The neighbor, after several hours of effort, was
unable to solve this caliber of problem. He was a
perfectly nice man with a home, wife, one child,
and a good job. But he had achieved the highest
level to which he was destined and was unable in
his lifetime to achieve more. There's no dishonor
or disgrace in that. In fact he took pride in his
achievements, as well he should have.
That's the point of this discussion. If everyone
were able to be a rocket scientist we'd have plenty
of those around. There's a reason we don't.
So the trick is to explore one's limits, bump into
them, and do the absolute best one can with such
gifts as your creator has seen fit to bless you
with. Back to Bay College, my question is a simple
one. Why do we need federal grants so that
individuals can learn, in their 20's, how to do the
things we paid for in the 12 years of educational
opportunities already extended to everyone in this
country? If kids are blowing off opportunities for
12 years, why are we, in this time of massive
unemployment, paying for one more time around on
this issue?
We have, in the Iron River community, some individuals
who give their time freely to help those who haven't
learned to read, to read, if they possibly can. In my
experience, such volunteerism works much better than
any government funded initiative where the individual
can "fall through the cracks" again as they managed to
do for 12 years already. I applaud this charitable act
and suggest that if young people want to attend college,
community college or otherwise, that they be required
to come equipped to deal with the necessities. They
should be required to read, write, and do arithmetic,
on at least the 7th grade level before they're
admitted to any college level courses.
College should not be an extended High School. It is
a place for advanced studies, not a repeat of what
went before.
Bill Vajk
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Heartless?
Our local Judge Schwedler is heartless when it comes to
imposing fines and penalties. In most jurisdictions in
the United Sates judges make sure that defendants who
owe the court money aren't financially destroyed by the
systems that most of us see as corrections rather than
punishment of the entire family for the father's misdeeds.
From the below referenced web page, Schwedler is quoted:
"It’s really quite simple," explains Administrative Chief
Judge C. Joseph Schwedler of the Iron County Trial Court.
"We expect those who know they will owe money to come to
the court prepared to pay. And we tell them that."
"I was skeptical at first, given the type of defendant
we deal with up here in the Upper Peninsula, where the
economy is not flourishing like it is in other parts of
the state."
(Well he's wrong on all counts in this.)
"Almost immediately, the clerks commented on how much
more traffic there was in their office, with defendants
wanting to satisfy their court debts. When you create
the expectation, the money rolls in."
courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/standards/cl_section3.pdf
Is this necessary? The people paying the fines and
penalties generally have very little to begin with. Is
the court unnecessarily pushing them into asking for
charity or state support as a consequence? Yes, fines
and penalties must be paid, but does the court system
really need to be irrational about it?
And why wasn't this sort of information provided by the
local newsprint media when it is fresh?
Bill Vajk
imposing fines and penalties. In most jurisdictions in
the United Sates judges make sure that defendants who
owe the court money aren't financially destroyed by the
systems that most of us see as corrections rather than
punishment of the entire family for the father's misdeeds.
From the below referenced web page, Schwedler is quoted:
"It’s really quite simple," explains Administrative Chief
Judge C. Joseph Schwedler of the Iron County Trial Court.
"We expect those who know they will owe money to come to
the court prepared to pay. And we tell them that."
"I was skeptical at first, given the type of defendant
we deal with up here in the Upper Peninsula, where the
economy is not flourishing like it is in other parts of
the state."
(Well he's wrong on all counts in this.)
"Almost immediately, the clerks commented on how much
more traffic there was in their office, with defendants
wanting to satisfy their court debts. When you create
the expectation, the money rolls in."
courts.michigan.gov/scao/resources/standards/cl_section3.pdf
Is this necessary? The people paying the fines and
penalties generally have very little to begin with. Is
the court unnecessarily pushing them into asking for
charity or state support as a consequence? Yes, fines
and penalties must be paid, but does the court system
really need to be irrational about it?
And why wasn't this sort of information provided by the
local newsprint media when it is fresh?
Bill Vajk
Iron County Reporter
The Iron County Reporter has been getting smaller
ever since I've subscribed. Yesterday the renewal
notice came in the mail. The price would be $45
for a year, or $26 for 6 months.
Unfortunately "The Reporter" takes a very narrow
view of what they decide to report.
This academic description comes from the web
page referenced at the end of this posting.
"The Seattle Times asked its readers what they
think a newspaper is for. One reader responded,
'The purpose of the newspaper has always been
to keep people informed of events around the
world as well as those in our backyard...
"Events that directly and indirectly affect us
and the rest of humanity and our planet....The
best newspapers are diligent, unbiased, and serve
no one but their readers, the general public - not
always telling them what they want to know, but
what they NEED to know. If you do these things
wholeheartedly you will offer the reader something
the internet cannot: substance... Do not
underestimate the public.'"
In a nutshell, the local problem is defined.
The Reporter does not fill the unbiased news
reporting niche that the community so badly
needs. It has, instead, become an organ of
local government, a pure propaganda sheet
shilling for the local oligarchy. It is my
opinion that the "independent press" does
not exist in Iron County in the classic
newsprint media.
The Iron County Reporter, in my opinion, is
not worth the price. I'm not renewing a
subscription.
see:
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2007/03/us_the_purpose_of_a_newspaper.php
Bill Vajk
ever since I've subscribed. Yesterday the renewal
notice came in the mail. The price would be $45
for a year, or $26 for 6 months.
Unfortunately "The Reporter" takes a very narrow
view of what they decide to report.
This academic description comes from the web
page referenced at the end of this posting.
"The Seattle Times asked its readers what they
think a newspaper is for. One reader responded,
'The purpose of the newspaper has always been
to keep people informed of events around the
world as well as those in our backyard...
"Events that directly and indirectly affect us
and the rest of humanity and our planet....The
best newspapers are diligent, unbiased, and serve
no one but their readers, the general public - not
always telling them what they want to know, but
what they NEED to know. If you do these things
wholeheartedly you will offer the reader something
the internet cannot: substance... Do not
underestimate the public.'"
In a nutshell, the local problem is defined.
The Reporter does not fill the unbiased news
reporting niche that the community so badly
needs. It has, instead, become an organ of
local government, a pure propaganda sheet
shilling for the local oligarchy. It is my
opinion that the "independent press" does
not exist in Iron County in the classic
newsprint media.
The Iron County Reporter, in my opinion, is
not worth the price. I'm not renewing a
subscription.
see:
http://www.editorsweblog.org/newsrooms_and_journalism/2007/03/us_the_purpose_of_a_newspaper.php
Bill Vajk
Why Is Sarah Palin So Despised?
There are probably as many possible answers as there
are people, but a few things that generally don't make
the list are worthy of mention.
First and foremost, the American culture (and a few
European ones as well) doesn't deal very well with
high profile alpha women. The more attractive (and
perhaps Barbi-like) they are the more they're despised
for these characteristics alone.
Combined with the above, Sarah Palin represents a
few more ideals.
She hunts!
She is an active, hands on, participant in the family
fishing business.
She participates in outdoor activities with her snow
machine.
She's a mom, with a childbirth in her 40's.
She's an outspoken conservative.
She's proven an honest politician.
While any one of these factors would be sufficient to
garner a goodly following of jealousy, the confluence
of all of them has led to the response we can plainly
see. Plug the words Palin and despised into your
favorite search engine and you'll see the results for
yourself. I find it interesting that just about all those
outspoken against Sarah Palin focus on one point
or another. They've missed the larger picture that
would make a very interesting study in sociology.
Bill Vajk
are people, but a few things that generally don't make
the list are worthy of mention.
First and foremost, the American culture (and a few
European ones as well) doesn't deal very well with
high profile alpha women. The more attractive (and
perhaps Barbi-like) they are the more they're despised
for these characteristics alone.
Combined with the above, Sarah Palin represents a
few more ideals.
She hunts!
She is an active, hands on, participant in the family
fishing business.
She participates in outdoor activities with her snow
machine.
She's a mom, with a childbirth in her 40's.
She's an outspoken conservative.
She's proven an honest politician.
While any one of these factors would be sufficient to
garner a goodly following of jealousy, the confluence
of all of them has led to the response we can plainly
see. Plug the words Palin and despised into your
favorite search engine and you'll see the results for
yourself. I find it interesting that just about all those
outspoken against Sarah Palin focus on one point
or another. They've missed the larger picture that
would make a very interesting study in sociology.
Bill Vajk
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
How's Your Tolerance for Government Misbehavior?
About a year ago I found it necessary to sue the
City of Iron River for failure to justify a
Freedom of Information research fee of $38.46.
The City, instead of talking to me to in order
to find mutual grounds for settlement, relied
on the Michigan Municipal League to defend the
suit in court, with an eventual co-pay by the
city of $ 5000. The Municipal League's promise
“to make better cities” didn't happen, nor did
it do the taxpayers any good. So was the City
Council and the administration working for the
taxpayer in that case?
We taxpayers have at least three ongoing issues
with the city. Those are the grass mowing by the
city whenever they think your grass is ugly,
penalizing folks for not using water (the so
called readiness to serve charge), and the
10% per month compounded (that's an actual
rate of about 314% a year) penalty for being
tardy paying the water bill.
In December 2009 I notified each member of
Iron River's City Council and the administration
of my impending lawsuits to resolve these three
ongoing issues before they foreclose my property
in Iron River for my refusal to pay such ridiculous
and illegal charges. Once again they seem to believe
that the correct solution is in defending a lawsuit
they could easily avoid. Once again I have to ask,
who are they working for?
Spending more taxpayer money defending against a
lawsuit than the city gets as income from these
three petty draconian ordinances sure doesn't make
any sense to me. The purpose for writing this
article is to advise taxpayers how Iron River spends
their money. It seems that they're not doing it
to benefit you, the taxpayer. My personal
tolerance for government misbehavior is pretty
low.
How's yours?
Bill Vajk
City of Iron River for failure to justify a
Freedom of Information research fee of $38.46.
The City, instead of talking to me to in order
to find mutual grounds for settlement, relied
on the Michigan Municipal League to defend the
suit in court, with an eventual co-pay by the
city of $ 5000. The Municipal League's promise
“to make better cities” didn't happen, nor did
it do the taxpayers any good. So was the City
Council and the administration working for the
taxpayer in that case?
We taxpayers have at least three ongoing issues
with the city. Those are the grass mowing by the
city whenever they think your grass is ugly,
penalizing folks for not using water (the so
called readiness to serve charge), and the
10% per month compounded (that's an actual
rate of about 314% a year) penalty for being
tardy paying the water bill.
In December 2009 I notified each member of
Iron River's City Council and the administration
of my impending lawsuits to resolve these three
ongoing issues before they foreclose my property
in Iron River for my refusal to pay such ridiculous
and illegal charges. Once again they seem to believe
that the correct solution is in defending a lawsuit
they could easily avoid. Once again I have to ask,
who are they working for?
Spending more taxpayer money defending against a
lawsuit than the city gets as income from these
three petty draconian ordinances sure doesn't make
any sense to me. The purpose for writing this
article is to advise taxpayers how Iron River spends
their money. It seems that they're not doing it
to benefit you, the taxpayer. My personal
tolerance for government misbehavior is pretty
low.
How's yours?
Bill Vajk
Monday, January 11, 2010
Letter to Michael Steele
Sent 3 January 2010
Michael Steele
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington DC 20003
Dear Mr. Steele:
My wife and I have been lifelong Republicans but
have, since we moved here in retirement, been
excluded by the local, state, and national
committees.
All attempts in the past two years to contact
anyone and to establish rapport have failed. All
that ever happens is that we have been placed on
an email list that provided us with top down
“the Democrats are evil” newsletters. That
paradigm works well for religions and Saul
Alinsky clones but it has no place where a
political party is concerned. Each communication
I've received from the party had quite
specifically three requests for donation of money.
That paradigm, too, is appropriate for religion.
The Republican Party in this part of the state is
close to 100% inactive. If nothing else, the people
in any sort of official position have become space
holders.
In this region, the population at large is
conservative. In Iron and Dickinson counties in
Michigan, the conservatives vote for Democrats.
Across the border in Florence Co. Wisconsin, in
the region between Iron and Dickinson people of
the same mindset vote Republican. That being said,
this region is in serious need of a proper political
awakening with lots of attention from the Republican
party. Look at how the presidential election voting
went in this region despite the fact that McCain's
people very badly decided not to visit or pay any
attention to Michigan. How much of an effort would
it take to swing the state to the Republican Party?
Here's the bottom line. So long as the Republican
Party doesn't care about what goes on in my neck of
the woods I'll do nothing to support the Republican
Party, and that's too bad because I'm quiet active
in my relatively new (2003) community. Conservative
Republicans I talk to locally have a similar view. I
suppose we're waiting for “our political party” to
see the light, that this is a two way street, before
we get excited about attempting participation once
again.
Sincerely,
P.S. You're probably screwing up by failing to grasp
the advantage by adapting a motto like, “We are all
about jobs for everyone!”
====================================================================
Editor's comment: If you favor the Democrat points of
view, at this moment the Dems are no better. Nobody is
listening to you either. If you're a Dem, write your
own letters to the leadership. Please do it sooner
rather than later.
Bill Vajk
Michael Steele
Republican National Committee
310 First Street, SE
Washington DC 20003
Dear Mr. Steele:
My wife and I have been lifelong Republicans but
have, since we moved here in retirement, been
excluded by the local, state, and national
committees.
All attempts in the past two years to contact
anyone and to establish rapport have failed. All
that ever happens is that we have been placed on
an email list that provided us with top down
“the Democrats are evil” newsletters. That
paradigm works well for religions and Saul
Alinsky clones but it has no place where a
political party is concerned. Each communication
I've received from the party had quite
specifically three requests for donation of money.
That paradigm, too, is appropriate for religion.
The Republican Party in this part of the state is
close to 100% inactive. If nothing else, the people
in any sort of official position have become space
holders.
In this region, the population at large is
conservative. In Iron and Dickinson counties in
Michigan, the conservatives vote for Democrats.
Across the border in Florence Co. Wisconsin, in
the region between Iron and Dickinson people of
the same mindset vote Republican. That being said,
this region is in serious need of a proper political
awakening with lots of attention from the Republican
party. Look at how the presidential election voting
went in this region despite the fact that McCain's
people very badly decided not to visit or pay any
attention to Michigan. How much of an effort would
it take to swing the state to the Republican Party?
Here's the bottom line. So long as the Republican
Party doesn't care about what goes on in my neck of
the woods I'll do nothing to support the Republican
Party, and that's too bad because I'm quiet active
in my relatively new (2003) community. Conservative
Republicans I talk to locally have a similar view. I
suppose we're waiting for “our political party” to
see the light, that this is a two way street, before
we get excited about attempting participation once
again.
Sincerely,
P.S. You're probably screwing up by failing to grasp
the advantage by adapting a motto like, “We are all
about jobs for everyone!”
====================================================================
Editor's comment: If you favor the Democrat points of
view, at this moment the Dems are no better. Nobody is
listening to you either. If you're a Dem, write your
own letters to the leadership. Please do it sooner
rather than later.
Bill Vajk
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Local Changes from Federal Activities
National events have local repercussions. I think it time
to talk about some of them.
We can begin with the supplying of certain items NOW
considered by the federal government to be durable medical
goods. I am unabashedly a diabetic. I inherited a gene, or
several, that predisposed me to this medical condition. I
use an instrument called a glycometer several times a day
to find out what my blood sugar is and to inject insulin.
When I went to refill my prescription for the test strips
that are used with this instrument, Snyder Drugs sent me
over to the diabetes nurses next door where I was advised
of the full situation. Neither Snyder Drugs nor the Corner
Drug Store can actually afford to get the Durable Medical
Equipment (DME) provider certification that Medicare
insists they must have if they wish to continue to provide
this equipment to diabetics.
A couple of the large mail order firms, such as the one who
is constantly advertising on TV, Liberty, were recommended.
Understand please that this is a federal mandate, newly
made under the current administration that is supposedly
working to make medical care in the US easier, better,
cheaper, and available to everyone. What they've done in
this instance is to make it impossible for me to get
these supplies locally, and apparently gave their pals,
probably large contributors, something of an increase
in sales and profits at the expense of our local
businesses! What's going on? Why is the administration
making these things artificially more difficult? And why
are one use test strips considered “Durable” Medical
Equipment? Can it have anything to do with the money
going into a smaller number of pockets, in fact pockets
that will in future make political contributions to the
party that helped line them?
I haven't gotten into whatever the other items commonly
used have been affected. In my little world the damage
that the current administration has done with this one
petty bureaucratic decision is typical of all the others
that are to come. It sure isn't the “change you can
believe in” sort of improvement that Obama promised
while on the campaign trail.
I did find that the Walgreen's pharmacy in Eagle River,
as part of a huge nation wide chain, is certified. At
least I'll keep my little order out of the hands of those
mail order crooks.
While we're on this this topic of change once again, I
think it past time to point out the en masse multiple
personality disorder that Iron County seems to suffer
from. On the one hand I keep hearing, almost everywhere
in the county that those who are native (the majority
of the population) to this region are against change.
On the other hand, this community voted for Obama
whose main promise during his campaign was CHANGE.
The fact that a community that speaks out frequently
and regularly against CHANGE makes no sense at all
when they voted in favor of it.
While we're here, let's briefly address some of the
future change items now promised by the current congress
and administration.
Health Care – This bill has all sorts of features to assure
that more people will be covered, costs to those able
to pay will go up, and services will be more difficult
to get. Union members will be taxed on their “Cadillac”
Plan” coverage. Equipment like life saving pacemakers
will be taxed. Those who can least afford a pacemaker
will have to pay a tax on the device!
Cap & Trade – This bill is designed to tax all forms of
energy based on the size of the carbon footprint it
creates. It will reach into everyone's pocket in order
to, it is claimed, reduce the carbon footprint this
nation creates. The final effect is to drive all those
manufacturers remaining in the US overseas where
this tax does not exist.
Card Check – This bill is designed to require identification
accompany all unionization voting. So much for America's
secret ballots.
Let me know how these changes are going to work for you!
While you're at it, let your congressmen and senators know
how you feel about these issues.
Bill Vajk
to talk about some of them.
We can begin with the supplying of certain items NOW
considered by the federal government to be durable medical
goods. I am unabashedly a diabetic. I inherited a gene, or
several, that predisposed me to this medical condition. I
use an instrument called a glycometer several times a day
to find out what my blood sugar is and to inject insulin.
When I went to refill my prescription for the test strips
that are used with this instrument, Snyder Drugs sent me
over to the diabetes nurses next door where I was advised
of the full situation. Neither Snyder Drugs nor the Corner
Drug Store can actually afford to get the Durable Medical
Equipment (DME) provider certification that Medicare
insists they must have if they wish to continue to provide
this equipment to diabetics.
A couple of the large mail order firms, such as the one who
is constantly advertising on TV, Liberty, were recommended.
Understand please that this is a federal mandate, newly
made under the current administration that is supposedly
working to make medical care in the US easier, better,
cheaper, and available to everyone. What they've done in
this instance is to make it impossible for me to get
these supplies locally, and apparently gave their pals,
probably large contributors, something of an increase
in sales and profits at the expense of our local
businesses! What's going on? Why is the administration
making these things artificially more difficult? And why
are one use test strips considered “Durable” Medical
Equipment? Can it have anything to do with the money
going into a smaller number of pockets, in fact pockets
that will in future make political contributions to the
party that helped line them?
I haven't gotten into whatever the other items commonly
used have been affected. In my little world the damage
that the current administration has done with this one
petty bureaucratic decision is typical of all the others
that are to come. It sure isn't the “change you can
believe in” sort of improvement that Obama promised
while on the campaign trail.
I did find that the Walgreen's pharmacy in Eagle River,
as part of a huge nation wide chain, is certified. At
least I'll keep my little order out of the hands of those
mail order crooks.
While we're on this this topic of change once again, I
think it past time to point out the en masse multiple
personality disorder that Iron County seems to suffer
from. On the one hand I keep hearing, almost everywhere
in the county that those who are native (the majority
of the population) to this region are against change.
On the other hand, this community voted for Obama
whose main promise during his campaign was CHANGE.
The fact that a community that speaks out frequently
and regularly against CHANGE makes no sense at all
when they voted in favor of it.
While we're here, let's briefly address some of the
future change items now promised by the current congress
and administration.
Health Care – This bill has all sorts of features to assure
that more people will be covered, costs to those able
to pay will go up, and services will be more difficult
to get. Union members will be taxed on their “Cadillac”
Plan” coverage. Equipment like life saving pacemakers
will be taxed. Those who can least afford a pacemaker
will have to pay a tax on the device!
Cap & Trade – This bill is designed to tax all forms of
energy based on the size of the carbon footprint it
creates. It will reach into everyone's pocket in order
to, it is claimed, reduce the carbon footprint this
nation creates. The final effect is to drive all those
manufacturers remaining in the US overseas where
this tax does not exist.
Card Check – This bill is designed to require identification
accompany all unionization voting. So much for America's
secret ballots.
Let me know how these changes are going to work for you!
While you're at it, let your congressmen and senators know
how you feel about these issues.
Bill Vajk
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Closing Out 2009
I gave some thought about what to write for
this transition from one year to the next. In
the end it is clear that nothing political
was resolved in 2009 that we could close the
book on. If anything, most issues remain
unresolved and a few new ones have arisen.
For example, in my family our Social Security
income will be about $34 less per month in 2010
than it was in 2009, and that's before currency
devaluation because of inflation which has
not disappeared. We'll have roughly $400 less
because of increases in Medicare costs to us
(not counting the Blue Cross supplemental
cost increases). I'm not looking forward to
whatever medical care difficulties will be
introduced by the new health care laws passed
by the federal government.
About the only thing(s) that can be closed out
in 2009 are the three (the say things come in
3's and it certainly seems true in this case)
deaths of people I have been close to in my
life. I won't bother with details about two
of the individuals that readers here won't
be familiar with, but the most recent death
was a person I've written about (August 17)
in this publication before.
Alex Zelchenko died on the morning of December
24th 2009 at age 95. It appears that the
cancer tumor in his lung became infected,
leading to multiple organ failure and after
some days of lingering unconscious, he expired.
Alex was a perfect example of "pulling the
plug on grandma" not only once, but in his
case twice.
The one major improvement that seems to be
underway is that the beginnings of a political
awakening are evident. People need to become
more directly involved with governments at
all levels, to become more confrontational,
and vote the bad players out of office. That's
most of the career politicians in office today.
Tea parties are one thing, but without
translation into direct action on election day,
things like not voting a party line,
we'll have the same graft and corruption ongoing
in this community, state, and nation. Simply showing
up and voting isn't enough. Each of you needs to
put thought into how you vote.
We wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.
Bill Vajk
this transition from one year to the next. In
the end it is clear that nothing political
was resolved in 2009 that we could close the
book on. If anything, most issues remain
unresolved and a few new ones have arisen.
For example, in my family our Social Security
income will be about $34 less per month in 2010
than it was in 2009, and that's before currency
devaluation because of inflation which has
not disappeared. We'll have roughly $400 less
because of increases in Medicare costs to us
(not counting the Blue Cross supplemental
cost increases). I'm not looking forward to
whatever medical care difficulties will be
introduced by the new health care laws passed
by the federal government.
About the only thing(s) that can be closed out
in 2009 are the three (the say things come in
3's and it certainly seems true in this case)
deaths of people I have been close to in my
life. I won't bother with details about two
of the individuals that readers here won't
be familiar with, but the most recent death
was a person I've written about (August 17)
in this publication before.
Alex Zelchenko died on the morning of December
24th 2009 at age 95. It appears that the
cancer tumor in his lung became infected,
leading to multiple organ failure and after
some days of lingering unconscious, he expired.
Alex was a perfect example of "pulling the
plug on grandma" not only once, but in his
case twice.
The one major improvement that seems to be
underway is that the beginnings of a political
awakening are evident. People need to become
more directly involved with governments at
all levels, to become more confrontational,
and vote the bad players out of office. That's
most of the career politicians in office today.
Tea parties are one thing, but without
translation into direct action on election day,
things like not voting a party line,
we'll have the same graft and corruption ongoing
in this community, state, and nation. Simply showing
up and voting isn't enough. Each of you needs to
put thought into how you vote.
We wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.
Bill Vajk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
