Here’s another open thread for you to let loose. Two things that I’m currently fired up about:
1. Taxes are due tomorrow. I did a quick calculation a couple months ago to see how much we would owe and haven’t touched it since. I hope all the paperwork hasn’t migrated from the location that I left it (*cough* Kim moved it *cough).
2. The Farmington School Board (ISD 192) voted 4-2 against a resolution to ask Farmington school district administrators to take a pay cut just like many of those who voted for them in the first place. Boo.
Brad Meeks is still a fucking douchebag for not taking it upon himself to voluntarily take the cut.
What’s on your mind this week?
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April 14th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Are Burke and Singewald going to give up the salaries they pull down as school board members? It’s not a huge amount, IIRC, and I know Burke at least has a decent-paying day job. Maybe I should ask them this. :)
April 14th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Open Thread….well…..
I generally have a very strong sense of value for human life. But at the same time, I can’t help but feeling a strong sense of satisfaction and pride when I think of those Navy SEAL snipers taking out the “pirates” and freeing the captain of the Maersk Alabama the other day. I would have paid thousands of dollars to see the look on the 4th idiot’s face (the one that was on the Navy ship negotiating) when they informed him the “situation had changed”.
Pirate this, bitch.
I love it when one (or more) of my kids gets the stomach virus. Nothing like cleaning up that aftermath at midnight, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning. And then, magically, they never puke when you have them sitting on a disposable tarp and/or during the day.
I’m so desperate to avoid working, I’m going to a wedding shower over lunch today. I like my coworker but I would never, ever do this unless it got me out of 2 hours of work.
And, I’m taking 1/2 day off tomorrow to golf.
I read in the local paper the other day that District 191 “rank and file” singles get their health insurance fully funded and are still on a plan that includes only a copay (refusing to consider a high-deductible plan with an HRA, both of which would still almost be fully funded). Those on family plans pay a miniscule amount. I officially won’t feel one bit of sympathy when some of you get canned and/or I hear you crying about how school funding is so tight and class sizes are going up, wah wah wah. Of course, it will all get pushed on us via tax increases in the end.
April 14th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Tim, I thought he was waiving his “salary” but I’m probably wrong. I at least hope he is if his crusading against others receiving higher pay.
MSPD, is it worth the trouble to take 3 for 1 with the added issue of the rest of the “pirates” taking more hostages elsewhere?
—
Kim’s mom sent her a copy of Jackie Clay’s Starting Over and I’ve been making my way through it.
Jackie Clay talks about her experiences homesteading in Northern MN (about 30 minutes from Hibbing) and the tasks related to raising livestock, building a home, and starting gardening. Pretty interesting stuff even though the book is written poorly IMO.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Bill, if he is indeed doing that, then that’s good. I do think they are justified in calling for the pay freeze right now, but only so long as they are willing to lead by example (especially since they don’t live off what they make as school board members).
MSPD, as for ISD 191, I just think they need to close a school already. I get that everyone wants a school by them, but barring some really unusual demographic shift, there just won’t be enough students to justify it before much longer.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:14 am
I don’t know anything about pirates and maritime issues. Maybe this will lead to more aggressive pirates…maybe it will make them think twice…who knows.
All I know is the outcome of this particular situation gave me a warm fuzzy.
April 14th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Tim,
The enrollment decline has already begun and will continue to slide through the first half of 2014. I agree that it would probably be in the best interest of every district to rethink how many buildings they have open. That coupled with changes in the way many people are choosing to go to college (online), I think that districts should begin to think about alternative ways to teach. Blended courses and inventive scheduling would limit issues from teachers unions about lost jobs all while preparing the students properly and saving on the high costs of building operation and maintenance.
MSPD, killing people is definitely warm and fuzzy. I hear drying blood has that effect ;-)
April 14th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
taxes due tomorrow!! don’t forget round two, due may 15! so we all can help pay for the ‘beer sign’ in good ‘ol av muni III!
bb
April 14th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
The pirate item is complex. Do we really want to make it our fight? We can keep protecting our folks.. but honestly. With cities already tagging folks with the cost of fire calls, who exactly do we charge the cost of the U.S. Navy to when we have to sit out there and baby sit commercial shipping? Personally, I’d make it a no small boat zone anywhere within the range that these pirates operate. then blow anything out of the water that gets close. But that’s me.
I’m just gonna file an extension for taxes. I’m in too much of a financial funk to finish the actual paperwork to file it. I’m getting money back, but Obama has me feeling guilty. I’ll let them keep it a little longer.
I think asking School administrators to take a pay freeze is a weak move. If the school board is serious, they’ll just pass a pay freeze, screw the asking them to volunteer. It’s nothing new in (insert just about any public school district).
I’ll have to remind the wife to do something with the landscaping in front of the house. I’m seeing stuff start to poke out, but she still wanted to re-arrange a bunch of stuff.
Farmington Clean-up days are coming. First one starts this weekend (the 18th) for folks that have their garbage picked up on Mondays. Then the 25th, and then the 2nd, 9th, and finally 16th. http://www.ci.farmington.mn.us/MunicipalServices/CurbsideCleanup09.pdf
If you haven’t ever seen this, you folks from other cities. It’s fun to come down around 7pm on Friday night to see all the cars driving around, looking for stuff to take. Usually by Saturday morning only about 20% of what I stuck out front is still there.
April 14th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
If the school district didn’t have the balls to tell them to take a voluntary pay cut they certainly aren’t going to mandate that they do.
Growing up this was a twice yearly occurrence and it was commonplace to see broke-down vehicles overloaded and nearly dragging on the ground as they loaded up busted TVs, three-legged chairs, and pieces of insulation.
That said, I had a great uncle who would go dumpster diving. While I don’t know if he ever participated in this type of clean-up clean-up, I definitely cleaned out the dumpsters of “perfectly good ‘stuff’” from the backs of a variety of stores similar to Walgreens.
There was nothing better than leaving Long Island with 10 bags of “stuff” which were brimming with such goodies as previously opened toothpaste, samples of cologne, and 1000 of pre-sharpened LILCo pencils which had erasers which never quite worked as intended.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
I laughed right out loud, MSPD!
On the Today Show today they were talking about the pirate issue and apparently the vessel that towed the lifeboat did so veeerrrrrry slowly so the pirates wouldn’t notice they were ‘caught.’
“Pirate this, bitch, INDEED!”
April 14th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
MSPD – I agree 100% on the pirate thing.
Probably if this had happened a long time ago, instead of paying them ransoms, Piracy would not be the issue it is today. Its not like its a big mystery. They know who is doing it, and where they are taking the ships.
That said, I dont understand why these ships dont have some sort of security force on them. From everything I have read, the shipping companies could probably hire a couple of ex military types ride along for what amounts to peanuts to them. Same principal, a few guys get shot trying to climb from a speed boat up the side of a super tanker, and I bet they start looking for a different career.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Talking with my dad the other day (a retired Navy Captain, for what it’s worth) I understand the insurance prohibits them from arming themselves to openly. Same reason why they pay the ransoms. If they were armed/publicized the full extent of the piracy problem, their insurance would cost them up to hundreds of millions of dollars more (vs. the million here or there that they routinely pay in ransom).
April 14th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
OK – Time I really exposed myself (perhaps poor phraseology) and really said what I think about the pirates.
Is not lead (800 grams) less expensive than 40+ years at Gitmo? I’m in the camp where if you’re doin’ the crime, then don’t be surprised if you are treated exactly as you would treat. Look – if there is no doubt as to the guilt, as in these instances where the culprit is actually in the act of breaking the law, then if you have a chance – take them out! Hell – if you have half a chance – take them out!
If that sounds a bit hawkish, then so be it! I spent a year in the tropical paradise you refer to at The Republic of Viet Nam, and if we had had a little more of that sort of attitude, we certainly would not have left – disgraced and embarrassed!
But that’s another story – for another time!
Cheers!
Irving
April 14th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Is not lead (800 grams) less expensive than 40+ years at Gitmo?
As I stated above, it would appear that those 800 grams will be even more costly than those 40+ years at some military prison as now we have more retaliation and the likelihood that more American ships will be the target of pirate attacks.
It’s very possible that there was no good decision to be made here but I’m not quite so sure that the “warm and fuzzies” that MSPD felt are going to last when we’re spending billions on a third war zone.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I guess we will see how it plays out, but I dont think you will see a third war zone. The USA has the full backing of the UN, and authorization to use force to stop piracy. I understand there is some confusion as Piracy is a crime and not an act of war or terror, however I dont think Obama is going to stand pat on Piracy of US ships. It is worth mentioning that the Meartz Alabama(sp) was carrying humanitarian aid supplies to Kenya.
We have the means to deal with Piracy if we choose, and while I dont think we should interfere on behalf of other countries, I think that this type of response is what has to happen when US Ships/Crews come under attack.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
According to this article on CNN they are looking into working to replace the Somalian government with one that’s more stable. Regardless the word choice used, that to me means war.
April 15th, 2009 at 8:43 am
my navy seals ‘capped’ ‘em at night, on the open seas, between two rolling ships, or rather a ship and a boat. my take is if you play the game, you aren’t always going to win the pot! the pirates have been getting away with this for quite a while. this is the first, that i’ve heard, that they shot craps! i don’t know if they have the mentality to realize that they always won’t be king of the village!!
bb
April 15th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
3. Have you stopped going to roller derby?
April 16th, 2009 at 3:16 am
433, we went to the final bout of the year for MNRG on Saturday.
I had a big long response to you written but I deleted it. I think saying that we won’t be returning as season ticket holders next year says it all.
April 16th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Well, that’s too bad. I’ve enjoyed reading your posts about the MNRG, both what you liked and what you didn’t like.
What was it, the disparity in scores of the championship bout?
April 17th, 2009 at 6:07 am
My family will be maintaining our season tickets to the roller derby. We always have a great time. I am looking forward to attending the regionals that will be hosted by the MNRG at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. Some people don’t like the score disparities, but that doesn’t bother me. All teams have the opportunity to work hard and improve with the rosters they have. I do have issues with the occasional bout that seems to be determined by bad referreeing, but such is the case with any sport I suppose.