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Rensselaer County Taxpayers Association

July 1998                                                                                                                                                     Volume 3, Number 4

So we can save a little fuel. Rain will soon give way to sunshine. But before we get carried away, we should keep wary eye on the intrigues of our academics who constantly satiate themselves at the public trough, fair weather or foul.

We extend congratulations to the East Greenbush Teachers’ Association union on their victory in the recent school board election. Special kudos go to Kevin McCann, President of the union for his eleventh hour mailings choosing a write-in candidate which led to the return of former board member John Sullivan to fill the rump team vacant spot. It is noted that good candidates are becoming a scarce commodity these days.

The union now is assured of a majority of votes on each and every issue. – What public? Who said that?

The reward for the local head of the Commercial Department of the Columbia High School for inability to download a simple computer message from the NYS Education Department is a year’s sabbatical, taa-daa, (a year off with pay). For no work, $65,000 for a year’s goofing off. Get in line folks, this is better than winning the lottery. You know who you are and we know who you are. Don’t even have to write a report on Equity Gender.

More fun and games

Competition is of little or no value. Our students now can go the easy way with funball, no winners, no losers, just show up and have a good time. It’s not a contest of skills, we all stand around and laugh and giggle over nothing special. That’s the way life is these days, someone else is going to take care of us. This is how things ought to be. We’ll always have Big Daddy telling us what to do, so we won’t have to think anymore. We can all graduate, that’s a cinch, all we have to do is show up. Ain’t that right chip, gip or rip or whatever?

The shotgun marriage of educators and politicians is one of the sadist spectacles in American history. Oil and water do not mix. All attempts have resulted in a plethora of problems that have proven very costly to the American taxpayers and a drag on students’ abilities to function in a truly rewarding and productive manner.

Motivations have a lot to do with the present dilemma of school children being unable to read. The state education department has formulated the whole word approach which is confusing to many pupils. Phonics have been very successful by contrast.

If the only obstacle were reading, the singular focus would be elementary (No pun intended). The lack of a well rounded education includes failure or poor grades in science, math and American history. One wonders what is taught in the way of civics. It is a known fact that our history has been distorted. If students were taught how to think rationally without a liberal bias and opened their minds to natural inquiry, their achievements would increase dramatically. If at present, the false premise that the world owes them a living and that hard work is the only way to succeed is muted, constant problems will ensue.

The intent of the liberals is to expand government in order to subjugate individual efforts in order to direct them toward statism. The bigger government gets, the more it suppresses real growth and opportunity. There is nothing fair or legitimate about expanded government that can be justified. A lackadaisical attitude by too many have allowed this monster to creep into our lives. The pity less, phony cries of compassion for our citizens while confiscating their hard earned money is the epitome of evil.

Many of our left wingers in Congress lack the talent to succeed in a competitive business world and are actually envious of those who succeed without government "help." Bill Gates and others are good examples of Americans who work hard at their chosen craft and consider politicians a necessary evil.

The Bill Gates’ are being accused of being "too successful," by liberal second raters. Their worst fears are, that really well rounded students who are given a broad based truthful education without the liberal mush, will naturally lean toward conservative, family oriented, moral values to the consternation of the socialists.

The $7.3 million technology bond proposal should be a "done deal" as you read this issue. There are several questions which now may be of mutual concern:

1. As the State will return a significant portion of these funds back to the district, will taxes be reduced next year?
2. Will the district provide a number of computer generated programs for school credits, which students may take in lieu of classroom instruction?
3. Will the district add to its high tech administration payroll due to this significant expenditure of funds? If so, how many persons? How much money? And why?
4. What plans exist to upgrade this technology as needed and to dispose of the "archaic" computers?
5. Will computers eliminate a number of classroom teachers?

Just where does Kenneth Starr get off? One would think that he was an investigator of some sort.

He actually wants to question people. Worse, he wants to question people who might know something about the subject which he has been charged by Congress, the Attorney General and three independent federal judges to investigate.

How about poor Susan MacDougal? So what if she was convicted of fraud. She stole $300,000 from her friends and business associates, but that’s no reason to treat her like a criminal. The poor girl will not answer Grand Jury questions because she claims that "Starr wants her to lie." We know from her past history that she wouldn’t do that. Come to think of it, why doesn’t she just tell the truth? Then she could leave that mean, nasty old jail. Is it possible that something worse might happen to her if she did? Vince who?

Then there’s that old Fifth Amendment thing. Thank God we have it. Over 70 White House and Democratic National Committee (DNC) staffers have been forced to take the Fifth Amendment in order to escape Starr’s vicious questions. Six other DNC fund raisers were forced to leave the Country. This man must be reigned in.

Funny, back in the 50’s when Senator Estes Kefauver was investigating organized crime on the waterfront, he brought dozens of large and small hoods before the television camera and questioned them about their suspected criminal activities. They all took the Fifth and Kefauver was skyrocketed into the limelight as a great hero. He even became a serious Presidential contender.

Starr has to operate in secret. It is only the witnesses who are allowed to speak in public. Obviously we "knew" that the waterfront hoods were guilty so they could be exposed to the public, but politicians? They may sell their grandmothers for a vote, but they are sensitive, decent people and must be protected from public scorn. It is the investigator who should be destroyed, not the suspects.

What we need is a Code of Conduct for investigators. We must declare that: There will be no mean or rascally questions. No embarrassing questions. No questions which might make a witness look guilty, and most importantly, no questions which might get to the truth.

As George Orwell said in "1984," the situation is so illogical that "only a liberal can understand it."

President Clinton has a history of participating in "causes:" In the cold war period he applied for a deferment and avoided the draft. He allegedly made the statement that he "loathed" the military. He applied for college at Oxford, no less but never graduated. While there, he joined in street demonstrations in London, in Sweden and in Moscow, Russia all "against the Vietnam War." Soviet Russia at the same time, was furnishing thousands of tons of material to Communist North Vietnam engaged in killing American servicemen and women.

After being elected President he proceeded to reduce our armed forces, closed bases, reduced our Watervliet Arsenal to a skeleton crew (which Congressman McNulty also voted for) and demoralized our service by allowing in people of moral turpitude. As the land called Russia threw off the scourge of Communism, our President switched his principal allegiance to Communist China who kept the "faith" to socialize the world with Marxism.

This is the same President who at present, has his lackey’s in the Education Department connecting up schools to computer networks so he can better dictate his liberal agenda of mush to our innocent children.

Federal government liberals are devising a plan to hook up our government run schools to a computer network and stick the expense on subscribers’ phone bills. First and foremost there seems to be a question of constitutionality with this; normal people are against it. One thing it will cause, is to strengthen and accentuate the government control even more forcefully over captive children.

We now note! NY State Education Department is now demanding every high school student must read 25 books a year in addition to other requirements. What kind of dictatorship is this?

The Clinton, Gephardt, Kennedy cabal are ranting and raving about teens smoking, (offering phony statistics) but these hypocrites approve of partial birth abortion.

If, after spending billions of dollars on a revolutionary computer system, we find it doesn’t work, the taxpayers get bilked. And the only beneficiaries will be the people selling a bill of goods.

In the Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1998, Arthur Levine, President of Teachers College, Columbia University, is reluctantly backing school vouchers. He writes, "Despite a 15-year-long national school improvement movement, many urban schools are still falling apart physically and produce dismal results when it comes to teaching students. These schools show no sign of improving; some are even deteriorating. They are the worst schools in America."

President Levine proposes a rescue operation. It is aimed at saving the lives of disadvantaged children. His proposal would provide approximately $6,500 for children to attend a better school. Such schools could be nearby public schools or private schools. This proposal by the president of a prestigious teaching college is another wedge which will open the door of "school choice" for all students. It will also put an end to a discrete form of "double taxation" for those property owners who pay tuition to send their children to either private or parochial school.

The voucher program, educational choice, is becoming a national reality. So far, two states have such programs and several other states offer a form of tax credit. School choice will enhance accountability and serve the positive interest of children in a positive fashion. Soon, the United States Supreme Court will once again rule on the legality of school choice laws. In the interest of the needs of children, their decision this time may be more favorable.

Kudos to John Egan on Albany International Airport – excellent. Now all we need is a city to go with it.
Rensselaer Resident

Since route 9 & 20 will be a disaster area if DOT plans continue, how about declaring it a disaster area? A local tornado might be an improvement.
East Greenbush Resident

In talking to a friend recently a teen mentioned, "My girl friend is going to marry a Mormon." "What’s that?" she asked in all seriousness.
East Greenbush Resident

What ever happened to Slim Whitman?
Nassau Resident

A lady answering a pollster on Clinton replied, "The scumbag on somethings is doing pretty good, most not so hot."
Schodack Resident

Good luck to Chucky’s new drive-in near Ames.
Clinton Heights Resident

Any Government or school system that depends on gambling is a house built on sand.
Rensselaer Resident

New Yorkers pay on average 24% higher for electricity than other states.
East Greenbush Resident

In our country anybody can grow up to be President, that’s the risk we take.
North Greenbush Resident

In the days of old, Robin Hood used to rob the rich and give to the poor. Now our tax collectors rob the rich and keep it.
Castleton Resident

Coming Attractions

• Next meeting, Tuesday, August 11^th, Town Hall, East Greenbush, 7 pm.
• Members of goodwill solicited
• Why not pass on your copy of the newsletter when you finish reading it?