Bad Blue Moon Rising

Bad Blue Moon RisingBad Blue Moon Rising — A blue moon will rise tonight, May 21.

A blue moon is not the orb’s color but the term used to describe the third moon of a season — in this case Spring 2016 — in which four will appear.

Usually, seasons as they are a quarter of the year, have just three moons so the blue moon while not rare is not the norm. They happen about every three years.

Another definition describes them as being the second full moon of a calendar month, which is vague as it depends on time zones and what calendar one is using.

Bad Blue Moon Rising

 

Pro Teacher Bill Vetoed By Wolf

Pro Teacher Bill Vetoed By Wolf

By Scott Wagner Pro Teacher Bill Vetoed By Wolf

Governor Wolf continues to resist any reforms that would change the Pennsylvania education system.

This past Wednesday, Governor Wolf vetoed legislation designed to keep the best teachers in Pennsylvania’s classrooms and boost student achievement by ending the practice of seniority-based layoffs.

In Pennsylvania, teacher layoffs are conducted in order of inverse seniority.

The last teacher hired is the first person fired, regardless of job performance.

Pennsylvania is one of only a few states that require seniority to be the sole factor in determining layoffs.

With the Governor’s action, our Commonwealth will continue this backward approach.

House Bill 805, known as the Protecting Excellent Teachers Act, would have ensured that school districts use teacher performance to guide furlough and reinstatement decisions.

Performance ratings would have been based on the comprehensive statewide educator evaluation system adopted in 2012, under which observed educators are assigned a rating of distinguished, proficient, needs improvement or failing.

House Bill 805 prohibited school districts from using a teacher’s pay and benefits as determining factors for any layoff decision.

I co-sponsored the Senate version of this measure because a child’s education matters more than union tradition.

Governor Wolf’s refusal to enact pension reform means there will be more teacher furloughs in the future, as school districts trim personnel costs to balance their budgets.

And his refusal to sign House Bill 805 means some of our most dedicated, energetic teachers will continue to be the ones losing their jobs.

Not a surprise to anyone, the PSEA – Pennsylvania State Education Association – the teachers’ union, was out lobbying against this bill in full force when the House and Senate voted on this important piece of legislation.

It is clear that Governor Wolf and his public sector union friends at the PSEA have formed a unified partnership to snuff out any positive developments for the children in our schools and the taxpayers that pay for the education system.

Sen. Wagner represents the 28th District in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Pro Teacher Bill Vetoed By Wolf

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-20-16

The human body has 60,000 miles of blood vessels.

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-20-16

Tobash Plan Bad Pension Reform

Tobash Plan Bad Pension Reform Tobash Plan Bad Pension Reform

By Leo Knepper

There are times when we can almost repost an old blog verbatim, and this is one of those times. On May 17, the House State Government Committee voted HB 1499 out of committee to the floor of the House; this is the third iteration of bad pension legislation.

As we noted last year:

“The Tobash plan was introduced last year [2014] as an amendment to HB 1353. At that time, it set up a ‘stacked’ retirement benefit system. The first $50,000 in state employee pay is eligible for a traditional pension; beyond that there is a 401(k) style plan. It is worth noting that the average state employee salary was $52,655 for 2014. In other words, the Tobash plan as introduced last year would have had impacted very few future employees. According to actuarial analysis done last year, 98.8% of the ‘savings’ projected under the Tobash plan is 15 years or farther into the future, which is a pretty big problem since SERS and PSERS are on course to be bankrupt in 15 years.”

The current version of the Tobash plan has all of the same problems and does not address the pension problem in any meaningful way. Instead, it is a reform in name only.

By their very nature defined benefit pension plans leave employees at the mercy of politicians. The current pension systems have a combined unfunded liability of more than $60 billion because elected officials are loath to make hard decisions when it comes to paying for the promises that they’ve made. HB 1499 does nothing to protect new employees or members of the current system. It creates an illusion of reform designed to avoid making government union bosses too angry and appease taxpayers who don’t have time to look into the legislation beyond the “pension reform” headline.

In their analysis of the legislation, the Commonwealth Foundation found further problems with the plan design:

“Moreover, this model provides poor plan design for workers. Public employees should be contributing more toward a defined contribution plan at the front end of their career to give their investments time to grow. Under a stacked hybrid, workers invest more in a defined contribution plan as they near retirement.

“Research shows defined contribution plans provide stable and substantial retirements when workers invest over their career.”

If Tobash’s “reform” is the best the General Assembly can muster, taxpayers are in for a double-dose of trouble. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R-34) has indicated his willingness to trade a tax increase for an “overhaul” of the pension system. There is no need for a tax increase. The Legislature needs to prioritize spending. Furthermore, taxpayers should be livid that Corman would trade their hard earned money for reform that, at this point, will do little to nothing for solving the pension problem now or in the future.
Mr. Knepper is executive director of Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania.

Tobash Plan Bad Pension Reform

Stuffed London Broil — Tonight’s Meal

Stuffed London BroilTonight’s meal by Chef Bill Sr was a stuffed London broil roasted on the Weber with sides of fresh sting beans and potatoes also cooked on the grill.

The wine was a homemade red.

The stuffing is basically sauteed mushrooms and onions seasoned with garlic.

The meat was acquired on sale at the Acme in Lawrence Park.

Stuffed London Broil — Tonight’s Meal

 

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-19-16

frozen vegetables more nutritiousAre frozen vegetables more nutritious than fresh? Usually. The freezing happens shortly after they are picked which means they don’t sit around and lose vitamins before hitting the market.

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-19-16

Jesse Hughes Reveals Bataclan Reality

Jesse Hughes Reveals Bataclan Reality
The Bataclan theater in Paris

Jesse Hughes is the guitarist/vocalist for Eagles of Death Metal or EODM. EODM was on the stage at the Bataclan theater in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015 when Muslims murdered 89 persons in the venue as part of  a city-wide terror attack which had a total death toll of 137 including the murderers.

Hughes is a conservative who despises Barack Obama. Forgive us for not quoting what he says about him.

Anyway, a few days ago TakMag.com published a interview with him by Gavin McInnes in which he provides details about the attack which were largely sanitized by the U.S.A.’s establishment media.

Hughes says that the theater’s security staff was largely Muslim and that they were in on it. He says Muslims celebrated in the street afterwards and booed a moment of silence held the next day at a stadium.

He says he saw seven persons die, including a girl who was shot in the head next to him. He had to have pieces of her teeth and skull removed from his face at the hospital.

He says political correctness is destroying our society.

“They know there’s a whole group of white kids out there who are stupid and blind,” he said. “You have these affluent white kids who have grown up in a liberal curriculum from the time they were in kindergarten, inundated with these lofty notions that are just hot air. Look at where it’s getting them.”

Yes, he is a Trump supporter.

The entire interview can be found here.

Jesse Hughes Reveals Bataclan Reality

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-18-16

The Sahara Desert only became a desert when the Earth’s axis shifted about 1,600 B.C., which is about 200 years before Moses.  Before that, it was a pretty wet place.

William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-18-16

Barack Bathroom Push Backed By Pa Bills

Barack Bathroom Push Backed By Pa BillsBarack Bathroom Push Backed By Pa Bills — Donna Ellingsen has let us know that Barack Obama’s national boys-in-the-girls-room public school policy can only become law if the Pennsylvania legislature lets it happen, which some in Harrisburg are trying to make so with HB 1510 and SB 974.

She has forwarded us a letter from Pennsylvania Family Council which notes that President Obama’s bathroom bullying directive is not an executive order. It is not an administrative regulation. This has no force of law or legal authority behind it, but asks schools to voluntarily throw away every student’s right to bodily privacy and threatens to remove Title IX funding if they do not.

Donna points out that federal funding provides about 10 percent of Pennsylvania public school budgets but that money comes with a lot of  strings attached — besides letting boys into the girls room.

The Pennsylvania taxpayer would likely be far better off rejecting all the money and the mandates that come along with it.

Kudos Donna for bringing this up.

By the way, Delaware County’s James Santora (163rd) is among the few Republicans sponsoring HB 1510.

And regarding SB 974, while it is also overwhelmingly sponsored by Democrats, the prime sponsor is Lehigh County Republican Pat Browne (16).

What’s up with that Pat?

Yes, we know Scott Wagner’s (R-28) name is on it too.

What’s up with that Scott?

Barack Bathroom Push Backed By Pa Bills

Welcomers Sought For May 21 Honor Flight Return

Welcomers Sought For May 21 Honor Flight Return — Honor Flight Philadelphia Spring 2016’s trip to Washington returns 6:15 p.m., Saturday, May 21 to St. Kevin’s Church, 200 W. Sproul Road, Springfield, Pa. 19064 and all are invited to welcome home the vets.

Honor Flight is a national non-profit organization founded in 2005 to give aging or terminally ill veterans a day of honor in Washington D.C.

 There is no cost to the veterans. Welcomers Sought

The Philadelphia hub was started in 2011 by Springfield resident Andrew  Schiavello.

For information about the group check the link or email Andrew at andrew@honorflightphiladelphia.org.

Welcomers Sought