I was on a shool board in East Texas for many yhears and all this hate speech about teachers is just stupid or plain bias.  Teachers are great and those who are not are the responsibilty of the principal and the school board.  If a sorry teacher is alloiwed to keep on teaching it is as much those people’s fault as it is the teacher.  But my experience has been if we give teachers support and listen ot them and value their suggestions, almost without exception, theyh are not in the jhob for money, they love kids and enjoy the thrill of kids learning.  A lot depends on the ocmmunity support for teachers and the school system.  But hate mongers are easy to spot and usually are the least involved to improve schools.  Just saying!

I had a donation to NORML flagged as fraudulent this year, it was on my Chase card.

The most common way this sort of fraud is detected is when a card site puts through a Bunch of small value card transactions using a bunch of Sequential card numbers.  9 out of 10 will be rejected because they are not legitimate numbers.  As soon as a pattern of this sort is noticed, the site is flagged for closer scrutiny.

These type of fraudsters use Small amounts because the average card holder skips over amounts less than $20 when reviewing his/her statements.  That’s OK if you can get away with 40 or 50 Thousand of them without being caught.

However they are getting the card numbers, the campaign site can pad their totals by quite a bit when this goes undetected.

My bet would be that the fundraising site is working for more than one client and has figured out that they can use the same numbers several times over so long as they keep the amounts under $20.

I don’t know what a “shool board” is nor do I know what a “hyear” or “jhob” is.  I’m even more puzzled about what “ocmmunity support” might be.  However, I haven’t seen any “hate” here and certainly haven’t expressed any such thing myself.  I used to BE a teacher, after all.  Admittedly it was at a junior college, but I had the opportunity to observe first-hand how illiterate some of our graduating high schoolers actually were by the time they got to my classes.  Few could write a comprehensible, complete sentence without multiple grammatical or syntactical errors.  Fewer still could speak without multiple “ya knows.”  I agree that there are lots of decent teachers, but I once heard a radio interview with the PRESIDENT of the Dallas Classroom Teachers’ Association.  The woman was obviously black, VERY militant, and couldn’t speak a grammatically correct sentence if her life depended on it…and this was the woman the DCTA had ELECTED to be their representative.  It got so bad during the interview that the interviewer finally asked, “What is it that you TEACH, for Pete’s sake?”

“In addition to raising big bucks, Walker’s campaign noted that it had a total of 125,926 contributions, many of which came from small donors. The campaign said more than 96,000 contributions were $50 or less — about 76 percent of the total contributions”

Oak Creek Patch http://oakcreek.patch.com/articles/when-it-comes-to-fundraising-walker-crushes-democratic-opponents

And, papadave, what were your qualifications?  how much did you invest in the required degrees?

There are a lot and I mean a lot of great school teachers all over this nation. The only thing is like policemen, a few rotten apples draw more press and attention than they deserve. Just ONE “ahhh krap” wipes out several hundred “Atta boys”. Teachers, government workers, and all public employees really need to meet with their union leaders and come up with a new game plan that would help them systematically rid the ranks of those few rotten apples that are giving ALL a black eye. But most union reps simply want to keep and or promote the rotten apples.When you as a good public employee see the rotten ones getting promotions, pats on the back, and your money spent on them for civil service administrative action defenses, it leaves a bad taste in you mouth. Public employees need reform alright; but first within their own union leaders. When was the last time that the Employees Union gave out a cash award or a prize or vacation package for the public employee who did the best job that they could do. All I’m saying is there are better, easier to drink beverages out there now besides the same ole grape or orange Kool-Aid. Make the serve you the beverage of your choice. As per the $5, anyone can tell that was an error, and absolutely nothing to come to blows over. Let common sense prevail.

The barely coherent comments from the low-information folks are a result of many hours spent watching the on-air screech monkeys on FoxNoise.

Generally a small transaction as described is not the actual fraud. The small transaction was considered by Bank One as being a Counterfeit Test Authorization to test a Counterfeit Card. With a Counterfeit Test Auth the $5 is not the intended gain by the crook, but the beginning of the actual, much larger loss. The difference here is that the Walker campaign sent a Thank You note indicating that THEY were in receipt of the actual $5 transaction. That is much different… THAT is fraud by the recipient if it was not authorized by the card holder.

I think the telling detail is that Walker’s campaign spokeswoman never bothered to respond again when asked about credit card fraud. Absolutely anyone who cares at all about their image, which is every politician alive, would have immediately responded with at least a reasonable answer or explanation. This makes Walker and his campaign look very, very bad. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the campaign spokeswoman knew something about the fraud.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Republicans wouldn’t care if Walker robbed a bank and made his escape with the family pet on the roof, puking down the side of the car. I just hope that the cumulative crassness and probable illegal activities of his campaign will get people off their duffs and into the voting booth.

I’m making a big sign for my front lawn:

“MY GOVERNOR HAS A CRIMINAL DEFENSE FUND”

Doesn’t every honest person have a criminal defense fund?  WHY would he need one if he hasn’t committed any crimes?? 

Obviously some people don’t even CARE, and they just BELIEVE his lies!

I hear you, Maerzie - Your comment reminds me of when George W Bush decided not to travel to Europe because multiple countries had arrest warrents out on him for crimes against humanity. Freedom Fries, indeed. As a 12-year military veteran I can honestly say that I felt personal shame (for some damn reason).

I apologize for getting off track with the George W Bush jab - I guess it all just rolls into one big same-old, same-old to me…

I apologize for getting off track with the Bush barb. I suppose it all just rolls into the same old, same old to me.

Well, Kate.  I invested about $100K of my own money—plus 8 years in the Army, two tours in Vietnam, three purple hearts, a bronze star and two ACM’s and I REFUSED to accept my GI Bill “entitlements” because I didn’t want anyone else to be paying for MY education…just like my father, a WW II Vet refused ALL of his VA benefits except for the flag that draped his coffin after he died because he thought only those who’d seen combat should have been given those benefits, and he hadn’t.  What have YOU sacrificed?

Mr. White - If you felt “shame” about President Bush then I HIGHLY doubt you’ve ever served a single day honorably in any U.S. military service.

The governor needs a criminal defense fund because he knows what you unionista morons have planned next.  Unable to beat him legislatively and unable to beat him electorially, the unions are planning on filing criminal or ethics charges against him…just like they did against Gov. Palin when she proved the lefties to be crooks and liars.  The difference here is that the REAL working people in the U.S.—the 85% of us that are NOT in thrall to the union bosses—are on to your tricks this time and will HELP him finance his defense of these spurious charges that are planned.  If you want “justice,” how about assessing every Wisconsin union member for the cost of repairing the damages you or your agents did to the capitol building in Madison last year?

Mr(?) Pappadave - Guess you’re wrong again. I served with some distinction, unlike your pals. Crap sinks to the bottom: such as Dubya and Palin.

Of course you have no way to PROVE any such assertion so you’re secret is safe, I suppose.  President Bush DID serve with distinction, however, and there are records to prove it—thoroughly vetted, as it happens—despite the efforts by CBS and others in the MSM to phony up “records” to the contrary…and got caught at it.  I’d MUCH rather have him standing next to me in a firefight than I would Obama…or John Kerry, for that matter.

I suppose there is no way for you to know if I’m lying or not. Unfortunately for Bush, it is common knowledge and a matter of record that he bagged out on his “service” to work on a political campaign and was grounded due to refusing a urinalysis (due to recent cocaine and pot usage). Bush wouldn’t be any nearer a firefight than you would be. At least John Kerry showed up and commanded his boat. But I suppose you think they just handed those medals out, eh? Get a job.

Pappadave—you are not only pathetically ignorant, you’re as mean-spirited as they come. And you’re a republican.  But I repeat myself.

“The governor needs a criminal defense fund because he knows what you unionista morons have planned next.”

oh papadave.  Your anger is misdirected.  Shouldn’t you be aiming it at the people who actually did something wrong?  Blame Russell, Kavanaugh (you know, the appointee who steals from Veterans, such as yourself) or Wink.

Pointing out wrongdoing isn’t wrong, it’s “right”.

Thanks, Gordon… The word was on the tip of my tongue while I was having my discussion with Pappadave, and I just couldn’t come up with it….Pathetic.

oops, almost forgot. 

pappydave, let me get this straight, you spent $100K on degrees but have no pension?

Either you slept through the econ class or you’re fibbing.  But when you post in anonymity, you can write anything you like.  Convenient.

and blaming unions for the your uncle’s short life?  aren’t the conservatives the ones who say we are accountable for our actions?  only relatives are excepted?

ouch!...... Give pappadave another Purple Heart.

Scott Walker is the greatest thing that ever Happend to this state. Public Sector unions should be eliminated completely. I have many teachers in my Family. They all Retirerd at 50 and are living in sunny Florida on lavish pensions, and Cadilac Healthcare! While the rest of us work until were 70 or drop dead while we pay the tab through high state taxes, an ridiculous Property Tax rates.  A Edgucation is worse then ever. And it takes 5 public employees to do the work of one private employee!

Mike, you have it all very wrong. I"m married to a retired teacher, he retired from the state of CA and we certainly have no lavish pension, no teacher ever makes much $. They have to have Master’s degrees, which cost what about $100,000 these days and they spend years paying off that debt, all while makinhg maybe $35,000 for years. My husband taught for 20 years at the top public high school in America and only took home $3,000/month when he retired AFTER 20 YEARS WORKING This was in San Francisco where he took home $3,000 doesn’t buy you much - a studio apt is 2,000 - 2,500 per month. Anyone else with a Master’s, makes far, far more than that. Retirement is part of the deal simply because they DON’T pay teachers much. We had to move to TN to afford retirement and he sure wasn’t any 50 when he retired. Also, TEACHERS PAY AT LEAST HALF OF THEIR OWN RETIREMENT; the rest comes from the investments that the unions have made - so guess what, TAXPAYERS AREN’T FUNDING TEACHERS RETIREMENT. My guess is that you’re lying, plain and simple. Who do you work for? UNINS PROTECT JOBS AND THAT’S WHY EVERY WORKING PERSON SHOULD SUPPORT THEM. If they don’t, it’s because they believe the propaganda that is the mainstream media.

Pappadave and other teabaggers:
1. You blame unions and big government for our problems, but inexplicably give a pass to the biggest money pit in the history of the world, the Pentagon?
2. You claim to be constitutionalists but choose to ignore the Enlightenment spirit behind the Revolution? All the Founders warned against foreign entanglements, yet you supported our invasions of Vietnam, Iraq, Panama, etc, etc.
It’s all God and Country for you Real Americans, but the Constitution
3. You rail against the leftist elites of Mainstream Media but then regurgitate Fox News talking points as if they were gospel? Witness the language control on this thread: “union thugs” - it’s right out of their playbook.
4. You moan about government regulations but refuse to acknowledge that it was the lifting of regulations (in 1998) that allowed the banks to go on a feeding frenzy?
5. You deny the massive preponderance of scientific evidence behind global warming because Fox News has trotted out someone who disagrees and presented that as a valid science? Meanwhile 2011 brought another year of record weather extremes. But hey, pollution controls are unconstitutional!
6. You fancy yourselves rugged free-thinking individualists yet you belong to a group that is bankrolled by Walker’s friends the Koch Brothers and other corporations that stand to benefit from a lack of regulations? Do you see the conflict of interest here?
7.  As a bonus point here pappadave, you’re simply wrong about the origins of Thanksgiving. It was both a religious and a secular holiday, you paranoid pawn.

Teabaggers, perhaps you should hop in your gas guzzlers, drive around America for awhile. Perhaps you will notice that most of our small towns are looking like Detroit in miniature. It wasn’t like this in 1980, when this great experiment in conservative government began. Go ahead, blame the unions! There will be a nice job for you at Walmart at the end of the polluted rainbow, and pappadave will be there to greet you.

Mr. White -  You need to quit listening to CBS/ABC/NBC and reading the New York Times or WaPo.  President Bush did NONE of the things you accuse him of—as his OFFICIAL military records (which he’s released in their entirety by the way) will show.  He missed a urinalysis, it’s true, but you have NO POSSIBLE WAY to know that it was “because of cocaine and pot usage.”  That’s merely an ASSUMPTION on your part—and that of the far-left media idiots.

Gordon - You have no way to know what my political affiliations are so your comments are simply pathecally moronic.

Kate - Not that it’s really any of your business, but I didn’t say I don’t have ANY retirement.  I’d build up a fairly nice one until your hero Bill Clinton stupidly decided to sue Microsoft, crashing the internet-driven stock market in 2000 which cost me over HALF of what I’d set aside on which to retire.  And, I did NOT blame the unions for my uncle’s death—just for enabling him to continue drinking without economic consequence which would have FORCED him to get the help he needed with his drinking problem.  I thought you lefties all believe that alcoholism is a “disease”...or did you change that opinion so you could make that idiotic comment?

Patti -
What do you think is the SOURCE of all that money that goes into teacher retirement systems?  It doesn’t matter whether it’s an accumulation of dues to the unions or if a teacher funds them out of his/her own pockets…the MONEY comes from the taxpayers.  The problem with unions “protecting jobs” is that they “protect” them for the grossly incompetent, the stupid, lazy and the drug users/alcoholics as well as the good, efficient and dedicated.  All they’re interested in is keeping that dues money rolling in.  It’s one of the reasons why union membership has declined so drastically over the past 60 years or so.  When their demands get to be too much and layoffs occur, those decisions are made—not on the basis of efficiency—but on the silly concept of “seniority” as if hanging onto one’s job is infinitely more important that actually DOING one’s job well.

“Madison Jefferson” -
What a tool of the ignorant, criminal left you’ve become.  I’ll bet your parents are thoroughly ashamed.
1. Funny, isn’t it, how “The Pentagon”, that is national defense, is one of the very FEW functions of government of which the Constitution not only approves, but virtually mandates?
2. The Constitution did NOT “warn against foreign entanglements.”  George Washington did in his farewell speech, which is hardly the same thing.
3.  I only rarely watch Fox News, and then only when I want to hear BOTH sides of a story—which your heros at MSNBC NEVER allow to air.  If the Koch brothers are “funding” anything, you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s much less than George Soros is spending to destroy the economy for his own enrichment.
4.  ...at the INSISTANCE of Bill Clinton, Bawney Frank, et al.—which is what you “conveniently” left out of your screed.
5.  Science is NOT determined by “opinions” and there certainly is NOT a “preponderance of evidence” supporting AGW.  You trot out the IPPC when it’s convenient and ignore the 23,000 REAL scientists who dispute the IPPC findings.  If it’s based on science, why do Al Gore and his followers feel the need to present phony “evidence” for their claims, like claiming that CO2 levels rise CAUSING higher temperatures when CO2 rises have always FOLLOWED rising temperatures?
6.  I don’t “belong” to ANY groups…financed by Koch or not.  If they are financing opposition to the unions efforts to destroy Gov. Walker, where’s MY check?
7.  The FIRST Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth Colony for the SOLE purpose to celebrate a bountiful harvest and to thank God for it…period.  When Lincoln signed the bill making Thanksgiving an “official” holiday, it was both religious and secular, but that was over 200 years AFTER the first Thanksgiving dinner.  Go back to school if you can’t understand that.

By the way, I wouldn’t be so quick to hold up Detroit as an example of the decay of American towns and cities, if I were you.  It was your Democrats and their union buddies that CAUSED Detroit’s blight.  Are you saying that everything was just hunky-dory after the disaster that was the Carter years?  If so, you’re a bigger moron that even I suspected. 

I LIVE in what your elitist Democrat “leadership” calls “flyover country” and have for most of my life.  In my career, I’ve worked in Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma Kansas, Colorado, Nevada, California and New Mexico.  If you have a better perspective of what life has become since the left gained political power I’d like to hear about it.  My work puts me in touch with corporate heads and truck farmers, with high-powered lawyers and families struggling to put food on the table.  I submit to you that you nor anyone who thinks like you do has the slightest concept of what’s going on in America—particularly if, as seems apparent, your “knowledge” is gleaned from the broadcast “news” and web sites like this one or HuffPo, Democratunderground or Media Matters.

Pappadave, please explain to me how, if teachers contribute to their own retirement, the taxpayers are paying for their pensions? Also please note that ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE SUPPOSED TO PAY TEACHERS WITH TAXPAYER MONEY, so please tell me why they’re not entitled to a retirement when they hardly even make a living wage? Please explain all this to this stupid progressive liberal. BTW, I’m NOT a Democrat.

PappaDave, You’re a shell-shocked shadow of your former shelf-life. Perhaps you should be a gondolier on Love Canal. There’s no hope for you. You’re a lost cause looking for a first cause.
I thought this thread was about corruption of Friends of Scott Walker. The facts are these: 1. A financial crime was nipped in the bud by a vigilant CC company. I’m the last to give kudos to banks but frankly it’s good business for Capitol One to flag fraud at its inception. 2. Neither the Walker campaign nor Friends of Scott Walker, based in Texas, would answer questions about the fraud. 3. It is true that Wisconsin ranked dead last in USA in job creation under Scott Walker in 2011.

Put that in your tailpipe and smoke it, Real America!!!

OK, Patti.  Try to focus.  ALL money that pays public school teacher salaries and benefits is TAXPAYER money.  In other words, unless the teacher is moonlighting somewhere, whatever he/she is paid, originated as money earned by some taxpayer.  The teacher then transfers a part of that money to the union in the form of dues (or, in some cases, deposits some of that money with them as a contribution to a retirement system).  Again, it’s the taxpayer’s money that provides this.  It would help the taxpayer if taxpayers actually had some input into what LEVEL of compensation each teacher was paid…but they don’t.  The “negotiations” are between the unions and the Democrat legislators that they help elect by donating tons of union-members’ money to their election campaign, so the politicians are VERY reluctant to deny ANY union demands, lest the campaign money tap is shut off in retribution.  The system, therefore, is “fixed” from the outset.  Unions contributed, in cash and “in-kind” contributions, over half a BILLION (with a “b) dollars to elections in 2008…almost EXCLUSIVELY to Democrats.  The SAME Democrats with whom they’d be “negotiating” for more money and more benefits to their members, which ultimately meant more money to the unions since most dues are based on a fixed percentage of salaries and benefits paid.

Teachers “hardly make a living wage???”  A beginning teacher in Oklahoma makes about $50K annually in salary AND benefits and it goes UP virtually every year thereafter and teachers actually TEACH 9 months out of the year with numerous holidays and vacations—many of which are NOT enjoyed by the private sector.  Yes, I know all the arguments about “continuing education” during their off-months, too.  So what?  It’s for their own benefit, after all, and it’s rarely “mandatory” in order to keep their job. 

I’m a salaried employee working an average of 60 hours a week (without overtime, by the way).  I have a masters and two undergraduate degrees and, because of the excessive taxes I have to pay, my take-home is about what a beginning teacher makes.  So please tell me why, with over 30 years experience in my chosen field, I should have to give up half my income to pay a teacher (or other public employee) a higher salary than I earn myself???  And my children are all grown with families of their own now so I get no direct benefit from the schools, which turn out less well-educated graduates every year.

Mr. “Bandana” -
Your feeble and pathetic attempt a alliteration would be funny if not so pathetic.  Insofar as the so-called “progressives” are concerned, I most assuredly AM a “lost cause.”  You morons will NEVER be able to convince me that socialism is a better way to run a government than capitalism, for example.  As examples, we have about 100 years of world history to call on and not a single, socialist country of note has EVER succeeded in providing its population anywhere NEAR the prosperity that a capitalist country does.  Instead, if you think this system is such that only the “elites” have while everyone else has not, take a look at ANY socialist country.  It’s orders of magnitude worse.

Insofar as the “crimes” of the Walker campaign and their supporters in Texas are concerned, whatever happened to your vaunted “innocent until proven guilty?”  Not one, single shred of real proof exists that this $5 mistake was anything BUT an error…just insinuations from the bunch that criminally trashed the capitol building last year.  Walker’s reforms didn’t even exist through most of 2011 you idiots!  Give it another year and you’ll see that they are the best things to have happened to Wisconsin.

I’d like to thank the reporter who wrote this piece for doing as thorough job as they were able given the circumstances. I’d like to thank “John”, one of the first commenters, for shedding some more light as to the likely-hood of the events which actually transpired. It is an opportunity to look at this and ask the questions, “If this were a clear situation of campaign fraud, what is the payoff for the person committing it? With a race as polarized as this one has been, why would anyone risk losing it over something like this?”
With all due respect to both sides, John’s explanation seems to be the best. However, I’m sure that it will be investigated and we will gain insight as to what truly happened.

Last time I looked, Texans couldn’t vote in Wisconsin’s elections. Walker better concentrate on THIS state if he hopes for a chance. And once again; you’re talking about something you know NOTHING about. I supervised 30+ Fraud/Risk Analysts at a MAJOR bank that led the industry in saving fraud loss (basis points). What Bank One saw is a CLASSIC example of a Counterfeit Test Authorization or CreditMaster Attack. They did their jobs well. Stay in your own paygrade, industry and quit trying to snow the snowman.

Instead of repeating Rush Limbaugh and his ilk; go to the source and read the teachings of Leo Strauss (deceased) from the University of Chicago. AT LEAST know what you’re doing. Ignorant followers make me ill.

A cogent and realistic analysis, Amy.  My compliments!  It WILL be further investigated—by the anti-Walker forces (the unions) and yet another million dollars or so of union members’ money will go down the dumper for nothing in hopes that they’ll be able to tie an obvious error to Governor Walker and MIScharacterize him as a “crook.”  The left would LOVE to be able to cook up some criminal behavior that they could pin on Walker, but the plain fact is, this is an honest man who saw what was wrong with the system and took steps to correct it, which INFURIATED the unions as they saw their political power reduced.  Even FDR thought public employees unionizing to be a terrible idea because he was just honest enough to realize that it would give the unions unprecedented political power which they’d inevitably corrupt.  The left’s second “god” was JFK and he permitted public employee unions by the simple expedient of issuing a Presidential Directive permitting it, bypassing his own, Democrat-controlled Congress in the process.  The next President should simply rescind it, which would solve a LOT of problems in this country.

Mr. White -
Tell it to the Washington D.C.-based unions.  THEY can’t vote in Wisconsin elections either, you idiot.  What the heck does that have to do with ANYTHING?

I spent some time as a cop and I am pretty well able to spot criminal activity from a mile away and THIS single, isolated incident is NOT evidence of anything criminal…at least not on the part of the Walker campaign.  As important as this upcoming election is, only a moron would risk it for a $5 donation.  It was obviously an error and nothing more.  You’ll note that Capital One has NOT claimed that any other customer has claimed that they did NOT donate to Walker’s campaign using a credit card.  Only in this single instance has the cardholder made that claim…period.  You’re either a liar or a blooming idiot.

I might also say that YOU, instead of listening to and parroting Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews, might read Hyack and put away the Alinsky playbook.

I’ve come to the end of the line with you. I no longer believe a word you say. Leave me out of it. Grow up, read a book, THEN talk to me.

Yeah sure, PappaDave, Texas-based Friends of Scott Walker just happened to put this charge on the woman’s credit card all by mistake! Poor Friends of Scott Walker, being vilified by the big bad Mainstream Media for such a silly little careless error! This is obviously another case of the east coast intellectual elite going after people who oppose their socialist agenda!
Thanks for getting me to see the light! It’s all so clear now!
And by the way, that’s MISS Bandana, you walking toxic waste dump!

Mr. White - Oh!  I’m so terribly disappointed!  You idiot.  If YOU"D read something besides the WaPo or NY Times, you might someday learn the TRUTH about what progressivism has in store for you…and you WON’T like it even a little bit.  These people will happily use you for their purposes and, once achieved, will dump you like a bad habit.  I’ll match IQ’s with you any day you like and spot you ten points!  Your reading comprehension needs work…BADLY.

Fandang (Or is is MISS Bandana?) -
A single occurrance is a mistake.  Where’s the PATTERN of this sort of stuff?  A PATTERN is required for this to be a choreographed scam.  The only “waste” I’m involved with is you idiots who can’t see the nose in the middle of your own faces.

That Papadave, Is he smart or what? He knows almost everything that needs to be known about almost everything.

Never claimed any such thing, Jerry, but I DO know a lot about you left-wing idiots.  I’ve been dealing with you for 50 years, particularly those of you who “welcomed” me home from Vietnam both times, one or two of whom regretted doing so.

Your personal circumstances as reported by you, papadave, are suspect.  With the name calling and the tantums it’s hard to believe you’re 70 years old.  And if you ARE 70, well, I’m amazed.

Has no one ever let you know that after all the sturm and drang, it’s easier to control yourself than the rest of us.

Or you must be lonely to seek community with those who disagree with you. But.  I am no where as angry as many conservative posters, such as yourself, and I do not wish to control you OR Scott Walker (who I just wish would trade up to his desired position as a commenter on FOX and go away).

You want to know what my sacrifice is?  I am my blind mother’s caretaker, having moved back to Wisconsin 18 years ago, leaving a very lucrative position in the NW and many generous and loving friends.  Back to the culture of Scott Walker.

But I have no regrets.  Except for that Scott Walker thing.

Have one.  whatever that is.

Miserable old man, bitter that the rest of the world wised up to the military scam of Vietnam while he was over there buying lies from the Pentagon. And now here he is 50 years later betting on the same old chestnut in a different wrapping. Some people never learn. Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Papadave: What exactly is your point? Of course, teacher salaries come out of taxpayer $. But you forget, even when you’ve been told, that at least half of pensions come directly out of the teacher’s paycheck. Union dues aren’t all that high and that comes out of a teacher’s paycheck as well so what the hell are you griping about? Teachers are free to spend their paycheck however they want BTW. And I have a hard time believing that a beginning teacher in OK makes $50 k a year. My husband taught in San Francisco CA, one of the most expensive citiews in the country, and after 20 yrs he only made $60,000 BEFORE taxes. OK cost of living is nowhere near what SF is.
Sounds like you are objecting to paying teachers at all. And you say you get no benefit from children being educated. Of course you do, do you really want to live in a country is stupid? They can vote you know. You sound like a bitter person, and you don’t stop to think about all the ramifications of educated citizenry. And I don’t appreciate the insult you started out, of course I’m focused. BTW, I have a Master’s degree as well. You don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re too angry to be able to comprehend or hear anything anyone tries to tell you. I’m done here.

Patti -
I’m not so much concerned with teachers pay as I am with the evil influence of public-employee unions on thngs political.  However, based on what I see a lot (certainly not the majority) of people in this country doing, I’m very much afraid that it’s too late.  I already AM living in a country full of stupid people…at least people who completely lack an iota of common sense.  The “progressives” have done a pretty thorough job of dumbing the country down.  I even understand WHY they’ve done so.  No one with a functioning brain cell, were they able to reason rationally, would buy into the idea that a country can spend other peoples’ money and thereby force itself into prosperity for everyone.  Time after time it’s been tried over the past 100 years or so and it’s failed every time.  THIS crop of “progressives” seem to think that it’ll work this time if only we’ll trust them to “lead” us to the promised land…which is the SAME attitude of every other country that’s embraced the idiotic philosophy.

Belinda -
If you weren’t IN Vietnam, you’d be best off to just shut your mouth about it.  I met some terrific people there and the American communists betrayed them (and likely cost them their lives.)  Bitter?  You bet.  I saw first-hand the vicious evil that is communism which, by design, was kept from the American people by our “honorable” press.  The Taliban cutting off someone’s head on live TV was MILD by comparison to what the VC and their NVA masters did.