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Issues

The War on Teacher Tenure

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

 Time Magazine 

It’s really difficult to fire a bad teacher. A group of Silicon Valley investors wants to change that.

On a warm day in early June, a Los Angeles County trial-court judge, Rolf M. Treu…dropped a bombshell on the American public-school system. Ruling in Vergara v. California, Treu struck down five decades-old California laws governing teacher tenure and other job protections on the grounds that they violate the state’s constitution.

In his 4,000-word decision, he bounded through an unusually short explanation of what was an unprecedented interpretation of the law. Step 1: Tenure and other job protections make it harder to fire teachers and therefore effectively work to keep bad ones in the classroom. Step 2: Bad teachers “substantially undermine” a child’s education. That, Treu wrote, not only “shocks the conscience” but also violates the students’ right to a “basic equality of educational opportunity” as enshrined in California’s constitution…

…What happened next was predictable: the educational establishment hit DEFCON 1.

We Respond & Your Comments

We’ve touched on the subject of teacher tenure before (Lane Solutions, Issue 71), but we revisit it here for two reasons.

First, the writer of this Time article does an exceptional job of presenting opposing opinions on this controversial subject. Second, because, as this article reports, a lawsuit designed to eliminate teacher tenure may be coming soon to Oregon.

So we encourage you to click on the above link and take a few minutes to read this article. Be sure to also click on the responses at the end, witness the education establishment hitting DEFCON 1 and then ask yourself why the elimination of lifetime tenure for teachers drives them so crazy.

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Oregon $15 minimum wage drive picks up steam

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Portland Business Journal

City of Portland contract workers and other employees have begun sounding the bell for a $15 minimum wage in Oregon.

More than 5,000 workers have signed a petition demanding improvements in Portland’s Fair Wage Policy…Rep. Rob Nosse, a Southeast Portland Democrat, wants to introduce a $15 minimum wage measure during next year’s regular Oregon legislative session…

Those working for companies that contract with the city make $10.38 an hour plus $1.92 in benefits. Portland has a Fair Wage Policy that it adopted in 1998.

We Respond & Your Comments

Yes, we’ve talked about minimum wage before. But as long as economic dunces keep telling us it’s a hot idea to raise it, we‘ll keep on teaching basic economics.

Once again here’s why raising the minimum wage is a lousy idea:

  • Raising the price of anything (including labor) cuts into demand for it. If you believe otherwise you probably think water runs uphill;
  • Raising the price of labor either raises the price of what that labor produces or decreases profits that might be used to expand the business and create new jobs;
  • Raising minimum salaries hurts young people. Why hire a kid, when for the same price you could hire an experienced worker?
  • According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, “oftentimes, union contracts are triggered to implement wage hikes in the case of minimum wage increases.”When the minimum wage goes up, lots of union workers also get a raise. And you thought Democrats cared about burger-flipping kids? No – they care about union money and votes.

The next time you hear some politician wanting to give 1.6 million minimum wage workers a raise, ask him to show you how he makes water run uphill.

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Health tax credit error stings thousands

Thursday, November 13, 2014

  – Gosia Wozniacka, The Associated Press

…Officials with Oregon’s troubled health insurance exchange say thousands of Oregonians could owe money to the federal government because they were given tax credits that were too large…

According to Cover Ore­gon’s in-house analysis, 12,772 tax-­paying households are likely affected by the error. Their tax error ranges from $1 to more than $100 per month…

The errors are due to Cover Oregon using the wrong formula to calculate credits…

Federal Investigation into Cover Oregon Costing Ore. Taxpayers $146K

– Shelby Sebens, GoLocalPDX Reporter

A federal investigation into Cover Oregon, the state’s failed health exchange website, has cost Oregon taxpayers over $146,000 so far. And that figure looks likely to rise….

“The price for two years of gross mismanagement at Cover Oregon keeps adding up, especially because the current administration doesn’t have a problem throwing good money after bad,” Senate Republicans spokesman Michael Gay said…

In addition to the legal fees related to the Cover Oregon investigations, the state could be on the hook for over $1 million in legal fees related to lawsuits with Oracle…

We Respond & Your Comments

Just when we think there’s nothing more to be said and no more Oregon tax dollars to waste on Cover Oregon, guess what? There’s more. It’s like pesky STD that just won’t go away.

Today, Dear Reader, let’s look at Cover Oregon as a perfect example of Liberalism (sorry – we meant “Progressivism”).

Progressivism is founded on the belief that if you can just assemble enough brilliant people who will govern in a rational, disinterested manner, you will achieve Utopia (note: “Utopia” is Greek for “Nowhere”).

Liberalism and central planning never, ever work because: a) humans always have a personal axe to grind that supersedes their logic; b) there are always problems caused by “Oh, I never thought of that”; c) nobody is smart enough to unilaterally make decisions for millions of people; and d) people with power tend to deny all of the above.

And if central planning worked – Cuba would be an economic powerhouse. But it’s not, is it?

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Labor Giant Puts Politics, Pay Over Serving Teachers

Thursday, October 30, 2014

NEA spends more on lobbying than representing members

– freebeacon.com

The nation’s largest teachers union [the National Education Association, or “NEA”] spends three times as much money on politics, overhead, and union administration as it does on serving its membership, according to federal labor filings…

The union annually collects nearly $370 million in dues from its 3 million members, as well as its 88,000 non-member teachers, according to the filings…

A Colorado teacher who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon on condition of anonymity for fear of alienating union supporters said the NEA’s spending made her question its dedication to teachers…

… “The NEA claims that it is committed to advancing the cause of public education, but I think that there is a disconnect in furthering its political agenda.”…

“Big Labor unions like the NEA would rather push their radical political agenda instead of working to improve working conditions for their members,” [Ryan] Williams [of Worker Center Watch] said…

Our Response & Your Comments

Teachers’ unions were created to get more money for underpaid teachers. They’ve done that. Oregon teachers’ average salary is $58,758. When you annualize it, which means adjusting it to account for the fact that teachers work about 72% of the days that average employees work, their salaries average out at $81,608. The average Oregon employee earns $43,091. Teachers do quite well.

The NEA is now a $370 million business. It confiscates money from teachers in the form of dues and funnels it to politicians who repay them by voting for, as we quote above, “their radical political agenda.” That agenda may, or may not, help teachers. Least of all does it help the kids they say they’re fighting for.

As Eric Hoffer said, “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”

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Kitzhaber, Richardson disagree on performance reviews

Thursday, October 30, 2014

 – Hannah Hoffman, Statesman Journal

Gov. John Kitzhaber and his Republican opponent Dennis Richardson disagree a lot…

They differ a great deal in what kind of managers they plan to be.

Our Executive Editor, Michael Davis, asked both of the candidates whether they think each state employee should receive an annual performance review…

Richardson answered Davis’s question pretty clearly. Yes, he said, every employee deserves an annual performance review.

Kitzhaber gave an answer that seemed less clear.

“I think that would be very impractical,” he said, noting that the state has about 35,000 employees. However, he then went on to say that everyone does need be held accountable for their performance, but he did not seem to think reviews were necessarily the mechanism for this.

Our Response and Your Comments

Hey, Guv. Kitz – How about if we give you a performance review?

Us: Oregon has lots going for it: natural resources, good universities, educated workers, a natural harbor and a whole lot more.

Guv Kitz: Yup.

Us: After you’ve had 12 years as Governor, why are we 6th among states in unemployment, 6th highest in gas prices, 4th in childhood hunger and 3rd in homelessness?

 

Guv Kitz: Give me four more years and I’ll fix all that stuff.

 

Us: Is it true that you scorched half a billion bucks on Cover Oregon and the Columbia River Crossing and have nothing to show for it?

 

Guv Kitz (scratching head): Maybe. But give me four more years and I won’t do it again.

 

Us: Do you represent the State well when Oregon’s “First Lady” isn’t your wife, has an office in your office suite, “consults” for clients who have business interests with the State, and is awarded a no bid contract with the Oregon Dept. of Energy that cost Oregon a million dollar settlement?

 

Guv Kitz: Is this part of your War on Women?.

 

Us:  Thanks, Guv – You’ve reviewed your performance for us. And for the voters.

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Living Wage’ Laws Are Union Lifesavers

Thursday, October 16, 2014

MAXFORD NElSEN

Labor activists across the country are pressing local jurisdictions to dramatically raise the minimum wage. They argue that this is necessary to help workers escape poverty. Often, however, so-called living-wage laws are really devices to revive unions.

Los Angeles became the latest to join the movement when the city council approved a law on Sept. 24 requiring large hotels to pay employees at least $15.37 per hour and provide generous paid sick-leave benefits. But the ordinance includes a provision…that permits unions to waive the requirements in collective bargaining.

This waiver enables labor organizers to approach a nonunion employer struggling to pay the new minimum with the following offer: assist them in unionizing employees by signing a “neutrality agreement,” in return for which the union will use the collective-bargaining waiver to allow the employer to pay less than the new statutory minimum.

While the details of each neutrality agreement vary, they typically obligate the employer to remain silent on the unionization effort, provide union organizers with employees’ personal contact information, and waive the employees’ right to a secret-ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board…

http://online.wsj.com/articles/maxford-nelsen-living-wage-laws-are-union-lifesavers-1412292753

We Respond & Your Comments

 Here we go again – another cynical, self-serving union maneuver tarted up as “compassion.”

The unions plead “Just pay these poor souls the ‘living wage’ they deserve so that they can feed their families.”

What they really mean is “Pass a law mandating a ‘living wage’ so we can use it to bludgeon non-union employers into unionizing their businesses by offering them an exemption from it.”

Long Beach, CA, Milwaukee and Seattle recently succumbed to this scam. Could Eugene be far behind?

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Oregon has lost a sawmilling legend

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Eugene Register Guard

Aaron Jones, founder of Seneca Sawmill Company and a long-time Eugene resident, died on Monday, September 22, 2014. He was 92 years old.

Jones was a prominent industry leader for more than 50 years, guiding the family-owned sawmills in the West through bruising battles with special-interest groups and industry giants bent on driving smaller, family, independent mill owners out of business…

Born in Utopia, Texas, Aaron came to Oregon with two of his brothers when he was 10 years old to live and work on an uncle’s dairy farm near Toledo….

Aaron was popular in school and did well academically. He was president of his class and one of only two 1940 Toledo High School graduates to go on to college…

Aaron went out on his own and founded Seneca Sawmill Company in 1953,

Seneca now employs over 400 people…

Aaron was featured in Oregon Business Magazine as “one of the visionaries who will shape Oregon’s future”…

Aaron Jones was an absolutely honest man…

Oregon has lost a sawmilling legend

We Respond & Your Comments

There’s nothing we can add to the article excerpted above. Instead, we encourage you to click on the link, read it and join us in honoring this exceptional Oregonian.

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Free community college: Coming soon to Oregon?

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

– Canton Winer, college.usatoday.com

Oregon lawmakers are currently exploring a proposal that could make community college free to the state’s residents.

If implemented, the proposal would cost Oregon between $10 million and $250 million annually…

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/09/wealth_gap_report_paints_grim.html

Our Response & Your Comments

First, nothing is free. Somebody pays for it. Second, any “proposal” that costs between $10 million and 25 times that amount isn’t one bit serious. But who ever said the crowd in Salem was serious about anything except grabbing more of your money to give it away to people who’d return the favor with their votes?

 

Third, we’ve explained in past issues how subsidizing education leads to schools increasing tuition and fees to absorb the newfound money.

 

Finally, if you want to see even bigger increases in tuition just make it free. Then you’ll have educators who want more money from legislators who can grab it out of your paycheck. It’s called “third party payment” – and the first two parties (educators and legislators) have absolutely no interest in controlling how much they take from the third, which happens, dear readers, to be you.

 

So, if you think tuition is high now – just wait ‘til it’s “free.”

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Wealth gap report paints grim picture for Oregon

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

– The Associated Press

SALEM — A new report showing that rising income inequality could negatively affect state tax revenue comes amid a push by Gov. John Kitzhaber, legislative Democrats and others to overhaul Oregon’s tax code…

A report released Monday by the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s suggests that income tax-reliant states like Oregon face a future of declining growth in state revenue.

…Between 1950 and 1979, Oregon tax revenue grew on average 9.49 percent per year, according to S&P’s report. The figure has decreased in subsequent decades, and since 2009, annual revenue growth has averaged 6.52 percent…

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/09/wealth_gap_report_paints_grim.html

Our Response & Your Comments

OMG! It’s a disaster – It’s the ebola pandemic, the San Francisco Earthquake and the Great Depression all rolled into one toxic catastrophe!

How can we survive the Oregon government not living on a 9.49 % increase every year? By the way – at this rate of increase their revenue would double in 71/2 years. At the “puny” rate of 6.52% it will take the cavernous maw of Salem government just 11 years to suck in twice as much of our money.

We have two questions for you: First – does your  income double every 7 ½ years? Or even every 11 years? Second – Did your life suddenly go into the tank after 2009? We didn’t think so.

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Cover Oregon turnaround bill at $600,000 and rising

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

– The Associated Press

PORTLAND — As he wraps up his work, a corporate turnaround expert initially hired for $100,000 to fix Oregon’s troubled health care insurance exchange has billed the state for nearly $600,000 under an expanded contract, a newspaper reported

[Clyde] Hamstreet was hired after the state agency launched a website that couldn’t come close to fulfilling the promise of seamless online sign-ups for health insurance

He hasn’t yet submitted an invoice for August, The Oregonian reported on Thursday

“We didn’t do this job to make a lot of money off the state,” Hamstreet said…

The Cover Oregon board hired Aaron Patnode, a former Kaiser executive who said Hamstreet and his executives did exceptional work on tasks that included:

Boosting morale and communication.

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/32082669-75/cover-oregon-turnaround-bill-at-600000-and-rising.html.csp

Our Response and Your Comments

Cover Oregon – it’s like when you put your hand under your table in a cheap diner and stick five fingers deep into a wad of well chewed bubble gum. You just can’t get rid of it.

This magnificent creation of the Beaver State government burned through $248 million, which paid for, among other things: a website that didn’t work; a bunch of goofy folk songs that made Oregon look like a state of stoned karaoke crooners at a cheap Holiday Inn; and $650,000 in bonuses to retain the brainiacs who created the stupid website and folk songs.

But that just wasn’t enough, was it? Now they’ve tossed another $600,000 of taxpayer dollars after a consultant who, for $100,000, was supposed to, among other things, boost morale and communications.

We’re sure that this clever fellow boosted his morale. How did he do with yours? After all, you paid for  it. As for “communications,” we suggest that you send some very clear messages the next time you vote. 

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