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Little Sally Wants A New BikePosted Friday, February 12, 2010, at 3:01 PM
Ride Sally Ride...
You have a little girl who is about four years old named Sally. You have always raised Sally to be respectful, honest and considerate. You and your husband work really, really hard to maintain a nice home. You live in a modest 3 bedroom and one bath house that is about 1,100 SF. Your home is in a nice area of working class people. Recently, Sally left her bike outside over night and it was stolen. Now, Sally wants a new bike. You and your spouse discuss the matter. Sally has been told that when she is done with her bike, it needs to be put away. On this night, the normally near perfect Sally forgot! You, as Mom work FT. Your spouse works two full time jobs because with the recent economy there have been pay cuts at both of your jobs. To make up the difference, your husband felt it would be best to take a second job to make up for the money lost due to pay cuts. You have cut the cable from your budget. There is no more going out to eat. There are no more gym memberships. No more date nights. You shop with coupons and only purchase items when they are on sale or you have coupons to purchase them. With three incomes, you can just pay your bills---there are no extras. So...Sally left her bike outside and it was stolen and now she wants a new bike. Do you just buy Sally that new bike or does she get to help mommy with some light chores so she can "earn" that new bike? Sally has always been taught that things cost money and she saves small amounts of money in her piggy bank so she knows how long it takes to save money for a favorite doll. You make what you make. Your bills are your bills. Does Sally get handed a new bike or will she get to help mommy and earn that bike? Same story with the MHSD (and I know this will not be a popular opinion). The people of Mountain Home only make a certain amount of money/income per month and that is what we have to "live" on. The MHSD only makes a certain amount of money in a fiscal year. The bean counter at the district office needs to figure out how the MHSD can live within their means with the millions and millions of dollars they get each year. Sell off the land that is not used. Reduce the number of copy machines. School districts in the past got by on less. Cuts need to be made and budgets need to be made and followed. Welcome to the fine world of Recessionville. This is what happens when we live above and beyond our means and do not save for that rainy 2-3 years. Sally should have to work for her new bike. Nothing good in life has ever come easy. If parents do not want to pay for sports then they need to volunteer more for the various booster clubs. Schools need to get back in the business of education. Sports and non-mandated programs are a luxury. Pay to play, those who use the services pay for and support those services. Imagine what our schools could have done with the money paid to the WECRD over the last 9-10 years! Imagine what resources we could have had for sports had the WECRD really been run as a "recreation district" from the start. We need to use our resources better before we demand more money from an already stressed system (i.e. taxpayers). Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
Str8 Talk  - Archives - Blog RSS feed ![[Feed icon]](http://www.mountainhomenews.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon} - Comments RSS feed - Send email to Tracy Lauric - Login I have lived in Mountain Home for over 11 years now. I love to be outdoors in wide open spaces (as long as it does not involve camping...in a tent and an out house). I dislike Government waste/abuse of tax dollars and "sky is the limit" spending by those that we elect to represent "us." I value free speech when what is stated is factual (as opposed to lies, gossip and un-truths). I love the Chicago White Sox (I never said I was perfect) and the Broncos are okay too! I am 38 years old and married to a guy who is active duty USAF (and a Cubs fan...he is the "perfect" one). I am anti-nuclear and against further desecration of our planet with waste that we can do little to nothing with. If you dislike blunt, this is not the blog for you. Enjoy!
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Bazooka:
It is time to cut spending and bring "budgets" down to more realistic levels---what they SHOULD have been for years and years. We are a nation that likes to spend. Budgets for us, it would seem, are a thing of the past. That my friend is going to bite us in more than our butts if we do not wise up.
More money is not the answer. Spending less and dealing with what you have SHOULD be the answer/solution. If our Government continues to tax us to death there will be little to no incentive to work. If you only make $36,000 per year it is hard to pay more taxes when you do not even make enough to cover your bills. Once again, you only make so much which is something our local appointed/elected officials cannot seem to understand. You cannot drain blood from a turnip.
Very good point Tracy in the sense that they need to sell off unused land and decrease the number of copiers. I work for the government and we even did away with copiers and are given a strict guidelines for printing right now. What is the school district doing to help cut the budget?
We do pay to play the sports... and how long do you think,in this economy,it would take to sell off the land that the school owns? Is that really the only solution for the short term needs that need to be met right now? IF they can sell the land wouln't that go towards a more long term solution? And can anyone out there tell me why we have a lottery in this state if it isn't funding education like it is supposed to?
I know that fees are charged to play sports. However, before sports are funded---EDUCATION should be funded. That was my point.
Before the MHSD reaches in my pockets to bail their butts out---they really had better have done their darndest to really deal with the issues and not just say they have. Over 200K for the rental of copy machines? 75K for copy paper? Please!
If spending like this continues---there will need to be a levy for AT LEAST the next five (5) years to deal with this over-spending. At some point, we need to live within our means and budget for what we have as opposed to what we WANT. Most have had to make cuts. Why is it so hard for the MHSD to come up with a balanced budget and stick to it? Reaching in the pockets of those who pay taxes is not the answer. I think the entire damn bunch at the district level and on the board level need to go. If they cannot figure out how to spend only what they have...they have no business being in charge of OUR money. Enough is enough already. You as a taxpayer only make so much as far as income. How much are we really expected to pay before they (at the MHSD) think it is enough. Really? When and where does it end? The more YOU and I give them...the MORE they will spend. It is the law of supply and demand. The more WE supply, the MORE they WILL demand. I am sorry to say that SUCKS and it is piss poor management. If we allow it, we are all just fools. Sorry. I am tired of the sob story. First they wanted a bond and lied about the "facts" behind that. Now, they want more taxes. Sorry but NO. I have given up all that I can in my budget. I only make what I make. There is no more to take.
It would be interesting to know what the annual salary is for superintendent of school district 193
Anyone know?
Correct me if I'm wrong: Bazooka, I get the impression you are a military pensioner. OM, someone told me you are wed to a military member. AirForceWife, the tag says it all.
If these presumptions are true, then ya'll are chewing on government cheese right now. So, where do you tax beneficiaries wish to start cutting? Perhaps other disgruntled taxpayers are growing weary of paying for you.
MsMarylin, School District salary scales are a matter of public record. The district office could probably answer you question.
JYD, you are a complete and total moron! Bazooka, well stated. Now MY side of just how great things are in the USAF!
You have no "schedule," no "set" days of work. No set hours. No holiday pay or OT. Sometimes you have no choice where you move to or when. These enlisted guys and gals are injected with God knows what on a set rotation of maintaining "health." Have you seen what a small pox shot can do to a person. How about that Anthrax injection? Yep, a TRUE ride on that Government "gravy train."
Next! You have a guy 6 foot 2 and 45 years old who is EXPECTED to weigh 150-160 pounds. If you do not fit the image, you are put on the "fat boy" program. You are given a set period of time to take off the "extra" pounds. If you do not, you can be kicked out or DENIED rank. Yep, that sure goes on in the real world!
Next! This last Valentine's Day someone got a DUI. They called everyone in the flight (that may not be the correct term) in for a 7:30 AM-10:00 AM (approx.) ROYAL BUTT CHEWING because some IDIOT got drunk in Boise and got busted. So, they punish all which would include the family.
Next---AND THIS IS THE BEST PART! The wonderful, "free" medical care that these folks get who are owned, I mean enlisted. The "medical care" in the military is so SUBSTANDARD that people in third world locations get better treatment. Nothing like a little aspirin when you have a nerve pinched in your back for 3 weeks and nobody thinks to order an MRI until of course your arm does not work and the entire left side of your body is dead! Yep, great care for the guys and gals that keep us safe.
Next! You can be working next to a meth or pot head while working with explosives, aircraft, etc. But before the guy can be "FIRED" there is a process that must be completed to get rid of the bad apple. You cannot just "fire" the guy. So, you get to work directly next to a guy who is stoned out of his mind and worthless but earns as much as you do!
After 911, our phone rang (expected). My husband was told to report to the base within the hour and to bring his bags (those are always supposed to be packed and ready to go). While my husband was in the shower I threw the last of his things into his bags so he could leave---for who knows how long or to where. He was gone that day, within 12 hours. When was the last time your job called at 4:00 in the morning and told you to be ready within the hour to go who knows where regardless of what plans you may or may not have?
I love my husband. I support my husband. When I married him---I SIGNED ON TOO. I may not wear the uniform or go to war but I am the one who is always left behind. I am the one who takes care of the bills and the house and makes sure there is something for him to come home to. I am the one who holds his hand when he gets home and cannot talk about the things that he has seen. I am the one who holds his hand and takes care of him when the military doctors make a mistake and change his life. I am the woman who stands next to her husband regardless of what the military may demand. I am the one who keeps the house and puts the house up for sale and stays behind until it sells---IF it sells. I am the one who finds a new job each and every time that we HAVE to move.
I like my "job" as a spouse of a military member. It is not easy but I knew that going in. I fail to see how I or my husband ride this fairy tale Government "gravy train" and life on easy street that you speak of. You are a complete JERK. And one more thing---my husband and all of these other enlisted/retired "welfare" mongers that you speak of FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT TO SAY THE STUPID THINGS THAT YOU DO! So, JY Punk---THANK A VET!!!
Here is a middle finger salute for ya!
JYD is a Troll. He/she has nothing intelligent to contribute so he/she spouts nonsense. This is an obvious case of trying to stir the pot, if not I think Bazooka fully and Missy fully covered what needed to be said.
Om, Bazook, et al
Do you ever actually read others' comments, or do you just scan for key words and phrases to react to. My comment referred to "tax beneficiaries" period. There was no value, adjective, name calling,nor derogatory term attached.
As such, you missed the question.
I made the comment because both of you seem to enjoy UPPER CASE blogging criticism attacking other tax beneficiaries as being unworthy of your tax dollars. Yet, you seem to forget that you benefit from feeding at the same trough, and that other people may feel the same way about you. Can you not see the connection between your condition and the condition of the people you challenge?
I'll ask again, Where do you tax beneficiaries wish to start cutting? And please, spare us all your self grandiose verbosity. Telling me how much you suffered for your benefit (voluntarily I presume)or calling me names is not an answer.
CJW, You're right...you couldn't imagine how much crap I've fallen into.
C'mon Bazookaman, This is like asking somebody what time it is and being told how to build a clock. OM's original glass of vinegar referred to the Mountain Home School District. As far as I know, Nancy Pelosi or ACORN couldn't find Mountain Home using 100 research advisors and Google Maps.
Do you have any cutting suggestions for MHSD? Do you think that the people depending on taxes for their salaries "merely expect" to get paid, or do you think, like you portray yourself, they "earn" their pay?
Something has to give here...either pay more or cut costs.
JYD,
Let's hear your suggestions. I am curious to see how creative you are.
Old Guy,
Fair enough. My lack of creativity aside, I'm financially aware that the cost of everything is rising. I pay more to fish, drive, eat and draw water from the ground than I did a couple of years ago. That being said, it seems reasonable to presume that the cost of educating our youngsters is also rising.
At the same time, the State is providing less support for education than it did the year(s) before. Mountain Home School District has to decide how to do what it has done in the past, with less resources. This cannot be done with a balanced budget, unless the money needed above the State's minimum allottment comes from us, so something has to change.
If it comes to cutting educational opportunity or raising the tax levy, I say, raise the rent.
If the people in our community say no, then the schools will have to cut programs and services to the public that refuses to pay for them.
If revenue can not be raised to pay for the School's current level of service, then I say, cut everything extracurricular. Let the citizens of Mountain Home rest comfortably knowing their children will get nothing more than the minimum State mandated level of education. If you want to play ball, practice public speaking, act, sing, dance or cheer, then you'll have to go somewhere else.
How about make a budget, with the monies you really have, and live on that. Taxes do not need to go up until the fat has been removed from that budget, land has been sold, etc. Come on folks! You can only pass so much on to the taxpayers. It has NOTHING to do with not "wanting" to pay for education but it has everything to do with being able to pay for it. See, some of us live on a budget and only make so much. In other words, we can only pay so much due to income. Our Government needs to learn how to live on a budget---spend only what you have. Tax increases are not the answer every time these people run short. If that is the way it will be, we are going to be in for one heck of a next 2-3 years.
Schools are in the business of education. If that means sports and drama are cut, so be it. Maybe more focus will be placed on the things that are mandated so that the kids test higher and are more ready for college. Hey just think---if we had a "recreation district" that was really a "recreation district" that could help as far as sports. However, since we have paid taxes for all of these years and have nothing...I am less inclined to blame taxpayers for not wanting to foot this bill on this. There is a real history in EC for not using funds very well.
Bazooka, I could not agree with you more.
Opinion Missy,
How many extracurricular activities did you have in school? Would you have enjoyed your high school days without a football, basketball, baseball team to cheer on? Did you have school pride? Most of that came from the extracurricular activities that you had available. Did you enjoy going to the football games, participate in drama, have a good debate with any one? (you seem to love to debate) Have you seen how good the debate team has done from our school? Put yourself in the shoes of the kids at that school, would you want to go to a school knowing that the town that you live in doesn't support you? I have one child in High School and one in the Jr High. They already are at the bare essentials, raising your and my taxes 50 dollars a year isn't going to break the bank. At 50 dollars a year that is $4.17 a MONTH. I'll forgo a few soft drinks for that. If it goes up to 100 more a year, I'll make one more dinner a month instead of eating out.
That land isn't going to sell any time soon in this economy...we need a solution now. Redoing the copier contract isn't going to solve the problem all by it self. They really don't have a say in the price of paper. Have you bought a ream of paper lately? Not exactly cheap.
Some areas of the sports can be trimmed down. When I was is school, the coaches were not paid. It was all volunteer and that is one area we can save. Do sixth graders need track and wrestling? I didn't even have the opportunity to do any sports until 7th grade. One more small area to save.
MHMom:
I went to a school, that in a tight budget, cut ALL of the extra/nice things. No art, no music, no sports. See, schools are in the business of education which is something that many choose not to focus on. In my opinion, it is more important that kids can read, write and do math and pass BASIC skills tests. Are art, music and sports nice? Of course! However, do not expect me to pay more than I do when the school is NOT willing to change their spending habits. I have no kids in the schools that I pay for. IMHO, I pay enough. While $50.00 may not be much to you---it is a lot to me because it is $50.00 here and $50.00 there and before you know it, your taxes have gone up $300.00. I have already cut ALL entertainment from my budget. ALL of my meals are cooked at home. We only drive the car when we have to. We had the land line cut and only use our cells. I have had 2 pay cuts in the last 6 months and each pay period get to BEG for my pay check, if I am lucky enough to get one. So pardon me if I am not thrilled with the thought of higher taxes. As far as selling that land...the school should have done that long ago. Imagine what WE pay to maintain that. All of this waste is just more money for the schools. As far as your copy machine and paper comment goes, I purchase all supplies for my office. I am also in charge of the copy machine contracts. I shop around for the best deal. The problem with the school district is that they like to cry wolf but when you look into things---it is nothing more than a steaming pile of poop.
If parents want all of this programs, then they should be willing, in lean budget years, to fund these programs. If not, then they are cut. It is up to the tax payers to fund education...NOT all of the EXTRA stuff that is "nice" to have. When the district demonstrates to me that they have cut all that they can---then I will revist the issue. Until then, I am not willing to pay one more dime in taxes.
And before you tell me that I am anti-education, save it. I am anti Government waste. The more you give them to spend, the more they will spend. Everyone has to be willing to make cuts straight across the board or FEW will make it through this mess. If I only make $2,000.00 a month, that is all I have to spend. Higher taxes will not change what I am able to pay. This is what our Government has a very hard time understanding.
OM,
Lots of vitriol, no substance. The school district has to plan a budget based on money they haven't received, and projected (guesstimated) costs for next year. The best base they have to work from is what's happened in the past.
Given that, the best laid plans can be rendered asunder by an unplanned roof cave in, or a state legislated budget reduction. It would be too easy to criticize a busted expense account, the one where you have only so many bucks to spend and you have to exist within that number; but, even in your own perfect world, you sometimes have to fight with circumstances beyond your control. The school system does not choose how many kids they have to educate...they find seats for them after they actually show up. The school system does not schedule changing fuel prices, higher electrical costs, or fractured walls and ceilings...these things are not easily predictable.
Consider for a moment, your own lifestyle. You can budget your predictable revenue to pay your own way. But, a storm removes your barn, you or your husband wind up being crippled and unable to earn income because you lost control of your pickup while trying to avoid striking a hatch of baby quail on 18th St. Perhaps somebody who actually knows you wished you a good day and you were so traumatized that you had to pay for therapy. Wouldn't you be forced into circumstances similar to the school district? That is, having to pay for things you hadn't planned for?
My reality? Pay more, or get less.
If you want to claim that your taxes are being wasted by the school district, perhaps you could provide an example or two for your readers to digest. Just claiming that the sky is falling without offering evidence, detracts from your credibility as a thinker.
Examples of waste in the MHSD:
What they pay Tim McMurtrey compared to other wage levels in MH.
Does McMurtrey really need an assistant?
$220,000 spent to rent copy machines? Really!?!?
The MHSD owns land and pays to maintain land that does NOTHING to educate the local children? Waste? Yup.
20 million paid out in salaries and benefits in a year! Tell me there is not some "waste" that could be removed there...
Yep...we really needed that bond huh? And what did that cost US to do? More waste. Where would we be if we had that to support as well as all of these other things. Not like the MHSD did not know that there would be lean times ahead---we told em. Failing to plan is the problem.