Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Too Much Going On

I haven't posted in a while. So many things going on:

  • Measure 37 tossed with the most ridiculous judicial "reasoning." Recall a possibility.
  • Teachers strike in Sandy - The OEA shows its teeth.
  • Alito nomination sends the left into a tizzy
  • Libby indicted for perjury, lying and obstruction; Rove apparently in the clear, and no underlying crime was charged
  • Wilsonville passes an ordinance that requires a mobile home park owner to pay relocation costs to tenants if he sells the property
  • PDC scheming and scamming continues
  • The Tram will cost at least three times as much as originally thought
  • Regional income tax proposal is being seriously considered
  • Iraq ratifies its constitution; Sunnis join the political process.

The world is sure an interesting place.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sandy Strike-
How does an individual volunteer school board handle the force of a statewide power of OEA? I haven't heard much support from OSBA and the television news always seems to get a sympathetic blurp from the teachers walking the line. The unbalance of power is the primary cause of the evolution of Oregon K-12 funding problems during the last 20 years. We now have the 8th highest compensated K-12 employees in the U.S. causing the economic starvation of the system.

Anonymous said...

How sickening. This Wilsonville mayor is a true, socialist s--t bag.

What is this state coming to?

Rob Kremer said...

Bailie you are absolutely right: there is a huge imbalance of power in contract negotiations.

The OEA easily rolls most school boards. Even when there is a strike, it usually ends up to the benefit of the union. In Sandy, the OEA is insisting on all sorts of things that the local teachers have no interest in, such as guaranteeing health benefits for domestic partners.

It ain't a fair fight, and the unions know it. Cumulative effect over many years is just as you say: total payroll costs are very high, causing larger class sizes.

Anonymous said...

Rob,
Actually, the tram is at five times and rising. The very first figure put to the public was 9 million, not the 15 million more recently touted. It's at 45+ now.