The Board of Education in Buena Vista, Mich., has declared a financial emergency. The school district lacks the funds to pay teachers for the rest of the school year, reports.
Students from the Buena Vista School District have not attended classes in a week. The district laid off all its teachers earlier this week.
Michigan Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer has asked Gov. Rick Snyder to provide emergency funds to the district, according to the Detroit News.
Via The Detroit News:
Snyder said Thursday he hopes to quickly resolve the financial crisis that caused the small Saginaw County system to lay off employees and close its doors. But the rainy day fund won’t be used to bailout Buena Vista schools, Snyder said, because “that’s not what the rainy day fund is really intended for.”
The official site for the Buena Vista School District explains that in addition to all teachers (and the vast majority of staff) being laid off, their benefits, including health insurance, have been terminated.
Some teachers have offered to work this week for free.
The district’s site explains that “Michigan law requires that employers pay employees for work performed. We thank the teaching staff for their dedication, and understand their frustration. However, we must follow the law.”
When have you ever known a government agency or an elected hack to follow the law. America is no longer a country of laws or rules. The two rules of government is there are no rules and rules are made to be broken. The government isn’t breaking the rule to allow teacher to work for lower pay or for free because they don’t want them to, not because they can’t.
American exceptionalism is declining in a rate proportional to the increase in statism and fascism.
As the state assumes more and more power of the lives of individuals portending to protect people from themselves, the poorer and more dependent people become on the unaccountable idiots in government.
Most of us who grew up in the United States took history classes where America was touted as the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. Where the people, not the government were sovereign. We were taught that citizens of America were born with certain inalienable rights like the right to speech, the right to self defense, the right privacy, the right to assemble, the right to petition, the right to due process.
The schools unfortunately have deceived an entire generation of citizens. Schools have brainwashed us into believing in the American hype, only to learn that over the course of time, the States and Federal government controlling the curriculum have been embarking in a systematic errosion of liberty.
Going around the states some examples of how ridiculous states have become in their attempts to control every facet of your life:
Oregon Fascists Shut Down 7-Year-Old’s Lemonade Stand
Licensing requirements are so restrictive in Oregon that even a 7-year old named Julie, is required to pay $120 for a license in order to sell lemonade.
Turns out that kids’ lemonade stands are subject to being patrolled regularly by county health inspectors. Apparently Oregon’s department of health believes that one can never be too careful when buying 50 cent lemonade from a 7 year old. So the government, claiming, public health concerns, shuts 7 year old’s lemonade stand down.
The lesson this mindless Oregonian public worker imparted to Julie was that there is a consequence for producing a product or service that contributes to society, self-reliance and ingenuity does not pay, and government will take a share of all actual and potential revenue.
Dilemma, stay and fight for the dream that was America. Do an Atlas Shrugged, and move to a place where producers are welcome and rewarded.
Amid the flurry of accusations in child custody disputes, allegations of marijuana use rank high on the list. Until recent years, the court’s position on this subject was easy to predict since judges and child custody evaluators maintained a zero tolerance policy toward smoking pot. In child custody cases within the greater Denver area, attorneys routinely admonished our clients that even if you’re smoking only when the kids are with the other parent, enjoying a Rocky Mountain high is illegal, ill-advised and potentially devastating to your parenting time request. In court, when one parent cried marijuana, the other parent was ordered to a drug testing facility for a hair follicle test or random urinalysis. If the offending parent flunked the drug test, the next visit with their ten year old just might be under the supervision of a local agency.
Comment. The parent can be on ambien, anti-psychotics, pain killers, muscle relaxers, alcohol, drunk, but can’t smoke weed. You’ve got to be kidding. Who is paying for these supervised visits? Answer: Taxpayers.
Is the government tracking you through your cell phone.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/offensive-technology/the-stingray-phone-tracker.html
Buffeted by high taxes, strict regulations and uncertain state budgets, a growing number of California companies are seeking friendlier business environments outside of the Golden State.
And governors around the country, smelling blood in the water, have stepped up their courtship of California companies. Officials in states like Florida, Texas, Arizona and Utah are telling California firms how business-friendly they are in comparison.
Companies are “disinvesting” in California at a rate five times greater than just two years ago, said Joseph Vranich, a business relocation expert based in Irvine. This includes leaving altogether, establishing divisions elsewhere or opting not to set up shop in California.
“There is a feeling that the state is not stable,” Vranich said. “Sacramento can’t get its act together…and that includes the governor, legislators and regulatory agencies that are running wild.”
The state has been ranked by Chief Executive magazine as the worst place to do business for seven years.
“California, once a business friendly state, continues to conduct a war on its own economy,” the magazine wrote.
That is about to change, at least if Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom has anything to say about it. Newsom is developing a plan to address the state’s economic Achilles heels, and build on its strengths. It will be unveiled at the end of July.
“California has got to get its act together when it comes to economic development and job creation,” he said.
While not all companies investing elsewhere are doing so for economic reasons, some are shopping around for lower costs, lighter regulations, stable leadership and government assistance and incentives.
The most popular places to go? Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Virginia and North Carolina, said Vranich. All rank in the Top 13 places to do business, according to Chief Executive.
No budget, no pay for California lawmakers
After 15 years in Monterey Country, Calif., Feel Golf relocated its headquarters to Florida earlier this year after it acquired Pro Line Sports, which was based in the Sunshine State.
“The whole state is a bureaucratic Santa Claus,” said Lee Miller, chief executive of the golf equipment company, of his former home. “There’s a very high cost of doing business.”
In Florida, he found a better work pool, lower operating costs and no personal income taxes.
“Overall, it’s just a better environment,” he said.
PayPal opened a new customer services and operations center in Chandler, Ariz., in February, bringing 2,000 jobs to the area. The San Jose, Calif.-based tech firm, along with its parent eBay, also added 1,000 jobs in Austin, Texas, and expanded operations in Utah.
“They have business-friendly environments,” said Kathy Chui, a spokeswoman for eBay.
Other states, which are revving up their job creation efforts in the weak economy, are making sure California firms know the advantages to doing businesses with them.
Utah, for instance, touts its stable government, balanced budget and AAA debt rating, said Todd Brightwell, vice president at the state’s Economic Development Corp.
“We promote predictability,” said Brightwell, whose agency features an online comparison between the states in terms of taxes, real estate costs, utility expenses, cost of living and other metrics.
Over the past 18 months, the state become much more proactive in courting California firms. It now visits there regularly to reach out to target companies. The strategy has been successful. Adobe has expanded operations in Utah, as has Electronic Arts.
California companies are also reaching out to other states. Sandra Watson, chief operating officer of the Arizona Commerce Authority, said she’s seeing a growing number of California firms looking to expand outside the state.
The economic downturn has forced companies to find ways to reduce their costs, she said. Arizona is trying to capitalize on that by promoting its lower workers compensation and unemployment insurance taxes, as well as its aggressive incentive packages.
“There’s a lot of competition out there and companies are re-evaluating their strategies,” she said.
http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/28/news/economy/California_companies/index.htm
It is axiomatic that we want job creation in New York – what New Yorker wouldn’t want to see our unemployment rate go down? Since jobs are created when companies hire employees, it would seem obvious that all New Yorkers would be supportive of public policy that encourages employers to set up shop in New York. Well, if you thought that is what our New York elected officials were locked in on – a laser-like focus on jobs – you would be sadly mistaken. Taxes are an important part of the policy mix that makes one jurisdiction more attractive relative to another, and on that basis one study ranks New York state … 50th! Last Place!
According to the Tax Foundation, New York has the worst State Business Tax Climate. In fact, over the past four years New York has dropped each year from 45th place in 2008, to 47th in 2009, 49th in 2010 and finally, to dead last in 2011.
How can we – New Yorkers – expect our economy to flourish when our politicians keep raising the tax rates? When they raise tax rates,
they stifle economic activity – taxpayers, both businesses and individuals, leave the state – and tax revenues decline. And how do our New York politicians respond? They raise tax rates ever higher, causing even more taxpayers to flee the state.
As the Tax Foundation points out, “The modern market is characterized by mobile capital and labor. Therefore, companies will locate
where they have the greatest competitive advantage. States with the best tax systems will be the most competitive in attracting new businesses and most effective at generating economic and employment growth.” It should not come as a surprise then that no state is losing population faster than New York – our tax burden is chasing people and businesses out of the state, and they are relocating to more tax friendly jurisdictions.
It is time to FIX NYC. It is time we cleaned political house. 50th place – should our elected officials take a bow,
or should they take a hike? Let’s send them packing!
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