November 2009 Archives

The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported that the latest unemployment rate is 10.2%.  This represents the highest unemployment rate since the early eighties when the rate hit 10.8%.  The unemployment rate since 1995 has consistently been below 6% (except for a period after 9/11) and Americans have come to expect those types of unemployment rates.  Economists consider a 0% unemployment rate unattainable; rates of 4% to 6% are considered full...

I get more than little weary of the constant harping from the nattering nabobs of negativity about the failure of the economic stimulus package which is proven by, in their narrow, ill-informed minds, the still-rising unemployment rate. Their favorite moan being that President Obama "promised" that the unemployment rate wouldn't top 8% if the stimulus were passed, it's now in excess of 10%, therefore the stimulus is a failure. A few salient points, which I...

There's low, and there's fearmongering monster low.  As 13 families grieve their loved ones this morning, right wing fearmonger Jerome Corsi has already tried to turn the Fort Hood Shooting into another incident caused by a radical Obama associate.  Today, on World Net Daily (a site that makes Fox News actually look 'Fair and Balanced"), Corsi wrote, "Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter in yesterday's massacre at Fort Hood, played a homeland security advisory role in...

Since it's Friday I thought I would do a little self-advertising and tell some humorous stories that are in my book. I'm certain every professional person can agree that so-called professional development is the bane of our existence. In education it is the same and probably worse. Professional development occurs throughout the year, but it is concentrated in the days before school starts. When you think about it, this is the worst possible time for...

The AWRA (Angry White Republican Astroturfers) held their "press conference" on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. yesterday, so named because they didn't have a permit for a "rally." The speakers at this event planned and coordinated by Americans for Prosperity spontaneous gathering of concerned Americans who aren't about party, just happened to all be Republicans, and also all white (with the exception of George Hamilton John Boehner), but I'm being redundant. Here's...

With all deference to Desperado, I wanted to piggy back on his idea of looking back at the last year since Obama was elected president. However, instead of evaluating his performance, I wanted to take a look at the political landscape. Obama made a lot of noise about changing the tone in Washington. He wasn't the first and he won't be the last. George W. Bush made the same pledge when he went to Washington....

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the day Barack Obama was elected president of the United States. Although he has only been in office for nine months, I thought it would be an appropriate time to reflect and re-assess my vote for him and see if I made the proper choice, based on what I know now. As I did I remembered his speech on the night of November 4, 2008:"The road ahead will be...

I never dreamed that I would end up sounding like my parents. I still remember my mother shouting my name because the word processing program at the time (probably Word Perfect) wasn't doing something she wanted it to do. I would dutifully go in there and fix the simple problem. I find myself doing that a lot these days in education. Education is kind of a funny business in the sense that there are very...

Despite the screaming headline in the New York Post, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, that "The Obama Magic Has Faded," last night's election results and exit polls tell a different story. A little analysis and perspective:* In the race for Congress in the 23rd district of New York, Doug Hoffman, the darling of the far-right extremists, lost. Eljefebob has the analysis on this, so I'll move on to New Jersey and Virginia.* In what...

I'm sure you've been reading about the congressional race in New York's 23rd district.  Recall that Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman received last minute endorsements of leaders of the Neanderthal Wing of the GOP, lead by Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson, and all of Fox Noise.  Conservatives threw in over $1 million of outside money and ran moderate Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava out of the race.Right wing bloggers were wetting their pants with excitement, arrogantly declaring...