Illinois kindergartners already faced a lengthy to-do list before they could report to school: mandatory vaccinations, tuberculosis tests, physicals and dental exams. This year, they need to stop at the eye doctor too. A new law requires that kindergartners and students new to Illinois schools receive a complete eye exam—to check for everything from astigmatism to glaucoma—performed by an optometrist or physician licensed to perform those tests. Schools may withhold report cards of students who do not show evidence of the exam by Oct. 15. Illinois already required schools to do basic screening of students’ eyesight in kindergarten, 2nd and 8th grades, leading some medical experts and educators to question the merits of the new law. More extensive eye exams undoubtedly will mean earlier detection of vision problems in some children, they say, but will also increase the expense for some financially strapped families. An eye exam typically costs about $50.
Government just keeps on mandating more and more expenses on top of the never ending taxes. These mandates are on top of all the mandates the schools have to perform already. Of course there are some parents who will never take their kids to the doctor, but that is a small minority. Instead of mandating something for everyone, lets find a way to help those parents who don’t help their kids. We just don’t need all of these government mandates. The government does not need to take care of us all.
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When the <b>young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him</b>. They <b>never questioned</b> who <b>his friends</b> were or <b>what he really believed</b> in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said “Praise the Lord.” And when the young leader said, “<b>I will be for change and I’ll bring you change,” everyone yelled, “Viva Fidel!”</b>
But nobody asked about the change, so <b>by the time the executioner’s guns went silent the people’s guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him</b>. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I’m back to the beginning of my story.
Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?
According to Federal Election Commission filings, Barack Obama has received illegal donations from Palestinians living in Gaza, a hotbed of Hamas terrorists. Obama received more than $24,000 in campaign contributions over a period of two months last fall from three Palestinian brothers from the “Edwan” family in Rafah, Gaza, which is a Hamas stronghold along the border with Egypt. The story was uncovered by Pamela Geller of the Atlas Shrugs blog. (see Federal Election Commission report)
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“The donations are basically through and through illegal — that’s number one. And number two is how the Obama campaign tried to conceal it,” Schlussel Terrorist with hostagechides. “They listed the campaign contributions as coming from Rafah, Georgia. They used the ‘GA’ from Gaza so it makes it look like it’s legal; and then for the zip code it says ‘972,’ which is actually the area code to dial over to Gaza,” she contends.
Since 2004, the foundation has tracked the school performance of African-American boys. This year’s report, released last month in Chicago at the annual UNITY convention of minority journalists, shows that 53 percent of black males did not receive diplomas with their cohort during the 2005-06 school year.
“Unfortunately, it’s pretty much the same thing,” said Michael Holzman, a research consultant for the foundation and the author of the report.
Mr. Holzman said that schools enrolling large numbers of black male students are not as good as schools with a larger population of white students: The teachers are not as experienced and effective, the schools lack resources, and the curriculum is not as challenging. Non-black students enrolled at such schools, he said, also did not graduate at the same rate as their counterparts in schools that had fewer black students.
What about Chicago?
Chicago, which has the nation’s second-highest enrollment of black males, had a graduation rate of 37 percent for African-American boys, compared with 62 percent for white males, the Schott report found. In addition, the report found, the school systems in New York City, Detroit, and Miami-Dade County, Fla., also did not graduate the majority of black boys.
The report says there is a “leadership deficit” and I have to agree, but not in the way they claim. The leadership deficit I see is African American leaders like Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Rev. Meeks, the NAACP and others who blindly support a public government school system that is setup to keep African American children uneducated and thus unable to compete without governmental support. How they justify this blind support is beyond me. The only possible reasons I see are that it is all about the money they receive by staying in leadership roles and with a dumbed down population, they won’t be able to think for themselves and will continue to support these failed leaders and their policies of apartheid.
This apartheid system will not change until we start funding the child instead of funding a self-serving bloated bureaucracy that cares more about its own extravagent pensions, salaries and benefits instead of the needs of actually educating the children of this country.
The Democrats continue the farce that they are for traditional family values when in fact they support the exact opposite. They released a proclamation in support of Same-Sex marriages on June 3rd. This came from DNC Chairman Howard Dean, Massachusetts Democratic Representative Barney Frank and Wisconsin Democratic Representative Tammy Baldwin.
“Today, on behalf of Democrats across America, we join together in celebrating the contributions that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans and their families make to our society and reaffirm our Party’s commitment to promoting full equality under the law for every American.
“As leaders of the Democratic Party, we stand proudly with the LGBT community and commit ourselves to working together to build an America that is truly inclusive. Every American has the right to live in dignity, with equal rights, responsibilities and protections under the law.
These are our country’s and our Party’s core values. Across the country, at every level of government, Democrats have championed sweeping protections in the areas of employment, housing, domestic partnerships and civil unions, adoption, gender identity or expression, and hate crimes.
“Despite all we have accomplished, our work is not done. We need to fight efforts to write discrimination into our laws and constitutions.(This statement is in reference to H.J. RES. 89, the Marriage Protection Amendment, which makes marriage legal only between a man and a woman. The Democratic Party opposes the Marriage Protection Amendment because they believe it is discriminatory against homosexuals.)
At least some of the Democrats no longer pretend to be a traditional family values supporter. They are making it very clear that they will support same-sex marriage at all levels of government and will fight to keep traditional marriage amendments from passing in state constitutions. This makes the choice for Evangelical Christians and other supporters of traditional family values in the upcoming elections clearer. Don’t elect the Democrat if you support traditional family values.
While the Senators were grilling the Oil Company Execs about the high cost of gas, the revenues the government receives from the gas taxes are bringing in record revenues into their coffers. In fact in Chicago, who has the highest gas prices in the nation, taxes account for approximately 20% of the gas costs. [Emphasis mine]
Tired of seeing the price at the pump jump every time you need to buy gasoline? Well, the record-high price of gasoline in the Chicago area is linked to a record-high rate of taxation: nearly 20 percent of the Chicago price.
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“It was $4.20. I can come over here and get it for $3.93,” said Tikvah Wadley, one of the many fleeing Illinois taxes.
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin complained to oil company bosses at a hearing on Capitol Hill about Chicago having the highest gasoline prices in the United States. Largely ignored was the role taxes are playing — an astounding 10 levels of taxation.
“Does it trouble any of you when you see what you’re doing to us?” Durbin asked..
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The watchdog Civic Federation says that on a $4 gallon of gas, the total tax is 79.2 cents. That compares to 77 cents in Los Angeles and 65 cents in New York City.
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And that, of course, is exactly the point for the politicians. Gov. Blagojevich, for example, is counting on the high price of gasoline to bring at least an extra $220 million in the State Treasury in the fiscal year that begins this July. Most of that will be used to balance the way-out-of-balance budget.
Senator Durbin, does it trouble you when you see what you’re doing to us? Don’t you and your fellow Senators care about the poor and middle class working families? Why are you are forcing them to pay nearly a 20% tax rate on the gas they need to get back and forth to work?
Eventually, the majority of the taxpayers are going to find out the truth that Congress, State Legislators and local governments are to blame for the high gas prices. They will understand that you and your cohorts don’t want to fix the high gas prices. You just want the tax revenue so you can spend more of our money on your pet projects and never have to make decisions to actually cut spending.
State Sen. Chris Lauzen will be holding a property tax forum Monday, May 12 from 7 - 8:30 pm at the Yorkville Public Library, 902 Game Farm Road, Yorkville. (Hat tip: Daily Herald) [Emphasis mine]
As property tax bills begin to appear in mailboxes throughout Kane and Kendall counties, state Sen. Chris Lauzen, an Aurora Republican, wants to help area residents understand their bills and provide information on a variety of cost-saving measures.
The best cost savings will be to lower property taxes instead of the annual unending increases.
Lauzen has partnered with the supervisors of assessments and treasurers from both counties to help answer questions on local residents’ property tax bills and to help explain where their tax dollars are distributed.
The largest percentage goes to the local school districts who spend the money on the following instead of the education of the children: (This is not an all inclusive list)
Pay raises higher than those the taxpayers
Outrageous end of career bonuses
Retirement at age 55
Overtaxing after referendums
Use of bonds schemes to fleece the taxpayer more
No bid contracts
Information also will be provided on a number of new homestead exemptions that have recently passed the General Assembly.
Sorry, Mr. Lauzen, but these new exemptions help only a minority of taxpayers, particularly Seniors and Veterans. Even for them, it will only slow the growth of their tax bills. If you wish, please e-mail Mr. Lauzen and ask him for real property tax reform instead of these meetings and feel good sessions.
