I am so mad at Rick Perry. I just saw a commercial touting his dedication to public education. He also praised himself for giving a merit pay raise and a $2000.00 raise to all TX teachers.

But did you know...

They raised the retirement age for teachers, because they want to keep qualified teachers in the profession longer. They decreased retirement payments by taking our highest 5 years and dividing that to find out our retirement payments. (They did take the highest 3.)

They gave teachers a $1000.00 pay raise a few years ago... then took away half... then took the other half away. So that pay raise he is bragging about just replaced the $1000.00 they took away and gave us another $1000.00. (Remember 8 years ago when they promised a $6000.00 pay raise to be paid in two years? They gave the first $3000.00, but the next year they decided not to give the other half.) The public hears about the raises, but does not know about the times they take things back...

Then the merit pay raise only goes towards teachers in core subjects and only IF the administration deems it necessary. They are not required to do it... so it is worthless to non-core teachers, and pretty much everyone.

This makes me want to quit teaching. With the Social Security offset, the government giving and taking our money away, increasing retirement age, less retirement benefits, and low wages to begin with... why would anyone want to come into this profession OR stay???????????? (Oh yeah... the kids.) But with discipline problems on the rise, how long with that be a benefit???

GOVERNOR PERRY HAS DONE NOTHING FOR ME or TEXAS STUDENTS.

Oh yeah... don't even get me started on that damn TAKS test. Worthless.

I did too.

Me three!!

I'm voting on Tuesday against the Republicans and I'm not fraid to vote for Chris Bell. I hope I'm not wrong about that, but I don't believe I have a sensible alternative.

Anyway T_O_M, here's your first unofficial exit poll.

In Florida, my wife and I and 5 other members from our church group stood on a main street as it goes over a bridge with signs during Friday's "rush hour". We had one man dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a BuSh mask and holding up a sign "I will work for Billionaires", another member with a 6 foot by 5 foot American Flag that had the "Peace Sign" where the Stars would be, and the rest of us holding signs with the names of the Democratic Candidate who will take Mark Foley's seat in congress (we live in his district) and other local Democratic candidates.

During the 2 hours we were out there we had hundreds of people blowing their horns as they drove by or giving us the thumbs up or yellow "take back America", and two who yelled "F__k You".

My hope is that we get the same ratio at the polls.

In Florida, my wife and I and 5 other members from our church group stood on a main street as it goes over a bridge with signs during Friday's "rush hour". We had one man dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a BuSh mask and holding up a sign "I will work for Billionaires", another member with a 6 foot by 5 foot American Flag that had the "Peace Sign" where the Stars would be, and the rest of us holding signs with the names of the Democratic Candidate who will take Mark Foley's seat in congress (we live in his district) and other local Democratic candidates.

I LOVE IT!!! Do you have pictures?

No!

And I regret it.

Tomorrow I wil be a poll watcher.

Wish you were poll watching in my district - I live in the infamous Texas 22 District, former home to Tom Delay, to my eternal shame...

In Florida, my wife and I and 5 other members from our church group stood on a main street as it goes over a bridge with signs during Friday's "rush hour". We had one man dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a BuSh mask and holding up a sign "I will work for Billionaires", another member with a 6 foot by 5 foot American Flag that had the "Peace Sign" where the Stars would be, and the rest of us holding signs with the names of the Democratic Candidate who will take Mark Foley's seat in congress (we live in his district) and other local Democratic candidates.

During the 2 hours we were out there we had hundreds of people blowing their horns as they drove by or giving us the thumbs up or yellow "take back America", and two who yelled "F__k You".

My hope is that we get the same ratio at the polls.

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Far out!!!!

wow, that is radical, and rather immature. There are better ways to get what you want than standing around on the side of the road...protests are a bunch of hot air about 85% of the time, while some are effective...But I dont see the effectiveness in this at all????? Hmmm.....I dont think it matters what party the candidate is under, it is the candidate that you are voting for. The only difference between the two parties is actually the candidate and his personal beliefs and his agenda, take that away and they would be ALMOST the same. When voting one should not asscociate themselves with one party and one party only for life, they should instead vote the way their heart and mind leads them. If you went by the party and you only vote Democrat or Republican, then you could very well vote in the next Hitler or something because you refuse to vote for the other main party

The only difference between the two parties is actually the candidate and his personal beliefs and his agenda, take that away and they would be ALMOST the same.

What are you smoking this morning? Please share with the rest of us so we can enjoy those hallucinations, too.

wow, that is radical, and rather immature. There are better ways to get what you want than standing around on the side of the road...protests are a bunch of hot air about 85% of the time, while some are effective...But I dont see the effectiveness in this at all????? Hmmm.....I dont think it matters what party the candidate is under, it is the candidate that you are voting for. The only difference between the two parties is actually the candidate and his personal beliefs and his agenda, take that away and they would be ALMOST the same. When voting one should not asscociate themselves with one party and one party only for life, they should instead vote the way their heart and mind leads them. If you went by the party and you only vote Democrat or Republican, then you could very well vote in the next Hitler or something because you refuse to vote for the other main party

How would you stage a protest?

Wow - immature and radical all at once. I guess I'd rather vote for the candidate that was most for investing in OUR PEOPLE, as opposed to corporations making money on the backs of our dwindling middle class. In my mind, it doesn't matter WHICH party they're from - as long as what they're interested in is our citizens and NOT Halliburton, KBR, et.al., getting rich and passing along golden parachute jobs to those who would create the means for their profits. Cynical? Maybe. But when I see KBR billing the US Government (read: Taxpayer) for tens of thousands of meals NOT served to soldiers in Iraq, it makes me start to wonder...

(and, if you're interested, this allegation is discussed in depth in last week's Houston Chronicle.)

wow, that is radical, and rather immature. There are better ways to get what you want than standing around on the side of the road...protests are a bunch of hot air about 85% of the time, while some are effective...But I dont see the effectiveness in this at all????? Hmmm.....I dont think it matters what party the candidate is under, it is the candidate that you are voting for. The only difference between the two parties is actually the candidate and his personal beliefs and his agenda, take that away and they would be ALMOST the same. When voting one should not asscociate themselves with one party and one party only for life, they should instead vote the way their heart and mind leads them. If you went by the party and you only vote Democrat or Republican, then you could very well vote in the next Hitler or something because you refuse to vote for the other main party

It matters very much what party the candidate is from.

The House of Representatives and the Senate both have rules that state that the majority party gets to pick the committee members and that the committees will have more members of the majority party than the minority party.

Then the rules say that for a bill to be seen and then voted on by the membership of each house, the appropriate committee must pass it by a majority. If committe has 11 members and the 6 members from majority party vote no, it doesn't matter what the minority party members do. If the house would have passed a bill by 250 t0 185, but the 6 members from majority party vote no, it doesn't matter what the majority of the house wants.

That is the way it has been for many years.

But recently the Republicans have play with those rules.

If in a committee with 6 Republicans and 5 Democrats, if a bill is voted on and 2 Republicans and 4 or 5 Democrats vote yes, while 4 Republicans and one Democrat or no Democrats vote no, the bill should be sent to the floor with a 6 to 5 or 7 to 4 majority, but instead the Republican committee chairman will table the issue.

So it is important which party a candidate is from. there also is the leaning that a party can apply to one of its own members. A Republican from Ohio voted no on a bill, but the Republican leadership put pressure on him by telling him he would wanted get no financial support from the party the next time he ran for office and that his son who was running for office would either get party funds for a yes vote or the party would support his opponent in the primary.

And finally, if the Democrats control the House and God forbid both BuSh and Cheney die, then Nancy Pelosi would be the president of the United States, but if the Republicans win, Dennis Hastert will be president.

And finally, if the Democrats control the House and God forbid both BuSh and Cheney die, then Nancy Pelosi would be the president of the United States, but if the Republicans win, Dennis Hastert will be president.

OH, MY GOD!!!!!! That's right. I had not thought of that until now. Folks, this is the single best reason to vote Democratic that I've seen yet!

See what I am saying is vote for the candidate YOU feel is the best, not because they are one party or the other. And just to let you know I do not associate myself with drugs, but I do know what you are saying. Ive had a horrible day and that made me giggle a little....On another note, I would not stage a protest. I protest is like when a child throws a hissy fit. Use brains, write letters, use connections to get what you want. Pass out fliers and pamphlets with your information in it so forth...you dont have to make a spectacle of yourself to get what you want...You will end up making things work, if I saw that on the side of the road I would do the exact opposite because I would associate your behavior with whatever issue you are protesting in such an immature manner. I just dont know how someone can only vote one way their entire lives, my Grandfather and does and it drives me NUTZ! And I know it matters who controls the house and such and that they get appoint members to committees and such, I know all that, but its the character of the person and the strengths that make them a leader, not if they are RED or BLUE