Jan

29

Record Suicides Among US Soldiers

Posted on January 29, 2009 at 10:29 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under National | Print This Post | Email This Post | 2 Comments 


I have been posting about this since my last incarnation of The Madrigal Maniac. There is a looming mental health crisis and we are not prepared to deal with it.

On the same day that it announced record suicides among its soldiers, the U.S. Army said Thursday that it will soon conduct service-wide training to help identify soldiers at risk of suicide.

CNN

We have known for years that soldiers coming home from combat often have serious mental health issues. But we continue to ignore them. George Patton called them sissies. I call them brave Americans who fought for our freedom at great personal cost. I may disagree with the politicians who sent them into battle, but I do not disagree with their commitment. We owe them the best care we have to offer. Every psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, and social worker should be preparing for the day that these wars end and our soldiers come home.

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Jan

29

City Workers to Lose a Weeks Pay

Posted on January 29, 2009 at 7:35 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | Leave a Comment 


I would not want to pay poker with Mayor Coleman. After the firefighters agreed to a pay freeze, the very next day he cancels a training class for the police, whose union did not agree to the freeze. Now the other three unions who also did not agree to the freeze are facing consequences. They will suffer the loss of a weeks pay due to a temporary layoff. The mayor did not get his 3% wage freeze, but he came close and sent a message loud and clear to the unions. He is serious about balancing this budget without tax increases and he expects city workers to make a sacrifice to do so.

Three city unions that refused to give up their 2009 pay raises might instead lose a week’s pay under new budget cuts announced yesterday by Columbus officials.

The Columbus Dispatch

No one knows how this will work. Whether the days will be consecutive or taken a day at a time? Can vacation time be used? In at least one union no one knows anything because the leadership of the union has been silent. In the media and to their members. I suspect it is the same in the other unions as well.

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Jan

27

Police Recruiting Class Dismissed

Posted on January 27, 2009 at 8:42 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | Leave a Comment 


I am not sure if this is the mayor’s retribution for the police union not agreeing to a pay freeze. But it is interesting that the day after an agreement was reached with the firefighter’s union to fore go pay hikes, Coleman lays off the latest police recruiting class.

Days before their scheduled graduation from the police academy, 27 Columbus police recruits were told Tuesday that they had been laid off, 10TV News reported…

…Instead of going to work for the city of Columbus, the newly-certified officers will now graduate and search for jobs with other departments in the state of Ohio.

While the firefighter’s union agreed to let their members vote on the proposal, the other unions who did not agree to the freeze, would not. It will be interesting to see if any retribution comes the way of the unions who rejected Mayor Coleman’s proposal.

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Jan

26

Firefighters to Delay Pay Hike

Posted on January 26, 2009 at 5:57 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | Leave a Comment 


Mayor Coleman asked the five city unions to delay their raises for 2009 due to the dire state of the cities finances. Four out of the five refused to even let their members vote on the proposal. These unions evidently believe in fighting fire with fire. It’s not surprising that the firefighters union is the one union to let its members have their say. Firefighters don’t fight fire with fire, they use water.

Members of Columbus’ firefighter union have offered to forego raises until the city has more money, the union’s president said this morning.

The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67 voted this weekend “to offer a pay raise delay for our members,” said Jack Reall, the union’s president.

The Columbus Dispatch

Regardless of how the other union members might have voted, they may have voted against the delay, but at least give them a chance. Way to go Local 67.

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Jan

24

Unions Will Not Give Up Pay Raises

Posted on January 24, 2009 at 9:13 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | 1 Comment 


Unions in Columbus say they will not agree to give up raises in their contracts for 2009. This from The Columbus Dispatch.

Four of the five unions representing Columbus city workers rejected Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s ultimatum yesterday that they give up 2009 pay raises or face more layoffs.

On a day the city sent layoff notices to 130 people whose jobs have been in jeopardy since November, the response raised the likelihood that more cuts are coming.

What bothers me is that only one of the unions allowed their members to vote on the proposal. Members voted on the original contracts that provided the wage hikes. Why not let them vote on whether to freeze them so that fellow union members can keep their jobs? Some of the reasons given by the unions were laughable.

AFSCME Local 2191, which represents workers at Columbus Public Health, said it feared further layoffs even if its members agreed to a pay freeze.

Well that one is really simple. Put a “Memorandum of Understanding” in the current contract that if Local 2191 agrees to the pay freeze, the city guarantees not to cut any more jobs from Local 2191. Problem solved. I’m sure that when the next elections are held for union officers, members will not forget they were left out of the decision making process.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a city employee.

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Jan

8

Support Pay Equality for Women

Posted on January 8, 2009 at 9:12 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under National | Print This Post | Email This Post | Leave a Comment 


I received this email today from the National Association of Social Workers. It concerns upcoming legislation regarding women and the workplace.

Lilly Ledbetter, who was receiving less compensation than her male counterparts during her two decades long career at Goodyear, decided to sue them. The case went all the way to the supreme court where in a 5 to 4 decision, they ruled she had waited to long to file her lawsuit. This despite the fact she had been a loyal employee who was unaware she was being underpaid. This is important legislation that needs to be enacted.

Government Relations Action Alert
January 08, 2009

Ask your Representative to Support Pay Equality for Women

Background

Congress will be considering two vital pieces of legislation that would help diminish the income disparity which prevails between men and women in the workplace. Two germane bills, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R.11) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.12), will be among the initial votes considered by the 111th Congress. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R.11) would unequivocally reverse a Supreme Court decision that acutely limits women workers’ capacity to sue for wage discrimination. Whereas, the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.12) increases penalties and liabilities for violating the anti-discrimination policies established under the Equal Pay Act. In addition, to the existing penalties, women who are discriminated against can seek punitive damages from their employers if they are able to legitimate their claim of discrimination. Moreover, a new program would be created that would strengthen women’s negotiation skills to allow them to obtain higher salaries and appreciable compensation packages for themselves. H.R.11 as well as H.R.12 resolve loopholes within the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and prevent retaliation against workers who disclose the amount of their wages. NASW believes that the impact of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act would aid millions of working women and their families during our present economic recession.

Action Required

NASW steadfastly supports both pay equality initiatives. To this end, an unwavering goal of social work is to engender a society in which there is equality in opportunity and access to resources, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, or any other factor used to discriminate against people. Both H.R.11 and H.R.12 earnestly indicate that Congress is ready to move towards the ideal of fairness in pay for women across America. NASW will consistently advocate for the alleviation of the persistent wage gap that leaves women earning 77 cents on average for every dollar earned by men. The Association affirms that the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R.11) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.12) are imperative remedies which seek to redress not only pay disparity, but also other types of discriminatory actions that impact the lives of working women. Please call the Capitol Switchboard at (202-224-3121) or click on the Take Action link to enter your zip code and find your Congressman’s direct line to contact your Representative and urge them to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R.11) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.12). A vote could occur by January 9, 2009. It is our assertion that these measures are vital to the welfare of women and our nation.

Contact: Lawrence Moore, III at (202) 336-8289

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Jan

6

More Cuts and a Tax Hike Likely for Columbus

Posted on January 6, 2009 at 10:23 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | 1 Comment 


Despite recent significant cuts in social services, the City of Columbus is considering more. City Auditor Hugh Dorrian reports that the city will fall 13 million short in revenue than was originally planned.

That means more cuts are almost certain in a spending plan that already calls for 130 layoffs, 11 recreation-center closings and reduced city services. It also raises the odds that Mayor Michael B. Coleman and City Council members will put an income-tax increase before voters in the coming months.

Previously, others have suggested that more money be used from the rainy-day fund.

When Dorrian first spoke of a rising deficit last month, Finance Director Joel S. Taylor said the administration likely would recommend a combination of further cuts and further use of the city’s rainy-day fund.

I suggest the use of the rainy-day fund and a tax increase. In the interest of full disclosure, I work for the city. Late last year, our program was told that the cuts we were going to make were all there would be and that we would have a “viable” program even though we lost a third of our funding. We cannot take another hit and survive. I’m sure other social services are facing the same dilemma.

I wrote a post about a fee for trash collection that would almost wipe out the budget deficit, but have heard nothing from the city council or the mayor since. I also wrote about how sometimes the money you spend actually saves money here.

I see a huge battle brewing between those who want to raise taxes, those who want to use the rainy-day fund, and those who want to cut social services for the city. I believe that cutting more social services would be a devastating blow to many of the citizens of Columbus and cost more money in the end.

Quotes from The Columbus Dispatch in an article found here.

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Jan

5

Ex-Mt. Vernon Teacher’s Trial Resumes

Posted on January 5, 2009 at 9:49 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | 1 Comment 


I posted about this topic in October of 2008 when I pointed out that John Freshwater, a Mt. Vernon teacher who was fired for burning crosses into students arms and teaching Christianity in the classroom, was not an honest person regarding the incident. His trial resumed today and already the apologists are out.

The decision to fire him is extreme, his defenders say. Other Mount Vernon teachers have Bibles on their desks, they say. And other science teachers have used the instrument on their students to explain electricity.

Then they should be fired too.

For his part, Freshwater denies that he ever hurt students. As I pointed out in my previous post, he obviously burned the students arms with a cross using an instrument The Columbus Dispatch reports is:

…an electrical instrument that comes with a manufacturer’s warning that it should never touch human skin.

How are you not hurting students when you are a science teacher using an instrument in an unsafe manner?

Amazingly, Freshwater’s lawyer, R. Kelly Hamilton, tried to say religious texts are not … well … religious.

“Could they simply be statements of virtue?” he asked Short. After a long pause, [Superintendent Stephen] Short replied, “It depends upon the reader.”

As the audience squirmed, and [David] Millstone, the school district’s attorney, smiled and rolled his eyes, Hamilton continued: “Could a person adhere to a virtuous statement that comes from a religious source and not be a follower of that particular religion?”

Again, Short paused, before replying: “I suppose that a person could.”

Richard B. Hoppe, a visiting biology professor at Kenyon College and a supporter of church and state separation, calls Hamilton’s tactics “desperation.”

Is Freshwater’s lawyer trying to say his client is not a Christian?

Freshwater and Hamilton have declined to discuss Freshwater’s legal costs.

But we know how much it has cost the citizens of Mt. Vernon.

The district already has paid $200,000 to Squire, Sanders & Dempsey for labor, employment and school-law attorney David Millstone. A court reporter and security guards have accrued more than $7,000 in expenses. Fees for the referee, attorney R. Lee Shepherd, have not been determined.

He has lied about whether the burns were crosses, he has tried to say he did not hurt students, his lawyer has tried to say his bible, speech, and materials were not religious. In addition, he violated the separation between church and state and used an instrument dangerously on students to burn a religious symbol into their arm. This after being warned to stop his religious proselytizing.

I understand the deep religious feelings of those who defend Freshwater. But how would they feel if their taxpayer dollars were used by a teacher that had a Koran on his desk and called Christianity a false religion? How would they feel if a public school teacher burned a non-Christian religious symbol into their child’s arm? There is a reason we have separation of church and state, it assures educational and religious freedom for all of our citizens.

Quotes from The Columbus Dispatch in an article here.

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Jan

2

Idiots Shooting Guns in the Air on New Years in Columbus

Posted on January 2, 2009 at 4:58 pm by Madrigal Maniac Under Local | Print This Post | Email This Post | 1 Comment 


This is amazing to me. What makes someone think that shooting a gun in the air is a good way to ring in the New Year? Alcohol? A lack of knowledge regarding the laws of gravity? Do you not understand the bullet will eventually come down somewhere, possibly injuring someone? But here’s what police in Columbus had to deal with on New Years.

A breakdown of calls wasn’t available yesterday, but police said they were called to about 400 incidents in just one hour — between midnight Wednesday and 1 a.m. New Year’s Day.

The Columbus Dispatch

400! In one frigging hour! Your second amendment rights be damned. If you are so stupid that you believe firing a gun indiscriminately in the air is a good idea, you should never be allowed to handle a firearm again.

This year, the police began shooting back.

Columbus Police have released the names of two of the three people who were shot by officers after they refused to drop guns they were firing during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The Columbus Dispatch

How drunk or stupid do you have to be to not drop your weapon when asked to by the police? I’m guessing incredibly drunk, stupid, or both. Amazing.

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