Anticrisys: Orange Juice! Politics For The Rest Of Us.

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"Orange Juice! Politics For The Rest Of Us." - 12 new articles

“Set Up & Sold Out” or how to boil a live frog
First one alive to Dallas wins…
Universal Affordable Healthcare…what’s that?
Could You Possibly Be An “Independent”?
Happy Mother’s Day!
The Liberal OC joins the Red County in blog futility
SAUSD Hero: Police Officer Brian Harris
Latinos now the majority in Anaheim too
Councilman Shawn Nelson Blows Away Redevelopment Smokescreen and Bogus Consultant
State May Raid Cash From Cities, County
48th Congressional District Candidate, Beth Krom, Has a Mother’s Day Message
School Employee Unions Sue Calif. For $12 Billion
Search Orange Juice! Politics For The Rest Of Us.

“Set Up & Sold Out” or how to boil a live frog

Eagle Forum of CA & Calvary Chapel’s Salt & Light Ministries provided a “free” all day informative conference in their Costa Mesa church yesterday entitled “The Challenge of CHANGE.” Based on the seating capacity of their sanctuary we estimated attendance exceeded 1,000 concerned Christians, many of whom stayed the entire day.

Most of the speaker presentations were in perfect alignment with the issues listed on the front cover of the program which reads: “How the decisions in Washington affect our family values, business and education.”

After the welcome greeting, invocation, colors and music, 2nd District Supervisor John Moorlach served as the morning session MC and started of by introducing OK. Senator Randy Brogdon, candidate for governor of OK.

Early in his presentation Senator Brogdan quoted Thomas Paine describing conditions during our 1776 Revolution when he stated “these are the times that will try mens souls.” Randy went on to add “America, we have a problem. We’re in a spending frenzy–highest unemployment in 25 years–symptoms of a deep rooted problem. We have taken our eyes off a fixed reference point– freedom–and now this nation is crumbling right before our eyes.”

While Senator Brogdon gave an inspiring overview of “our freedom being attacked on all sides” and that “it is our duty to hand freedom down to the next generation,” the key message of this post, based on the Green Party’s stealth activities in our country, will focus on the wake up call by Holly Swanson, author and founder of Operation Green Out!

This in no way diminishes the informative and thought provoking presentations of Phyllis Schlafly, founder of Eagle Forum, Brad Dacus, Pacific Justice, John Ziegler, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Orlean Koehle, Joseph Andrews, Georgiana Preskar, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson or Laguna Niguel Mayor Robert Ming. We also watched videos from Gary Bauer, Eric Buehrer, Gateways to Better Education, Brigitte Gabriel, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family.

Author Swanson devoted over 10 years “investigating the environmental movement which triggered her concerns about the undisclosed political agenda of the Green” Party. Don’t be deceived by that party label. That is why I chose the headline which reads ” “Set Up and Sold Out” (or how to boil a live frog) which is the title of her updated third edition 467 page book.

While the media covers the two major parties with daily updates every time someone sneezes, when was the last time you heard of the “Greens?”

In researching this story I found this on the Internet. “The environmentalist push and the greens ARE the communist party agenda to take control and start by manipulating control of lands, guns, industries, airports, trucking, food supplies, farms etc….until first public control (socialism) then Government control (communism) is in place.”
Let me now paraphrase/quote from Holly’s presentation and some text from her book.

The Green Party movement has an undisclosed political agenda which models Communism with Socialism being the first step. “Sound steps for a healthier environment.” Clever term for the “radical left wing agenda of the Green Movement.”

“Environmentalism is the new communism.” She followed by quoting Czech Republic Republic president Vaclav Klaus who acknowledge having “climate alarmist ” whose goal is to “save the planet.” He authored “Blue Planet in Green Shackles.”
We throw terms around defining different forms of government. Holly simplified it as follows (which can also be found on page 98 of her book):

Capitalism: Individual control of production and distribution. (Gilbert comment. Which we enjoyed until now).

Socialism: Public control of production and distribution. (Gilbert comment. Banking and auto industry 2009).

Communism: Government control of production and distribution. (Gilbert comment. What we have to look forward to unless we wake up and defend our country from this slippery slope transition).

In her book Mrs. Swanson acknowledges that “Americans support environmental protection and taking the necessary steps to correct environmental problems. The dilemma we face is different from either of these points. The problem is, the environmental cause is being used to conceal the implementation of a specific political agenda most Americans are not aware of.

Our immediate challenge involves making more and better distinctions about the answers to environmental questions. We need to begin making distinctions between productive steps toward a healthy environment and steps to implement a political agenda under the guise of environmental protection.”

Check out this term. “Education for sustainability.” Hijacking our public education by bombarding our kids with green environment concepts. They are “using our education to transform our society.” She points out that “89% of our kids attend public schools” where they are exposed to the Green agenda. Here is an illustration from the Internet.

Action 1: Green Schools

“Design and support opportunities for integrating the concepts and principles of education for sustainability into formal educational programs from early grade school through the university level.

Sustainable development requires much broader public awareness and understanding of the natural resource and economic challenges facing the world in the 21st century. The 3,000 institutions of higher education in the United States are significant but largely overlooked leverage points in the transition to a sustainable world. Not only do they prepare students who will become teachers and leaders in the educational field, they also educate the students who will become leaders in other fields. These institutions also influence their alumni, many of whom constitute our nation’s current leaders.”

Let me shift gears and provide text from pages 84 & 85 of Set Up & Sold Out.
“Protecting the environment and saving the earth for future generations” is the Green Bait. “It is a compelling reason to consider an economic conversion form Capitalism to Socialism. The Greens are playing off the fear of environmental ruin to persuade Americans that only drastic change will save the earth.

Many Americans have accepted the idea. This is not because Americans are ignorant. It is because Americans are being manipulated. The emotional hooks the greens are using are powerful, not factual. We need to make more, better and constant distinctions between environmental protection and efforts to impose the Green Agenda. The multiple calls for drastic change in America can be traced back to the Green Party program.
The environmental movement offers Green Communists many opportunities to quietly weave socialist ideas into America’s public policies. The Greens are using every opportunity to magnify anything negative about Capitalism, our way of life, individual freedom and independent thinking to diminish American values. Some basic rights now under attack by the Greens are:
Property rights, food choices and right to bear arms.”

Just as we peel the onion back to see who is funding candidates for elected office do we have any idea as to who is funding the Green Movement? Mikhail Gorbachev filed papers with the CA Sec of State in April 1991 for the Gorbachev Foundation. In “Set Up & Sold Out” she poses the question. “Who financed Gorbachev? “
“The environmental movement is funded largely by the Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA), which is supported by 138 foundations and groups, including:
Ford Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Rockefeller Family Fund.” The Gorbachev Foundation has received long term financial commitments from the same groups.

Let me close with this final excerpt.
“Set Up and Sold Out” is a revealing look into the secret side of environmental politics. Americans must understand there is a subversive motivation behind the push for drastic change and rigid environmental regulations. We are all involved. This is not a liberal vs. conservative or a Republican vs. Democrat issue. This situation transcends all others. No one is exempt.”

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First one alive to Dallas wins…

Due to the popularity of the “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled, “Survivor, Texas-Style.”

The contestants will all start in Dallas, then drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, over to Houston and down to Brownsville . They will then proceed up to Del Rio, El Paso, Odessa, Midland, Lubbock, and Amarillo. From there they will go on to Abilene, Fort Worth, and finally back to Dallas. Each will be driving a pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read:

“I’m Gay,”
”I Love the Dixie Chicks,”
“Boycott Beef,”
“I Voted for Obama,”
” George Strait Sucks,”
“Hillary in 2012″ and
“I’m here to confiscate your guns.”

The first one to make it back to Dallas alive wins.

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Universal Affordable Healthcare…what’s that?

Government promises all kinds of things. They give out Pell Grants for students, they give out Social Security Payments, they give out Medicare and even food stamps. Cost overruns are a fact of Federal life. We used to marvel at the $600 toilet seat…until we really started looking at various forms of “costs plus programs” and the like. Face it, no matter who gets in and who wants to do good for the average citizen….there are forces at work that will run counter and in the end…..if citizens pay - it always seems to be more!

Having said all that, there have been numerous polls, medical surveys and NIH analysis….that simply comes down to two simple precepts when it comes to Healthcare: (1) They want to chose their own doctor. and (2) They want affordable prescription drugs! It could be argued that if those two items were included in any Federal solution……90% of people would buy off in a heartbeat. However, there are serious moneyed interests at work which are going to do everything in their power…..to not let you do these two very important things in regard to your individual healthcare.

So, the story runs out like this. Young people are inclined to simply sign up for the least expensive healthcare program they can. Managed HMO’s with low or no co-pays are quite appealing. In most cases, the complexity of their healthcare concerns are minor. A broken leg while skiing, a car accident with a mild neck injury or a concussion while playing some sport for play or organized. Occasionally, a drunken event causes something worse, but the young are prone to recover quickly and brush off any type of momentary physical inconvenience. That can’t be quite the same for seniors or for those in middle life with a family history of cancer, heart disease or even hair loss. What happens when you come from a family with bad teeth? The chances are that in mid-life you are going to experience some serious expenses dealing with “toothy problems”.

These are all quite private and personal problems to most. In many cases, people don’t want others to know about a teenage abortion or an STD event that caused you problems later on in life. Maybe, you don’t even want your own family members to know about these things. Privacy and security for your healthcare history is a pretty important deal to many. Whatever, new healthcare program that is forthcoming….better included serious penalties to those that might release these issues to the public or unauthorized sources. Releasing that information should be allowed strictly on a case by case basis by the patient or their guardian.

Back to “Affordable” Healthcare. There is a tendency to simply want to lump whole groups of people together and say: “You have to join this group or else!” ”Let’s just throw everyone into the pot to reduce cost with a form of saving patients and the Administration money….by reducing staff and bringing more people into the client process.” The problem starts with systems like HMO’s that require you to call them if you need any type of specialist, even if your principal care doctor has suggested one. These systems should be “automated”. It might go something like this: “Took X-ray, patient has broken leg….have referred to a Orthopedic….Dr. Smith!”. This process should not require talking to anyone. It should include a secure method of data entry which allows the patient to be seen immediately by the referred Orthopedic!” This system could be done in virtually thousands and thousands of cases each day. All automated and not asking that some Insurance Administrator….making his bonus money by refusing care for the patients in his network….gets involved.

Of course, controlling cost for Healthcare starts with “Brand” and “Generic” drug costs. There is little “Cost Containment” when it comes to Prescription drugs. This is an area which requires strict “oversight” by various Health Associations and Federal Regulators. We have all been exposed in the greatest of detail to television ads boosting various Medical Prescription Drugs! As a marketing function of any company……television advertising is expensive and the cost of the product sold needs to rise to meet that out of pocket marketing cost. Imagine how much one pill of Cialis would cost if there was no Advertising Budget. Better yet, what would be the cost if Cialis didn’t give out free samples….like the tobacco companies used to do? If fact, which of the several products sold for Erectile Dysfunction really works the best? Does anyone really know?

There needs to be IRS limits on how much Advertising can be written off for prescription drugs. There needs to be limits on how much National and International Drug Companies can give product to doctors. We need to control with intelligence the outright greed of these companies and better yet the manufacturer and quality control of every “Generic” drug that is suggested….rather than “Brand”. What they don’t tell you, is that the “Active Ingredient” is the only similarity in many cases. The “Buffers” included in “Brand”……that makes sure your stomach does not get upset…..or other various ingredients that speed the “Active Ingredient” to its target are many times - may Not be Included in Generics! How would anyone know these things?

Finally, there is great pressure to reduce “Private Healthcare” in this country. They are suggesting that “Private Healthcare” should be taxed as apart of salary and income. There is every effort to “reduce” how many “PPO” or “Private Options” are available. Why might anyone want do that? Isn’t it in the best interest of every citizen that “all types of people” have “some type of healthcare”? Why must we all be bunched into a mindless, godless and empty wallet type….that will not be allowed to either choose their own doctor but will continue to be ripped off when it comes to “Prescription Drugs”. What we might all fail to understand is that the Drug Companies are going to get their cash…..no matter what. Our good doctors are going to be overworked, into the grave and most importantly - driven out of medicine with low pay and long hours.

The efforts of the Federal Government to achieve a comprehensive program for National Healthcare is a good thing. “The Devil” however, is in the details that takes away, with punitive taxes or tries to penalize those with Corporate provided healthcare - that right now, currently works!

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Could You Possibly Be An “Independent”?

In a previous OJ blog post, Art Pedroza points out that the Liberal OC and the Red County blogs are fast becoming irrelevant in rankings and increasingly irrelevant to shrinking readership. The left wing vs. right wing arguments smack of “fringe” thinking to some members of a large political party - the Independent Party -that currently has no official representation in our two-party system.

Our two party system even forces those of us middle-of-the-road types to claim as our party affiliation as “Decline to State” (DTS). I don’t think we are DTS’ers. I think we are non-joiners of the other two prominent parties. Sure, you can align yourself up with one of the 7 official political parties of California but who can even name one successful representative that has emerged from the American Independent Party, The Libertarian Party, Green Party etc…? Those groups seem even more fringe than what’s left of the post- Bush GOP or even the nuttiest of the liberals who take refuge in the Democratic party. Just who makes up the country’s largest voting bloc swaying elections? Might YOU possibly be one of these Independents? Let’s look at some of the characteristics and see…..

In a recently published opinion at the Rant/Rave site a poster who uses the moniker, Coloranter Raver, wrote a rant titled, “The Power of the Independents - GOP Beware”. Here are some of his conclusions about Independent voters:

Being an Independent takes a lot of work and research
Independents can and do change their minds on positions. Our opinions are fluid.
Independents are swing voters.
Independents need lively debate to help make up their decisions, not one-sided diatribes.
Spokespersons who appeal to the “base” of either Republican or Democratic parties, do not appeal to Independents.
Independents don’t trust either of the Republican or Democratic parties.

Here are a couple of excerpts, and the rest of the rant can be found at this link:

As a staunch Independent, I believe the time has come for us to assert some of our power despite the fact that we technically have no representation in our government under a Congress beholden to a two party system.

If the United States were made up strictly of Democrats and Republicans, the one with the majority of the citizens would win every election. Instead, however, there are people who don’t subscribe to these labels that mask their underpinning philosophies of liberalism and conservativism. Instead, we choose a different course where our opinions are not informed by the party, but by our own moral and philosophical ideologies. We prefer not to have our opinions fed to us by a talking head on any network but, rather, by our own research, analysis, and both internal and external debate. We do not take what we are told as the final word. Instead, we fold all that we uncover into a dough of knowledge from which we taste and sample. This informs our opinions.

Being an Independent is an incredible amount of work. You cannot just turn on the Glen Beck show or read the Huffington Post to get your daily opinion download. You have to read a lot of source material including newspapers from all over the world. You have to listen to and read information for all sides. You have to put yourself in the shoes of other people and walk around for a day. You have to be open-minded and be able to change your mind with new information. Most of all, however, you have to be willing to put up with people on both sides filling your mind with their dogma, and they will try. One of the most obvious things about both parties to the Independents is that neither can be counted upon to deliver on their promises or to stick to core ideologies. Rather, they will flip flop to ensure the election of their members. If you follow one party exclusively, you might not have noticed this tendency.

Both the Democrats and the Republicans, right now, need to realize that neither has a majority without the Independents. Therefore, to ignore us, is to lose our votes and theoretically power as we’ve seen in the past two elections. The difficult thing about dealing with us is that we don’t all have the same opinions and there is no one dictating them to us………………

What say you? Do you have a political party that you feel comfortable calling your own or might you be an Independent?

:-)

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Happy Mother’s Day!

Where would we be without our mothers? I credit my mom for helping to teach me English and for pushing me to read and to excel at school. Without her influence I would not have enjoyed the success I do today. Thanks mom!

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in Orange County! You do so much - and we all appreciate that. This is your day - I hope you enjoy it!

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The Liberal OC joins the Red County in blog futility

It’s official. The Liberal OC has joined Red County in being overlooked by the BNN Top 20 ranking for political blogs in California. The “Big 3″ are no longer in play. The Orange Juice remains on top in Orange County, along with the OC Progressive blog.

So what happened to the Liberal OC and Red County? They both used to beat us with regularity, but now their numbers are down and they are just plain boring. How did that happen?

In the case of the Liberal OC, they lost several writers to OC Progressive, and I think folks are tired of the hackery at the Liberal OC. Like Red County, they are not interested in doing what is right. Both blogs appear to be dedicated to gaining and keeping power. That simply is not attractive. And they both offer a simplistic red or blue view of the O.C. That too is tiresome.

As for Red County, their undoing was getting ripped to shreds on the popular John and Ken show. Then they had to demote Matt “Jerbal” Cunningham after he shilled for a Democrat, Tom Daly, and refused to tell his readers that his boy John Lewis had endorsed Daly over conservative Republican Shawn Nelson, for Chris Norby’s Supervisorial seat.

Congratulations to the OC Progressive for their continued success! The other blogs I read regularly include the OC Weekly’s Navel Gazing blog and the O.C. Register’s Orange Punch. I read their Total Buzz blog once in a while too, but am always disgusted to see their ads for Red County and the LIberal OC. Memo to Martin Wisckol - you are trumpeting dead blogs!

Thanks to all our readers and our blog team for our continued success…

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SAUSD Hero: Police Officer Brian Harris

SAUSD Police Officer Brian Harris received a commendation for performing a valiant act that saved the life of a Santa Ana resident. He poses with his award and SAUSD Superintendent Jane Russo.

Officer Harris has been a patrol officer for SAUSD since 2007 and is the school district’s informal liaison to the Orange County Gang Investigators Association. He was previously a district safety officer assigned to Saddleback High School in 2006, having come to SAUSD with six years of law enforcement experience in California. He consistently performs at a high level and takes pride in his duty to serve.

Officer Brian Harris was given his award for heroism at the April 14th, 2009 Board of Education meeting. His story can be found at this SAUSD Link and at an Orange County Register Link

In late February, Officer Harris went above and beyond the call of duty prior to his shift ending by responding to a call to render aid to a man who was lying on the railroad tracks near Grand Avenue and East Chestnut Street. Officer Harris quickly responded by moving the Santa Ana resident from the tracks to an area of safety immediately before a Metrolink train passed by. He saw to it that the victim was transported to St. Joseph Hospital for further treatment.

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Latinos now the majority in Anaheim too

“Anaheim’s Latino population has more than tripled since 1980 and now stands at 186,000, making Orange County’s second-largest city the latest to become majority Latino — at 54.5% — according to new census estimates,” according to the L.A. Times.

No wonder Supervisor Chris Norby’s district is majority Latino - it includes a lot of Anaheim. This could be a boon to La Habra Councilwoman Rose Espinoza if indeed she stays in the race for Norby’s seat.

This is bad news for Republican Assemblyman Van Tran and Republican County Supervisor Janet Nguyen. If they are to prevail against Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and State Senator Lou Correa, respectively, they need to carry Anaheim. Good luck with that!

The heart of Orange County is now Latino majority, when you add Anaheim to Santa Ana. The County is already majority minority. How long before Latinos are a majority in the entire County of Orange? And how long then before this is a majority Democratic County?

If the OC GOP wasn’t in trouble before, it sure is now. Tran and Nguyen will be their last gasp.

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Councilman Shawn Nelson Blows Away Redevelopment Smokescreen and Bogus Consultant

Listen to Councilman Shawn Nelson as he effectively guts the findings of blight necessary to establish the proposed redevelopment expansion. He applies intelligence and common sense to this issue that would, if imposed, negatively effect the future of Fullerton. Undeterred by staff and colleague pressure, he stands on principle instead of prevarication and political expediency.

Click here to see what a real leader looks and sounds like:

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State May Raid Cash From Cities, County

Obama vs. Schwarzenegger: White House Threatens to Rescind Stimulus Funds

Schwarzenegger’s office was advised this week by federal health officials that the wage reduction, which will save California $74 million, violates provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Failure to revoke the scheduled wage cut before it takes effect July 1 could cost California $6.8 billion in stimulus money, according to state officials.

Call it a threat or a grim reality. Whatever it is, it’s not being welcomed at city halls across California.

The governor’s office suggested this week that if the May 19 budget-reform measures are rejected by voters, the state will have to borrow $2 billion from cities and counties.

The proposal, which comes as polls show little hope for the ballot measures, is being met with horror by local governments that face red ink of their own.

“Our budget gap is so big it’s beyond anything we could have imagined already,” said Santa Cruz City Manager Dick Wilson. “If the state adds this additional burden, it’s overwhelming. … It’s appalling beyond words.”

Under the state proposal, the city of Santa Cruz could be forced to hand over as much as $1.6 million next year, adding to an existing hole of $6.5 million. With a total budget of $75 million, the city is already having to make concessions — like giving up operation of two museums and a community center and asking employees to take pay cuts — which Wilson said would become more severe should the city lose more money.

The May 19 election includes five measures that would generate $6 billion through new taxes, borrowing and funding shifts. The most recent poll, released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California, echoes earlier surveys and shows none of the five measures has more than 43 percent support.

With the state facing a projected $8 billion shortfall even if the measures pass, the Schwarzenegger administration is considering an array of budget-balancing options that include borrowing from local governments.

The state, under voter-approved Proposition 1A, is permitted to take up to 8 percent of the property taxes collected for cities and counties as long as the money is repaid, with interest, in three years.

That would mean a grab of up to $16.7 million from governments in Santa Cruz County, the bulk of it, or $9.1 million, coming from the county government, according to numbers crunched Thursday by county Auditor-Controller Mary Jo Walker.

Schwarzenegger officials did not return calls for comment.

Some were calling the governor’s proposal a desperate, last-ditch attempt to get voters to support the ballot measures his office has long been championing.

“Instead of them saying, We’re here to finally get control of spending,’ now the theme is, If we don’t do it, watch out,” said Larry Gerston, political analyst and professor at San Jose State. “The proponents are really scrambling right now to come up with a way to get people out to vote … and get them to see the light from their point of view.”

Assemblyman Bill Monning, D-Monterey, though, empathizes with the governor’s situation.

The first-term lawmaker who represents Santa Cruz County said that if the ballot measures don’t pass, few options remain for steadying the state’s finances. Republicans, Monning said, won’t agree to higher taxes, which would leave the state with no choice but to proceed with program cuts and even borrowing from local governments.

“This is a realistic assessment of what the state faces,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a scare tactic.”

May 19 Ballot MEASURES

Proposition 1A: Establishes a spending cap and a reserve fund and extends a number of taxes.

Proposition 1B: Provides money to schools in light of past cuts.

Proposition 1C: Permits state to borrow up to $5 billion against future lottery proceeds.

Proposition 1D: Redirects Proposition 10 money, which was approved by voters to fund child services through cigarette taxes, to other purposes.

Proposition 1E: Redirects Proposition 63 money, which was approved by voters to fund mental health services, elsewhere.

source: http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_12323059

Maria Shriver

Alzheimer’s: A Baby Boomer Epidemic

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48th Congressional District Candidate, Beth Krom, Has a Mother’s Day Message

Every mother wants her children to have access to quality education to ensure that they will have economic opportunity and a productive future. And every mother wants their children to grow up in a safe and healthy environment, where they can grow and thrive.

Funky Youtube video featuring Beth Krom and her mom. They discuss Beth’s creativity & share some stories of Krom family life. Beth Krom is the former mayor of Irvine and is running against Republican incumbent, John Campbell.

As your Congresswoman, I will make your family’s priorities-education, economic opportunity and environmental stewardship–my top priorities. I’m fortunate to have a mother who inspired me, believed in me, and encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

In the spirit of Mother’s Day, my mother and I made this video to share with you, so you could see first hand how much my mother means to me.

When I am elected to Congress, I’ll look after your family just like I’ve looked after mine.

You twitterheads can also follow her campaign on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Krom4Congress

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School Employee Unions Sue Calif. For $12 Billion

Two school employee unions have filed a lawsuit seeking to force the state of California to give schools and community colleges nearly $12 billion that educators say they’re due.

The California Federation of Teachers and Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union said Friday that going to court was a better way of getting the money than urging voters to approve Propositions 1A and 1B on the May 19 special election ballot.

Proposition 1B would pay schools $9.3 billion in so-called maintenance factor funds that educators say are required by Proposition 98, the 1988 ballot measure that sent minimum funding requirements for schools and community colleges.

But Proposition 1B would only take effect if voters also approve Proposition 1A, which would impose restrictions on state spending.

This week, the state Department of Finance suggested that schools may lose an additional $3.6 billion.

That threatened reduction “made it imperative to file” the suit, said Marty Hittelman, president of the California Federation of Teachers, which filed the suit in San Francisco Superior Court. It was joined by the Service Employees International Union Local 99, in Southern California, which represents janitors, secretaries and other support staff. The CFT represents about 100,000 teachers, librarians and other credentialed school employees, and is the smaller of two unions representing public school teachers in California.

Hittelman denied that the CFT filed the suit only because polls showed most of the six propositions on the May 19 ballot badly trailing. Two of those, Propositions 1A and 1B, are key to funding education. Proposition 1B sets how much the state owes education and outlines a repayment schedule.

Even if 1B passes, the teachers union argues that schools would be shortchanged by freezing the repayment amount at $7.9 billion and deferring repayments until 2011-12.

The lawsuit argues that the state uses the wrong formula to determine whether schools will be reimbursed in the future for reduced funding.

H.D. Palmer, deputy director of the state Department of Finance, said the state owes school districts money for 2007-08, but not the current school year. “The constitution is straightforward in this regard.”

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Kicking Out Your Union

Teachers who no longer want a union to represent them — whether it's because the union is obstructionist, corrupt, or just plain inept — are entitled to seek an election to determine if a majority of their fellow teachers want to drop the union. Such elections are known as "decertification elections." They are not rare — several hundred take place at unionized workplaces in a typical year. The law must be followed carefully, however. To view the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation's summary of state laws for teachers looking to decertify their union.

California

Decertification: The procedures for decertifying an exclusive bargaining representative depend on whether the employee is covered by the Educational Employee Relations Act (EERA) (public schools and community colleges); the Dills Act (state employees); the Higher Education Employer-Employee Act (HEERA) (state universities); or the Meyers-Milias Brown Act (MMBA) (cities and counties). See http://www.perb.ca.gov/laws/default.asp

If the employee is covered by the EERA, the Dills Act, or the HEERA, then a decertification petition is filed with the California Public Employment Relations Commission (PERB), available at:
http://www.perb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/pdfs/decertpet.pdf

Persons must file a decertification petition with the appropriate PERB regional office per PERB Regulation 32075, and must accompany said petition with proof of support of at least 30% of the employees in the established bargaining unit.

If the employee is covered by the MMBA, then decertification elections are determined and processed in accordance with the rules adopted by the local city or county agency. See California Government Code Section 3507.1.

Deauthorization: California law has provisions which provide for recission (deauthorization) of a public sector agency shop agreement. For MMBA-covered employees, the local public agency may provide for procedures different from PERB's. California Government Code Section 3502.5(d). The employee should consult the relevant city or county ordinance to determine if the local public agency has provided any deauthorization procedures. If the local public agency provides no procedures, the employee may petition PERB for relief. See PERB Regulation 60000(a). Employees governed by the Dills Act (state employees) must file a petition for recission of the fair share fee provision with the PERB in Sacramento. To obtain a Recission Petition see the PERB website at:
http://www.perb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/pdfs/dillsosrecission.pdf

Public school (K-12) and community college employees (EERA) can file a petition for recission of the fair share fee provision with the appropriate PERB regional office (see PERB Regulation 32075). To obtain a Recission Petition see the PERB website at:
http://www.perb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/forms.asp, and scroll down, then click on EERA Fair Share Fee Recission Petition.

Higher education employees (HEERA) can file a petition for recission of the fair share fee provision with the appropriate PERB regional office. To obtain a Recission Petition see the PERB website at: http://www.perb.ca.gov/forms_pubs/forms.asp, and scroll down, then click on HEERA Fair Share Fee Recission Petition.

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