leh-nerd skin-erd

I disagree with your premise that it would be 'pretty easy' to research the scope of work quoted, alternative options for repair, the nature of the bidding process (local v out of state, union v non-union) relative obsolescence of equipment, and 'want' v 'need and so on. I try to do that on my own projects, sometimes successfully, sometimes less so. Be that as it may, that wasn't really my particular hot button issue. I recognize the need for improvements and upgrades, and could spend several hours a day tilting windmills about cost, who does what and to whom. My issue was as stated--on a publicly funded $35,000,000 build out, it seemed unreasonable to include $9,000,000 additional for unforseen costs. It seemed patently outrageous to suggest that if the good citizens of Anytown, NY dug deep to include the override 'just in case', that the school district would have so little regard for the dollar as to say "Trust us, we'll spend it on good sh&t.". So, I trust, but only to a point. Btw, I heard you burn **** in the kitchen all day long.

I have seen reports on outraged and concerned parents speaking passionately at school board meetings and the like, and I'm struggling to see why that's a problem. The flip side of the argument is that school board members and administrators seem to think the decision(s) they render are beyond reproach. This is a byproduct of that particular industry going unchecked for too long, with whatever passes for oversight coming in the form of people that benefit from the system as well. Finally, you mix in a customer base that is compelled to contribute and support the system regardless of outcome and it can be a recipe for disaster. If the educators are fighting the good fight, there is nothing to be concerned about. On a very basic and fundamental level, friction and push back are a good thing, and long overdue in many school districts. A few years back, our school district submitted a bond proposal looking for $44m dollars. The community rejected it, and the superintendent bemoaned the attacks on the system and what she characterized as misinformation on the proposal. My hot button issue was the $9m line item for 'just in case' as the projected cost was $35m. As I read through the proposal--updated computer lab, general building maintenance, air conditioning---most of it was fine, though I have no idea if it was fair and reasonable. The issue with the $9m slusher was the assurance that if it wasn't needed, the district would find a way to spend it. That was a deal breaker for me, and I shared my thoughts in a letter to the superintendent. Thankfully, the following year, they were able to get by on the skinny $35m they originally needed the following year. Friction, push back, questions, frustration and and the like are net positives even when they go against your particular political ideology. The recall effort in Loudon County is the American system working correctly and is a good thing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/loudoun-recall-school-board/2021/08/25/9f9e45c2-05d0-11ec-8c3f-3526f81b233b_story.html As for DEI and SEL, these are new terms to me so I'll consider what you said. A quick check into SEL led me to a site on the city of Buffalo and an initiative there. The biggest challenge for me was despite reading about 30 web pages in total, I have no idea what they are actually doing. It read like one rambling corporate memo that describes in the most benign terms possible how 2700 people losing their jobs in a restructuring is actually good for them.

Your screen name was like buying Amazon at $15.25 a share!

What a tragic loss of life. These poor servicemen/women are political pawns, and it's a ***** disgrace.

On a positive note, after his presser, I googled “Enhanced Discipline” and met some new friends.

And there it is.

The problem is when Biden wakes up, he’s in 1978. I acknowledge having a different sense of humor than some, but @Irv and “What a mess” makes me laugh every time he uses it. My bigger concern is that @ComradeKayAdams will turn him into a card-carrying socio-commie revolutionary wearing a “Feel the Bern” tank top.

I don’t recall if you’re the poster who first gave the “Trump involved in keeping the Bills in Buffalo” but I love this story. Thanks. Maybe next time, choose the voice that can claim English as his/her native tongue and have that person type your response. Don’t always listen to the loudest, they may be speaking gibberish.

Maybe, but she’s been lt gov since 2015. If she didn’t know, she was blissfully ignorant. Btw, on the Today show right after Cuomo announced his resignation, Savannah Guthrie quizzed her on what she knew and how she might have missed it. Hochul’s response was I’m essence “I travel a lot”. It would have been nice to see her pressed on that. This is politics and my only point is that it would be virtually impossible for her not to be read in on information this potentially damaging to her. No idea the numbers were being cooked? No idea Cuomo groped female staffers?

The information I’m thinking she was read in on would not come from him. I can’t imagine her being clueless as for they types of things that brought him down—too many voices with too many ambitious people, and he’s too big a target.

I can’t follow any of this.

Serious question--what's the funny part? I'll recast the tale using the theory of modern storytelling: You and a bunch of your privileged and entitled friends misappropriated tickets to a concert featuring the music of an historically disenfranchised people. You attended a super-spreader event, so typical of you and your provincial ilk, taking seats away from more worthy people beaten down by society and victimized by it's systemic corruption. But no, that wasn't enough for you, your thirst for consumption was unabated. You hop into a gas guzzling fossil fuel dinosaur, breaking the heart of Momma Earth, drive to the home of a similarly inclined billionaire, potentially impacting the guards ability to earn a living (probably at a rate below minimum wage) and dare to chastise them for doing their job? #typical

Makes you wonder how they vetted 76,000 non-Americans under chaotic conditions in 10 days.

Welp, we used to fret all about how our neighbors across the pond viewed us. Now…it’s not such a big thing anymore. It took 7 months.

I was just coming here to post this. Glad to see we have new blood in office. Perhaps female perspective will help her out state leadership back on track. That said….we’re to believe the Lt Governor had zero knowledge of her boss sexually harassing employees, and was totally, completely in the dark on the COVID death count? No one warned her, no one raised red flags, she wasn’t interested in looking into the numbers occurring on her watch? Sure. Meet the new boss, likely same as the old boss.

Well, this is different than what you proposed initially, where the unwashed who required treatment spilt medical treatment with the hospital/doctor/waaaambulance on a fitty/fitty basis. Be that as it may, you would have no argument with me if health insurance companies were able to surcharge individuals based on individual health characteristics that posed an above average risk to the collective. Or, refuse coverage for irresponsible individuals who wait until they need coverage to buy it. Interestingly, that’s the exact opposite of the liberal/dem mantra we’ve been fed the last decade or so, but hey, screw your freedoms and such.

You’re perilously close to being called the Joe Biden on this board based on your faulty recollection and cognitive skills. I do like the Pepperidge Farm Sausalito cookie though, don’t ruin that for me.

You’re projecting Homey. Not a good look.

I think moving forward there should be a department established at the federal and state levels to…review an individuals tax return. They could be empowered to analyze, consider or maybe even contest returns that are filed. Then, maybe, we could get away from people with no earthly clue what they are talking about speculating about ones tax returns. Maybe some day.

That’s world class foolishness on several levels. Contractually, morally, ethically and taken in context with all the crazy #%** people do with respect to their own well-being, just plain silly.

This actually sounds a lot like the Biden approach to dealing with the Taliban. The main difference of course is Biden is kneeling in Washington, safe and sound in the adult day care center at 1600 Pennsylvania, while the Afghanis are being slaughtered every moment of everyday because of Biden’s actions. Circle of life I suppose.

He’s got us fighting and disagreeing about the wrong stuff! We need to keep the reasons the other guy is stupid in front of us. We’re not animals.

Son of a.....this Biden is good, damn good.

I can jump in here. I’m a creative bird, so I’m just spitballing now but I hope you can follow me. In your version Jim, people make decisions, receive value in your exchange for consideration, and when all is said and done, they live up to the terms of the bargain they entered into. How tedious. If that life was a movie, you have to ask yourself Jim, would you go to see it? Of course not. It lacks pop, tension, drama, protagonists, a hero, danger, and ultimately a Matt Damon, because Matty D ain’t showing up for that dog. Now in the Guv version, sure, people make choices and sure, people go through a UCLA or a Tulane or what have you, and sure many or most have jobs that would allow them to pay on their loans—but you introduce a bad guy, institutional greed, a comely exchange student, a game of hacky-sack at the Quad and zip zap zoop you got Nicholas Cage starring in a thriller fighting valiantly against Big ED. I see killers in blazers with those fancy elbow pads and mock turtlenecks, I see drunken encounters with spies posing as college recruiters, and damn if I don’t see @oldmanfan in a role as an unlikely hero of the cause—picking off bad guys with a sniper rifle while perched on the cat walk above the $500,000,000 football stadium built on the broken dreams of first gen college kids from Iowa. I guess what I’m saying is you buy the steak for the sizzle, right? Oh, and obviously, iron sharpens iron.

Oh, it’s the case Jerry.