Charter schools...another neoliberal scam

Charter schools are another neoliberal scam. These "pseudo-public," for-profit schools show far worse performance than public schools when evaluated on an "apples-to-apples" basis. (Hint: charter schools can select students whereas public schools must accept all kids in that zone.)

It's the same, neoliberal profit scam that businesses use, that is, pay workers (teachers) less, make them do more, funnel more of the income to the top, fraudulently gin up the performance statistics (like the widely used accounting control frauds used by banks and Wall Street) and strip money and resources (equipment, physical space) from public schools (privatizations).

No wonder Wall Streeters here in Manhattan love to send their kids to these schools. It's a private school on the public dime. Carl Icahn and other big hedge fund guys back NY Governor Andrew Cuomo with big $$$ to keep expanding these schools and sucking the NYC public school system dry.

What a fucking scam.

New York's charter school defenders downplay teacher inexperience amid strong performance. http://t.co/H8S0YYVcm8 pic.twitter.com/DMMPAZBrNm
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 18, 2015

Maybe police are finally starting to wake up to the fact that the neoliberal looting class is coming for their money, too!

Maybe this is a sign that the police are starting to wake up to the fact that even they are not immune to the parasitic wants of their neoliberal masters. Looks like the NJ State Police are suing Chris Christie over the matter of his cutting of their pensions. Good luck with that.

Of course this is all done so the rich don't have to pay another dime in Jersey or elsewhere. You see, it's happening all over, regardless of who's in office, Democrat or Republican. (Andrew Cuomo in New York State, Mike Bloomberg in NYC, Rick Perry in Texas, etc.)

All these governors and mayors can then boast about how they balanced their state/city budgets without raising taxes, which is a total joke because the budget cuts and looting of pensions IS a tax increase--only it falls on those least able to afford it.

During the Occupy Wall Street days most police were too busy (and still are too busy) cracking heads and pepper spraying peaceful protesters to pay any attention. However, they were warned. I remember very well watching many of these protesters trying to tell the cops that it would soon be their money at risk, but these "law enforcers" were too busy or excited by the thrill of throwing another victim to the ground to pay any attention, I guess. (Or maybe they were too dumb to process the information.)

Whatever the reason, I am personally happy to see the cops get their pension money confiscated and even happier that it's being done by the very same lawmakers who had been cynically praising them all along, for the great work they were doing fighting "crime." What bullshit.

To me, the cops are even more despicable than the neoliberal parasites who bought the government and are now conducting their own personal war against the rest of us. They couldn't do it without the law enforcement apparatus providing the muscle and running roughshod over our Constitutional rights. Shame on police everywhere. My hope is that you inherit a fate far, far, worse than those you helped to rob and brutalize.

I rooting for Christie to win this lawsuit. Take the cops' money, governor. Take it.

Mayor DeBlasio goes gutless and heralds deal that will ask nothing of the rich for his universal pre-k

Politicians never get tired of putting their cowardice, their lack of balls, on display when it comes to asking anything from the rich. New York Mayor, Bill DeBlasio, was elected in a landslide, in part due to his pledge to raise taxes on the wealthy in order to pay for universal pre-K. However, he is now heradling a great victory because the state legislature decided it will give him the money, but it won't come from higher taxes on the rich, it will  come from "state money."

WTF is state money? There is no such thing as state money. The state is not the Federal government. The state has no money. State money is literally our money: it's the money the state gets through taxation or the money it holds on to when it chooses not to recycle it back to us in the form of spending.

This was a sneaky and clever little plan and DeBlasio fell for it. He apparently doesn't see that funding universal pre-k with state money means once again, of course, that this plan will be paid for by the middle class and poor because it will ultimately come from budget money that was or would have been allocated to programs for the middle class and the poor.

I have to admit I have gone back and forth on DeBlasio. I supported him, then I thought he quickly sold out, but recently I thought he was getting better. Now I'm back to thinking he's a weak, poorly advised, gutless sellout.

Kos — Andrew Cuomo following Joe Lieberman path to presidency

...conspiring with Republicans, hiring Republicans, pushing Republican policies.

 His name has gotten him places. But the White House won't ever be one of them. Not that he shouldn't run. People like him need the most public smackdown possible, and nothing accomplishes that like a failed presidential bid. Just ask the person Cuomo is modeling himself after: Joe Lieberman.

Another sleaze-ball.

Daily Kos
Andrew Cuomo following Joe Lieberman path to presidency
Kos