Left Coast - The Fun of Living in Blue Land

[maxparrish]

While national stories tend to dominate the forum subject matter, I have been increasingly attentive to the doings of our region's socialists, greens, and latest iteration's of moonbeamers. While the rest of the nation awaits the arrival of Bernie or Liz, we get to experience it EVERY DAY. We may have the highest poverty rate in the nation (California), but who can beat this...(just a few miles down the road)...

a story I missed several months ago (I have avoided punishing myself with local "blue" news):

Barnidge: No more mind-control weapons targeting Richmond residents

Everything on today's menu is low-fat and high-fiber. Consume as much as you wish:

Few societal threats escape the watchful eye of the Richmond City Council, so it was no surprise Tuesday night that it voted its opposition to airborne weapons systems that have purportedly targeted residents with mind-control technology. You read that correctly.

After a dozen professed victims told of pain suffered from chemtrails, particle beams and electromagnetic radiation, the council voted 5-2 in favor of Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles' resolution "in support of the Space Preservation Act and the Space Preservation Treaty to permanently ban spaced-based weapons," with Mayor Tom Butt and Councilman Vinay Pimple dissenting.

"I'm just a dumb City Council person," Butt said, "and this is way, way over my head. I frankly think it's way out of the purview of what this City Council should be taking up."

Colleague Nat Bates was more understanding: "I'm going to support the resolution for the simple reason that we have voted on a lot of dumb ideas."

http://www.debatepolitics.com/us-partisan-politics-and-political-platforms/

Are we lucky or what?

 

[Derec]

Jovanka? I wonder if she was named after Tito's (and I don't mean Jackson) wife.
As to spaced-based weapons, I think Beckles and the other four councilcritters imbibed too many "spaced-based" weapons themselves ...

From another article:

Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles introduced the Richmond resolution in support of a 2001 bill introduced by then-U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in an effort to ensure that Richmond residents would not be targets of space-based weaponry, reports CBS San Francisco.

Figures.

 

[maxparrish]

Jovanka? I wonder if she was named after Tito's (and I don't mean Jackson) wife.
As to spaced-based weapons, I think Beckles and the other four councilcritters imbibed too many "spaced-based" weapons themselves ...

From another article:

Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles introduced the Richmond resolution in support of a 2001 bill introduced by then-U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in an effort to ensure that Richmond residents would not be targets of space-based weaponry, reports CBS San Francisco.

Figures.

Unfortunately, its part of the de-evolution of the area. The "blue" one-party state is mostly squabbling and fighting among themselves. Richmond used to be a town divided evenly between older culture whites and blacks, with some Hispanic bridging the two sides. Whites were a mix of right and left, blacks were from the NAACP era. If you wanted a affordable house with a little character, Richmond (in the safe areas) was not a bad choice.

Today, the lack of affordable housing is gentrifying the town. Bohemian and funky Point Richmond has turned into "carefully regulated boutique land" for the rich SF transplants. Underclass blacks have been driven out by spiraling prices, losing 25 percent of the population of a decade ago. All the whites are now various white "progressives", haters of "big oil" (hence their constant campaigning against the local refinery).

Previously we had City supported solar power experiments (failures), and an absurd City Council movement to buy up foreclosed homes for "resale to the owners"...long after the foreclosure crisis ended. More recently they adopted a rent control ordinance to counter 'gentrification', the first new rent control in 30 years (Richmond is always behind the trend line).

All this and the soon to tie for the highest sales tax in the State of California; 9.5 percent.

Is this great or what?

 

[TSwizzle]

Dolts. The lot of them.

 

[maxparrish]

Dolts. The lot of them.

You live in West Hollywood? Twenty-five years ago is was "unique"...I recall the rainbow flags, cute cottages, and giant office buildings grafted between them. I also recall an elitist snobbish among the 'trend-setters'.

 

[TSwizzle]

Dolts. The lot of them.

You live in West Hollywood? Twenty-five years ago is was "unique"...I recall the rainbow flags, cute cottages, and giant office buildings grafted between them. I also recall an elitist snobbish among the 'trend-setters'.

No, I work on the Westside, live in the valley. Drive to work takes me along Santa Monica Blvd, sometimes detour side streets.

Sacramento is just as bad. They were trying to pass some bullshit decree to cut gas consumption by 50%. Didn't pass thankfully.

 

[maxparrish]

Yes, I am very glad that misbegotten idea was shot down by some the democrats joining the Republicans. We already have the highest fuel prices in the lower 48 (or the 49). Of course we have our "arn't we special" fuel blend mandated by the blues.

 

[GenesisNemesis]

Links to a forum.

 

[TSwizzle]

Demand for water outstrips availability but we are going to get "high speed" rail this state is run by fucking idiots.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Typical. It's not surprising that the right wing ideologues who profess to value freedom and independence would be the ones who want the government targeting citizens with mind control technology.

Blatant hypocrites, the lot of them.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Well, that town is safe from mind control weapons thanks to their town leadership. While Texas is protected from a military incursion thanks to their Governor.

 

[maxparrish]

Education Reform in California

Blue Land Progress continues...

Can't meet High School Graduation Rate targets? Under fire from the public? Feds reducing subsidies? California knows how to FIX education !

Retroactively award high school degrees to thousands of students who failed to pass, starting in 2004!

The state of California is poised to award thousands of high school degrees to dropouts by passing a new law retroactively removing the requirement to pass a high school exit exam.

The California High School Exit Exam (CASHEE) was created in 2004, and is intended to make sure that students have a rudimentary grasp of English and mathematics before being awarded a high school diploma, and to counter the phenomenon of students receiving passing grades while learning almost nothing. The test is hardly complex. The math test, for instance, only covers 8th grade-level material and can be passed if students answer 55 percent of questions correctly. About 80 percent of California high schoolers take and pass it on their first try while in the 10th grade, and overall passage rates for the class of 2014 were above 97 percent.

But now, a bill passed Thursday by the California legislature, which Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to sign, suspends the exam through 2018, while also retroactively suspending it back to 2004. That means thousands of students who failed to ever pass the exam but otherwise completed all other requirements will now be able to receive diplomas.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/11/c...plomas-to-kids-who-flunked-out/#ixzz3lddzAMYa

 

[fromderinside]

So you have a problem with people having to meet two standards to complete the basic education game?

Please tell us more.

 

[maxparrish]

So you have a problem with people having to meet two standards to complete the basic education game?

Please tell us more.

Errrrr...I think you mean "do your have a problem with people NOT having to having to meet one standard of several requirements?". So then, I have a problem with students not meeting all the requirements under the state standards; i.e. at least bench warming to graduation and being able to pass a test for the simple minded deltas.

"The math test, for instance, only covers 8th grade-level material and can be passed if students answer 55 percent of questions correctly. About 80 percent of California high schoolers take and pass it on their first try while in the 10th grade, and overall passage rates for the class of 2014 were above 97 percent."

Gotta love a degree of 'integrity'; can't pass? Eleven years later they give you a degree anyway. LOL...

 

[fromderinside]

So you have a problem with people having to meet two standards to complete the basic education game?

Please tell us more.

Errrrr...I think you mean "do your have a problem with people NOT having to having to meet one standard of several requirements?". So then, I have a problem with students not meeting all the requirements under the state standards; i.e. at least bench warming to graduation and being able to pass a test for the simple minded deltas.

"The math test, for instance, only covers 8th grade-level material and can be passed if students answer 55 percent of questions correctly. About 80 percent of California high schoolers take and pass it on their first try while in the 10th grade, and overall passage rates for the class of 2014 were above 97 percent."

Gotta love a degree of 'integrity'; can't pass? Eleven years later they give you a degree anyway. LOL...

Point delivered point missed.

Point: A standard was in place matching, more or less, standards in other states. A new standard was added to that general standard. those who failed were discriminated against for having not met a higher standard even if they went to another state, most of them, which only had a meet a set of requirement in succession through 12 years to get a degree. Now if they succeed at this and they fail at the other they are not graduates.

The state simply went back to the earlier model before they fixed the new model. Great idea. Now all those who complete the general grade obstacle course, warts and all, get to face the work place on an equal footing with other students across the nation.

Your miss was in your biasing the former system as somehow different from that of other states. It isn't. Therefore its unfair to put those students who don't meet the additional requirement on less than an equal footing with students from other states.

If the general plan doesn't work make it better. Means test grades or something, but do it everywhere. The very blue state is kicking ass economically. Maybe legislators in CA figured it was not fair to have a sub-population as good as elsewhere be treated as if they weren't as good. Works for me.

Until you figure out haw a state that is taxing more and succeeding more is worse than elsewhere you should keep your powder dry. Until then your comments come out as grapes of the very sour kind.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

So you have a problem with people having to meet two standards to complete the basic education game?

Please tell us more.

In other words, teachers giving undeserved grades isn't enough to graduate.

 

[maxparrish]

Errrrr...I think you mean "do your have a problem with people NOT having to having to meet one standard of several requirements?". So then, I have a problem with students not meeting all the requirements under the state standards; i.e. at least bench warming to graduation and being able to pass a test for the simple minded deltas.

"The math test, for instance, only covers 8th grade-level material and can be passed if students answer 55 percent of questions correctly. About 80 percent of California high schoolers take and pass it on their first try while in the 10th grade, and overall passage rates for the class of 2014 were above 97 percent."

Gotta love a degree of 'integrity'; can't pass? Eleven years later they give you a degree anyway. LOL...

Point delivered point missed.

Point: A standard was in place matching, more or less, standards in other states. A new standard was added to that general standard. those who failed were discriminated against for having not met a higher standard even if they went to another state, most of them, which only had a meet a set of requirement in succession through 12 years to get a degree. Now if they succeed at this and they fail at the other they are not graduates.

The state simply went back to the earlier model before they fixed the new model. Great idea. Now all those who complete the general grade obstacle course, warts and all, get to face the work place on an equal footing with other students across the nation. ...

No, 'point delivered and point DISmissed'. Your "point" is that California had a test requirement in its graduation standard, as do few other states (e.g. Texas).. Your assumption is that it is somehow "unfair" that a California High School degree might become more meaningful than that issued in Mississippi or Arkansas - that it is (gasp) horrible, especially if it actually required a rock bottom minimum of retained knowledge, skills, and abilities (an 8th grade level with a score of 55 percent correct questions).

And like many in America, you are so infected with the "must have equality of outcome" virus, the implicit moral assumption that if the a person's outcome is not "equal", then we must make make equal by issuing dumbed-down worthless certificates - JUST LIKE OTHER WORTHLESS high school DEGREES in other benighted states....you know, to make it "fair" and all.

How persuasive.

While the a-fore-mentioned ought to be sufficient to close the issue, I suspect you will prattle on about "how unnnnnnnnfffffairrrr it is", rather than how appropriate it is. In other words, the real question is why don't we have a nation-wide mandate to pass a test showing some minimum level of skills before handing out degrees for bench warming.

You know, like they often do in "progressive" countries.

 

[bilby]

You may be pleased to learn that US citizens have freedom of movement within the USA, so there is no requirement for you to get a passport, visa or work permit, nor to learn another language*, in order to move to Utah or Alabama, if those places are more suited to your ideology than California.























* May not apply if moving to Alabama

 

[ksen]

So what I'm taking out of this thread is that Max is (now?) for Common Core.

 

[scombrid]

After a dozen professed victims told of pain suffered from chemtrails, particle beams and electromagnetic radiation, the council voted 5-2 in favor of Councilwoman Jovanka Beckles' resolution "in support of the Space Preservation Act and the Space Preservation Treaty to permanently ban spaced-based weapons," with Mayor Tom Butt and Councilman Vinay Pimple dissenting.

"I'm just a dumb City Council person," Butt said, "and this is way, way over my head. I frankly think it's way out of the purview of what this City Council should be taking up."

Those particular conspiracy theories sell very well among hard core anti-government conservatives too.

Free Republic is rife with that shit.

It is one of those areas where the moonbattery of the far left and right complete the circle. They have the common ground of believing that The Powers That Be are out to get them.