Public employees/retirees are not protected by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation:
The PBGC does not guarantee the retirement plans of government workers. That is the responsibility of state governments. Numerous states, including Michigan and Illinois, have put in place laws that allow the state government to impose outside financial control over struggling cities. This is already the case in Detroit, which is effectively ruled by a state-imposed financial commission._____
Yet due to the economic crisis, states are cutting the amount of money they share with local governments, even as demand for social services rises. The stage is being set for a massive assault on the pensions and health care of retired government workers.
Since teachers have to prepare and plan lessons, they don't need to memorize their content and be an "expert." That is a myth, anyway, peddled by "reformers" who belittle teacher colleges for the reason they don't believe teaching is a profession, a craft.
What they DO need to know is HOW to teach in ways children can understand. This includes knowing about different student abilities, special education students, second language learners, and classroom management. You are dead in the water if you are an arrogant Ivy League shit thinking you know it all when you don't know a goddamned thing about kids and learning.
Teaching is damned hard as it is. "Content mastery" is way down the list in importance in teacher effectiveness.
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More scandals involving online charter schools are noted here. I am against these for K-12 students, for they ignore the important social skills necessary for students to be well-rounded adults. The only time distance learning should be employed for students of this age would be for students in rural areas or for credit recovery, and in both cases these would be under the control of public school districts.
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This woman must rank as one of America's dumbest criminals (article under paywall):
The Medford Police Department won the lottery Wednesday when the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled the agency can collect the cash originally awarded to a woman who purchased a $1 million scratch ticket through illegal means in 2005.
The department was victorious in its long court battle against Christina Elizabeth Goodenow, 45, who argued that it was excessive punishment to strip her of the $1 million in winnings.
In 2005, Goodenow stole the identity of her boyfriend's deceased mother by using a Visa card that belonged to the woman to make $12,000 in purchases.
Woman, it's fraud, and you deserve to be denied every penny.
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