Donald trump. what is your take on him?

tands said:

I don't know why that would 'satisfy the public's anger', the police chief didn't shoot anyone.

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I read a statistic, 675 people have been shot by police since the beginning of the year, that's 3.5 people per day.

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The police chief was apparently on vacation backpacking and getting updates, ie she didn't feel a need to return.  So the mayor got rid of her. I doubt there was a 'loud noise', myself. Sounds like another police story to  me.

more

http://startribune.com/jon-tevlin-police-chief-s-absence-spelled-the-end/436038193/

http://startribune.com/complete-coverage-of-justine-damond-s-shooting/435415123/

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Phrazemaster said:

I know this has been discussed to death, but the basic problem with our society is the overriding goal.

For Americans, it's "more." Since we are a capitalist nation, that factor determines that EVERYTHING DONE IN BUSINESS is all about the dollar - making a dollar, saving a dollar. And most crimes revolve around taking a dollar in ever more elaborate schemes.

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What if, instead of the concept of "more" we were to change the rules of the game to "better."

BETTER police.

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BETTER government.

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BETTER teaching.

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I fear as long as the dollar is the prize, this will never happen.

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Good points.

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A charter school management company with a history of operating failing or shuttered schools has been approved for two more schools in Panama City, leaving some South Florida parents wondering why millions in public money continue flowing to the company and the schools it manages.

"Unbelievable," said John Wai, who was told two weeks into this school year that a Sunrise school managed by Newpoint Education Partners was shutting down because it could not find suitable permanent classroom space. That despite what his wife Mariya said were repeated assurances the school would survive. "She assured me everything's going to be ready," Mariya Wai told NBC Investigators.

Instead, the school managed by Newpoint, Magnolia Academy for the Arts, and a sister school, Magnolia Middle, sent letters on September 1 informing parents of the shutdown, and instructing them to contact Broward public schools to enroll their children in other schools the next day.

Of 10 charter schools Newpoint Education Partners manages in Florida that have been graded by the state, four have F grades, meaning they are failing academically, according to the state. Another has a D grade, four have Cs and one, in Pensacola, has an A, according to state Department of Education records.


And those grades do not include schools that closed.

“I don’t know how they can continue to get funding for opening up charter schools across the state,” said John Wai.

“I’m absolutely in shock,” Mariya Wai said after NBC 6 informed her another Newpoint-managed school, in Tampa, shut down in 2013 after the superintendent there – citing concerns over low enrollment and financial stability -- recommended its charter not be renewed. “That means we are not the only family that went through this experience.”

But, in this corner of Florida’s Panhandle, the Bay County school board accepted its superintendent’s recommendation to approve two more Newpoint-managed charter schools, which project more than 600 students next year. Once approved by a district or the state, charter schools are funded with public money, but governed by private charter school boards.

While the Broward school district informed the state last September of the Newpoint-connected closings in South Florida, the state does not alert other districts about such failures. The locals would have to do their own homework to discover that.

Three weeks after the state was told of the closings in Sunrise, Bay County’s board voted to accept the Newpoint-managed schools there.


Some local superintendents complain they cannot deny charters based on their management companies’ past performance, but the state DOE says it can be a factor.

“Charter school operators or applicants that have a poor track record of either academic or financial performance shouldn’t be approved to open up new schools until they’re able to demonstrate that they have the capacity to run a high quality charter school,” said Adam Miller, DOE’s executive director of school choice.

But a Bay County board member, Ginger Littleton, said the state often overrules districts that deny charters. “When you do deny it, they go to the state and whine and the state says, ‘Oh, right. You’re good to go.'"

Between 2009 and the last school year, DOE records show it’s overruled districts’ rejections of charters twice as often as it’s upheld their rejections.

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Among the numerous alleges against May are that he:

• Charged Hillsborough's Newpoint Tampa High $157,000 for computers that actually cost $53,844, a 192 percent markup.

• Overestimated schools' enrollments to receive more money from a federal grant program. In 2012, for example, May estimated 360 students would start in a Pinellas school, but only 170 were actually enrolled and May was overpaid $350,000.

• Used more than 85 percent of all grant funds, or more than $3.2 million, to buy furniture, computers, equipment and services at grossly marked-up prices from May-affiliated vendors.

• Directed School Financial Services to pay $150,000 in commingled school funds to a company May owned with his wife, Mary Walker May. That money was then used toward lease payments for the Mays' residence in Sarasota. Part of it also paid a salary for May's wife and reimbursements for restaurant bills, personal electronics and massages.

• Sold marked-up school uniforms from his own company. The money from those sales — including $11,000 in collections for student lunches and activities that was off Newpoint's books — was deposited into an account that May used for personal expenses, including credit card payments, a jet ski, country club costs and a car lease.

• Directed funds from so-called lease payments from Newpoint, consultation fees and other funds for a company owned by the Mays. That money was used for $355,000 in credit card bills, $190,000 for May family members, $62,000 for mortgage payments, $52,000 in utilities, pool services and homeowners fees.

The company also paid for $11,000 in plastic surgery and tens and thousands of dollars for over a dozen cruises and trips to the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

Marcus May, 55, of 8156 Gabanna Drive in Sarasota, now faces two charges of racketeering and one charge of organized fraud, all three filed in Escambia County. His bail was set at $600,000 with the provision that he not leave Florida.

Kunkemoeller, 56, of 793 Watch Point Drive in Cincinnati, Ohio, faces one charge of racketeering and one charge of organized fraud. His bail was set at $100,000.

According to the affidavit, Kunkemoeller's School Warehouse received $375,000 in 2014 from Newpoint-managed charter schools in Pinellas and Duval with markups as high as 165 percent. It said Kunkemoeller used $175,000 of that money for his home mortgage, and sent the remaining funds to a company owned by May, who used it to pay down his home equity line of credit.

Monday's charges come one year after Newpoint was indicted by a grand jury on charges of grand theft, money laundering and aggravated white collar crime. Red Ignition and School Warehouse also indicted on similar charges.

Escambia County Assistant State Attorney Russell Edgar said he hopes to consolidate May's and Kunkemoeller's individual charges with their companies' cases.

Newpoint operated five schools in Pinellas. Four of them — Windsor Preparatory Academy and East Windsor Middle Academy in St. Petersburg and Newpoint Pinellas Academy and Newpoint Pinellas High in Clearwater — have closed, displacing about 900 students.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a day after insisting he still hadn't made up his mind, signed a sweeping education bill into law Thursday that steers more public money to privately run charter schools.

Flanked by House Republicans who were the driving force behind the measure, Scott approved the bill during a ceremony held at a private Catholic school in Orlando. The legislation also requires recess in elementary schools, tinkers with the state's oft-criticized standardized testing system, and includes millions of dollars for teacher and principal bonuses as well as a program serving disabled children.

Scott defended his decision to sign the legislation, despite calls for vetoes from school superintendents and school boards. He maintained it would help schools since it also comes on the heels of an increase in overall school funding passed during last week's special session.

"The historic funding we've secured with along with more choices for students will give every family in Florida the opportunity to receive a quality education no matter what zip code they live in," Scott said.

Scott had been asked about the fate of the contentious legislation for weeks. He denied he had agreed to support it in exchange for getting the Legislature to change course and set aside money for his priorities, including money for tourism marketing and a new $85 million to help lure companies to the state.

The bill emerged during the waning moments of the session, cobbled together in private negotiations by a handful of legislators, including House Speaker Richard Corcoran. It passed the state Senate by one vote as a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.

The nearly 300-page bill (HB 7069) includes a requirement that elementary schools must set aside 20 minutes each day for "free-play recess," although charter schools were exempted. It also includes more than $200 million for teacher and principal bonuses.

Bowing to criticism about Florida's testing regimen, the measure also eliminates the Algebra 2 end-of-course exam and shifts the dates for the state's main standardized test closer to the end of the school year. It also allows lower grades to use paper versions instead of requiring students to take the test online.

A major part of the bill creates the "Schools of Hope" program, offering financial incentives to charter school operators who agree to take students attending chronically failing public schools, many from poor areas and urban neighborhoods. Additionally, up to 25 failing public schools may receive up to $2,000 per student for additional student services.

Corcoran insisted that this provision would transform Florida's schools.

"We have kids in Florida who are stuck in failure factories from their first entry into public school to the end," Corcoran said. "This is the beginning of the end of that."

But the measure drew sharp criticism and sparked major influence campaigns from both sides as thousands emailed or called the governor's office. School superintendents were among the main critics, citing a provision that now mandates districts must share construction money with charter schools and a planned restructuring of how districts can spend federal money that is provided to help low-income students. They have warned it could lead to budget cuts and layoffs.

"Today is a sad day for the vast majority of Florida public schoolchildren," said Kurt Browning, school superintendent in Corcoran's home county. "Governor Scott's signing of HB 7069 flies in the face of home rule and forsakes traditional public school students in favor of charter school students."

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JohnRoberts said:

It's how politicians respond, perhaps a throwback to the roman coliseum.  The public probably wanted the mayor to resign too.

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according to washington post  554 year to date, which is slightly up from last year.  While the post didn't provide much detail they noted that mental illness played a role in one quarter of the incidents.

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I worry about how modern culture programs people to respond to police. Police are the good guys (99.9%) so shouldn't be feared, physically resisted, or run away from. I am trying to remain objective about this. More facts will ooze out over time. But in the meantime people will promote their old agendas. This story doesn't neatly fit the template.

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DaveP said:

But there remains the problem of how to treat people who don't have an intrinsic work ethic in their nature.  TV programs often portray characters "pulling a sickie" when they want a day off.  When I managed staff, I  found from experience that the day most taken off for sickness was a Monday.  Either people contract bugs at the weekend or they over indulge, I guess the latter.

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tands said:

They did. That doesn't mean they'd be 'satisfied' by that either. The woman was killed at random. They want justice.

Shouldn't be giving mentally ill cops guns, imo.

Cop shoots someone, news at 11. You sound really naive here, John.

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There's a lot happening in the world that you simply choose to ignore, and what you're defending no longer exists, if it ever did.  :-[

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nielsk said:

Markets can only be reactive, any idea of "self regulation" can not prevent anything, only react to it. This most often takes place with such a time delay that the harm (whether damage to humans or environment) has already been inflicted.
One thing markets DO ensure is the BETTER costs MORE
(as soon as a better product gets cloned and competition brings down cost, it is no longer better, and soon outstripped by the next better thing...and on it goes).
This is part of the reason that privatization is such a failure, as competition between private firms results is lowest cost bid winners, and after the profit is taken any amount left to do BETTER is long gone.
The end result is the same, if we want BETTER anything, be it police, education, child care... it requires MORE money.
The need to increase efficiency and reduce corruption will never disappear in human endeavors, and will never change these truths.
Paying the people that ensure our safety and care for our children an paltry wage just shows them that this society does not value them or what they are doing.

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JohnRoberts said:

Many people carry their pre-conceived notions into how they experience the world.  I cautioned about leaping to conclusions about the MN shooting until we learn more about it because of the stereotypes involved..

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In a fawning editorial Saturday (7/22/17), pillar of the national security establishment Washington Post fell over itself to commend a John McCain that never existed, instead lavishing praise on a well-curated PR facsimile developed over decades.

After praising McCain for issuing a “toughly worded criticism” on Twitter of Donald Trump for allegedly ending an entirely pointless, destructive and likely illegal CIA program supporting unnamed “rebels” in Syria (the highest act of moral courage for the Post is gunrunning to CIA proxies), the Fred Hiatt–run editorial board proceeds to paint McCain as the antidote to the problem of “partisan warfare, where politicians will say just about anything at all, true or untrue, to gain an advantage.”

This is clearly meant to be an opaque shot at Trump, but the Post is too cowardly to say so outright, much like McCain was too cowardly to actually vote against any of Trump’s cabinet—aside from the OMB director who McCain only opposed because he believed he would cut defense budgets. Never mind, the Washington Post had a childhood hero to worship:

    And all over this world, Mr. McCain is associated with freedom and democracy. He has championed human rights with verve and tirelessness — speaking out against repression and authoritarianism, and inviting — no, cajoling — his colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, to bear witness with him on trips abroad. He has frequently welcomed victims of repression to the corridors of the capital, too, giving them succor and encouragement in the fight against tyranny.

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tands said:

I don't see much point in dithering. Oh let's wait and see, wait and see, somebody will tell us what to think sooner or later. Then, it will be the proper time to discuss it. It's a deflection, and a delaying tactic, John. You're diminishing thoughtful and open minded discussion. ???

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JohnRoberts said:

I am trying to remain objective about this. More facts will ooze out over time. But in the meantime people will promote their old agendas. This story doesn't neatly fit the template.

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tands said:

I think it's just an argumentation tactic you use to combat viewpoints you disagree with, John, like I said. Taking it to it's logical conclusion, nothing would ever be discussed, because you can never have all the information. Which makes it a very convenient, and easy, tactic to pull.

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You're not adressing what happened, and you're implying that anyone who does is not objective, and 'only promoting their old agendas'. It's fine for you though, if you don't want to discuss it, John, don't. Simple.

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tands said:

Interesting word choice by police, slapped. Violent, sudden. How would they know she slapped the car if the implication is that it surprised them? Why would the lady slap the car, rather than knock on it? They're lying, imo. No surprise there.

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