The Republicans Thank You, Ferriero, for Destroying your own Party!!!

The bottom line? You don’t take a “leave” if you are innocent. When is the “perp” walk? I want to make sure that my TIVO is on!

http://www.politickernj.com/editor/23192/ferriero-will-take-leave-bergen-dem-chairman

http://www.northjersey.com/news/Ferriero_takes_leave_from_firm.html

Democrats – The New Party of Exclusion! Go McCain/Palin!

I got an email (along with about a couple of dozen other people on the same list) from a friend of mine.  It was a cut and paste that has been floating around the Net from a so-called Alaskan that went to college at Bryn Mawr trashing Sarah Palin and the fact that she is not Hillary.  I won’t grace my blog site with the letter but if you want to Google it use these key words: Bryn Mawr Sarah Palin.

What I find interesting though is how the Democrats are using the Internet to trash a choice that they are sooo jealous of.  They had one of their many copywriters come up with a “letter” that will backfire on them. As they deserve it to. Their Party of inclusion is letting the country become aware they are one that “rednecks” are not allowed to be a part of.

So let’s see the definition of “redneck” from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

1sometimes disparaging : a white member of the Southern rural laboring class

Hmm…so the Democrats apparently have no interest in those voters. They just love forwarding this “letter” around their blogs and encouraging people to email it to others. I guess Barack and his running mate are so confident in their campaign they are willing to give up those voters.  That’s fine. Their party doesn’t need them, it appears. “Rednecks” come in both the Republican and Democratic versions. We’ll take them all. And Oprah? You think your rejection of Sarah Palin will hurt their campaign? The opposite will happen.  It will backfire on you, I guarantee it.  But then maybe you want them to win. Is that your strategy?

I wrote a reponse to all of those people on the list. An edited version is posted here.

(Susan is a woman on the list that also responded)

A response to Susan:

I am a small town Republican Councilwoman in NNJ that is voting for McCain and Palin. I am anti-war. I have a Nephew going to Iraq next month. I spent my formative high school and college years in Western PA where venison is part of the diet, especially during Fall hunting season. Did I hunt it? No. But my cousins and uncles did and we were very grateful as a family financially struggling for free meat.

I look at Sarah and I see a typical American family. I see a woman who represents all of us in many ways.  We don’t have to agree with all of her beliefs but we certainly can respect the choices she has made for herself and her family. I know I have. She is smart, down-to-earth, savvy and knows how to run a state government. In regard to the incident with her older daughter, I look at it as “there but the grace of God go I”. You can raise great teenagers but all it takes is one late night and an ‘oops’.  It did open a conversation with my teenager and allowed me to impress upon him again our family beliefs but then again he is 16 and “knows everything”.

Oh and BTW? If I hear one more thing about how Hillary was “cheated” out of the nomination, I will scream! Her qualifications for Senator? She was the WIFE of a President who almost got himself impeached due to his inability to keep it in his pants? Yeah, that is a solid credential for Senator. Her so-called “health program”? Tanked. But she had the money and support of her HUSBAND’S cronies and they got her in.  Then she runs a presidential campaign and allows it to get $20 million dollars in DEBT!!! And that campaign?  She allowed her husband to sabotage it. Maybe if he had kept his mouth shut…And then she cried HELP and had to ask her OPPONENT and the American public to bail her out from her DEBT?? She wanted to run the country but couldn’t manage her own campaign finances??? Unreal!!!

And to the Democratic campaign copywriter/”Bryn Mawr College” writer, can we say lolol. How about “buyers remorse”?

The bottom line is, as Susan stated:Vote for whom ever you want but vote!

Hurray! The summer is over!

Yeah, I know that there are many people out there that are sad that the summer is over but I am ready!

The kids are making me crazy!  I am tired of nagging about picking up after themselves, keeping track where everyone is, if all the summer books are read, having to feel like I need to be having “summer fun” all the time.

We didn’t take any real vacation this year.  No week down the shore.  No flying off to an exotic location. Nah, the several months long writer’s strike earlier in the year took care of that. We made sure that the kids had fun. Each had a week at an overnight camp (Girl Scout and wrestling) and we were able to get away to visit family on OH and PA for a week but overall if was a quiet summer.

Now they are bored with their summer friends and are anxious to see their school friends. We got all the school supplies, clothes and shoes over the last week or so and the backpacks are packed.  I am anxious to get back into the school schedule, too.  I like getting up early and getting a “whole” day in rather than nag kids to get up and then hearing the “I’m bored” whine.

I would like to see the summer break about one month less.  That last month is a killer.  Many activities are done by the end of July. Yeah, yeah, the football parents are involved with practice but everyone else is looking for things to do that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Back in the day, when I had a very demanding full-time job with travel, I was always beside myself with the expenses of full time day camp.

There is no need for this three month hiatus. The kids don’t have to go out and work the fields on the family farm. That is why this break evolved this way.  You needed those kids out working the back 40 so the family could eat the rest of the year. Now when I was in college I needed those three/four months so I could work like crazy to pay for the tuition for the upcoming semester.

I would love to see a trimester that many school districts have adopted. You still get breaks but they are not so incredibly long that school needs to spend the first month of school reviewing what the kids have forgotten.

Back to routine!  I am so glad!

Alive and Well

Yes, I know.  It’s been a few months since my last posts.  The reason why? None really. Just busy with life in general between my family, town stuff and now a new p/t job I recently got.

The time off has also allowed me to step back a bit and look at the big picture of this blog and my life.

I decided that I will still write as much as time permits.  A little about life in HH, politics, life in New Jersey. So I hope you will start coming back again and  help inspire me by adding your comments when you have something to say.

Van Hook Petition

Please click link below.

vanhook13

As received from Lisa Hodulik

April 13, 2008

 

Dear Residents of Hasbrouck Heights,

 

I am very dismayed that I must write this letter, but I feel that I must clarify a situation that has been distorted for political reasons. Recently, you were sent a letter from Mr. Van Hook who is trying to gain a political edge by using slanderous accusations.

As you may or may not know, my goal as a board member has always been to ensure that our school district provides the best possible education within the constraints of our budget, while at the same time continuing to monitor sound budget spending. To this, I add that I have always believed that communication between parents and teachers is an integral part of the educational process.

When I ran for the board three years ago, I stated that I wanted to bring in a program that would give parents up to date access to their children’s classroom status i.e. homework, quiz/test grades and participation. I truly believed that having this program would ensure a more cohesive educational setting. Parents could no longer say that they did not know that their child was doing poorly in a subject. Students could not say that they did not know they had homework or that they were not told of an upcoming test.  Teachers would now have to make sure that all this information would be inputted in a timely manner. The RenWeb program was approved by our board in September and teachers were given training in October.  As the RenWeb program was implemented, there was a resistance to change and complaints of functionality from some of the teaching staff. As a member of the technology committee, I was instrumental in getting this project implemented and operational.  As a result of the complaints of the staff I felt I had fiduciary responsibilities to investigate the legitimacies of the issues.  The district granted me access to the system so that I might view the fields of entry. I was given a user name and password by the Technology Coordinator of our district. Keep in mind that this was the very beginning of the data migration in which only students’ names and home addresses were available. I NEVER SAW ANY GRADES or other personal student information in the system.  Also, I did not request an “all level” access to the system, it was only when union representative, Donna Mikulka, wrote her letter of complaint, and it was further investigated, that I became aware of being able to access all fields. It was obviously a mistake made by the district which was corrected later that day. The Superintendent of Schools was able to retrieve all records of my access to the system which showed the fields I had visited. I never at anytime saw any children’s grades and spent no more than 15 minutes investigating what RenWeb looked like. The HHEA never asked me, the superintendent, nor the board if I had viewed any inappropriate records or asked about another student’s grade before writing their letter. 

I can only presume getting at the truth was not their main concern and getting me off the board was. I can assure you that I have upheld all standards of ethical conduct as a board member and parent.  I would never ask for another student’s grade.  With four children of my own, I am only concerned about their grades. How would it benefit me to know the one grade, of one student, in one class, with one teacher, as accused?  There is no proof because it didn’t happen.  Yes, in the past, I have questioned teachers about the class average on exams. This information is available to any parent who asks to find out how his/her child did in comparison to the class.

            It is obvious that Mr. Van Hook is attempting to sabotage my credibility NOT ONLY AS A BOARD MEMBER BUT AS AN INDIVIDUAL. It’s interesting that this was not brought up by him at Candidate’s Night or at any public board meeting, but how could he?  He has not even attended a board meeting since he was voted out of office two years ago.  Instead, he waited until the last minute to send out his malicious letter knowing it was too late for a response to be made.  I sincerely hope that the voters of Hasbrouck Heights can see through this man’s dirty politics and select their candidates based on past performance. He was Board President when Mr. Luongo was given his 7.5% per year raise that we still have another year left to pay on his generous contract. Mr. Van Hook will be another yes vote to extend Mr. Luongo’s contract with another outrageous raise.

 

It just so happens that a decision on future contracts needs to be implemented in June of this year. Is this the type of person you want making decisions for your children and your money?  He doesn’t have children in the system…but he does have friends in administration.  Unlike Mr. Van Hook, my family owns a home in town and we are concerned about our current taxes. I also have our four boys all attending Hasbrouck Heights schools so I have a vested interest in what occurs in our school system.

            As most of you know, I have never been afraid to question the administration as to their decisions.  I can see clearly that they want me off the board so it could revert back to the “good old days” of prior years.  

            I hope this letter has helped to clarify the misrepresentations made by Mr. Van Hook against me.  In the end, whether I’m re-elected or not, what is most important to me is that the residents of this town know that I have at all times conducted myself with the utmost integrity.  I encourage you all to go out and vote.  Thank You.

 

Sincerely,

Lisa Hodulik

MomHod@aol.com

 

Do you have a “Mitch”?

Every year it is the same mantra trying to get people out to vote for school elections.  But it seems that the disinterest in the whole process extends across almost every community and it makes one wonder “why”?

Do we have a generation of people that don’t want to think for themselves? That don’t care about having a voice when it comes to their government and how it spends THEIR money? Have they become so accustomed to having someone (parents, bosses) think and decide for them they are clueless as to the whole process as to how, where and why their taxdollars are spent and the people that want to do it for them?

It doesn’t take alot of time to become better informed.  Subscribe to local and county newspapers and read the “local” section only if you are short on time. Can’t get to the meetings? Get a copy of the minutes, either on-line or from the BOE office to get more detail than what is in the newspapers. Go to meetings periodically to see who is who. Google articles to get a historical perspective. Talk to other parents at local events.

Find a “Mitch” and vote.

http://www.northjersey.com/betterliving/family/School_board_elections_are_near_Are_you_informed.html?c=y&page=1

Ferriero certainly has a set of big ones, doesn’t he?

http://www.northjersey.com/opinion/moreviews/The_misunderstood_kingmaker.html?c=y&page=2

…but then we all know that obnoxious bravado and pseudo machismo is actually a way to middle aged men to compensate for…

Please do us all a favor, and our wallets, and just double up on your ED drugs. I am sure some nice pharmaceutical donor will have no problem with handing you a case or two. 

Writers, Hasbrouck Heights and Being a “duck”

The Coda

So the Writer’s Strike is over and we are now waiting for the phone call from the studio as to when they want the production people back.  Usually it is a couple of weeks before the actors start up  so things can get back into place before filming. For many BTL (below the line – carpenters, production, teamsters, electricians, hair and makeup, etc) and the auxiliary companies that work with the studios this strike has been very difficult. Before the build up of studios in the tri state area in the last few years, the TV and movie biz here was very seasonal. And that was how you lived your life. They filmed primarily outdoors with some indoor scenes in buildings, apartments, etc. The season was from about the end of March to Thanksgiving. There was some other work during the slow time but it wasn’t alot. So you saved your money during the busy period, did some “day” work in the winter and waited. Now it is busy all year round. The “old-timers” remember, anticipated the strike and had some money put away.  But many others did not.

It has been tough. Many people had to go into debt to keep their heads above water and unlike the writers  who are now looking towards an increase in their cash flow from the new contract the BTL people won’t be getting any additional money for their work.  So for the BTL people it will be many more months of getting their lives on track again even when they are all back to work full-time.

Being a Duck and Bullies

When I first started getting involved in politics I had to sit down with my children and explain to them what it meant to, “be a duck”.  I told them it was inevitable that people will say things about me and that like myself they need to be “like a duck” and to let the comments roll right off them. To not listen to their angry attacks and to also understand that unfortunately that bullies will always be bullies whether they are 50 year old adults or 5 year old children.  That bullies are cowardly people who are very insecure about where they stand in this world and need to lash out at others to make themselves feel better.  Very sad way to live your life.

Recently I have been using my “duck” talents to ignore the bullies on a local town forum.  Anonymity makes the bullies bold.  I have been told of ISP searches that have identified the multiple names that many use (in fact, talking to themselves), multiple people using the same name and of local leaders who hide behind their forum names. So be it, I say. Life as an adult just mimics what happened at recess every day.  As a child I had to learn to  fight my own battles. It turned out to be good training for Hasbrouck Heights politics.

So go ahead. Get it all out of your system. If you want, in fact I have a couple of good four-square playground balls you can take from me if that will make you feel better.

Writer’s Strike – No “joke” to “below-the-line” crew

I watched Letterman again the other day and he yet again, as he does everyday, jokes about the writer’s strike.  Yes, it is nice that he was able to negotiate a separate deal for his own writers with the WGA but it is no joke to the hundreds of thousands of “below-the-line” crew members that work on TV shows and those people that make a living working with the studios in assisting to put a show on the air. They are still out of work and have been for many, many weeks now. Think of every person and company that get a show on the air…from truck drivers, carpenters, electricians, set people, catering companies and then all the businesses that supply and work for the studios. No work for anyone. No paychecks. No strike fund checks. Nothing.

Think of when this strike started, 10 weeks ago. Christmas fell into that time frame. “Clever” timing. Now think about all the savings accounts drained, vacation weeks eaten into, unemployment checks applied for, sacrifices being made by all the NON-WRITERS so their families can keep a roof over their heads, the heat turned on and food in the ‘fridge and yet the Producers and The Writers refuse to sit down and negotiate????

The DGA (Directors Guild) has now embarrassed the WGA and like mature adults have put together a contract long before they needed to (June) and had their membership vote on it. They did their homework, started the talks and got what they wanted. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=4151979

The self-centeredness of the Writers and Producers astound me.  That they can wake up every morning, look at themselves in the mirror, and not think about the crew members that they used to work with struggling to pay their bills because they aren’t pressuring their union leaders to sit down and talk again. How dare you all put everyone in debt that will take months and months to crawl out of so YOU get those few extra pennies on DVD sales??

You better take that DGA contract, use it as your template, AND SIT DOWN NOW! It has never been funny, Leno, Letterman, Conan, etc. that crew members of all those TV shows (and now movies that won’t start) toss and turn every night thinking about groceries for the coming week. Want to talk about the Strike in your monologue? It’s time to talk about the no so funny reality that the rest of us are dealing with!