The age group from 17-25 more than doubled in less than a decade when the minimum wage came into being. Today, I have seen unemployment rate figures for this group as high as 26%. Some ethnic groups and regions, it’s a staggering 40%. As the minimum rate increases, the employer is forced to hire more skilled and productive employees to justify paying the higher rate. That leaves less opportunity for those looking to enter the workforce to learn a skill and prove themselves to justify a higher wage to the employer. The reality and results of the minimum wage is increased costs of goods and services. It has increased poverty for this age group in particular.

Lets look at the politics. Who do you think spends the most time and money in regards to campaign donations for lobbying to increase the minimum wage? Its AFL-CIO, CSEA, teacher & trade unions and the like. Most of its members don’t earn anywhere near the minimum wage so why are they the champions of a higher minimum wage? Primarily, it protects their members from competition of lessor skilled and lower earning workers who can do the job as well or better. Who is always lobbying for the “Prevailing Wage” limits where they are double or more compared to that of the private sector? Its the same. Our schools, municipalities, towns and cities are forced to pay double the cost for a project due to the prevailing wage laws (i.e. Wick’s Law). When I owned 5 franchises in the southern tier, I won a bid to do some work for SUNY Binghamton. The job cost was more than double than if I was bidding a similiar job in the private sector solely due to the state prevailing wages I was going to be required to pay my workers for that job.

Being forced to pay the prevailing wage is just another way of wealth distribution essentially. It hinders the cost of doing business. NYS is the most expensive state to do business in primarily having the largest union workforce percentage wise compared to other states and it not being a right to work state. Those states that have right to work legislation have lower unemployment rates among all groups.

Those well meaning sponsors of a higher minimum wage appear compassionate and concerned, but they know the above is true which makes them all the more like a Pharisee using deception because they so desire the praise of others and a bigger campaign fund to maintain their position and power.

Last week a survey of economists found that most believe legalized casino gambling would have a negative impact on the economy.The survey was conducted by Center for Thrift and Generosity at the Institute for American Values in New York. Although the full survey has not been released as of yet, the press release says that 68 percent of the economic responders said that gambling is “economically regressive.”

One of these responders was Union College economist Prof. Mary O’Keefe who said casino gambling “is not just economically regressive, it is sociologically destructive to the community.”  NYCF

State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, released his audit of the New York Racing Association (NYRA).  They have not only failed to implement recommendations from many previous audits but have not paid all the money owed to winners.   

NYRA is expected to lose $20 million this year. It declared bankruptcy in 2006, but received a $100 million bailout from the State Legislature.   

NYRA received tens of millions from a taxpayer-funded government bailout, but still CEO and President Charles Hayward hiked his own salary to a staggering $473,800 in 2010.   

Newsday notes, “The state’s gambling operations have become increasing convoluted, from off-track betting payments to NYRA to the New York City OTB closure to the Suffolk OTB bankruptcy filing to Indian casinos, and back to the slots players subsidizing horse bettors, and owners.”

Governor Cuomo now wants to expand NYS government’s role in various gambling interests by changing the state constitution that prohibits this activity.  Currently abusing the constitution with Indian owned casinos, at least they want to go through protocol to change the constitution to be legal.  Does this make you feel any better?

There is plenty of money the State receives to fund essential services and then some, but current occupants don’t have the moxy and courage to prioritize our needs that would better serve the public at large.  That’s why career politicians are not condusive to a sustainable political model.

CRC can not become law if it is not ratified by the Senate. The bill SR 99 has been introduced to insure that. Though SR 99 has had 37 cosponsors since last April, we need to see that number reach at least 40. Any fewer, and the chance remains that someone could be “turned” and vote for ratification even after signing the resolution. With 40 or more, there’s enough confidence that no amount of arm twisting would get the 67 votes it needs to pass treaty.

Visit ParentalRights.org/status to see if your Senators are already on board, and to find the phone number of your Senators if they are not. Then, call today to register your support of SR 99 (and your opposition to the CRC).

I just received an email from Michael Farris, founder of HSLDA, defending Erin and Ken Stieler:

“The judge took the petition under advisement for the weekend and has just reported his decision to dismiss the case. This is a tremendous victory for the Stielers and for families around the country, as it affirms once again the fundamental right of fit parents to make medical decisions for their children.

The Supreme Court in 1979 voiced the presumption “that natural bonds of affection lead parents to act in the best interests of their children” (Parham v. J.R.). The dismissal of this case reaffirms that presumption in American law.”

This case was a key assault by the medical establishment and government being able to dictate what treatments should be given ( or not given) to your child that would have been a landmark decision. Instead, it reaffirmed what the courts have always ruled in the past before 1979 in that Parental Rights is a fundamental right assuming the same status as free speech being a fundamental right.

Making it an amendment would be better though due to ambitious courts whose tendency has leaned towards making laws, let alone laws contrary to the Constitution it has promised to uphold.

As the lines of right and wrong are blurred or ignored entirely slowly chipping away at values, people clamor for more laws written on the books, thinking it will curb behavior vs. embracing laws written on all our hearts nurtured through a relationship with our Creator.

The author of Courageous Leadership writes:

“For eight years during the decade of the nineties I went to Washington, D.C., every month to meet in the foremost centers of power with some of the highest elected officials in our country. What I discovered was not how powerful these people are, but how limited their power really is. All they can actually do is rearrange the yard markers on the playing field of life.” (For themselves too) “They can’t change a human heart. They can’t heal a human soul. They can’t turn hatred into love. They can’t bring about repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace. They can’t get to the core problem…”

Government is rarely the answer because the law cannot change a person’s heart. Its power is limited by Divine Providence. Its purpose was to limit man’s vices but government is run by man himself. When accountability in government breaks down, we see what happens above. Rev. Jason McGuire of NYCF writes, “Even on its best day, at its greatest moments of achievement, human government leaves us longing for a greater one. Our broken government, which cannot get to the core problem, drives us to our need for the One who can.”

Merry Christmas to All,

Shawn Skeele

On December 7, the Senate and Assembly voted on the legislation proposed less than 24 hours before passage. Specific bill language was made available to the general public about one hour before voting began.

“Asm. Rory Lancman (D-Queens) reported that he received the bill on his legislative desk and that it was still “warm” from printing at 3:15 PM. Voting began around 4:30 that afternoon.” NYCF website

Once again, legislators failed to wait the appropriate three day aging process intended for the public and individual legislators to weigh in on any proposed legislation. Though some positive aspects were included in the bill such as flood relief, relief on the MTA tax burden on private schools and individuals, and a tiny lower tax rate, why the rush to pass the bill?

After people have had time to read the bill, it turns out there is over $2 billion dollars in new revenue!!!! Instead of cutting the budget to cover the surprising and shocking shortfall that happens every year it seems, they took the path always traveled by raising taxes that will increase the State’s spending. So much for Cuomo’s promise not to raise taxes and spending.

They cooked up a fine tasting stew using your dollars, sacrificing more jobs with more government spending, shifting the tax burden slowly from property to income with a little deception in the headlines. They couldn’t let it stew for 3 days to allow the juices of this penetrate in the public, so they microwaved it in less than 24 hours and for some an hour and 15 minutes. Once again, some have been duped being baited with a minute tax cut for some in order to have a nice sound bite saying, “I voted to lower taxes for many” while increasing spending and taxes on the few that already pay 1/3 of the NYS income taxes according to the State’s Division of Budget.

No matter what political persuation you come from, is this how you want your government to operate? I do not.

Consider Alexander Tyler’s comments: “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising them the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over a [lousy] fiscal responsibility, always followed by a dictatorship.”

Unknown author of an email

The top four main concerns from the manufacturing business community was the cost of:

 1) Energy costs,

2) Workers Compensation,

3) mandates and regulations,

4) taxes and

5) a diminishing qualified labor pool to draw from. 

Our panel of senators and assemblymen gave typical answers of working hard for positive changes but things move slowly in Albany.  The comment made next to me was that these are the same issues being talked about a decade ago.  Business executives have come and gone but the issues and representatives remain the same.  Nothing was mentioned about increased competition in the areas of (1) & (4) that would help.  The politicians boasted about the last budget passed holding the line on taxes and passing the 2% Property Tax Cap.  Then, Senator Valesky said although no relief for unfunded mandates was passed with the 2% property tax cap cutting the counties, towns and schools off at the knees financially, he pointed the finger at them saying this could be good believing they are too bloated needing to be trimmed down, yet he’s unable to see the three fingers pointing right back at him and Albany.  Some of us could not belief the hypocrisy we were listening to.

So much money has to be taxed locally to feed the spending binge of Albany due to mandates that take up to 85% or more of the county budget. (i.e. – Medicaid, pensions, health ins).  Our county and town representatives are then at the mercy of begging Albany or Senator Valesky & Assemblyman Magee (who never showed up for the breakfast though endorsed by MACNY the last election) for some of that money back to fund basic services like our fire & police depts., maintain our roads & bridges and schools. 

Taking Senator Valesky’s exhortation to heart, I decided to take a closer look at these bloated county and town bureaucracies and budgets he was referring too.

Property taxes only reminds us of who really owns our home and land.  So I started with the county land auction recently on September 24 for properties seized from those having not paid their property taxes and the revenue received vs. expenses paid.  Here Assemblyman Magee did show up…….as the auctioneer.  This raised a red flag with me thinking how did he end up getting this job as a public official with the county beholden to him to get funding from Albany for basic services, was he being compensated and how much.  It appeared the auctioneer job had not been put out for bid for over a decade and no contract was in place with the county for at least a decade also and maybe more.  He was paid over $27,000 for 3 hours of work at the auction.  Sweet!  I know for a fact that if this was put out for bid to other auctioneers, many would have done it for a flat rate of $500-$1000 saving the taxpayers of Madison County $26,000 in property taxes.  Multiply this times 10 for the past decade at least and that’s a good chuck of change that could have lowered our property taxes currently the highest in the nation.

The next question is who at the county level was making the decision on this sweet gig for Assemblyman Magee at the expense of the taxpayers?  To date, I’ve yet to get to the bottom of that other than the Farm and Land Agency was responsible for this arrangement.  The agency says this was just an administrative oversight.  For 10 or more years?  Every time there was a county land sale? Who there at the agency is in charge and who at the board of supervisors had oversight of the agency?  Who knew what and when?  What else is being overlooked at the county level if this has gone on 10 or more years with no contract and excessive pay for services rendered?  Do I dare ask if this was actually an oversight to begin with having lasted over 10 years?  The county’s policy modeled after the state requires bidding for the acquisition of products, but not services.  Where is the logic in that policy?  Those who deal in the private sector of business will bid out products and services.  What other services are not being put out to bid that could be saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars? 

Could Senator Valesky’s earlier comments have some validity?  How could our long term public servant Assemblyman Magee fleece the taxpayers of Madison County, regarding this matter, for over a decade?  Are there other matters we need to look for?  In other county land auctions, does he fleece the taxpayers of Otsego County too that’s part of the NYS 111^th Assembly District?  Does he do this in any other county outside his district?  I am all for the free market enterprise where you should be able to charge whatever the market will bare, but once again, the free market was not allowed to operate by not putting this job out for bid.  This isn’t just a free market or administrative efficiency issue though.  There’s a core problem government cannot resolve.

As the lines of right and wrong are blurred or ignored entirely slowly chipping away at values, people clamor for more laws written on the books, thinking it will curb behavior vs. embracing  laws written on all our hearts nurtured through a relationship with our Creator. 

The author of Courageous Leadership writes:

“For eight years during the decade of the nineties I went to Washington, D.C., every month to meet in the foremost centers of power with some of the highest elected officials in our country.  What I discovered was not how powerful these people are, but how limited their power really is.  All they can actually do is rearrange the yard markers on the playing field of life.” (For themselves too) “They can’t change a human heart.  They can’t heal a human soul.  They can’t turn hatred into love.  They can’t bring about repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace.  They can’t get to the core problem…”

Government is rarely the answer because the law cannot change a person’s heart.  Its power is limited by Divine Providence.  Its purpose was to limit man’s vices but government is run by man himself.  When accountability in government breaks down, we see what happens above.  Rev. Jason McGuire of NYCF writes, “Even on its best day, at its greatest moments of achievement, human government leaves us longing for a greater one.  Our broken government, which cannot get to the core problem, drives us to our need for the One who can.”

Merry Christmas to All,

Shawn Skeele

  Some examples eroding parental rights:

 1982 – A 13 year old boy complained to a school official about his parents making him go to church 3x a week.  The school official called a social worker who unilaterally made the decision to take the boy from school on a Friday and put him into a foster home.  The child did not ask for this.  There was no notification to the parents until after the fact.  The child remained in foster care until the court date that following Tuesday.  It was determined that the church was fine and the parents were not abusive in any way other than being inconsiderate of their son’s wishes.  The judge determined the boy was to only go to church once a week.  If the parents did not agree, their son would remain in foster care.

 2005 – David and Tonia Parker – Their kindergartner came home with a book called “My Two Dads” as part of a sex education curriculum for this level.  No notification was given to the parents.  When David repeatedly consulted the Principal to have their son opted out of this part concerning the book, David was eventually arrested for parental neglect and truancy.

 2006 – My own story – My daughter was going to enter the 6^th grade and was going to be taking health class.  I requested several times a written copy of the curriculum or at least a syllabus of the course to review its content.  This was in June.  I was resisted and none was going to be given by the teacher and the administration was unable to obtain a written curriculum or syllabus of the course, until October.  I had to pay over $140 for it to get also.  It was a disorganized mess of magazine articles, internet articles, personal notations and statistics.  There was no list of specific homework assignments, books to read, projects, movie list or any clear outline of subjects and the order they were going to be taught.  Through the efforts of other concerned parents, we did learn of some questionable material that had been taught at the 6^th and 8^th grade level with no parental notification for the past four or more years.  An example is the movie, “Bang Bang You’re Dead”.  This stirred up a hornet’s nest  where one episode shows a boy forcing another boy at gun point into a barrel of water, closing the lid, and unloading the clip in his revolver showing blood and water spewing out of the fresh bullet holes in the barrel.  It was this kid’s form of justice and method to stop bullying.  Over 125 parents showed up at the next board meeting where normally you’re lucky to see a handful. 

 What I started to learn was that once a child is dropped off to the doors of some public schools, the parental rights of that child begin to evaporate having no or little say over what the child will be taught or exposed to.

 2009 – Sid Daughty case – A child was having some chest pain and health issues.  The doctor wanted a drug test done which the parents agreed to.  What they found out later was that the parents of the 13 yr old could not get the results of those drug tests without the son’s permission.  This is actually true according to Federal Law.   Currently, a medical facility at or referred to by schools could give your 13 yr old child birth control provisions and not be required to tell the parent(s).  The school does have to get your permission to administer an aspirin though.

3/2011 – “In March of this year, 8-year-old Jacob Stieler was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a dangerous bone cancer. His parents took him to a highly-rated children’s oncology center in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Jacob had surgery to remove the tumor, which was followed by several rounds of chemotherapy. The treatment was incredibly difficult, and Jacob’s mom, Erin, told me that when she looked her son in the eyes, she knew in her heart that he simply could not survive many more rounds of these drugs.

Erin and Ken, Jacob’s mom and dad, joined by hundreds of others, prayed for Jacob and his complete recovery.

After all of these rounds of chemotherapy were completed, there was a PET scan done to check on the status of the cancer. There was no evidence of cancer detected in Jacob’s body.  The doctors wanted to give Jacob several more rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, despite the clean PET scan. When asked why they wanted to keep giving Jacob these incredibly dangerous drugs, the doctors replied that this was “the standard of care” for his illness.

Jacob’s parents begged the doctors to make an individual diagnosis, rather than simply following unbending standards. But the doctors were steadfast. All children with this cancer needed multiple rounds of these drugs—regardless of PET scan results, the doctors contended.

Jacob’s parents did extensive study of the side effects of the five different chemotherapy drugs that the doctor wanted to administer. None were FDA approved for usage on children.  And they believed that the risk of the drugs was far greater than the risk of recurrent cancer, since Jacob had a clean PET scan. They said no to the doctors. No more chemotherapy treatment for now.

But the doctors would not take no for an answer. They called child protective services in Jacob’s county and asked the agency to file charges against the family for medical neglect.

After looking into the matter, both the local CPS agency and the local prosecuting attorney refused to file charges. They believed that the parents were making reasonable decisions for Jacob.

The doctors still would not take no for an answer. They called higher authorities in the state level CPS agency. The doctors had to make several calls before they finally found someone who would agree with them.

As a result of all of these calls, the local CPS agency was pressured into filing medical neglect charges against the parents.

The local prosecutor still refused to take a case against the family, so the state level CPS officials hired an independent private lawyer to serve as the prosecutor against Ken and Erin Stieler.

A jury trial is scheduled for early January to determine if the doctors will be given the authority to take over the medical decision-making for Jacob.

The doctor said during the deposition that she thinks that she should make the call—for every child in this situation.” HSLDA 11/29/11 email newsletter by Michael Farris

Karl Marx said you must destroy the family unit and power in order for socialism to thrive. 

 For more examples of the state usurping the rights of parents, go to my 5/11/11 post.

There is a treaty at the UN called the Convention Rights of a Child or the UNCRC.  Any treaty ratified by the Senate supersedes any state laws of the United States.  President Clinton approved this treaty.  The U.S. is the only country in the UN that has not yet ratified this treaty.  What is happening though, some states aren’t going to wait around and are passing state law with exact statements of the UNCRC treaty that dictate how our children are to be raised.  We need people in the NYS legislature that will not allow this to happen.  If elected ( or not), I would fight against this erosion of parental rights.

The liberty of parents to direct the upbringing and education of their children is a fundamental right.

SECTION 2

 Neither the United States nor any state shall infringe upon this right without demonstrating that its governmental interest as applied to the person is of the highest order and not otherwise served.

 SECTION 3

No treaty may be adopted nor shall any source of international law be employed to supersede, modify, interpret, or apply to the rights guaranteed by this article.

Go here to signed the petition to enact this amendment:
https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/385/personal2.asp?newsession=1&formid=signup