Tuesday, August 03, 2021

LIVE BLOGGING FROM AUGUST MULGREW TOWN HALL (Unedited)

 I have been connected in a timely manner today. Waiting for the meeting to start. We will take notes and post throughout.

Michael Mulgrew signs on at 2:05 p.m. He acknowledges Chapter 683 people work later but it is hard to get a slot with 21,000 on calls. He does work around the country with AFT. Colleagues in states with low vaccination rates are going through tough times. Members have been phenomenal. In-person learning is the best for children. Everyone knows that since the pandemic how important it is to have in-person learning. We're hoping that for the beginning up until December that this will be how we start. It's not going to be a smooth opening. There are more challenges than we thought we were going to have as of a couple of months ago. We will talk about medical accommodations too. Half will be on information and half on questions. Recording at UFT website tomorrow.

Virus

Strain causing havoc again. Meeting with independent doctors. They are not on our payroll. Strain is troubling. Working with people from hospital chains. Biggest fear is a strain will develop that is vaccine-resistant. Love the diversity in the UFT. The reason we were able to shut down the school system in 2020 and open it last fall is because we have stuck together. We will not say remote only but there needs to be a remote option. We have been telling the city this. After what our children have been through, it is imperative that we do everything we can to get kids into in-person learning. Mayor does not want a remote option. We agree we want the majority in school in-person. Doctors say to balance it toward in-person. Saying that freedom is freedom not to wear masks. Government can mandate vaccines. It is clear in law. We are not supporting that at this point. But, the only way and the fastest way out of the pandemic is for more people to be vaccinated. Our doctors telling us that. We can't say that unvaccinated people can't work. Mayor said proof of vaccine required for recreation. It is established law that a government can't mandate vaccines. It was established in 1905. Upheld many times as government has an obligation to protect the people. Those are the facts. Challenged last year in Democratic and Republican areas. It doesn't matter if it is an emergency authorization or a full authorization. We will defend our peoples' rights but we do not. Mayor has not mandated vaccination but. Teachers are mandated for testing but students can't be because there is no remote option. Test and trace people said they will try to stay to test vaccinated people. We are negotiating. We will have another town hall before school starts. Testing isn't mandated except for non-vaccinated people. DOE must make the testing available to the member during the workday or the DOE will have to give time or compensation to get it done. We have the testing capacity for 85,000 per week. Doctors say unvaccinated more likely to get and spread COVID than vaccinated. Strain we are now dealing with is more problematic than the strains we have had to go through. Prioritizing the non-vaccinated to be tested.

Governor

Attorney General's report has come out. It's pretty damning. NYSUT held a meeting about it. Governor says the report was all political that women misjudged him. We are basically saying he is unfit for office at this point. If it was a teacher, they would no longer be involved in education after an investigation. Governor said he was considering mandating vaccines for teachers. It is hard to deal with the governor's office today because of the report. They are preoccupied with sexual harassment which the attorney general says has happened.

Federal

Set policies to get people vaccinated. Make it more and more difficult to move around and do different things in life if unvaccinated. We go by what our doctors tell us. They tell us more people need to get vaccinated. 97% of breakthroughs do not lead to serious illness and the other 3% on breakthroughs have other underlying conditions. We are opening in September. Building Response Teams are the key piece. We will do training before school. It can't be "I don't want to be vaccinated or I don't want to wear a mask." Take a deep breath. Look at what we have to still accomplish. People criticize teacher unions. We set up remote classes and then we opened up during a pandemic. Enemies want to use things against us. 

September

Thanks thousands getting trained on what we are trying to implement in September. Five point plan. We have intervention teams, massive summer school that is staying safe, small piece on a pilot on lower class size. We have tried to legislate lower class size in NYC schools but courts have sided with city. Came up with changing the NYC health code and we think we will survive the court challenge. Planning process will start in September. We had a press conference and we are looking to get law passed. K-grade 10 literacy and numeracy screening of every child. Social-emotional diagnostic of every child in our school system. Students will demonstrate problematic outward behavior right away. Some will be shut down. We have a crisis team at every school. We had a building response team on paper before last summer and we made it real in every school. Crisis team becomes an important piece. Thousands have been trained. DOE has been good on this. We will do training to recognize trauma on the first two days of school. We will sent out a giant email with all of this in a couple of weeks. However, to do real diagnostic will take a couple of months. Literacy-numeracy: academic intervention team and professional learning team. Chapter leader and others who have time take these rules. Teacher center people have been trained. Most is computer-based training for a period. K-2 will probably not be on computer but will be 1 to 1. For everyone else, it will be on computer. This should not be an undue burden on everyone including schools. We want to make it as simple as possible. Schools can plan on their own. Do you want to do a pull-out program or a grade based program? Teams in schools have to put the plans together. This is not part of anyone's MOSL. Diagnostics (academic screens) start on September 27 and must be completed by October 22. Most are computer based. Makeups on last week of October. Social-emotional will start later. Mandatory masking coming unless 95% are vacccinated and virus goes down. Only 50 schools can't meet 3 feet distancing. Cafeterias will be very breezy. Hopefully by the middle of October our systems are there and we can troubleshoot. We dealt with problems like with masks and air purifiers quickly. There will be a lot of challenges this year. 

New mayor and our contract up by the beginning of next school year. We want every chapter to have a representative group on their own behalf. We are assuming Eric Adams will be mayor. We are talking to him. He knows challenges. School system opening. We can't have things from different ways because that's not how a union works. We're working with our doctors. They have gotten us through this so far. Hopes you are having a better summer than last summer. We hoped we would be beyond this. Last year it was about keeping this safe and keeping our livelihoods. This year it will be a different challenge. Schools will be a lot more crowded. Principals demanding digital classrooms but we said no. We started a collective bargaining conversation as we are technically not in an emergency at this point. Classrooms will be closed down as some of what we dealt with last year is still here. UFT showed people know how to get this done. We will fight what we need to get done to get through the pandemic. We will have fights if we have to. We are not sure whether we will have a remote option. Need a medical necessity. DOE doctors and our doctors will fight over medical accommodations. Medical accommodations this year will not mean work from home. You show courage on the job. We are different types of people. We believe life is about helping. 

Questions

Question: COVID protocols, Governor listed disinfecting protocols, random testing-how often, is there a protocol for closing a classroom or school,  if vaccinated teacher is in a closed room, do they get quarantined? 

Mulgrew Answer: Not that much of a change on cleaning protocol. DOE people have been helpful on cleaning. We did 1.2 million tests last year. That is the minimum for this year. Difference is we will have 600,000 more people in buildings.  Committing to testing each school every other week. Want people who want to get tested, tested. Classrooms will shut down. It is 3 or 4 to shut down a building if they are related to spread in the building. We will send all of this before the start of the school year. We are in conversations about vaccinated teachers' quarantining.

Question: If we are parents with children under 12, what if our kids are quarantined?

Answer: DOE is saying no CAR days if child is quarantined but this is being discussed with the Municipal Labor Council. This is a bigger issue than just the DOE as it goes through every city agency.

Question: Unvaccinated teachers will be tested in school or on our own?

Answer: Mayor mandated vaccine or testing so employees should be compensated or have tests done during the workday. Waiting for city answer as city agencies are different. City can't tell us it's complicated so the mayor has to make this happen.

Question: People with medical accommodations, will there be options in September if someone who doesn't want to get vaccinated like a leave of absence cause of COVID.

Answer: We have had these conversations with the city. Our position is people should have the option for a leave. This is important as we are supporting someone's individual rights. We are working on that.

Question: If students refuse to wear a mask, what happens as there is no remote option? Teachers Choice?

Answer: Teachers Choice is on the books. Divide pot of money by how money by how many people are eligible. Mike Sill comes on to say spending can begin on August 1. We will have the specific amount per titles as soon as possible. We have asked the city the mask question as to what we will do if kids refuse to wear masks and the city said they will get back to us on that issue. City has to be able to enforce mask mandate. 

Question: Programming, should we be programming based on kids changing classes or staying in the same room?

Answer: You need to make sure the 3 foot rule is being implemented. Many schools using non traditional space as classrooms. In high schools it will be a big challenge as students move from class to class. It is a larger scale this year as compared to last. How you are making 3-foot distance rule work is a building issue.

Question: Protocols for isolation room?

Answer: We haven't heard that isolation rooms are being removed. Last year building response team covered this. We will train building response teams on this. We have done that work last year and building response teams will make decisions.

Question: Person who was on the float on the everyday heroes parade-what efforts are made that there is a permanent school nurse in every building?

Answer: It is a huge effort and this is one of Eric Adams' main priorities. We hope to have it done by this September but we should have it done by next September.

Question: Jay Werner from Solidarity: Arbitration for spring break?

Answer: City is upset that we filed it and they are upset that we are getting legislation on class size. Mayor made us work and now he has an obligation to compensate us. This one will be scheduled by the end of September. Mayor will say the governor made us do it and then he will say we got 4 CAR days and we have a piece of paper he signed that said we could go for full compensation and we are doing that.

Question: Google Classroom, told to set it up in email?

Answer: Forward to District Rep or UFT President as this is not a mandate. We have to get back to basic labor laws and collective bargaining. People don't have to do it. It was their choice before COVID emergency. This is a collective bargaining issue now. 

Question: Diagnostic analysis, who is responsible for that?

Answer: Professional learning team that has to be in each school and has to have majority UFT on team as we want schools to come up with plan based on our training. Inform us if it isn't done the right way. This has to be done as part of instructional time, that is work time. These are diagnostics, it is more like proctoring. It is what we do when we get the information that is important. School has to come up with plan. If something becomes problematic, you need to let us know. Specific people go to specific schools. We will have models when the school year begins. Doing it computer based, which is 90% of it but then it is how we react to the data. It is not high stakes. 

Question: 3 feet distance, what will happen for lunch as non-traditional space is being used for classrooms?

Answer: We had craziness in summer school with masks and social distancing. Expectation in a large system is we will have some problems. Are cafeteria workers coming into classrooms and putting people further apart? If something is not right, contact the Union.

Question: Can we get a video on how to best ventilate a classroom, particularly in cold weather?

Answer: We did that last year and we will put out the video again. Video explains what it is like in each type of building. We want schools retrofitted with federal money for ventilation and green schools. Zero School on Staten Island is using less energy than it produces. Video will be out.

Question: Itinerant teacher, how will that work for us? Would we get tested in every school or would we need to be tested in each school?

Answer: They can't put you in crowded places. You will get a whole load of PPE. Team of people working on that. Need to be tested if not vaccinated. We have a good working relationship with test and trace people. Rules changed under COVID and they ramped up testing. 

Question: Per session retro checks, when are they coming out?

Answer: Michael Sill says they are coming in the next couple of weeks. It is August 17 for active members.

Question: Early Retirement Incentive, will it have to start over?

Answer: City unions are all disappointed. The city was afraid too many people would retire. Many new hires already. NYSUT attacked for not supporting mandatory vaccines but on ERI, we don't know how many kids are coming back. We will know on September 15 and October 31. Extra funding will run out in two years. There might be another opportunity in a year or two. Many hours went into the ERI and we were all sad. Sorry, we couldn't get it done. Sponsors in Albany are upset too. If we see the opportunity, we will do it again. 

Thanks everyone for taking the time on an August afternoon. Questions help Mulgrew and the Union. We will have another town hall before school begins. Hope it is a better summer than last year. Hope you are all safe. Thankful NYC has all of you to take care of its children. Be well be safe. 


For those who want to listen to the town hall recording, click here.

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do we know anything yet about class size and social distancing in the classrooms for the fall. (Cannot social distance in a class of 34).

Anonymous said...

What about getting paid money owed to us?
Are we expected to work without getting paid?

Two days of pay for each day of unpaid wages equals 10 days pay, and add interest.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew states that, "Cafeterias are gonna be breezy in September". He also claims that there are going to be state of the art cleaning systems installed in every cafeteria. Those statements simply means that they are gonna pack in tons of kids into the cafeterias like pre-covid. My prediction is that there will be leaked photos to the press of packed cafeterias, hallways, and gyms during the first week of school.

Anonymous said...

Did you forget?the press hates us.why would they care?

Anonymous said...

What is the point of a nurse when they ignore Covid symptoms and every step of protocol. Honestly, a nurse is NOT QUALIFIED to diagnose or rule out covid.

nerd said...

Mulgrew is nothing but a DOE rag doll.In Everything he says usually involves a "we've talked the city about it...." Then he praises the teachers for all we've done and thanks us for our service.

*We don't even have a "contract." We have a "memorandum of agreement."
* We didn't get to vote on the pandemic changes to the memorandum of agreement. It was agreed to behind closed doors.
*There's no reason the compensation money for the lost spring break money should still in discussion.
*There's no reason we should have have had our retro delayed. The fact the city even
attempted to seize it shows how spineless the union is.
*We took a percentage cut in the TDA while the principals' union didn't
*We're about to see the retirees get screwed on healthcare which will one day be us.
* An observation system was agreed to. The rest of the state got them waived.

Anonymous said...

THis is why I never went into administration. You have to be insane to want to be a principal. Good luck to them, but they aren't getting any sympathy from me. They chose that job.

Anonymous said...

Relating to Cuomo, can we use him as an excuse to get out of a 3020 hearing when a student accused one of us teacher looks at her the
“WRONG” way?

Unknown said...

Finally, someone stood up and called the Union out. I've been saying this for years. I've been a Chapter Leader for 27 years and the Union never supported the teachers.

Anonymous said...

Being the head of the union should not give you a free get out of teaching pass.
I want Mulgrew in the class room teaching. Teaching two classes a day is not asking a lot
and he would have a better understanding of what teachers actually go through on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

Mulgrew is a spineless jellyfish.

Here he is with his bro:

https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Alice-In-Wonderland-Tweedle-Dee-and-Tweedle-Dum-Posters_i6093857_.htm?sizesMoveExp=true

Ani said...

Class size is the same unless you are part of the pilot program. Above he said there are very few schools that can’t do the distancing.

Anonymous said...

Lol aboutvposters.hed be a lousyvteacher..out of touch with people.teens see thru bs

Bronx ATR said...

Now Mulgrew speaks out against Cuomo - how brave and awe inspiring Mulgrew’s leadership is. Now that the report is out he doesn’t think we can work with him. Mulgrew and the UFT would, could and will work with any despicable character and have no qualms about doing so. Indeed there are many commonalities to be found with those that run the UFT. Narcissism, greed, top down governance and always poor acting skills when selling their lies.

ATR 25/55 said...

Two facts to consider.
1) A vaccination gives you antibodies to fight off a disease. The other way to get antibodies is to by surviving the disease (well over 97% survival rate.) So why would people with natural antibodies need a vaccination?

2) Around 66% of blacks in NYC are unvaccinated. Good luck telling them they can't participate in public activities in the city.

James Eterno said...


Yes, you should be vaccinated regardless of whether you already had COVID-19. That’s because experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible—although rare—that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again. Studies have shown that vaccination provides a strong boost in protection in people who have recovered from COVID-19. Learn more about why getting vaccinated is a safer way to build protection than getting infected.

If you were treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you should wait 90 days before getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Talk to your doctor if you are unsure what treatments you received or if you have more questions about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

If you or your child has a history of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults or children (MIS-A or MIS-C), consider delaying vaccination until you or your child have recovered from being sick and for 90 days after the date of diagnosis of MIS-A or MIS-C. Learn more about the clinical considerations people with a history of multisystem MIS-C or MIS-A.

Experts are still learning more about how long vaccines protect against COVID-19. CDC will keep the public informed as new evidence becomes available.

Bronx ATR said...

If you really want to get down to it, as there is no vaccine for those 12 years old and under (and not expected until mid-winter), they should not be in person in schools and their teachers and the general staffs of those schools should not be subjected to them. Will Mulgrew stand up and say it? Would deBlasio agree? Never. I believe everyone should have a vaccine and all retail establishments and every facet of life should require proof of it. That’s for the MTA, theaters, restaurants, schools, private industry – all of it. If vaccines cannot be mandated, then those who choose not to get a vaccine are going to have to try to live like an illegal alien and “it’s no fun being’ an illegal alien”, even during Biden’s administration, although it may create some empathy for them.

Anonymous said...

I dont think any Democrat in power should call for Cuomo to resign. Not while we have RepublicN leadership providing cover for Trump.

Anonymous said...

#11:31 Seriously? Oh SURE we saw whites all over the country complying with lockdown and mask rules. Not sure why you're singling out blacks when you certainly couldnt tell Trump's base ghat they couldnt participated in activities. I get it, you re a racist.

Bronx ATR said...

1:08, Two wrongs don’t make a right. Trump’s gone, remove him from your head or charge him rent, although it may be difficult as Biden is trying for an eviction moratorium. Remember one thing - Cuomo is the devil. Of all the politicians around the country, Como is the most like Trump - in personality, leadership style and overwhelming narcissistic tendencies. I’ll give Trump credit for not changing his moral direction on a dime when it suits him, as Cuomo has done time and time again for political opportunity. Everything good that’s come out of ‘The Real Italian’ has come since the accusations started. I suppose his nemesis deBlasio will be running for governor next. Oh joy.

Anonymous said...

1:53 Trump is gone? Says who? You? He's still holding influence over his enablers and offices around the country. So like I said, as long as Republican leadership continues to cover for him in CURRENT times I dont support any Democrat calling for Cuomo's removal. My opinion, not yours. Just as I think that "giving credit" to someone for remaining morally despicable 100% of the time is ridiculous. Nobody is a bigger self-serving devil than Trump.

Anonymous said...

P.s. two wrongs don't make a right, but it damn sure makes it even.

Anonymous said...

1:11 We are talking about nyc, where you work and maybe live, not the rest of the country.

Anonymous said...

3:04 who is "we". YOU are the one making it into a black thing. Blacks weren't any less, or more complaints than anyone else. In fact I remember last Sept. returning to a busy black neighborhood and was surprised to see they even wore the masks walking down the street. So little racist, you still lose.

Anonymous said...

LOL, more than 8 months later and you liberals are still obsessed with the orange man.

Bronx ATR said...

1:53,2:23, Well I have to disagree with you. Cuomo is 1000 times worse than Trump. He hates us, that’s if you are a teacher, as I am assuming you are. He is a hypocrite on every level, including morally. Marijuana was a gateway drug to him until he could use it to his advantage politically by legalizing it. Same with bail reform, same with expunging records and the list goes on and on. He’s a church going Catholic and signed into law partial birth abortions - you know the one which tears the limbs off the baby as it’s being born alive and crushes the child’s head with forceps purposely. Here’s some more things in case you have forgotten what he’s done to us as a group of educators:
Dramatically increasing the state's role in teacher evaluations and stripping away local control. The weight of state tests would increase from 20 percent to 50 percent. And, in a stunning lack of trust for all district professionals, the governor would mandate that the other half be at least two observations, with one conducted by a so-called "independent observer" - a principal or administrator from outside or within the district, a SUNY/CUNY professor or a "trained independent evaluator" from a State Education Department list.
Gutting teacher tenure. Cuomo wants teachers to remain on probationary status until they receive five consecutive "effective" ratings on their teacher evaluation. A single "developing" rating could derail a teacher's professional path. In reality, it would negate tenure and keep re-setting the clock.
Raising the cap on charter schools by 100 (to 560) and ending regional caps to make the number a statewide tally. New York City has 24 charter slots remaining under the existing system. Cuomo would also increase per-pupil funding for charters by $75.
-Giving SED the power to put failing schools or even districts into receivership, with broad powers, further eroding local control. Cuomo called for appointing nonprofit groups, school-turnaround experts, or other school districts to oversee schools that have fallen on the state's lowest performing list for three years. The law would give "receivers" the authority of local superintendents, allowing them to restructure schools, overhaul curricula and offer salary incentives. It would undercut collective bargaining agreements and contracts.
-Renewing mayoral control of New York City schools. He encouraged other cities to apply for mayoral control as well.
-Amending the 3020-a hearing process for "poor performance," creating a presumption in favor of administrators; teachers would have to prove their evaluation score was fraudulent.
-Offering $20,000 merit pay to teachers who are "legitimately rated highly effective.

The mindset of constantly trying to get even is killing this country. Justice is another thing entirely. Cuomo’s removal is justice. Keeping him from being removed because Republicans support the last Republican president is in my opinion ridiculous. I am no longer a Democrat, nor am I a Republican - I find them both equally repulsive.

waitingforsupport said...

@11:31 am
What? 34% of blacks have been vaccinated? Noooooooo. I'm getting on the black people phone channel now to report this. Im also going to tell them that Boss is about to tell us we are in lockdown again. Oh hellllll no. Damn. Thanks for the tip Boss.

Richard Aloia, Esq. said...

Natural immunity attacks tthe lipid shell of the virus. The vaccine interferes with the protein spikes. Studies have shown that the vaccine immunity response lasts longer than natural immunity. I could go on and on but just because you have natural immunity does not mean you should not get the vaccine.

Anonymous said...

5:57 you can disagree all you want and frankly I'm not reading that entire diatribe. Read a couple of lines, first and last. NOBODY is worse that Trump on a NATIONAL or GLOBAL scale. Don't care what you find equally repulsive or what you think about getting even. It's a figure of speech because it is HARDLY on the same scale of getting even, more like, just looking the other way. You don't like it? TOO BAD.

Anonymous said...

5:53 call it what you want. Sounds like TRUMP is still obsessed about losing the election. Hahahahahah.

Bronx ATR said...

I don’t like the fact that people can’t have a normal discussion anymore without the vitriol. That wasn’t a diatribe, those are the things that Cuomo has done and planned to do to the teachers in this state. I am sick of hearing about Trump constantly. And it’s not just from you - it’s from everyone. The guy’s out of office, he was voted out of office but everybody’s arguing about him like he still there. He might as well, looking at the mannequin that is there, I have to wonder who’s pulling the strings - it’s not Trump though. It’s not that I don’t like “it”, whatever it is - you gave your opinion and gave mine.

Anonymous said...

5:57 - these idiot cowards can't even stand on their own convictions. Their main argument is "black and brown people blah, blah, blah".

waitingforsupport said...

@902...
If they do, it'll be a first kinda like Musk going to the edge of space lmbo

Anonymous said...

@7:26 I really don't care that people are tired of hearing about Trump. He and his supporters continued obsessing over Obama 4 YEARS after he was out of office. And Trump is still a player so it is totally not out of place to focus on what kind of player he still is. Had they convicted him in his impeachment trial he wouldn't be allowed to run again. But if he does manage to get back in, he will definitely solidify his tyrant tendencies and will be an even bigger threat and danger to this country. So TOO BAD that anyone is so bothered by it.

You said earlier that "trying to get even is killing this country". I disagree AGAIN. Democrats are always playing defense, and trying to take the high road, and frankly I am tired of *that*. And let's not talk about "vitriol". I let it slide when you threw your little jabs about me paying to have Trump rent space in my head or whatever. You think removing Cuomo is justice. I thought removing Trump would have been justice. So what's the problem?

Not will to die yet said...

Hey you Trump supporters out there who are anti vaccine,
Trump not only was given a hundred thousand dollars worth of treatment when he caught covid in Oct , but he was also vaccinated himself.

Smarten up and get the shot. These mutations are going to spread like wild fire because of you assholes.

Anonymous said...

8:53 if you really wanted people to take the vaccine, you wouldn’t call them assholes. Vaccinated Trump voter here. The unvaccinated Trump voters I know, know about Trump’s treatment and vaccine. Those people at his rally’s that show excitement for and love of Trump don’t represent most Trump voters. We think he’s self absorbed. We don’t hang on every word he says like gospel. We liked his policies, not him. We’ve moved on to DeSantis. In my social circle vaccine hesitancy was caused by censorship. I’ve commented here before on it. When legit doctors and scientists are censored, trust in science decreases. So now if Dr. Walensky is right and the future mutations can’t be fought with current vaccines, the stage has been set for the people who’ve been called every name in the book, mocked, shunned, to be human weapons against everyone. Think about that. All they need to do is keep refusing the vaccine and if the mutations resist the vaccine, we’re all fucked. Call them assholes all you want but that’s not what someone who wants to convince them would say. I’m vaccinated and don’t trust these official scientists. The unvaccinated have less trust.

And a reminder to all you nyc unvaccinated Biden voters. Talk to your doctor. Tell them your concerns. Maybe they’ll have information that gives you a different perspective on this vaccine.

Not will to die yet said...

2:53
Thanks for your response. You opened my eyes .I can tell you are not what I thought the typical trump supporter would be like. Thanks for getting the shot.

I can understand some some one being a republican . John Mcain was sensible. But according to a Trump he was a failure bc he was captured as a prisoner of war.
This coming from a man that deferred serving our country.
You value this type of leadership?
Keep safe and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Anonymous said...

From the looks of recent events it looks like those people have become human weapons against themselves. They remind me a little of so-called independents. An arrogant bunch who pretend they don't lean one way or the other, up to the very day of the election and everyone just panders to them so their little feelings don't get hurt. One way around those refusing the vaccines is to isolate them. You don't want to get vaccinated, no one is going to force you, but you don't get to gather around the vaccinated, at least while you're in the public. That's one way to do it but not very feasible. You can speak with them nice as pie and they'll just dig their heels in like a spoiled brat that everyone's trying to convince to eat their vegetables.

Anonymous said...

6:02. Not a fan of McCain. Too pro war. But I agree. What Trump said was disgusting. McCain fought for his country and deserved respect. I always focus on what politicians do rather than what they say. Trump got elected because democrats abandoned the working class. I loathe most republicans too. DC is a swamp. With lots of elected officials who should be booted out. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Anonymous said...

6:48. Independent voters continue to increase because both parties are full of corrupt garbage. In the election for president no candidate has to campaign in NY, CA, Arkansas etc. politicians pander to swing states. If we had a party or candidate that was truly for the working and lower middle class absent identity politics, that party or candidate would win in a landslide. The republican and democrat establishment will look to destroy anything or anyone that wants to put Americans first. If NY went red in one presidential election, the democrats would trip over themselves to give us what we want. Don’t you think most people just want to be treated fairly, equally and not have 2 parents working 10 hour days to get by? Imagine a 1950’s America but with equality for gays, women and nonwhites. Thats what we’d have if I had a magic wand.

Anonymous said...

@3:10 SWOOOOOSH. That's the sound of my post going over your head. You didnt address the smugness that was the point of my post, but it gave you a chance to get on your soapbox and rattle on, so good for you.

Anon2323 said...

James who exactly are the experts Fauci and who else, CDC is a joke?

Just maybe more people would have gotten the vax if they were not making vax people having to wear masks again Or stopping Johnson & Johnson which was a terrible move to make getting vaxxed more hesitant

@1:08 🥜🥜🥜 job Rachael Maddow alert! Cuomo killed 20,000 plus with his nursing home scandal not even talking about the 11 women scandal. You are sick. Trump gave 10
million more to HBCU universities more than any other president yet he is the devil and racist 🧐🧐. Never collected 400,000, meanwhile Obama worth 100 million, shumer, waters, pelosi, nadler in office 40 years and they blame TRump. What policies did Trump have that were detrimental to our country?

@Bronx ATR usually agree with 95% of your banter, however, the forced vaccinations is wrong. Forcing nurses who do not want the vaccine to be fired, seriously? Everyone who got vaccinated stop being such a pansy-ass. 99.6% survival and you have the vaccine. They are silencing doctors and thousands of claims of side effects people have been experiencing.

https://thenewabnormal513330780.wordpress.com/2020/12/20/100000-doctors-medical-professionals-oppose-covid-19-vaccine/

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2021/06/24/doctors-from-yale-and-ucla-there-are-concerns-about-the-vaccine-officials-may-not-be-telling-you-about-n2591466

Anonymous said...

513 So focus on things like smugness while I focus on silly unimportant things like quality of life and what motivates a subset of my fellow Americans. To each his own.

Anonymous said...

@9:47 LOL. Focus on what you want that's what the blog is for. You went on a tangent over a comment responding to treating people nice in order to get the desired result. Nobody said you couldn't talk about "important things like quality of life". It was just stupid, a STRAW MAN to respond to my post to do it. Like, what the fuck does this have to do with anything I said "Don’t you think most people just want to be treated fairly, equally and not have 2 parents working 10 hour days to get by?" LMAO. But you're still on your soapbox, so carry on.

Anonymous said...

And crazed Anon2323: "Trump gave 10 million more to HBCU universities more than any other president". Why should I give a fuck that he gave more to HBCUs when he's tried, and is still trying to steal an entire fucking election. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he gave them 10 BILLION of our taxpayer dollars since he will do anything to BUY PEOPLE OFF with other people's money.

You are dumb beyond compare if you think the $400,000 he didn't "collect" means anything while he enriched his pockets with fundraising schemes, his properties, forcing the Secret Service to pay more, AND that $25 million tax forgiveness he received from New Jersey when they got sick and tired of fighting him in the courts. You are STUPID if you think $400,00 is anything to a billionaire schemer.

What policies did he enact that were detrimental? Ha! This blog won't even let me post them all but here's a few, and most are from the FIRST 100 DAYS only. But you're stuck on stupid so I doubt you'll be able to process any of this information:

"Repealed the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which ensured that federal contractors complied with worker protection laws before receiving government contracts."

"Supported efforts in Congress to cut taxes on the wealthy that help fund the Affordable Care Act, or ACA."

"Based on President Trump’s leaked 2005 Tax Return Form 1040, repealing the ACA could give Trump a personal tax cut of more than $2 million."

"Made it harder for veterans to find jobs with a federal hiring freeze."

"Proposed $6.7 billion cut to housing and community support programs. President Trump’s budget would eliminate the Community Development Block Grant, which is used by 1,265 local communities for important initiatives such as Meals on Wheels, neighborhood rehabilitation, the development of affordable housing, job training, and business expansion"

"Eliminated pollution standards for power plants and oil and gas facilities. In his final term, President Obama established the first-ever carbon pollution standards for power plants and the first-ever methane standards for oil and gas drilling facilities."

"Repealed anti-bribery rule to the delight of the oil industry."

"Sopped rules that would limit dumping toxins from power plants. Trump’s EPA is stopping rules that would limit the dumping of toxins, such as mercury and arsenic"

"Nominated an EPA administrator who denies scientific proof of climate change."

"Made it easier for fugitives to buy guns. The Department of Justice issued new guidance resolving this dispute by adopting ATF’s interpretation and dramatically narrowing the category of individuals with active criminal warrants who will be prohibited from buying guns."

"Undermined the ACA marketplace."

"Stripped Title X funding. With Vice President Mike Pence’s tie-breaking vote, the Senate voted to overturn Obama era protections for Title X providers. T

"Nominated the highly unqualified and anti-public school Betsy DeVos as secretary of education."

"Rescinded the Obama administration’s regulations that supported improving teacher preparation programs."


"In May 2018, President Donald Trump signed executive orders mandating stricter deadlines and procedures when federal workers collectively negotiated new contracts, curbing on-the-clock time for union duties as well as giving some under-performing workers tight time frames to boost their performance."

Anonymous said...

Obama gave us Race to the Top which directly tied us to test scores. Obama gave us John King and Arne Duncan both in favor of keeping us tied to test scores and judging us by bullshit standards. Trump didn’t give teachers a second thought. Obama was the worst for teachers.

Anonymous said...

Oh please. That's all you've got? Thanks for confirming you've got nothing. What do you want to tie teachers to? Nothing? No observations, no test scores. Just let students graduate without knowing how to read or write, and meet any type of standards. Yeah, that's a good idea. NOT!