Mehlville School District's Prop C

It's like deja-vu, all over again.
Yogi Berra


The Mehlville School District lost another tax levy election. And they lost it by almost a 2-1 margin. That stinks. For many people today, it’s a time to second-guess or to blame others for the loss. Some will celebrate, having stood by their low tax principles or just showing off their power to control events.
For me, I’ll just try to get over my sense of deja-vu for it was five years ago that the district went before the voters with a tax levy. It was soundly defeated. I remember shortly after the loss, Tom Diehl speaking during the open comment portion of the school board meeting. He admonished the board for even attempting the levy request in a poor economy. He told us the almost 2 to 1 vote against it was a rebuke of the board for our arrogance and poor decisions. Tom was wrong then and he should apologize.
The reason the district loses an election like this are many, but you can’t just blame our school board. You can’t just blame the Call Newspapers. You have to take a long look at those who criticize the district for their own benefit. It’s a shame, but this has been going on for a very long time and until we recognize this fact and deal with these people who hurt our schools and our children, it will continue.

Diehl vs Fred Weber Court Case Paused for Settlement

Things are looking good for Tom Diehl and his wife Barbara as his SLAP case against Weber has been paused for settlement. Diehl's attorney has succesfully gotten this thing to court and I'm guessing Weber doesn't want to risk a big payout by a sympathetic St. Louis City jury.

22052-07589-01 - DIEHL VS FRED WEBER INC

10/18/2010 Docket Entry: Memorandum Filed
Text: CAUSE PASSED FOR SETTLEMENT. SO ORDERED JUDGE MICHAEL MULLEN #39719

Docket Entry: Settlement Conf Scheduled
Associated Events: 12/10/2010 , 09:00:00 - Settlement Conference

Call Newspaper Owner Bill Milligan Finally Pleads Guilty

090164079 - ST V WILLIAM T MILLIGAN

The reckless jerk finally plead guilty yesterday. I hope his lawyer got cash up front.

10/12/2010 Docket Entry: Guilty Plea
Associated Docket Entries: 08/30/2010 - Hearing Continued/Rescheduled

Associated Docket Entries: 08/30/2010 - Traffic Appearance Scheduled

Associated Events: 10/12/2010 , 09:00:00 - Traffic Appearance

Docket Entry: TR Viol Costs Taxed(no sher)CC

Social Security: Clip 'n Save

Social Security Facts: Clip 'n Save
by: Yellow Dog
Thu Oct 07, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM CDT
Social Security bamboozlement is moving into high gear for the last month of election season. Don't expose yourself to repug lies without protection.
From Digby:


Do yourself a favor and print this out. Or memorize it. Read it at least. It is written by Paul N. Van de Water, a Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where he specializes in Medicare, Social Security, and health coverage issues:

In a new paper, I've tried to correct some of the misinformation that critics of Social Security have been spreading about the program.
Here are the facts. Social Security is a well-run, fiscally responsible program. People earn retirement, survivors, and disability benefits by making payroll tax contributions during their working years. Those taxes and other revenues are deposited in the Social Security trust funds, and all benefits and administrative expenses are paid out of the trust funds. The amount that Social Security can spend is limited by its payroll tax income plus the balance in the trust funds.

The Social Security trustees - the official body charged with evaluating the program's long-term finances - project that Social Security can pay 100 percent of promised benefits through 2037 and about three-quarters of scheduled benefits after that, even if Congress makes no changes in the program. Relatively modest changes would put the program on a sound financial footing for 75 years and beyond.

Nonetheless, some critics are attempting to undermine confidence in Social Security with wild and blatantly false accusations. They allege that the trust funds have been "raided" or disparage the trust funds as "funny money" or mere "IOUs." Some even label Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" after the notorious 1920s swindler Charles Ponzi. All of these claims are nonsense.

Every year since 1984, Social Security has collected more in payroll taxes and other income than it pays in benefits and other expenses. (The authors of the 1983 Social Security reform law did this on purpose in order to help pre-fund some of the costs of the baby boomers' retirement.) These surpluses are invested in U.S. Treasury securities that are every bit as sound as the U.S. government securities held by investors around the globe; investors regard these securities as among the world's very safest investments.

Investing the trust funds in Treasury securities is perfectly appropriate. The federal government borrows funds from Social Security to help finance its ongoing operations in the same way that consumers and businesses borrow money deposited in a bank to finance their spending. In neither case does this represent a "raid" on the funds. The bank depositor will get his or her money back when needed, and so will the Social Security trust funds.

As far back as 1938, independent advisors to Social Security firmly endorsed the investment of Social Security surpluses in Treasury securities, saying that it does "not involve any misuse of these moneys or endanger the safety of these funds."

Moreover, Social Security is the "polar opposite of a Ponzi scheme," says the man who quite literally wrote the book about Ponzi's famous scam, Boston University professor Mitchell Zuckoff. The Social Security Administration's historian has a piece on this topic as well.

Unlike the frauds of Ponzi - and, more recently, Bernard Madoff - Social Security does not promise unrealistically large financial returns and does not require unsustainable increases in the number of participants to remain solvent. Instead, for the past 75 years it has provided a foundation that workers can build on for retirement as well as social insurance protection to families whose breadwinner dies and workers who become disabled.


See how simple that is?

Oktober Court Fest

22052-07589-01 - DIEHL VS FRED WEBER INC
Associated Events: 10/18/2010 , 08:00:00 - Jury Trial
Docket Entry: Jury Trial Scheduled
Associated Events: 10/18/2010 , 08:59:00 - Jury Trial
Docket Entry: Ord Transfer P/Judge for Assn
Text: Cause assigned to Division # 02 for trial. So Ordered: David L. Dowd, Judge
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
9/28/2010

This email is to inform you of an upcoming court event involving the defendant WILLIAM MILLIGAN and court case number 090164079, speeding in excess of 20 mph over posted limit. A(n) Traffic Appearance has been scheduled for 10/12/2010 at 9:00 AM. This will take place in Saint Louis, Circuit Division 38 Courtroom located at: Saint Louis County Court Building at 7900 Carondelet Avenuein Clayton, MO 63105.
If you plan to attend the hearing, be sure to check with the prosecutor's office to make sure the hearing is still set. You should telephone the day before the hearing, as last minute continuances are often granted. For more information, contact the office responsible for this case. The telephone number is (314)615-8029.

This notification is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. It
is our hope that this information has been helpful to you.

Thank you,

MOVANS

Mehlville Firefighter Fundraiser

9/27/2010

South County Mike

What a wonderful weekend it was for the members of IAFF Local 1889 and so many caring and sharing residents of our area who, along with many others, attended the barbecue – car show fundraiser for Corporal Todd Nicely – USMC. Corporal Nicely is the young warrior who lost four limbs in March after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan. Great weather, food, and fellowship graced all the wonderful people who came out to give to this brave young man who gave so much for our country and each of us. I understand that this two day event raised $30,000.00 for this wounded warrior and his family.

The only negative I can think of was the absence of any MFPD vehicles being displayed amongst equipment from numerous fire departments or districts. The MFPD Board of Directors and Fire Chief chose not to attend, support, or participate in any way. Lemay Fire Chief Neil Svetanics stepped in to present Corporal Nicely with an Honorary Firefighter Helmet – fulfilling the young man’s lifelong dream. Now that the Administration of the MFPD has embarrassed themselves beyond redemption in the eyes of many – what will they do next? I offer up a suggestion. The MFPD Board of Directors should stop patting themselves on the back for building fire houses “with a tax decrease” – because while so many of us were having fun at the event raising money for the wounded warrior you were at a meeting raising our tax rate for the 3rd year in a row! Maybe the MFPD Board should stop their spending frenzy and realize the best asset and investment the MFPD has is the caring men and women who carefully planned and produced this event for this young hero in hopes that he and his family could have additional resources to meet the years of challenge that awaits them. The compassion and concern for this young man demonstrated by IAFF Local 1889 members, their families, and all who supported this effort – especially Faith Lutheran Church who generously opened its doors and property up for this function – reinforces what I already knew. Now, as in the past, the men and women who staff the equipment owned by the District are the ones who make the District what it is – not the equipment or the firehouse it sits in.

In closing, I might add that I didn’t see any thugs, bullies or ax-murderers. I also didn’t see any representatives from the Oakville Gall. They must have followed the Board of Directors and Chiefs lead in finding something more important to do. I would guarantee that whatever they chose to do was not nearly as rewarding as the premier event I attended.

Thanking who participated, I remain

Dennis C. Skelton

Update for Fundraiser for Corporal Todd Nicely This Weekend

It sounds like the whole community is really getting into the fundraiser this weekend.
The guys will be out BBQing from 11am to 7pm on Friday and 11am to 4pm on Saturday.
They'll be at Faith Lutheran Church at Erb and Telegraph.

This is going to be a great event for a great cause!

I'm told 18 fire departments in the area are providing equipment and at 1pm on Saturday there will be a very special ceremony.

Please share with your e-mail lists and tell them the food's a great deal as well.
1/2 Chicken dinner $8.00 Porksteak Dinner $7.00
Brat(2) Dinner $6.00 1/4 hotdogs $2.00