Roberta M Roy

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

PakistaniTerrorism-Pakistani Flood Relief

When a man I know experiences difficulty comprehending the complexities of a problem, he'll say he's having a 'tough time wrapping his head around it'--about my same assessment of the Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan question. Yours, too?

Being neither a politician nor a military tactician, for a long time I would ponder 'the situation in Iraq'. Or in Afghanistan. Or Pakistan. But a dam broke in the way I would thereafter reference them when I finished reading War by Sebastian Junger. Since that time I link the three areas together--knowing all the time full well in my heart that I should be considering all the Middle East Countries--even the whole world--as part of the fabric of the question. Except for now it is as far as my naivete will, in one fell swoop, let me go. So it has become for me the Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan question. (Meantime I flail around in search of some acronym to abbreviate such joint reference.To date I the best I have been able to come up with is the 'IRAFPAK Question'.)

In Iraq the draw down promised the Americans by President Obama is complete. So there we are down--I use the term loosely--down to 50,000 American military support personnel--with slightly fewer than a thousand more expected to arrive from NATO countries. This reportedly translates into its being up to the Iraquis; may they find their way to establishing a stable government, peace, and reconstruction.

And why shouldn't they? Surely they have the intelligence to do so. And surely they must see this as a first priority. But do they? All I can say is, our blessings on them and all who are there to support them.

Now on to our troops in Afghanistan where Pakistanis continue to provide a seemingly unending mass of terrorists in support of the Afghani insurgency. Over the mountains from Pakistan they flow into the Korengal Valley, unendingly complicating the possibility of peace in Afghanistan.

The reasons for the Pakistani's choosing to war in Afghanistan continue to elude me. I say this especially now when floods in Pakistan have reportedly affected 20 million people. Can you imagine?

Written out--but rarely written out due to the practice of not writing out round numbers--that translates to 20,000,000 displaced, homeless, starving, injured, or dead--a number the equivalent of 1 in 10 to 15 of Americans if it were to be associated with the population in the United States, which brings me to my central observations/questions.

Why are we in Afghanistan fighting insurgents when we would be better using those same troops and funds to help out in Pakistan? And why are the Pakistani terrorists still coming over the hills into Afghanistan, further justifying the need for American support there? Don't the Pakistani terrorists have friends and family in any of the flooded areas? Don't they care about their own people--even those who are not blood relatives?

And why doesn't everyone in Afghanistan or Pakistan--regardless of their country of origin--just lay down their weapons, pick up shovels, and go to save those yet caught in the flooded areas of Pakistan or to build homes for the displaced?

Do you get it? I can't.

Roberta in Po-Town, Dumbfounded

11:47 am edt Comments

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Iraq, the NYS Budget, At-Home Soccer, and Unions

Well, Obama's on target for the Iraqi draw down, except NATO is dragging its feet in providing a promised seventy-eight or so military trainers for use in preparing the Iraqi Army to manage the safety of its own country. This, then, leaves the risk that if NATO does not move fast enough, the USA will become impatient and instead of just muttering to itself, will send representatives from our military in their stead. I hope not. We've already have too many caught up in this 'peace-keeping' phase, which is very likely to last for years.

And now that the NYST budget is passed--with ten per cent across the board cuts, the good news is that, as hoped, the Congress has come through with monies to supplement the costs of Medicaid and education in the State. I think this means that now we are looking to tighten our belts in education and Medicaid funded areas with more like a five than ten per cent across the board budget cut.

Now my gut reaction remains that in formulation of the NYS Budget, Governor Paterson provided effective leadership; the NYS employees and public service areas got effective come-comeuppance for refusing to voluntarily accept cuts anywhere; and residents must feel more secure about their future as it was all done without any borrowing. I like that.

Whew! The heat wave has finally broken here in the Northeast. I got to spend the morning beneath the trees witnessing my ten and six year-old grandsons strut their stuff in a number of head-to-head soccer games while enjoying the cool breeze! So refreshing. Not to mention the fun of all the howling and hooting that naturally accompanied so many of the side kicks, front kicks, goals, and fakes the boys made--having refined them over the week at a Red Bulls' soccer camp--and today had on full display. Oh, and of course, the slides and roll-overs sprinkled throughout, if for no other reason than the effect.

Jis'gotta'luv'em.

(Jis' is Dutchess County New York dialect. Short for just.)

Meantime, at work there unrolls a kind of slow drama. The Astor Learning Center where I am a speech-language pathologist is unionizing. As a private school, rather than being controlled by the Taylor Law, which gives State employees the right to organize, it's right to organize a union is assured under the The National Labor Relations Act which was passed in 1935. Under it, my dad became an organizer for the first union in the Hudson Valley--at Schatz Federal Bearing. They struck for two years in and about 1938-39 and won, although not without great cost.

So given union elections for private schools are assured under the NLRA of 1935, ours will be supervised and conducted by National Labor Relations Board. For a union to be established in a work place unit, it is required that thirty per cent of the work force for the potential unit vote yes. I believe that at this time, about eighty per cent or higher of the employees have signed cards essentially committing to a yes-vote in support of the establishment of a union. From the looks of it, the union unit will probably to include the teaching assistants, school related professionals and paraprofessionals, and teachers.

As the yes-vote commitment cards have been signed, ALC now enters a forty day waiting period, at the end of which the NRLB will come in and conduct the election. Given the high interest at the ALC in the establishment of a union, the likelihood of one being established there is strong. But more anon.

As for the effect of a union in the workplace, I used to have a supervisor who would say, a strong union is good not only for the employees, but also for the employer. His explanation was that it was a lot easier to negotiate with one person than with everyone on the staff--whenever anyone took it into his or her head to lodge a complaint.

As for unions in Dutchess County, I live in a town of contrasts. That's because while Poughkeepsie was home to what was probably the first union in New York State at Shatz Federal Bearing, it is also home home to IBM which--despite its size and the number of units that might organize--unionization has never occurred.

The original impetus for IBM to not organize was provided by Thomas J.Watson, IBM's first president, who headed off the need for unionizing by providing decent pay, generous benefits, and job security. But with so many jobs being drained off to places like India and, I hear now, possibly China and Africa, even if the benefits remain great--and I am not sure they do--I am quite sure that job security is nowhere what it used to be.

Roberta in Po-Town, Musin'

11:45 pm edt Comments

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Blogging, draw downs, spills, budgets, and weddings

Having passed the paper anniversary of my blog, I celebrate the beginning its second year. Thanks to all of you who have dropped by and special thanks to those who've stayed. Of the two hundred and more who come by monthly, some stop but once, others several times. Like butteflies, they light briefly only to return later that month. They like my rocky garden here among the leafy growth and lily of the valley.

Beyond my garden, a world of smoke and mirrors. By months end, forces in Iraq down 90,000 from January 2009 with forces in Afghanistan up 30,000--with a bemoaned draw down to begin there a year from now--while a transitional force of 50,000 stay on in Iraq. And when all the balls settle from the air, the actual difference in troops in the two countries to the best of my count is, overall, a draw down of 30,000. And I ask myself is there something wrong with this picture? Why did I think a draw down would be 90,000 from the two theatres? Why was I so confused as to think of them as one? Was there really anything wrong in my doing so?

Now the chess pieces move from a corridor in Iraq--where deaths were fewer--to one in Afghanistan--where deaths increase as more of our military fall. Surely this cannot be what I wanted--what I had in mind when Obama said a draw down of 90,000. Am I alone in this thought. Surely not.

Yet hope springs anew that the Gulf oil spill has been topped and stopped. Hopefully forever.

And New York State now has a budget! Relying on spending cuts while avoiding borrowing, last night New York State passed its 2011 budget. Although 125 days late, it have been worth the fight as reputedly it will close the $9.2 billion deficit, eliminating the likelihood of New York claiming bankruptcy any time in the near future. Definitely news to applaud.

To reach that goal, the eventual receipt by New York State of $1.1 billion in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage money was assumed. Should, however, Congress fail to increase Medicaid financing as anticipated, then the plan is to save more than $1 billion in uniform, across-the-board cuts to state programs.

Definite at this time in the plan, however, is the removal of state sales tax exemptions on purchases of clothes and footwear of less than $110 value. Although school shopping should be done by the October 1 effective date, this tax increase--which will impact the less wealthy and larger families hardest--alone should raise $330 million.

Another $1 billion is expected to be raised by an increase in taxes on video gambling machines and the increased revenue likely to be generated by permitting casinos to stay open later. Also, charitable deductions for those who make $10 million or more will be reduced.

Out-of-state hedge fund managers who commute to New York will still have their performance incentives taxed federally as capital gains at 15 percent. (Lucky guys.)--(But hey, we don't want them taking their business out of state. We saw what happened last time to our coffers when the incentives and bonuses dropped due to the bottoming out on Wall Street.)

Then there is the expansion of tax breaks for film production companies. Hopefully it will enhance not only the image of New York as a film-making capital, but also the opportunities for employment in the state for that industry, which BTW--should any desire a beautiful view of the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain--I highly recommend checking out the possibility of locating in Port Henry, New York where trekkies already have their own well-developed set and gathering place.

But on to lighter things: Over the weekend in Rhinebeck, New York, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky exchanged vows in a story book wedding that turned the town on its ear with excitement and preparation. All that week prior through the day following there were the constant reports of sightings of Hillary or Bill or Madeline. Even stories of how many of the Mezvinskys chose to stay in an elite but quiet bed and breakfast--where one of the staff in the school where I do therapy managed to grab a part time job on the hope some of the Clintons might also stay there. And my son and one of my grandsons wound up in some of the Bill Clinton in Rhinebeck UTube and TV clips. (My son is the guy with dark beard and a camera. My grandson is that handsome blond boy with the longish locks.) As for me, I had hoped to do a book signing at the Zen Dog on the day of the big event, but I was unable to pull it off as they do not open until August 8.

Roberta in Po-Town, Schleppin'

10:47 pm edt Comments

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Here you're suppose to learn about my personal life, my love of learning, the dog I don't have, my house that sits empty on a hill in Port Henry 'cause on the one hand I don't want to sell it, 'cause I love it too much, but on the other hand, I never seem to find the time to get there anymore but I haven't found a buyer. Of course I haven't been looking either. Too busy with Jolt. Also this site is still under construction so I probably won't get to selling it this month either. Well, that means, at least I can run up there over Labor Day and party with all my friends and neighbors there which is enough to make me want to hurry up and finish this so I can get ready to leave.

Here I am supposed to write more about myself and think about putting a picture of myself someplace below, except I put the picture in before I did anything else because I thought I was suppose to get rid of the butterfly but it didn't, which is probably just as well because I like the butterfly better. That's because it doesn't make me feel exposed like the black dress I'm wearing below does. The reason I chose that picture is because my sister C. thinks it's about the best picture of me I ever had taken. That's because I'm more mature now and most pictures look awful because they really look just like me. Of course C. thinks the one below does and all the other ones don't. Which a bit of a trip in itself. But what is there to say? And I'm glad she took it. R.