I know that what is happening to me has happened to others, and I know that this is going to come across as very "poor, poor, pitiful me," but I am going to write it anyway.  I grew up in a middle class family, and I remained middle class.  I married a good man with a good job at Ford Motor Co., but not an executive.  I taught school for a few years after we got married and was lucky enough to be able to stay at home and raise my kids for thirteen years.  We did not live high off the hog, but we didn't want for anything.  We enjoyed a very moderate lifestyle.  I returned to work at a time when my kids were all in school, and I was looking to be someone other than a wife and mom.  It was also a time when our financial state needed a bit of a boost, because kids are expensive.  My income did not provide us with luxuries but it enabled us to maintain a moderate lifestyle, and not want for anything.  Throughout those years and until now, while some years were definitely better than others, we never felt poor.  I remember saying to a friend, that we would be all right in retirement because we didn't need much.  I always thought we would be all right.  So here I am today with a job that I always thought was a good job.  I actually have loved my job and have been very good at it, and it has provided us with an income that has allowed us to continue to live a moderate lifestyle, but no more.  I now find myself in a profession that is reviled and more difficult to do effectively than ever before.  With all of the changes that will happen due to budget cuts I will not love my job, but more than that I won't be able to do it well.  I will be given more work to do, my resource to complain about unfair and unsafe working conditions will be taken away, and I will be making much, much less.  Making much, much less will impact how we live.  My husband is retired, my pay cut and paying 20% for my benefits will take us from middle class to poor.  We never over extended, but we did count on what we had still being there near the end of my working life and into retirement, but it is being snatched away by the greed that runs this state and this country.  Now I know that others are far, far worse off, and I know that those who are now worse off will be more devastated, so that bodes these questions;  Why doesn't anyone care?  Why are there people so unaware?  Why are those in office allowed to steamroll legislation through Congress that so impacts the lives of  so many, and those affected and unaffected are doing nothing?  Why is all of what is happening in the state legislature even considered legal?  Why are those upper class  people, living very cushy lifestyles so very happy with this administration?   I could go on and on, but by now I hope you get the point; we are being screwed and guess what?  We just keep turning over. 

Rosemary

With thanks to Dr. Suess.

I do not like that Snyder man.
I do not like him Sam I am.
I will vote for whom I can,
it will not be that Snyder man.

All those friends of Snyder man?
I do not like them Sam I am.
I will vote for whom I can,
It will not be friends of Snyder man!

I do not like that Snyder man.
I do not like him Sam I am.
His balanced budget is just a scam
cuz he owns a business, Sam I am!

He doesn't like the you and me,
but he sure likes the wealthy.
He takes and takes from you and me,
and gives it all back to the wealthy!

No, I do not like that Snyder man.
I do not like him Sam I am.
And all those friends of Snyder man?
I do not like them Sam I am.

He seems to know just what to say
to make the people believe his way,
but he throws figures all about
and they're all wrong I want to shout!

And all those friends of  Snyder man?
All their heads are in the sand.
They talk and talk like they know,
and they put on quite a show.

So if you're poor or middle class
and think he's good, then your an ass.
You should not like that Snyder man.
No, they should not, Sam I am

Perhaps it will not come to pass
that another vote will be cast
for Snyder man or his friends
That's what I'm hoping Sam I am.

Please sign and pledge to recall
recall, recall, recall them all!
They are not good, they are not wise
they want to hurt us little guys.

Please, please understand
why I do not like that Snyder man.
He talks about shared sacrifice
but he has me sharing thrice.

I get to give up salary
and pay more to stay healthy.
And one day when I can retire?
My pensions taxed, so I'm for hire.

No I do not like that Snyder man.
I do not like him Sam I am.
The poor will suffer under his plan
more than now, that's just insan....ity!

And all those friends of Snyder man,
the ones that back all his plans?
I do not like them Sam I am
and so I will not, can not vote for them.

One more thing needs to be said
before I put this poem to bed.
We have good schools, and they serve all
Snyder man would see them fall.

Who is Snyder man listening to?
It isn't me, and it isn't you.
So down in Whoville, we are scared
cuz the smallest ones will not be spared.

I do not like that Snyder man
I do not like him Sam I am. 

Rosemary

Rick Snyder, the self proclaimed "nerd" received three degrees from the University of Michigan by the age of 23.  He went on to become a millionaire and he now owns his own investment company, Ardesta LLC, which invests in small, start up businesses. I can't believe that this intelligent businessman could not find a way to increase the employment opportunities in Michigan and balance the budget without devastating the working poor, the unemployed, the elderly, and the public sector workers.  Will his company benefit from the new tax breaks for businesses?  Will his family lose income?  What's wrong with this picture?

Rosemary

Gov. Snyder's Education Reforms

I have been trying to digest all of the ideas that our new governor has when it comes to improving the educational system here in Michigan.  There are many trying to make sense of his plan, trying to help others see the merits of his plan, and others trying to help the public understand what is wrong with his plan.  I watched him on FlashPoint today, and my goodness but he sounds calm and reasonable!  I can see why many believe him to be a visionary and on the right track to improve our "broken system."  I have some information that I believe is important for the public to know.  We keep hearing that only 16% of our students are ready for college, and that this is based on the ACT scores of Michigan's 11th graders.  The ACT is given as part of the Michigan Merit Exam and all juniors in Michigan high schools must take it.  It used to be that only those students who intended to go directly from high school to a four-year college took the ACT exam, obviously these students were motivated to do their very best as their score would play a major role in getting into their college of choice.  Many students would take the exam more than once in the hopes of achieving a higher score on subsequent tries.  Today the only students exempt from taking the ACT are a percentage of students with cognitive impairments and some of the students with autism.  Students with severe learning disabilities take it, as well as students who are limited in English proficiency.  Medically fragile students who miss many days of instruction must take it as well as students who are not present for instruction daily for other reasons.  My point is that using this one score as the basis for determining how many Michigan students are ready for college upon graduation is unfair and very misleading.  As in the past, those students very motivated and planning to attend a four-year college immediately after graduation, take the ACT more than once, however, how they score on subsequent tries will not be included in the state's data.  Now, I hear some of you, probably the Gov being one, saying "Well why aren't all Michigan eleventh graders planning to go to a four-year college immediately after graduation?"  Many can't afford it or don't know what they want to do so they plan to attend a community college first, and personally I think this should be encouraged.  This brings me to the next comment we keep hearing that needs to be addressed.  Governor Snyder wants it known that too many of Michigan's graduates need to take remedial courses at community colleges after graduating from high school.  This is a sad fact.  Today we have the Michigan Merit Curriculum, it is "rigorous" and it is the only curriculum available to those wanting a high school diploma.  While this sounds good and right, what it means is that too many students are sitting in Michigan high school classrooms receiving instruction that is meaningless to them, they can't access it and we can't remediate them, or their career needs require a vocational track that is being squeezed out.  When we are compared to other countries you need to know that not ALL of the students in the country attend the high schools designed to produce college ready students.  Most countries separate and offer different educational options to students after middle school.  We do not do that, we offer a FREE education to ALL of our children.  Are there areas of the public school system that needs reform?  Yes, of course there are, change needs to be a regular and anticipated fact because we are evolving, but let's be careful when we look to see where the problems really lie, and then let's be careful what we wish for.

Rosemary