Are you an override mom?

  1. You have chosen to ignore posts from fortysomething. Show fortysomething's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    daniel_buckleyáRepublican voters elected the idiotic Democrat leaders in our state government?

  2. You have chosen to ignore posts from mrssjb. Show mrssjb's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    The reason why "...childless individuals or couples pay increased taxes for services that they don't use?" particular, for schools and the education of the children who go there, is because nobody wants to live in a community where the message to it's children is that nobody gives a damn what they do, how well they succeed, or whether or not they even get an education and then have those children take that message and use it as an excuse to vandalize the neighborhood, steal from community businesses and sell drugs or themselves on the street corner for attention, money and the feeling that they matter to someone, no matter how degenerate.á It takes a whole community, not just those in it who bear the children, butáthe WHOLE community to raise the next generation of people who will continue to care aboutáthat community, and if you don't want to participate, then move.á Yourácommunity wouldn't be the community it is ifápeople who didn't use the services didn't help pay for them.áááThis includes the schools that the children (who likely live next door or down the street from you) go to and that keep them from getting trapped in a cycle of poverty and degeneracy.á Think about that the next time you pass a child on the street.á Someone who didn't have children once paid taxes so you could go to school and get the education you have undoubtedly benefited from (although you wouldn't notice it from your attitude now.)á

  3. You have chosen to ignore posts from cooper2. Show cooper2's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Marchingmom:á I feel bad for your town's situation.á You have the right to fight for your child's education and should.á I live in the next town and it's the perfect example of supporting/not supporting your schools and overrides:á Milton: Overrides passed. All new schools, building a new library, voted one of the best towns to live in America (whether you believe it or not, that's what it was voted - I'm not going to argue over this point) My neigbors sold their house in the middle ofáDecember for a little less than asking price.á We have French immersion starting in 1st grade and offeráa second language. Is the town budget perfect?á No way, they constantly struggle but Iá thinkáthe majority believe not supporting schools would be worse economically long term.Randolph: no overrides, poor schools (states may take over), lower property values and a high rate of foreclosures.á Library was also kicked out of the OCLN network (last I knew anyway).á These are two towns right next to each other.á Do I pay out the a$$ in taxes - yes but the fact of the matter is, my long term investments are better off (kids, property values).á And to those blaming Devalá- he took office 12 months ago, this is not his fault but good try.á George W. wants no child left behind but doesn't want to fund it, the state (Romney administration) wanted MCAS but didn't want to fund it.á If the federal and state government are not willing to fund programs, then of course the pressure is put back on the towns to cut programs and of course the cost is going to increase for these programs.ááI'm sure if you asked people, they would say they would like some of the $12 billion we are spending builiding Iraq roadways and fighting this stupid war to be spent here in our own cities and town.And sorry, I can volunteer each day as I work!

  4. You have chosen to ignore posts from marchingmom. Show marchingmom's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Hey, Milton! I wish we had a French Immersion class to cut. That's what the problem was beginning in 2003. We had nothing to cut in the first place. This district was bare bones to begin with. Now, it's marrow. And I remember when there was just a hint of letting your FI class go. Parents were chaining themselves to the classrooms :>)That's another problem. The apathy. When the buses were cut, do you know how many parents came to the next SC meeting so outraged? 2 - myself and a friend and neither one of us used the buses. People have just accepted the next lower level of service, or appear to or they pull their kids instead of fighting with the rest of us. I'll agree, it's certainly easier! We have an issue with people coming from countries where their kid was never allowed to go toáschool or from such bad situations, this looks like heaven! They're coming from places where if they spoke out about the government or the way things were run, they could be killed. We have their children in the schools, so they don't come out to advocate for their kids! Never mind the language barriers. Over 400 kids whose first language at home is not English. Diversity is wonderful, but it also has its issues.You want to talk about a publicly funded private school, how 'bout Blue Hills? Or any regional tech or aggie high school. That's this town's answer to us. 'Send your kid to Blue Hills'. Ummmmm, my kid doesn't want a technical education. 'Then send 'em to Norfolk Aggie', Ummmm, my kid doesn't want to be a farmer. á'Doesn't matter, send 'em anyway, then we don't have to fund Randolph High'~! They have $30,000 worth of software loaded on their computers at BH, which they're not shy about telling you, while our kids at RHS have crap. We have the greatest number of kids there and one of these days the other member towns are going to figure out how much we DON'T pay our share and want the formula re-calc'd there, too. And really, our kids are taking spots away from someone who really may need to be there. I've met different people over the past year or so and when they find out where I live, it's almost apologetic, like there was a death in the family 'I'm so sorry', which I really, really appreciate. But it isáa death It's the death of opportunity for these great (YES WE DO HAVE A MAJORITY OF THEM!) kids in this town. It's neglect and child abuse.Thank youá

  5. You have chosen to ignore posts from marchingmom. Show marchingmom's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    BTW -- Town Meeting came up with the bucks to increase the library hours last year, due to estimated vs. actual aid from the State, which got back our borrowing privileges in the network, but didn't get back our certification. Brian just introduced a bill that should take care of that, too. -->-->We actually had a woman come to a BOS meeting last year before the override voteáand ask 'DID WE REALLY NEED A LIBRARY ANYWAY?' -->-->á

  6. You have chosen to ignore posts from petergibbons. Show petergibbons's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Why should I have to pay for an override that is for elderly housing then?
  7. You have chosen to ignore posts from evensen. Show evensen's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    So the person whoá has the intelligence to aská "Do we reallyneed a library" is held up as a complete fool.á Have you heard ofthe internet?ááContinuing áto waste resources printing áthings like encyclopedias and paying very expensive municipalemployees to keep them neat on the shelves is adsurd. They are out of date the DAY they are placed on those very expensiveshelves. The override moms are the same simple minded pampered fools who whine about a lack soccer fields for their over indulged brats to play on. If you want soccer fields,áorganize a group of people WHO HAVE CHILDREN
    PLAYING SOCCER and build them ON YOUR NICKLE.You gave birth to them, you start paying the way for them.I graduated from the very expensive schools in Winchester. I can not help but wonder how many older people who had supportedthose schools for many years had to sell out and move because of the property taxes.ááá

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  9. You have chosen to ignore posts from jstarr. Show jstarr's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    I would be interested in knowing how many people who reject prop 2.5 overrides actually go to the town meetings where budgets are struggled with ad nauseum. How many sit in on their town's finance committee meetings, how many readáand understand the town budget? For many towns, there is legitimately no fat left to trim. My town passed its first successful override in 15 years two years ago after several failed attempts to do so in years prior. And you know what got it done? A grassroots campaign led largely guessed it...local moms. Prior to the override, in a five-year span the town had cut 30 positions, many of them in the police, fire, and public works departments, all while the population grew considerably. In the year prior to the override, the council on aging and recreation budgets were decimated as well. In reaction to rising health care costs, all of the collective bargaining agreements struck with represented employees successfully included increases in the amount of health coverage passed on to employees, so it wasn't a "union" thing. This town simply no longer had the revenue to support even baseline expenses. For many reasons that cannot be immediately fixed, many towns find themselves in unfavorable revenue situations. In my town, we do not have public sewer, a deterrant to many businesses, so most of our revenue is residential, and while that makes for a lovely place to live, the flip side means coughing up a little more cash for the priviledge of living here. When the override passed, services that apply to all town populations, not just families with children, were restored to baseline levels.Before rejecting prop 2.5 overrides immediately, those who oppose them should make sure that first they attend their local meetings, read and understand the budget, and if they have suggestions as to how to make ends meet without additional revenue, offer up those suggestions. Then once you know what's actually going on, vote your conscience knowing that you are doing so based on facts, not anti-government bias.And for those who think "override moms" are a nuisance or should get a life, look out. We're organizing across regions, states, and nationally. We areáusing e-mail and other campaigns toáour state and federal representatives to let them know how we feel about issues that affect our families, our children, and our community. We are signing petitions, meeting with senators and representatives in person, and are getting results. And no, we're not all sitting at home all day dreaming up new things to do. I work full-time (as does my husband) and have a second job. Many of us who are organizing and getting more politically active already give a lot of time to our communities and do the grunt work of this sort of thing late into the night after the kids are in bed. There are a lot of powerful groups (lobbyists) out there who fight for what benefits them at all levels of government, from specific industries, to business in general, to unions, to groups like the AARP. It's high time that parents (not just moms, by the way) get organized and get out there to fight forásensible changesáthat benefit children, families, and communities. We are a HUGE group of people and we DO NOT turn out at the polls in meaningful numbers. What a waste of power, and what a lousy civics lesson for our children.J. Starr

  10. You have chosen to ignore posts from 1092247363. Show 1092247363's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    You say that towns have nowhere to trim.á I previously listed a few places where local, state and county government could cut.á But now let's look closely at local government.á Let;'s start with sick time buybacks.á This costs taxpayers in Massachusetts millions every year.á I do not care that this is in a contract, taxpayers can not afford.á So these contracts need to renegotiated.á Contract renegotiationsáoccur on every day in America.áá Health care, I am sure you do not get 100% of your premiums payed by your employer like government employees do.á Thye need to begin contributing to their health care costs just like the rest of the people that pay part of theirs and then 100% of the municipal, county and state employees.á Then let's look at town hall.á Here where I live, I see the town manager, building inspectors, DPW manager as well as some police officers taking town owned vehicles home every day.á See I live near the town hall and see them going home at 4 PM in town owned vehicles frequently.ááá Just the savings from sick time buy back as well as municipal employees paying a portion of their health care premiums could be moved to improve the schools.á Then, after alláof this wastehas been addressed and the school still neeed more tax revenue....this would be the time to present to taxpayers that excess has been cut but we still need X amount for the schools.á Then I would vote yes.

  11. You have chosen to ignore posts from bostonvlad. Show bostonvlad's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    "Perhaps the people who are so upset about the overrides should put their time and energy into doing just that, maybe it will be the solution.á The moms are putting their time and energy where they think it will be better spent."These moms are the bored housewives with wealthy husbandsáthat have too much free time on their hands

  12. You have chosen to ignore posts from jstarr. Show jstarr's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Your arguments are all valid ones...have you presented them to your town's board of selectmen and finance committee? Have you put together a proposal with your suggestions, gathered a group of like-minded citizens, and requested that your proposal be voted on at your annual town meeting? What was the result...assuming your ideas were not voted on or voted for, what was the rationale for not getting them on the ballot, or passed? Some towns have already accomplished some of the goals you mentioned and are still strapped. Employees in my town, to my knowledge, drive their personal vehicles to worká(a police officer and a town employee live in my neighborhood and I do not see town vehicles in their driveways). In my town, the contracts that have been negotiated in recent years do require that town employees pay a portion of their health insurance, with increases iná future years. Many employees who are eligible for health insurance opt out of the plan because they are already covered by their full-time employer's, or their spouses, insurance plan. There was talk ofámoving to the state's pension system to save money from whatever retirement plan the town currently has/had. Many towns will or have gotten to the point where anything left to trim will be outside of the town's immediate control. Of course you lobby to change the laws at the state and federal levels, but while you're waiting to move mountains, do you let the citizens of a revenue-strapped town go without basic services? Do you leave fire stations unmanned, police under-staffed, schools over-crowded, reduce services to the elderly? To people who are telling parents who want better schools to give their time and money and not ask for a tax increase, there is only so much that volunteers can cover. Parents, both those working at those at him,áin all of our schools give countless hours of service to help out in classrooms, lunchrooms, playgrounds, etc... Parents give their time in school offices, and raise tens of thousands of fund raising dollars each year that all gets plowed right back into the school to help pay for enrichment programs, field trips, reimburse teachers for classroom supplies they purchase with their own money, and offset expenses that the school district budget can no longer cover. We have a private fundraising organization that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover technology expenses in the schools, because basic technology would be a luxury in the overall budget. Because the recreationá department has been allábut eliminated, fees for all sports and activities have gone up. Clearly in tough financial times staffing a fire house takes priority over whether or not there is a t-ball program or summer day camp, but it creates an unfortunate situation where the only kids who can play sports are those who can afford hundreds of dollars in fees and equipment.For people who see ways for their towns to save money...go out an make it happen. Show your town managers how to balance their budget. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you solve their town's financial crisis.

  13. You have chosen to ignore posts from marchingmom. Show marchingmom's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Mass. General LawáCHAPTER 71. PUBLIC SCHOOLS
    Chapter 71: Section 1. Maintenance; double sessions; subjects; twelve-month school year
    Section 1. Every town shall maintain, for at least the number of days required by the board of education in each school year unless specifically exempted as to any one year by said board, a sufficient number of schools for the instruction of all children who may legally attend a public school therein. Such schools shall be taught by teachers of competent ability and good morals, and shall give instruction and training in orthography, reading, writing, the English language and grammar, geography, arithmetic, drawing, music, the history and constitution of the United States, the duties of citizenship, health education, physical education and good behavior.It doesn't say based on your ZIP CODE!

  14. You have chosen to ignore posts from 1092247363. Show 1092247363's posts

    Are you an override mom? those that believe cities and towns have nowhere to cut.á How can a city like Boston justify increasing payroll when the tax basis (taxpayers) are losing jobs in the private sector.á Boston more than any other community cannot afford this, yet they continue to spend like drunken sailors.á The economy is headed into recession, if it is not already there, and as taxpayers lose their jobs, have reduced hours, less income to spend due to the spiraling cost of fuel, food and everything else...where does the money come from to pay increased taxes.á Most of us do not make 6 figure salaries and many of us are living paycheck to paycheck.á If you have never lived in a paycheck to paycheck situation, you should try before spouting off about raising taxes.

  15. You have chosen to ignore posts from jstarr. Show jstarr's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Actually, I do live pay check to pay check. As a matter of fact, last fall I took on a second job in addition to my full-time one and my husbandáwas laid off two months ago so we've lost a huge chunk of his income and have had to tap into retirement savings to keep afloat.áAnd we have four kids. Budgets are tight all around, I get it. That doesn't mean that every prop 2.5 override is extraneous, it doesn't mean that town budgets aren't legitimately running at a deficit too. Some of the expenses that strap families (fuel, health insurance) hit local budgets too. The extra $325 in my tax bill per year due to our recent override isn't going to turn the financial tide in my house, but it will pay for a couple of police officers, more hours that more than one fire station are staffed, a couple of teaching positions, and council on aging & recreation services.You never responded to my questions about how your town reacted to your suggestions...have you ever actually presented your information or a proposal? If you haven't, you should...and I bet you'd either get action or maybe some answers to your questions.It's a little incongruent to compare Boston's payroll to the typical surrounding town. As the article emphasizes, most of the highest earners and payroll increases were for police officers and fire fighters. Perhaps hiring more officers would cut down on overtime (sometimes that provides a cost savings, sometimes it's cheaper to pay your existing employees to pick up extra work), and the detail pay thing goes back to our silly state law, something that does affect local budgets but not something individual towns can do anything about. Also if you recall, areas of Boston have been going through periods of high violence...naturally the community outcry to get more of a police presence out there and stop the violence will come with a price tag. Same thing with the MLB playoffs and World Series...after 2004 the cry from the public was for a much larger police presence in Kenmore Square for games, and reasonably so. What the article doesn't mention is whether or not the Red Sox or MLB paysá back the city for that type of operation.

  16. You have chosen to ignore posts from llibgib. Show llibgib's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    My computer has been down for a couple of days.
    I don't know how it is in your town or city, but I see MANY public employees riding around in public autos. Police, Firemen, Public Works employees, etc. etc. etc.ááá It's obvious that they are NOT performing work for this town. So, with the price of gas going up, what justification is there for this?

    To eliminate that practice would be a start to divert funds to schools, and otherá functions that need it.

    áááááááá And so it goes />>>>>

  17. You have chosen to ignore posts from bostonvlad. Show bostonvlad's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Unbelievableàwell, override moms want to pay them even moreàwith your money-->-->

  18. You have chosen to ignore posts from bostonvlad. Show bostonvlad's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    "I live in a community where we are 13thfrom the bottom on a list of per pupil expenditures. I have every right to beupset"

    DonÆt be upset. Move to a better town, with the better school

    "Education is not being madeáa priority by local and state leaders"

    Has it ever been a priority for politicians? The government is incapable/unwillingto do anything and people want to hand it even more of their money? It's insane.We should pay for services we use ourselves, at least as much as possible. Wheneverybody paying collectedly and the government decides how to spend it, thenwe have run down schools, cops making more then $200 000, idiotic wars, andmoronic social programs. One third plus of you income you give to people who donÆtcare about you. The worst thing you can do is to offer them even more

  19. You have chosen to ignore posts from palm90. Show palm90's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Some thoughts regarding thie subject:

    1. Health care and engery are the two areas that driving the up the costs of municipal services. Unless residents solve these two problems, than we will have this discussion every spring. My solution to health care is to take the approximately $12 billion per month that the federal goverment is spending in Iraq and create a universal health care system. As for energy, I recommend wind turbines and solar panels for reducing energey costs.

    2. Most of the nation has it's public services (police, fire, schools) delivered at the county level. This creates an economy of scale that doesn't exist in Massachusetts where each town/city provides it's own services.

    3. If voters feel that their Board of Selectmen/City Council are wasting their tax money, they should vote for canidates that more clearly align with their fiscal attitudes.

  20. You have chosen to ignore posts from 1092247363. Show 1092247363's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    We also have county government here in Massachusetts.á Much of county government here in MA is not the same as other areas of the country where county is the local level of government.á Here in MA much of county goverment is duplicitious and is unnecessary and should be eliminated and rolled into state governemtn where most of the functions are already done.á The reason that county geoverment is still in MA is it gives the policitians somewhere to hide all their hacks, none more so than the sheriffs offices.

  21. You have chosen to ignore posts from gfkr2. Show gfkr2's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Some of these Override Moms need a good ride themselves.......
  22. You have chosen to ignore posts from evensen. Show evensen's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Thanks for the sarcastic editing. I would not pay a nickel for your thoughts.How many brats of burden have you spawned that�you are�expecting hard working folks to coddle? �

  23. You have chosen to ignore posts from 02seapinescc. Show 02seapinescc's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    My kids went to public school, I taught in public school for a while and� I closely follow our local budget., school comittee meetings and attend the town meeting. Yes, the lack of respect and vandalism are also problems that need to be remedied. Parents, as well as schools, need to teach respect and there does need to be consequenses. I say if the computers are all ruined by mis-use, replacing them teaches the kids to continue destroying them. Same with the books. There's your difference - no way would the schools in my day have the guts to ask for things to be replaced if they [yes, the adults ARE the most responsible] weren't taking care of them. BUT, I still am quite sure that the schools are not underfunded. Money is being mis-managed - a lot of money. No matter how bad the economy, no one has had their living expenses DOUBLE in 7 years, yet many of us pay double or more in property taxes. This is outrageous waste.Good for you for getting out of an atmosphere where learning doesn't exist., but I guarantee throwing money at the problem [see overpaid administration, latest education fad, etc.] will not fix anything. The schools will have to become accountable.

  24. You have chosen to ignore posts from chowchow99. Show chowchow99's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    Randolph? They should declare that town a war zone and bring in the National Guard! The only way anyone should travel to that�town is if they want to get shot!Did everyone forget about the taxes that we have incurred due to the Big Dig???? What a joke that is.What ever happened to the money that the Attorney General Tom Reilly settled for when he sued the cigarette companies? Wasn't that in the billions? Please tell me what happened to all that cash?$2600 in property taxes??? I paid over three times that last year and who knows what this year.Has anyone noticed the incomes of some of the Massachusetts State Police or the Boston Police officers lately? What the hell is the deal with them? Over 100 officers making more than the mayor of� Boston at $175K.. Nice country..I�attended one of the top private schools in the state which was paid for by my parents. Great education. I make mid six figures and live a wonderful life�so i really don't have to worry about money. My wife works because she loves her job even though she does not have to work.�I hate to pay taxes too but unfortunately it's a way of life.�I say if you want to have a good life then find a second job to supplement your main source of income and stop your friggin wining.�

  25. You have chosen to ignore posts from GunghoGuy. Show GunghoGuy's posts

    Are you an override mom?

    I agree with you 100%......I have been a home/owner for 47 yrs my city north of Boston I have paid my fair share of two new high schools and middle schools...enough is enough....I will vigorishly oppose any "override" that comes's time we said, "NO" to inflated school committee budgets that are filled with 'assistants to the assistants'....if school sport programs are about to be cut be it...or let the players and parents go begging at supermarkets to keep their pampered pets in the limelight/social whirl of things...I could care less how many teams win or lose anymore...."NO/NO TO ANY OVERRIDES"


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