Librarian smacks down teabaggers

[proud2BlibKansan]

As a librarian at the Englewood Public Library, I feel compelled to address the anti-public worker nonsense that Boteach and his indistinguishable kindred spirits at FAST (dontbankruptus.com) are trying to sell Englewoodians.

Boteach maintains that more than one-third of all City employees make over $100,000 per year, and the undercurrent is that somehow it is unions to blame for this. Once you exclude the salaries of fire and police — whose contracts are, like it or not, subject to special state interventions and who, apparently, make significant overtime — this is a deliberately misleading "fact" designed to stir up ire at all city workers.

At the library, there is only one person who makes a six-figure salary, and that is the director, who is, of course, non-union. While I cannot speak with authority on all other departments, it is probably the same at the Health Department, the DPW, Recreation and for union municipal office workers. I am one of the three highest paid union librarians and our annual contractual wage for 2010 is $67,000. It took me 20 years and a master's degree to get to that salary and, like all city employees with that much time served, I also get a longevity increment of 7.5 percent (the highest level).

Englewood is not Civil Service and therefore there are no "step increases." All other union library classifications make less than me. Taking all union salaries into account, our average contractual salary for all classifications is $53,700 in 2010, but there are more people at the lower end than the higher. Our "extremely generous" package includes evening and Saturday duty with no differential pay. We get 15 days sick-leave a year, not 25, as Boteach would have readers believe. The City does not pay into NJ State Disability fund as all private employers do, which means that employees must accumulate sick time to allow for a prolonged illness — or be prepared to live with no income should that happen.

<skip>

As a person who will never get rich working for the City of Englewood, it seems to me that Rabbi Boteach is proposing a form of wealth redistribution that would put more money in his pocket by taking it directly out of mine. There is a gale force wind against public workers in New Jersey which Christie started, and which Rabbi Boteach, the like-minded members of FAST, and the Tea Party types, are all hoping will blow benefits their way. It looks like class war to me, and I, for one, will not surrender without firing back.

more . . . http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/108859114_Check_the__facts__on_Englewood_workers_.html

[Blue_Tires]

1. kick...

[Angry Dragon]

2. K&R

[SalmonChantedEvening]

3. Another Kick. :)

:kick:

[texastoast]

4. Kick & recommend!

:toast:

[RainDog]

5. k&r n/t

[BlancheSplanchnik]

6. highly recommended!

Very well written too.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Yes. I loved it.

[era veteran]

8. K & R

[Hannah Bell]

9. rabbis in the tea party? they're so inclusive, lol.

"Rabbi Boteach is proposing a form of wealth redistribution that would put more money in his pocket by taking it directly out of mine."

yes, so he hopes.

[Stevenmarc]

11. If I were a rich man, Ya ha deedle deedle, bubba bubba deedle deedle dum.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. cool yer jets, there, Tevyeh

:7

[Klukie]

10. K&R

[Scruffy1]

12. Nicely done

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. I love librarians!

Reminds me of an encounter I had at our library a few months ago. I was dropping off some items in the drop slot by the front door when a gentleman came up and went on a rant because the library wasn't open yet. (Big sign on the door announcing the upcoming hours change due to budget cuts had been in place for at least six to eight weeks.)

We walked back to our cars and I noticed he had a couple of Tea Party candidate bumper stickers plastered on his. I pointed to the bumper stickers and cheerfully said, "If they have their way, you'll be lucky if the library is able to stay open more than two days a week. What exactly do you think those taxes you don't want to pay are used for? Have a fabulous day!" And drove off before he had a chance to say anything. I rather suspect the finger I saw in my rear view mirror was not a thumbs up.

[classof56]

16. Good one! You get a big thumbs up from me!

:thumbsup:

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. Good for you!

:thumbsup:

[bc3000]

15. Shouldn't these groups be legally liable for their lies if people lose their incomes?

[joeybee12]

18. And I will not surrender without firing back...KNR!!!!!

[laughingliberal]

19. K & R nt

[unpossibles]

20. god these people are idiots. The GOP has uncorked a large ignorant genie

and won't be able to stuff it back into its Budweiser bottle very easily. What kills me is how the anti-Federalist tendencies of the conservative movement has turned into anti-everything government. These people assume that without government their lives would be so much better, and at least the anti-Federalists would point to States' rights/power, but these idiots are also anti-State and Local based on their misguided rants about school boards and flags, and ire toward teachers and librarians.

[nxylas]

31. Teachers and librarians promote book-learning

That's elitist (unlike tax cuts for billionaires and repeal of the estate tax, which merely allow hard-working Americans to keep the fruits of their labors).

[NICO9000]

33. And we definitely don't want to encourage that

A stupid populace is a scared and docile populace. These teabag morons and Rethugs in general (and especially this new crop of elected pricks) really make me worry that we're quickly seeing an American fascist party right before our eyes. Of course, if you look at that 13 points of fascism list, we've already been there for quite a while now.

:scared:

[COLGATE4]

21. Boteach is a clown and celebrity hanger-on whose last claim to

fame was being Michael Jackson's confidante and spiritual adviser. I believe (but am not absolutely sure) that he also has ministered to Madonna in her search for Kabala.

[blondeatlast]

23. Interesting--and says all I care to know about him. nt

[blondeatlast]

22. Do. Not. Mess. With. Librarians. Bravo, Ms. Sparanese. nt.

[Robyn66]

24. I work as a land use planning assistant

With 6 years experience. I have a ba, and 20 years work experience and I make 15.83/hour. and am only allowed to work 32 hours a week and my boss had ot fight to get me that! Thank GOD for her or my job would have been cut ages ago!!!

THis town also screams and hollers about how much money we make which is why we haven't gotten a raise in three years and just might get a 1% raise this year.

I am thankful I have a job don't get me wrong but I am still in a world of hurt.

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. I understand completely

The war on public employees is disgusting.

[abelenkpe]

26. K&R

[ProfessionalLeftist]

27. Rabbi Schmuley Boteach is two-bit schmuck.

Why am I not surprised about this coming from him?

[Mimosa]

29. True. He's a rightwinger, whether he admits it or not.

I'd seen him on TV a few times.

Here's his website in case anybody needs reminding who he is.

http://www.shmuley.com/

[bulloney]

28. Teabaggers will complain about things like libraries because they can't/won't read.

People who complain about others making $50-60,000 at a place where they have worked for 20+ are too lazy to do the math. A person making $20,000 in 1990 will make over $36,000 in 2010 staying in the same place and getting 3% annual raises. Do these people expect others to make the same amount of wages they made 20-30 years ago? I bet they expect to see increases in their wages.

[donquijoterocket]

34. not true

They read. They read their Coulter,Hannity, Glennda the Beckerhead,O'Reilly, and the Savage Wiener.I know because I see them quote these people all the time.Now whether they understand any of what they read even in these simple and simplistic screeds is entirely a different matter. They read like they watch Fux noise,and for the same reason it affirms them in their bigotry and ignorance and reassures them they're not alone in that.

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. LOL

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[tomg]

30. There is a great article on her

in Library Journal. Here is the link

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA281662.html

She is dynamite.

"Sparanese doesn't just believe in "diversity" and the "education for democracy" function of libraries. She has won grants to build collections in Hispanic studies, African American studies, and Jazz, Blues and World Music; another grant she wrote funded additional library services to the Spanish-speaking citizenry."


"Michael Moore says she saved his book, Stupid White Men, which his publisher refused to release because it was critical of George W. Bush." And she is vice-president for organizing in the Bergen County Central Trades & Labor Council.

[ProudDad]

32. Very High Recommend... (n/t)

[penndragon69]

35. The rich will burn in HELL.

[MedicalAdmin]

37. I'd prefer it if they burned now.

But I appreciate your spot on sentiment.

[BlueJac]

36. It is easy to fool the FOOLS

[Beartracks]

38. Whoa, there, too many facts!

Those are anathema to Teabaggers.

(For Tea Party visitors: a·nath·e·ma (noun) \ə-ˈna-thə-mə\ -- Something intensely disliked or loathed.)

-----------------------------

[PatrynXX]

39. moment it says Christie..... oh he's the asshole who said ...

a teacher who saved a dozen lives is a bad teacher. Because someone pulled a gotcha on her.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. That was disgusting

He is a slime.

Posted by a Kansan whose next governor will be another slime - Brownback. :puke:

[midsummer]

42. Good for Ann Sparanese

My city, Teabaggia, in southern California, is in the process of privatizing our libraries, removing them from the county system and turning them over to a private library company in Maryland. We're all sure it's because they want the tax dollars to go to substandard services from unqualified employees, and pocket what they think will be a tidy sum.

Most of the citizens do not want this, but we have no choice. The city council planned this for some time, but never notified us they were doing this, and never put it up for a vote. It's neo-Nazi skinhead KKK heaven here, seriously, Godwin's Law notwithstanding. They really are here, but they keep a low profile. Tea Party is just a "nicer" name for them.

Demonizing public employees and unions is straight out of the Grover Norquist playbook. We can thank Reagan for him. Californians have lived with his indecent policies for years now. He calls seniors who have paid into MediCal(Medicaid) through their taxes their entire lives "a fearless mass waiting for handouts." Ditto for children, immigrants, disabled, low-income, union members, people who make less than $100,000 per year, the usual victims - everyone but rich old white people. Nice.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Welcome to Du

:hi:

[RoccoR5955]

43. Christie must go!

And his little teabagger rabbis too!

[IntimidatingEyebrows]

44. K&R

[KeyserSoze87]

45. As I always say...

GO FUCK YOURSELF TEA PARTY!