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20 years

No classes today as teachers continue strike after Monday payment fail

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(ICR archive)

(ICR archive)

May 13th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) Costa Rica’s teachers unions are continuing their nationwide strike today as students continue to stay home.

 

According to union leaders, promised salary payments yesterday fell short of what teachers were owed, and many still have received nothing at all.

 

Today marks the seventh day of the nationwide strike by the country’s thousands of public education workers, which they say will continue ‘indefinently’ until the Ministry of Education pays workers missed paychecks dating as far back as January.

 

The Ministry of Education has blamed the problem on technical issues with its payroll system.

 

President Luis Guillermo Solís has expressed his solidarity with the striking teachers, though he said last week that he could not ‘offer any guarantees.’

 

According to union leaders, teachers and other employees have faced foreclosures on their homes, while others have been jailed for being unable to make child support payments – some even arrested in their classrooms, union leaders claim.

 

The problem affects not just teachers, but janitors, school cooks, and other employees in the country’s public school system.

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  • Ben

    There is no money. PAC will show soon they are running out of money. More to come soon police will not be paid then everyone else in goverment. CR is out of money.

    • disgusted

      Yeah Ben, I can see how this going to be a bumpy ride. We have had no garbage pick up , next no police all out on strike. Wonderful.. Solis and PAC should do an accounting see what is left in the treasury. Start cutting huge pensions and some official high salaries immediately,,, Then do some house cleaning in all areas of the government. However, my spider sense says Naw! more taxes and print more money. Still no SCHOOL!

  • expatin paradise

    The teachers have been heard, and the new administration has promised to address this problem as quickly as possible. The teachers should give the government a reasonable amount of time to take care of the problem and get back to the classrooms in the interim. This administration is less than a week old and has not had sufficient time to address a problem that has persisted for over four months – nothing good happens in Costa Rica in less than a week. Continuing the strike at this point is unreasonable and makes victims of the students while giving the teachers, most of whom have been paid, an undeserved vacation. If the government still has not made good on its debts to the teachers after a reasonable amount of time (two more weeks seems reasonable), they can always resume their strike. It is bad enough that the children do not receive the number of days of schooling mandated by law because classes are cancelled during teachers’ frequent absences. Perhaps the government and the people would view the teachers in a more favorable light if they, as a group, appeared to take their responsibility to the students more seriously.

    • SDPUS

      Unfortunately, like in the USA, Chinchilla has found it more necessary to invest in building a police state with prisons for incarceration…rather than properly funding education, and teacher training. Another sad example of following the GOP in the USA. The state of California use to be the crown jewel of public education. Over the last few decades GOP leadership has reallocated funding to favor mass incarceration over education spending. How has that worked out? Investing in a prison system over education and healthcare is downright dangerous in the long term. Costa Rica needs to reverse this trend. http://www.cacs.org/ca/article/44

    • gc

      paid vacation time. not like they teach the kids anything worthwhile when they are there. shut em all down. fire every teacher go 100%. license the schools, test the kids, bottom 5% low scoring schools lose their license every year. no more unions. no more deadbeat teachers. no more teacher’s rights. just kid’s rights. problem solved. instead we have left wing unionized idiots running zoos, a country thinking marching around with signs is productive. and THE KIDS ARE NOT LEARNING!!!!

      • Lav

        Paying for school with vouchers? And how precisely would someone get these vouchers? Proof of income tax paid?

        Start shutting down schools that don’t reach a certain standard… That’s mighty American of you. How about instead of shutting it down, the teachers are given more materials to work with. Instead of penalizing the kids by shutting down their schools, encourage the teachers to commit to their students. How can the teachers teach, when they lack the resources to do so?

        • gc

          1. every child has a cedula number, birth record etc.

          2. eliminate all money spend on education now, divide it by the number of students, you will have much more money than you need. parents can then shop for schools, interview teachers, have access to their history and records.

          it is not might american, the USA and Costa rica have the same system, unions buy politicians who then negotiate their contracts. organized crime.

          the kids are not penalized they will start for the first time getting an education and have real choice because their family is in charge not some political crime boss . good teachers aren’t penalized, in fact, for the first time ever good teachers will be easy to be seen among the deadbeats, do nothings and idiots currently mixed in.

          like the usa costa rica spends a lot on education. it is just not reflected in the schools because it is paying off the crime bosses, which is what school admin and politicians are.

          • Lav

            Well maybe go and visit some of these rural schools, and you will quickly realize that you cannot shut down their school… They won’t have one to go to. Parents cant choose which school their child goes to, in most cases there is only 1 option.

            It’s funny how Canada can have unionized teachers, and have a fabulous public education system. The teachers rarely strike. Canadian kids are the top ranked kids in the Western Hemisphere… And my gosh… It’s all unionized.

          • gc

            Canadian kids that are not Canadian, maybe from the Ukraine, India or china score well, not your 2nd generation plus people ….eh. Canada is a failing social democracy propped up by cutting down trees and sucking out oil and gas. so the USA is failing faster, that makes Canada “fantastic”. tell me. what medical wonders, hi tech innovations, scientific breakthroughs, industry requiring brains Canada has ever produced? zip chica. zip! don’t worry the USA will stop doing that stuff too. i am no supporter of any big government.

            as to your rural question. 15 kids in rural areas from 10 families would have teachers breaking their necks trying to earn that groups business. the family and small communities do not need the crutches of a nanny state. governments hurt people, not help people. gimme a break.

          • Lav

            It doesn’t matter where they come from… once they attend Canadian schools, they are Canadian educated… not sure what your point is?

            I almost had a chuckle at your Canadian jabs… until I realized you were serious. Until the NSA can crack blackberry’s encryption, I think it is safe to say Canadians have some brains and innovation. The University of Alberta is one of the top universities in the world for medical research. They are always publishing their medical research that has helped a lot of the medical industry evolve. Of course Canadians are a humble bunch and feel no need to take center stage.

            I can keep going, but there is no point.

            Canada is not a failed social democracy. They have a very stable economy (the TSX is actually the only one currently showing growth), stable housing market (which is shocking), great public education and public healthcare and they still have job growth. Not to mention their stable banking system… you realize the USA is starting to make changes to model the Canadian banking system? Those cheeky lil Canadians, being closet smart people.

            Before you cast stones on one industry in one province, make sure you take a look at what the exact same industry has done to your own country. Canada has higher environmental standards than the USA does, hands down. And while you are busy doing that… maybe start reading about how your own tech industry has became stagnant and is about to be left behind. It looks like your tech giants have tech’ed out (and do you really think only Americans work there… c’mon now).

            I am starting to think you live in a very delusional world. I am not sure what teachers are going to break their necks working in a rural school that has sketchy electricity, no access to internet and the closest hospital is hours away. Unless of course they take their $30k per kid you think they should have, and fix the power lines, install internet and build a hospital that attracts hundreds of nurses from all over the country… who also want to break their neck working in a rural area. Remember, no government intervention.

            Where are they going to get this money from? The families in the rural areas are going to pay this?

          • SDPUS

            Well said Lav. You are correct on everything from environmental standards to banking to healthcare and education. Canada does very well, and they now have a wealthier middle class than the USA. The University of Alberta does spin out some world class medical research. But, NSA does have the ability to read through blackberry encryption, they have gained backdoor entry. Technology is a cat and mouse game.

          • Lav

            I am under the assumption, from my public educated socialist Canadian friends, that the NSA hasn’t actually cracked BlackBerry encryption, but has only cracked what RIM has opened up. I did read a very recent interesting article about it, which seemed to support that theory. I will have to see if I can find it again.

          • SDPUS
          • Lav

            The article mentions that the NSA is able to read and see data that is compressed under the BES, that data is not encrypted. To my understanding, the encrypted data is still unattainable.

          • SDPUS

            You are correct Lav. But, I will say this…NSA has a specialized unit that specifically works solely on this. Considering the budget of the two organizations, I believe it would be naive to think that they can not. That said, my brother has worked since the beginning of time for an organization known as Paychex, centered in Rochester, NY. They are founded by billionaire Tom Golisano. They specialize in accounting and payroll for small business. With your background, I am sure you know the company well. Anyways, my brother is an in house hacker for the organization. It is his job to try and hack into the system, that is holding $6+ billion in payroll. He leads a pretty sophisticated team at this effort. I will take his word for it, NSA has access to all Blackberry encryption. Here is another article which supports that theory: http://globalnews.ca/news/839976/is-blackberry-nsa-proof-dont-bet-on-it/
            …it truly is a cat and mouse game. Holes are opened and closed all the time. I would bet on the organization that has more money, time and players.

          • gc

            oh but it does matter. the pre-immigration culture in Canada were dumb as posts

          • gc

            canadian kids are useless …eh

          • SDPUS

            $30k per child per year? You don’t have a clue what you are talking about, as usual. NYS spends about $13k per pupil, and they are amongst top level of spending in the entire usa for education. They spend $55k per year for each person they incarcerate…

          • gc

            lie again. as usual you do not know what you are talking about

          • SDPUS

            gc, seriously? Here, please educate yourself, and spare us from your incoherent ramblings of nonsense: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66

          • Lav

            And his ramblings are why we all need to teach kids to say no to drugs and Bush :)

            Tongue in cheek bantering. I assure you. I appreciate a cordial debate. Thanks for keeping my sanity throughout these comments. I just read an article about Education and scores in the US. I have to ask, where you educated in the Northern USA?

          • SDPUS

            Lav, I am glad you too can actually hold a real conversation. Yes, I attended Colorado State University for undergrad studies and then attended American University and the University of Rochester for graduate programs. I’ve worked at various levels of education for almost 20 years.

          • gc

            and ruined thousands of potentially productive children.

          • gc

            ignorant Canadians have a gene pool problem, but don’t worry so does the usa. who else but stupids would want a social democracy that will implode by paying the worst to breed and punishing the best by taking their money. read the above in regards to your ignorant comments regarding giving unionized public school criminals, i mean teachers, more money. oh, i am so glad you love Canada, it has left you blinded by the lack of light.

          • Lav

            Ignorant comments? I rarely feel the need to be ignorant; does referring to people as “stupids”, not qualify as ignorance?

            I had a good chuckle about being blinded by the lack of light… I think you mean, am I snow blind? Exposure to excess light, glares, etc can actually leave a person blind.

          • gc

            so can darkness, in which you are enveloped.

          • gc

            dear mr. clueless, please take ben, lav and yourself somewhere that will allow you to lie about progressive idealism with being presented with facts. quit paying the worst to breed, quit taking money for the best, stop the idiot notion that a unionized stupid tacher can educate someone out of prison. wash dc spends 29k+ on each kid 83% functionally illiterate. giving money to teachers is like giving crack to crack whores. read and weep fool.

            DC Schools: $29,349 Per Pupil, 83% Not Proficient in Reading

            May 14, 2014 – 4:25 AM

            By Terence P. Jeffrey

            (AP Photo)

            The public schools in Washington, D.C., spent $29,349 per pupil in
            the 2010-2011 school year, according to the latest data from National
            Center for Education Statistics, but in 2013 fully 83 percent of the
            eighth graders in these schools were not “proficient” in reading and 81
            percent were not “proficient” in math.

            These are the government
            schools in our nation’s capital city — where for decades politicians
            of both parties have obstreperously pushed for more federal involvement
            in education and more federal spending on education.

            Government
            has manifestly failed the families who must send their children to
            these schools, and the children who must attend them.

            Under the
            auspices of the National Center for Education Statistics, the federal
            government periodically tests elementary and high school students in
            various subjects, including reading and math. These National Assessment
            of Educational Progress tests are scored on a scale of 500, and student
            achievement levels are rated as “basic,” “proficient” and “advanced.”

            In 2013, students nationwide took NAEP reading and math
            tests. When the NCES listed the scores of public-school eighth graders
            in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, D.C. came in last in
            both subjects.

            D.C. eighth graders scored an average of 248 out
            of 500 in reading, and Mississippi finished next to last with an
            average of 253.

            Only 17 percent of D.C. 8th graders rated “proficient” or better in reading. In Mississippi, it was 20 percent.

            In
            math, D.C. public-school eighth graders scored an average of 265 out
            of 500, and only 19 percent were rated “proficient” or better. Alabama
            placed next to last with an average math score of 269, with 20 percent
            rated “proficient” or better.

            Some might argue it is unfair to
            compare, Washington, D.C., a single city, with an entire state. However,
            D.C. also does not compete well against other big cities.

            The
            Department of Education’s Trial Urban District Assessments program
            compares the test results in 21 large-city school districts, including
            Washington, D.C.

            In these assessments, the scores of students
            from charter schools were removed and the average reading score for D.C.
            public school eighth-graders dropped to 245. That was below the
            national large-city average of 258, and tied D.C. with Fresno for
            seventeenth place among the 21 big cities in the TUDA.

            In math,
            minus the charter school students, D.C. public-school eighth graders
            earned an average score of 260. That was below the national large-city
            average of 276, and put D.C. in a tie for sixteenth place, this time
            with Fresno and Baltimore.

            The NCES database indicates that in
            the 2010-2011 school year, Washington, D.C. public schools spent a total
            of $29,349 per pupil, ranking No. 1 in spending per pupil among the 21
            large cities in the TUDA.

            New York City Public Schools ranked
            second among these large cities, spending $23,996 per pupil. That was
            $5,353 — or about 18 percent — less than the $29,349 the D.C. public
            schools spent.

            Table 236.75 from the NCES’s Digest of Education
            Statistics compares per pupil spending among the states and the District
            of Columbia. It indicates that D.C. spent a little bit less per pupil —
            $28,403 — who enrolled in the fall in 2010-2011 school year. But that
            still ranks D.C. as No. 1, out-spending all the states.

            How did the D.C. public schools spend $28,403 per student?

            Among
            other things, they spent $10,584 per pupil on “instruction,” which
            “encompasses all activities dealing directly with the interaction
            between teachers and students.”

            Then they spent $5,487 on
            “capital outlays,” which includes “the acquisition of land and
            buildings; building construction, remodeling,” etc.

            Then they
            spent $2,321 on “operation and maintenance,” which includes “salary,
            benefits, supplies, and contractual fees for supervision of operations
            and maintenance,” etc.

            Then they spent $2,124 on “interest on school debt.”

            Then
            they spent $1,613 on “instructional staff,” $1,546 on “school
            administration,” $1,404 on “student transportation,” $1,208 on “student
            support,” $866 on “general administration,” $761 on “food services,”
            $450 on “other support services.”

            Congress ought to give every
            family in Washington, D.C., a choice of whether or not they want a
            government school to spend this money on behalf of their children. The
            D.C. public school system should be required to provide every family in
            the district with school-age children with a voucher for each child
            that is worth every penny the district now spends per pupil in its
            public schools. Families should be able to use that voucher at any
            school they want, anywhere they want.

          • Lav

            Did you even read the article? Or did you just read the title and feel superior? The actual spending on the child itself is only $10,584, which includes the teachers salary.

          • gc

            $10,584 per child, plus17k in support of the system times 30 kids per class and unionized teachers are not crack whores? please. it is insane to give those people money.

          • SDPUS

            In 2012, Mayor Mike Bloomberg made $6 billion in profit. If he got taxed like the rest of us, that would be $2 billion in tax revenue. Instead, people put him on a pedestal for his donations, like the $50 million to “fight” the NRA. That is a small tax write-off! How about he give $2 billion to that cause! It is sickening how we look up to these people, and act like they are some kind of hero! No they are not, they just are able to fund huge PR machines. If corporations and the super wealthy were taxed correctly, this country would be fixed by next tax season.

          • SDPUS

            There’s what is wrong with education. Since Reagan it has been defunded. And we started building prisons for mass incarceration. $168,000 in NYC per inmate per year. It’s simply about a re-allocation of funds. NYC locks up Latinos and Blacks with Mayor Bloombergs stop and frisk program. It was simply about a re-allocation of funds in spending from education to incarceration, thanks to your hero Ronald Reagan. His trickle down robbed the USA. Your stupid ass policies stuck us in the biggest depression since 1929. And now fools like gc want to have austerity budgets, and further ruin the economy. You are as stupid as they come gc. And in 20 years I have certainly been around a long time to access people. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/nyregion/citys-annual-cost-per-inmate-is-nearly-168000-study-says.html?_r=0

          • SDPUS

            And he locks em’ up for petty crimes, like weed.

          • gc

            i am a libertarian fool. i oppose all drug laws. opposed all our mid east wars. oppose all your nanny state stupidity.

          • SDPUS

            Here’s some more data on the rise of Canada and European “nanny states”, from another of your favorite liberal newspapers, todays edition: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/opinion/kristof-its-now-the-canadian-dream.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=OP_INT_20140515&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&bicmst=1388552400000&bicmet=1420088400000&_r=2….I realize it is not your typical Glenn Beck story. But since you consider yourself such a staunch economist and avid reader, I am sure you read on both sides of the political aisle. Or do libertarians want to rid the world of reading and statistical analysis too?

          • gc

            i do read the new york times, nation, salon atlantic. i don’t slum on huffpoop, kos or mslsd, nor will i slum on anything you post as not once have you gone any of the excellent sources i have cited like Milton Friedman, Thomas Sowel, the fatal conceit by Hayek, folsums new deal or raw deal. you have proven yourself to be nothing but a parrot and know very little about history. your citations of the 30′s were absurd as lav’s assessments of canada. we can all find clips to support anything. only i have cited sources worth a &*$%#%#. seriously. nces.ed.gov? der spiegle? what tripe. i am fine with you thinking i am moron but talking to someone with no idea what trading,currency, debt, capital formation, commodity trading nothing whatsoever in practicum is just useless. so spout of to yourself. to me, you have discredited yourself long ago. what sort of fool supports govt control of education from top to bottom, thinks corporate tax is not a regressive tax on people? you are just not rational or informed. if you really took all those courses you should demand your money back.

          • SDPUS

            lol..you really have a problem discussing the data and trends. It is fairly simple analysis to see what works and what does not. I also find it hilarious that you pat yourself on the back from citing a gov source…the very thing you libertarians despise. You are one confused individual.

          • gc

            i never cited a gov source. once again u cannot read. you cannot read a chart clearly as i steered you early on to M2 money supply which is a disaster. proving demand side econ is stupid. so try reading a post fool

          • gc

            u cited this crap not me.

            seriously. nces.ed.gov? der spiegle? what tripe.

          • gc

            trends data, i have been straddle trading commodities for over 12 years, and i do not know a trend, data points trading range. man u r dense.

          • SDPUS

            So what happened to the American Dream? How did we fall so far, so fast. It seems that everything the author pointed out supports what I have been saying for the last few days. In fact it is totally conflicting to your nonsense about Canada and “nany states”. You just can’t discuss the data, so you deflect with your nonsense. If you were truly objective. You would discuss point by point the article, and explain how it is counter to your anti-gov jargon. But for certain, you won’t do that. Simply because you can’t. Why is the data so contrary to everything you right? These are major trends. Healthcare, Education, Incarceration, etc. Why are what you refer to as “nanny states” passing us by? The article is pretty clear cut, and substantiates on each point.

          • SDPUS

            excuse my grammatical errors, as I’m sure that will be the jist of your next reply

          • expatin paradise

            Hey, I thought that we had agreed that it was best not to engage gc. He’s just here to stir things up, call names, and hand out insults. His inconsistencies are all over the map as is typical for self-professed “libertarians.” They believe that they should have the right to take liberties with everyone else’s rights. He did say one thing with which I agree when he wrote a few posts up “I’m a libertarian fool.”

          • Lav

            Well you have to give him credit… he does not stop, even though he is completely out of his league in his ability to have an adult discussion. Sometimes when I read his posts, I remember a time I tried reading the book, “Arguing with Idiots” by Glenn Beck, and how incoherent and ring-a-round his arguments are.

          • gc

            out of his league? glenn beck? glenn the Mormon moron? please, as was once rightly cited, you just cannot handle the truth. you think voting is a way to take someones money morally. that is very close to the position of the slavery south pre-1860 USA. we have a right to the fruits of his labor, how he lives. who pays whom. you 2 are nothing but Orwell animal farming losers.

          • gc

            libertarians believe in taking other people’s rights? what, denying you my money. what a box of rocks you people are.

          • mhogan

            I couldn’t allow expat to espouse such dribble. Correct me if I’m wrong on my definition — I am proud to be Libertarian.

          • mhogan

            I just couldn’t allow you to post such a ridiculous definition of Libertarianism. A Libertarian believes in the doctrine of free will (as opposed to government imposed regulations — or the near majority of the U.S. that believes in entitlement where their free lunch means imposing their will on those who generate wealth). Libertarianism is best defined by Libertarianism: A Primer by David Boaz Libertarianism is the view that each person has the right to live his life in any way he chooses so long as he respects the equal rights of others. Libertarians defend each person’s right to life, liberty, and property-rights that people have naturally, before governments are created. In the libertarian view, all human relationships should be voluntary; the only actions that should be forbidden by law are those that involve the initiation of force against those who have not themselves used force-actions like murder, rape, robbery, kidnapping, and fraud.
            –IMHO Libertarianism is a far more moral philosophy than paying for lazy people.

          • expatin paradise

            I’ll concede to your textbook definition; however, I maintain that most self-labelled “libertarians” are selfish jerks who don’t want to pay taxes on programs that don’t serve them directly and don’t want to follow rules that inconvenience them but want others to follow the rules that protect their interests. Most “Libertarians” are like most “Christians” -hypocrites whose true beliefs and behavior are almost the opposite of the textbook definition.

          • mhogan

            Be you Libertarian or Socialist or something else, there is no monopoly on jerks. Libertarians I know have a live and let live philosophy but they also support a “don’t tread on me” attitude. Socialism is a seductive ideology but since you like to speak of reality, Socialism is and has always been a disastrous failure. Any system wherein one class (have-nots) can exercise power over another (haves) is an abuse. Before you lecture on the reverse happening, I love the Polish for this proverb: Under Capitalism man exploits man; under socialism, the reverse is true.

          • expatin paradise

            I like your proverb. Unfortunately, some element of socialism is a necessary ingredient for any society. Without laws, taxation, and social programs, there is no infrastructure, no order, epidemics, and children, the (truly) disabled, and the elderly dying of starvation and exposure. I agree that there probably has never been a government that called itself socialist that was not corrupt, essentially a dictatorship. Every successful society has been a mix of capitalism and socialism. The most successful of these also respect the personal liberties of its citizens. All societies must balance private interests and State interests. To believe otherwise is naive.

          • gc

            no element of socialism is anything but theft. the basic definition of government is the legal means to use force. so you need force for a nice society? eat me.

          • Lav

            Have you ever lived in a socialist country? To say the have-nots have power over the haves is completely untrue. Socialism allows the have-nots to have a voice that is equal to that of the haves. After all, we are all human; we all have the same rights.

            Socialism allows the poor to have some dignity, while the elitists tend to be humble. Why? Because socialism is more than a social structure of society. It’s moral standards that are lived by. We are only as strong as our weakest players…

            The ten most socialist countries in the world, are all very strong countries. China, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada, New Zealand… I would not say socialism is
            a disastrous failure

          • gc

            like bill mahr?

          • SDPUS

            Unions are very strong in Canada, Germany, France, Denmark, etc. Please explain why these countries have growing middle classes and we are disappearing? These states have socialized healthcare. How can this all be? Countries that invest in education are being successful? Countries with progressive tax systems? It seems pretty clear your trickle down is only successful when it’s running down your leg. The writing is on the wall, I can’t wait to hear your next BS…

          • gc

            all imploding social democracies with unfunded liability that is not payable. economic musical chairs for the stupids like you.

          • gc

            oh and none of those countries have “growing” middle classes”, 3 of them have an average home of 700 sq feet. your bogus bullshit has yet to respond to a single source. yet i easily refute your lies…. hold it not really lies. you just don’t know any better.

          • Lav
          • gc

            apparently you did not read it as it supported my points.

          • Lav

            5 Myths about the Canadian Middle Class

            Myth #1
            The Middle Class is in Decline…

            It doesn’t say 5 truths, it says 5 myths.

          • gc

            you are illiterate. i said it was not growing. it is not.

          • Lav

            Oh lordy… Ya know what… You go on and have a good day now. You go live in your fabricated utopia and I will continue in reality.

            Pura Vida

          • gc

            reality? illiterate, from a deficient gene pool and you wish to define reality? enjoy your benevolent fascist social democracy. no one will help you if you ever make anything of yourself and it is confiscated.

          • gc

            you know. i really hope you live long enough to realize how close Russia is to Canada.

          • Lav

            Not as close as it is to the USA. Those cute lil Alaskans… wrecking your witty joke.

          • gc

            no at all, i am not a resident of the usa, canada is much more exposed and will lose much more and if dems are in office they will just tell putin how naughty he is. before ww2 Canada had a bigger Navy and armed forces than the USA. you likely do not know your own history. banned in public ed as un-pc …. eh? i do not support the US govt whatsoever. you’re govt is just dumber and oblivious. you did not even read what you sent, which by the way contradicts your own census. simply go to yahoo financial sources. hell i own quit a bit of SU. i make money off you dopes and gringos too, but if you read the newsletter i posted, world wide demand side economics leads to war, just as it did in 39. really should read history prof’s Folsom’s new deal or raw deal. first historian with access to FDR’s family papers.

            as to sdpus or whatever his lying name is. claims econ knowledge and elides over every specific term i use. he has no idea about markets, trading, currency, money supply, nothing or he would have responded. instead all he posts are odummies talking points.

          • Jamie McDonald

            BAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Lav u crack me up.

          • gc

            here is bs, form my news letter which you can not buy at three times the price

            this sort of destabilization is happening in every part of the world. it is caused by 3 simple things.

            a.
            currency wars, or demand side economics as nations compete to lower
            their currency values to sustain exports and employment while consumers
            pay the price with higher prices on consumables and other nations
            respond in kind doing the same thing to themselves. running up
            un-payable debt that can only be purged by monetizing debt with
            inflation or war, likely both. There is no country that can escape. they
            will either have unfunded bankrupting liability or debts owed to them paid off with devalued currency at net loss post inflation return.

            b. peace diplomacy with no strength. the reverse of functionality. speak loudly carry a toothpick.

            c.
            geo-political ignorance. obama, biden, clinton kerry and the entire
            wing of the that dem party feel that they can shrink geo political
            projection to buy a nanny state and the voids will be filled with
            diplomacy not aggressor nation states that will, unlike the usa, not buy
            resources but take them. you think the usa is worse than russia, china,
            iran, you stupid.

            reprinted without fucking permission from the left wing Obama donor Mort Zuckerman Business Insider.
            don’t do the crime if you don’t want to die.

            Pentagon Press Conference Turns Into Heated Debate Between Top Generals From US And China

            Richard Sisk, Military.com
            A top Chinese general Thursday strongly defended
            Beijing’s territorial claims over disputed islands in the South and East
            China Seas and charged that the U.S. rebalance of forces to the Pacific
            was encouraging unrest in the region.

            Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the general staff of the People’s
            Liberation Army, said “the re-balancing strategy of the U.S. has stirred
            up some of the problems which make the South China Sea and the East
            China Sea not so calm as before.”

            Fang warned that China would respond to any attempts by Vietnam,
            Japan or other neighbors to assert their own claims over the disputed
            islands and reefs.

            “We do not create trouble but we are not afraid of trouble,” Fang
            said at a Pentagon news conference after meetings with Gen. Martin
            Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

            Dempsey appeared to be slightly irritated as he waited to comment
            while listening to a long-winded response by Fang on the current dispute
            with Vietnam over offshore oil drilling rights.

            “Thank you for giving me the time to formulate my answer,” Dempsey told Fang.

            When his turn finally came, Dempsey dismissed Fang’s objections to
            the so-called “Pacific pivot” and said the U.S. was committed to the
            policy.

            “We’ll go because we can and should, and we’ll go because we have
            to,” Dempsey said of the re-balance. Dempsey also told Fang “We will
            respond to threats.”

            However, Dempsey mostly stuck to his long-held position that the U.S.
            must build better military-to-military relations with China to avoid
            miscalculations that could lead to conflict in the region.

            Fang came to the Pentagon after meeting at Naval Base San Diego with
            Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of the Pacific Command. Dempsey met with
            Fang, China’s No. 3 military leader, last year in China and was
            returning the favor by inviting him to Washington.

            At the opening of the news conference, Dempsey noted that China’s
            claims in the South China Sea could be seen as “provocative,” the same
            term used in recent days by the State Department.

            Fang responded at length, blaming Vietnam for the current dispute
            over China’s movement of a $1 billion oil rig into territorial waters
            claimed by Hanoi. The action by China triggered widespread protests in
            Vietnam in which foreign factories were set ablaze and a Chinese
            national allegedly was killed.

            Fang charged that other nations he did not name had drilled for oil
            in the same region but complaints only surfaced when China sought to do
            the same.

            “We believe the ones provoking those issues in the South China Sea
            are not China,” Fang said in an apparent rebuff to Dempsey. “When China
            does drill, we instantly become a threat.”

            Vietnam officials have charged that Chinese ships have rammed
            Vietnamese Coast Guard vessels attempting to patrol near the oil rig,
            but Fang said the Vietnamese ships were attempting to interrupt the
            drilling.

            “That is something that we cannot accept,” Fang said. “We will make sure that this well will be successfully drilled,” he said.

            Fang also made China’s case in a separate dispute over disputed reefs
            and shoals with the Philippines, and accused Japan of reverting to
            World War II militarism in asserting its claims to disputed uninhabited
            islands called the Senkaku by Japan and the Diaoyu by China.

            Fang said the Japanese claims were also encouraged by the U.S.
            rebalance of forces. “This is something that we can never agree (upon),”
            Fang said.

            Despite their disagreements, both Dempsey and Fang noted that China
            next month for the first time will send ships to participate in the
            annual Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises off Hawaii.

          • gc

            you are speaking of sociology not economics. talk to me when you view the sources you were given. as your demand side currency wars progress every nation and every ism is failing. punta. last time it resulted in ww2. think the west will be so lucky next time? i told you the APL was war gaming financial wars you ignore it. i warned you about m2 charts. you don’t understand them. go crawl into your amen corner of stupidity. “American Dream” what a load.

          • gc

            you are nothing but a dumb welfare rat. go get a job

          • gc

            realy u need historian folsom’s new deal or raw deal based on FDR’s family letters that only he had access to. you are so uniformed it is embarrassing. you keep making a fool of your self parrot demand side no nothings.

          • gc

            education has never been “defunded” it has always gone up and up and scores down and down

          • SDPUS
          • gc

            I’m ignorant and you cite huffpoop. you are a joke!

          • gc

            brainless, first only people can pay taxes. business and corporations cannot pay a tax, it comes from people. 2nd. who has the right to know what anyone makes. of course you being a totalitarian Marxist leaves you comfortable with every aspect of your financial life being revealed to your benevolent dictating state. last why should anyone pay a different rate than anyone else. face it, you hate equality.

          • SDPUS

            33% is a third. About third of their income is what most middle class people pay. That is 2 billion in taxes if Bloomberg paied the same rate as the rest of us. Loopholes allow him and corporations to steal government revenue, for things like education. Do you wonder why Bloomberg was an advocate of public schools? These business people are segregating societies and stealing along the way. with their push for privatization. Education, healthcare, banking and utilities should be socialized institutions, for the benefit of all society. As Lav correctly stated, Canada is living proof of how much more secure their institutions are. Capitalism can run the rest of our huge economy. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=758385414195942&set=a.190167221017767.44131.186219261412563&type=1&theater

          • gc

            so you support candian tree cutting and tar sands. you get none of my money, you are just a useless leech.

          • gc

            and spam poster

          • turbooperator

            no cédula de identidad for children. They are issued at 18.

          • gc

            fair enough,issue them at birth, duh

      • expatin paradise

        I agree that the public schools aren’t teaching the kids much, that most of what kids learn is due to the parents teaching them. The rest of your rant is typical right-wing/”libertarian” BS. Vouchers are simply welfare for those who already send their kids to private schools, often to schools that deny science and teach ignorance. Voucher programs take away from the already limited funding for public education.

        It is ironic how “libertarians” and the rest of the right-wing nut jobs are opposed to government taxation unless it provides funds for war or programs for those who don’t need them.

        Schools here, like virtually every other facet of the social and physical infrastructure. need better funding, not excuses to deprive them of funding. This should not be accomplished through printing more colones or new taxes, but by ensuring that everyone pay the taxes that they should be paying under the law, with taxes paid on actual income and true property values rather than the amounts under-reported by taxpayers.

        • gc

          if your mind had a portal and you were able to eliminate your right wing derangement syndrome you would quickly realize that with no public schools, and evenly divided money for all, for the first time ever poor families would be empowered. maybe some bad mean rich people could steal all the good teachers paying them extra…. but maybe i could throw water on you and steal your shoes too.

          why is it so important for you people strung out on government addiction to not realize to have education from top to bottom, from book to desk run by the state is not prima facia, on any honest first look, just stupid. is this a blind spot or what?

          • expatin paradise

            I guess that there might be someone other than you who would find the above clever, but they would probably think that Rush Limbaugh is also clever. You have offered up a fine word salad, probably an amalgam of words from RWNJ talking points, but utterly devoid of meaning. You really ought to know the meanings of the words you use.

          • gc

            lol.
            joke mine
            idea milton friedman

        • gc

          oh, and as i mentioned elsewhere. in the USA there is an inverse relationship on kids learning and how much is spend. it is fairly universal, spend more and get less in education.

          • expatin paradise

            Keep repeating it, and someone might actually believe it. This is unfounded right-wing propaganda.

          • gc

            perdo’n? maybe you need to do some reading. look at every city in the usa if they spend above the median they score lower than the median. right wing talking points? rush Limbaugh? that is what you have? deranged,

  • disgusted

    The school near us now says no classes till JUNE 3rd.. At the earliest.. So the teachers are getting along break and some are getting paid nfor not working others are getting some. What a mess and the Kids will suffer NICE going everyone.

    • Lav

      Are none of the teachers willing to cross the picket line and step into the classroom for the sake of the students? Will the schools open the doors, and maybe allow some capable parents in to teach?

      • gc

        what and interfere with union hammock rights to kick back and be paid.i get you do not like me, but use your brain. gov run schools and health care top to bottom is stupid on it’s face.

    • gc

      unionized public schools, kids last. kids don’t pay union dues. hell they were not learning anything anyway.

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