It's Deja Vu All Over Again!

I have to admit, I'm not sure how I feel about this particular idea, but reading this writer's commentary, all I could hear pounding inside my head was "Morrisville...Morrisville.." I underlined the lines that I thought most resembled what the NSNs did.

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- Score one for the knee-jerk naysayers. You know the type: those who find it easier to criticize proposed solutions to tough problems than to propose solutions of their own, which then could be criticized.

Faced with the problem of what to do with thousands of illegal immigrants who drive on state roadways every day to go to work for people who insist with a straight face that they want nothing to do with illegal immigrants, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed a controversial, yet terribly sensible, plan to give the undocumented a state-issued driver's license that would be easily discernible from licenses carried by U.S. citizens and legal residents.

The plan hit roadblocks with the extremes, on the right and the left -- which is always a good sign. But the criticism kept mounting. And now Spitzer has put the brakes on the plan after a brief but intense debate.

Correction. It wasn't really a debate. It was the rhetorical equivalent of a food fight in which pragmatism and common sense took a back seat to name-calling, fear-mongering and misrepresentation of fact -- with a dash of racism.

Yes, racism. That word is sometimes overused in the immigration debate. And yet the concept isn't exactly obsolete. Sometimes the sheet fits.

In this case, racism is the word that Spitzer used to describe some of the more toxic feedback his office received from angry constituents and onlookers from around the country after the driver's license plan was pilloried by everyone from presidential candidates to cable talk-show hosts.

Here's the problem. The naysayers once again let their fear of what could happen blind them to the fact that, well, it already has happened.

When lawmakers proposed a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants, the naysayers reflexively called it "amnesty" -- which is, in essence, what we have now.

When lawmakers proposed offering that path to young people who pursue higher education, the naysayers called it -- wait for it -- "amnesty" -- and imagined a scenario where illegal immigrants would attend U.S. colleges and universities, which is what happens now.

And when a handful of governors, including Spitzer, proposed giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, the naysayers objected lest we end up with a situation where motorists share the highways with illegal immigrants, which is what happens now.

These folks have a simple approach to problems: Ignore them, and they'll go away. Or better yet, portray those who come up with solutions as the problem. That's the game that GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was playing recently when he told CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck that he would punish states that give driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

When it comes to the immigration issue, we really are two Americas. There are those who sometimes have to make unpleasant choices because they live in states that are home to illegal immigrants, and then there are those who are just as comfortable living in a state of denial.

Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune and a nationally syndicated columnist.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.

At least, it's nice to see it ain't just us.

You Don't Know Morrisville

Thank you to our recently joining readers. I appreciate the good wishes as much as I laugh at and subsequently delete the flame emails.

I've seen a recurring theme coming through recently, "You Don't Know Morrisville", and perhaps it might be a good idea to explore it.

My parents recently moved from our hometown after 45 years of living there. They were STILL outsiders, because they were not part of the intermarried Polish and Italian immigrant families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that are still represented there today. I remember being absolutely amazed to find out how *incestuously* intermarried the town was and that everyone was related to everyone else, with only two or three degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. You could walk through the town cemetery and see the names of the founding families were the same names on the street signs, and were the same names in the phone book. THEY were the town, and everyone else was an outsider.

So what is different here in Morrisville? Not much apparently. Different names, but apparently similar thinking. Even after the decades I've spent here, I'm still finding out that X is related to Y who is related to Z and being amazed by the connections. The only minor difference is that I'm amazed to find out that A was a classmate of B at the high school and that both their kids are in the same class today. You especially find out items like that at Gym Night, another long tradition.

So just what is the YDKM mindset? And could Morrisville potentially be a wonderful successor to Castle Rock, Maine for Stephen King's next set of intricately interwoven small town horror stories? I've come up with two opposing but similar themes:

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons. You're not one of the power families, and you are crunchy and delicious with ketchup".
"Morrisville is a dreary unchanging place and the sooner you outsiders leave and let us return to our dreary unchanging lifestyle, we'll all be happier. Pass the ketchup".

Do you have another view? And what are some of the stories that someone who says YDKM would know? How would this understanding help us to better understand how Angry Al, Captain Algebra, the No Sports League, and Ducky were able to pull this off?

Resignation Scuttlebutt, Part II

While discussing this rumored resignation ballet with some friends, two interesting points were brought up. Realizing that this is all speculation:

1) If either Mr. Radosti or Mrs. Heater are resigning, could they be accused of having run false campaigns, thereby defrauding the voting public, or

2) If they take the oath of office and then resign, could they be accused of taking a false oath?

I mean, if the accursed one, Sandy Gibson, were going to be doing something like this, wouldn't the NSNs already be sharpening up the pitchforks and lighting the torches for the midnight raid to drive the infidel from our midst?

Resignation Scuttlebutt

Two separate sources tell me that two current NSN school board members are contemplating resigning once the new majority is seated. Can anyone confirm anything along these lines?

Look into the Crystal Ball

One of the things I love about history is how it repeats. George Santayana said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." George Bernard Shaw wryly noted in his corollary, "We learn from history that we learn nothing from history."

We see that it's not the exact occurrences that keep repeating: JFK will never be president again, but there are presidents like Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) who are Kennedyesque, evoking memories of JFK. Napoleon will never again be defeated by the Russian winter, but Hitler went and tried just to be sure.

So where am I going with this? Well, I'm going to apply my crystal ball and soothsaying skills to see how the next four years are going to turn out.

A) Paging Dr. Yonson: I apologize that you came to work in a school district with erratic elected officials. Like several of your predecessors, I see the superintendent's chair again being vacant. Note for the new board: There is a reason why George Steinbrenner has not written a book on management. Repeated firing and hiring is not an accepted way to foster faith and trust. The John Gould witch hunt was farcical and I can hardly wait to see who is going to spearhead the jihad against Dr. Yonson. (BTW: Anyone know the outcome of the John Gould lawsuit against Councilman and school board spouse Worob?) UPDATED Nov 25: Sorry for the delay, but this was obtained from a cracked crystal ball. Dr Yonson received a new five year contract, despite the opposition from the NSNs.

Issue: Superintendent's new contract

Vote: Approved 6-3 with Heater, Radosti and Worob opposed

Impact: Salary will be $130,000 for the first year of the new, five-year contract, effective July 1.

B) Karma: What goes around, comes around. You reap what you sow. Do you remember how Sandy Gibson ran on a ticket with the NSNs four years ago? When she looked at the facts and the studies, and came to the realization that building a new school was a regrettable, but necessary move, the NSNs began a virtual jihad against her. And now the bogey-woman is gone. She and all her "minions" have been removed. (Sounds like all the Jedi Knights have just been killed, doesn't it? Should we cue the Vader march?)

But let's look six months down the line. What happens to one of the more thoughtful NSNs (I'm assuming a lot, but work with me, OK?) when they reach the realization that Sandy was right! After recovering from the faint on the floor, how will they approach the Evil Empire? What happens when the promised tax savings do not materialize and the people revolt? How will the "new" board react when someone hands THEM stuffed lame ducks? (I imagine the duck woman will be the first to speak out against it!) The reprehensible tactics used by the QSRE group and the Stop the School people against opponents will come back to haunt them. Can you imagine these board NSNs month after month being harangued from the floor by the people who elected them? How long before Angry Al cracks under pressure?

C) The Hubbert Peak: What does something about oil depletion have to do with the school board? Plenty. Simply stated, this theory charts oil depletion saying that the first 50% of oil extracted from the ground is the easiest to take and the best quality available. We can debate the merits of the argument of oil reserves, but the theory itself is fairly reasonable.

I am sure that they can find something to cut that will be able to be endured and/or accepted without major hardship to students, staff, or physical plant. I'm guesstimating that most of the cuts that can be made "painlessly" have been made, or will be made shortly by the new regime. That's the first 50%, the "easy" 50%...But then comes the question:

"What's Next?" ™

Here is where Captain Algebra and the No Sports League come to the rescue, slashing the math department, gutting the history department, eradicating the athletics department, doubling the price of lunches, and whatever else they can do to cut costs and raise money. Maybe charge the kids for each hall pass? "Sorry, Bobby. You were absent yesterday. Thank you for your note, but you forgot the five dollar fee to process it." Yes, this is an absurd list of things, but let's ask what actually IS on their list?

I have this fantasy wish, that I could be in the room when the seven NSN board members are sitting there and the Oh-No Second hits. That's been variously described as the infinitesimal fraction of time between slamming the door and remembering the car keys are inside, or the time you hit "send" on the private message but realise you really hit "reply all." This will be the time that they realise that governing is harder than campaigning and that they are in a very deep swamp of doo-doo. Which leads to...

D) Depletion. Before the year 2008 is over, at least one of these NSNs will resign because they couldn't take it. It will mean nothing because a willing lackey will be put in their place. But it's on my list of predictions.

Anyone out there care to add to the list?

Anger Management Control Classes ARE Available

It's really interesting to see how the internet has changes the world. In the old days, you had to trudge down to the office to obtain a copy of the minutes opf previous meetings. Now...all you do is press a button and they appear.

Apparently Mr. Radosti has anger problems and the Morrisville Police refused to act, citing Mr. Radosti's involvement with the department. Aren't you NSNs proud of this?

Check out the minutes from the October 24 2007 meeting.

Dr. Gibson wanted to take this opportunity to respond to Mrs. Worob’s statement made last month. She
stated this was a very angry letter and she was not going to take on this anger. I don’t want to have anger at
you in my heart. I’m not going to take on your 7-page character attack. I pray that you find some goodness
in your heart so that you don’t do this to other people.
Mrs. Worob responded it was just business, Sandy. Not having a meeting was kind of serious to me.
Dr. Gibson I understand that and I am sharing my response with you.
Dr. Gibson advised that the Board met in executive session on October 3, 10, and 17 in regard to the
Superintendent’s contract. On Oct. 3 my children were in attendance. Everyone was kind, said how nice it
was to see them and welcomed them into the room. During the meeting Mrs. Heater and Mr. Radosti
became enraged talking about the school issue, which is not an executive session item and should have not
been discussed. They stood up, started screaming and personally attacking my character in front of my
children.
Mrs. Heater stated that’s not true. What happened was that Dr. Gibson jumped out of her seat and ran
toward Mr. Radosti with her hand exposed like a child.
Dr. Gibson advised she is filing charges against Mrs. Heater and Mr. Radosti for their behavior. She
verbalized examples of how terrified her children are since this incident.
Mrs. Heater stated that Dr. Gibson is not credible.
Dr. Gibson we will see what the police have to say about it. Chief Jones has decided it will be
investigated by the county detectives because of Mr. Radosti’s relationship with the local police. When the
officers arrived he told them nothing is going on; don’t worry about it. When Mrs. Manning tried to give
them her statement they told her they didn’t need it because they had Al’s and that’s all they needed. I can
not even express the trauma that was caused to my children. They are afraid that you are going to come to
our house and kill them. That is the rage that these individuals displayed in this meeting. We had to call
911 in order for us to safely leave the building. Mr. Radosti has in the past informed me that he keeps a gun
in his car. He has repeatedly told me that if I do not stop with the new school people are going to start to
attack me physically. Mrs. Heater has told me that people might kidnap my children. Mrs. Heater denied
this statement. My family has felt incredibly threatened by these behaviors. Mr. Radosti offered to fight
Mr. Kemp in the parking lot afterwards. Mrs. Heater stated that is so false. Unfortunately, this Board has
become accustomed to these types of behaviors. Mr. Radosti repeatedly has screamed in our executive
sessions. Mrs. Heater stated you shouldn’t have been screaming at us; we just defended ourselves.
She said she was repulsed at me. She attacked me first. Dr. Gibson I was repulsed by what you were doing
to my children. We live in a civilized society and I certainly hope as Board members we can behave civillaly with each other in the future.
Mr. Radosti stated what she says is not true – period.
Mr. Kemp stated what she says is true.
Mrs. Worob I was there as well and I will talk to the investigator

Let's be honest. The NSNs are going to see Heater, Worob, and Radosti as the victims, and the PSPs are going to see Gibson, Kemp, and Manning as the victims. Perception colors what we see today, but time will tell who are the real victims here. It's going to be the taxpayers of Morrisville Borough.

Don't you feel safer though knowing that a man with anger problems travels around with a gun in his car and at his advanced age is still challenging other kids to fight in the schoolyard at recess?

This blog is going away...NOT

Several people have emailed me to ask if this blog is disappearing now that the school has been given a big fat "F" by the borough council and the incoming school board.

Not on your life!

There are too many characters involved here to ignore them and their shenanigans. It would be like passing up free money.

What's Next?

Does anyone remember President Josiah Bartlet from "The West Wing"? We got to watch how the sausage was actually made from the inside. Each time this swiftly moving show reached a conclusion on one issue, Bartlet would always ask, "What's Next?"

Well, next month, Morrisville is going to be putting six new sausage makers in office, under the leadership of President-elect Radosti. (At least, that's my guesstimate.) All of these months of secret planning and late night cram sessions complete with thick briefing books will finally come to fruition. "Stop The School"™ is over. The school is stopped. The question that the PSPs have been asking should now also be the question that the NSN supporters should be asking.

"What's Next?" ™

Because we don't know what's next. You, the NSN supporters, bought a pig in a poke and didn't look the horse in the mouth and obligingly swallowed the claims of a group of snake oil salesmen. You voted very shortsightedly with your wallets without asking how the miraculous lower taxes and better schools claims could be achieved. You saw video of board member-elect Mihok dodging questions at a community forum and also saw a candidate avoiding the tough questions in a previous post here.

At least you knew what you were getting from the PSPs--they were open and up front with the need (the deteriorating buildings and the inadequate upkeep), the solution (a new school) and the cost ($30 million). The need still exists. The solution is now unknown, and the cost is anyone's guess. When the sausage grinder begins operating next month, what's going to come out? Don't blame me: I voted for Gore. I also voted for the Community Candidates.

The school is dead. Long live the school.

Congratulations to the NSNs. As I said before, they ran a great campaign. Here's the results.

School District - Morrisville SD

School Director - 2 Year		Vote for 1	View Results by District
Democrat
Bill Farrell		1004		55.3%
Republican
Bill Farrell		496		27.3%
Community
Jessica Fox		314		17.3%

School Director - 4 Year		Vote for 5	View Results by District
Democrat
Robin Reithmeyer		1080		13.2%
Bill Hellmann		1033		12.6%
Alfred A. Radosti		1016		12.4%
Marlys Mihok		1027		12.5%
Gloria Heater		985		12%
Republican
Robin Reithmeyer		486		5.9%
Bill Hellmann		467		5.7%
Alfred A. Radosti		457		5.6%
Marlys Mihok		474		5.8%
Gloria Heater		460		5.6%
Community
Felice Fava		355		4.3%
Gregory Gunzelman		345		4.2%

VOTE!!

Today's the day: Election Day! Do not take your right to vote for granted. There are veterans buried at Concord, Gettysburg, Manila Bay, Pointe du Hoc, Bataan, and Inchon, who died to keep you free. Honor their sacrifice with a sacrifice of your own. Brave the rain and VOTE.

Ward Location and Address
1st Morrisville Senior Citizens Center, 31 E Cleveland Ave
2nd Morrisville Library Building, 300 N Pennsylvania Ave
3rd Capitol View Fire Company, 528 N Pennsylvania Ave
4th Grandview Elementary School, Grandview Ave

Problems in voting?

Bucks County Board of Elections
55 E. Court St.
Doylestown, PA 18901
Board of Elections - 215-348-6154
elections@co.bucks.pa.us

Some services are also available at the
Government Services Centers:

Lower Bucks County
7321 New Falls Road
Levittown, PA 19055
Phone: 215-949-5800

Thank You!

Apparently I've been hiding my light under a bushel a little too well. I received several thank you emails from people who have stumbled over this blog. I appreciate your well wishes!

See the Stop the School people in action!

Al Radosti wants to cut sports.
Robin Reithmeyer agrees
Bill Farrell wants to eliminate algebra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCxKstSPw-g

Marlys Mihok says the Stop the Schoolers are too busy to tell what they will do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990iDVUF8aU

YOU GO GIRL!!!

Who needs to write when there's talented people out there who see the light and see these grumpy and embittered old NSNs for what they are. See today's Courier Times for this excellent guest editorial.

Also visit the great http://www.independentleadership.com/ site to see what can be done with visionary leaders. See the footage of the NSNs in action ignoring the electorate!

Mean-spirited tactics don’t produce healing

BY ANN PERRY

The great thing about opinions, especially in this great land of ours, is that everyone can have one. Ed Bailey wrote in his Oct. 23 letter that Morrisville’s “Stop the School” candidates don’t “hate kids,” do “care about education,” and have not used “threats and intimidation.”
While Bailey is entitled to his opinions, the above statements are not supported by fact. From personal experience, I have grave concerns about the character and ideology of the “Stop the School” candidates and their ardent supporters, such as Bailey. And as their mean-spirited antics continue, others are beginning to catch on, and wonder whether they’re the right people for the job.
My experience with the “Stop the Schoolers” has been nothing but negative: from insulting and stonewalling parents at meetings, to picketing people’s homes, to the vitriol directed at past and current school board members who voted for the new school project.
Bailey claims the “Stop the School” candidates promise to heal the community and that they speak for three quarters of the town. Fact is the number of independent and other minor voters greatly outnumber the total number of people who voted in May’s primary election. Bailey’s candidates do not speak for most parents and others concerned about the tactics of the “Stop the School” campaign.
As for our association with outgoing school board President Sandy Gibson, let’s review. Four years ago, Gibson ran with four others, two of whom (Radosti and Heater) now appear on the “Stop the School” ticket. I didn’t vote for any of them. But they, with the support of people who are now rabid “Stop the Schoolers,” prevailed and elected Sandy Gibson as board president. When their dream of merging with Pennsbury failed once again, the board commissioned yet another study on how to address deteriorated conditions in the existing school buildings, carefully weighed its options, and made a tough decision to build a new school.
Unfortunately, Bailey and the “Stop the School” candidates are masters at slamming anyone who disagrees with them, then acting like innocent victims, denying things they’ve said and done. But don’t take my word for it. Please visit the Web site www.independentleadership.com for further information.
The Community Party candidates Felice Fava, Jessica Fox, and Greg Gunzelman are running as an alternative to the egregious behavior that has characterized the “Stop the School” campaign. Like the many other registered independents in town, they weren’t able to vote for school board candidates in the May primary election. The Community Party candidates have not endorsed the new school project either. They do, however, want to move away from the extremism and negativity that have pervaded the educational debate in Morrisville, and towards reasonable and moderate leadership.
If you’re as appalled by the “Stop the School” candidates’ words and deeds as I am, please give Fava, Fox, and Gunzelman a chance on Nov. 6. Otherwise, we have no one to blame but ourselves for what’s to come.
Ann Perry, Morrisville, is the parent of a kindergartener in Morrisville Schools

Are the NSNs Losing It?????

I was forwarded this email thread and I think it's fascinating to see what is going on in Morrisville. The NSNs are imploding bit by bit as people see them for what they really are.

Warning--Here's the evidence. The NSNs are ready to contract out your child's education to a neighboring school district. If you thought being from Morrisville made you a paraiah before, imagine your Morrisville kid trying out for an activity or team as a contract outsider in Pennsbury, Bristol, or another school system. Trenton maybe?

The NSNs do not care about, and even ignore, the school safety issue. And I have it directly from one of the NSN candidates.

Here's the email chain. Other than removing the email addresses and specific identifying names, this is the actual chain. Thankfully, there's two dads out there who took on this candidate who is apparently too scared to reply. The truth hurts I guess...

----- Original Message ----
From: Candidate
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 6:02:26 PM
Subject: Lies

Dear XXXX,

It is not true that we will send students to Bristol Township Schools or cancel art, music or sports. Teachers and administration all have contracts and can not be fired by the Stop The School candidates. These are all lies made up by desperate people who are willingly to say anything to win your vote for the Community candidates.

We intend to give our children the best education that the 24,000 dollars we spend on each student will allow. And that is much more than they are getting now. Please do not believe these lies spread by people who lost in the primary election and dredged up three people to continue their agenda to build this poorly planned, inferior constucted school. They sold bonds for this project at 8 dollars a thousand when the going rate is 3.75. Why? For who's benefit? And this is just the tip of the iceberg. We have information on the architect, engineering firm and the obnoxious attorney Kaplin that we can't come out with untill after the election.

Just think about it. Bristol !? Really !? Why send our kids to the only district with test score lower than ours? Lies, lies and more lies.

XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message -----

From: Mom
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 9:16 PM

Subject: Re: Lies

Okay Moms Read Below

Thank you XXXXX : )

XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message ----
From: Dad 1
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 12:02:18 PM
Subject: Lies

THIS IS A DAD,

WHAT YOU SAY SOUNDS GOOD BUT IF ITS A LIE THEN WHY IS THERE A WITNESS TO MR XXXXX TALKING ABOUT SENDING OUR KIDS TO BRISTOL. IF THIS IS SUCH A LIE THEN WHY DID MR XXXXX SAY IT.

XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message ----
From: Dad 2
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 1:46 AM
Subject: Re: Lies

Hi XXXXX
Thanks for this email. However I question anything said in here. I see
conspiracy ramblings about people getting rich and alleged information that
canot be revealed until after the election. If it is all so important, why isn't
it released now to ensure a victory on election day? We are to support these
people yet they still have yet to reveal what they are going to do. Even with
seven months since the May primary they have to refute stories rather than
defending their plan. Doesn't that make you wonder?

----- Original Message ----
From: Candidate
Subject: Re: Lies
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2007 4:03:56 PM

Dear XXXXX XXXXX,

I am not aware of the alledged statement that XXXXX XXXXX made to your undisclosed person.XXXXX XXXXX wouldn't say such a thing and I am certain your information must be incorrect. If you wish to speak to XXXXX XXXXX personally I would be happy to pass along his phone number to you so you may speak to the source.

I appreciate your concerns as a Dad in our district and I can assure you we have your childs education as our highest priority. We need to hold our teachers accountable for every childs progress in the district and direct more of your tax dollars toward that goal and not a new building. You may hear about our dangerous buildings but if that were true students would not be occupying classrooms now. The current school board can point out no dangerous conditions because none exist.

If I can answer any more of your questions please feel free to e-mail me again.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message ----
From: Dad 2
Subject:Re: FW: Re: Lies
Date:Monday, October 29, 2007 5:11:29 PM

Dear Group--

I received this reply from XXXXX,
regarding the issue that was brought up concerning the rates in bonds between
3.75 and 8 per thousand.

It would seem that this would clear up any mischaracterizations on this subject
to the satisfaction of all concerned and the tip of this "iceberg" is quickly
melting.

Thanks,
XXXXX
-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXX XXXXX
Subject: ANswer to your question

Hi XXXXX,
Below is the answer to your question.
The reason we were charged 8% instead of 3.5% is because of the small
amount of money we borrowed. It's like anything else - the more of
something we purchase the less we have to pay it. The people that did
our bonding have to do the same work whether they do it for $28.5
million or $200 million. They are therefore going to charge less
(percentage wise) on the $200 million bond because the cost will be
spread out over more dollars than the small issuance. Also the
districts that issue the larger $ bonds are usually the bigger districts
that have better purchasing power.
I hope this answers your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have
any additional questions. Also, please feel free to forward this response to
others who share your concern.
Regards,
XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message ----
From: Dad 1
Subject:Re: Lies
Date:Monday, October 29, 2007 10:15:25 PM

XXXXX,

thank you for replying to me. i would like to know what is the plan for the schools and the kids if you and those running with you are elected. it would be nice to get an email from each candidate about this issue and this issue alone. is shipping the children to another school an option or is that something that you would never consider. i am more than satisfied with the morrisville schools and i have had two girls in school here for 3 years now. i do not want them to go anywhere else. not bristol and not pennsbury. and if that means that we need to build a new school then i am fine with that but the one thing i do not want to see happen is children having to go anywhere else to school. if you send them to a worse school district then they suffer and if you send them to a better and "bigger" district then they lose out in sports and activities because most would be cut from the teams. as for my source the first was a high school student and did not mention XXXXX XXXXX just that the "new school board" was planning to ship the 9-12 grades to bristol. then when i did some checking with people that should know whether this was true one of those people named XXXXX XXXXX as having stated that the plan was to ship out the 9-12 grades to bristol. i will contact my source and ask them to come forward.

what scares me the most is who can i really believe? as candidates you can tell us whatever we want to hear to get our vote and then
once elected for the next four years you have the majority and can do whatever you like because, if i understand correctly, the school board does not need the public's permission on the decisions that they make. so the only time i have any say in what the school board does is on election day and that is once every four years. there are two questions that each candidate needs to answer for me before i can give them my vote and that is

1. what is the plan for the schools. shipping out or staying here.

2. will you agree to resign if you change your position after the election.

no political dancing around the issue answers direct and specific please. i am not interested in other issues just those two.

i know i am being a pain about all this but i have a heart for the young people of morrisville and so it is not just about my kids but all the kids in the morrisville area.

thanks,

XXXXX XXXXX

----- Original Message ----
From: Dad 2
Subject: Re: Lies
Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 9:41:14 AM

Dear Group--

Thank you XXXXX! I second this request. For far too long all we hear is "Stop
the School". The next question is the one that is always ignored -- "What's
Next?" I have been waiting since before the primaries to hear what their plan
is. It's easy to say no new taxes (and support no new taxes) without needing to
face the realities of life.

My kids want the Morrisville schools. That's why we bought our home here. But
I'm not going to buy a secret plan either.

At the risk of starting more unwanted conversation, I ferverently disagree with
the statement
> "You may hear about our dangerous buildings but if that were true students
would not be occupying
> classrooms now. The current school board can point out no dangerous conditions
> because none exist."

Has anyone read the buildings report, freely available from the mv.org website?

http://mv.org/files/news/School%20District%20Building%20Reports%20%2Epdf

I see quite a bit that is potentially dangerous just by using the search feature on the word "unsafe"

The air handling units and ductwork are over forty years old, are
unreliable, have far exceeded their useful service lives, and are, in part,
unsafe for continued use.

Branch circuit panelboards are approximately forty years old and are in
poor condition. The ability to safely interrupt fault current upon short
circuit, or overload is highly suspect. Replacement circuit breakers are not
available for these panels. The overall condition is unsafe for future use.

The propane-fired water heater appears to be over twenty years old and
beyond its useful service life. The system may be unsafe in view of the age of
the existing system, and original safety devices now required of equipment
manufacturers.

The Electric service equipment (Federal Pacific) lost UL Certification in
1981, the existing equipment is unsafe for continued use, much less future use.

If people sue because McDonald's coffee is too hot, what will the lawsuit
responsibility be for the Stop the School people if someone gets hurt because of a defective
school electrical system or unsafe ductwork?

Frankly, if XXXXX's request and my seconding for a fuller explanation goes
unanswered, why should anyone support the Stop the School people?

Thanks,
XXXXX

Wow! So let's put this into context. Here's the NSN agenda:

• Stop the School! But don't ask us any more questions. Vote for us! And then we can ignore you.
  
• We're not sending the kids to Bristol. But don't ask us about other school districts we might send the kids to.
• LIES! LIES! LIES! Our opponents spread LIES! But don't look too closely into our wildly inaccurate statements. We want to Stop the School!
• If you're not with us, you're against us. Stop asking for our plan. That just proves you're against us.
  
• There's nothing physically unsafe about the schools. The buildings report is a LIE. And you know we would never LIE!
• The attorney is obnoxious, the current school board is obnoxious, the architect is obnoxious, and they all LIE! We know the best course. And, by the way, questioning us is obnoxious and only obnoxious people lie, so you are all LIARS!

There you are ladies and gentlemen: The American political system in action, the model for democracy around the world.

Sorry for the Lack of Posts

Hi everyone--

Sorry for the lack of posting, but I have a real job, a mortgage to pay, and kids to raise. It's been a long couple of weeks.

Here's something that was in the Courier Times on Sunday. It doesn't directly deal with the Morrisville board, but the lesson is instructive.

Dirty trick

Web of deceit

Pennsbury voters have more to consider than just the candidates’ positions on issues.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Ethan Shiller has a poster of Richard Nixon hanging in his home. Among other things, the former president was known for the “dirty tricks” that were part of his ill fated 1972 re-election campaign.
Shiller’s running for Pennsbury school board.
We refer to the dirty trick Shiller’s campaign pulled on his opponent, incumbent Gene Dolnick. Shiller’s software development company purchased the domain name reelectdolnick.com. And anybody who went to the site was directed to Shiller’s own campaign Web site, where Dolnick is bashed.
The phony Dolnick site was taken down a few hours after our reporter called Shiller, who immediately offered to donate money from the sale of the domain to the school district. But that doesn’t mean Shiller accepted responsibility for the incident. He blamed it on his “campaign” and he called it a “regrettable mistake.”
Pennsbury watchdog Simon Campbell blew the whistle on the site. He called the incident a “serious ethical and legal issue” and reported it to the county Board of Elections.
We agree the incident raises questions about ethics; the Board of Elections will determine if it violated the law, as the state election code seems to state. If so, the state attorney general could request Shiller’s removal from the ballot.
Said Dolnick of the incident: “It demonstrates the true character of my opponent.”
That assessment is among information voters should evaluate in determining who they want to represent them on the school board.

If you support the NSNs, what do YOU know about their true character? And are you really sure that you want to elect them? All they have run on is the short-sighted "No New Taxes" issue. Just take a short look at the short sighted Iraq policies of the Bush Administration and ask yourself for just a minute if you really want to go down that same type of road again.

And a half-hearted "Thumbs Up" to the BCCT for raising this issue of true character. I just wish that they would use the same benchmark when reporting on Morrisville issues. Open minded independent reporting would be a refreshing change. Stop parroting press releases and actually look into the issue of a new school with an independent view.

What's Up With This?

Something interesting I noticed from the NSNs.

* Issue: Approve payment of bills in the amount of $1,527,274.63

Vote: Approved 6-3 with Heater, Radosti and Worob voting no

What's up with this? I can see the negativity in their anti school voting record, but voting NOT to pay standard and ongoing bills? Anyone else think this is a little odd?

Shameful Display of Arrogance

Wow. Here's another of those NSNs with a letter to the Courier Times today.

LETTERS
Undoing democracy: Shameful display of arrogance
Even though members of the current Morrisville school board, who push for new school construction, were severely trounced in the recent primary, they forge ahead and seek to undo the mandate of voters despite the opposition of the community. The board pulled a fast one and convened a special meeting without sufficient public notice, and also stacked the audience with supporters, including spouses of board members, to have it deceptively appear that the community supports what the majority of voters rejected. What a shameful display of arrogance to suggest that 75 percent of voters do not reflect the views of the broader non-voting community. On whose authority are these proclamations uttered? What a reprehensible example for the children the board professes to speak for, suggesting that democratic safeguards can be easily eroded with bullying tactics and disregard for honest and fair proceedings. The hostility, intolerance and open contempt with which the board views the public, replete with board members barking orders in the most uncivil manner, serve as deplorable models for the next generation. For the board and its sycophants to embrace the monopoly concern over education is a false claim, considering a study revealing that districts intent on building McSchools were doing so at the expense of quality education. Make no mistake, all members of the lame duck board who pushed their misguided project lost by a landslide, and now they want to run up the costs even more. There should be no excuses, rationalizations or lame attempts to invalidate that reality because time has passed — or insinuations that a silent majority’s rallying cry of “Move Morrisville forward” translates as support of the disapproved plan. As Jed Gibson, husband of lame duck board President Sandy Gibson, stated in the public comments after the elections in which his wife won a seat: “The people have spoken.”

You know...when someone is destined to spout opiniated ignorance, you sometimes have to let them, but this is really pretty bad.

The special meeting stuff...get a life. At the few meetings I have attended, all I've heard is how the Courier Times is the Pravda of the Morrisville Soviet Union School Board and "secret" "special" meetings are printed in tiny fonts at the back of the paper in-between the horoscopes for Libra and Sagittarius in codespeak that only the Illuminati of the 57th level can understand. Please. The Courier Times is hardly the house newspaper of the Morrisville School Board. In fact, I can safely declare them to be associate NSNs.

Bullying tactics? Disregard for fair and honest proceedings? Hostility, intolerance and open contempt? Remove the telephone pole from your own eye before you start speaking about the eyelash in mine! I have been sickened by the display of constant bullying by the NSNs. I saw one speaker at a recent meeting be cornered by one of the putative board members-elect and bullied because he dared to oppose her. The "stacked audience" of NSN sycophantic supporters have even brought coolers filled with soft drinks and pop the tops noisily when PSPs are speaking. They are by and large a rude and obnoxious group, catcalling and harassing PSP speakers, and demanding strict silence when a NSN speaks. One brought stuffed "lame ducks" to a meeting to present to the departing PSPs, thinking she was so smart and cool. In today's world, that could have been seen as a terroristic threat to the well-being of the members. Fortunately, the members realized she was just being herself. Same for the man who kicked the wall to demonstrate how well built the current school walls were. Cinderblock construction usually is. (Memo to Mr Kicker: See the doctor quickly. Your meds need to be adjusted.)

Then there's the 75% stuff. I will say it again...the NSN candidates defeated the PSP candidates by a 3 to 1 margin in the primary. It was a 75-25 vote split. I agree with this assertion. But who voted? The party faithful and the ones who the NSNs convinced to declare a party affiliation today so they could vote and then change it back tomorrow.

So let's look at the results, courtesy of the Bucks County website.

The largest school board vote getter was Al Radosti, who received 706 Democrat and 459 Republican votes, for a total of 1165 votes. This means that at least 1165 people voted, some not voting for all six candidates. This is a larger than normal turnout.

Then let's look at the 2006 general election results, where any registered voter, not just the party faithful, can vote. The bottom of page 4 shows the Morrisville results. The race that received the smallest number of votes was the race for the PA140 Representative, where there were 1723 votes for Democrat Galloway and 895 votes for Republican Montone, for a total of 2618 votes cast. That means at least 2618 voters turned out for the election, with the marquee race for governor between Rendell and Swann obtaining 2696 votes.

That means that Mr Radosti received only 44% of the general election vote total. This means that less than half of the registered voter turnout (let's not start on the number of register voters who do not even bother to vote!) are on record as supporting the NSNs.

For the voters who are showing up at the polls in November: Did you realize that a vociferous narrow minded group of half truth tellers already hijacked your choice? When you show up at the polls, the Democrat and Republican lines will already be pre-populated with the names of the NSNs. Yes...this is how our democracy works: The groups who organize early and with a lot of noise do win. Most Americans take the right of voting for granted and fail to appreciate how much their vote means, not only in the general election, but the primary as well.

I salute the NSNs. They ran a great game. They used the "No New Taxes" mantra as skillfully as former President Bush did, and they are going to probably win in November and be seated in December. Then they inherit the mess.

The NSNs have been very quiet with their plans. Here's my challenge to them: You've had the months of May, June, July, August, September, October, and November to make your decisions. When December rolls around and you're seated, I expect a blaze of activity and popular lifesaving not seen since the glory days of Franklin Roosevelt and the Hundred Days of the New Deal. I expect you to lower the tax burden and provide us with top notch quality school buildings.

Yeah, OK. Here's the scoop. I expect you to do squat. You're going to do nothing but move the district backwards, and in four years, we'll have to vote your butts out and find someone who can do the job. Meanwhile, the opportunity will have been lost and the new school to be started in 2011 will cost even more that it would now.

Borough Council Votes Down New School

Well, well. It looks like the NSNs may finally be getting what they want.

$30M school plan rejected

The school’s fate depends on whether the school board resubmits plans.

By DANNY ADLER COURIER TIMES

Morrisville’s council denied preliminary land development plans during a stormy Monday night council meeting that ended with a spatter of applause from a tired, heavily anti-new-school audience.
The passionate issue to consolidate the district’s two elementary schools and the middle-senior high school into one building has rattled community members with heated and, quite often, polarizing discussions. Monday evening was no different.
The council denied plans for the $30 million, pre-K-12 school because they did not comply with the borough’s subdivision and land development ordinance, which follows the state requirement for stormwater infiltration.
Borough Manager George Mount said he’s unsure what happens next; the fate of the school lies with the school board and whether it will resubmit plans.
The school board’s attorney, Marc Kaplin, on Tuesday said he’s unsure whether the board will do that.
The Courier Times was unsuccessful Tuesday in reaching school board President Sandy Gibson for comment. A Morrisville school board meeting is scheduled for 8 tonight at the Morrisville Middle-Senior High School on West Palmer Street. According to an early agenda, no action will be taken on the proposed building.
The ordinance behind the council rejection requires that a certain percentage of stormwater be infiltrated within 96 hours. The school board was seeking a waiver for that requirement, stating it can’t possibly happen due to the soil on site.
“We don’t need it, but we’re asking for it anyway,” said Kaplin, the newly reappointed attorney representing the school board. Kaplin said that by providing documentation that the requirement can’t be met, he was following the ordinance.
“I think there’s a reason 96 hours was chosen by professionals,” council President Jane Burger said moments before the council unanimously voted down the school’s plans.
Burger said the school board’s engineer, Raudenbush Engineering, did not justify why the school should be exempt from the regulation and that the plans fail to show undue hardship.
James McCann, the borough’s engineer, said the plans complied with everything except the infiltration requirement, adding that more could be done to meet standards.
Jack Raudenbush, the school’s engineer, said the infiltration wasn’t possible due to the low permeability of the soil.
Rich Brahler, a senior transportation planner with the Bucks County Planning Commission, on Tuesday afternoon said that in similar cases, the planners typically need to scale back the scope of the project so they can meet the infiltration requirements.
A Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said the local ordinance was created after a DEP model ordinance.
“How aggressively they stick to that will be a measure of how successful their stormwater management is,” spokesman Dennis Harney said Tuesday. “It’s a way of empowering local officials on an issue that hits at the local level.”
Council members also stressed concerns over the amount of traffic the new school would generate.
“It spells disaster,” Councilman Stephen Worob said of having young schoolchildren walking and teenage students driving to the same school.
Those who support the new school say it’s time to start anew, claiming the borough’s existing schools are old and structurally unfit. And at the cost of renovating the old buildings, some say, there might as well be a brand new one standing.
Opponents, though, have crowded public meetings, angered at soaring school taxes and questioning the building’s impact on storm water management and traffic, among other things.
Of the dozen residents who spoke out about the school at Monday’s meeting, not one supported the school.
In May’s primary election, borough residents overwhelmingly voted against the new school by selecting six anti-school candidates to run against three independent candidates this fall.

You know, I was talking to another PSP parent today and we agreed that maybe it is time to let the NSNs have all the fun. I still support a new school. It's also quite clear that the NSNs have no intention of doing the responsible thing by proposing a new way forward. All they propose is Stop The School"™ Longtime House Speaker Sam Rayburn once famously remarked, "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one." There are no carpenters at work here.

Maybe this columnist says it best...

Master politicians do more than earn your vote. They win your heart, foolish as you know it is to give it up.

The goal, of course, is to lure the prey -- you, the voter -- to the voting booth. When that happens and you finally seal the deal by casting your vote, the transaction is complete. The wooing is over and it's onto the next phase, the business of government.

With victory comes a need for action, not rhetoric. It's time to put the slogans to rest, whether it's "Morning in America" or "Together We Can." The next test is whether the candidate can harness poetry and translate it, as elected official, into policy...

"What do we do now?" Robert Redford asks that question at the end of the classic 1972 movie "The Candidate." He plays Bill McKay, a lawyer who runs a campaign of hope, charisma, and simplistic slogans. When he wins, the candidate has no idea what to do next.

Wouldn't it be nice for the PSPs to be the ones sitting in the audience heckling the NSNs as they struggle with the realities of governing? The problem is that we, the taxpayers, are going to pay for the for our foolish flirtation with the folly of a few visionless wannabes.

California Stop the School

The Courier Times had an interesting letter today that shows pretty fairly the outside perception of Morrisville

Hit the brakes

In reference to the article on the Morrisville School board hitting the gas for the new $30 million school, we own property in Morrisville and have an elderly parent who owns property and lives in Morrisville. Although we don’t live there, we are paying the sky rocketing taxes. I wonder if Sandy Gibson can see past this school to see the surrounding area.
I think the taxpayers would rather see Morrisville refurbished before a school is built. No one wants to live in a town with more than several cigarette joints, a bail bond company, a firecracker shop, a boarded up gas station, low-income apartments that have been in the news for violent crimes and a shopping center that has problems keeping tenants. I have been to my parents’ house on occasion when school lets out and the profanity and dress code is disgusting.
A new building is not going to teach these kids higher morals or better behavior. The number of students attending the schools it is not worth the money. People are moving out, not moving in with school-age kids. The registration declines every year. What happens when you have a $30 million school and too few students? If they need to consolidate, than use the schools that already exist.

Let's look at the letter:

I'm pleased that they are helping out their surviving parent, but I am sorry that they need to do so. It opens the question of how effectively the parents saved and invested for their future, but assuming they did the typical savings and investing, yes, it's a crime that inflation has eaten away at the savings stored up. That's a question of macroeconomics on a federal and world level that does not really have anything to do with Morrisville and a new school.

Yes. The demographics described are somewhat true. We have smoke shops at the foot of every bridge, enough nail salons to do one nail per shop and still have shops left over, a bail bondsman and a fireworks company. None of these establishments are illegal and they generate business and tax revenue. This speaks more to the rebuilding effort underway from the borough council than the school.

The low income apartments need to be somewhere. I didn't choose to have them there, and I'm sure the writer didn't either. The "low income people" don't have a child to help out with the bills like the writer's mother does. Where would Mom or Dad be living if you didn't assist? Low income does not always mean low morals or low standards. Violent crime can happen even in the safe "high income" suburbs.

And no one wants to live in a place like that? Would the last one to leave New York City please turn out the lights? If it's so bad, why do you allow your parent to live in a substandard place like this? How's the mother-in-law suite coming along?

However, our culture today does have low morals and low standards. Yes, the profanity and dress of today's kids is appalling. And so it was for every generation looking back at the "younger generation" then coming up. I bet the letter writer was a 60s flower child who has grown into a respectable adult. That's where the parents come in. If the parents use and teach the profanity and low morals and/or permit the children to use them, then that's a parental problem, not a problem of the school. The school systems have already taken over so many areas of education because the parents will not do the teaching they are supposed to. What are YOU teaching YOUR children?

A new building does not change the curriculum and what would be learned. There's a stroke of the blinding obvious.

Families with kids are moving out? Let me check on that and get some figures, but that's not what I'm seeing. The enrollment is growing.

Use the schools that exist? We covered that earlier. Look at the report and ask: Would the letter writer use the toilets shown in the appendix? This is written like a true believer who DOESN'T have to use the school and walk a mile in the shoes of a student and can speak from the safety of the outside. Take Mom or Dad on a walk sometime and visit the school to see what it looks like inside. If you lived here, you probably remember the high school from your days here...it hasn't changed.

Renaissance in Morrisville?

It's nice to see Morrisville grow. Here's a great story from Tuesday's Bucks County Courier Times about a local business that's growing and prospering.

DiPalma said the business really turned a corner in 2006, when it moved from Atomica’s Pennsylvania Avenue address to a larger, brand new office space on East Bridge Street.

“We saw a 200 percent increase in profit after we moved in,” he said. “We had a space that we weren’t embarrassed to bring clients to and where we were comfortable giving big presentations."

Wow. I wonder if the same thing applies to a new school. No...probably not. The adults who are supposed to be providing the learning space don't have to use it.

Courier Times Says the Voters Spoke...Did They?

So, the massive editorial might of the Bucks County Courier Times has spoken against the new Morrisville school

Respect voters’ decision

Don’t take action on unwanted new school

Morrisville school board’s lame duck majority could cost the small school district big money.
We understand that the board majority wants to do what’s best for the children. But members need to do what’s best for taxpayers, too.
Voters made their desires well known in the fall, and they don’t desire a new school — or, more accurately, the expense of a new school.
The board’s new majority will take over in December, and it’s no secret that plans for a new school will be scrapped at that time.
Current board members know that. They should act accordingly, which means respecting voters’ desires and not obligating the financially struggling district to anything that will later have to be undone — probably at great expense.

Let's take a quick look at the election. By all measures, this was a well attended primary and a much larger than normal number of voters turned out for what is a normally sleepy primary. Ask any of the NSNs, and the overwhelming 3 to 1 margin allows them to claim that "We Represent The WILL of the PEOPLE"™.

But 75% of what? Gather around, and let's remember the three biggest lies in the world: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

If you take a handful of stones from a quarry and find that 75% of the stones in your hand are blue, and 25% are orange, you can rightly claim that 75% of the stones in your hand are blue. Nothing more than that. You cannot rightly claim that the quarry itself is 75% blue. You cannot claim that the orange stones are irrelevant. You cannot claim that there are no red stones in the pit either.

Open questions to the Courier Times editorial board: Why do you assume that the November election is irrelevant and assume that this board will be seated in December? Why do you dismiss the November general election voters so casually? Why do you think a new school is bad for Morrisville taxpayers? Why do you think the month of May is "fall" in the Northern Hemisphere? Why do you unhesitatingly regurgitate the propaganda of the "We Represent The WILL of the PEOPLE"™ NSNs rather than taking an independent and unbiased look at the facts? And why did you cover this ten days after it occurred? Shame on you, and several big "Thumbs Down!" for you.

Chicken Alert!!!

Ahhh...I love the smell of fresh hypocrisy in the morning! Accompanied by the scurrying little feet of scared demagogues, the No School Negatives (NSNs) are hurriedly retreating to the safety of the do nothing ranch, awaiting their coronation.

The Bucks County Courier Times, only ten days late, today covers the July 30 meeting where the NSNs once again said "We Represent The WILL of the PEOPLE"™ yet refused to hint at what they would do other than "Stop The School"™

Dear Morrisville voters: You expect your council, mayoral, county commissioner, and every other political office seeker to lay out their platform. Why are you giving these visionless people a pass? Remember former President George H. W. Bush and "read my lips...no new taxes?" What was the result? New taxes.

Here's the secret: They don't have a plan. They just don't like paying higher taxes and think that once they gain a hold of the budgetary reins that Morrisville can continue to get by with a maintenance only infrastructure. That's a fair goal...no one wants to pay more taxes without a purpose. If you are comfortable with their purposeless negativity, then vote your conscience and elect the NSNs. But keep in mind that supporting these people means you support keeping our Morrisville schools with substandard infrastructure.

This isn't the preferred place for any politician. Vote for me and pay more! It's pretty suicidal in terms of asking for votes. Think about how many candidates have asked for your vote with that approach...probably only the six May primary candidates. But how many of these candidates now officeholders either refused to answer or flatly said "No New Taxes!" and then thumbed their nose at the people who got them the position?

If you support the NSNs, don't you want to know what they will do? Tell them to come out from hiding. Three NSNs have the exact same information that the six Pro School Progressives (PSPs) have. Cats got their tongues? Or embarrassment because they stand ready to gain their amazing cosmic power but only have an itty bitty living space.

Comments??

Do you want to comment on a post you've seen? Now you can email me at savethemorrisvilleschool@yahoo.com.

A Bridge to a New School

The horrible tragedy of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis is now moving into the second part of the story, from the initial horror to the search for answers to the questions of "why?"

WHY?

Some of the answers aren't pretty. Time Magazine suggests:

• More than 70,000 bridges across the country are rated structurally deficient like the span that collapsed in Minneapolis, and engineers estimate repairing them all would take at least a generation and cost more than $188 billion... It is unclear how many of the spans pose actual safety risks... It is money that Congress, the federal government and the states have so far been unable or unwilling to spend.
• "We're not doing what the engineers are saying we need to be doing," said Gregory Cohen, president of the American Highway Users Alliance, an advocacy group representing a wide range of motorists. "Unfortunately when you consistently underinvest in roads and bridges ... this is the dangerous consequence." "People think they're saving money by not investing in infrastructure, and the result is you have catastrophes like this," said Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis., a member of the House transportation committee.

CNN continues the story:

• ... Experts said Thursday that the problem stems from a lack of money and leadership...While the "structurally deficient" and "functionally obsolete" monikers don't indicate the crossings are treacherous, they do imply serious problems, Stidger said. The Interstate 35W bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River during Wednesday rush hour was deemed structurally deficient two years ago.
• Casey Dinges, a staff leader on the report card, said "structurally deficient" and "functionally obsolete" are technical terms used by the federal government. "Neither one means failure is imminent or that your life is in danger or that you should be afraid to get in your car," he said. "That said, we still have pretty serious concerns about the overall state of the nation's infrastructure." The report also said bringing all the nation's bridges up to snuff would cost $188 billion over the next two decades.
• While the number might sound staggering to some, Dinges says it's "doable. That's simply maintaining what we are doing right now," he said. "New technology, money -- there are resources involved, but I think the big thing is really political leadership, and that has to come at all levels of government," he said. "There has to be an honest discussion about the financial resources it takes to maintain these systems," he said, adding that infrastructure needs to be a priority. There are no Republican bridges. There are no Democratic drinking water purification facilities. We all use these systems," he said. But Stidger said states aren't getting the money they need to repair their roads and bridges. They're forced to resort to a process of "patch, patch, patch and nothing ever gets repaired," she said. She likened the process to putting a Band-Aid on a broken elbow and said, "There's only so much you can do with inadequate funding."

At the risk of being taken to task for comparing an actual tragedy to a potential tragedy, if you do not support the building of a new school to replace the old ones, how would you answer the Time Magazine or CNN reporters, or even Matt Drudge, covering the catastrophic failure of a component of a Morrisville school without resorting to blame shifting hyperbole and hypocrisy? The same set of conditions from Minneapolis exist right here in Morrisville. Money that we're unable or unwilling to spend to invest in infrastructure turns to disaster.

I saw six leaders vote to move forward Monday night. I also saw three others doing nothing, cowering in the corner of the meeting room, consistently voting with a resounding "NO" against progress.

I pray to God that the buildings remain safe until the new school opens, but if you're one of the people unwilling to spend the money on our community learning infrastructure, how would the death or harm of any of the Morrisville students or staff allow you to sleep at night?

The Old Schools

So why is Morrisville replacing three schools with one? Cost effectiveness. The baby of the three is the Morrisville Middle/Senior High school, which was built in 1958. Grandview Elementary, which celebrates the big 5-0 this year, was born in 1957. The hybrid granddad/grandchild is the former Robert Morris High School, which was built in 1924, closed for renovations in 1958, partially burned in a fire, and was reopened as Manoah R. Reiter Elementary in 1961. Source: the awesome Earl Davis' photography site. See his Tidbits of History.

So the students of Morrisville are using buildings not only from the era of the poodle skirt, but reaching back to the pre-Depression flappers! Kudos and greetings to our older folks who remember these eras fondly, but I doubt Grandma still has the "bee's knees" and Fonzie's getting a little long in the tooth.

I shouldn't forget the matched pair of trailers at Reiter either. The overcrowded district decided to stop holding music and art lessons in the hallways and purchased the trailers at a bargain...because they were already at the end of their useful service life. Make note of that "end of their useful service life" phrase, because it's going to be a familiar theme.

Let's go to Exhibit 1: The school district building report, freely available at the District Website. Does anyone want to count the number of times "end of useful service life", "not suitable for continued use", "not capable of repair", and similarly worded lines appear? I lost count. I'll have to get a new highlighter and check the printout again. BONUS: Do you think the phrase "manufacturer no longer in business" should be counted as well? I'm leaning toward "yes" myself.

So...the harvest gold and avocado green appliances all need to go, replaced and updated to the spotless stainless steel of the 21st century. Hmmm...but when we replace the appliances, the windows will look pretty bad. And then there's the air conditioning and the electrical systems. They've been updated since the 1970s too.

SPECIAL QUESTION FOR HOMEOWNER HANDYMEN: Does this sound like a weekend of bliss? I'm thinking possibly not.

Remember how back in the day, Pennsbury Pottery, Vulcanized Rubber and U.S. Steel paid the civic bills? Why do I bring this up? Look around your house and see where you may have cut corners and foregone repairs to save some money. That's exactly the type of upkeep that these three schools have lived with for decades. The previous boards have worked with less and less money and the talented custodial staff made miracles from Kleenex and baling wire. Less than complete upgrades and repairs make the age and conditions of these buildings even more of an issue.

And then there's the pesky little matter of ADA compliance. The curb cuts, lever door handles, extra wide bathroom stalls we're used to in modern buildings are not required for grandfathered buildings. Remodeling like this negates the grandfathering and lets loose another round of renovations. Pretty soon, we'll have to build a new building.

Which leads to another question...if not now, when? The real "when" for this new building was some ten or fifteen years ago, not today. And every day it's put off, the cost just climbs higher and higher.

What do you think?