CalRTA

Interests of the California Retired teachers Association have included:

~  Educating CalRTA membership and the public about the facts related to CalRTA

~Improving communication within the organization and between its leadership and members.

~ Co-operation with similar organizations

These interests seem worthy.

Not Perfect

A page about Fidel Castro in a world history book I was looking at stirred me to consider how I think about 'the people' in the 'We the People of the United States ...' which begins our Constitution. 


I think that, that 'People' is meant to be inclusive. I don't think that it just refers to the comfortable ones. I think that it includes the ones who want a better, more honorable, more just nation.


I think that 'the People' of our Constitution includes the hundreds of thousands of Americans without work, the hundreds of thousands who work and cannot earn enough to house their families without crushing debt. I think 'the people' includes industrial workers who not only lost their jobs, but also saw much of their benefit and retirement funds disappear.


The people includes those who pay interest on money borrowed to get their families from on moth to the next in some dignity. The people includes tens of thousands of teachers and professors who are treated like jailers and trainers, but paid less. Teachers and professors vital for maintaining the good in our society and for providing the people a chance for a better destiny are honored less than a stock broker and paid less.


The tens of thousands of small business men and women weighted down with debt and too often with confounding paper work are part of this 'People.'


Tens of thousands of young professionals with fresh degrees and a desire to work find themselves before closed doors are part of this 'People.'


Each of these  people are responsible for his or her -self and, have also united to form a move perfect union.

People of the United States

A page about Fidel Castro in our World History book stirred me to consider how I thought about "the people" in the "We the People of the United States ....." which begins our Constitution.

I believe that "People" is meant to be inclusive. I don't think that it refers to the comfortable ones among us alone. I think that word includes those who want a better, more just nation.

I believe that the People of our Constitution includes the hundreds of thousands of Americans without work  and the hundreds of thousands who have work, but don't earn near enough to care for their families well. I think that 'the People' includes industrial workers who not only lost their jobs, but also watched their benefits and retirement funds disappear.

The People must include those men and women who pay interest on money borrowed to get their families from one month to the next, from one week to the next. The People includes tens of thousands of teachers and professors who are paid less than jailers and honored little more.

Tens of thousands of small business men and women weighted down with debt and confounding paper wok are equally part of the People.

Tens of thousands of young professionals with fresh degrees and a desire to work who find themselves before closed doors are included among the People.

Each  of these Americans are responsible for his or herself each stands ready to pay taxes and to defend the country with blood; each is ready to help us unite in a more perfect union.

EdWorkforce Journal | Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats

EdWorkforce Journal Committee on Education and the Workforce, Democrats



Informative and encouraging set of playable videos.

Books On-Line

martin skinny madden - Google Search

Google offers a great many books on-line. A significant number of them are offered at no charge.

I have right next to me a shelf of unread books taller and and wider than I am. I am not lacking reading material at the moment.

My genealogist sister tells me that the Mr. Madden click-able above is a relative of mine. A very brief review of the works available on "Skinny" indicates the wide variety of works available.

You can begin your search for reading subjects more interesting to you than Skinny Madden might be by clicking the "Google Search" above.

It Pleases Me

As a citizen of the United States I believe the following:
Our Constitution is a contract among us.
The Constitution is about cooperation.
The preamble is about why we agree to cooperate.
Its a statement of our motivation and that of the framers.

We each have our own understanding of the letter and spirit of the Preamble and the rest of the Constitution. Still, if we are to maintain our union, we need to agree on how we shall act on that understanding.
Our daily deciding on these acts among ourselves and our representatives is how we govern.
Understanding, agreeing, and cooperating on an act demands a lot of talk, a lot of communication.
Understanding and being understood is called for.
Understanding and being understood calls for some skill and some willingness to persist in the dialogue that keeps us united.

Its my understanding that we once agreed to be the supreme authority in this nation and state and that we provisionally delegate some authority to a federal government. Was that the case? Is it still the case?
I know I still feel the brotherhood, pride, and beauty of our united citizenship.

The following are my motives for being a citizen of this republic. I believe that they were the motives of the founders as well:
~ form a more perfect Union
~ establish Justice
~ insure domestic Tranquility
~ provide for he common defense
~ promote the general Welfare
~ secure the Blessing of Liberty

They chose these as their top goals for themselves and their posterity.

I note and applaud the words they choose to emphasise with capitalization.:
~ Liberty
~ Blessing
~ Welfare
~ Tranquility
~ Justice
~ Union
~ People

I love the meaning I find in these seven capitalized words.

Democratic Meaning

YouTube - Sheldon Wolin cont.

When I say learn about union and organization I don't suggest that you join a union.

A Corker

Mary Harris Jones was a Corker. She loved America and her community. She was also very fond of justice. She knew how to speak to a group and encouraged all to participate.


What gets you agitated?

In Common

There are similarities among republics, political parties, unions, etc. They are meant to be mutual benefit organizations. The are expected to have, as central to their being, a democratic process which provides for participation of, and control by their members. Another set of similarities they have in common is the ways in which they displease publics and lose memembers, I list much of that set below:
~ movement toward oligarchic control,
~ displacement of prime beneficiaries,
~ goal displacement,
~ means which are perceived as illegitimate.
~ low level of participation,
~ leaders retaining and extending their power,
~ military or police power tending to dominate,
~ original objectives lost sight of,
~ lack of understanding of goals of organization by its members or publics.

In which organization you know have you noted such tendencies?