Say It Ain’t So!
September 4th, 2008Meanwhile, inaccurate information could be found this week on the other end of the spectrum, as evidenced by a posting on the Monadnock School Taxpayers Association Web site.
Taxpayers association President Richard E. Bauries has repeatedly declined to give the names of the group’s members for fear, he said, that their businesses could be boycotted because of their political leanings.
In arguing against the proposed teachers agreement, the posting refers to the district’s ongoing lawsuit with the town of Sullivan over the issue of early retirement, a benefit that gives an incentive to veteran teachers to retire early by giving them a portion of their salary for a number of years. That number would change during the phase-out.
The lawsuit argues the early retirement benefit was never legal, and should be discontinued immediately because voters weren’t properly told about the benefit when they approved it as part of the 2000-01 contract.
The new contract would bring about an earlier phase-out of the benefit than proposed in the rejected contract. If the contract fails, early retirement will continue in full force.
But if voters approve the new contract, it could throw a monkey wrench in the Sullivan selectmen’s attempts to get rid of early retirement immediately.
A posting that appeared on the taxpayers association Web site this week, which has since been changed, said, “A provision in the new contract says that if the new contract passes, the lawsuit is moot.”
This isn’t true.
Apple said: “There’s no provision … Not at all.”
But, even without such a provision, Apple has said that a “yes” vote on the contract would give him a strong argument against Sullivan’s lawsuit.
On Wednesday, Bauries acknowledged that the statement in the posting was incorrect.
“There is no provision,” said Bauries, adding that he did not write the posting.
The post was changed later that day.
The Monadnock Taxpayer’s Association posted something that wasn’t true? They released it on their flier to the community, even though they made it all up? Say it ain’t true!
Yeah. I’m grateful for the Sentinel pointing it out, though I do wish they could have placed this information in two different articles. The setup of this article is so horribly negative to the district—there’s a legal question which has not been resolved, and it’s put on the same weight with the blatant lie from the Monadnock Taxpayer’s Association.
I know it’s the nature of the newspaper business to try and be balanced…but there’s so much misinformation, so much outright deception out there it’s hard to not resent anything which might add to the confusion, or that ranks up there as a clear misrepresentation.
After all, the damage has been done. The lie might be removed from their website, but not from the little lying flier¹ they sent out. Oh well. Gee, how embarrassing for them. Oopsie. I’m sure they’re very upset.
It must be nice to not lose anything when you’re caught in a lie. When bad things appear about the district, teachers lose income. When the Monadnock Taxpayer’s Association lies through its teeth and get caught they… apologize? Nope. Take responsibility? Nope. They take it down and pretend it didn’t exist.
Nice.
I also find the explanation for why the Taxpayers refuse to admit their membership interesting. Apparently, they’re afraid their membership’s businesses might be boycotted.
Oh! So all the members of the Taxpayers own their own business? Interesting. So when property taxes increase…their business makes less profit?
Nah. There’s no way this is about money. After all, the Monadnock Taxpayer’s Association is far too principled for that kind of thing. They’ve repeatedly demonstrated that time and time again.
1 Interesting how exactly I called the actions of theMonadnock Taxpayer’s Association. Their story never changes, even if the facts do. We shouldn’t be surprised. Whatever the result of next Tuesday’s vote, I promise we’ll see the same little lies in March.
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September 4th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
[RJH Note: One of the nice things about knowing that someone is a liar and cheat is I no longer feel any need to show them any more respect than they do truth. So I've proceeded to comment all over their comment]
They are not required to tell the names of their members.
Right, right. Of course, what’s required and what’s right are very different things, aren’t they? John Hancock could have scribbled his name as the rest did, but he wasn’t ashamed of what he was doing. Why is the MTA?
Why do you want to know who they are, so you can harass their children in school or badmouth them just because they might vote NO?
Yes, yes. You’re onto me! I DEMAND that all my students agree with my point of view. I hold people accountable for other people’s actions, and I’m such a big man I’ll pick on a child. Get off it. If I didn’t love these kids so much I would have left the district a long, long time ago.
Voting is private.. They likely know how YOU will vote because you have chosen to air it. But the majority of the taxpayers don’t want to and that’s their right….
The Sentinel said the school district’s info was wrong too….but you left that out.
Actually, the Sentinel said that there’s a difference in opinion about what the new law will mean. The School Board’s opinion, and at least one lawyer, is that it will not apply. There’s a huge difference between being flat out wrong, and having people disagree about a legal point, isn’t there?
I know, I know. Truth. Hurts, don’t it?
You can continue to call names of these people but it’s obvious to me that being a NO voter because you are broke is NO CRIME…
32 cents a day, Jane. I don’t think the majority of the district is that broke. It’s a nice story, but when you’re not anti-tax and you’re really anti-school, little things like facts don’t really matter, do they?
Why do you try to make it one?
I care about the truth? If people know the truth and vote no, I’m fine with that. I just get really upset when liars lie. It’s a hangup I have. *shrug*
September 5th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Taxpayer,
I’m not even sure where to start. Of course voting is private, and while you are playing dumb, I know you’re not stupid enough to believe Mr. Hale wants to make it a crime for a citizen to vote their beliefs. However, some measure of anonymity should end when a group is distributing fliers all over the district that contain false information. That is why the community should know the names of those in positions of responsibility and authority within the organization (the “Monadnock School Taxpayers Association’s executive council” that Mr. Bauries refers decisions to, but declines to name).
Ultimately, if this were a genuine, honest grassroots movement, you would want people to know who you are. For example, when I’m passionate about a local cause, I make sure that my name gets out there. I have a reputation (admittedly, small-reaching, but still…) and I know that my friends, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances will look at it more closely - because it’s important to me, it becomes more important to them. Friends telling friends. That’s the power of grassroots movements.
When you send out a virtually anonymous flier (yes, it’s identified as MSTA, but since they refuse to divulge anything about their membership, including the number of members…) that contains misleading or outright false information to every voter in the district - that’s not grassroots. That’s propaganda. And like any propaganda, the motives behind it should be viewed with strong suspicion.
And why is there so much suspicion about the motives of the MSTA and its membership? Because the group includes Free State and Coalition of NH Taxpayers members WITH NO TIES TO THIS COMMUNITY! In the Sentinel September 4th, Jim Ells wrote a terrific letter to the editor making this point. Go here to read it in full - it’s well worth the time - but here is the relevant portion excerpted:
And, of course, there is YOU. While you have been smart enough to post each time with a different email address, a quick scan of this blog’s logs indicate that you’ve been posting from the exact same IP address for several months now. You’ve posted under “Not Rich,” pretended to be a teacher in the district, and more. And you’ve already been outed on the blog - so just how stupid do you think we are?
A simple traceroute shows you are in the greater Manchester area, and tied to our research that indicates you are Bedford, NH political activist Jane Aiken.
So… What is YOUR interest in our little corner of New Hampshire?
As a political conservative, you make my blood boil. CNHT and other organizations all espouse the value of local control, with less interference from the state government, and even less (or none) from the federal government. I agree with that. And yet you take it upon yourself, as a resident of another community, to tell the voters of the Monadnock region what to do, and what is in their best interests. Have you ever been here? Besides driving through on vacation?
Mr. Hale of course has a self-interest in getting his point of view out there - he lives and works in the community, and his employment, the morale in his workplace, etc., are all affected by the teacher contract (or the lack thereof). Can you explain how the outcome of this vote will affect your life? By even one penny? How does a contract in the Monadnock Region affect you halfway across the state?
If you can’t explain, then please “butt out” - and leave the residents of the Monadnock district the right to make their own decisions regarding the best interests of their community.
September 5th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
One can only conjecture that Ms. Aiken is being paid a fee for her services from some local group that perhaps does not have the webwriting skills needed to maintain their own site . . . and perhaps needs
Great detective work, Mr. Schmidt!
Mr. Hale — great to see you back & blogging. I should have realized you were quite busy with getting ready for the new school year. Hang in there — you’ve done everything you can to get the word, the truth, the big questions, out to community members regarding the state of the schools, the true nature of the vocation of teaching, how children learn and so many other topics that are very enlightening to parents who are not teachers. It’s up to the people to show up at the polls now. This vote is so crucial to our district community — it is not just the teachers that need to prove they are not entrenched in a community of apathy and nay-sayers, it’s the children themselves that need the reassurance that the grown-ups in the community care about their education too.
September 5th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
[...] If you needed more proof that the Monadnock Taxpayer’s Association is full of mistakes, lies, and deceptions, check out this site. Note that it’s from the School Board—the [...]