EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COMMON CORE STANDARDS

On a 5th grade Reading Book in TN

I've been asked several times what I think about Common Core Standards.  At first I did not pay attention to this issue, but as it is more and more coming to the forefront , I decided to look into it. After all, I have to look out for my grandchildren.

It turns out that I am not in support of it.  Below is some information I have found to  share so that the readers can decide for themselves.

1.  Common Core is a Federal Takeover of Education
2. Common Core is bad for parents
3. Common Core is bad for Teachers
4. Common Core is bad for Taxpayers
5. Common Core is bad for Students
6. Common Core violates Privacy
7. Common Core resembles Failed No Child left behind Program
8. Common Core is unconstitutional
9. Common will require some states to move backwards
10. Common is a failed education approach.

Click on the link below to see an explanation to each of the 10 reasons why Common Core should not be supported by your State.

http://www.freedomworks.org/blog/jborowski/top-10-reasons-to-oppose-common-core


Rick Scott, the Governor of Florida,  said he would try to address what he called “too much federal involvement” — an overture to tea party groups who consider the new benchmarks and tests an example of federal overreach. Read more about Governor Scott here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/18/3635556/gov-rick-scott-considering-executive.html

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/18/3635556/gov-rick-scott-considering-executive.html#storylink=cpy

The following information I received via email from 

Karen Bracken

www.tnacc.net

www.americadontforget.com

Although the state leaders would like to make the public think the state wrote the Common Core standards truth is there were 5 people responsible for writing the Common Core standards we see today.

David Coleman and Susan Pimentel (ELA) Dr. Jason Zimba, Phil Daro and Bill McCallum (Math).  This FACT can be substantiated.  It is clear that Dr. Zimba doesn't think very highly of the very standards he wrote.  Dr. Stotsky was also a member of the Common Core Validation Committee and she was responsible for the outstanding academic achievement of her home state of MA.  She  refused to sign off on the Common Core standard final document.

 Dr. Jim Milgram of Stanford University was also on the CC Validation Committee (the only math standard content expert on the CC Validation Committee) and he too refused to sign off on the final standards.  His research indicates children with only an Algebra II education graduate from college at a rate of only 39.3% .  While students that enter college with Calculus graduate college at a rate of 83.3%.  The panel of real expertise in the field of standard development boiled down to Dr. Stotsky and Dr. Milgram and they both refused to sign off on the final standards.  Dr. Milgram also states that CC is not for the top 30% of students.  The top 30% will regress to the median and we will be left with mediocracy at best.

My summation of what I see is:

The children of the common people will be TRAINED to fill the low paying jobs (this is why the dumbing down) while children of the elite class will get the best EDUCATION.

This explains why Sidwell Friends (the school where President Obama sends his daughters) does not support Common Core and have no intentions of bringing CC into their school.  I placed a call to the admissions department at Sidwell Friends in DC and they told me they do not use Common Core.  I was told they have their own standards and curriculum.  I then asked if there were plans to implement Common Core in the future and they said NO.  I think you will find that just like Obamacare many of our elected officials and the elite class are not subjecting their children to Common Core.

The real goal of Common Core is to finally develop a full blown school to work program where ourchildren are trained not educated. 

TEACHERS FEEL URGENCY OF COMMON CORE STANDARDS

The following article by the Advocate is loaded with information and videos about Common Core.  I urge you to read and listen.

http://theadvocate.com/home/6914390-125/common-core

DON'T JUDGE ROMNEY BASED ON MEDIA LIES, LEARN ABOUT THE ISSUES AND FACTS

h/t Lyn_Sue

The media and liberals have been jumping on Gov Romney's comment about middle class being $200,000-$250,000 and lower, when he was discussing tax reform.  If everyone will remember, Obama has been using $250,000 since the 2008 campaign.  Here is some information to educate people.

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First, he did not say the AVERAGE is $200-$250,000. He said "middle income IS $200,000-$250,000 or less. So, don't raise taxes on middle income people, lower them." 

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The problem is that people are trying to define the middle class as someone in a certain income level when the definition of middle class is defined by profession and is broader.

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Within the middle class, you have: 

• the working class, which is blue-collar
• lower-middle class, which is lower-level, white-collar workers
• upper-middle-class workers, who have post graduate degrees & work at high-level, white-collar positions

• The next income level is what is commonly called the "5 percent," or the percentage of Americans who make more than $150,000 annually.

• Then of course the wealthy, which is referred to as the "1 percent" who earn over $250,000 annually.

Where Do You Fall in the American Economic Class System?

Many people have misconceptions about their place in the income hierarchy

http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2012/09/13/where-do-you-fall-in-the-american-economic-class-system

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"Romney’s campaign later clarified that he was talking about household income and not individual income." "According to US News, middle class income falls between $32,000 and $100,000. The top 1% make over $250,000 a year and the top 5% make over $150,000. Romney’s numbers were still off but it wasn’t as drastic as people are making it out to be.""Also, there’s been some discrepancy over what Mitt Romney actually said. When the interview first aired many people had Romney quoted as saying that middle class was between $200,000 and $250,000.

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"In cities such as San Francisco and New York, middle class income might very well extend all the way up to $250,000 given the median house price in San Francisco is $700,000 and it regularly costs $1,000+/sqft in New York City to buy."

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What’s A Middle Class Income? Bet You Don’t Know!http://www.financialsamurai.com/2011/10/31/whats-a-middle-class-income/ written last year going by the date of comments.

Added by Rotti:

To find out more about Mitt Romney's tax plan refer to this article: http://taxpolicycenter.org/taxtopics/romney-plan.cfm

WHAT OBAMA'S RE-ELECTION WOULD COST YOU

http://youtu.be/-wIfI2whjiM

HOLD ON TO YOUR CHECKBOOKS, THESE ARE THE TAXES COMING YOUR WAY

Below are 20 of the taxes that are currently in the ObamaCare (TAX) that will hit American citizens.  Beside each one is the mandated Bill and page # if you so choose to check it out.  Some taxes were imposed in 2010, other taxes progressively imposed as noted below.

HOW MANY OF THESE TAXES WILL AFFECT YOU ??

Obama Sees Middle Class Tax Increase as a Victory

Posted 06/29/2012 | In The News

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The Largest Tax Hike in US History has just been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States and President Obama sees this assault on the middle class as a victory.  The already unpopular 2010 health care reform law has been converted by the court into a $1.76 trillion tax increase funded by escalating taxes to be paid  the vast majority of taxpayers. The high courts ruling leaves in place 20 tax increases in the health-care law, of those, 12 tax hikes would affect families earning  less than $250,000 per year, including a Cadillac tax on  high-cost insurance plans, a tax on insurance providers, and an excise tax on medical device manufacturers. By formally converting Obamacare into Obamatax, the court allows Obama to raise taxes on the middle-class.

The decision is a distressing blow to taxpayers and represents the single largest tax increase on young people in the nation's history. When it takes full effect, the Internal Revenue Service will have immense new power and authority to persecute and prosecute a whole new group of taxpayers.

If the law takes full effect, it will devastate small businesses and destroy any chance for a sustainable economic recovery. It will add trillions of dollars to the national debt and push the country toward bankruptcy even faster than current projections. Any individual who believes that this decision must be overturned must do everything possible to undo the damage that has been done, especially at the ballot box on November 6.

“Obamacare law contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses"

WASHINGTON, DC  Obamacare contains 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses. Arranged by their respective effective dates, below is the total list of all $500 billion-plus in tax hikes (over the next ten years) in Obamacare, where to find them in the bill, and how much your taxes are scheduled to go up as of today:

Taxes that took effect in 2010:

1. Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals (Min$/immediate): $50,000 per hospital if they fail to meet new “community health assessment needs, financial assistance, and billing and collection rules set by HHS. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,961-1,971

2. Codification of the economic substance doctrine (Tax hike of $4.5 billion).  This provisionallows the IRS to disallow completely-legal tax deductions and other legal tax-minimizing plans just because the IRS deems that the action lacks substance and is merely intended to reduce taxes owed.Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 108-113

3. Black liquorâ tax hike (Tax hike of $23.6 billion).  This is a tax increase on a type of bio-fuel.Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 105

4. Tax on Innovator Drug Companies ($22.2 bil/Jan 2010): $2.3 billion annual tax on the industry imposed relative to share of sales made that year. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,971-1,980

5. Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Hike ($0.4 bil/Jan 2010): The special tax deduction in current law for Blue Cross/Blue Shield companies would only be allowed if 85 percent or more of premium revenues are spent on clinical services. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,004

6. Tax on Indoor Tanning Services ($2.7 billion/July 1, 2010): New 10 percent excise tax on Americans using indoor tanning salons. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,397-2,399

7. Medicine Cabinet Tax ($5 bil/Jan 2011): Americans no longer able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non- prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin). Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,957-1,959

8. HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike ($1.4 bil/Jan 2011): Increases additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax- advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,959

Tax that took effect in 2012

9. Employer Reporting of Insurance on W-2 (Min$/Jan 2012): Preamble to taxing health benefits on individual tax returns. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,957

Taxes that take effect in 2013

10. Surtax on Investment Income ($123 billion/Jan. 2013): Creation of a new, 3.8 percent surtax on investment income earned in households making at least $250,000 ($200,000 single).  This would result in the following top tax rates on investment income: Bill: Reconciliation Act; Page: 87-93

	Capital Gains	Dividends	Other*
2012	15%	15%	35%
2013+	23.8%	43.4%	43.4%

*Other unearned income includes (for surtax purposes) gross income from interest, annuities, royalties, net rents,

and passive income in partnerships and Subchapter-S corporations. It does not include municipal bond interest or life insurance proceeds, since those do not add to gross income. It does not include active trade or business income, fair market value sales of ownership in pass-through entities, or distributions from retirement plans.  The 3.8% surtax does not apply to non-resident aliens.

11. Hike in Medicare Payroll Tax ($86.8 bil/Jan 2013): Current law and changes:

	First $200,000 ($250,000 Married) Employer/Employee	All Remaining WagesEmployer/Employee
Current Law	1.45%/1.45%2.9% self-employed	1.45%/1.45%2.9% self-employed
Obamacare Tax Hike	1.45%/1.45%2.9% self-employed	1.45%/2.35%3.8% self-employed

Bill: PPACA, Reconciliation Act; Page: 2000-2003; 87-93

12. Tax on Medical Device Manufacturers ($20 bil/Jan 2013): Medical device manufacturers employ 360,000 people in 6000 plants across the country. This law imposes a new 2.3% excise tax.Exempts items retailing for <$100. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,980-1,986

  13. Raise Haircut for Medical Itemized Deduction from 7.5% to 10% of AGI ($15.2 bil/Jan 2013): Currently, those facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction for medical expenses to the extent that those expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI). The new provisionimposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. Waived for 65+ taxpayers in 2013-2016 only. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,994-1,995

14. Flexible Spending Account Cap Special Needs Kids Tax ($13 bil/Jan 2013): Imposes cap on FSAs of $2500 (now unlimited). Indexed to inflation after 2013. There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education. Bill: PPACA; Page: 2,388-2,389

15. Elimination of tax deduction for employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D ($4.5 bil/Jan 2013) Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,994

16. $500,000 Annual Executive Compensation Limit for Health Insurance Executives ($0.6 bil/Jan 2013). Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,995-2,000

Taxes that take effect in 2014

17. Individual Mandate Excise Tax (Jan 2014): Starting in 2014, anyone not buying “qualifyingâ€� health

insurance must pay an income surtax according to the higher of the following

	1 Adult	2 Adults	3+ Adults
2014	1% AGI/$95	1% AGI/$190	1% AGI/$285
2015	2% AGI/$325	2% AGI/$650	2% AGI/$975
2016 +	2.5% AGI/$695	2.5% AGI/$1390	2.5% AGI/$2085

Exemptions for religious objectors, undocumented immigrants, prisoners, those earning less than the poverty line, members of Indian tribes, and hardship cases (determined by HHS). Bill: PPACA; Page: 317-337

18. Employer Mandate Tax (Jan 2014): If an employer does not offer health coverage, and at least one employee qualifies for a health tax credit, the employer must pay an additional non-deductible tax of $2000 for all full-time employees. Applies to all employers with 50 or more employees. If any employee actually receives coverage through the exchange, the penalty on the employer for that employee rises to $3000. If the employer requires a waiting period to enroll in coverage of 30-60 days, there is a $400 tax per employee ($600 if the period is 60 days or longer). Bill: PPACA; Page: 345-346

Combined score of individual and employer mandate tax penalty: $65 billion/10 years

19. Tax on Health Insurers ($60.1 bil/Jan 2014): Annual tax on the industry imposed relative to health insurance premiums collected that year. Phases in gradually until 2018.  Fully-imposed on firms with $50 million in profits. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,986-1,993

Taxes that take effect in 2018

20. Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans ($32 bil/Jan 2018): Starting in 2018,new 40 percent excise tax on "Cadillac"� health insurance plans ($10,200 single/$27,500 family).  Higher threshold ($11,500 single/$29,450 family) for early retirees and high-risk professions. CPI +1 percentage point indexed. Bill: PPACA; Page: 1,941-1,956