teachers: over paid?

I read this about teacher pay. I thought this was interesting:

"Although teachers as a group score above the national average on intelligence tests, their scores fall below the average for other college graduates," the pair write. Teachers, they find, also score lower on their SAT and ACT.

Many teachers have little or nothing to offer to students. Some have a tremendous amount to offer. When you pay them the same and give them the same conditions regardless of what they have to offer, it is unlikely to promote excellence, in my opinion.

I know that the public schools are not good enough for my kids. I know that most of what goes on in classrooms is the opposite of what I want for my kids. I have no doubt about that.

The rest of the issues, like why things are they way they are, I'm open to all points of view.

register star does a good story

This is real journalism. Nice. Now, forget the paper. Let's look at Ron Knot, candidate for supervisor.


I proposed with mediation (and wrote to Common Ground and asked them to come speak), compromise (my application to the Planning Board to add voluntary conditions to my permit), and concern for other (the more than $5000 I spent on sound proofing) before my permit was revoked.

I have now filed two lawsuits. They are only asking for fairness that could have been achieved here in town. They certainly can be settled with little fuss and expense.

Election in 7 days. It's not to late to change course and be reasonable.

Here is a quote from the paper:

According to Knott, “Mr. Pflaum preaches that he likes mediation but his actions don’t follow that. I support the idea of his business,” Knott said, and explained that as Pflaum’s business grew and “neighbors complained, we as a Town Board had to respond. All we’ve been asking is for him to comply with zoning,” Knott said.

Bull. Here are the "findings" the town spent $80,000 to produce. Does this sound like they are giving me a fair chance to run my business without a ridiculous amount of interference? Does this sound like David Everett of Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna was fair?

Read it for yourself.

Did I work for mediation or not? Yes, I did. I wanted a town-wide policy of professional mediation services through Common Ground services for all neighbor-to-neighbor complaints. I was not against participating in such a process myself but I wanted it to be a town policy first.

Here is Ron Knot at the February town board meeting. Here Ron thinks zoning and planning board hearings ARE mediation. They are not. They are enforcement, which won't work. I called for a different process.

Here is my letter read by Valerie Bertram. Audio.

Here is the letter I wrote that Ron was responding to.

Here is the blog entry I wrote at the time.

the dog ate my budget! really!

Stuyvesant Voter, will you be spun?

The coming dog tax is not my fault. The dog tax, and it will be big, will be Ron Knott's fault.

You will pay the dog tax. Ron won't tell you how much until after the election. 

There is nothing inevitable about the dog tax. It could have been and still could be avoided through compromise and mediation.

If Ron Knot is elected, the dog tax is a sure thing. If not, you might avoid an increase.

Ron Knott's town board spent $100,000 on Whiteman Osterman and Hanna to hammer me in planning zoning and criminal court. 

The firm was hired on March 10, 2011. The money was paid from March to October.

My federal lawsuit was filed on March 23, 2011. The attorney for the suit is Burke, Scolamiero, Mortati & Hurd. Their fees are covered by town insurance.

Ron Knott's town board has paid Burke, Scolamiero, Mortati & Hurd zero dollars.

Ron Knott's town board has no out of pocket or un-budgeted expenses because I sued the town in federal court for violating my civil rights. 

I filed a suit in state court on October 26, 2011. 

Ron Knott's town board has fees for the town yet for the state suit to date. It was only filed last week for violating public officers law and zoning law.

I offered to institute mediation in neighbor to neighbor disputes in January 2011. Ron Knott's town board was against it. 

I offered to settle with a compromise in December 2010. The planning board rejected the offer.

In the town has spent $100,000 to date on planning, zoning and criminal court. The town has spent $0 defending lawsuits to now.

The town WILL INCREASE YOUR TAXES if Ron Knott continues the campaign against me. 

Ron Knott will refuse to settle and be done. You will pay for lawyers if you elect Ron Knott. 

Ron Knott = Lawyers

Ron Knott = Loses

Ron Knott = Spin (i.e. Lies)

Ron Knott = Injustice

Ron Knott will increase your taxes to pay for lawyers. It won't help. The town will loose and pay legal fees.

I am innocent of all wrong doing. This is unAmerican. I will have my day in court. And then another day. And then another until justice is done.

You will pay for the lawyers fighting for injustice.

I have not asked for punitive damages to date. Lord knows, I have them coming.

Compromise and settlement and mediation would have avoided all of this.

It is not too late to avoid MASSIVE TAX increases. Settlement and compromise mean good government. 

Your choice, voter. Tax increases for lawyers and damages of settlement and getting back to the business of governing. 

The Register Star is all spin all the time. Check out other media. More stories will follow.

Vote for sanity.

The town has broken public officers law. I said so in a suit in court and I intend to prove it.

The town has broken zoning law. See my suit.

The town has violated the constitution. I intend to prove it.

Fraud, embezzlement and abuse are endemic in town government. I intend to go to court and show evidence.

You won't be able to say you didn't know.

front page story on me on register star totally wrong

Here is the Register Star piece on my conflict with the town.


You know how in China after they execute you they send a bill to your family for the bullet? That's what the Register Star is doing in today's article.

The town spent $100K to harass me and now they are blaming me for the expense. Outrageous.

My fault the town spent the money? Only if you are retarded.


Wow, it's the worst article they could have written. This is so stupid its hard to know where to begin. The legal fees TO DATE are for process in TOWN HALL that the government had complete control over.

The money was paid to Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna, not to Burke, Scolamiero, Mortati & Hurd. Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna has not responded to ANY LAWSUIT.

 Burke, Scolamiero, Mortati & Hurd has responded to a lawsuit but they ARE PAID BY THE INSURANCE POLICY.

 Is the Register Star awake?

To what law firm and in what venue? How can you screw something that fundamental up accidentally?

The fees below are only for municipal actions, within Stuyvesant jurisdiction. These numbers do not include fees for representation in courts outside of the Town of Stuyvesant (State and Federal).

Tal Rappleyea for work on Glencadia matter:
August 2010 = 1562.50
September 2010 = 437.50
October 2010 = 937.50
 November 2010 = 1406.25
 December 2010 = 875
January 2011 = 593.75
February 2011 = 375
March 2011 = 1125
April 2011 = 250
May 2011 = 312.50
June 2011 = 250
Total for Tal for 2010 and 2011: $8115

 Whiteman Osterman and Hanna:
 March 2011: $11,811.53
April 2011: $7,141.56
May 2011: $6,694.17

Total legal expenses as of May 1: $57,761

 Missing: WOH for June, July, August, September and October. At $8,000 per month, an average of the three available months, WOH would have been paid another $40,000 making the grand total to date approximately: $97,761 WOH and Stuyvesant signed a contract on March 10, 2011.

 Burke, Scolamiero, Mortati & Hurd, the town's lawyer in Federal court, is paid by insurance.

Expenses to town: $0

10-29-11: shady clients, shady firm, fire, clock, farms

Stuyvesant has an $80,000 budget short fall because they paid Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna to go after me. Special prosecutor, special tax. This relates to the story about the Ponzi scheme in that we have two examples of Whiteman, Osterman and Hanna accepting shady clients: the Town of Stuyvesant and Christopher Bass.

Trick or Treat in The Fields Sculpture Park Saturday, October 29 4:30 PM -6:30 PM Omi International Arts Center will host our second annual Trick or Treat in The Fields Sculpture Park. Please join us on Saturday October 29th, from 4:30-6:30 PM

Remember Scott Murphy?
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/85050/scott-murphy-returns-to-washington/

Terrible fire in Ghent.

Copake Clock historic place officially.

Farm Bureau news.

kinderhookfarm Kinderhook Farm 

Tatiana giving a demonstration about hay quality for sheep and goats at Cornell symposium this weekend. pic.twitter.com/tX2Wulxl

14 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

"unscrupulous attorneys" of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna

Di Febbo also told the judge he was disgusted that investors' money had been used to pay what he characterized as "unscrupulous attorneys" as he referenced attorney Leslie Apple of Albany, who had done work for Bass, and an attorney Di Febbo identified as Jacob S. Frenkel of Maryland.

Apple, of Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, allegedly traveled to Europe to check out Bass' investment projects, records show. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Some investors have said they were comforted by Apple's involvement with Bass, who had told them their investments had been vetted by lawyers. Frenkel could not be reached for comment.

 Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/High-living-con-man-invoked-God-stole-5-3-2239235.php#ixzz1c9stSTte

filed an article 78 yesterday

http://wikicoco.com/file/view/art78-pflaum-v-zba-ennis-stuyvesant.pdf/268973564/art78-pflaum-v-zba-ennis-stuyvesant.pdf

Federal court, state court... anywhere else? Did I miss any jurisdictions?