This is the personal Blog of Todd Cochrane CEO of RawVoice and Podcast Connect. Who is the Host of the Geek News Central Podcast and Lead Blogger
Todd resides in Honolulu Hawaii with his family and is heavily involved in Podcasting space.
For over 24 years the US Navy asked me as a condition of my employment to piss in a bottle on demand. This happened on weekends, afternoons, getting off airplanes and a host of other scenarios, designed to catch drug users when they least expected it. If I where to count I would say that I pissed in a bottle with direct observation of me doing so, well over 100 times in that 24 year career. I did so willingly and knew that drug use was strictly forbidden, and that utilization of any illicit non-prescribed drugs would result in my removal from the Navy with a discharge that would make getting a job very difficult. I remain drug free having never smoked, snorted, shot up or whatever other terms they use for 47 years and would piss on demand again if need be.
So it literally pisses me off, that the teachers that teach my kids how to read, write, and hopefully get a decent education have blatantly refused through their union to participate in random drug testing. Why is it that nearly ever employer in this country can have drug testing in their workplace but a state paid teacher is given a pass when it comes to a drug test.
These drug test are effective in finding drug users /abusers who then can be referred to treatment and removed from our children’s classrooms. The state of Hawaii, the Governor, the ACLU and teachers should simply be ashamed of themselves.
We demand a drug free zone in out schools, yet we have no way of policing the teachers that would rightly so investigate a student thought to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Hawaii is well known for being very liberal in nature but I am simply ashamed at what has transpired, especially being the unions initially agreed to the testing as part of a contract negotiation. Let’s remove all of the provisions in that same contract and start over.
Teachers are often like Police Officers, they protect their own. Bad teachers are often simply transferred from school to school but yet rarely fired. Teachers should lead by example and proclaim in their classrooms I am drug free and I have the paperwork to prove it. Students respect teachers that lead by example and drug testing should be part of all educational settings.
I suppose I should not be surprised. This state is so controlled by the Unions and special interest groups that Con Con did not stand a chance. Because those organizations knew that a Constitutional Convention for Hawaii would have allowed the people to make sweeping changes that would loosen their stranglehold on this state.
Sadly the people in this state want more of the same. While the rest of the nation has voted for a new mandate with the election of Obama as President this state continues to sink further into more of the same.
The rail measure which my wife supported, and I opposed has passed, and now I am going to have to figure out how much my taxes are going to continue to go up to pay for the 7 billion dollar rail project.
Between the new President and this State Anti Business stance, I will be lucky if I have enough money left to buy toilet paper after they get done taxing the living hell out of us.
My accountant has already told me before the election if things played out tonight they way it has we will have to look at things very closely as the forthcoming business tax increases will likely cause me to have to re-think doing business any longer in this state.
Today some layoffs happened locally as business owners are preparing for the hit to their bottom line when Uncle Sam comes calling in 2009 to take more of our money away. Simply a sad night for the state of Hawaii. People here will someday learn that they have go against the flow once in a while.
This is a powerful message and one that should not be taken lightly. When Senator Barney Franks says the first thing he is gonna do is cut defense spending by 30% if Obama is elected is reason enough to ask where Obamas priorities lay.
My wife and I have decided to make our home here in Hawaii after I retire. Up to this point I have been very quiet in the Hawaii Political front because my residency was officially tied back to the mainland.
This has now changed, and I am now going to become what I would call politically active here in Hawaii. As a small business owner I understand the constraints of doing business in this state, and I also see the stranglehold the Democrats have on the political process here. The abuses they get away with makes me sick to my stomach and would not be tolerated in other States.
Not to mention the taxes being laid on us for the ridiculous rail project that will cost billions and line the pockets of construction companies and make the unions stronger. The rail will not cause traffic relief. Simple fixes to the current infrastructure would provide immediate needed relief to the 100’s of thousands that site in the parking lot of the expressways here.
This state has a boat load of problems, and sadly the state legislature has had their way for to many years. There has been only one democratic process and that is what the democrats in the house and senate in Hawaii want. If the Republican Governor tries to veto a bill the legislature just holds a special session and over rides the veto. I like the Governor but her hands are tied and legislature treats her as a puppet.
The democrat controlled legislature have free reign to do what they want to do, with no accountability. Largely because people in this state don’t vote for candidates on issues they vote for candidates that wave to them while they are driving to work.
It is time for this nonsense to end and for people in this state to wake the hell up and see what is happening. No longer can Hawaii we be ruled and dictated to by one party, no longer should the school system which is one of the worst in the nation be allowed to continue to flush the education of our children down the drain. It is time to start making people accountable and cleaning house.
Case in point the democrat controlled legislature is about to over-ride every bill the governor did not sign or vetoed. She has asked for cooperation not partisanship.
I support the Governors open letter and urge each legislature to really examine what the Governor has presented.