The Imperial Dominion of the South's Legislature

[Adam Griffin]

Ahem.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye.

[Adam Griffin]

Sorry I've been inactive the past few days. This school bill must be haunted.

[Adam Griffin]

Yeah, sorry, had school things as well. (like our first football game of the season where we won 54-7!)

Anywho my objection to following the NE/ME model is that we will clog up the board with needless threads and have to dig to find some of the bill if there is enough activity with the various legislatures.

I tend to agree with this. I'd like to see them start using a similar thread style to us.

[Adam Griffin]

In regards to this bill, I'm all for it as long as Section 5 is specified to draw its revenue from new sources and not funneled away from existing public education.

[Adam Griffin]

     So what are the biggest stumbling blocks at this point? Obviously #1 counts, since it is too nonspecific to be of worth in its current form.

For me, #5 will need to be funded with new education dollars. Otherwise, I'm on board.

[Adam Griffin]

[Adam Griffin]

Gentlemen,

I have compiled a state-by-state record of the average salary for a teacher of elementary, middle and high schools:

Average Salaries Of IDS Teachers

Texas

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Texas earns a base salary of about $48,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Texas earns a base salary of about $50,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Texas earns a base salary of about $49,000 per year.

Arkansas

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Arkansas earns a base salary of about $45,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Arkansas earns a base salary of about $45,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Arkansas earns a base salary of about $47,000 per year.

Louisiana

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Louisiana earns a base salary of about $48,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Louisiana earns a base salary of about $49,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Louisiana earns a base salary of about $51,000 per year.

Tennessee

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Tennessee earns a base salary of about $48,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Tennessee earns a base salary of about $45,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Tennesse earns a base salary of about $47,000 per year.

Mississippi

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Mississippi earns a base salary of about $44,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Mississippi earns a base salary of about $44,500 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Mississippi earns a base salary of about $45,500 per year.

Alabama

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Alabama earns a base salary of about $46,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Alabama earns a base salary of about $43,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Alabama earns a base salary of about $47,500 per year.

Florida

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Florida earns a base salary of about $49,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Florida earns a base salary of about $50,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Florida earns a base salary of about $51,000 per year.

Georgia

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in Georgia earns a base salary of about $47,000 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in Georgia earns a base salary of about $50,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in Georgia earns a base salary of about $52,000 per year.

South Carolina

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in South Carolina earns a base salary of about $42,500 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in South Carolina earns a base salary of about $47,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in South Carolina earns a base salary of about $42,500 per year.

North Carolina

Elementary School: On average, an elementary school teacher in North Carolina earns a base salary of about $40,500 per year.

Middle School: On average, a middle school teacher in North Carolina earns a base salary of about $41,000 per year.

High School: On average, a high school teacher in North Carolina earns a base salary of about $41,500 per year.

Sources:

http://www.salary.com/ (for various states)
http://www.rileyguide.com/ (for various states)


Thank you.

[Adam Griffin]

Just to have it in here for reference:

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We're already paying the taxes, so we might as well take the investment. I nominate Columbus, Mississippi as the regional location - due to its relative centrality to all points of the region and also having a median personal income approximately 40% less than the statewide average.

[Adam Griffin]

So which piece of legislation are we now considering? We were on SJoyce's bill, then seemed to move to the National University and General Education Reform Bill, but now appear to be back on the initial education bill.

In regards to teachers' pay in the educational bill, I would support a base salary of $50,000 - with $7,500 increments for attaining Master's and Doctorate's degrees. I am of the persuasion that when you consider pensions, health benefits and the like, teachers do in fact earn a very decent amount under these proposed numbers. I also break with what would be considered traditional for someone like me to believe in saying that we need some form of a merit-pay system that would either increase or decrease pay by 10% based on a teacher's ranking in the upper, middle or lower-third of national teacher metrics when dealing with students' performance.

[Adam Griffin]

     Since we now have rival suggestions, we will need some way of settling this.

Hmm, this bill is taking quite a while. Do you guys think we can finish this by the week;s end? if not it may be a good idea to put this in a separate thread just this one time.

     I think we're almost done. Realizing that we can leave the specifics up to the school districts greatly streamlines the discussion of section one, which is the only controversial part left.

Due to this, I'd prefer if we could move through with any final discussion, debate and/or vote on SJoyce's bill prior to moving on to the federal education bill. At that point, I'll be happy to lobby for my location suggestion and I would assume SJoyce would feel the same. I feel this can be ultimately settled by brief outlines behind our respective choices and a simple vote among Legislators; the losing suggestion could then be retracted.

[Adam Griffin]

Aye

[Adam Griffin]

I regretfully inform you that, as of today, the former "Imperial Dominion of the South" ceased to exist and the Commonwealth of Midwest shall annex it's former territory.

Your service is no longer required. Please go home.

     Good show, agent. Keep the reports coming.

Your lack of respect has been noted.

Consequences are on the way.

Did he get the Dibbles?

    At long last, it is finished:



     On the Is Our Children Learning Bill: by the powers vested in me as Emperor of this region, I thus sign it into law.

     Be it resolved, X Emperor PiT

[Adam Griffin]

Columbus, MS falls nearly in the dead geographical center of the region - taking the opposite approach that the Legislator from Florida has proposed. It also is roughly the same distance from three metropolitan areas - Birmingham, Jackson and Memphis - with easy access from both I-55 and I-20/59.

Mississippi is the poorest contiguous state by measure of per capita income in the IDS ($27,000), with Columbus ranking far below that ($17,000). The latter number is just a bit higher than the per capita income for the city of San Juan ($13,000). Considering an adjusted cost of living between the two cities, I feel that the argument can be made that my proposed city is actually poorer in terms of real purchasing power than San Juan.

Unless the Legislator from Florida wishes to extend his HSR proposal to include a Miami > Matanzas > Port de Paix > San Juan line, his proposal would be an utter waste - as it is designed to be, it would seem. While the residents of our off-shore territories deserve access to quality education, I cannot in good faith support such a proposal while knowing its true intent. Those against the allocation and subsequent mandate of how said funds should be spent due to ideological differences should not turn around and attempt to waste the funds in order to render them ineffective. Such an action, in my opinion, is worse than the result from which they appear to be running.

[Adam Griffin]

Unless the Legislator from Florida wishes to extend his HSR proposal to include a Miami > Matanzas > Port de Paix > San Juan line, his proposal would be an utter waste - as it is designed to be, it would seem. While the residents of our off-shore territories deserve access to quality education, I cannot in good faith support such a proposal while knowing its true intent. Those against the allocation and subsequent mandate of how said funds should be spent due to ideological differences should not turn around and attempt to waste the funds in order to render them ineffective. Such an action, in my opinion, is worse than the result from which they appear to be running.

Given our current state of technological advancement, your proposal is not technologically possible.

Precisely.

[Adam Griffin]

So your point is that since we lack the technology those people should just lack a truly high-caliber university?

No. My point is that in a region of approximately 90,000,000 people, you do not place a national university on the one island of the region that is more than 1,000 linear miles away from the next closest part of the region and that has a population of less than 4,000,000 people. I suppose you could propose subsidizing airfare to the university for all attending students who do not hail from Puerto Rico, but accessibility does not appear to be one of your concerns. Seriously, Miami is farther away from San Juan than it is from Nyman. When you consider and weight the level of poverty, the number of impoverished residents and also the ability for those impoverished residents to benefit from and be able to access the university, then the clear answer is to place it in the Heart of Dixie.



 

[Adam Griffin]

No. My point is that in a region of approximately 90,000,000 people, you do not place a national university on the one island of the region that is more than 1,000 linear miles away from the next closest part of the region and that has a population of less than 4,000,000 people. I suppose you could propose subsidizing airfare to the university for all attending students who do not hail from Puerto Rico, but accessibility does not appear to be one of your concerns. Seriously, Miami is farther away from San Juan than it is from Nyman. When you consider and weight the level of poverty, the number of impoverished residents and also the ability for those impoverished residents to benefit from and be able to access the university, then the clear answer is to place it in the Heart of Dixie.

You're catching on. I would suggest Mentone, Texas as an alternate location.

So rather than pass on the federal assistance, you simply wish to waste it. Glad to see those limited-government principles are holding true and steady.

[Adam Griffin]

If your insistence is that we must allow the federal government to seize control of a portion of our system of higher education, then I see no reason to make it easy for them.

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You should then be advocating that the Legislature refuse the funds by adopting the formal position of having no established location, rather than adopting a spiteful, wasteful solution to the problem you perceive.

[Adam Griffin]

You should then be advocating that the Legislature refuse the funds by adopting the formal position of having no established location, rather than adopting a spiteful, wasteful solution to the problem you perceive.

I would be, but would that be considered by the likes of you leftists? No.

I didn't realize that the Legislature was dominated by leftists.

This is petty and I am through wasting my energy debating you. I've outlined clear reasons why my selected location is superior to yours - in addition to outlining why your location is inferior, so I have nothing else to say unless the debate shifts. Rather than attempting to take a principled stand against government overreach and ineffective spending by advocating no selection, you chose instead to take a spiteful, wasteful route. You simply want to teach the federal government a lesson, and in the process, waste taxpayer dollars so you can do so.

I've outlined my idea and unless the Legislator from Florida wishes to take an alternate route in his proposal, I feel the debate on this has been thorough enough.

[Adam Griffin]

You accuse my route of being wasteful? You accuse me of wanting to waste taxpayer dollars? I would turn your attention to the portion of the bill itself that you so recently cited:

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The Secretary of Internal Affairs or the Senate would have to deliberately approve such a "waste [of] taxpayer dollars". Can't pin the blame for it on me, since ultimately it has to go through them.

I did accuse you of being wasteful and I stand by it. Either the proposal would be accepted - in which case the money would be wasted, or the proposal would be rejected and either kicked back to the Legislature for a second round or appealed in the Senate, which would be wasteful in the concept of time.

Yes, I do want to teach the federal government a lesson; whether it be through no selection, or through selection of one they shall not approve, either is acceptable.

If it would so please the Legislator from Georgia, I would be happy to withdraw my selection in favor of no selection.

I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways.

[Adam Griffin]

Either the proposal would be accepted - in which case the SoIA would be voluntarily spending money on what they can clearly see is a venture chosen only to make a point, or it would be rejected - in which case no money is lost and the matter is dropped.

Kind of a moot point now, seeing as how you've changed positions.

I will yield so that the Chair of the smallest major political party may make his case for not selecting a location for the national university.

[Adam Griffin]

    I'll point out that if we reject this, our taxpayer dollars would just go to fund a federal university in another region. We at least have the opportunity to bring taxpayer dollars back to our own region rather than send them off to somewhere else.

This seems to be the most reasonable route. I think there seems to be more of a consensus that since the most regulatin' portions of the law will be implemented regardless of our decision, there simply is not any pragmatic gain in opposing this. The Dibble fiasco was one thing; this is quite another. I would also remind those who oppose this measure that our regional Senator and perhaps the most respected member of the Imperial Bloc supported its passage.

Mr. Speaker, what are your thoughts?

I would also like to reiterate that (in the event someone may have missed the prior discussion) in terms of specific locations, I had suggested Columbus, MS for the location. Zanas46 also suggested New Orleans, LA.

[Adam Griffin]

I'm cool with this. I do have a question about 16: is there a background check or something that is cause for this provision?

[Adam Griffin]

Charleston has College of Charleston already, but I think it would be a good location for the university.

     Yeah, we still need to decide on a university location, don't we?

I'd like to emphasize that I am on board with any selected location, assuming it is in a place that best serves the interests of students. Charleston is at least somewhat centered on the north-south axis of the region and is easily accessible via major transportation routes.

[Adam Griffin]

     Charleston is also a hugely significant location in the region's history, being the home of former Governor Duke's plantation.

Well, I'm not trying to make this all about me, but.... It's been a while since I did something for the city. It was, after all, the Capitol of the South when it was under my control. I don't even know where it was moved to when I left office.

My vote is for charleston. Large young population, growing, in a desirable location to attract the best minds, and an educated, somewhat wealthy population. It is also central to the region.

I'll withdraw my location for consideration and vote for Charleston as well.