[nfbmi-talk] now making more than $95 k

[joe harcz Comcast]

Dear Chris and All,

I must say that this is refreshing in the revelation of personal and other 
considerations to public employment and service. It is also refreshing to 
denote the commitment to the rehabilitation of people who are blind that you 
embody. We may now and may likely disagree on this or that issue or modality 
of instruction, but the commitment is there on both of our behalf's. 
Direction, dedication and also performance means something to me.

I personally, can't say whether or not you were "over paid" for this 
speaking as a taxpayer. That is always a difficult issue to grapple with 
although I strongly think that public servants do deserve good pay as well 
as, of course the average working stiff or entrepreneur.

So let me say simply that good teachers are grossly underpaid. bad ones are 
grossly overpaid. Good administrators of any sort, public or private are 
grossly underpaid and bad ones overpaid to be sure. There are lots of value 
judgments, but also effective objective measures about that can and should 
sort the wheat from the chaff.

With all of the bailouts in the literal tens of billions for scofflaws on 
Wall Street let me say that this sort of a debate wouldn't be a pimple on 
the proverbial elephant's behind if it weren't so much close to home 
so-to-speak. Regardless I know that you and all on this list truly in their 
hearts of hearts wish for the betterment of all people who are blind. More, 
importantly I think by objective measures of performance you and others like 
you live up to those standards and long have done so. I'm not such a hard 
task master so as to expect perfection. That is an impossable standard for 
you, any public servent, and even folks like myself...lol...But I do expect 
some sort of objective measurement of results and performance in both the 
public and private sphere.

As a measure of the scoundrels who hang onto their high salaries in MCB 
without offering anything of substance back I ask openly, "Can you (Cannon, 
et al) say the same?"

NFB has been consistent over all from its beginnings in that it opposes the 
"custodialization" of people who are blind and the innate profiteering from 
us in delivery of social and rehab services. I must say that all have not 
lived up to that and I've fought that openly when I thought some in the 
organization failed us onthis or that issue. This is pretty well known. Yet, 
the thrust was and is genuine and is exemplified by true patriots for the 
advancement and the true freedom of all who are blind from the chains of 
paternalistic and self-serving agencies.

This beast we have on our hands here in Michigan is a bad one. They have 
sold us, we the people out for thirty pieces of silver and for abusive power 
over us.

An anecdote here about the culture of MCB over all under Cannon:

I returned to my native Michigan in January of 2001 after more than twenty 
years out of state. I had accomplished a lot of things and had a record of 
advocy including forcing ADA/504 compliance on a number of entities 
including New Hampshire V.R. and it's blindness services program.  In fact I 
personally, among other things caused them to scrap their entire computer 
system, and forced them to make certain facilities accessable, and forced 
the Director of Blind Services into retirement (very early by the way, but 
not without retaliation and damage to myself)I, frankly was retaliated 
against for those efforts and suffered greatly from discrimination. I also, 
do to degenerating eyesight, but with work and family commitments did not 
have the opportunity to have any sort of residential basic rehab. So, 
licking my wounds I came back to Michigan with some advance notice and 
scouting in large part because MCB was so highly promoted and so good 
relative to many other states.

And sure it was even back then even though things were mixed even then and 
early retirements were hitting some very good folks.

Regardless I had an over all positive experience at the MCB TC as you know, 
but some very negative experiences and even illegal discriminatory 
experiences with field and supervisory staff here in Flint.

It was a mixed bag to be sure.

Anyway, one good MCB staffer who I won't name got me early on in 2001 into 
the MCB Twenty-Twenty process. I attended a meeting in Flint about April or 
May of 2001 and there was John victory there who is a good guy by the way 
but I think naive. He knew I was a member of ADAPT which, quite frankly 
makes the radical label of NFB look rather mainstream if you catch my 
drift...

Anyway he commented that he never met an ADAPTer in a business suit, which I 
was wearing at the time, albeit I did also have a leather jacket and a pony 
tail back then. I just laughed and said, "I'm plain clothes right now and I 
literally pulled out a pare of handcuffs."
(He knew what they wer all about because ADAPT does believe and act in a 
direct action modus operandi of lawful, non-violent civil disobedience...

But, then one of these initial Vision Twenty twenty meetings started with 
introductions and those opening comments. All of the staff started talking 
about this or that internal staff sort of thing ranging from vacation time 
to whatever insider baseball perks or labor negotiations item caught their 
fancy inthe Twenty Twenty sort of way of dodging any real issues with 
content and in the model of informed ambiguity and lack of focus.

It got around to me and I said, kind of in a brother Ray Roberson candid 
moment, ""Im Joe Harcz, and I'm a blind consumer. And if it wasn't for blind 
consumers you wouldn't have a job here. It is after all your reason for 
existence. And, to be quite blunt you work for me."

You see I was already to old even then for bovine scatology and an 
anti-consumer focus of this agency as presented by most of the staff there 
at the time.

I just don't have the patience anymore for tact or anything less than 
straight talk.

Man, let me tell you that over all when it comes to many, many individuals 
and even entire agencies over all in the V.R. system I don't think that 
fifty percent of them could work themselves in the private sector or even in 
the public sector agency with more oversight.

Generally I'm not talking about frontline personnel here especially rehab 
teachers, O and M instructors, and the like. But, even though there are many 
good counselors I've found that they were rare then and even more rare now. 
And that is from the standpoint of simple knowledge about the process and 
laws they are supposedly trained and highly educated to know and implement. 
I mean Leamon is a case in point and all of Leamon's men and women for 
crying out loud they had blind students like Kimberly and her sisters have 
to advise them of proper citations related to the college policy for crying 
out loud. And if it weren't for the very rehab act now turning ninety years 
old they wouldn't even have their jobs!

The mission is distorted here in the minds of these controllers and we have 
become the enemy. By we I mean the consumer or customer or the bBlind or 
otherwise disabled person. It is a sick and sickly paradigm (worldview) and 
it is an institutional prejudice and paradigm fostered by MCB leadership in 
this state. The buck or, rather bucks stop directly at the top. And that 
goes to Cannon.

It also goes to his lackeys and lap dogs who also bring down undeserved big 
bucks at the public trough. We cannot tolerate this in an era of austerity 
where many politicians wish to cut programs such as these. Incompetence and 
corruption only gives ammunition to those who wish to destroy V.R. programs. 
And folks like Cannon make it imposable for advocates for V.R. programs to 
operate even on the political plain.

but, not to worry they got theirs. They've sucked our blood over and over 
again. But, the well is running dry and the day for atonement is nigh.
you know there are some certain measures here and some measures of equity 
and justice. for those who think that I'm bashing or that I grind on the MCB 
issue too much I say:

-Look at the operating budget and the fact that a handful of hacks took 
almost as much as all of the college tuition for blind students through the 
first three quarters of the last fiscal year
-Look at all of those elderly blind and IL blind people in Michigan that 
went unserved as malfeeasant Cannon squirrelled mone to who knows where
-Look at the fact that residential rehab will be closed for Lord knows how 
long now because of ineptitued
-Look at all the violations of BEP operators that has gone on
-Look at all the blind folks who've been fired, retired or died in the last 
year and all the replacements who are for the most part unqualified or 
lessor qualified sighted lackies and hacks
-Look at all the raw deals and malfeasance going on in the transitioning, 
let alone basic instruction of our kids who are blind



To say that I'm  "pissed off" would be an understatement. But, the powers 
that be might just say that I need anger managment as that is their 
paternalistic abusive mechanism of reinforcing stereotypes bwhile denying 
illegal and unjust activities. Just rewind the tape on the Hazelle Brooks 
affair by the gods!

Meanwhile back at the ranch Cannon and cronies suck up the bucks like they 
are sucking the marrow out of the very bones of the Golden Calf they worship 
in blasphemy so in contradiction of their very mission.

No, I don't think that people in rehab or public service in general should 
be total altruists or "Albert Switzers" or "Gahndis", but they should at 
least be committed to deliverying th goods and services they are required to 
deliver fin recompence for their paychecks.

Again, all one needs to do is to call an office, any office and see if one 
gets a call back in forty eight hours. It just doesn't happen in MCB for the 
most part.


Richard Clay and his group documented that fact very well and publicly 
protested it especially in the Eastern and Detroit region.

Man, the same "thumsuckers" are still in place and drawing paychecks that 
most folks sighted or blind in this economic nightmare in Michigan would 
almost literally kill for.

In the coming days and weeks and months I'm pulling off the gloves and I'm 
going to document and I'm going to name names and I'm going to expose all of 
this.

And here is the final challenge to MCB as a whole. If they think I'm kidding 
or lying then let them sue me for liable or defamation. I'd love to have at 
them on those counts.

I say, "Do you feel lucky punk?"

Oh yes, and that goes to the fools at the A.G.'s office too. Man, a 
non-lawyer with two brain lobes tied behind his or her back could beat those 
clowns in any court of law that was not corrupted politically to begin with.

I do not wish to appear to be politically incorrect here but Barbara Schmidt 
and her ilk seem to have reading disorders for they don't seem to understand 
the plain language of statute, regulations and case law.

Oh, when you have all of the taxpayer's money to defend yourself (in this 
case the state) against your own perfidy I guess it leads to some rather 
arrogent, ad hoc, arbitrary and capricious items. But, the day has past for 
this sort of bull hockey on both sides of the political spectrum.

I'm taking them down if it is the last thing I do on earth.

In my not so humble opinion there is no room left for compromise or 
nicie-nicie accommodation to this corrupted power structure. Simply, the 
time has gone and we are in the fight of our lives here.

You know I want you to get your job back, Christine, I trully do and I state 
that for the record hee though my praise for attributes, commitment, and 
dedication let alone performance might be seen as a sort of "damning by 
feignt praise" or worse, might be considerred by some as a sort of 
condemnation by default. You know, if Joe Harcz supports her then she must 
be screwed up...Smile...

Maybe, using reverse psycology I should publicly oppose you...Grin...

Oh, Maybey if that works then I'd openly support Pat Cannon, Zanger, Hull, 
White, Jones, Robertson and all the other illk who are and who have been 
sucking our blood and the system while investigating bullet proof wardrobes 
for the emporors with no clothes. Wow, what does that incident say about 
"consumer satisfaction" eh? I think it says legions. I mean if they in the 
MCB administratin are so paranoid about we the collective masses of blind 
folks here in Michigan being so ticked off at their actions that they need 
to research bullet proof drapes at MCB meetings then I don't know what to 
say about  logic, and even logical interpretations of events, cause and 
effect and all that.

Then again back at the ranch onf our goofy and illogical anduniformed MCB 
board the logic wasn't taken into account in this regards by Ms. Pilarski, 
or even relevence for that matter. for at that very meeting she chaired 
where the bullet proof drapes were considerred and Cannon sent her the 
details she Chaired by teleconference from her bunker in Alpena. I guess 
this second grade teacher didn't advance much past second grade in science. 
I mean you don't have bullet prooof drapes protect you on the telephone. 
Lots of follks can send lots of stuff through the phone lines nowadays, but 
they still haven't figured out how to send bullets through the phone lines 
JoAnne.

To her credit I know that Pat scared her pants off about the great 
african-American blind threat from Detroit. How, utterly rascist and 
anti-Blind to boot this whole insane affair was. Oh well, more diversity 
training I guess eh?

Anyway in my ramble and in full circle I must say that I cannot wait to get 
to Kalamazoo. It is a very nice city over all, albeit like all with some 
flaws. It is one of the most blind friendly cities I've ever visited let 
alone lived in for avariety of reasons.

I think we should examine them someday. But, aside from the NFB presence the 
fact is that both the Western program and the TC is there and thus at very 
least most folks there are used to seeing blind folks up and about.

That is not an applause for a condemnation of either or both programs. But, 
the fact is that in all of my involvement in Kalamazoo I never once heard 
the words, "You're the first blind person I ever met."

I miss Kalamazoo. Even the brutal winter there....

Peace,

Joe






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christine Boone" <Christine_Boone at comcast.net>
To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 8:19 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] now making more than $95 k


>
>
> I do agree, most certainly.
> In fact, when Pat asked me for my salary requirements, I considered
> carefully before giving him a number.  As a state director in 
> Pennsylvania,
> I made about $67 thousand when I left state employment.  When Pat found me
> in 2006, I really did not want to leave Pennsylvania.  Our son Ed had just
> graduated from high school and our daughter Kate was about to start her
> junior year.
> I did not want to leave the home where they had grown up, or the friends 
> and
> surroundings that were so dear to us all.  It actually took Pat several
> weeks of repeated telephone calls and conversations, to convince me to
> submit an application.  As a result, I gave Pat a number that I honestly
> thought might, in some way, help to compensate my family for all that they
> would lose in that move.  It was also a number that I frankly never 
> thought
> he would meet.  To my surprise, he did.  I started at $90 thousand, and
> received one 3% COLA in 2007 and another in 2008.  State salaries have 
> been
> frozen since that time, and merit increases were taken away the month 
> before
> I came to Michigan.
>
> So there you have the thumb-nail version.
>
> By the way, we are hooked on this lovely place.  The move turned out to be
> hardest on our son Ed.  He left home for college in Nebraska, and came 
> home
> for Christmas to a house he had never seen, in a strange city where he 
> knew
> no one except his parents and sister.
>
> Really though, my family is blessed!  Doug and I have two of the most
> wonderful children that anyone could ask for, and they will both be coming
> home to us for Thanksgiving.  We live in beautiful Kalamazoo County, where
> we have the greatest NFB chapter in the state!!!  We love all of you other
> chapters too,  Just wait until we treat you to some unbeatable Kalamazoo
> hospitality at the 2011 convention of the National Federation of the Blind
> of Michigan.
>
> Warmest Regards,
> Christine
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 7:43 PM
> To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] now making more than $95 k
>
> I'm pretty sure that she does but could be off by a few bucks or so. 
> Still,
> look at Jones' base in 2007!
>
> Anyway, as you know my argument isn't how much one makes, but one of
> accountability and transparency.
>
> I wouldn't begrudged Cannon his salary at all if I thought he actually
> deserved it for example.
>
> These are only parameters for the public to decide.
>
> But, let me say this it makes me sick to my stomache whenver I here some
> highly paid person of any stripe in the publicsector, let alone one like
> this on condemn and make ad hominum attacks against consumers or clients 
> or
> whatever as if we are "ripping off the system".
>
> It enrages me to no end.
>
> And for these hacks and the likes of those like White who denied me dental
> and otehr services in violation of the law of which I suffer to date while
> she and the likes of Cannon go on fabulous vacations and then double dip 
> and
> do other garbage is simply beyond the pale. And I'm just the proverbial 
> tip
> of the iceberg.
>
> Oh, when CRC who make in the mid fifties and up stood before the MCB, on
> state time and on the clock to lobby for effectively illegal and knowingly
> illegal means testing and condeming blind college students I just about 
> lost
> it. Good thing I wasn't there in person. I may have been arrested for
> foaming at the mouth and going ballistic over these insults against us.
>
> Man, and everyone of them disable or not, blind or not have benefitted by
> the system they violate too, and big time.
>
> Now, I certainly separate those both of goodwill and of merit in this
> process and do not wish to throw the baby out with the bathwater. I
> certainly don't begrudge you, Chris your salary although I think all
> salaries are and should be public knoledge as a matter of transparency
> (sonething that is a separate issue, but I think you'd agree).
>
> We should have evaluations eespecially of upper echelon state employees 
> and
> those funded with fed bucks available to. And they should be impartial and
> objective.
>
> The public has a right to know as I'm sure you will agree.
>
> Now, there are contingencies that raw data alone can't bring true light
> upon. That is the problem with "no child left behind" legislation and
> "teaching to the test". But, regardless as to metrics and how the public
> judges, rightfully or wrongly we need to know this stuff and we have the
> right to have it in the public domain.
>
> I know you agree which is why we can disagree so much without being
> disagreeable...(Not on all things or even most things for sure, but on 
> some
> things...) Smiles...
>
> Joe
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Christine Boone" <Christine_Boone at comcast.net>
> To: "'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 7:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] now making more than $95 k
>
>
>> Joe,
>> Do we know for sure how much she makes now?  Are they paying her the base
>> of
>> that position?  This is not $95 thousand.  Cannon complained about having
>> to
>> pay me as much as he did (92 not 95), but that was just what I asked for
>> as
>> my salary when he head hunted me.
>>
>> CB
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org 
>> [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
>> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 5:26 PM
>> To: nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] now making more than $95 k
>>
>>
> http://db.lsj.com/community/dc/som/index.php?textfield=Heibeck&textfield2=&s
>> elect=%25&select2=%25&Search=Search
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> NAME/
>>
>> DEPARTMENT
>>
>> TITLE/
>>
>> COUNTY/
>>
>> SALARY
>>
>> HEIBECK, CHERYL L
>>
>> STATE ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER-1
>>
>> LABOR & ECONOMIC GROWTH
>>
>> INGHAM COUNTY
>>
>> $76,162
>> _______________________________________________
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