This site is not in any way affiliated with ASHA


Learn The Truth About The American Speech-Language Hearing Association

The Website ASHA Doesn't Want You To Know About

79,850 Better informed visitors Since March, 2010!







10/3/11

ASHA Lies #2: Proof ASHA Took Sides Against Christian In Gay Controversy

ASHA Leaks #3
Deceiving members the ASHA way
According to ASHA lies statements, ASHA has no direct involvement in L'GASP, their gay group: ASHA wants its members to believe that ASHA simply allows L'GASP to exist without any support from ASHA. They want us to believe that they don't take sides, have no agenda, and never use ASHA resources and personnel to promote or support L'GASP and its agenda. The truth is this: ASHA's gay group's agenda IS ASHA's agenda. They are one and the same. And ASHA doesn't give a damn if the majority of members think that ASHA has no business turning itself into an advocacy group for the gay left. Screw the membership! ASHA is heavily influenced/driven by a small group of radical gay activists and extremist sympathizers who are using our professional organization to promote their politics.

Back in 2008, an ASHA member wrote a letter to The ASHA Leader complaining about ASHA's support of L'GASP. ASHA tried to reassure members that ASHA was not partisan on the issue but  behind closed doors ASHA was manning the battle stations to support its gay group.  Not only that but it was working closely with its gay group to coordinate a response - something The ASHA Leader won't be reporting any time soon because one of The ASHA Leader's purposes is to disseminate the lies that will allow ASHA's millionaire bosses to keep their two million dollar homes in elite neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. and Maryland (ASHA Watch has seen the property records).


Oh, and by the way, when the slp who questioned ASHA's gay group was later attacked in The ASHA Leader, ASHA stood by and did nothing to defend her. No coordinated response, no conference call, no official response, no appeals to diversity and tolerance, nothing. The reason? ASHA, despite its lies about diversity, is militantly pro-gay and anti- Christian, that's why. 

Nov 26, 2008
Dear XXXXX,
The Chair of the ASHA's MIB (Multicultural Issues Board), Nancy Castilleja,
has indicated her support for a coordinated response to the recent letters seen
in the ASHA Leader. A conference call among MIB (Multicultural Issues Board) members has been suggested for
next week. ... Stay tuned for additional updates
regarding an official response.

Tedd Masiongale, M.A. CCC-SLP
Ash Frazier, M.S. CCC-SLP

9/30/11

Is ASHA's Gay Group A Hate Group? ASHA Leaks #2

Emails you were never meant to see #2.

Looks like ASHA's officially recognized and very pampered gay group has no problem with bashing and hateful/violent rhetoric if it is directed at Christians. 
______

Take a look at the email below:
ASHA's Gay Group: hate and anti-Christian bigotry?
The writer of this letter, L. Anthony White MS ccc-slp, is referring to a Christian slp who dared to question why ASHA gives official recognition to L'GASP. I am withholding her name to protect her from being harassed.






Feb 13, 2010
....She (the name of a Christian slp) has the backing of her church and her irrational faith -- and her "God" -- which justifies her not taking responsibility for her feelings and judgements.

(name withheld) is a person who will vote against her own self interests because her church tells her to do so -- her God tells her to do so.  It is through her religion and her God that she is enlightened -- therefore irrational and not responsible, but very authoritative. It is her faith that prevents her from being comfortable in her own skin -- even though she may think she is.  

She just needs to be knocked in the head and kicked to the curb -- thats the only way to deal with irrational people. ...
Peace and blessings to you all my L'GASP family.

Respectfully,
L. Anthony White, MS, CCC-SLP (italics added)

Imagine if this letter was about a gay slp and the author had written:
These gay slps are irrational. They just need to be knocked in the head and kicked to the curb -- thats the only way to deal with them. ...
Of course, that would be unacceptable to the liberals who run ASHA. But if it's a Christian slp, hypocritical gay activists (who despite their efforts to publicly portray themselves as being models of tolerance and acceptance are usually hatefully intolerant toward any opinions, individuals, or groups who disagree with them) feel free to spew violent rhetoric.

Mr. White, what's irrational is not our Christian faith but the fact that ASHA continues to allow a despicable group like yours to exist.


 Note: ASHA will be providing free space for this group at its conventionIf you object, call the main office of ASHA in Rockville and complain. Here's the number: 1-800-498-2071 

9/23/11

ASHA's Gay Rulers Deciding What Your Personal Beliefs Should Be

Dear ASHA: go to hell
ASHA doesn't care what your personal morals or beliefs are. ASHA wants you to abandon them and get in line with what ASHA (now heavily influenced/driven by a cabal of gay activists) thinks. Despite the fact that "many" members (see quote below) object to ASHA's gay agenda (private emails and messages indicate a large backlash over this issue that ASHA has chosen to dismiss (ASHA only uses The ASHA Leader to publicize membership poll results that agree with its leadership's liberal progressive political agenda and greed. All other data gets buried.)). In its usual "let's ride over the will of the members" fashion, ASHA is demanding that members support issues they don't agree with (and that ASHA even admits knowing they don't agree with). Take a look:
While many member comments reflected an ideal but not the reality, it is important for ASHA, and its members, to maintain support of often uncomfortable issues, such as non-discrimination legislation. ASHA Statement (see footnote 19)
Translation:
1) ASHA wants you to throw your personal religious beliefs and morals on the trash heap if they don't have the approval of ASHA's radical gay activist rulers and overlords.
2) ASHA believes that your personal morals and religious beliefs are nothing but an anxiety problem that you need to get over. According to ASHA, it's not homosexuality that is a disorder and the disease-ridden gay lifestyle that is unhealthy - it's your disapproval that needs treatment. ASHA is now diagnosing its members' mental status. Up next: ASHA will be scheduling mandatory mammograms and colonoscopies for all its members. Your appointment will be arriving in the mail any day now - along with your dues renewal notice demanding $225 to support the lifestyles of ASHA's millionaire bosses.
3) ASHA can't allow any of it's gay rulers to feel uncomfortable at any time and for any reason, so ASHA will make its non-gay members feel uncomfortable - all the time and for any reason ASHA deems acceptable.

Dear ASHA: you can go to hell.
We are not giving up our personal beliefs for you or anyone else. Nor are we ever going to "maintain support" of "uncomfortable issues" just because a cabal of gay activists is in control of ASHA. I hereby refuse to comply with your policy agenda. If you want to file an ethical violation complaint against me, go ahead. Come and get me. Try it. I'll return the favor with a class-action religious discrimination lawsuit against ASHA on behalf of the "many" members who disagree with ASHA. I look forward to you financing my retirement in Costa Rica.


ASHA members will soon be required to attend "reeducation" workshops
to deal with beliefs and thoughts that ASHA deems unacceptable

9/13/11

ASHA Leaks #1: Email SLPs Never Meant To See

Has ASHA Been Lying To Its Members?
___________


ASHA Watch has obtained emails and messages that were never meant to be seen by the general membership. We'll be posting them now and then.
___________


 (Note: ENDA is the gay rights bill that ASHA has made part of its policy agenda.)


April  19, 2007
Hi XXXX,
(hidden)
This is Stefanie Reeves from ASHA's DC office. I provided the ENDA
update ...in March. I got word
yesterday afternoon that Rep. Barney Frank is slated to introduce
ENDA legislation in the House on this Tuesday April 24. I'm working
on materials ahead of the introduction including a letter of support
from ASHA and a listserv message.
We know that ENDA makes good business sense and that sexual
orientation should not be a cause for discrimination in the
workplace. However, are there additional reasons why ASHA is
supportive of ENDA? I want to include that information in my
materials. Please feel free to send this to colleagues who may have
feedback as well. Given the timing of the introduction, anything you
can get to me no later than Friday morning would be helpful. Thanks
in advance for your help with this.
Stefanie
Stefanie Reeves
Director of Political Advocacy 
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Capitol Hill Office
444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 715
Washington, DC 20001
(Italics added)
________

Below is an ASHA statement claiming that ASHA's sole involvement with ENDA is simple monitoring:

ASHA has an obligation to update its members about the status of laws that will affect them, including the proposed Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).  ASHA’s simple monitoring of the legislative status of ENDA thus is fully consistent with its organizational purpose.  (bold and italics added)
- Arlene Pietranton, executive director of ASHA since January 2004








_____________


Congressman and male prostitute customer
Barney Frank: you've got a friend at ASHA
Okay, Arlene, so which is it? Simple monitoring or active involvement in helping Barney Frank introduce the gay rights bill, with a letter of support from ASHA included? What ASHA's office was engaged in was definitely not "simple monitoring" but blatant advocacy on the bill's behalf and a violation of the federal tax laws. 
_____


I've been told that ASHA is terrified of this blog. Really? BOO! Hey, ASHA, I would retire in a moment if you would stop all your crap. How about quitting the liberal progressive BS, stopping the financial exploitation of members, respecting your conservative and Christian members as much as you do your gay members, and getting back to your mission of serving the professional interests of SLPs? If you think that's too much to ask, then you all need to lose your jobs and the Rockland, Maryland ASHA swamp office needs to be cleaned out and disinfected.

5/7/11

Outrage: ASHA Article Suggests Creating Database of Clinicians Who Are "Safe" For LGBT Clients

Add this item to the "political correctness running amok in ASHA" file.
The latest issue of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology has an article that recommends that ASHA create:
...a database of communication disorders practitioners who are "welcoming" or "safe" to clients who are LGBT. Link
I guess it's only called segregation and blacklisting when conservatives do it. When liberals do it, it's called "being culturally sensitive."
So, what's the problem that LGBT people think that they need to have a database of practitioners who are "safe" (as opposed to what? Homicidally dangerous practitioners?) ?
Are LGBT clients being denied services by SLPs because they are LGBT?
No.
This has NEVER happened.
According to the article, it seems that - I hope you're sitting down because this is going to shock you and make you want to run out in the street to offer hugs of consolation to every LGBT person you can find - LGBT clients are sometimes an itty-bitty embarrassed to admit to clinicians that they have a partner.
The LGBT community: shy and easily embarrassed
Embarrassed.
These are the same people who don't have a problem parading down main street on Gay Pride day wearing nothing but body paint and a harness.
Guess what? Heterosexual clients are just as likely to be embarrassed with gay clinicians as vice-versa. It's difficult not to be embarrassed by a man who waxes his eyebrows, puts cinnamon highlights in his hair, and thinks Lady Gaga is a good singer. Whaddya mean it's not just their eyebrows they wax? Yikes! Sounds painful.
Maybe greedy ASHA can develop another certificate: "certified clinically competent to serve the LGBT community" (aka the ccc-lgbt?). (Cue up the cash register sound effect: Ka- CHING!)

Okay. You can have your database of "safe" clinicans. 
Go and run with this article's suggestion, ASHA.
In return:
I want ASHA to create a database of SLPs who are not gay or liberal and who are not hostile toward Christian, conservative Jewish, Mormon, or Republican views and beliefs. I want a database of clinicians who don't define marriage as a "meaningful" relationship between any three people who meet up on Craigslist. This database will blacklist liberal progressive clinicians (and ASHA bosses and board members) who roll their eyes when you mention Fox News, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, or Jesus. It will blacklist clinicians and ASHA bosses who think it is a sin not to recycle a plastic shopping bag but perfectly okay to abort a human fetus; who think that a woman should have the right to choose to have an abortion but no right to choose what kind of light bulbs she uses in her home. And I want all gay and lesbian clinicians to be forced by ASHA (if they refuse, revoke their cccs!) to attend diversity workshops so they will develop greater appreciation for and sensitivity to the history, culture, and ethical/moral standards of the heterosexual and Christian community.

The "safe" database suggested by the ASHA journal article would let everyone know which clinicians are "friendly" and "safe"  for LGBT clients (translation: which clinicians are LGBT). But it'll also be a great way for clients (and other clinicians and colleagues) to avoid patronizing and associating with those who have contempt for don't share their religious, moral, political, and social/family values.
If LGBT people can get away with this, why shouldn't other groups be allowed to do the same? Let's have databases for every multicultural group: Jewish clinicians for Jews, African-American clinicians for African-Americans, gun-owning clinicians for NRA members, etc. Let's segregate clinicians according to race, religion, gender, sexual habits, politics, gun ownership, age, marital status, socio-economic status, and what kind of music they listen to.
Gays don't want to go to straight clinicians? Fine. Don't. Develop your database.
Now give traditional values clients the same opportunity: provide an informative database so they can avoid going to liberal progressive/LGBT clinicians. Or even working with them! Maybe ASHA can even set up separate areas at the annual convention for them! As a public safety precaution, I suggest that ASHA put these areas no more than twenty paces from an open bar so that there won't be any acute cases of alcohol and club music withdrawal.
Personally, I would happily go so far as to pay a monthly fee (sort of like a Netflix subscription) to avoid having to ever again associate with liberals, Democrats, Obama and big government lovers, and anyone who listens to NPR. I believe in being compassionate toward the mentally ill, but think that these people are best handled by trained professionals.
Throw in a guarantee that all my future colleagues, co-workers, and neighbors will be Republicans and NRA members and I'm ready to empty out my entire bank account right now!

Go ahead with your database but remember:
what goes around comes around -



- and ends up biting you in the ass.

4/30/11

66% Of ASHA's 2009 Revenue Went To Salaries And Other Employee Payouts

According to ASHA's latest tax returns (note: ASHA doesn't file its 2010 returns until the fall of 2011), one out of every seven ASHA headquarter employees receives a salary of $100,000 or more.

And every one of ASHA's top eleven bosses received a significant raise in the last tax year (What recession? Did someone say there's a recession? Could someone pass the brie? Anyone going to Martha's Vineyard this summer?) This despite the fact that ASHA's program service revenues dropped from $41,705,953 to $40,642,318.
In 2008, 57% of ASHA's revenues went to salaries and other compensation.
In 2009, that figure jumped to a whopping 66%.
Think of that for a second: 66% of every dollar ASHA gets makes a non-stop flight into the pockets of its employees. According to ASHA's tax returns, ASHA's top $ earners put in a back-breaking and death-defying average workweek of 50 hours. The mind reels at the physical and mental endurance of ASHA's bosses.
What percentage of a business organization should go to payroll?
The gross percentage of payroll as compared to the gross revenue is the ratio that will begin to tell you if you are in trouble or on the right path. 30-38% is a great place to be in. I see many businesses that tip the scale at over 50% AND YES, THIS IS A BUSINESS ALWAYS IN TROUBLE. Second Wind Consultants
No-one wants to donate to a cause that squanders fifty percent of the raised funds to paid employees and other nefarious expenses. CEOs in non-profit organizations 
50%? ASHA is now spending 66% of its revenue on paid employees, an increase of 9% in one year! That's $27,074,062 for:
Compensation of current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees: $2,146,082
Other salaries and wages: $17,832,762
Pension plan contributions: $2,957,242
Other employee benefits: 2,703,443
Payroll taxes: $1,434,533
Total compensation, salaries, wages, and other benefits: $27,074,062 
ASHA Revenue for 2009: $40,642,318 (Source: ASHA form 990 Tax return.
If the present rate of increase continues, by the year 2016, 100% of ASHA's revenues will go to pay the salaries of ASHA headquarter employees. 

Note that ASHA is a non-profit, not a business. Its operating expenses should be no more than 25%. Most of ASHA's revenue is going to support the lifestyles of the one-percenters running it.

 If ASHA was a charity, it would be listed as one of the worst charities in the USA!

Some closing words:
 [I]t is safe to say that all donors give money not to pay for office supplies and inflated salaries for executives, but rather to the programs that charities undertake to further their goals. Worst Charities In America
ASHA

4/17/11

60 Minutes Exposes Next ASHA Convention Speaker's Story: "Serious Questions" About Its Truth

(SEE UPDATE BELOW)
Someone at ASHA really needs to start doing background checks on their convention speakers because 60 Minutes has exposed their latest secular liberal-progressive do-gooder as a fake.
Three cups of B.S.
Greg Mortensen is scheduled to be the guest speaker at ASHA's next convention. His usual take is $30,000. According to investigators, major parts of his story about being captured by the Taliban and raising money for hundreds of girl's schools are nothing but fabrications. 60 Minutes reports that Mortensen spent more money last year flying around the world talking about educating girls than actually doing it. This is typical. The phonies who run many non-profits rake in the cash while the people the non-profits were set up to serve get little or nothing from them (when the non-profit isn't actually exploiting them).

ASHA files its tax returns as a non-profit.

This makes two disastrous strikes in a row for ASHA (you can read about last year's convention speaker by going here and here).

For years, ASHA relied on celebrities (including such speech and language experts as Jay Leno's wife and the drummer from the 80's has-been group Fleetwood Mac) to give the keynote speech at its conventions. Now they are apparently digging through Oprah's old coffee-stained show-guest lists - and it's turned out to be another embarrassment for them.
Dumpster diving at Oprah's house. "Maybe we can find Jenny McCarthy's phone number underneath those empty boxes of Oreo cookies!"
On ASHA's website, convention co-chair Kathy Coufal gushed:
What could be a more appropriate opening than having author and human rights activist Greg Mortenson provide the keynote address! 
Knowing ASHA as I do, I couldn't agree more, Kathy! It's a perfect fit for ASHA!

Let's see you wiggle your way out of this one, ASHA. Frankly, I hope you are forced (by contracts, etc.) to have a publicly disgraced speaker give your keynote address at this year's convention. If you do, I'll make some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the show.
Looks like Greg Mortenson, the author of best selling book ‘Three Cups of Tea’ may not be all he’s cracked up to be. In fact, if the CBS documentary set to air tonight is correct, he’s nothing but a big fat liar.

Mortenson is the mountaineer-philanthropist who’s book ‘Three Cups of Tea’, about building schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan has sold several million copies. Now, it looks like the parts about how many schools he’s actually built (he says enough for 60,000 girls – true statistics are far lower than that), the section where he was kidnapped by the Taliban (the Taliban says it never happened) and the bit where much of the money he’s raised with his book is going to help more girls (it’s actually paying for private jets for Mortenson) are nothing but fabrication and lies. Link
On his website, gregmortenson.com, Mortenson claims the kidnapping was carried out by the Taliban. However, the Taliban had no presence in Waziristan in 1996, only arriving in the region after their fall from power in Afghanistan in the winter of 2001. Link
(Author) Krakauer reported that millions of dollars donated to the charity were spent on chartered jets, equipment and advertising for Mortenson's books, even though the charity doesn't receive any royalties for them. One former Central Asia Institute board member told Krakauer that Mortenson "regards CAI as his personal ATM. US official opens inquiry into charity run by 'Three Cups of Tea' co-author
Update 4/21/11: ASHA has now scrubbed its site of all references to Mortensen. This is typical for "we never admit mistakes; we make believe they never happened" ASHA. ASHA might as well stand for the "American Sneaky Hush-Hush Association."

Looks like they are going to need a new speaker for this year's convention. I have a suggestion:
Charlie Sheen: a perfect fit for ASHA













 S.F. Chronicle columnist Debbie Saunders does an excellent job of analyzing why so many (let's include liberal progressive, pro-gay agenda, Obama-adoring ASHA here) drank the Kool-aid given out by the Mortensen adoration cult. A sample:
(Back in 2008, critics) suggested that readers take his tales with "three grains of salt." Instead, he (Mortensen) sold 3 million books. Why? Through the pouring of "Three Cups," Mortenson came to personify every liberal conceit. He pushed books, not bombs. He had a nuanced take on Islamic extremism. He's not afraid of terrorism; for him, "the enemy is ignorance." Marlowe observed, "The implication is that this solitary do-gooder's work is a better model for helping the rural poor in areas that are a breeding ground for Islamic extremism." While to the contrary, the U.S. Army built more schools in just one Afghan province in 15 months than CAI built in a decade. (Italics added. Link)

4/11/11

Stung By Criticism, ASHA Suddenly Discovers Religion: Claims They're "Practicing Catholics"

Due to the holy season and my church activities, I won't be able to post for a few more weeks. When I am finally able to sit down and give this blog more attention, I have some financial information that will be of great interest to this blog's readers. Any post having to do with ASHA's finances (and the exorbitant salaries that ASHA's bosses make) gets a huge number of hits and it won't be any different this time. If anything, the outrage is certain to increase exponentially.
Some quick notes so I can clear some of the clutter off my desk:
- Is the number of Ph.D's who are planning to resign from ASHA due to "conscientious objections" now up to two?
- Stung by criticism of its liberal progressive agenda, ASHA has apparently suddenly discovered religion. ASHA is now telling private correspondents complaining of ASHA's controversial record on ethical and moral issues (see here, here, here, here, and here to start) that board members are "practicing Catholics," something that will come as quite a surprise to anyone who has corresponded with ASHA in the last few years about these serious issues.
They're practicing Catholics.
And I'm a liberal progressive.
Okay, Arlene Pietranton and company - prove it.
Agree to the following statement, one that no sincere and faithful Catholic would hesitate for an instant to agree with:
I (sign here) do affirm my agreement with the Holy Roman Catholic Church in its moral teachings, including the following:
1) Abortion, being the taking of innocent human life, is a mortal sin.
2) Homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and sinful. "Basing itself on sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2357).
If you and the board members can't sign that statement without any hesitation, there's no reason for anyone to take your claim of being a "practicing Catholic" seriously. As for me, I regard this very timely claim of ASHA's to be nothing but blasphemous opportunism.
Dear Lord, should we faithfully serve you and follow your teachings or go for the big bucks by running a morally questionable professional organization that alienates and offends Christians?




- In response to inquiries, here's my therapy rule on dealing with gay clients: if the gay client doesn't bring up their sexuality in therapy, I won't bring up my faith. Deal?

-In response to claims that male-to-female transgenders are really women: cutting off your penis no more makes you a woman than cutting off one of your legs makes you a pogo stick. Any man who voluntarily gets himself castrated and injected with female hormones is profoundly dysfunctional - insane. And no amount of shoplifted cosmetics and evening gowns will make you a woman - it only makes you a very, very screwed-up man - and ASHA's idea of an excellent candidate for its board of directors!








Key Words: The ASHA Blog, ASHA blog, ADA, ASHA, ASHA fees, ASHA CCC's, ASHA ccc's

3/28/11

"Celebrating Diversity" ASHA Denies Religious Exemption To Faith-Based Community Members

Still on break (I'm trying) but there has been such a large volume of email lately regarding this issue that I decided to post this for all to see. ASHA denied this request several months ago (no surprise), but I have held this back from the blog because other legal possibilities were being explored. Now there is so much interest going on that I think people need to know what has already been looked at.
Breaking news: my understanding is that a university fluency professor (Ph.D.) is now very close to resigning from ASHA on conscientious and moral grounds (just try to imagine how unlikely it would be for a physical therapist to feel that they had to resign from their national association on moral grounds and you begin to see how off course ASHA has gotten). Also, ASHA has confirmed to at least one member that it will print a very carefully worded statement regarding its relationship to its gay caucus before the end of the summer. Also, this blog had its 10,000th hit this past week.

Attention Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, and Jews: kindly leave your pesky consciences and faith at the door when you join ASHA.
To: Arlene Pietranton
Subject: Arlene: A Request per Legal Counseling

Arlene,
I have been advised by the Pacific Justice Institute (9851 Horn Road Sacramento, CA 95827-1957 (916-857-6900) that because a number of ASHA members have sincere religious objections to ASHA's advocacy and support of issues that violate their religious beliefs that ASHA should provide a Hudson/Beck Refund to members who request it. The Beck Refund is an accommodation supported by the United States Supreme Court in:

Communications Workers of America v. Beck, 487 U.S. 735 (1988)

As ASHA has provided convention space to L'Gasp, has provided free accommodations to a member of the multicultural committee who represents L'Gasp, has used ASHA association facilities and resources (including salaried employees) to revise its ethics code in favor of transgenders and cross-dressers, has used its resources to monitor ENDA, and as these are in conflict with the religious beliefs of members, a Hudson/Beck Refund accommodation should be made available to members who request it. This refund would pro-rate our fees so that members would receive back the percentage used by ASHA for expenditures of an offensive nature.

I am hereby requesting to know ASHA's procedures for obtaining a Hudson/Beck refund for ASHA members who have a religious objection to ASHA's support, affirmation, and advocacy of causes that are in conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs.


cc: Pacific Justice Institute

3/11/11

ASHA Finances: Part 6 - ASHA's Bloated Employee Pension Plans

This in from Jayna, an SLP who has been working tirelessly for members:



I was just re-reading on p. 14 of ASHA's 2008 Financial Statement that you sent me months ago. How do you think their retirement plan compares to most others? My husband and I think it sounds pretty spectacular:

"The Association has a noncontributory defined benefit retirement plan covering most employees and employees of the Foundation hired before
January 1, 2003.  The benefits are based on years of service and the employee's highest average compensation during any three consecutive fiscal years.  The Association's funding policy is to contribute annually the maximum up to the full funding limitation."

I think I need a job with ASHA!  For three years, anyways. :)

Jayna

Jayna,
As usual, the elites at ASHA live high off the hog on our dime. While school slps are getting their salaries and pensions nuked by budgets, ASHA employees get sweetheart deals.
ASHA Watch

3/7/11

ASHA Finances: Part 5 In A Continuing Series


I thought you would be interested in reading my most recent 
communications with Martin Rome. Feel free to add them to your post along with the first letter.

XXXX (Name hidden to protect

Dear XXXX,
Thanks again for all you do for the members!
ASHA Watch

Mr. Rome (note: Mr. Rome is the chief staff officer for communications at ASHA),
Clearly we do not see eye to eye.  Please allow me to clarify some of 
my concerns in a response to your latest email. 

You stated that "the actual, per certified-member cost of providing
 all of ASHA's programs, products and services is currently more than
 $325."  I am curious to know if this includes ASHA staff salaries as 
part of the "services."  Recently I determined, by looking at ASHA's
 2008 financial statement, that approximately 40% of ASHA's total
 revenue of $43,051,204 was spent on salaries and pensions.  In order 
to support multiple ASHA staff salaries that are several times higher 
than the salaries of other SLPs and audiologists, I am sure that ASHA
 would have to seek various sources of non-dues revenues! 

ASHA's own financial statement also clearly delineates the Total
 Program Revenue as exceeding the Total Program Expenses by well over 
ten million dollars, so I'm not sure where you are getting your 
information and your figures. ASHA's most expensive liabilities come 
from the high cost of the mortgage for the new headquarters, and well over 
fifteen million dollars in salaries and pensions.  Many of us simply 
cannot believe that our organization's money, at the national level, 
is spent judiciously - as should be done according to the parameters of 
a not-for-profit organization.

 You also stated: "You are proposing that ASHA provide member benefits
 and services to those who do not want to pay for the service. That is 
not a viable or reasonable model."  In response, I will restate very
 simply that those who pay for the service should receive the service,
 member or not.

 Thank you for your time.  I sincerely hope that this organization has 
begun to realize some of the many concerns that are widespread throughout the 
professions of audiology and speech-language pathology, even though
 ASHA staff fail to acknowledge this fact.  You should know by now that
 the concerns I raise represent the views of many current and former ASHA members from across the country.  We implore ASHA to be more 
frugal with the money received through our organization, and more fair
 in the allocation of resources to those who pay for them anyways.


Sincerely,

ASHA Watch and friends

2/28/11

If The ASHA Leader printed the truth -

- would it read like this?

2/18/11

ASHA Wakes From Coma; Finally Discovers Movie About Stuttering

ASHA is discovering this movie -
five months after it was released.
Released way back on September 6th in 2010, "The King's Speech," a movie about the King of England's relationship with his speech therapist, is a critical and box-office smash. ASHA took five long months to give major attention to the film in the pages of The ASHA Leader, which must be some sort of record as ASHA usually takes years to become aware of what the rest of the country is up to (the ASHA Leader was still enthusiastic about Obamacare long after the majority of Americans had turned fiercely against it. And ASHA-PAC was still giving money to Nancy Pelosi long after it became clear to anyone with an IQ of three figures that she was going to lose her position as majority speaker. ). At the rate it's going, I expect ASHA to catch up with that crazy disco dancing craze sometime around Memorial Day weekend (by the way, I know someone who has a signed autograph of KC and the Sunshine Band if ASHA's board of directors is interested).
The ASHA Leader makes a point of mentioning that Lionel Logue, the King's speech therapist, was uncredentialed. Imagine that: someone actually having the audacity to treat someone without ASHA butting into their career and training. How dare someone without their ccc's treat the King of England! What if - heaven forbid! - Lionel Logue didn't adhere to ASHA's ethics code about transexuals? What if he (like most normal people) didn't like hanging around transvestites and other deranged sociopathic lowlifes?
Lionel was a devout Christian Scientist for most of his life - which means that he most likely would have disapproved of the immoral lifestyles that ASHA is apparently, IMO, trying to convince its members to accept as nothing more than examples of "multicultural diversity."
Australia's Sydney Morning Herald -
- quote(s) Dr Caroline Bowen, a speech and language pathologist who has researched Logue’s practice, saying ”As a Christian Scientist, Logue was passionate about healing, and perhaps this, coupled with his background in elocution, led to [his treatment of] returned servicemen who had speech disorders attributed to shell shock.”  Link
 ASHA never mentions the Christian faith that gave Logue a passion for healing. No surprise there. None. Whatsoever.

Despite ASHA's heavy marketing of itself, ASHA's credentialing is meaningless. Having your ccc's does not make you a better therapist.
Just ask Lionel Logue and King George.
Uncredentialed and he didn't have his ASHA ccc's: Lionel Logue - Christian Scientist and King George's speech therapist

1/30/11

No Surprise: ASHA Board Member Liberal Progressive Politician; Gay/Transgender Rights Proponent

ASHA board of directors member Tom Hallahan is also a liberal progressive politician and proponent for transgender rights. This is from his failed 2010 Massachusetts campaign.
Many ASHA members wonder why ASHA seems so determined to shove irrelevant radical progressive causes (such as transgender rights) down its member's throats.
ASHA board of directors member Tom Hallahan's campaign literature describes him as an "advocate for social justice." He ran a failed campaign for the Massachusetts district one governor's council in 2010. He has described himself as a "vocal proponent" for gay and transgender rights.
ASHA board member Tom Hallahan is a liberal progressive and a vocal proponent for gay and transgender issues

The website "transgender news" ran an article about Tom called "Gay dad runs for governor's council" You can read that story by going here.
Included in the same article:
...Hallahan calls for more focus on transgender rights. “I have been a vocal proponent for passage of (ENDA) only if it includes all people,” he said. “The (national gay and lesbian) task force have always said, ‘this is the last line of civil rights, and we will all cross it together.’ And I could not agree with that more.” Link
 ____________________

ASHA recently revised its code of ethics to include transgenders  (if you're scratching your head right now trying to recall the groundswell of ASHA members demanding that ASHA become an advocate for transgender rights, it could be because there was none). Now that ASHA has "more focus on transgender rights," board member Tommy - a "vocal proponent" for the same - might be pleased; members aren't.
____________________
ASHA's sole purpose for existence should be to promote the professional interests of slps and audiologists. That means that ASHA has no business getting involved in any divisive social/political advocacy that is not directly related to our professional interests.
  _____________________

In response to a request for a statement from ASHA, Marty Rome, chief staff officer for communications, sent the following:
Members of ASHA’s Board of Directors are elected by ASHA members. In their roles as Board members, they have well defined responsibilities delineated within  the position description for the position they hold on the Board. Board members are not paid for their service, have professional and private lives outside of their Board service, and have the right to their own personal views. ASHA does not comment on the personal views or opinions of Board members.

Martin J. Rome
Chief Staff Officer for Communications

______________

A note on comments:
I've received several comments/emails from individuals who make statements such as the following:
"As a lesbian SLP, I want ASHA to stand up for our gay clients so that they will not be denied speech services because of their sexual orientation."
I won't publish these comments because they are delusional. Crazy. And I mean Jared Loughner - the-government-is-controlling-our-minds-with-grammar - batshit crazy. There is no epidemic of clients being denied speech services because of their sexual orientation. I'll go even further: this has NEVER happened (and if it has happened, The ASHA Leader has been derelict in its duties by failing to report such incidents). The only place this is happening is in the paranoid fantasy life of the people who write me. Think of it for a moment: this SLP (and several others who have written me) actually believes that SLPs somewhere someplace (and they are always short of all specifics, of course), are refusing to treat students for their /s/ problem because they are gay. What is any SLP doing questioning a client about their sexual orientation? Who does such a thing? In the case of school children, what school would tolerate such an SLP working for them? I can see it now: a school based SLP assessing her third graders to find out if they are gay before deciding if she can work on their speech sound disorders. "Sorry, Mary, but your hairstyle is short and frumpy, you're obese, you have no fashion sense, and you like to play softball - no speech services for you. I'll just note this in your IEP: eligibility denied due to possible lesbian orientation."
If you claim that there is a problem with clients being denied speech services because they are gay, let's see some facts. Put up or shut up. I won't waste any space here letting you promote a self-serving myth.

UPDATE 8/13/13: It's been two years since I issued a challenge to provide documentation that any gay client has ever been denied speech services because of their gayness, and the silence has been deafening. The reason? It never happened! It was nothing but a lie and a slander, fabricated out of thin air. When challenged, not one person could prove the charge that slps are denying lgbt clients services and that ASHA had to become advocates for the lgbt cause in order to correct the (mythical) injustice that (never) took place. Why would they lie about something like that? It was a way to hijack ASHA and use its resources to further their agenda. Now that they have been exposed as nothing but vicious liars and slanderers willing to fabricate ethical violations in order to intimidate ASHA into even more politically correct madness than it already practices, no one who cares about this profession should take them seriously.

Key Words: Key Words: The ASHA Blog, ASHA blog, ASHA, ASHA fees, ASHA CCC's, ASHA ccc's

1/22/11

ASHA Develops Its Agenda Based On Worthless Online Survey With Laughable 1.9% Response Rate

ASHA is not listening to you. Just shut up and pay your dues!
The Government Relations and Public Policy Board (GRPPB) developed the 2011 agenda in consultation with committees, staff, and members (2,700 of whom responded to the survey seeking input). Link (bold and italics added) The ASHA Leader 1/18/11
ASHA has over 140,000 members. If ASHA developed its 2011 agenda based in part on the response to an online survey with only 2,700 responses, that means that the response rate was only 1.9%. This is worthless data - total crap (ASHA might as well be doing tarot readings to divine what members are thinking - they would probably be more accurate). ASHA - and anyone who has ever taken a statistics 101 course - knows this but that doesn't stop ASHA from charging ahead.
What are acceptable response rates?
High survey response rates help to ensure that survey results are representative of the target population...A survey must have a good response rate in order to produce accurate, useful results...Acceptable response rates vary by how the survey is administered:
Eric Graig, Ph.D., writes:
Would you make an important decision based upon only 10% of the available information out there? I hope not, but that’s just what you’re doing if you accept such a small response rate. The key to a strong survey response rate is a well written invitation to participate and, most important, follow-up with non-respondents. With ‘friendly’ respondents, that is those who know your organization and have made some kind of commitment to it, it can take three or more follow-ups to get response. We typically see 15% to 20% with the first invite and then upwards of 60% or 70% by the final round...without follow-up to non-respondents you just can’t get the response rate you need to make solid business decisions. Eric Graig, Ph.D. Principal Usable Knowledge, LLC Link
Note that Graig is criticizing a 10% response rate.
ASHA's miserable 1.9% response rate means that their online surveys are beneath being considered by any intelligent person. It is more evidence that ASHA has no serious interest in listening to its members. Keep in mind that ASHA declared that it had total assets of $93,966,900 in 2008. The cost of contracting with an independent firm to do a reliable and valid survey would be chump change for them.
Let me put ASHA's bs surveys in perspective:
Since this blog started, I've received (well) over 5,000 emails from SLPs who strongly disagree with ASHA (some of the letters contain so much heated outrage and anger that they are almost radioactive). This blog has received close to 50,000 visitors since it started. That gives this blog a response rate of 10% - and I'm not even running a survey! 
ASHA's online surveys are statistically worthless


You may ask:
"Why not just send all those emails to ASHA and let them know what members think?"
Answer: I have forwarded letters to ASHA's boss - Arlene Pietranton - and what I usually got in return were dismissive and self-rationalizing responses - which appears to be ASHA's standard coping strategy for dealing with criticism of ASHA. ASHA will never admit that it is wrong about anything. Writing ASHA is a pointless exercise in futility because ASHA's philosophy is that it is always right and the members are always wrong. Always. ASHA is going to do whatever it wants to do - and the members exist for no other reason than to foot the bill. Get in line, sheeple! And ASHA will continue to use worthless data to justify their escalating power and money grab of our profession.
This is the organization that has the audacity to claim that it stands for high quality evidence-based research data.
Sure. Whatever. When it comes to members, ASHA demands that we use high quality evidence-based research data. When it comes to itself, however, ASHA settles for worthless garbage. ASHA's rules don't apply to itself - only to YOU.
Anyone who loves this profession should be alarmed that an organization like ASHA controls our future.
__________________________________

Paul "ASHA Rocks!" Rao
Another Rah-Rah
News item: Paul R. Rao is ASHA's new president (no telling how many votes he got in that online election. What was it? A thousand? Five hundred? Fifty? Maybe a single Twitter tweet to the board of directors?) I hope he enjoys being a rubber stamp for ASHA's board of directors as that is pretty much the only function of ASHA's presidents. The president of ASHA is little more than window dressing for ASHA - ASHA's answer to hare-brained Vanna White's job on Wheel of Fortune. Paul's new job description requires that he:
 ...make sure that Board resolutions are carried out Link
Thanks, Paul. Anyone hoping for change in the next year is in for disappointment. I expect Paul "ASHA Rocks!" Rao to be yet another ASHA rah-rah cheerleader - out of touch with both the membership and the reality of what ASHA is really about.
______________________________

Second news item: I want to thank the SLPs who nominated me to be ASHA's president next year. I am humbled by your vote of confidence. I have declined, however, due to the fact that ASHA's president has so little power. He does little more than show up at meetings, make a few speeches, and write a few articles. The type of serious reforms that ASHA needs won't be accomplished by doing any of that.

_______________________________

Third news item: ASHA is apparently doubling down on its commitment to the gay rights agenda. ASHA states that it is called to do this because it is "a leader in human rights." Hmm, that's not what its tax exempt application with the IRS states. ASHA will be shocked to learn that it is supposed to be a professional business association serving the professional interests of slps and audiologists, not the Rockville branch of the lavender political action committee. 
Actually, ASHA is very selective about which human rights they are for. Has anyone ever heard ASHA say a peep about the rights of the unborn? Of course not. Does ASHA care about the rights of Christian and Jewish ASHA members not to have association resources (which they pay for) used for purposes that they consider to be immoral? Of course not.
Attention ASHA: two can play that doubling down game. Cross the legal line that the IRS has laid out and you lose. 

1/14/11

ASHA's Gay Caucus Parties At Sleazy Bar

Another contribution to ASHA's rich multicultural tapestry: ASHA's Gay Caucus' 2010 convention week event schedule included a visit to a bar that features "wack off Wednesday," "a night of hot boys, hot bodies," and "Philly and NYC hottest male dancers." 
ASHA is apparently involved in two types of activities: 1) those that it lets its membership know about via prominent coverage in The ASHA Leader, and 2) those that are done with little or non-existent coverage in The ASHA misLeader.
It's no surprise that among those activities that are done with as little fanfare as possible and which The ASHA misLeader fails to report on are some of ASHA's dealings with/or on behalf its LGBT Caucus - the only "multicultural" caucus in ASHA that has a political objective (the caucus very clearly states in its bylaws that one of its objectives is"
 To provide a...political....platform for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues within the professions and within training programs.)
So much for ASHA's ludicrous protests that nothing it does has a political agenda. Maybe the people who run ASHA have a reading comprehension problem. Either that or they have become so immersed in multicultural language projects that simple English sentences now befuddle them.This blog previously reported how The ASHA misLeader failed to report a revision in ASHA's code of ethics related to transexuals and transvestites. A search done on ASHA's website search engine suggests that The ASHA misLeader has yet to print a single word about ASHA's latest move on behalf of L'GASP.
Ever hear of "Partners In Infusion"?  Of course you haven't. That's why this blog exists: to tell you what ASHA is really up to since The ASHA Leader doesn'tVicky R. Deal-Williams, ASHA's chief staff officer of multicultural affairs (this might just as well be called ASHA's "No Drag Queen Left Behind" program), wrote what amounts to being a gushing love letter to L'GASP on L'GASP's website. She made no mention of the fact that L'GASP's schedule for convention week  included a visit to a gay bar that advertises "Wack Off Wednesdays" and "hot boys" (perhaps the "hot boys" had some swallowing disorders L'GASP members were treating?). Miss Vicky (at this moment, Tiny Tim fans are turning nostalgic and misty-eyed at the mention of that name) used her official ASHA title to sign the letter, so does this mean that ASHA knew and approved of Miss Vicky's action? If so, why wasn't this reported in The ASHA Leader? If not, why isn't she being fired? 
So, which is it, ASHA? Did Miss Vicky do this on her own? Or was ASHA doing something as clandestinely as possible?
Miss Vicky used her official ASHA title in her letter published on the L'GASP site. Was this done with the knowledge and approval of ASHA? If so, why didn't The ASHA Leader report it? If not, why isn't she being fired?


clan·des·tine adj. Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose. (courtesy of The Free Dictionary www.thefreedictionary.com)


So, when was ASHA planning on getting around to informing its members about this?
Try two weeks after the apocalypse.