Death Prayer for NJ Gov. Christie is Yet Another Tasteless Attack on Reform-Minded State Leaders

A recent letter by a New Jersey Education Association official that “jokingly” prayed for the death of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is yet another tasteless attack by teachers unions on officials who attempt to improve public education.

NJEA’s local Bergen County Education Association President Joe Coppola issued a memo that included the prayer to thousands of union members last week. He has since apologized about the death prayer, which he called a joke, and said he made an error in judgment.

Here is Coppola’s prayer: “Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor.”

Neither Christie nor virtually anyone else thought it was funny.

“To have the leader of the union send out an email to 17,000 members to tell them to pray for my death just goes beyond the pale,” Christie said at a press conference late last week, according to radio station WPIX.com.

“Let’s be serious. I don’t think this is a threat. I think it’s a wish, but in some sense a wish may be more perverse than a threat,” Christie said.

The childish behavior is only the latest in an ongoing NJEA public relations campaign against Christie because of his decision to cut education funding, including $819 million for next school year, to close the gap on a multi-billion dollar state budget deficit.

Christie cut the current year’s school aid by $415 million, but offered to restore some funding to schools where teachers agreed to wage freezes. Of course, NJEA leaders aren’t happy about the potential concessions, and local union leaders continue to mull the possibility, the Express-Times reports.

Their indecision has forced school administrators across the state to plan for the worse case – massive teacher layoffs, program cuts, and skyrocketing class sizes.

“What they could accomplish by (accepting some concessions) would be saving the jobs of colleagues and programs. This is not an unreasonable request,” Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak told the Express-Times.

There are numerous states including Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, California and others where teachers unions are facing the same situation. So far, most National Education Association affiliates have refused to help, and thousands of young, eager educators are filing into the unemployment office.

We remain amazed and baffled by the stubborn refusal of leaders of the NJEA and other state teachers unions who either don’t understand the gravity of the education funding crisis, or don’t care.

The solution, in their eyes, seems to hinge on more school funding through increased taxes at a time when the public cannot afford it. In most cases, school districts have instituted cuts in virtually every area of the school budget except teacher wages and benefits, which gobble up the vast majority of school funds.

All eyes are now on the teachers unions for help.

Unfortunately, union brass seem more concerned with petty personal attacks and distortion tactics designed to discredit state leaders focused on fiscal responsibility.

“We’re going to be working very hard to convince the legislature the governor’s priorities are the wrong priorities for New Jersey,” NJEA spokesman Steve Baker told the Express-Times.

We find it ironic that union officials like Mr. Baker continue to preach about priorities while racking in hundreds of millions of tax dollars from dues-paying members who are often forced from their jobs because of their union’s stubbornness.

It’s interesting that America’s teachers unions continue to rally on the steps of state capitals to demand more money for public education, while spending a fortune to lobby lawmakers on issues like abortion or gay rights, which have nothing to do with educating kids.

Common sense suggests that money would be much better spent keeping teachers in front of students.

The unions’ continued refusal to help out and diversion tactics like Coppola’s death prayer are simply ridiculous, and the taxpaying public should be outraged.