It should come as no surprise that unions are spending big bucks to keep their Democratic friends in power. And with good reason: Does anyone honestly believe with fiscal conservatives in control of Congress, legislation like last summer’s $10 billion “education jobs fund/teach union bailout” would stand a chance? Of course not.
November is shaping up to be a historically bad year for Democrats, and the teacher unions know they’re living on borrowed time.
Not only will the money spigot be turned off, but Americans are beginning to realize the corruption of the nation’s public education system that serves adult interests very well, but fails so many kids. Americans wonder: How can a system graduate a child who cannot read? Yet, it happens every year.
The teacher unions say they care about such problems, but it’s so hard to tell. They resist education reform and accountability at every turn. And when the union stages a protest, it invariably revolves around protecting their pay, benefits and power.
Now comes word that the National Education Association, the largest labor union in the country, is digging deep into its members’ pockets to spend $15 million on protecting vulnerable Democrats, as well as a few big spending Republicans.
During the “education jobs fund/teacher union bailout” fight, Education Action Group estimated the bill would generate $36 million in dues for the NEA.
(Here’s a math problem for the kiddies: If Dennis has $36 million and spends $15 million to pay back his Democrat friends in Congress, how much profit is Dennis left with?)
Let’s be clear: Democrats voted themselves a nice campaign slush fund when they passed the “education jobs fund.” The only question is: Will the union’s money be enough to keep the Big Spenders in control of Congress?
If not, the attitude of News Corp.’s Rupert Murdoch may summarize what’s on deck for the unions. From the Wall Street Journal:
“Murdoch is famously no fan of unions and he said Wednesday night that while the education system often fails children, ‘it works very well for some adults,’ including ‘the leaders of the teachers unions’ and ‘the politicians whom the teachers unions reward with their cash and political support.'”
The new documentary, “Waiting for ‘Superman,'” has been so effective at identifying teacher unions as a problem, that the American Federation of Teachers has taken the lead in attacking the film. The union has produced its own website with talking points for its members about how the film is “unfair.”
Well boo-f’ing-hoo. I’ll tell you what’s unfair: the crappy education far too many kids receive across our country. But as long as the adults get their pension, everything’s okay.
The union sees its power slipping away. Number-crunchers show that decades of union demands are taking their toll, as state and school budgets edge closer and closer to insolvency. Parents are starting to understand public education is at best a money pit that enriches the teacher unions and at worst a criminal enterprise that is harming children.
The question will be whether or not the NEA’s dirty money will be enough to buy itself a little more time and preserve its power in the halls of government.
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