From a CNN segment called “Labor’s Last Stand?”:
Money quote at the end:
And Democrats say there is another reason Republicans want to gut unions. Organized labor donates hundreds of millions of dollars to candidates like Barack Obama. So if you weaken the unions, you weaken a traditional moneyed supporter of the Democratic Party.
And what do Republicans say, Ms. Costello? You just gave the Democrats’ explanation for why Republicans across the country are rallying to the side of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s union busting plan, so what would the Republicans say is inspiring their massive grassroots effort? Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?
Oh, the segment’s already over.
If you get around to airing another one, allow me to provide a brief synopsis of what a responsible journalist might include to balance the union talking points cited above: We conservatives believe unions have completely destroyed the education system. They have collectively bargained (which is Union-speak for “community organized”) their way into a position where they are not required to produce results, they are virtually impossible to fire, and they have obscene amounts of benefits. Thanks to the unions, we have a system where bad teachers are the beneficiaries while good teachers and students suffer. Raises are doled out based on seniority, not merit, and nothing short of being caught molesting a student in the halls while holding up a photo I.D. will cost you your job. Yet, when a state and the taxpayers who comprise it stand on the brink of a fiscal crisis, and the unions are asked to chip in just a teensy bit more, they respond by canceling school… in the name of education.
I edit websites from my apartment for a company of less than a dozen people, and I stand with Scott Walker. CNN is a massive international news corporation bending the rules of ethical journalism to pull for the thousands-strong racket known as the teacher’s union. Someone please explain to me why I’m “corporate America” and why CNN is in the tank for the people strong-arming our children out of a decent education.
Listening to CNN spin for the failures who run our public schools, I’m reminded of the lefty bumper sticker that reads, “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.” There’s a very obvious objection to this argument: unlike our public schools, our bombers give us a return on our investment.
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