WHY THEY HATE TEACHERS

I am figuring out why the Republicans, especially Republican governors and state legislatures—hate teachers.

 

·         ‘cause they’re mostly women

·         ‘cause they’re unionized

·         ‘cause women teachers get equal pay with men teachers

·         ‘cause they undermine conservative principles, by teaching science and equality

Buyers Remorse Part II

The following letter to the editor (Hampshire Review) was written in response to Vogt's reply to my previous letter about  right-wing legislative assaults on citizens in several states.  See Buyers Remorse in August Archives.  To be expanded.) 

In response to Mr Vogt’s letter , you should heed the saying “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts”.  You are free to opine that state governments can best deal with their budget woes by cutting taxes on the rich and on corporations while cutting jobs, pay, and benefits for public workers.  But be careful with your facts.  The wealthy are lauded for having accrued to themselves millions and billions of dollars from the backs of the working class, while teachers, those deluded souls who have spent their lives--their blood, sweat, and tears--to educate our children, are vilified because they seem to think they should get fair wages and benefits.   Upon being hired, teachers, like all workers, have to negotiate with their employers for their salaries and benefits.   Because teachers belong to unions, they do not have to negotiate individually, but depend upon their union reps to undertake this task.  They do not, of course, always get what they want.  Wages and benefits are a package, the union may settle for more pay and then pay more for their benefits.  Or they may balance less salary against being able to pay less or nothing for their benefits.  Employer and employees settle for what they conceive to be a mutually beneficial package.

After giving more tax cuts to the wealthy and to corporations, Gov Walker proceeded to make the public sector pay for it.  He required teachers to take wage cuts and to pay more of their benefits, and repealed their collective bargaining rights.  Contrary to your assertions, teachers had already agreed to the wage and benefits issues, but did not choose to give up their union rights.  Senate Democrats left the state in order to avoid giving the Senate a quorum to pass the flawed bill.  Walker split the bill, passing the collective bargaining section separately, because it did not require a quorum. 

Republicans set out to recall eight of the senators who had fled the state, but were only successful in getting three on the ballot; all three retained their seats.  Democrats set out to recall six Republicans, and succeeded in getting all six on the ballot; two lost their seats.  This is a total of five out of nine wins for the Democrats, and leaves the Republicans with only a one seat majority in the Senate.

On Scapegoating Teachers

Stop Scapegoating Teachers for Fiscal Crisis By Susan Estrich The public school teachers in Wisconsin are not responsible for the credit collapse, the national unemployment rate, the fall of the industrial sector or the fiscal crisis. Allowing them to bargain collectively has not bankrupted Wisconsin. Its declining tax revenues have nothing to do with the fact that highly educated and trained professionals are earning a decent wage, albeit less than they would in the private sector. So why are they being blamed and scapegoated? Why are they in the center of the storm over our fiscal future? Where are the Wall Street banks for whom there was no limit to greed? And most important: Why should our children pay for this? Make no mistake: They will pay. I saw Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly drag the president of the teachers union in Wisconsin over the coals and then some when he refused to condemn what is being reported as resorting to phony sick days to allow teachers to go to Madison to protest. Is it wrong to not show up for work so you can protest? Of course it is. The governor isn't paying for that; you're not getting even with him. It's the kids who sit staring blankly at a substitute who pay. But I can certainly understand the frustration of dedicated teachers at being the butt of bad politics. Everyone likes to talk about bad teachers. However many there are is too many, and they should be fired. But most teachers, the overwhelming majority of teachers, are dedicated men and women working against incredible odds to do right by their students. The teachers I know arrive early and leave late. They bring the school supplies that they buy out of their own pockets. They make themselves available to parents and students long after the school day ends. They are as frustrated by the bureaucracy in large school systems as anyone. Many of them, including many very good ones, give up within five years. How will taking away their collective bargaining rights change that? Did I miss the part in this debate where we thank teachers for taking on the social ills no one else wants to touch? The part where we express our gratitude to them for taking care of and trying to teach kids who come to school scared and hungry and unable to read or write? Was I not listening when someone made the point that teachers are the foundation of our nation's future? There's plenty of blame to go around for what's gone wrong with the economy. You can blame Bush or Obama, Wall Street or the regulators. You can blame Fannie and Freddie and Congress and the Fed. But how do we get off blaming public school teachers? People keep asking me how this will play politically: Will it help or hurt the Democrats in the next election? Will it help or hurt the union movement nationally? The truth is that I (and, dare I say, most of the people opining) have no idea. Those are not even the questions that trouble me most. What worries me is the fact that when you turn teachers into scapegoats for problems they had no role in creating, they're likely to do more than call in sick to go protest. At a certain point, like others who feel their work and commitment are neither recognized nor rewarded, they will simply quit. Frankly, I wouldn't blame them. But it means that whether it's the Republicans or the Democrats who gain, it will be the kids who pay. © Creators Syndicate Inc.