WASHINGTON — Congress bailed out Wall Street and the auto industry, but it appears to have drawn the line — at least for now — at rescuing teachers.
A Democratic plan to send $23 billion to the states to save the jobs of 100,000 to 300,000 public school teachers, librarians, counselors and other employees slated for layoffs looks dead for the time being.
Blame it on election-year politics. The anti-Washington, anti-spending mood has become so potent that even Democrats are antsy about helping teachers, one of their most long-standing and generous allies.
Who'd'a thunk that the power and influence of the teachers unions would be so minimal during a Democratic administration and with a Democrat-controlled congress? So, union members, I ask this in all seriousness--if the state and national unions are powerless to do anything for you, why do you give them your money? It's not like they do anything to help you negotiate your contract....
3 comments:
I cannot even begin to comprehend why Congress would think it had the right to spend money on teacher's salaries. Anyone up for another round of 'find the Constitutional justification?'
Legislation has also been proposed to bail out overextended union pension funds.Union fatcats who manage those funds raid them to contribute to Democrat campaign funds and now are asking Congress for money to replenish those depleted pension funds. This is proposed in a way to make the bailouts open-ended so that unions can run the same cycle with each election. Passing these bills is a distinct possibility because we have some of the best legislators money can buy.
If the states didn't have to provide so many federally mandated programs to students whose families do not pay into the system in the form of payroll taxes or property taxes, perhaps this wouldn't be a problem. But while we can provide for our own poor, we are now approaching crisis limits in some districts because of the inundation of students whose families are not paying their way and who sometimes require services far above and beyond an average student. In the rooms where the seriously disabled students are "taught" only two out of the ten are from this country. Because of mandates their class requires two teachers and two aides and a car. Compare that to the freshman English classes with 35 per class and seven classes. Who do you think gets more attention and how many kids fall through the cracks? This administration could care less about those stats. All they are worried about is losing the union teachers as voters.
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