Unions - Time for a change?

by Phyllis Schlafly
The NEA Lists Its Goals And Democrats Agree
August 22, 2007 02:00 PM EST

Some critics have complained that the issue of education has been conspicuously absent from presidential television debates. But the Democratic candidates did sound off with their pro-federal-government, pro-spending policies when addressing the annual convention of the National Education Association, and the nation's largest teachers union liked what they heard.

Senator Hillary Clinton told the NEA delegates that she will fight school vouchers "with every breath in my body." Reiterating the message of her book "It Takes a Village," she called for universal preschool for four-year-olds.

Senator Barack Obama likewise inveighed against "passing out vouchers." Former Senator John Edwards also announced his opposition to vouchers and proposed that the federal government pay college tuition for all students who will work ten hours a week.

Governor Bill Richardson wants to "raise teacher's average minimum wage to $40,000 a year." Rep. Dennis Kucinich goes all-out for "a universal prekindergarten system which will provide year-around daycare for children ages 3-5."

All Democratic candidates look forward to increased federal control of and spending for public schools. And they all attacked George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law for not appropriating more funds to implement it.


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Conservative Bloggers Comments:
I think once upon a time Unions served a purpose to unite workers and put into more balance what had been an owner/company/management dominated working arena. To that end I think the pendulum has swung and now the unions are to the point where they are bullying not only their own members/workers (being forced to join etc.), but even the taxpayers through the lobbying clout that they hold. Just as I think big goverment is dangerous I feel the same way about big unions. Look at the political agenda in bold (just some of the views) and you will see what the NEA really stands for. Rather than caving in to their demands I think we should be considering just the opposite. The NEA is no longer about better education, it is merely a big union trying to protect its turf and pad it's pockets with taxpayer dollars. Shame on the NEA for feeding this to us in the wrapper of doing what is best for our children.
This is about doing what is best for their pocketbooks and has little to do with our children.

Here are some of the things the NEA opposes: vouchers, tuition tax credits, all parental choice programs, making English our official language, the use of voter ID for elections, and the privatization of Social Security.

High on the list of NEA policies that actually relate to education is opposition to the testing of teachers as a criterion for job retention, promotion, tenure, or salary.

The NEA wants the right to teach schoolchildren about sex without any interference from parents, but on the other hand wants its pals in the bureaucracy to regulate all homeschooling taught by parents. The NEA opposes allowing homeschoolers to participate in any public school sports or extracurricular activities.