Teachers and Unions are Hurting the Children and Obama Don't Care

**oladub** · February-22-11, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by oldredfordette

Five states with no collective bargaining rights, and where they rank with SAT scores:
South Carolina – 49th
North Carolina – 38th
Georgia – 48th
Texas – 45th
Virginia – 34th

With collective bargaining:
Iowa #1
Wisconsin #2

Oh, noooo

!This is the third time I've seen this lame correlation posted on websites. Who is passing this nonsense around? You might as well be correlating those state scores with cold weather. Detroit has collective bargaining. California has collective bargaining. How are their SAT's? Because of race or racism in the south, many whites have already pulled their kids from public schools and put them in private 'academies'. The whites vote against funding for public schools because their kids don't use them. The resultant mostly black and underfunded schools do drag down test scores. Iowa and Wisconsin hardly even have blacks let alone segregated black public/white academy school systems. Texas, like California, has to spend much of it's money dealing with foreign language remedial instruction. I haven't read that California kids are doing better than Texan children despite California's affinity for teacher unions.

You should be supporting collective bargaining for Constitutional reasons like the right of workers to assembly into unions and speak. It is a better defense than such flimsy correlations.

**oldredfordette** · February-23-11, 07:43 AM

1) I do support collective bargaining as a Constitutional issue. 2) Detroit isn't a state. The problems of Detroit drag down the averages for the rest of the state and overwhelm nearly every aspect of life here 3) Is this a black and white issue? hmmmmm 4) gdog is a provocateur - I was mostly responding to that .

gdogslim · February-23-11, 10:51 AM

I can't wait for Gov. Walker to put an end to public union collective bargaining.
That's what is really freaking the shit out of the union leader thugs all over the country.

**oldredfordette** · February-23-11, 09:37 PM

No, what freaks them and us out is that simpletons [[gdog, meet mirror) get to vote.

**Gistok** · February-23-11, 10:32 PM

Originally Posted by gdogslim

I can't wait for Gov. Walker to put an end to public union collective bargaining.

Your shallowness of thought and lack of empathy [[better look that one up)... never ceases to amaze some of the old timers here.

**Jimaz** · February-23-11, 11:21 PM

Capital demands profits as government demands taxes.

Neither produces a tangible product, i.e., truly earns anything, yet both demand payment. This symmetry completely distracts our attention from the third apex of the triangle, labor. Of the three, only labor produces a tangible product, i.e., truly earns anything. Yet of the three, only labor is the one who is expected to pay their earnings to the other two.

Isn't it obvious how this scam works? Isn't it obvious that the mere absence of labor's voice in this discussion shouts of the injustice that this trio is perversely masquerading as a duet?

Note that when Capital accepted publicly funded bailouts, they voluntarily conceded the debate over whether their profits were justifiable as compensation for "absorbing risk." By accepting those bailouts they conceded that "absorbing risk" is no longer a valid justification for their retroactively unearned profits.

They must now be made to pay what they owe.

**DetroitTeacher** · February-26-11, 04:43 PM

We're striking? When? No one told me [[or anyone I know) about this! I've made more concessions than I care to mention. A change in my health insurance, loaning DPS 10 grand, loss of sick days, pay freezes, etc.

When I hired in to DPS, I was given the OPTION of joining the union or not joining. I have to pay either way. I am sure employers would LOVE to not have unions and would force no one to join, as a condition of employment. That just sounds insane.

**oladub** · February-27-11, 05:18 PM

A note of pride from Wisconsin: these demonstrations have been going on for at least 12 days in Madison now. Madison only has about 240,000 residents as a reference point. They started out with Wisconsin teachers playing hooky and have evolved into a major national event with minor celebrities from the coasts and all major unions from nearby Chicago represented. Yet for the couple of hundred thousand demonstrators marching around and the thousands sleeping on all floors of the capitol building there have been zero arrests. Well done Wisconsin!

I came across these photos of some bright Madison kids to show that Madison has other things going on besides ice fishing, watching the Superbowl videos over and over, and demonstrations. http://host.madison.com/news/local/c...0.html?photo=1

**oldredfordette** · February-27-11, 06:05 PM

I just got home from Madison, it was an amazing weekend. Ola, you should be proud of your fellow citizens, it was as peaceful a demonstration as I've ever attended. One of the high points of the occupation is when the Madison Police march through the Rotunda with signs that read Cops for Labor. Another high point is how clean the building is. A big point is being made of respect for the stunningly beautiful Capitol building.

the police chief just announced they would not arrest anyone for not leaving the Capitol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was so tough to leave. I'm rejuvenated and recharged.

**oldredfordette** · February-27-11, 06:14 PM

Occupation joke: A unionized public employee, a member of the Tea Party, & a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across & takes 11 cookies looks at the Tea Partier & says, 'look out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.' "

**old guy** · February-27-11, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by oldredfordette

Occupation joke: A unionized public employee, a member of the Tea Party, & a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across & takes 11 cookies looks at the Tea Partier & says, 'look out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.' "

That's a good one.

**Jimaz** · February-27-11, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by oldredfordette

Occupation joke: A unionized public employee, a member of the Tea Party, & a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table there is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across & takes 11 cookies looks at the Tea Partier & says, 'look out for that union guy, he wants a piece of your cookie.' "

Yeah, good one. It would be even more appropriate to replace "A unionized public employee" with "The unionized baker who made the cookies."

Even funnier, my spellchecker suggests replacing "oldredfordette" with "introverted"! LOL! You go, girl!