The bizarre politics of sucking up to the teacher union

There’s an other-worldly quality to the political rhetoric surrounding school budgeting in this time of scarcity. It’s as if Democrats, who are absolutely beholden to teacher and other public-sector unions, live in an alternate universe where up is down and vice versa.

Gov. Bev Perdue has attacked the GOP state budget by saying it will cause “generational damage” in education. Question: Bev, where have you been for the past 40 years as Democratic and liberal hokum and new-age multi-culti diversity ideas have done more generational damage than can ever be calculated. Oh, I forgot. As an “educator,” you were part of the problem.

And U.S. Rep. David Price seems intent on making things worse. He’s introduced something he calls the “Keeping Teachers Teaching Act.” To be accurate, it should be called the “Keeping Teachers Teaching Act Even If We Can’t Afford Them and There’s No More Money,” which is the actual case right now.

“We’re still losing way too many teachers,” Price said. “So many are dropping out in early career or mid-career. I just think we need to give some incentive to states and localities.”

As a newsroom manager for many years I learned that in times of downturn, vacant positions can keep you from actually having to show someone the door. The more vacant positions you have, the fewer people you have to lay off. It’s a simple concept, but not one that Price seems to grasp.

The best thing for education in North Carolina is for the positions of all the people leaving the education profession to be kept open. That way, when the axe falls, many of the eliminated jobs will have no actual employees in them.

But Price wants us to make a Herculean effort to fill those jobs that keep opening. Does he not care if these people get laid off when it becomes clear to even the densest Democrat that there simply is no more money? Or does he just want to keep the rolls of the teacher union full so that those dues, and campaign contributions, keep flowing to Democrats?

My money is on the latter.

UPDATE: We’ve had reports from all over North Carolina, and from friends and relatives who work in schools, that unprecedented lobbying efforts are being made by the Governor’s Office, Democratic Party and the NCEA to indoctrinate young children into the belief that Republicans want to kill the elderly, starve the poor and un-educate the youth. Here’s some indication that these efforts by the governor, et al., are having some effect, at least on first-graders.

Small Business Group to Congress: High Gas Prices are Killing Us

The North Carolina chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is pleading with Congress over the impact of gas prices on businesses. From NC Director Gregg Thompson:

“When gas prices rise, people worry about the economy, and they worry about paying the bills, so they don’t spend as much,” Thompson said. “Plus, when gas prices go up, the cost of everything else goes up. If you’re a small business owner, you’re paying more for supplies and inventory and more on transportation.

“If you’re a small business owner, you have a choice: Jack up prices and risk driving your customers away, or absorb the increase and lose money,” he said.

“The only right answer is for Congress to take steps to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and ensure our energy independence,” Thompson said.

“Our members are asking North Carolina’s Congressional delegation to support efforts to restart and expand offshore drilling,” he said. “A dependable source of affordable oil would help North Carolina’s businesses grow and create jobs and finally put this recession in our rearview mirrors.”

At what point will this administration and Congress move off their radical environmental ideology that holds American business and consumers hostage?

“‘Tell the police their biggest problem will be 11-year-old girls”

Garner’s Scotty McCreery is now a top 4 finalist on American Idol. If he makes it to the top 3, the show will visit Garner to talk to his friends. That has Mayor Ronnie Williams and others preparing for the visit and a public event.  Town Manager Hardin Watkins has gotten this piece of advice from a town that’s been through the Idol mania on what to expect:

Watkins said he has been in touch with officials in Conway, Ark., hometown of Kris Allen, a previous “American Idol” winner. They gave good tips about how to pull off a celebration on such short notice, he said.

Perhaps their best advice: “‘Tell the police their biggest problem will be 11-year-old girls,’” Watkins said.

 

That’s the fun part of the story. Now for the serious part. Garner officials estimate it will cost $60,000 to get this done. They’re looking for corporate sponsors. Good. This is a great opportunity but it should be done with private money.