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| Home Front: Politix |
| Arnold vs. The Teacher's Union |
| 2005-09-28 |
| Employing a political war chest on a par with those of major parties, the California Teachers Assn. is used to being in the thick of campaigns. But on a muggy Monday morning at the end of July, when most of their peers were on vacation, hundreds of teachers gathered at UCLA were reminded that they were now targets as much as participants. "There are people in this state who are trying to portray us as something that has nothing to do with children, nothing to do with students and everything to do with greed," the union's president, Barbara Kerr, told organizers and negotiators attending an annual summer training institute. "And they are wrong..." Spending vast sums is nothing new for the union, which says the state's immense power in dictating how schools are run and funded makes a strong presence in Sacramento essential. From 2000 to 2004, the association laid out more than $70 million for politics and lobbying, campaign finance records show — an average of $42 a year for most union members. In the Legislature and at the polls, the union has pressed for more education spending and smaller classes, and kept private-school vouchers at bay. It has fought to limit the spread of charter schools and restrict testing requirements for teachers and students. It has also advocated an agenda that goes far beyond school halls to encompass California's healthcare system and taxes... |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #12 All those commercials that have been running day and night that attack Arnold have succeeded; I will be sure to vote against anything the CTA supports. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-09-28 23:11 |
| #11 I direct your attention to the official listing of "New Business Items" adopted by the NEA during its annual meeting in July 2005. These are the poicies and positions formally adopted by the union membership. While this is not specific to the California Teachers' Union, I don't imagine their policies vary that much. Item 2: Educating Wal-Mart consumers as to the lack of union labor Item 3: Patronage of financial services providers that don't advocate Social Security reform Item 4: Add the words "other" and "multi-ethnic" in addition to "unknown" in the category of ethnicity on all forms. Item 5: Commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic merger of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Teachers Association (ATA), which occurred in 1966. Item 8: Health problems from exposure to fragrance chemicals Item 9: Indoor air quality studies Item 11: The NEA shall expand our nationwide plan to elect pro public education candidates to Congress in 2006 by sponsoring political training for members in targeted areas leading up to the election. Item 13: That NEA continue to oppose attempts by billionaire Eli Broad and any other entities to remove elected school boards from cities in California and in any other state or territory. Item 30: Refers to the "so-called" No Child Left Behind Program Item 32: Study the feasibility of initiating a boycott of Gallo wine. Boycott of Gallo Wine??? Go get 'em, Arnie. These 'educators' are not serious about education. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-09-28 17:15 |
| #10 Hopefully the union falls. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-09-28 16:42 |
| #9 Union first, DNC second, F-ck the kids - they are just something to suck the blood out of.... Same as in Washington State. Damn vampires. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-09-28 16:38 |
| #8 And they're sick enough to hide behind the school kids whenever criticized. It's union first then kids.... |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-09-28 16:35 |
| #7 I want to thank the Teachers Assn. and the State Employees union - I no longer have to read all propositions. All I do is check which side these two unions are on and vote the opposite...THANKS to both.... |
| Posted by: Ex-Teacher 2005-09-28 16:25 |
| #6 The CTA is run out of LA and the Bay area. No other input is tolerated. All decisions are decided on before the membership is polled. Paying dues is not voluntary. Much of the money the union spends has nothing to do with the people who belong to it or with students and teachers. It's a wholly owned organ of the Democrtatic party and is a slush fund for them. Most Teachers do not support the Union but are forced to pay dues by State Law if the school is a Union shop. Very few teachers can tolerate having to deal with anything other than the local Union due to radical politics. It's strange but I only know 3 CTA members who are not Republicans. My next door neighbor comes home and listens to a replay of Hanaty and conservative talk radio. My wife and daughter are also forced to belong and are both Republicans. Getting your dues back that go towards political efforts is almopst imposible. They use other moneys for that anyway even if it's illegal. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom 2005-09-28 16:24 |
| #5 What's really bad is that the union collected a fee hike (illegally) to pay for the anti-props campaign. I want them to take the next step and declare participation in the union dues as voluntary. If they did that their money would dry up in a second. For those that don't understand: California State employees have union dues deducted from their pay whether they join or not. Yes it is taxation without representation. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-09-28 14:38 |
| #4 Vote yes on Props 74, 75, 76, and 77 to break the union/democrat stranglehold on California schools, government, and taxpayers' wallets. The commercials that the unions have been running for the last few months make Schwarzenegger look like a cross between a con man and Adolf Eichmann. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-09-28 14:17 |
| #3 It's good they had their meeting in July. You know, one of the months they don't have to work? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-09-28 14:14 |
| #2 Simply get "Ahnold" to declare them an illegal Union, and move along without them. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2005-09-28 14:10 |
| #1 Is it me or does the second bold item prove the first bold item? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-09-28 13:50 |