How the California Teachers Association betrayed the schools and crippled the state (crime, public school)

[WesternPilgrim]

The Worst Union in America.

I'm not against unions. I suppose even teachers' unions have their place. Furthermore, through long exposure to the California public school system both professionally and personally, it's clear to me that teachers in general are expected to work miracles and too often get a bad rap from conservatives.

That said, the CTA is in a class by itself. It serves neither teachers nor students. Soon may it perish.

[Phil306]

That article is very well put together. However, if anyone is placing blame, it has to be with the people in this state. WE are the ones who continue to vote in people who will let the CTA run rampant. And still no one wants to do anything about it. Until the people of this state stand up and say enough, nothing will change. And lets face it, the people in this state are basically apathetic to such change. They like their "workers rights," and left wing politics. Therefore, I don't see anything changing anytime soon.

[dragontales]

Unions use to serve an important purpose. Today there are established labor laws in the USA. Union dues are just legalize extortion.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by dragontales

Unions use to serve an important purpose. Today there are established labor laws in the USA. Union dues are just legalize extortion.

Unions in the private sector still serve an important purpose. Public sector unions are not the same thing. Granting collective bargaining rights to public sector unions, and allowing them to contribute to political campaigns turned them into a full fledged parasitical special interest. This is why FDR, the most pro-labor president in American history, opposed collective bargaining rights for public sector unions - Roosevelt thought that government employees if given collective bargaining rights would become a special interest and that by working for government there was an opportunity cost of higher wages and benefits in return for more job security.

Funny how FDR's position was not that far removed from that of someone like Chris Christie today.

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Phil306

That article is very well put together. However, if anyone is placing blame, it has to be with the people in this state. WE are the ones who continue to vote in people who will let the CTA run rampant. And still no one wants to do anything about it. Until the people of this state stand up and say enough, nothing will change. And lets face it, the people in this state are basically apathetic to such change. They like their "workers rights," and left wing politics. Therefore, I don't see anything changing anytime soon.

Ya mean like Jerry Brown who "started" the problem with public employee unions in the first place?

[Phil306]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

Ya mean like Jerry Brown who "started" the problem with public employee unions in the first place?

Yes, exactly. People want their social entitlement programs and they want someone else to pay for them. Therefore, people continue to vote in the left wing into offices of power. California just does not have the money to continue the way it is going and no one wants to do anything about it.

Politician's are afraid to take on all of the different special interests. This includes the public unions, welfare problems, illegal immigration problems, et al. They want this great utopian society where everyone is equal. Free child care, free healthcare, free this, free that. Yet its not free.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by Phil306

Yes, exactly. People want their social entitlement programs and they want someone else to pay for them. Therefore, people continue to vote in the left wing into offices of power. California just does not have the money to continue the way it is going and no one wants to do anything about it.

Politician's are afraid to take on all of the different special interests. This includes the public unions, welfare problems, illegal immigration problems, et al. They want this great utopian society where everyone is equal. Free child care, free healthcare, free this, free that. Yet its not free.

Are we discussing Greece again?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by Phil306

Yes, exactly. People want their social entitlement programs and they want someone else to pay for them. Therefore, people continue to vote in the left wing into offices of power. California just does not have the money to continue the way it is going and no one wants to do anything about it.

Because not only the CA Democratic Party but what's left of the CA Republican Party have been captured by state employees' unions. In the case of the GOP it's the CCPOA (like the Dems) and the prison lobby (like the Dems). That's why you had both parties coming out against Prop 19, and why both parties oppose the repeal of Three Strikes and support "tough on crime" laws to lengthen sentences that the state cannot afford - laws which ironically lead to cutbacks in the number of police on the street, therefore eliminating the best deterrrent to crime that exists.

Note that Greece has the harshest drug laws in the EU and locks up the highest percentage of its citizens of any eurozone nation, although the percentage is considerably lower than the percentage locked up in the US US or California in particular.

[hoffdano]

From the article:

In fact, the CTA outspent the pharmaceutical industry, the oil industry, and the tobacco industry combined.

Pretty stunning to me.

[bhcompy]

If I recall, the CTA is run so the rank and file don't get a vote, instead the group of people that run the CTA make the decisions, which may or may not reflect the people that they're supposed to represent.