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Michigan's Crazy Drunk Uncle
Townhall.com ^ | March 31, 2011 | Kyle Olsen

Posted on 03/31/2011 7:10:24 AM PDT by Kaslin

The Michigan Education Association is growing more pathetic by the day. The union is beginning to act like the crazy drunk uncle at the Christmas party - spilling his drink on himself and acting rudely to the point where others are embarrassed for him.

Seemingly unable to stop any legislation that it opposes after being neutered in the last election, the union is on the floor, kicking and screaming. It’s a pretty pathetic scene to watch.

After getting rolled by legislation that would create Emergency Financial Managers in the worst municipalities and school districts, the MEA is now complaining that the legislature is taking a two week break. The masochists write to their members:

"After barely 30 days in session and no meaningful action to create jobs, legislators think they've 'earned' two weeks of paid vacation," said Glenn Freeman, president of the Greater Lansing Labor Council. "Instead of spending time working on their tans, we need our leaders to get back to work and come together to create quality jobs for Michigan workers."

That's an interesting assessment. Detroit Public Schools has a drop-out rate well above 50% and it's test scores are absolutely dismal, but employees see no problem taking three months off during the summer - but I digress...

The MEA has thus far demonstrated zero ability to stop any legislation it doesn't like. Wouldn't the union want the legislature to stay out as long as possible? Or do they truly enjoy pain and griping?

It should be noted that the union is criticizing the legislature at a time when many of its own members are on spring break. While I'm not defender of the work ethic of the Michigan legislature, for unionized teachers who are contracted to work somewhere around 180 days a year, the criticism is a bit hollow. Is this the best spit ball the union can lob? I'd hate to see the follow up. It would probably involve the word "meanies" and other metaphorical open-handed punches.

Like the kid standing next to the broken vase and pleading ignorance, the union stands idly by explaining that it hasn’t created the problem. It was those evil corporations that don't pay taxes, you see. But the reality is, according to PublicSchoolSpending.com, roughly 80 cents of every school dollar is spent on labor, and in Michigan, at least, that number is rising. So the union wants you to believe we have a "funding" problem, not a "spending" problem. The reality is, we're spending ourselves onto the verge of bankruptcy. That’s why we need "Emergency Financial Managers."

The legislature has more education and spending reform initiatives on the docket, likely increasing the number of charter schools, as well as policies that deal with unionized teachers, such as requiring employees to pay a certain percentage of their health care premiums. The union will likely flail at that one, as well, and we'll all have a good chuckle.

It's time for the MEA to sober up, take responsibility and realize it’s doing little but embarrassing itself.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: mea; michigan; nea; unionthugs
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1 posted on 03/31/2011 7:10:26 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
Michigan's Crazy Drunk Uncle

And, don't forget his wife, cray-zee Aunt Sumi.

2 posted on 03/31/2011 7:13:43 AM PDT by C210N (0bama, Making the US safe for Global Marxism)
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To: C210N

These laugh-a-minuter LIBs are a laugh riot. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!


3 posted on 03/31/2011 7:19:51 AM PDT by hal ogen (1st amendment or reeducation camp?)
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To: Kaslin

MEA school board election manual. It explains how the MEA seizes control of school boards making them favorable to their wishes.

ImPACting the future. MEA PAC NEA fund

“Electing your Employer”

http://www.meaexposed.org/documents/SchoolBrdElectManual07.pdf


4 posted on 03/31/2011 7:21:47 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: Kaslin

IN 1992, my son started kindergarten in the Grand Rapids Public Schools. I took the first day of school off, we were both nervous and excited.

When it was time for him to come home, I waited at the bus stop, for hours. I called the “transportation dept”, and was given the usual excuse about all the confusion the first couple of days. Fine, it seems that way every year. But my sons bus ended up being 3 hours late bringing him home.

I was hot. Called back again, and talked to the “manager of the transportation department”, and the reason the bus was 3 hours late was.....LACK OF FUNDS.

I told him no amount of funds can buy brains. It is their excuse for every screw up. They must tatoo this on the inside of their eyelids.

They act like they really can’t understand why people move or send their kids elsewhere.


5 posted on 03/31/2011 7:22:52 AM PDT by kevslisababy
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To: Kaslin

Here is the deal, pass a law, written as that dues are not authomatically deducted from the paycheck, allow the left to have the Bush tax cuts repealed. Most of these civil servants are in the 15 going up to 28% tax bracket, and when this happens the first they stop doing is funding the union commies.


6 posted on 03/31/2011 7:25:58 AM PDT by junta ("Peace is a racket", testimony from crime boss Barrack Hussein Obama.)
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To: Kaslin

Is the MEA getting schooled on the real world?


7 posted on 03/31/2011 7:29:50 AM PDT by Old Teufel Hunden
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To: Kaslin

Where’s the like button on this? I like seeing commies whine.


8 posted on 03/31/2011 7:32:42 AM PDT by Mrs. P ("Wonder Woman wears Sarah Palin pajamas." - Blood of Tyrants)
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To: Kaslin; All
Go here:

http://www.freep.com/article/20110331/NEWS01/103310510/1003/news01/Shake-up-DPS-45-schools-proposed-charters-others-close

Detroit Robert Bobb wants to shake it up, close a 41 to 45 school and convert them to charter schools.

The Detroit Teachers Union is one of the if not "the" largest employer in the city.

IMHO I expect at some point, SEIU, MEA, Jesse and Rev Al, to all get involved as well as those envolved in Wisconsin, trying to stop this... Just MHO...

9 posted on 03/31/2011 7:34:01 AM PDT by taildragger (( Palin / Mulally 2012 ))
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To: taildragger
Detroit Robert Bobb wants to shake it up, close a 41 to 45 school and convert them to charter schools.

He's been pretty ruthless. He discovered a whole bunch of teachers that don't even exist when he stopped mailing paychecks out and made teachers come and personally pick them up from his office. I believe it was nearly 200 non people getting paid big bucks.
10 posted on 03/31/2011 7:41:00 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: kevslisababy
This seems to be a "lack of brains issue". We live in Pennsylvania. The transportation of school chilren depends on a well organized group of people with a skill level for that job. The bus driver for our little guy would either drive by him when he was standing waiting or forgot to drop him off entirely. We went through this several times and now drive him to and from school every day. I waited with him each day. We live 0.9 mile from the main road. You need to live 1 mile from the main road to get the bus to use the road. There are no sidewalks just woods and cornfields. I cannot be bothered to fuss with these bus people.

I followed the bus to school one day. He drove over the speed limit and did indeed pick up kids that live very close to school but they have no sidewalks. It is not worth the trouble.

11 posted on 03/31/2011 7:41:27 AM PDT by oldironsides
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To: Kaslin
Unions - Slacker's Paradise

...from a proud ex-union member

12 posted on 03/31/2011 7:54:27 AM PDT by lormand (A Government who robs Peter to pay Paul, will always have the support of Paul)
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To: lormand

ughh.. part of the reason I will never move back there... and I’m here in California, which is worse...except one thing... we have the weather.. that goes a long way.


13 posted on 03/31/2011 7:56:49 AM PDT by Chuzzlewit
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To: cripplecreek
Yes, If my memory is correct, that was on top of a room full of supplies like 2 million dollars worth no being used, including something like a dozen 250cc Honda Motorcycles that were like mini cop bikes for Street Crossing Guards that weren't being used.

Absolute dysfunction, G_d Bless this man trying to correct these ills step by step, one day at a time, tackling them one by one..

14 posted on 03/31/2011 7:57:15 AM PDT by taildragger (( Palin / Mulally 2012 ))
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To: Kaslin
it's test scores

I wonder how they do on teaching proper punctuation. ;-)

15 posted on 03/31/2011 8:11:11 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Mrs. P

+1


16 posted on 03/31/2011 8:11:52 AM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: cripplecreek
I believe it was nearly 200 non people getting paid big bucks.

At $50K apiece, that adds up to about $10 million a year in blatant mail fraud. I'll believe he's "ruthless" when the recipients of those checks wind up in jail.

17 posted on 03/31/2011 8:30:57 AM PDT by Carry_Okie (The environment is too complex and too important to manage by central planning.)
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To: Carry_Okie
At $50K apiece, that adds up to about $10 million a year in blatant mail fraud. I'll believe he's "ruthless" when the recipients of those checks wind up in jail.

How do you propose finding people who don't exist?
18 posted on 03/31/2011 8:35:39 AM PDT by cripplecreek (Remember the River Raisin! (look it up))
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To: cripplecreek

bob bobb is one of the best things to happen to detroit...I would vote for him, and snyder would do well to hire him in lansing


19 posted on 03/31/2011 8:40:12 AM PDT by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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To: Kaslin

As much as I agree that Mi has many , many problems somehow the thought that the ‘state’ has the the right to step in and replace the elected officials in my city, county, school board, et al and I have no say in the matter just sticks in my craw. How is this not ‘taxation without representation’? Haven’t we already fought this battle and won. Now we have to do it against our own government? Several years ago we had a city council that spent money with impunity, made backroom crony deals, and drove our city towards financial ruin. It took recalls and two election cycles but we removed them from office and took back control of our city. How will we be able to do this with a state appointed EFM?


20 posted on 03/31/2011 8:49:50 AM PDT by in the wind
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