The Education Costa Nostra

townhall.com ^ | 3/01/04 | Armstrong Williams

[kattracks]

Paige has had hell to pay this week for comparing the largest U.S. teachers' union to a "terrorist organization" during a private White House meeting. The New York Times called the remark "staggeringly stupid." And indeed, it wasn't the smartest thing to say, even if in jest, because it puts the unions on the defensive allowing them to create the sort of self-righteous noise that detracts the public from real education reform.

That said, the remark was right (even if it wasn't politically correct).

The two largest unions, the AFT and NEA, hold public education system hostage. They are fundamentally opposed to any education reform-like vouchers or the No Child Left Behind Act-that seeks to hold public schools accountable for their failures. They attack such reforms because they know that these plans would mean the likely defections of public school personnel to privatized systems and the birth of competing collective bargaining entities. For the teacher's unions, the idea of competition can only mean giving up leverage and money.

[garylmoore]

He was just overstating his opinion, I did not take offense to it, he was just remarking on their tatics and it is his right to have his own opinion, a good man should never be centured for a slip of the tougue.

[Cboldt]

I heard a paraphrase of his remarks, but haven't seen a transcript. I also can't recall where I heard the paraphrase, maybe by Newt Gingrich on FoxNews.

Anyway, the remark comes off very differently in context. Paige likened teachers to soldiers in a war on illiteracy or some such. His gripe and his unfortunate choice to use the word "terrorist" were aimed at NEA leadership.

[ZULU]

I think he made an accurate statement.

There is no adjective too vile for these gangsters who use the schools to advance an agenda of atheism, political correctness, sexual perversion and historical revisonism upon America's youth.

[Born Conservative]

[FourPeas]

There is no adjective too vile

Agreed.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I would ask each teacher commit to wanting higher salaries. Then I would ask them to commit to achieving higher salaries by increasing the GPA of their students, which will be verified through student testing.

That is not asking for much.