Posted on 11/10/2021 2:52:09 AM PST by Kaslin
As Virginia's gubernatorial election drew to a close last week, Democrat Terry McAuliffe brought in teachers union president Randi Weingarten.
He thought that would help?
I suppose he, like many progressives, believes everyone thinks the way he does.
"I'm not going to let parents come into schools and ... make their own decisions," he'd said. "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach."
That's the political attitude: Government runs things. We, the experts, know what's best. Parents as "customers" who make choices? Nonsense.
I hope his defeat means Americans are figuring out that such politicians are enemies of progress.
Years ago, I was surprised to discover that NYC's failing public schools spent $20,000 per student. Teachers had been holding protests where they shouted: "Fund schools! We don't have enough money!"
But they spent $20,000 (now nearly $30,000) per student! At 25 students per class, that's $500,000 per classroom! Think what you could do with that money: hire five good teachers?
Where did the money go? No one in the bureaucracy had a good answer. Governments make money ... disappear.
I suggested that parental choice would help. After all, competition brought us better phones, cars, supermarkets, etc., while holding prices down. Competition forces providers to constantly try new things to please their customers. But not in government schools.
This year, most private and Catholic schools opened, while "public" (government-run) schools often stayed closed.
Monopolies kill innovation. When public schools began, most Americans worked on farms. That's why schools took a summer break, so kids could help on the farm. Today, fewer than 2% of us work on farms, yet nearly every government school still takes the summer off.
"Unionized monopolies like yours fail," I told Weingarten (when she still would speak to me). "It is the children who you are failing."
"We are not a unionized monopoly!" she snapped. "Folks who want to say this ... don't really care about kids."
But I do care about kids.
Of course, government-run schools are a monopoly. Don't like your school? Tough. School is terrible? Tough. Your taxes fund that school regardless of whether it's good or bad.
Suppose we bought groceries that way: no more supermarkets offering choices. We vote on whether we want meat or fish. Whichever wins -- that's what everyone eats.
When I interviewed Weingarten, I pointed out that civil service and union rules meant it could take 10 years to fire a bad teacher.
"We'll police our own profession," she said.
"I'd like to police my job, too," I responded. "But that's not how it works in life!"
Apparently, I was wrong. When it comes to public education, it's still how things work.
After "Stupid in America" aired, and millions watched, Weingarten held a protest outside my office. Hundreds of teachers carried signs,and shouted, "We are here to demand an apology from '20/20's' John Stossel!"
I surprised them by coming out of the ABC building to let them yell at me personally. Teachers told me I'd insulted them. Some said (probably correctly) that I had no clue how hard their jobs were.
So, Weingarten came up with a plan to educate me. "Teach for a week!" she shouted at me, through the loudspeaker. "We've got high schools; we've got elementary schools."
The teachers liked that idea. They started chanting, "Teach, John, teach!"
I think I surprised them again by saying, "OK!"
I would have taught in any classroom they picked. I wanted to videotape it.
But then they showed their bureaucratic nature. After repeatedly rescheduled meetings, they decided that I would not be allowed to teach.
Children are too important to be entrusted to unions or government monopolies. Competition, parental choice, would bring innovation that will make schools much better.
After Glenn Youngkin won the race for governor, he said, "We're going to introduce choice within our public school system."
If he does it, it's about time.
A representation of parents should be voting members of the school board interview for new hires
Virginia’s gubernatorial race was seen as a referendum on the Biden presidency. McAuliffe’s stunning loss reinforced Biden’s disintegrating WH. The two Democrats colluded to bait Trump into stumping for Youngkin.....Bidens stump speech mentioned Trump 24 times.
Foxnews.com
McAuliffe’s decision to have Weingarten speak at rally mocked by Republicans
Edmund DeMarche | Fox News
Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic hopeful in Tuesday’s Virginia gubernatorial race, was mocked by Republican critics for his decision to campaign with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten at his final rally before the election.
Weingarten is a favorite target by Republicans who see her as being ensconced in the dealings of the Democratic Party. They see her as an establishment figure and political vulnerability for McAuliffe during his campaign against Republican Glenn Youngkin.
“Wait, what? The night before the election in VA where education might be the top issue, McAuliffe is campaigning with the woman who shut down schools for 18 months?” Mark Hemingway, a senior writer at RealClearInvestigations, tweeted.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also took to Twitter to mock Weingarten’s appearance, posting that the “union boss responsible for shutting down schools is the final surrogate for Terry McAuliffe’s campaign.”
Randi Weingarten along with members of Congress, parents and caregiving advocates hold a press conference supporting Build Back Better investments in home care, childcare, paid leave and expanded CTC payments in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for MomsRising Together)
“Virginians should vote accordingly,” he posted. His tweet was subsequently retweeted by the Republican National Committee.
Weingarten’s supporters see her as a leader forced to deal with a once-in-a-generation pandemic filled with uncertainties – especially in the early days. She has the herculean task of trying to open schools all while making sure teachers and students were safe, they say.
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER HITS MCAULIFFE OVER APPROACH TO EDUCATION
But detractors said reopening schools became politicized, and Weingarten played a key role in that transition.
In February, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that vaccination of teachers “is not a prerequisite for safe reopening of schools.”
JWeingarten, at the time, said many schools lacked the needed ventilation updates and other key measures put into place by health officials.
“Vaccinations go from a priority to essential if you can’t do some of these basic mitigation strategies,” she said. “Rather than keep these schools closed for months, why not vaccinate teachers more quickly?”
The Biden administration did not take a definitive stance at the time, the Associated Press reported. Republican critics saw Biden’s response as cowing to the teachers unions.
In May, Weingarten came out in favor of reopening due to the wide availability of vaccines and a new infusion of federal education money that removed many obstacles that prevented schools from opening.
McAuliffe on Monday tried to tie Youngkin to former President Trump.
“I’m closing my campaign with you in Richmond,” McAuliffe said. “He is closing his campaign with Donald Trump. Really?”
Trump held a tele-rally, but Youngkin did not participate.
“Tomorrow I’d like to ask everyone to get out and vote for Glenn Youngkin. He’s a fantastic guy,” Trump told an invited group of supporters by phone. “The future of this commonwealth — this great, great commonwealth — is on the ballot tomorrow.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
“We’ll police our own profession,” she said.
*****************
That would change quickly if the tax payers, etc would shut
down the funding until major changes were made. Self policing
of gift money often isn’t the best method. It’s human nature
to look out after ones one self be it gifted or work.
“...I’m not going to let parents come into schools and ... make their own decisions...”
Why NOT? Parents’ TAX revenue maintains the schools and covers teachers’ salaries, etc!!!
What benevolent masters we have....
I have no kids.
Due to various circumstances, I have owned properties in overlapping years.
I just paid the 87th year of property taxes. I bought my first house at age 26. Am now almost 82.
Sure would like a refund.
My math and parsing skills have failed on this one!
Good point. “Leave them alone to choose” must be the operative phrase.
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