The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows -- Part 4 (Another PRO-Jeb Editorial)

Link is to a Deceptive, False Billboard Ad against Gov. Bush; photo by: The FL Teachers Union ^ | November 11, 2001 | summer

[summer]

The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 4 (Another PRO-Jeb Editorial)

Written by:

summer - a former Dem, now an independent, and a FL certified teacher

Well, class, it may be hard to believe that the last editorial I wrote was dated: September 10, 2001. If you did not read it and you could not find it on my profile page, you can find it here, by scrolling down the page on this URL:

http://bulldogbulletin.lhhosting.com/page8.htm

Because we have witnessed such profound changes in these past two months, I thought it appropriate to resume our learning today, Veterans' Day, Nov. 11, 2001, as such day affords us some sense of familiarity.

We know we honor our military today, as we do every year on Veterans' Day. I do not wish to compare those who serve in various civilian capacities with our military, as I believe our military is distinct in its mission. God bless all those who gave their lives in our military, defending our freedom, including members of our own families. And, God bless all those who serve now and who will serve in the future.

While the military remains separate and unique from civilian life, President Bush's recent speech to the nation about homeland security included reference to several groups of civilians, including postal workers. In referring to them, he used the phrase "those who now also serve on the front lines." His words reminded me of the following quote:

"The only war is the war you fought in. Every veteran knows that."

Allan Keller, New York World -Telegram, 1965

As a FL certified teacher, the war I know is the one I fought in schools, where many teachers, including myself, have worked diligently to provide high-quality, effective teaching to students. And, one of the saddest days I ever had in this battle was the day I read of a certain teacher here in Florida -- Barry Grunow, a "favorite" teacher of a student named Nathanial Brazill. This teacher did not receive a "thank you" at the end of the year from Nathan, but, instead, received a bullet, and died as a result. No, the teacher was not in the military. But, as in other civilian occupations, this veteran teacher died while on the job - and, left a young wife and two very young children. A memorial web page for Mr. Grunow is here:

http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/LakeWorthMS/Grunow/Grunow_Index.htm

What happened afterwards? Well, beyond the outcome of the legal events -- http://www.courttv.com/trials/brazill/ -- there was a request made by other teachers to this state's governor, asking Gov. Bush to please consider the surviving immediate families of teachers slain on the job.

Gov. Jeb Bush timely responded to this request from other teachers. He passed a new law known as "The Barry Grunow Act." This new law allows the families of teachers slain on the job to receive survivor benefits, and other benefits, much the same as the surviving families of a slain police officer or firefighter.

To my knowledge, Florida is the one and only state in this country that has such a law. Yet, other states have also suffered the wrongful murder of teachers. But, it is here in Florida, where teachers have a GOP governor who faced up to this new, potential tragedy teachers now risk confronting in their profession.

After Gov. Bush signed "The Barry Grunow Act" into law, effective June 2001-- ensuring lifetime financial benefits and other benefits to a surviving immediate family of a slain teacher -- the national teachers' union eventually spoke up later that summer.

What is the union's new benefit package for the families of teachers slain on the job? In sharp contrast to what Gov. Bush did for teachers, the union only provides a one-time lump sum payment, called "homicide insurance," in the amount of: $150,000. Not nearly as much as the lifetime financial benefits now available by FL law, thanks to the compassionate nature and fairness of a GOP governor, Gov. Bush.

In my opinion, the national teachers union failure to meet the same standard of financial security and care, as shown to Florida teachers by Gov. Bush, is a national disgrace for that union. A disgrace.

Today's lesson is over. Class, your assignment is this: Evaluate the truth of statements written on a billboard posted in Tallahassee by the FL Teacher's Union. Their photo of said billboard can be seen by clicking on the source link above, which is linked to:

http://www.floridaea.org/NewWebSite/billboardnewsconf.jpg

Keep in mind the following:

Gov. Bush has pushed, and will continue to push, for a Growth Management Plan in this rapidly growing state to eliminate overcrowding in schools, and has done so despite the risk of losing the political endorsement of the Home Developers Association, which does not want to tie new building of homes to new building of schools as Gov. Bush demands; Gov. Bush is not the one who sets teacher salaries in this state, as such matter is left to the local school districts; and, Gov. Bush has passed THREE new laws providing NEW financial benefits to teachers.

These NEW financial benefits are unique and only available for FL teachers - as such financial benefits are non-existent for public school teachers in every other state in this country. To review, thanks to Gov. Bush, FL teachers now receive the following three NEW financial benefits:

(1) lifetime financial benefits, and other benefits, to immediate survivors of slain teachers (as explained herein, in "The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 4:);

(2) full salary level credit for each year of successful teaching when hired by, or transferring to, a local school district (as explained in "The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 3" - available at http://bulldogbulletin.lhhosting.com/page8.htm); and

(3) free liability insurance for teachers, paid for by the state. (as explained in "The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows -- Part 1" - also at http://bulldogbulletin.lhhosting.com/page8.htm as well as on my profile page).

Consequently, here's my question for the FL Teachers' Union:

Why are you criticizing Gov. Jeb Bush's record on supporting teachers, when his actual record -- his THREE new INCREASES of financial benefits for teachers -- actually deserves your public praise?

And, class, here's my bonus question for the most creative among you: How would you re-write this billboard to better inform the public what Gov. Bush has actually done for teachers?

The best response(s) will be featured on a new, upcoming web page, called "Educators For Jeb."

See you again soon!

[summer]

Wow! I did not know you are an independent. Thanks for sharing that. I really like knowing all the independents, and there are many more here on FR than I imagined! :)

[goldilucky]

Well I didn't realize that I'd become an independant until I observed both parties merging on one mind. Both parties are weakening.

[gatorman]

How would you re-write this billboard to better inform the public what Gov. Bush has actually done for teachers?

Here goes my meager offerring . . .

WANTED FOR FLORIDA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Creative teachers and capable support personnel willing to accept the exciting new challenges of this new millenium in support of our mission to raise student achievement and provide outstanding educational opportunities for the children of Florida, the future of our state and nation. In this constantly changing world you will be expected to participate in the many professional development opportunities, which are essential so that educators can keep current with the latest research and innovations if higher student achievement is to be realized. Credible applicants can apply to Governor Jeb Bush at (850) 488-4441. All others not so motivated or with different agendas need not apply.

REWARDS: You can choose your own work location, teachers are needed in every local district in the state. The average beginning teacher's salary* * * in Florida during the 2000-01 school year with a Bachelor's degree was $35,171; Master's, $42,115; Specialist, $50,074; and Doctorate, $48,910. In addition to the local districts' benefits of paid health insurance, life insurance, vacation leave, sick-leave, and early retirement, the state of Florida offers teachers a paid retirement plan through the Florida Retirement System; and a continuing effort by Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, to listen to and act upon the vital issues and concerns affecting all teachers as his past record has proven in providing the following financial benefits to the teachers of Florida: free liability insurance for teachers, paid for by the state; full salary level credit for each year of successful teaching when hired by, or transferring to, a local school district; and lifetime financial benefits and other benefits to a surviving immediate family of a slain teacher, Florida is the only state at this writing to offer this unique benefit.

* * * Source of beginning teacher's salary . . .

Obviously, we couldn't get all of this on a billboard, but it is to your credit that a lot of FReepers are certainly aware of what an innovative Governor we have in JEB!

[summer]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think YOU should take loads of credit here, gatorman! And, WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! again!

Thank you so very much!! I am going to do my best to incorporate the fantastic, new, TRUE and accurate billboard ads offered on this thread by you, Landru and Phil V., so that a TRUE billboard ad can be created.

Also, minor but important note -- you wrote: " Florida is the only state at this writing to offer this unique benefit." Actually, Florida is the only state to offer ANY AND ALL OF THE THREE NEW FINANCIAL BENEFITS signed into law by Gov. Bush. The OTHER two benefits ALSO do NOT exist in ANY OTHER state, to my knowledge.

So -- thanks VERY much for remembering to point out the "unique" quality of the legislation signed by Gov. Bush.

Since he is the ONLY governor in the country who bothers listening to teachers to create such laws, maybe he is - what is that word? -- oh, yeah:

Jeb = a national LEADER in education.

And, I don't think that's stretching it a bit.

Again, my sincere thanks, gatorman. I will be returning to your outstanding post to reread it a number of times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gatorman]

TO SUMMER and ALL,

Sorry about the bad link to "Beginning Teacher's Salary by District" from the Florida Department of Education Website in my POST #203.

This is the web addy should want to visit this site: http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/eiaspubs/avgsal.htm

Having difficulty embedding a link to this site . . . just put this URL in your browser's location area.

FReeregards . . .

[summer]

Hi gatorman,

Thanks for your above reply. This is my first time posting links, so let's hope I did this right.

This link worked: http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/e iaspubs/avgsal.htm

And, so did this link: http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin000 23/recruit.htm

[summer]

Huh, now I just tried those links, and neither one worked. Yet, they worked in your freepmail. Hmmmm....I will have to ask Professor Dude.

[summer]

Hi AmishDude, Please see posts #206 and #207 above, and see if you can post links these two URLs:

http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/e iaspubs/avgsal.htm

http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin000 23/recruit.htm

[summer]

these two URLs: = to these two URLS

BTW, AmishDude, the above two links worked fine in gatorman's freepmail to me.

[AmishDude]

No sweat. BTW, yours had spaces in them (probably from it being on two different lines of text). A URL should never have spaces.

http://www.firn.edu/doe/eias/eiaspubs/avgsal.htm

http://www.firn.edu/doe/bin00023/recruit.htm

[summer]

Great posting job, AmishDude -- both links now work, at least as of today! And, great info you provided, gatorman. Thanks so much to both of you!
<br. PS Amishdude, thanks for pointing out what happened with my URL. I intent to practice creating more links!

[summer]

(And, after seeing my post above -- I will practice spacing, too.)

[B Ireland]

For some reason this thread got placed on my 'personal reply' list...

So, I will make a brief reply:

With all respect to you - and to other teachers in the system that I know that have a burden to actually educate children: why did you stay in those Godless, traitorous unions?

It certainly cannot be a revelation to you that the teacher's unions did not represent your best interests... nor the interests of educating children.

Like most of the Democrap Party constituencies, they are an alliance of criminals, libertines and traitors to seize power in this country, and to overthrow the Constitutional order.

The 'Womens groups' don't reperesent women; for example, they support abortion in countries that exclusively abort female babies in order to insure a viable male population.

The unions don't represent union values... they sign on to all sorts of legislation that weakens the American worker's position, while conducting graft and money-laundering with the DNC.

The teacher's unions don't represent the values of education and the interests of the teachers; they pound the teacher into an indoctrination program that punishes personal educational initiative; they control the largest political PAC fund in the country, and it is used for anti-Constitutional issues consistently. They have been given exclusive control of the Dept of Educ, and they run it like a Soviet Commissariat to crush local school boards and parent groups, and force terrible educational [read: indoctrinational] programs on generations of students.

I could go on with this indictment, but you get the idea. That system is supported by your dues, although the corruption and graft with the Dem Party is enough to self-sustain them. Florida is a right-to-work state, and you are not forced to belong to that union, even though you are still forced to teach much in the classroom that you know to be wrong.

Fight on... defeat the commie jerks!

God bless,

Bob Ireland

[summer]

For some reason this thread got placed on my 'personal reply' list...

Hi Bob,

I'm not sure how your name got on the list, but I will gladly remove it, as I do not want you to be flagged on threads you do not wish to be flagged on. I suspect you previously posted something positive about Jeb Bush -- not about a teachers union -- and, thus, the reason for this flag.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Sincerely, summer :)

[summer]

And, gonzo, you already sent me a very nice freepmail regarding your family of teachers, so please don't feel any burden to respond again now. Sincerely, summer :)

[B Ireland]

***I'm not sure how your name got on the list***

I did a search on the various pages of this thread and never found my name... that is why I don't see how it appeared on my 'reply' list.

If you wish to 'flag' me I don't mind... although you can see I generally say what is on my mind... I'm getting old and of questionable health, so my patience with the American 'Socialist Utopia' movement is getting quite short.

FReegrds...

[summer]

Huh. Very strange then.

But, thank you for again taking the time to honestly respond. And, I appreciate your direct expression of your actual point of view.

Also, I sincerely hope your health improves. Thanks again for writing.

[summer]

FYI. :)

[summer]

FYI, and feel free to flame away! :)

[summer]

FYI -- and, thanks again for your terrific freepmail! :)