bingo!!!
The democrats get a major portion of their campaign contributions and votes via these unions in a nice little scam.
Step 1: Raise teachers salaries via the union paid for by state taxpayers. Teachers work longer = more union dues. Unions = happy. Democrats get to raise taxes = happy.
Step 2: Union raises union dues as teacher salaries increase.
Step 3: Dems make sure its required by law that teachers join union or they are fired.
Step 4: Unions take a cut of this money and heavily contribute to democratic re-election campaigns.
Step 5: Teachers told to vote democrat in elections to protect their salaries.
That's pretty much the story with the "class size amendment" here in Florida. The NEA was behind it in a major way because of the number of new teachers that have to be hired. 10's of thousands.
Guess what? Polk county is going to quadruple the impact fee for new homes in order to fund the neccessary buildings and salary. Roughly going from $1,800 to $7,000+ ....per home. That's on top of property tax rates increases of 30% [unincorporated areas] and 15% [incorporated areas].
The irony here is that we voted out 5 (of 6) commissioners over the last 2 elections because they had imposed a 6¢ per gallon county gas tax (after we said NO in a referendum). Now their replacements are doing this. It is absolutely infuriating.
These people are like vampires. Sucking the economic life out of all of us here.