Javafour
New member
Excellent info and points, TN.
I believe the term for what you are describing about the Feds is "unfunded mandate."
The other thing I want to make clear, when I talk about states, not TN or AZ where you two guys are from, or Yellowhammer's TX, in most other states for public school teachers to work they are COMPELLED to join that union, the NEA. They are COMPELLED to pay it dues from their checks. In theory, they can 'opt out' of the portion of their dues that the NEA uses for political activities (like donating to support 'gay marriage,' 'anti gun groups' and other liberal causes) but many aren't aware of this option and are also pressured not to do so.
Just this morning here on AM talk radio, so I don't have an internet link, they were discussing how...
Item: at Franklin High School, near me, in Reisterstown, MD, kids were REQUIRED to watch the Obama acceptance speech and to take notes on it. OK, that's of some historical significance, but were they also asked to watch McCain's eloquent concession speech? No, of course not. Because the teachers have already fostered an atmosphere of Obamamania there. And...
Item: At Pikesville High School, also near me, students who wore Obama logo'ed shirts were paged over the PA system and brought together for a group photo for the yearbook. Kids with McCain/PALIN shirts were not included. To me, this little stuff is just very typical of tax dollar salaried, leftist NEA staff subtly pushing an agenda on the kids.
Stuff like this, and certainly egregious stories like Savage's (as a NM resident, his public schools also suffer under compulsory unionism) just boil my blood and make me get out my soapbox over this situation.
If I lived in AZ or TN I very well might send my kids to your two guys' schools, where you teach, because it sounds like learning actually occurs there and political indoctrination does not.
There is value, I think, that my kids miss out on by not going school with their neighborhood playmates; there would be a really reduced hassle-factor if I didn't need to adjust my work schedule around dropping off two kids at two different schools in the AM and making two pickups in the afternoon.
And then there is the money. My youngest boy has special needs (autistic) and his school the first year cost me $70K! (It has since come down quite a bit, but is still steep) and the other boy's religious school costs in the low five figures. That year all my (now ex) wife and I did was work to pay that.
I also have many friends here on PM who have faced this challenge by homeschooling and, IMO, that takes incredible dedication and cost, too.
Again, if I lived in a Right to Work state and could send my kids to people like you guys I would probably do so, but for me and my kids, unfortunately, because of our life's context we cannot just leave MD--as much as I'd like to.
Obviously, from the perspective of the parents and from people like you two guys--the dedicated, non-unionized, hard-working public school teachers, this is a very frustrating situation...
I believe the term for what you are describing about the Feds is "unfunded mandate."
The other thing I want to make clear, when I talk about states, not TN or AZ where you two guys are from, or Yellowhammer's TX, in most other states for public school teachers to work they are COMPELLED to join that union, the NEA. They are COMPELLED to pay it dues from their checks. In theory, they can 'opt out' of the portion of their dues that the NEA uses for political activities (like donating to support 'gay marriage,' 'anti gun groups' and other liberal causes) but many aren't aware of this option and are also pressured not to do so.
Just this morning here on AM talk radio, so I don't have an internet link, they were discussing how...
Item: at Franklin High School, near me, in Reisterstown, MD, kids were REQUIRED to watch the Obama acceptance speech and to take notes on it. OK, that's of some historical significance, but were they also asked to watch McCain's eloquent concession speech? No, of course not. Because the teachers have already fostered an atmosphere of Obamamania there. And...
Item: At Pikesville High School, also near me, students who wore Obama logo'ed shirts were paged over the PA system and brought together for a group photo for the yearbook. Kids with McCain/PALIN shirts were not included. To me, this little stuff is just very typical of tax dollar salaried, leftist NEA staff subtly pushing an agenda on the kids.
Stuff like this, and certainly egregious stories like Savage's (as a NM resident, his public schools also suffer under compulsory unionism) just boil my blood and make me get out my soapbox over this situation.
If I lived in AZ or TN I very well might send my kids to your two guys' schools, where you teach, because it sounds like learning actually occurs there and political indoctrination does not.
There is value, I think, that my kids miss out on by not going school with their neighborhood playmates; there would be a really reduced hassle-factor if I didn't need to adjust my work schedule around dropping off two kids at two different schools in the AM and making two pickups in the afternoon.
And then there is the money. My youngest boy has special needs (autistic) and his school the first year cost me $70K! (It has since come down quite a bit, but is still steep) and the other boy's religious school costs in the low five figures. That year all my (now ex) wife and I did was work to pay that.
I also have many friends here on PM who have faced this challenge by homeschooling and, IMO, that takes incredible dedication and cost, too.
Again, if I lived in a Right to Work state and could send my kids to people like you guys I would probably do so, but for me and my kids, unfortunately, because of our life's context we cannot just leave MD--as much as I'd like to.
Obviously, from the perspective of the parents and from people like you two guys--the dedicated, non-unionized, hard-working public school teachers, this is a very frustrating situation...