Jeb Bush, his right hand woman Patricia Levesque, his spokeswoman Jarym Emhoff, Senate President Don Geatz and Representative Carlos Trujillo have all attacked the teachers union in the last few weeks for being against their corporate reform of public education. Some of them have even implied that the PTA and various other parent organizations and civil rights groups who stand with the union on most issues have become puppets of the unions.
To read more, check out this post in Scathing Purple Musings, it follows the money. http://bobsidlethoughtsandmusings.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/jeb-bushs-foundations-falsely-allign-parent-opposition-with-unions-while-raking-in-cash-from-edu-corps/
I just don’t understand what they are blaming the union for. Shouldn’t we all be against the corporate takeover of public education? Shouldn’t we all be against charters and voucher programs that give students a substandard education? Shouldn’t we all be against the erosion of democracy, which is what happens when you take control of public education away from duly elected representatives and give it to corporate boards? Finally shouldn’t we want reforms to be based on evidence and facts, not Jeb Bush’s gut and what’s best for the bottom line of his friends and supporters who by the way will profit off of his reforms.
The Union has become their boogeyman. A word they use to scare and inflame their base. Blaming the union for problems in education especially here in Florida where the republicans have had total control of education for the last 15 years would be laughable if it wasn’t so maddening that some ill informed people actually are buying into the talking point.
Think about it friends, this is a right to work state, people are not forced to join the unions, heck teachers can’t even strike, what real power to force reform or changes do they have. All they can do is educate the public about what is happening not that Bush, Geatz and Trujllo listen to them anyway.
No, they only listen to the corporations and special interests who pay their salaries or who donate to their campaigns. They not our children and definitely not our teachers are whom they owe their allegiances to.
And before you think I am a shill for the union, type union into the search box, few have been as critical about the union as I have been.
