It looks like retiring House Appropriations Chair David Obey (D-WI) is going to play hardball with the White House and Pentagon to protect teachers from massive layoffs. It shouldn’t be so hard to get Congress to appropriate funds for education, but that’s what happens when you’re fighting two senseless wars.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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What’s the political downside to laying off teachers?
Sure, you might get roughed up in a Democratic primary, but in the general election, it’s pure gold.
Pretend I’m the average voter — and only 28% of households have a child in a public school.
Teachers are highly paid civil service drones, with defined-benefit pensions — and I have a shit 401k that’s lost half or more of its value.
They have excellent medical insurance — and I don’t have any, or have high-deductible crap.
They’re unionized, and if I even think of joining, or starting, a union, I get fired.
So their protection against arbitrary dismissal, or being replaced by the boss’ idiot nephew, or being outsourced to Chennai is just another reason to hate them.
And if I roll that way, I can hate them for their being disproportionately female, disproportionately Democratic-voting, and more likely to be a minority.
And don’t get me started on their summer vacation, or their six-hour days when I am on call, or working 50 hour weeks, or going without vacation
Bad times call for scapegoats. And scapegoat, not chicken, is America’s favorite white meat.
On Obey:
The initial goal had been $23 billion in aid, but in recent days, Obey has whittled this back to about $10 billion
Pentagon congressional testimony, May 5:
As you know, the Congress is considering DoD’s FY11 budget request, including $110.3 billion for Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) within Overseas Contingency Operations, as well as an FY10 Supplemental Request for $28.8 billion for OEF. These funds are critical to supporting the solution set for our mission in Afghanistan, and I ask for your support.
“These funds are critical to supporting the solution.”
That Pentagon sure has a sense of humor.