October 2, 2008 12:45 PM
Virginia Teachers Union urges Obama support in classroom
The Washington Times is reporting:
An e-mail distributed by a Virginia teachers union encouraged members to bring politics into the classroom by wearing blue in support of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and simultaneously suggested that the union's voter registration efforts include those "you teach."The Virginia Education Association (VEA) e-mail drew strong criticism Wednesday from elected Republican officials and some residents after the state Republican Party obtained a copy. The author of the e-mail conceded Wednesday that the e-mail should have been worded differently.
The VEA is an affiliate of the National Education Association, the country's largest teachers union.
"Schools should be perfectly neutral," Virginia resident Julie Aurora said Wednesday. "They should teach students how to think, not what to think."
I'm amazed - the news each day is so full of this kind of sleaze. If you can't win the election fairly and with dignity, then you shouldn't win it at all.
Thanks to Jenny for the tip.
Posted in Campaign 2008 | Permalink
Comments
and simultaneously suggested that the union's voter registration efforts include those "you teach."
That doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't all but a very few senior high schoolers be too young to register to vote? Not that I'd be ok with it regardless, but it doesn't make sense.
Posted by: Michelle | October 2, 2008 1:19 PM
Unions should not be told what to do by the government. This sounds like free market principles at work to me, I have no problem. If a non-governmental McCain organization wanted to encourage its members to do the same, then by all means the government should let them.
Posted by: RPFan | October 2, 2008 4:11 PM
I've never understood how unions who represent workers who are paid by tax payers are able to throw their support to a particular candidate. I don't care if it's republican or democrat, I think someone being paid by taxes should not stand for a candidate while wearing their teacher, fire fighter, police worker, etc. label.
Posted by: Barb | October 2, 2008 4:20 PM
RPFan -
The problem is that teachers are paid for with tax dollars and there are specific laws against teachers and other government workers campaigning on the job or in uniform.
So the union is telling them to do something illegal.
Not a free market issue at all. A legal issue.
But I guess Democrat indoctrination of children in public schools has been going on so long that a whole generation doesn't even know it's illegal!!! I remember 20 years ago when my third grade daughter's teacher had the class write letters to Ronald Reagan about some evil he was engaged in. I was a liberal then, so thought it was "cute" - but now looking back I am horrified that liberals, leftists and Democrats feel free to break the law and have it their way. Which is why so many 20 and 30 somethings now are already programmed into identifying as Democrats.
Posted by: barbara | October 2, 2008 4:30 PM
My husband is a public school teacher and a member of the school district's education association (which is linked to the Florida and National Teacher's Education Association). His main reason for being a member is to have some legal coverage if he's ever involved in any dispute that would require a lawyer. There are also some perks with reduced rates for life insurance and car insurance.
I had heard people rant in the past about how liberal in their politics that the NEA was, etc. But now that we have a steady stream of their magazines coming in our mailbox, I know it's true. Early on, the NEA endorsed Hilary Clinton; their endorsement has been shifted to Obama now. It's very "in your face"--this promotion of a presidential candidate. It seems very strange to me that they would assume all teachers "think" the same and would automatically agree with their "choice" in a candidate.
Posted by: April | October 2, 2008 9:42 PM
As a child, I remember my grandmother and mother speaking poorly of the NEA. Both of them felt forced to belong to the union and neither saw major benefits from their membership. At least one of those reasons was because of the union's politics. Ironically perhaps, my mother and grandmother were both true blue Dems at the time because that party supported disarmament (my grandmother was Brethren and my mother and most of the family shares the pacifist beliefs). That was over 20 years ago!
Posted by: Ceci | October 2, 2008 11:27 PM
Obama and crew support amnesty for millions of illegal aliens who take jobs from the poor. They also are trying to get the number of H-1B visas drastically increased for cheap foreign workers who take jobs from the middle class. Many college professors hold H-1B visas. Obama supports union organizing and the Employee Free Choice Act which will do away with the secret ballot that workers have now as to whether or not they want to unionize which will subject workers who do not want a union to harassment and threats. By supporting Obama, unions are supporting unions, not the American worker. This is another way for Obama to implement his socialization. http://ewebsmith.com/self/StandUp.html
Posted by: Web Smith | October 17, 2008 12:36 PM
