Saturday, April 19th, 2008
As an employee forced to join NJEA, I receive Cyberlobbee News, an NJEA update. The current issue of this spells out NJEA’s opposition to the idea of amending New Jersey’s constitution to require voter approval for any state borrowing.
NJEA needs a clue. The first reason it opposes such legislation is:
Putting investment questions to a vote requires very complex issues to be boiled down to a simplistic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ format.
(NJEA added emphasis)
Ah, that sounds good. Borrowing is so complex the average voter cannot get a grasp of it. Nice support of the voter there. But beyond the dismissive attitude, comes a complete misunderstanding of the process.
Let’s think this through. If voters do not get to determine borrowing, how will borrowing occur? It goes something like this.
- Some legislator writes a bill. (The legislator was elected by the same folks NJEA does not want to instill confidence in.)
- The bill is assigned to committee where more voter-elected legislators talk about it.
- If the bill with the hypothetical borrowing is deemed important enough, it is voted out of committee and put up for a vote in either the Assembly or Senate by many more of the voter-elected legislators.
- If it passes, the bill is passed to the other house to be voted on by even more voter-elected legislators. Because this borrowing is so important, it passes there too.
- Then it is sent to the governor. Presumably because the borrowing is needed, the voter-elected governor signs the bill making it law, thus indebting the taxpayers for the length of the loan.
The governor, the 80 assemblymen, and 40 senators approved the spending. How did they do it? Oh, that’s right. They voted Yeah or Nay on the bill. So it seems like very complex issues have already been boiled down to a simplistic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ format.
Why remove the voters from the process then? NJEA doesn’t have an answer for that.
Posted in New Jersey, Politics | 1 Comment »
Saturday, February 3rd, 2007
Back in December I shared with you how out of touch the New Jersey Education Association is. When NJEA doesn’t like something, it protests. No problem there, but it chooses to do so on school days during school time. NJEA doesn’t understand public relations. The public blames public school teachers for all the ills of our state. Just yesterday, the WSJ lambasted us for our hourly rate. Our health benefits are front and center in the property tax debate. We are scolded for having “three months off” each summer.
Yet, NJEA disregards the animosity the public has for us and schedules rallies during the school day.
This Monday, 5 February, NJEA will hold another rally. NJEA doesn’t like some of the “property tax reform” bills the NJ legislature is considering. On Monday while your children are at school, NJEA wants its members in Trenton protesting.
NJEA has a history of protesting during the work day. Notice, today-a Saturday is empty on the NJEA calendar. Dear reader, on Monday I will be at work teaching children how to read. I cannot say where my brethern will be. For that, I am ashamed.
Posted in Education, New Jersey, Politics | No Comments »
Sunday, September 3rd, 2006
The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) likes to present itself as a balanced union that looks at issues to make its endorsements.
But the Vol. 50, No. 1 edition of the NJEA Reporter tells a different story. Forget the endorsement of Senator Menendez. Forget the support of Governor Corzine it details of the budget battle this summer. Sure, those highlight where NJEA’s loyalties are.
But it is the headline of the blurb on page five that shows that NJEA is highly biased. There is a larger story about vouchers. There is no surprise to find out a public teachers union is against vouchers. While I disagree with NJEA on this, I certainly understand its position.
The accompanying blurb attempts to show that the legal battle that is being waged in New Jersey presently about vouchers is not an honest fight, but part of a larger political movement from outside New Jersey. Again, I have no issue with the union pointing this out.
But tell me what the headline of the article communicates:
E3, allies get major funding from right wing
There it is. Right wing. Not conservatives. Nope. The right wing. Y’know, those folks who conspire against presidents. Those who out CIA operatives.
Right wing is a charged term.
I suspect readers of eCache do not have any trouble distinguishing what political party I belong to. I, however, strive not to take cheap shots. I do not dismiss others as Kos lovers, hippies, treehuggers, etc. Argue the issue. Otherwise, you make it easy to dismiss the messenge altogether.
Posted in Education, New Jersey, Politics | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
When the union’s inspiration through the workers’ blood shall run,
There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun;
Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one,
But the union makes us strong
Solidarity Forever
You just have to love the NJEA. I have battled throughout my career that polliticking with my dues is unethical.
Today the NJEA sent out an e-mail to its members about Corzine’s budget. There are three issues spoken about:
- funding pensions
- sales tax increase
- tax breaks for corporations who offer scholarships to private schools
Notice how NJEA has not concerned itself with the cuts in Abbott funds that affect students (and union members).
If one was not convinced previously, this e-mail should provide enough evidence that NJEA is concerned with NJEA, not students. Do not believe the rhetoric!
Yes, public employees should have their pensions funded. Whether you think the contributions are too high or not, state law calls for the state to contribute.
I thought that Corzine rescinded his proposal for the sales tax increase. Even if he has not, for the union to come out in favor of it and nary mention what is happening in Abbott districts demonstrates it is all about politics and not necessarily about education. Shame on you, NJEA.
I understand that the union is against providing anything to private educators and will stop at nothing to place those educational halls at a disadvantage. Meanwhile, union jobs are being cut and NJEA is being silent.
It is so nice to know my union dues support education.
Posted in Education, New Jersey, Politics | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005
We just had a statewide election. The main issue of the campaign, in case anyone forgot, was property taxes.
Last week it was reported that the state is $ 5billion in the hole for next year’s budget. The governor-elect joked about the problems ahead of him.
The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) supported the governor-elect. My dues were spent on four-color flyers announcing that support. The union got the man it wanted.
It is interesting that NJEA launched a new campaign two days after the election at its annual convention calling for starting salaries of all New Jersey public school teachers to be $ 50,000. The $50K The First Day comes just five years after NJEA lobbied for $40K Right Away.
Forget for a moment the discussion of whether this is a legitimate issue or not. The state is in dire financial straits. Cue Mark Knopfler . . .
Get your money for nothin’ get your chicks for free $470,000
The Transportation Trust Fund’s coffers will be spent paying off debt and not building roads. The School Corruption Construction Corp. blew through $8.6 billion on our tax dollars that we had no say in. And state contributions to the state employee pension fund are in arrears
The governor-elect ran on a platform of raising the amount of money the state will spend on rebates. He promised to re-fund the SCC. He had money earmarked for stem-cell research and the state’s colleges and universities.
Where will NJEA’s benefactor get the money for $50K The First Day? With all the extraordinary aid in this state, teacher salaries are very much a state issue . . . not to mention that underfunded pension of ours.
NJEA’s reality does not consider the state’s issues. This is not the time to campaign for more money statewide. It is the time to preach fiscal restraint.
Posted in Education, New Jersey | No Comments »
