Look, I step up and and say, “Hey, maybe I don’t have the whole story. I’m listening,” and all you can do is penalize me for my wiliness to sway? What’s your goal when you debate, to win over someone to your view or beat them to a pulp?

Since my wife is a teacher, this unneeded Special Interest Election is personally effecting my family. Arnold is wasting millions of dollars on an election that could have easily waited 6 more months until the normally scheduled primary early next year. I could go into great length to defend teachers and their unions, but it seems Dale is already doing a great job of that.

Teachers, Nurses, Firefighters & Police Officers: public servants and heroes. These are jobs that should be given great respect, and deservedly so. Yet, it seems $chwarzenegger and his corporate handlers do not have respect for them, or their wishes. The teachers ARE their Union. Unions are democratic entities, and as a democracy, we should support their efforts. No one is forced to join a union, and by law Union members can elect not to have their dues given to political purposes. Please, everyone. Support our Teachers, Firefighters, Nurses, and Police by voting NO on 74, 75 & 76.

Below is a letter written by a local firefighter who bikes with my brother:

Friends and Family,

I am writing to you today to ask for your help in fighting a terrible injustice. As you know, I have chosen a career in the fire service with the Vista Fire Department. I work long hours under often difficult conditions but I love what I do. Being a public servant, I accepted that I would receive modest pay but the security of a decent, well earned retirement.

Currently, public servants including Firefighters, Police Officers, Teachers and municipal workers are under attack. Governor Schwartzenegger in his special election is attempting to strip us our rights to participate and be represented in the political process. Proposition 75, funded by a host of large corporate sponsors, is a deception on a grand scale. Sold as “paycheck protection”, it will actually only serve to silence our voice.

Proposition 75 claims that the “big, bad unions” are taking my money and using it in wicked ways that have brought down the state…what? I am my union. Membership in my union is voluntary. I vote, democratically, on how my political funds are spent. I can choose not to give any money towards political purposes. Laws already protect me from being forced to contribute. This proposition is nothing but an attempt to silence my voice in the political process. It targets only Firefighters, Police, Teachers and other public employees. Corporate donations are not limited at all by this proposition.

The Governor claims that public employee unions are controlling Sacramento and are responsible for its problems. The fact is, big business controls Sacramento and outspends unions 24 to 1. Big business is bankrolling his high profile TV blitz. Arnold is counting on you to take the bait – don’t do it! I am giving as much as I can to my union to fight this and it’s only a drop in the bucket against the corporate giants.

Why shut us up? Arnold earlier in the year announced a plan to go after our retirement system and we shut him down. If this proposition passes he will take our retirement system apart. My retirement system (PERS) is a model system that is solvent and makes enough return on investments that my city has not had to pay its share towards my retirement until very recently. That’s correct, I have been paying in to my retirement and my City has not had to for years! Arnold wants to tap into that solvency to fix the state budget that his big business buddies helped to screw up – on my back!

Please, look past the slick add campaigns and see his platform for what it is – the big lie. Vote no on 75! Look closely too at 76, which would also hit Cities, Police and Fire Departments right in their budgets, crippling our ability to serve you. Let Arnold know you don’t buy his bull by voting no in this special election.

Thank You for Your Support.

I don’t doubt your hard work, Dale, because I have seen it and heard it. I don’t doubt many other teachers, either. I have seen a few first hand that take advantage of the system and I see them hide behind tenure. I had a college professor do that very thing and all the dean could do was send him on a sabbatical. They guy got paid for six months because he did some very questionable — and illegal — things.

But again, educate me. I’m totally open to your opinion because YOU live this. I don’t fully agree with the Govenator on all things and thus the reason I didn’t vote for him in the first place. So I do want to do what’s best for our teachers.

Jon, sorry, it may have been ME that was tired when I wrote that loaded sentence. Rarely are you the one at loss.

Yes, fiscal responsibility was the aim of the title and I was attempting to shine the irony of how a union representing teachers — who gladly pay their dues — wasn’t very responsible with the money.

As to our President, he didn’t come into office with a clean slate. This country has had debt since day one. I’d be interested to know if there is an industrialized country anywhere on earth that is not in debt. Further, having two disasters, one terrorist attack, and the war on terror during his watch isn’t a cheap thing. Say what you will about the latter, but the first two would have put Clinton under water, too. I think it’s unfair to point the finger at Bush as if he’s the only one that has ever done this and a bit misguided.

I know you don’t agree with his politics and his beliefs. That’s fine, I understand I’ll have an easier time getting you to buy a brand new VW Phaeton then admit Bush is a good president. Truth is, though, he has done a lot of good for this nation and since we are on the subject of education, his No Child Left Behind policy has done more to boast students education then Clinton’s eight years did, ever. Further, through Bush’s policies, more blacks now own their homes then did with Clinton. Unemployment is lower then in any of Clinton’s eight years. But these are all facts that I’m sure don’t matter — even though I’ve heard you say these are issues we should be watching — since the war is the main topic of discussion.

You have your opinion and I mine. We agree to disagree and that’s what I love about you Jon. You’re easy on the eyes.

Huh? Either that’s a loaded sentance without a point or I’ve had a long day or both. Thank you for pointing out to me that our Prez is not a head of a teachers union.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the whole point of your post is that fiscal responsibility is a good thing, and the stupid teachers union is bad because they are taking out loans to finance things. Right?

By the same token, the lack of fiscal responsibility on the part of our President (a much more important position) is BAD, right? Worse, right? Or does he somehow get a “free ride”?

“How can you learn from a group that doesn’t know how to keep their own house in order?”

They’re not learning from the union bosses, they’re learning from the teachers they defend. They’re more likely to look to our President as a role model (which I hope they do not for at least 3 more years).

Outsourcing is the fault of the greedy labor unions? I wonder if you wrote that with a straight face. You can’t expect labor unions to compete with $1/day wages offered overseas. Does any of the fault for outsourcing fall on the corporations?

I know union busting/blaming is a hallmark of typical Republican drum-beating, so I doubt I’ll change you mind about it. But everyone, at some point, needs an advocate, and that’s what the power of a labor union offers to what would otherwise be a weak and disenfranchised workforce.

I do submit that the CTA is a mess, however my job would be awful without them.

Tenure does not allow teacher’s to have, “a free ride to do what they wish without consequence.” I understand why you would think that, but even a tenured teacher can be removed from the classroom with documentation and a hearing. One of the many propositions that Arnold is proposing would do away with that process and allow principals to fire teachers without these safe guards.
We know that any business will go for the cheaper labor. Look at Mervyns they just moved all of their employees to part time so they wouldn’t have to pay them healthcare. Why wouldn’t a school fire the teachers that are near retirement and hire another teacher who could do a similar job for less?

The unions have insured that the longer you work for a school district the more you will get paid. This is important because seasoned teachers, for the most part, are more skilled and deserve it. If you disagree with that, what would you propose we use to evaluate teachers? Test scores? I believe that I have already made it clear that there are too many other factors to use those as reliable data. Also, what is your sample size to say that, “most people (people meaning teachers) like going with the easy way.” Come to my school. See how we literally cry at the end of some days as we struggle to teach all segments of society. Not just me, Sven. My whole team has been in tears at some point this year (after only a month). Why do you think that the problems of education are the teachers and not the denigration of our society? Who will teach the unruly and poor if you have to become poor to do it? Should teachers who teach upper class students get paid more? I can guarantee, no matter whom their teacher is the upper class kids are going to have better test scores.

By the way, does it kinda freak you out that you agree with the Governator?

Always good to see you tie in the President into things, too.

I admit, I don’t know all that goes on from your side; however, I do know there are problems and unions, in all my experiences with them, in most cases do not think of the customer but the union workers.

If CTA’s goal is to better educate Californian students, I don’t see with their protectionist attitude. I think tenure gives a teacher a free ride to do what they wish without consequence. I am not saying all teachers are like this, but I know the human soul — I have one — and most people like going with the easy way. Tenure gives them that.

If laying people off for too much money or for age reasons is an argument against tenure, then why isn’t this a problem in the private sector? I don’t see this as the issue but just an excuse.

Look, unions had their place but I think they are more of a disservice to our country more then anything now. Look at how many jobs have been shipped over seas due to unions wanting more money and not giving higher quality for it. Now those workers have worse jobs (if at all.) Delphi, the largest audio manufacturer for automobiles in the world, just filed Chapter 11. Why? Their union.

I grew up getting paid for my hard work, not because I was there for six months and my union boss said I deserved it. I think people should be rewarded on individual merit and I don’t see that with unions.

Now to be specific, again, I guess I don’t fully understand this proposition and I’d be open to hearing your side in further detail. I’m not prepared to say all unions have no purpose, so the CTA may still have use, just misguided one right now with their spending. In the end Dale, you might not have a union to represent you because they might go bankrupt.

Then again, $74 million is nothing compared to the $7.9 trillion federal debt.

The union is the reason we have caps on class size, and they enforce those class size reductions. CTA is the reason we even get a cost of living pay raise. CTA is the reason we get one hour a week of prep time, which obviously isn’t enough, but it’s something. CTA is the reason that I now get paid for doing home visits. CTA is the reason that teachers get paid for additional training every time the district adds yet another responsibility teachers’ work load. CTA is the organization that protects me from false accusations made by crazy parents. CTA gives teachers tenure so that we can be advocates for our students without the fear of losing our jobs. Tenure also ensures that older teachers won’t be fired because they are more expensive. This is a short list of what CTA does for us.

As you know, I have worked in the private and charter school sector. The public schools in California are MUCH better for the students. It is better for the students because of the California Teacher’s Association.

Sven, you have seen me teach. Do you think that I am one of the “better teachers”. If these reforms pass, I might seriously consider a different profession. Please remember, how well students do isn’t entirely up to me. I have one student who sleeps in his car. Do you think it is right that I should take a pay cut because his test scores are low?

The reforms will not encourage better teachers; it will crush our spirits making our jobs even more difficult. The CTA is the only institution fighting for our rights.