Sunday, January 8, 2023
DeSantis Battles the Teachers Union
Let’s hope Florida's governor succeeds with his plan to remove the government as the unions’ bagman.
Years ago when I was teaching, I asked A.J. Duffy, the president of United Teachers of Los Angeles at the time, why teachers weren’t responsible for paying their own dues. He replied, “They might forget.” I didn’t respond but I knew that some of my colleagues were thinking what I was thinking.
Forget? No. Choose not to pay? Yes.
In California and throughout much of the country, union dues are deducted by the local school district from teachers’ paychecks, just as federal and state withholding taxes are. The school district then turns the money over to the local teachers’ union. The union, a private organization, doesn’t pay a penny for the transactions; it’s the taxpayers who foot the bill for this service. In fact, payroll deduction is de rigueur for most public-employee unions. (As an NRA and AAA member, I pay what I owe via credit card, and government is not involved. Why should teachers’ unions be treated any differently?)
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to stop this abuse in the Sunshine State. At a recent event in Orlando, he asserted that the government shouldn’t play a role in deducting teacher union dues. He explained that planned legislation would create more of a guarantee that money would wind up in teachers’ pockets and not be “frittered away by interest groups who get involved into the school system,” adding that he thinks that he will get legislative support for his idea.
Elisabeth Messenger, interim CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment, a group focused on educating employees on their union rights, agrees with DeSantis.
“Automatic dues deduction uses government resources to make it easier for unions to recruit and retain members and creates confusion for workers who may think their workplace union is endorsed by their employer or that membership is required by their employer,” Messenger said. “In signing this legislation, Governor DeSantis would be taking a huge step in protecting teachers’ private information and ensuring the Florida state government is not a middleman in funding partisan politics.”
The Florida Education Association is, not surprisingly, very unhappy with the DeSantis plan. In a statement, the union said, “The past few weeks, FEA has been asking educators to fill out a wish list with what they’re hopeful for in 2023. Common themes have been less testing, more resources and support, more stability—all things that would help us better serve our students and alleviate the teacher and staff shortage. Gov. DeSantis, however, appears to prioritize politics. Only a Grinch would attack teachers’ freedom to join in [sic] union to advocate for our students and schools.”
Freedom to join? Hardly.
DeSantis, who was reelected by a nearly 20-point margin in November, also indicated that he supports setting a threshold for unions to represent teachers, which would involve at least 50 percent of teachers being members of their local union.
While I am in full support of DeSantis’ “Freedom Blueprint,” he could have gone even further. Clearly, the government should not be collecting union dues, becoming, in effect, the union’s bagman. But why should 51 percent of the teachers in a school district be able to drag the dissenting 49 percent into collective bargaining negotiations? I maintain that those who don’t want to join a union should not be forced to be a part of the...
The 90 Miles Mystery Video: Nyctophilia Edition #1257
Before You Click On The "Read More" Link,
Please Only Do So If You Are Over 21 Years Old.
If You are Easily Upset, Triggered Or Offended, This Is Not The Place For You.
Please Leave Silently Into The Night......
The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #1957
You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside?
It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific,
from the beautiful to the repugnant,
from the mysterious to the familiar.
If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed,
you could be inspired, you could be appalled.
This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.
You have been warned.
Saturday, January 7, 2023
An Astonishing Percentage of Americans Credit THE JABBERWOCKY for Unexplained Deaths
Whenever I mention anything about THE JABBERWOCKY, the post gets deleted. So I will try to go down the rabbit hole and use THE JABBERWOCKY for it from now on. Off with their heads!
Yet, despite a majority reporting that they have taken the shots, almost 50% believe it is at least somewhat likely that side effects of THE JABBERWOCKY have caused a significant number of unexplained deaths. All men and people between 18 and 39 agree with the statement at the highest rates. This coincides with the cardiac side effect profile for men under 40 and the excess death rates reported by insurance actuaries in the working-age population.
And, despite the partisan differences in THE JABBERWOCKY, 51% of Democrats agree the shots could cause the recent uptick in unexplained deaths. Only 34% of unaffiliated Americans feel the same way, pulling down the overall result. Respondents with children at home believe THE JABBERWOCKY may cause death at the highest rate of 58%. Among parents, 34% say it is very likely. This may explain poor uptake for the initial series in children five and under and low booster uptake in children under 18.
When the pollster asked if respondents thought they knew someone who died because of side effects from THE JABBERWOCKY, the results were astonishing. Nearly one-third of all adults said...
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