The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to the advancement of public education.
The NEA basically ties together teachers' unions across the US. Their opening line in their mission statement says pretty much all you need to know about what they stand for. I highlighted in bold, the key word in their mission.
Childrens education. Nope.
The advancement of teachers unions, its' members and the public education system. That's it!
The NEA doesn't even try to hide what it is all about. Recently, the NEA sent a letter to the Senate that stated that
Washington D.C.'s Opportunity Scholarship Program isn't working. This is the program that rewards inner city children who show promise a chance to escape failed inner city public schools and allots them $7500 vouchers to apply to private schools. 1700 children living below the poverty line take advantage of the program to grant them access to schooling in an environment that would not normally be available to them due to economic factors.
The NEA has the gall to cite, "The DC voucher pilot program, which is set to expire this year, has been a failure. Over its' five year span, the pilot program has yielded no evidence of positive impact on student achievement."
Never mind that the Department of Education has already determined these children to be significantly ahead of their peers.
The NEA's real issue is that the $13M that went to these 1700 kids didn't line their own pockets and those of the teachers unions.
Obama has already and come out against extending the program and after the current children are grandfathered through the program, it will be abolished. That is really sad. Especially since 15% of the 860B+ stimulus package already went towards public education (~$130B).
That tells me a few things.
The NEA doesn't give a shit about children unless they are receiving a "public" education provided by the NEA and the level of their caring about the education stops at where the federal and state money is funneled.
The NEA doesn't give a shit about the education of below the poverty line families, which for the most part are minorities.
Since Obama is all about mass amounts of votes, he will support unions (car, teacher...whatever) no matter what they decide, because when it comes down to it, Obama is really only about Obama. Supporting the voucher program should have been a no brainer for Obama. No one in their right mind would have come out against such a noble program.
But, the NEA is the real villain here. They are racists who are doing more to keep minorities below the poverty line because of their own fucking greed. Teachers unions and teachers also have to be held accountable for this for their support of killing the voucher system for inner city minorities. If they truly cared for the children, they'd step up against what is wrong in their own organization and make the right choice, even if it would cost their union some money.
Teachers are a party to this racism even if indirectly.
I get tired of being called a racist every time I disagree with Obama or go to a tax increase protest tea party. At least I know what is worth paying taxes for and what is not.
Get these kids their vouchers back already you racist greedy bastards!
Well, OctoMom finally got her