Unions ,because the big business and big government ideology is not a new one. In the 20's and 30's the idea was one business can do it better than 100 vying for the job . No competition and profits are high wages low as you monopolize the economy. Today you see big business and big government again trying to weed out the very unions that stopped this kind of thought process. They get rid of unions with monopoly growth again ,and mark my work your wages will decrease . With higher education growing and minimal job market ;your wages go down because now there is no one to fight for you rights.Unions are not the problem .The problem is big business infiltrators undermining union efforts for money.

Education in this country is finished. Teachers' union endorse Clinton. No Child Left Behind is a brain trust of Hillary Clinton and we all know how it turn out. She started it in Arkansas and Bush took it over, yet the so called teachers union did not see this.

I guess the city kids will continue in their suffering. More of the same lead to nothing. What a shame? America is finished if Clinton is elected.

What happen to a guy that volunteer for common man at his early age? Sorry America, this is the begining of disintegration.

Unions=bad NJ

The problem is oversite isn't correctly monitored for business.  It never will be.  If it wasn't for unions, teachers would still be making 15,000 a year, Janitors would make less than minimum wage, and there would be no one working for GM.  

Marti, Dallas, Texas: '...Why all the venom over Hillary? What has she done?...'

She voted for the Iraq war.
She gave cover to the Bush admin to invade Iraq
How's that for starters ?
She hasn't LEARNED A THING from that !!
She just voted for the Lieberman-Kyl amendment !!
This is greasing the skids for a Bush Administration attack against Iran !!
Sen. Jim Webb called Lieberman-Kyl, Dick Cheney's fondest dream !!
Why did she vote for it ?

'...I love to ask Hillary haters why they dislike her....'

I'm not a Hillary HATER !!
I just think she's crooked
Have you ever noticed all the scandals bubbling around the Clintons ?

Whitewater, Tralelgate, Monica, Norman Hsu, Peter Paul.....
Why are the scandals always associated with the Clintons ?
They are unethical and dishonest

'...She has done more for this country than anyone else running....'

WHAT HAS HILLARY DONE FOR THIS COUNTRY ??
I'm waiting for your answer, Marti !!
What has Hillary done for this country ???

Teachers are mostly good and rich people are mostly greedy.Lobbyist are mostly dishonest and politicians
are mostly power hungry as well as on the take.Change the process and you can reaquire our confidence.

Yes! Go Hillary-she has always supported educational programs.

Marti, Hillary is a liar and a cheat. (As are most in D.C.) Look at Whitewater, her insider trading, file gate etc. Why would you want someone you know to be a liar and scam artist to be your pres? I have had way to much of the Bush-Clinton monarchy. We don't need them or anyone associated to them in office.

I agree that the oversight is not there in a matter befitting our economy.  I just would hope that the Unions would also not rail about how anyone who wants a certain job HAS to join or else.  Even teachers who don't want to be part of the union have to pay the union.  What kind of MONOPOLY is that?  The same they are claiming to prevent.

Of course they endorsed her.  Obama told them the truth.  The truth is they are partially responsible for the failure of our system.  He is willing to have merit pay.  There is no way they are giving up the status quo.  The status quo is blame the children, the parents and the administrators while never taking responsibility for the quality of teaching.  I hope this Clinton thing works out for people because if Edward, Obama, or Biden takes any of the early primaries the early endorsements will look very foolish.

What a misguided, foolish endorsement. They are endorsing her because they want to go with who they are being told is the "sure winner," rather than who really represents the working people of this country and who really can win in a general election. That's Edwards; Clinton cannot & won't win the general.

You would think that since it takes half an hour for First Read to post a comment, they would be doing something constructive during that time - like catching such derogatory comments.

Unions ,true so true ,but then again is that union or big business corruption within the union. At one time you could work for a company that was union and choose not to join ,but at the same time because it was union you could still benefit from the perks.

No surprise on the endorsement.  At this stage, most major unions are looking to the person that more than likely will win the party nomination.  And, having worked in a "right to work" state for over 30 years....I say Congrats to anyone who is part of a union.

[[At this stage, most major unions are looking to the person that more than likely will win the party nomination. ]]

Right. Teachers endorsed Dean in 2004.  How'd that work out for them again?

the only reason hillary is raising so much money is because her fat husband is out there twisting arms of dem contributors. money will not turn into votes for her in the general. she will lose!i hope the dems nominate her! blowout45-5 states.

Interesting.  Hear a much difference from the teachers I have spoken to.  That's the trouble with a union that represents very educated and very aware members who are hardly likely to vote in lockstep with a national union council.  They are heavily involved in their local communities and reflect those feelings, and the knowledge of underfunding and the failed test-til-you-drop nightmare of Bush's NCLB.

These teachers unions are up to their old crap again I see. This time,with another Clinton,as the last time. We will observe here that teachers unions do not give a damn about education[else testing scores in all of the required disciplines in the last Clinton administration would not have been so wretched,so obscene,with ever greater dropout numbers all through the 1990s]. They want political power. Little else. Indeed,when Californias governor Schwarzenegger tried through a voter-mandated Prop 75 to stop the teachers unions from garnering monies, tens of millions in this one state alone for political campaigns[all Democrats,to a man-woman],from those who did not wish to support these[as the USSC later backed],they slipped the bridle and went ballistic,calling in the favours from their pet legislators to torpedo Arnolds bill.
             These unions [as all do] oversee graft,theft,corruption,and return in the billions lavished upon them a product that even the Three Stooges would not touch. [Think i'm wrong? How is FORD doing these days?] The protection of incompetency,the quashing of enterprise,the threats to their own members who do not toe the ''union''line. The total eradication of school choice which impacts the poor most of all. The furthering of wretched education based upon intractable ''feelings'' or racially divisive ''studies''that do not do a damned thing to prepare American youth for what awaits them. Hence:

9 0f 10 children cannot cite the original ten Bill of Rights.[6-collegiate]

7 of 10 cannot find Iraq on a map.[10th-collegiate]


8 of 10 cannot cite the central thesis behind the Federalist Papers[10th-collegiate]

Scores in math,sciences,spelling,english,civics and even physical education were at their worst period in recorded American history under Bill Clintons presidency. And now,they want to go back to this period of failure and incompetency,muttering PRECISELY the same mantras[see:above FR lede] as they did in 1992,1996,and 2000, with precisely the same results.

Also see:

Teachers Unions: Are The Schools Run For Them? Foundation of Economic Education,May.1995

''How Teachers Unions Handcuff Schools'' Stern,Sol. The City Journal,June,1997

''Teachers Unions In Power And Politics'' The Education Policy Institute,1993-1996 www.educationpolicy.org

As a teacher in a New York City public school, I'd love to know a single piece of federal legislation (or NY State legislation) that has helped our school system. I currently have classrooms with 33 children in them, many have special needs, and very little support of the regional or city school leaders. Under the Clinton/Bush presidencies, our schools have continued to deteriorate, and I wish the AFT would have polled their members and asked for feedback before endorsing a person that many people are going to work their hearts out to defeat.

I am going to cast my vote for a democrat who has potential to change the way our education system works. Bill Clinton did nothing and I expect the same from Hillary. I will be working for a candidate who is inspiring and not divisive and I am ashamed of my membership in the union.

Public Education may not be perfect, but it consists of students and teachers who come from diverse countries ,backgrounds,religions, etc. The United States is a "melting pot", and we can't give up trying to educate and care about one another. True, there are many who choose alternative means to educate their children. Charter schools, Religious schools, schools for the ELITE RICH ONLY, etc. We need to celebrate our diversity and work together instead of trying to one-up the other person in order to make one feel good about one's self/group. I'm a retired teacher who taught in inner city schools. My students were mostly poor , but they wanted to learn a better way to go through life and to make their lives matter.  Not everyone is lucky enough to be "born" into a family with money. OUR social problems in this country need to solved with input and action by all!!

If we could just keep Austin and send the rest of Texas back to Mexico imagine how much better off we'd all be.  We'd lose millions of republicans and raise the overall IQ level in Texas by 20 points - easy.

Let's start with Crawford......Corpus Christi next, Dallas, Houston, Royse City and onward ...until we get the job done.  Hey all you Texans, pack your bags - there are no unions in Mexico.....you're gonna love it!!

Our children today are dumber than before. Why? Beacause a good percentage of teachers don't want to stay late to help children learn because the union insists that they get paid for it.  Most of your teachers are clock watchers and they can have Madma Clinton.  Both are losers!!!

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