Signs

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6 alternate sign ideas.. (2 per PDF) feel free to use or modify to fit your sign ideas

Given the concentration on the education angle (Wisconsin) It might be good to point out the cost of the MESSA insurance boondoggle the funds the MEA and its political activities and plenty of six figure incomes for union leadership positions.  Disgusting.

This is not about busting teachers. This is NOT about taking away from people who work hard and deserve to be rewarded. Its about equity of opportunity through elimination of inappropriate power of unions in the affairs of their workers.

The Michigan Education Association is airing television and radio advertisements that are misleading the public, according to Michael Van Beek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Instead of heralding its ability to shield its members from the effects of Michigan’s decade-long recession, the Michigan Education Association says school employees are victims of politically charged attacks.

The Center produced a video analyzing each of the MEA’s claims.

“Research shows there is little supporting evidence for the MEA’s claims,” Van Beek said. “Far from being punching bags, teachers have weathered Michigan’s economic troubles better than most.”

For example, the MEA claims school employees have saved taxpayers $1 billion over the last three years through contract concessions. Using the latest data available from the Michigan Department of Education, Van Beek found that Michigan spent nearly $40 million more on public school employee compensation in 2008 than in 2006.

“In the end, pay increases for school employees outpaced any concessions made by particular employee groups,” Van Beek said. “The bottom line shows that there were no savings for taxpayers.”

Van Beek also fact-checked claims that class sizes are rising, that teachers on average spend $500 out-of-pocket annually on school supplies and that ineffective tax breaks for businesses are hurting schools financially. The last allegation was the only one that could be confirmed — several studies, including two authored by Mackinac Center scholars, have shown empirically that Michigan’s tax incentive programs fail to create jobs. The cost of these programs, however, only amount to 3 percent of what the state spends on school employee compensation each year.

“A healthy dialogue on how schools can best use their limited resources is important,” Van Beek added. “Unfortunately, the MEA’s ads don’t add anything to the debate and perpetuate common school funding myths.”

The Center’s video can be found at http://www.mackinac.org/12928#3322.

Perusing through a recent financial statement of the MEA I decided to randomly pick a name of someone who had been compensated for one reason or another..  Aside from the DOZENS of $120K/yearly employees and stooges, there are a number of outside attorneys and contractors who make their livelihood through this bloated union monopoly.

The person I decided to follow up on is Arbitrator Paul E. Glendon. I assume nothing of this person’s character, nor do I know him…

BUT,  when we make decisions that involve political issues such as union matters, the selection of an arbitrator might well be a carefully considered one.  His selection serves well as a single referenced case that suggests a bias before the details could even be known.

“AUTOMOTIVE AND ARMAMENTS COMMAND, WARREN, MICH., AND AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 1658.” US Fed News Service, Including US State News. HT Media Ltd. 2006. HighBeam Research. 2 Dec. 2009 <http://www.highbeam.com>.

Now add to this the ongoing support by this “arbitrator” of a particular political philosophy, and you might see a trend..

Suppose my business was fighting for its economic life against the will of a union, and the suggestion of arbitration was placed before me.  It seems I would at least investigate the possibility the arbitrator they pick might have a predisposition to favor  the labor mentality..  hmm?

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Its not really important how much power you actually have, but whether your opponents THINK you have it.

The recent budget battle in Lansing was an opportunity for the MEA to demonstrate a reasonable concern about the job security of the school employees that it represents.  Instead, it chose to offer many republican lawmakers a choice of becoming a target in upcoming elections, or vote along with them to keep the status quo.  The status quo by the way, using stimulus money from the federal government to pay today what then becomes a bigger issue a year from now.

Teachers might think twice when considering this a good move.  Given the current backlash at over taxation and lack of checks on government, any additional trouble with the finances of our K-12 System is likely to draw even more attention to facts such as these:

One way to get an objective handle of what is going on in this dispute — and to judge for yourself what constitutes an “adequate” level of school spending — is to consider the most recent rankings of education cost inputs from the American Legislative Exchange Council, using data from the U.S. Department of Education. For example, according to ALEC, the average teacher salary in the United States for 2006-2007 was $46,593. Michigan has the 4th highest paid teachers on the list, with an average salary of $58,482.

Next, given that Michigan cannot even get its high schools into the top 20 in the country is it fair to assume that we may not be getting our value?

The MEA and its kissing (and lobbying) cousins in other states could likely care less.  As long as its officers are well employed and a fat insurance and benefits package  mandate feeds this leviathan.  When school boards try to stretch a little less each year by privatization efforts, and the MEA activity shows full force for recalls, and other disruptive activities, it seems that the quest to help the “system” provide the most benefit to the students is overcome.

The MEA has certainly worked hard at getting as much as it possibly can for the teachers, resulting in the 4th most comfortable compensation package in the nation, but to suggest that it does so with an altruistic intent of better educating the children is a severe mistake that now threatens EVERY taxpayer with higher taxes, and sooner than later.  Higher taxes, which will most certainly result in more protests, more finger pointing at legislators that need to “strap a couple on,” and a harsher backlash at the state’s education system as a whole.

The superintendents of public schools across the state should consider now how best to prepare for dealing with budgets that will be SEVERELY cut on the next go round.  New contracts that are negotiated will have to done with a mind towards reductions in pay for educators who have had a good ride up until now.  Educators that should have had their representation on a little shorter leash.

My prediction: consider a $10,000-$15,000 cut per teacher salary not entirely off  the list of possibilities as School boards recieve word from Lansing that the state is broke.

Michigan Assistant House Republican Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, issued the following statement after failure of legislative leaders to reach a balanced budget agreement before the start of the 2009-2010 fiscal year:

“This is a dark day for Michigan at the worst possible moment. We have failed to reach a budget agreement, and as the elected leaders of this state, we have failed the working families who sent us here to make the tough decisions.

Meekhof is correct, but they still managed a continuation of Schools, Police, and essential State operations..  Frankly, what else do we need?  The State budget of $44B+ is an atrocity, and much of the funding for the schools now looks to be front-loaded with money from the federal stimulus.

What that means is that the Schools will wrestle with an even greater budget hole NEXT YEAR.

And speaking of schools and stimulus, here is another demonstration of what happens when government becomes the daddy, and the MEA becomes the Mommy.. From Fox News :

DETROIT — Public school districts across Michigan mobilized Wednesday to boost attendance for Count Day, the annual fall roll call that largely determines how much money each district receives under the state’s per-pupil funding system.

Students in Detroit were treated to free meals, ice-cream parties, T-shirts, celebrity visits and a chance to win iPods and a plasma-TV

The article goes on to note the spending of $500,000 and the appearance of Bill Cosby in ads to get kids motivated to learn.

Count day is important, Acting headmaster Bobb has his hands full trying to wrestle every single penny he can from what might be considered a “beef jerky” Michigan School budget, as it has shriveled.

Perhaps if families were encouraged by “need” to stay together?  Maybe, JUST MAYBE if the state didn’t provide that umbrella through its burgeoning welfare, and left the money in the hands of job providers to grow and be more competitive, the heads of households would have jobs to go to?  Call me old fashioned, but when you see stories where a neighbor cannot take care of another’s child for a few hours without being threatened by the LAW, and you have to BRIBE children to go to school..  maybe we have crossed over a line that should not have been crossed.

The best lesson in the failure of government’s best efforts lay before us in the past several day’s new cycle.  When you spend more on it you buy more of it..  I am talking about poverty and failure.

It is said “necessity is the mother of invention,” and I would argue we have been allowing the atrophy of the creative mind go to waste for far too long.  Michigan’s budget should be HALF what it is, and Michigan community and families would be twice as strong for it.

Just a gratuitous posting of a picture of "Perks" the pig.

Generally, I would say to the kids: “The MEA is NOT about your education. Understand some of your teachers will get their marching orders from the MEA, and under some circumstances just might ignore your pleas of “wanting” an uninterrupted education.  “  In fact..  The MEA’s (Michigan Education Association) real value is just doing whatever is necessary to keep them at the “comfort level” of #4 in the nation for pay and atmosphere.  The problem is, while the rest of the state suffers at the hands of those who the MEA supports politically, the teachers do just fine.  Those others who are hurting are your parents.

And..

To the school employees: “You have had a good run, but guess what.. It might just be time to take your medicine along with the other unfortunate souls who have paid your checks and provided you with the excellent benefits for so many years. But it doesnt mean you are without a course of action.  Just imagine if you could make more and do better, by [shudder] actually performing better than the next guy, but.. sorry you belong to a union..  Mediocrity is guaranteed by your representation.  You cannot do better unless you go into the private sector, and make IT better.”

But On the other hand, perhaps it just wont happen..  Who cares what is happening anywhere else?  When on a moments notice you can huff and puff and blow down the doors of a school board which is trying to make the difficult decisions that are necessary for the continued education of our state’s children.  An effort in 2008 failed.

But even on THAT matter, the MEA however, HAS offered a little hope recently.  With its refusal to back a recall attempt in Lenawee county:

Jim Berryman, Uniserv director for the Michigan Education Association, has headed the negotiating team for the TEA for the past 10 years. He said the teachers’ wages have taken a hit in the past five years, but it was done with one goal: keeping the quality of education high in Tecumseh during a rough economy.

Berryman said the MEA and TEA are not backing the recall and will not take a position on it. That issue is between the board and school district voters, he said.

Not only that.. but lo and behold, the MEA stood up against growing government in this hard economic cycle! Or …was it merely lip service?

As a protector of those who pay their dues, the MEA does a fine job, EXCEPT it is not willing to give up the perk of playing middleman in the insurance game between school employees and BCBS of Michigan. For what the School employees, and the taxpayers contribute, perhaps they could get even more ..sans the skim.

Jack McHugh of the Mackinac center points out a few things folks should know when discussing these issues, which are fresh with the recent declaration of Democrat Andy Dillon, that he would consider pooling the benefits of school employees for maximum value to the state and tax payers..

Under the current system, every individual school district negotiates its employee health insurance with regional teams from a statewide union. This is a disaster, and has been so for decades. Most school boards are like 98-pound weaklings boxing against a powerful union that’s rippling with political muscle. The union uses its muscle to steer business to the Michigan Education Special Services Association, the MEA’s third-party administrator that outsources insurance underwriting to Blue Cross Blue Shield and then resells the policies to school districts.

Yeah.. What he said.

McHugh acknowledges that the savings would likely not be as large as Dillon suggests, but that they would be large enough to be considered worthwhile.

The $900 million savings Dillon promises is probably exaggerated, given evidence I’ve seen suggesting that school health insurance consumes around $2.6 billion annually. (Better figures will probably become available soon.) The Speaker says a larger pool of employees will allow the state to save $400 to $600 million by squeezing health care providers for concessions. Economies of scale add another $200 million, and the balance comes through administrative and other efficiencies. That is mostly “blue sky,” but the political dynamics described above are real, and have the potential to save serious money.

McHugh added his own suggestion about HSAs as well, which might actually bring the savings to the point that Dillon considers possible, but ultimately backs up the idea that Dillon is on the right track.. IF HE PROCEEDS.

I am in a sales / service type of business, so you will see this quote again from me in future articles…  “Undersell, but Overdeliver..  It will keep em coming back.”  There is little so satisfying as finding you are getting more than you bargained for, but in a good way.  It limits returns, refunds, and creates goodwill.

But when dealing in the public sector, it seems all sales are final. So maybe this is not applicable..  But I am certainly willing to let Dillon prove me wrong.

Doug Pratt Of The MEA

“This is a massive expansion of government at a time when we can’t even get the budget balanced,” said MEA spokesman Doug Pratt. “These savings aren’t here and the taxpayers shouldn’t fall for it. Why would public school employees trust the health of their families to a state bureaucracy in Lansing?”

Oh.. right.. Lansing..  Of course they did not specifically mention Obama’s proposals, but lets not call them hypocrites, but rather roll out the red carpet, and welcome them to the fold, because SURELY massive expansions in the time of budget troubles are WRONG, and the MEA is reminding us of just that fact.

This of course is related to the health care issue anyhow, as one of our State leaders, Andy Dillon has proposed to change the way the state buys its workers health insurance to control costs.  The free press reports:

His idea: sweep public employees and retirees — about 400,000 city and county workers, teachers, police and firefighters, college professors, legislators and even the governor — into one statewide health insurance plan that he said eventually would save up to $900 million a year.

Dillon, a Redford Township Democrat, got a lukewarm response from Gov. Jennifer Granholm and his own Democratic caucus.

“It’s my hope this keeps people working,” he said.

Of course he sees the writing on the wall..  I must give him credit for understanding that post 2010, it is HIGHLY likely that any further budget shortages will result in MASSIVE cuts to the state of Michigan’s payroll (as it should be already) creating even fewer opportunities for protected class union transfers into government. Dillon might well be simply looking out for the quantity, not the quality..

But what the hey.. Kudos to Dillon for bringing out the spitting truth from the MEA, and congratulations to the MEA for discovering the courage to Declare Obama’s plans inappropriate under the circumstances!

H/T to Chetly Zarko of Outside Lansing

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Update – And Speaking of massive increases in Bureaucracy..

And we ain’t seen nothing yet. House Republicans on the Joint Economic Committee sifted through their opponents’ 1,018-page health care bill and released a dizzying flow chart detailing the Byzantine bureaucracy Obamacare would create. Washington would become the home of at least 31 new federal programs, agencies, and commissions to oversee the government-run health insurance regime.

Bubububaby we just aint seen nuthin yet.. as the song goes..

Something happened however.

When we allowed government to give unilateral bargaining power to one entity (the UAW) and took away the power of a manufacturing business to negotiate for its survival the way any business ought to, we allowed the invasive pestilence of socialist enterprise a foothold in our political development.  Even the casual observer of recent events involving the auto giants has to conclude there have been overreaches by unions in their aggressive extortion of American PRIVATE business.  In the process, we have seen the entire economic infrastructure of the United States weakened.

There are many effects stemming from the clogging of the economic arteries of this great nation.  Fat with power, the party in control only feeds its eventual cardiac arrest.  In the meantime, much like an excessively obese human, the union’s hunger is not sated by a look in the mirror at a picture of cellulite embedded reality, they reach for even more. As the manufacturing sectors fail, the Unions in Michigan have been steadily building Government as their last retreat.  Granholm, the willing enabler of labor’s gluttony has capitulated enough to expand the size of Michigan government  and the number of Government Union Positions.

NOW..  as School boards have been fighting tooth and nail to keep enough money in the coffers for (of all things) EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN, by limiting the control of the MEA in the costly insurance mark up game, the MEA is apparently searching for another cash cow? Not surprising.  At least not to those who understand what a cancer big labor can be. It has crippled our manufacturing base, and put at risk what used to be the educational envy of the country.

Considering the major organs of the state are so clearly infected, perhaps it is time for Michigan to take its pill, and let an automaker fail if need be to properly healed.  A “chemo therapy” of sorts.  And as it is with the chemo treatments, we sometimes must lose a bit of the good to rid ourselves so completely of the bad.