Let's Bailout the Teachers!!!

[guido911]

It seems it's "another day, another bailout"--$26B more my yet-to-be-born grandkids will be repaying.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=765_1222731899

But some Republican lawmakers are wondering "when will it ever end?"

"I think that will be the reaction of the American people," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told FoxNews.com.

"We were told the stimulus package would fix these things. Clearly, it has not succeeded at that. At some point, some tough decisions have to be made at the local level -- spending cuts or reforms. I think it's not an appropriate role for the federal government to be involved indefinitely in these things," Cole said.

[Conan71]

They should have given the bailout money to teachers in the first place and told the banksters to suck it. 

[guido911]

They should have given the bailout money to teachers in the first place and told the banksters to suck it. 

Banksters? Are you channeling fotd a little? 

I see this as another political payback. The unions got theirs in the GM/Chrysler bailout and Obamacare, now teachers get theirs in this bailout.

[nathanm]

Perhaps you could fix your link so I could understand what it is you're going on about?

[guido911]

Here's the correct link.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/05/14/obama-administration-seeks-bailout-teachers-nearly-exhausting-stimulus-funds/

[nathanm]

So what they're really saying is "let's keep districts from laying off a fifth of their teachers."

Good. I don't think TPS will be in better shape for laying off over 200 teachers.

In addition to keeping them employed, it will keep them active in the economy, until tax revenues increase at the state level.

I do like the new Republican tactic of referring to everything the federal government spends money on now as a "bailout." Sort of like the Democrats decided they'd start using the phrase "wall street" more.

[highschooljim2]

IMO this is not really a "bailout" because teachers are public employees, and not emplyed like a private company like GM or Goldman Sachs. Still a 10% cut in Oklahoma would result in 5,000 layoffs, or about 1 in 9 teachers. That is a signifigant reduction in the workforce of this state.

[we vs us]

It's a pretty sly movement of the definition of "bailout" to include any sort of government help in any arena, to anyone.  Some smart Beckian rhetoric, right there.

[guido911]

It's a pretty sly movement of the definition of "bailout" to include any sort of government help in any arena, to anyone.  Some smart Beckian rhetoric, right there.

This coming from the genius who coined the expression "law-abiding illegals".   

[guido911]

IMO this is not really a "bailout" because teachers are public employees, and not emplyed like a private company like GM or Goldman Sachs. Still a 10% cut in Oklahoma would result in 5,000 layoffs, or about 1 in 9 teachers. That is a signifigant reduction in the workforce of this state.

I understand that, but Rep. Cole is right. At some point serious belt-tightening needs to happen rather than continuously popping the taxpayer. If that means fewer buses, reduction in sports and other activities, etc., so be it. Heck, that what goes on at the private school my kids attend.  Why should public schools, which are paid for believe it or not by people that have no children in the system, be any different?

[custosnox]

I understand that, but Rep. Cole is right. At some point serious belt-tightening needs to happen rather than continuously popping the taxpayer. If that means fewer buses, reduction in sports and other activities, etc., so be it. Heck, that what goes on at the private school my kids attend.  Why should public schools, which are paid for believe it or not by people that have no children in the system, be any different?

Nice to see that you can be so callouse about the funding of public schools which will cut area's of need, like how many teachers there are to teach already overcrowded classrooms, while you make sure your kids are in a private school and uneffected by it. 

[nathanm]

Why should public schools, which are paid for believe it or not by people that have no children in the system, be any different?

I used to ask that same question myself, given that I have no children and have no desire to have children. At some point it was explained to me that education helps prevent crime and that there's a pretty strong correlation between dropout rates and crime. I did some more research and realized I was being a selfish dolt.

[we vs us]

I understand that, but Rep. Cole is right. At some point serious belt-tightening needs to happen rather than continuously popping the taxpayer.

It's curious that we're choosing the tail end of the worst recession in recent times to do all that righteous belt tightening. 

[Red Arrow]

It's curious that we're choosing the tail end of the worst recession in recent times to do all that righteous belt tightening. 

If we had tightened sooner, we might not have to tighten as much.

[guido911]

It's curious that we're choosing the tail end of the worst recession in recent times to do all that righteous belt tightening. 

We haven't done any belt tightening throughout this recession. It's been "spend spend spend".