I will protect your pensions. Nothing about your pension is going to change when I am governor. - Chris Christie, "An Open Letter to the Teachers of NJ" October, 2009

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

You don't know what's best for you

Do you see a pattern below?

So the kids who protested the school budget cuts in NJ were obviously getting duped because they don't get the real facts:
"It is also our firm hope that the students were motivated by youthful rebellion or spring fever – and not by encouragement from any one-sided view of the current budget crisis in New Jersey. Students would be better served if they were given a full, impartial understanding of the problems that got us here in the first place and why dramatic action was needed.”
Just like the "drug mules" the teachers use:
"Scaring students in the classroom, scaring parents with the notes home in the bookbags, and the mandatory 'Project Democracy Homework' asking your parents about what they're going to do in the school board election, and reporting back to your teachers union representatives, using the students like drug mules to carry information back to the classroom, is reprehensible."
Of course, NJEA bashing isn't the same as teacher bashing in the Christie world:

I honor the service of good, conscientious teachers who care deeply about training the leaders of tomorrow for our state.
The leaders of the union who represent these teachers, however, have used their political muscle to set up two classes of citizens in New Jersey... Political muscle fueled by intimidation tactics, political bullying and smears of public officials who dare to disagree. 
 Because the NJEA isn't working in teachers' interests:
“If they're so concerned about the $750 a year the teachers would have to pay, you know, their dues that they make every teacher pay are $730 a year   --   just about the same amount. It raises $130 million a year for the teachers'  union. How about they just try and get by on the  $130 million they got last year, waive the dues for this year, and then their teachers would be held harmless?"
 Because they don't really care about the teachers:
It's mind-boggling that they [the NJEA] care so little about their colleagues' jobs. These are unprecedented times of financial distress.
So the teachers use the students, and the union uses the teachers. Everybody is a sap and is everyone being duped. If you disagree with Chris Christie, you're either an evil PT Barnum or another poor one-a-minute sucker.

Gee, I seem to recall another politician from not too long ago who used similar rhetoric:

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