Michigan Votes Forum

So you want to not only dictate the teaching of a particular view of history, but to make things more "interesting" you want it taught by a person that IN a union to ensure the "proper" point of view. Ha... Ha, Ha...Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha....

You kill me!

My God.

This is unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's the next agenda ??????

Marxism?????

 Truth is stranger than fiction.  And this is why the government should not be responsible for educating our children. 

As much as I support unions, I see no need for this bill. Labor unions are a part of our history, and should be taught as such. History books that don't include a complete picture of the historic moments that brought us to the present should not be purchased.

Stop micromanaging curriculum for your own political agendas. In this class on the glorious history of labor unions will you also include Jimmy Hoffa? Political and financial corruption? The government having to step in and oversee both the finances and the elections because of the rampant illegalities? I understand. I'm sure union endorsements helped get you elected and you made some promises. But now you can give it a rest. Less than 10% of the workforce is unionized, and if we were a right to work state the number would be even less. Unions are just big business. The union officials earning 6 figures and driving their Lincolns know nothing about the people they are supposed to be representing. Let the teachers teach without political meddling. There's enough politics in the classrooms as it is.

No matter your opinion of unions sallye, they are still a part of history, good and bad, much more good than bad, but all history should be taught, and we don't need a new law to do it. Sure teach them about Hoffa, and the robber barons, and Enron, and all of history.

Without unions Michigan would not have become the mecca for the middle class it was.

 i notice that the operative word in your missive is WAS. thanks to the unions, it no longer IS. thanks to our governor, it no longer IS. our children are taught about unions. they see the caliber of teacher standing in front of them and realize that he or she is only there because some union protects their job, not because they are a superior teacher having to compete fairly for the job. they see the quality of automobiles put out today, and realize that unions make those lapses in quality that make for third second rate auto companies possible. they look at the politics being played in lansing, and washington, and realize that most of the problems come from the candidates that union funds elected.

now you wish to enshrine unions, and leftist thought, in our culture by teaching our children about the benefits of unions, but not any of the drawbacks. our children sit in front of a union representative all day for twelve years, if there is one thing they understand, it's how unions work and don't work. 

 wasn't it you who was taught by a union teacher out of a book that never should have been purchased that we live in a democracy?

Can't quite figure out what you were trying to say there with the previous post. Kind of jumbled.

Unions are not the reason the american auto industry has collapsed, globalization is. The auto industry was doing very well while paying excellent wages and providing good benefits. So was the real estate industry, the building industry, and the bars.

The American auto industry is building high quality automobiles, as recognizedgo by all the industry standards, thanks in large measure by the intervention of the union.

The world is in an economic downward spiral because of unregulated markets in this country, not because some teacher or auto worker was making too much money, and not working hard enough. Greed and wild speculation on Wall Street and in the banking industry is the cause of our demise, not some poor shmuck trying to make a living and live the "American Dream".

tell me, jman.

why are vehicles made in tennessee, in a non-union plant selling better and faster than all the vehicles made in detroit in three union factories?

henry ford globalized in 1916, when he and harvey firestone bought a rubber plantation in south america. ford globalized again in 1922, when it bought the lotus plant and started producing cars there. all the auto makers globalized again in 1935, when they started making bendix brake parts standard on all models. bendix was a german company at that time. it made things pretty sticky during the second world war.

chrysler/mopar globalized in 1933, when it bought spark plugs and electrical parts from bosch, another german company.

all these moves cost american auto worker's jobs. all are part of history. the unions were, and still are, powerless to stop globalization. they are also powerless to do anything except collect money for something they will never be able to deliver in today's or any day's  economy, job security. 

Why don’t you mandate that the PUBLIC schools teach students about the mandatory MEA dues that MUST be paid (or the relative same level of "other fees" you still MUST pay if you try to opt out of the UNION) in order to work in the PUBLIC schools - in any job.

Teach about how the STATE mandates by law a retirement fund for every public school worker to the extent that the PUBLIC schools are now privatizing support services so they don’t have to pay for the retirements of the lowly PUBLIC Schools employees. (There is no retirement fund necessary when they terminate the Public School employees- was that the intent of the law when it was created- to eliminate public service jobs? How anti- Democrat. )

Teach that the MEA does not represent ALL of the PUBLIC school employees but is more than willing to TAKE the money from ALL the PUBLIC School employees to finance the many jobs in the UNION’s structure and the UNION’s inequitable representation of it’s members.

Public School support services personnel are increasingly losing JOBS, health, dental, and vision insurance coverage, sick days, vacation days, holidays, snow days AND hourly pay in Michigan. These Michigan citizens only make $20,000 or less a year to begin with (less GOVERNMENT taxes and UNION Dues of course.) What’s the poverty level of income? Can people working for poverty level wages afford health care? How much room is left on MIChild? I guess we’ll find out!

The TOTAL compensation is what made these public service jobs desirable and viable. SOME of these PUBLIC service jobs are even considered ineligible by school law from unemployment during the summer even though they don’t qualify under the definition of "seasonal worker" under other labor laws and it is proposed that all of these lowly jobs will be ineligible for unemployment during the summer EVEN if they are PRIVATIZED! (Try pulling that one over on the UAW!).

Why not make it so that anyone in the state that works less than 12 full months a year is a seasonal worker? How does the UAW get away with milking the unemployment fund for INDUSTRY-driven shutdowns? The UIA even set up temporary offices in the past on auto industry properties so that they could ease the burden of the UAW employees in applying for two weeks of unemployment! But public school employees have to SAVE 2 month’s worth of their $16,000 net income to get through the lean unpaid summer months.

Why not take the benefits, especially retirement, from ALL public employees including all the tenured teachers and politicians. Now that would be fair! (However un-American - it’s not only AIG that’s inflicted with PIG)

Why not scrap the busses and have the teachers teach students to teach their parents to drive them to school and to pack their lunches! Hey teachers...who is next when there isn’t any more support services to cut? Thanks for your support!

Bye Michigan! You can keep the house!

 jamangan, your view of history and economics is way off base.  You comment about robber barons rather than industrial leaders who put their capital to work and created jobs that ultimately brought the American standard of living up to the level it is today.  Sure some of the working conditions were not the best, but no one forced people to work those jobs, so why would they work there?  It must be because that was the best opportunity available for uneducated, unskilled workers. 

Then you comment that globalization is the reason the American auto industry has collapsed but you are wrong again.  Open trade between nations is the key to prosperity and restricting that trade in the past has caused huge suffering, including the great depression.  World War II reopened trade and thus, ended the depression.  Perhaps you should read some views on economics that oppose what you believe.  Henry Hazlitt's, Economics in One Lesson would be a good start.