Good Morning...but I digress.

For those of you (all three of you) that read this outside of Indiana, you might not know that the Democrat contingent of our legislature is taking a now over one month vacation in Illinois! I wonder if they are partying with the guys from Wisconsin?

It started over right-to-work. Which basically is that a company can hire a person for a union job and the union cannot require them to join the union. Doesn't sound right does it? Well there are a couple of things the unions and Democrats don't want you to know. The biggest being that if they don't pay union dues the union doesn't represent them. So it doesn't do away with collective bargaining. It just allows them to hire someone for a non-negotiated wage and benefit package. Most of the union members you see demonstrating at state capitols don't know that fact. Their union's stewards are keeping that information from them. Unions will tell you they are working for the middle class. How many middle class people do you know that are making 28-30 dollars per hour? Along with their health and retirement benefits completely paid by the company? Is yours? Mine is not and never has been. Also, if you don't do your job, or don't do accepted quality work, what happens? You usually lose your job and get to find another one. But if you’re in a union don't worry. You either get moved to another job if you're working in construction, or another line in a factory, or your supervisor is replaced with one you can get along with.

Growing up I heard stories from friends' parents about people they knew in the factories (UAW Chrysler and GM plants) that played cards all day, came in drunk or high if it was a second or third shift job, or left the factory and went shopping half the day. Nice work if you can get it. Remember the old adage about you never want to buy a car built on Friday or Monday? There is a reason!

Okay, I know not all unions jobs are bad and not all union workers are drunks or people who don't work. But what would you do if you knew your work performance didn't matter concerning you keeping your job?

A big part of the problem in Wisconsin and Indiana is teachers. You want to talk about quality of the product produced? In Wisconsin only 30% of eighth graders can read at grade level. Now they are making good money, getting fully paid health and pensions but not producing a product that will even be able to make a wage to be taxed to cover their retirement.

Indiana spends over $10,000.00 PER CHILD PER YEAR for education! Back thirty five years ago, when I was in school, it was LESS THAN A GRAND! And I bet I got a better education than they do now. Now I know I haven't taken into account inflation but I bet it wouldn't be nine thousand dollars. There are great teachers out there; there are even good administrators. You just have to find them!

Right now in Indiana you can hear radio ads about the governor taking half of that ten grand away from public schools. What they are not telling the listener is it's about school choice. Vouchers so a parent, the few that care about their kids, can choose where their children go and who helps mold their futures. Our president sends his kids to a private school in Washington; why can't you choose where your kid gets his education?

Plus it will force the public schools to COMPETE for those dollars. Maybe it will be more reading, writing, math, and science, and less how to put a condom on or political correctness classes. Think about any home-schooled kids you might know; pretty sharp kids over all. I know not every mother can hom- school their kids, but why can't you send your children to a school that will train and educate them how you would if you could?

Yeah, I know, now you wish I'd go back to writing a blog entry every couple months. I said, my wife reminded me of this the other day, that I'd write what moved me and I would probably make some people mad. Well here you go. I don't mean to make anyone made but it’s my opinion based on over fifty years on GOD's green earth.
Peace,
Jon