The National Education Association's number-one lawyer, Bob Chanin, retired this year after 41 years with the NEA, and he made a final speech which really reveals the NEA's animosity toward parents and others who don't agree with the NEA's leftwing views. In his speech, Chanin asked this question, and I quote:
"Why are these conservative and right-wing bastards picking on NEA and its affiliates?"
Then, Chanin answered his own question, and again I quote:"NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power, and we have power because there are more than 3 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues each year."
That statement is really arrogant! The NEA would have a small fraction of its power and bank account if it had to depend on teachers "willing to pay" dues. In many states, teachers pay union dues only because it is a condition of their employment. Many of the NEA's contracts require school districts to promptly fire any teacher who fails to pay dues. Mr. Chanin then added: "We are not paranoid, someone really is after us." Chanin is correct. Conservatives are after the NEA. Since this powerful organization has effective control of the public schools and spends millions of taxpayers' dollars to indoctrinate schoolchildren, and spends millions of its own money to lobby for leftwing goals, the NEA certainly deserves to be subjected to citizen surveillance and criticism.
One additional action of the NEA convention I find very amusing. The NEA convention voted down New Business Item 66, which would have required the union to make public the salaries and benefits received by its executives.
Audio version of this commentary.
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