Illinois teachers’ union is quite pleased by radical opportunities they would have in an economic depression – Quicktake

The Illinois Federation of Teachers represents over 100,000 teachers in the state. They blocked us on Twitter log ago, as you would expect, but we nevertheless found this recent post:

The story it linked to approvingly is here.

It’s as radical as can be. Our current crisis, it says, “is compared daily to the Great Depression; the metaphor of war is equally commonplace. Could it pave the way to a new union upsurge like the one that emerged in the New Deal era?”

Yes, that’s their hope. Provided they win the November election, “when the economy will surely still be in the doldrums,” it says, “there will be a historic political opening for progressive reforms.” The article is full of contempt for capitalism and glowing references to radical people and efforts like the Occupy movement. It basically expresses the hope that a “millennial-led militance” will use a depression to make palpable gains for the radical left.

And they are teaching our kids.

Mark Glennon

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michael marek
3 years ago

I always find amusing how the public sector workers calls out for “progressive” reforms while they feel NONE of the pain which is being inflicted by the lockdown on the private sector…easy to be a radical on a full stomach

Poor Taxpayer
3 years ago
nixit
3 years ago

According to SeeThroughNY, Ruth Milkman is paid over $200,000 a year to pontificate about labor from her taxpayer-funded jewel-encrusted throne at CUNY. A friendly reminder that while we the people toil, academia lives high on the hog while passing judgment on the happenings of the proletariat far below. Always distant, always judging, always elite, nothing to risk.

nixit
3 years ago

According to SeeThroughNY, Ruth Milkman is paid over $200,000 a year to pontificate about labor from her taxpayer-funded jewel-encrusted throne at CUNY. A friendly reminder that while we the people toil, academia lives high on the hog while passing judgment on the happenings of the proletariat far below. Always distant, always judging, always elite, with nothing to risk.

Susan
3 years ago

The way to fight this inequity is to agitate for equal application of publicly funded defined benefits enjoyed by teachers and government bureaucrats to many other segments of Illinois society. Are teachers and administrators and government bureaucrats lives so much more valuable to society than, say, nurses and doctors? For example, how does Illinois place such low value on nurses and doctors compared to teachers and school administrators? (Compensation per hour worked, normalized to include present value of annuities sufficient to generate 35 years’ spiked pensions with 3%-4% COLA and the de minimus amounts actually paid by the public employee… Read more »

Mick the Tick
3 years ago
Reply to  Susan

I agree. Public health care providers should get more than public teachers and the taxpayers should pay for it. That’s good liberal thinking and should help fix Illinois financial problems. Just don’t ask me to explain it and instead please refer back to Susan’s comment.

Susan
3 years ago
Reply to  Mick the Tick

Arguing that selectively allocated defined benefits (with COLA and retirement mid-fifties with free insurance ) is beyond the means of the taxed community has proven fruitless. The only self defense left for exploited taxpayers is to demand the same financial benefits as the political class. The only counterargument to granting these benefits to all, as far as I can see, are either that such benefits are unaffordable… or that the lives of nurses, doctors and all others are less valuable to society than the lives of teachers and government bureaucrats,. Let’s hear teachers and government bureaucrats twist themselves in knots… Read more »

Mickey
3 years ago
Reply to  Susan

None of this makes any difference in the bigger picture. Illinois and others wil soon run out of cash to operate and pay pension and healthcare benefits. If the US Government bails out IL and other State and local Governments, it buys some time, before the US Government can no longer print money.. If we were to have fixed problems we would not be spending or making promises we knew we could not keep.and now we will have to think about austerity where the big spending gets reversed. Its a simple equation, as businesses are finding out now. What do… Read more »

Susan
3 years ago
Reply to  Mickey

It makes a great deal of difference, in that the transfer of ownership of all Illinois real property will pass from exploited taxpayers to political class insiders.
Property taxes can rise as much as necessary to pay for defined benefits pension and insurance entitlements.
When people cannot afford to pay the property taxes, the title reverts to tax sale, then ultimately abandonment.
At that point, political class insiders will be able to purchase all properties near zero, using public funds leveraged at enormous ratios( meaning, letting taxpayers take the risk while only buyer benefits in ultimate recovery of asset value).

Poor Taxpayer
3 years ago
Reply to  Susan

People like you have destroyed the quality of life for most everyone in the State. Young people no longer stay in Illinois because there is not opportunity to get ahead. The only thing you do is make the exodus out of the state increase every year. The honest hard working taxpayer should run for their economic life and leave the tax base to the GREEDY COPS, TEACHERS AND FIREMEN. Please not they do not pay any state of Illinois taxes. Sounds fair to Susan, it is called shared burden. They take with both hands and the honest hard working taxpayer… Read more »

Susan
3 years ago
Reply to  Poor Taxpayer

What I was trying to articulate was that the only way for taxpayers to survive political class pension entitlements IS TO REQUIRE THE STATE TO GIVE EVERY TAXPAYER SIMILAR PENSION ENTITLEMENTS.

michael marek
3 years ago
Reply to  Susan

yeah..that’s the answer ..its also called socialism and I can assure youthat the level of pay and benefits will be no where near what the public sector workers are getting now relative to their private sector counterparts..

Poor Taxpayer
3 years ago

Everything is just fine, the teachers will get $100,000 a year pensions age 52 for working (180 days a year or less). With 3% annual increase and not PAY ANY STATE INCOME TAXES. The honest hard working poor taxpayer will put in 240 days a year and retire at age 67 with $18,000 a year SS.
Feel like you are getting screwed?
It is because you are.

Illinois Entrepreneur
3 years ago

The author is described as such: “Ruth Milkman is a professor of sociology and labor studies at the City University of New York, and author of the forthcoming ‘Immigrant Labor and the New Precariat’ and other books.” I believe that in order to truly understand labor, management, entrepreneurship and capital, you have to have first-hand experience with all of them. You have to have DONE all of them. I note that most of these “socialism is great” articles are written by academics. Academics live in their own world, and do not understand the real-world elements of these things. I have… Read more »

Paul
3 years ago

They are educated, but unwise.

Excellent way to put it. I say sometimes ignorance is a chosen position.

Chase Gioberti
3 years ago
Reply to  Paul

I always preferred Tom Roeser’s description of Obama – “educated beyond his intelligence”.

Richard Channing
3 years ago
Reply to  Chase Gioberti

You’re very smart! ?

Illinois Entrepreneur
3 years ago
Reply to  Mark Glennon

Funny, I actually have that entire quote framed on a wall in my office. It is one of my favorites. Here is the entire quote, for others who haven’t seen it:

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Gotta have hope
3 years ago

I could not have said that better myself! As a small business owner from an immigrant family, my parents told Not educated scholastically were brilliant! They came here for the freedoms and the opportunities that I see Americans squashing today because they don’t realize how blessed this country has been! Socialism does not work anywhere, and people confuse social services, with government takeover?? if I knew you I would sit and have a cup of coffee and we could talk because we sound like the same person! I too am tired, too old to start over you too young to… Read more »

Illinois Entrepreneur
3 years ago

Nice to meet you, Gotta have hope. This concern of ours — the loss of freedom and free markets and opportunity — is multi-generational, it seems. It’s reassuring that there are many like you and me, and we just have to keep telling our story to those younger than us. They won’t understand it until later, but we have to hope to plug the dam long enough to keep collectivism out of this country until the next generation gets it.

A cup of coffee sounds nice.

Mickey
3 years ago

A quick discussion by a liberal who sees the probems.

https://taibbi.substack.com/p/democrats-have-abandoned-civil-liberties

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