As much as I am in support of teachers having collective bargaining rights, I don't think now is the time for educators to go on strike. Education is not an elastic issue, and teachers have a social responsibility to keep schools running. Civil disobedience does not work by ignoring the most vulnerable individuals in our society. And a strike points to a neglect in education which does nothing to prompt a proper solution.
Wisconsin is not the only state going through this budget crisis. The Michigan Education Association, Michigan's largest teachers' union, is now asking to have its members vote on initiating ""crisis activities"" by April 14. According to Upper Michigan Source, this is in response to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's budget plan that allows the appointment of ""emergency financial managers,"" who have the authority to throw out contracts, including collective bargaining agreements.
The Republican argument that slashing taxes leads to economic growth and that program cuts reduce budget problems is getting old. There is very little evidence to support these claims as causal. We are at war and facing a huge deficit. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, has long been against these large tax cuts to the wealthy and has proposed a new surtax on millionaires.
The Republican mantra is cut, cut, cut. It's all about deficit reducing, not revenue producing. Sanders has proposed a 5.4 percent surtax on adjusted gross incomes over $1 million and has said it could raise as much as $50 billion a year. Who can argue with that? On the state level, we need to increase our progressive tax system, not rely on deep budget cuts.
The impact of teachers striking will no doubt be large and expansive, but it is not viable. The results would be large numbers of schools closing, which would result in challenges for parents and children alike. I sympathize with teachers who are dealing with pay cuts and losing collective bargaining rights, but I think the best mode of argument is for teachers to show they are dedicated to education.
Use your spare time to write to your representatives in Congress or call them up and engage people in the troubles you are going through. The only way to convince the other side that you are in the right is to show them that you won't stoop to their level of politics. One of the reasons that the protests at the capitol have been so divisive is that a lot of people were angry that teacher's called in ""sick"" to protest. Because that usually doesn't work in a private sector job, it's hard to sympathize with a group that is taking advantage of a system.
I say, stay in school and teach your kids. Protest on your free time and show everyone that you are committed to having representation. It may take some time, but it's the best option. In the long term, I think that teachers will get the compensation they deserve.
English teacher Randy Turner wrote in The Huffington Post that teachers are not doing their job today. He wrote, ""Public school teachers have failed miserably by producing the most incompetent, mean-spirited legislators in U.S. History."" So, I say to teachers, focus on providing the best service you can to your students to educate them on the world so they can do a better job of making your life better when they represent you.
Soren Nieminen is a senior majoring in a communication arts. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
