Forget W. - Crucify Schwarzenegger
By Isaiah Z. Sterrett (03/24/05)
THE SECOND anniversary of the Iraq war’s commencement was met by about 400 fuming protesters in Oslo. Four hundred—or, the approximate number of people in line for the bathroom at similar demonstrations two years ago—were all that could be found in that city.
In Sunday’s New York Times, the ideal place for a poignant antiwar plea, readers were disappointed to find an editorial not about the Mid-East, but about the burning issue of unbalanced ecosystems in the Mid-Atlantic. “White-tailed deer are a plague,” the paper coolly noted.
Left-wing anger is still out and about, but in new form. For instance, now it’s more couth than ever to pick on Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s very disquieting. Democrats were always sort of annoyed with the California governor, but they were so tired of Gray Davis that they were reluctantly supportive of Arnold. Susan Estrich, who’s currently humiliating herself down in L.A., loved Arnold. Now Democrats are turning their backs on him.
Teachers are at the center of the battle. They, represented by their ultra-powerful union, want their pay to relate to tenure, and Schwarzenegger wants it to be based on merit. He also called the Golden State’s public education “a failing system.”
The best argument against the merit-pay option was the one recently delivered by Jim Thomas, president of the Temecula Valley Educators Association. “Merit pay is unfair,” he argued, because it’s tied to variables such as “nutrition,” and “a student’s homefront.” In other words, the genuine teachers who actually teach are the same as the counterfeit teachers who do nothing; if your kids aren’t learning, it’s because of their “homefront” or “nutrition.”
If Johnny can’t do long division, give him an apple.
Joyce Aoyagi, a retired teacher writing in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, is similarly vexed by the idea of linking teachers’ salaries to teaching ability. Such a system “makes for a very unhappy work place,” she says. Also—and this is at the top of the list—it’s really hard to become a teacher in California(!). “Teachers are required to continue taking courses throughout their teaching careers, to keep in step with new textbooks, world events and expanding knowledge in all areas.”
Imagine: teachers have to bother with “world events”—and even “textbooks”? No wonder they need a union.
Revealingly, Aoyagi goes on to say that Gov. Schwarzenegger must afford teachers “fair living wage.” What does she think Arnold wants to do—pay teachers in peanuts? This isn’t about survival, it’s about ensuring that only good teachers are allowed to teach. We’re not trying to throw bad teachers in gulags; we just think it would be nice if they’d find a new profession.
Aoyagi darkly concludes her op-ed by arguing that teachers are “the best friends children have in their lives.” Firstly, Mother and Father would likely dispute that. Secondly, if that is true—if teachers really are the sole light in the doldrums of childhood—we must absolutely require merit-pay standards! If children only have one friend, and that friend is paid by the state, shouldn’t the state ensure that teachers are of high quality? That seems clear.
California liberals are mad, also, because…funding is too low! Unique argument, isn’t it? I’d never heard it before. Gov. Schwarzenegger’s 2005-06 budget calls for an increase in education of $2.9 billion—but never mind that. It’s much more fun to hold up banners with the slogan “Teacher Terminator,” as Irvine protesters recently did, than make a point.
There are two essential reasons for the opposition to Schwarzenegger: (a) liberals need something to do, and the war is going to well to warrant furor, and (b) California is the state of Condi Rice. As the reader may remember, Condi’s the brilliant Secretary of State who just may wind up as the Republican presidential nominee in 2008.
It’s going to be a hard sell, to be sure. Democrats need to work on how, exactly, they can tie California to Condi. But, insofar as these are the people who defended Dan Rather to the bloody end, they’ll try it. So they’d best start early! Attack Arnold now, get Condi later. It’s very mature.
In the meantime, Californians will support the governor. Contrary to what the other 49 states think, we’re not completely crazy. Occasionally, we do something right. And at the moment, Schwarzenegger’s right.
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