Colorado teachers' union comes out against capitalism
Capitalism exploits "children, public schools, land, labor and/or resources," declared the Colorado Education Association in a resolution last month. According to the teachers' union, "capitalism is in opposition to fully addressing systemic racism (the school to prison pipeline), climate change, patriarchy, (gender and LGBTQ disparities), education inequality, and income inequality." t
The original proposal called for "a new, equitable economic system," but that was voted down.
The National Education Association had no comment on its affiliate's stand. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, criticized the resolution on "America's Newsroom," calling it "bizarre."
"It’s the great economic engine of capitalism that creates the prosperity that funds our schools," Polis said. "Capitalism keeps teachers salaries up, funds our schools, and leads to the great prosperity we have."
"Bizarre" is accurate. Also "stupid."
Public schools lost enrollment -- and trust -- during lockdowns. After more than two years of disrupted schooling, educators need to persuade parents that public schools are focused on teaching reading, writing, math, science, history and civics -- not on indoctrinating or "transing" other people's children. My advice as the daughter of an advertising/PR man is: Ix-nay on the arxism-May. Keep your political opinions to yourselves.
I am quite sure that most Colorado teachers are not communist agitators. The ones who attend union assemblies are the most political.
When I started in journalism and joined the Newspaper Guild, I was amused by the old-fashioned cartoons in our union newspaper. They usually featured a fat, bowler-hatted, cigar-smoking boss abusing a noble worker with his shirt sleeves rolled up. The Guild guys were stuck in the 1930's. The rest of us had moved on.