Teacher Layoffs Loom Nationwide, DC Restaurants Humming, Jobs & Justice

Dave Johnson — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:27:29 -0400

Some say that "government can't create jobs." Others respond "unemployed people can't create votes." Meanwhile, conservatives, whose policies put so many people out of work, now say unemployed people are lazy and should not be collecting unemployment benefits.

Washington, DC is the center of a strange Information Deficit Disorder. The restaurants in DC are humming, the median income is really high, the Pentagon contracts are flowing. Seriously, pick a DC-area zip code, say 22314, and go to this site: "Dollar Amount of Defense Contracts Awarded to Contractors in this Zip Code from 2000 to 2009: $7,086,397,848." Even better, scroll down the page and look at some of the contracts and amounts awarded. So-and-so Consulting, $54,024, 204. So-and-so Associates, $1,698,274. Even better, see how many have the same address. This is just one zip code. There are pages and pages and pages like this for DC-area zip code after zip code. Clearly it is really, really good to be part of the military industry.

So from DC's viewpoint things are doing mighty fine. One Representative from Pennsylvania actually said the other day, "businesses back home complain that they want to start hiring but are getting few applicants because Congress has repeatedly extended unemployment benefits." Her district has 10% unemployment. There appear to be 14,900 people unemployed just in the city of Erie, which is in her district. Here are ALL 99 jobs advertised in the local paper.

Maybe this strange DC Information Deficit Disorder explains why hundreds of thousands of teachers are about to be laid off around the country because Congress isn't interested in acting. Republicans, who want schools privatized, call it a "bailout." Fox News, Teachers Seek $23b- Lifeline or Bailout?,

Education analyst Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation ... questions the wisdom of funneling federal taxpayer funds, in any amount, to the public school system as it is presently structured. [. . .] they dont need another bailout from Washington for public education.

Sen. Harkin's $23 Billion Teacher Bailout Stalls

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's $23 billion amendment to bailout 300,000 teachers who will otherwise lose their jobs has stalled. “I have no Republicans who want to vote for it," he told Capitol News Connection. Meanwhile, in the House today, the Secretary of Education and top Democrats in the House struggle to drum up support for the same measure.

It isn't so good to be part of the teaching profession right now. Or a parent, for that matter. In fact, these days it isn't so good to be part of almost any profession except military or Wall Street.

I have been attaching the following paragraph to several posts about the jobs emergency:

President Obama has talked about a bold, large scale vision for a new direction for the country. But Congress and the President are getting trapped in austerity budget thinking that won’t allow them to go in the direction of stimulus and helping regular people. If there is to be no money because of an austerity budget then American competitiveness, the economy and the mood of the public can only get worse. Do the DC elites actually believe the public is going to reward this with votes?

Students Dropping Out of High School--Still a Problem

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:15:48 -0400

Only 70% of entering freshmen and barely half of students of color finish high school with a regular diploma four years later. Every school day, nearly 7,000 American high school students become dropouts.

Teachers Won't Stay in the Profession

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:11:52 -0400

Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession during their first five years.

Public School Teachers Not Paid Enough to Keep up with Soaring Costs

Alex Carter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:03:18 -0400

Over the past 10 years, the average salary for public schoolteachers increased only 1.3 percent after adjusting for inflation, not enough to keep pace with the soaring costs of housing, health care and gasoline.

Iraq War vs. Teachers

Eric Lotke — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:41:33 -0500

With one day of Iraq War funding we could have hired 7,030 new public school teachers.