Do not make a mistake about it, the salaries of most teachers across this nation are bankrupting families and town budgets. Typically education budgets account for 70 to 90 percent of a municipalities budget.  However, only 20% of household units have children in school. Hence, 80% of those who do not get the benefit of the education monopoly pay 80% of the bill. 

Because teachers salaries are 50% higher when compared to private industry, one can conclude that the taxpayer is being separated by his money by a legal pickpocket, the teachers union.  Right now teachers salaries are set by negotiation, but if negotiation does not lead to a compromise the salary issue goes to arbitration. And who are the arbitrators?  In most cases, liberal enablers, ex-teachers and union patsies.  So, in the long run the taxpayer does not have a chance. He is doomed from the beginning.

The teachers lobby, that is the union, is against charter schools, teacher merit increases, pay for ability and any other form of improving the lives of our school age children. What can be done in the short term? Not much, but show your support for no budget increases. Demand accountability.  As we all know, the graduation rate in some areas of the country is 50%. What can we attribute this too? There is only one answer, the education monopoly.  It is said that 25% of those accepted to college have to take remedial reading and math courses just to qualify as freshman. What happened in elementary and secondary school? Didn't the teachers teach them anything?

What effect does the teacher monopoly have on town budgets? It is very simple, when it comes time to set the budget, the first to go are ancillary town services.  For instance, shut down of parks, pools, recreation areas, libraries, extra curricular activities. Reduce or freeze town employee salaries is always on the table, no matter how exemplary the employee. But teachers will never acquiesce to help the town budgets. Renegotiation of their salaries is off the table.

The answer to the question of where is your hard earned money going? Is to the union teachers.  As a recent article in the Sunday Republican published in Waterbury, Ct indicated, we, the taxpayers are mere peasants when it comes up to arbitrating teacher salaries.  Chris Powell , the managing editor of the Journal Inquirer in Manchester had the lead editorial in the Sunday Edition, it was titled "Costly Salaries, benefits, force liquidation."