For over forty years our country has suffered innumerable setbacks, but they have always been overcome. Today we face one which may never be overcome.  At the Local, State and Federal level the greatest obstacle is to change the thinking of how we educate our youth.  Forty years in the making has produced a formidable foe which has been embedded itself in most inner cities. That foe so far has with stood all calls for change.  Now is the right time to mount a significant offense against this foe; that foe is the teachers union.  A call has gone out to the soldiers of  TNBTP, they are assuming their battle positions and have been called to arms.  The students of the twenty first century are yearning for reform.  But the politicians do not want to hear about the reformation of our education system. Their solution is to throw good money after bad. It has not worked in the past and will not work in the future. Statistic after statistic portrays a grim picture and it gets grimmer everyday. Our education system is flunking out.

Our youth are not being educated to the degree necessary to meet foreign competition. We need to be pro-active, we need to try new ways in educating our children. If we don't start now we will not be a competitive force world wide in the next century. In many of our central cities across this great nation we find that today's high school graduate has the same ability of an elementary school student and our college graduate is on par with a high school graduate of some forty years ago. This bleak picture tells us one thing, that competition is needed in the way we educate our youth. So far our education system has received a failing grade. New techniques need to be tried, innovation is the life blood of industry, the education industry needs to embrace it. And most of all more choices need to be available.

Tenure is the holy grail of the teachers union; merit increases are forboden. The system is sick, radical surgery is necessary to bring it back to health.  How can we accomplish this task? Two very simple ways, allow for School Choice and Vouchers.  By puncturing the monopoly of union educated children a new door will open.  A door that will lead the way to success. A door that will give us value for our hard earned dollars, a door that will lead to positive results.  Remember bad teachers cannot be fired and good teachers are not paid on merit.. This has two effects, the propagation of poorly prepared teachers whose limited skill set directly effects students and the continuation of  highly qualified and motivated  teachers leaving the system. School Choice will solve these problems.

House of Representative, Jim Himes from the 4th Congressional District of Connecticut, held a town hall meeting in Southport Connecticut. The meeting was held at the quaint Southport library on May 28, 2009.  Mr. Himes addressed the crowd, salutations to all those in attendance were extended. He reiterated the terrible state of our youth by alluding to the fact that only 50% of those who attend high school in Bridgeport Connecticut graduate.  Patriot Clif was in the audience. He held up his hand and was recognized to ask a question.  Patriot Clif spoke, "Representative Himes you previously brought up the fact that the high school students in Bridgeport are dropping out at an alarming rate.  And as you know the greatest asset of a country is an educated populace.  Connecticut's educational system has failed inner city school children. In that regard, do you favor SCHOOL CHOICE?"  Mr. Himes' answer was a big fat "NO".   Guess what? He is a pro teacher union politician and by his answer indicates that he is definitely for the status quo. Did anyone think otherwise?

  Jim Himes at the Southport Library on May 28, 2009.
Patriot Clif speaking with "Ziggy" in Hartford Connecticut on May 28, 2009.

This is how it is with the Democratic machine, they tell the poor inner city folks one thing but do another. President Obama is for choice, but not for students or their parents to make the right choice. This is deplorable. Randy Weingarten a union official of high rank. Presently she is the President of the American Federation of Teachers. Previously she was the chief cook and bottle washer for the United Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 2, in New York City.  Her recent opinion published in the Hartford Courant was illuminating. To quote her, "Hartford should think twice before rubber-stamping the recent National Council on Teacher Quality report on the city's schools to guide its efforts." That report by The National Council on Teacher Quality was critical when the question of  teacher  compensation came up.  "The council's report also includes recommendations on compensation, such as discontinuing additional pay for teachers with advanced degrees, contending the degrees don't correlate to teacher effectiveness. This flies in the face of every piece of research I've seen. ".  So, bottom line, did you the taxpayer expect a different answer?

We here at TNBTP are for choice, we are for vouchers, we are for competition, we are for the free markets. We are not for union teachers having a teaching monopoly. Does any independent thinking American who has a child attending a public school expect a union teacher to be a proponent of school choice and for the rights of our children to be taught by a non union teacher?  Please wake up inner city parents. Your children are being dumbed down.  Democrats are not your friend when it comes to your child's education.  These socialist politicians are only interested in being re-elected. Remember who is in your corner when election time comes around.