WOW! Two Randiisms in one day. It doesn't get any better than this.
Of course Randi opposes term limits. She can be AFT/UFT president for life (bet ya she is already running for UFT re-election in 2010 - Mulgew who?)
Note the typical disclaimer showing her "concern" so she can appear to support both sides. By the way, one sticking point in any merger with the NEA which has term limits.
Remember how Unity hacks went around schools telling people we only have to wait out Bloomberg to get changes.
Go to the people? No group more than teachers should be leading the charge to stop Bloomberg. Instead Randi will sit this one out and leave it to the people when we know Bloomberg has already bought the election.
From: UFT Press [mailto:UFTPress@uft.org] (WHY NOT SEND THEM AN EMAIL?)
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 4:14 PM
Subject: United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten re term limits:
Personally, I have always been opposed to term limits, as has this union. I am also, as are so many people, very concerned about the economy, and I am grateful the mayor is willing to step up. That said, I am very concerned, given that New Yorkers have twice spoken about this issue in referendums, and because of that, I think the most democratic way to change term limits is to go back to the people.”
6 comments:
What a bunch of bull! "I think the most democratic way to change term limits is to go back to the people" Is she kiddin me? Why weren't we given a vote on this teacher data report based on student test scores? Is there nothing we can do about this?Share best pratices my eye! This is about rating teachers on test scores. My principal is such a moron , I know these reports will be shared among staff members. Principal will need brown nose teachers to understand the data.
Randy does everything under the carpet. Nothing surprises me anymore. NO MORE RIGHTS FOR THE TEACHERS.
The comment is a lesson in run-on sentences -- her gratitude has NOTHING to do with how term limits are set. It's a fake attempt, of course, to seem balanced.
HOW CAN SHE BE SO OPENLY DUPLICITOUS AND GET AWAY WITH IT? WHAT CAN THIS MAYOR'S "Stepping up" DO FOR THE ECONOMY?
Do you know how much he has spent on just plain dumb little projects?
Let's start with 311. We needed a phone number that not only gives out information that was already available in many ways, but NOW TAKES THE PLACE OF DIRECTLY CALLING AGENCIES LIKE THE POLICE. Have a complaint about noisey neighbors -- they ship you off to 311 where someone types it into a file to nowhere. It's actually designed to help AGENCIES IGNORE COMPLAINTS.
Want to try another one: Weruva Cat Food. Did you know that it's somehow affiliated with City offices? Proceeds go to shelters and that's great, but Mr. Business couldn't arrange for an existing brand of food to donate some proceeds. I mean, this is a whole line of food. I feed one flavor to one of my cats so I know it well. This is just plain dumb. I can easily find that flavor in other brands -- do my tax dollars actually go into this company? According to the can, it seems they do.
What other little projects does he have going? This is not including all the other excesses at the DOE. I mean, while he cuts my job, is he testing out his own brand of clothing?
How has the city improved? Did we really need Metrocards?
That's all I've noticed, besides of course, my job being 3/4 gone: we have a stupid phone number, my cats eat a Chicken soup mix of food and I use a Metrocard.
Oh, and I have to take occasional sleeping pills to get through the night because I am so anxious about my job and the fate of my city.
Okay. I was angry. But, actually, she did make clear this is HER opinion, and not that of the UFT. Still irks me that she sees something positive in him running, but she didn't make the statement as a UFT position. But, she is entitled to think what she likes. And my uncle and others have pointed out it's the politic thing to say. Still wish she'd just talked about the term limits and been colder. However I ACKNOWLEDGE that it was probably politic to be nice-ish. Still think it was too nice.
This seems to be my night to have to explain myself.
1) Personal opinion or not: How Randi Weingarten as someone who leads the UFT CAN WANT BLOOMBERG TO RUN FOR MAYOR AGAIN IS BEYOND ME and IT SHOWS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN HER AND HER UFT MEMBERS. If she PERSONALLY had any feelings for us as UFT Members, SHE COULD NOT HAVE WELCOMED THE MAYOR'S DECISION. But, since her statement is qualified with the word, "personal" I can't technically fault her for speaking on my behalf. So, NOW I AM MAKING CLEAR. WHAT SHE SAID ON HER OWN BEHALF WAS OFFENSIVE TO ME. UNFORTUNATELY, A LOT OF COMFORTABLE WHITE PEOPLE THINK LIKE HER AND I'M RELATED TO SOME OF THEM. SO, I've grown accustomed to people who say they care about my position the voting to put a gun to my head, metaphorically speaking. And yes, Bloomberg in a third term is like a metaphorical gun to my head and you would think that my UFT President would know how much agony and pain this man caused me and other teachers like me. You would think that PERSONALLY and PROFESSIONALLY she would be horrified by his running for a third term. But, she's not. And that no longer surprises me, since she basically fed my school and my job to the Mayor and forced a contract down people's throats which I didn't vote for.
Second, some evil, evil human put a comment on my blog tonight which showed a very close awareness of my family history. This person put that comment there anonymously, but wanted me to know that he or she knows me. This happened coincidentally after I put my comment up about Randi. So, I pulled back out of fear. I can't afford to and can't handle being tortured any more than the circumstances which I am in cause me to be.
It is a dark day in this world when I can't say what I think, my UFT President can and says things that are counter to my existence, and then someone takes a shot at me who either knows me or has done his or her homework.
Let it be known.
IT IS DISGUSTING THAT MY UFT PRESIDENT PERSONALLY WANTS THE MAYOR TO RUN AGAIN. IT IS HORRIFYING. SINCE MY OWN RELATIVES HAVE VOICED THE SAME OPINION, KNOWING THEY MAY HAVE TO LOAN ME MONEY ON WHICH TO LIVE, I WAS NOT AS SHOCKED AS I SHOULD BE. PEOPLE ARE EASILY FOOLED BY THIS MAYOR. MAYBE THEY SHOULD DO THEIR HOMEWORK ON HIM AND NOT ON MY PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORY.
So, there. And in the future, I would ask that my UFT President, kindly, not give her personal opinion if she knows it is counter to the interests of her members.
Is that too much to ask?
I have to say I agree with Norm who wrote me and said that anything Randi says as UFT Pres is official and that the qualifier of "personally" really doesn't count. People aren't going to hear the "personally". But, I will allow her the right to inject modifiers. It doesn't make the statement any better, so it's a moot point to me. Why argue it, since it's the kind of hair splitting people like to do to keep us on a tangent. The point is, it was an awful thing for her to say. It took away credibility from things we as teachers say and do and fight for daily. It especially took credibility from those of us trying to bring people to see how much damage this man has done to the schools. If she doesn't think he's so bad, then why should we, right?
Post a Comment