Why Our Educational System Needs Work

Captain's Quarters has the agenda from the National Education Association's July 7th Assembly...and it's really sad. You see, as the largest Education Union (you know, education...like in the union's title), it's nice to see how important EDUCATION is...oh, wait...is it?

1. [Defeated, no description]
2. Fighting Wal-Mart
3. Investigating the positions of financial firms regarding Social Security privatization
4. Adding "multiethnic" and "other" as options on ethnicity questions
5. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the NEA and ATA
6. Forming coalitions to "protect" Social Security
7. Explaining the difference between two different pension plans
8. Requesting an article for their newsletter on "health problems from exposure to fragrance chemicals".
9. Getting outside funding to allow 25 more people to attent the EPA Tools for Schools Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Symposium
10. Creating a workgroup on health care
11. Sponsoring "political training" for Congressional candidates friendly to NEA priorities (see above!)
12. [Defeated, no description]
13. Opposing "billionaire Eli Broad and any other entities to remove elected school boards from cities"
14. Repealing the Social Security offset and explaining the differences between states' approach to Social Security for teachers who move

Yup, that's right the National EDUCATION Association's agenda has the first EDUCATION-related item at NUMBER 15!.

It's nice to see they want to fight WalMart...but wait, if Walmart wasn't around, how much more would it cost for supplies? And how will those not in a position to spend the extra money on said supplies going to get them?

But wait, there's more! Captain Ed says it best:

Five of the top 20 have to do with Social Security politics. Only two items in the top 30 have anything directly to do with educating children. As Michelle Malkin points out, however, they made room during their efforts to demand a withdrawal from Iraq (number 61), oppose CAFTA, (number 63), and support the boycott of Gallo Wines (number 47).

If I wanted to parody the NEA, I couldn't draft a better list than this. Anyone arguing that this special-interest group has the welfare of children as its first priority should read this list carefully and often.