Reaping What Is Sown

To The Editor:

“As thou sowest thus shalt thou reap”

The unions of municipal and state workers have sown the seeds of selfishness and with it inflicted economic disaster on all levels and now we all face the harvest, a harvest of unprecedented fiscal woes no matter where we look, and don’t blame it on a depression.

Why should these folks not have union representation? The answer paradoxically lies in our political system where the unions can decide the outcome of a vote in particular in the case of the governor and legislature.

Governor Malloy cannot risk the anger of the unions if he is to survive a second term election. No, indeed, he must play the puppet of these folks who will pull the strings to make him dance to their tune. Could you imagine a situation where a corporate union can decide which of two competing boards of directors they favor and elect? This is exactly the case with municipal and state unions.

Sacrifices? Yes you will hear great sounds of them, but in fact little will change except your and my taxes will go up. Did you expect anything else? Sorry, there will be much talk of union concessions, but if you look closely it will amount to nothing of substance. Eventually, the laws of economics will prevail and the state will have to declare bankruptcy. Another governor will face the mess their predecessors (and Governor Malloy) have created.

I have in past letters to the editor singled out the Teachers Federation for criticism for at least three good reasons. First, among all union members they are the best educated and should understand the laws of the invisible hand of economics. Second, education accounts for the most of the town budges, by far too much at over 80 percent. Why should a school principal be paid more than the first selectman? The answer is in the high general level of a teachers pay and compensation. Third, the quality of education leaves much to be desired. All you have to do is listen to the statistics. Why not follow the European system where the most promising third of a class receive a more demanding education and the equivalent of two years of college by graduation and thus should bypass that most common of dropout in college years which is such a waste of time and money. A good example is Brooklyn Technical High School. I met their graduates in college and was impressed.

But teachers who are more interested in contract negotiations than in furthering our educational system cannot be entrusted with the future of our children and grandchildren. We need a new generation of teachers for our school system to succeed.

My fellow citizens: The time for change was yesterday!

Oscar Berendsohn

34 Appleblossom Lane, Newtown                          February 20, 2011