RH Jones: HB 151 currently on hold; exposing false patriotism on this Fourth of July

From RH Jones, July 4, 2007
Subject: Hurtful Divestment HB151 on Hold

To all:

Public school districts have a friend in Rep. Brian Williams (D). His aide, Lyn Falk, informs me that: "As far as I know HB 151 is on hold due to other arrangements between the Legislature and the Ohio pension funds. The other two bills {HB 152 & SB161} are still pending. The Legislature is now in summer recess so there should be no activity until at least August."

Active & retired educators, during this "recess" we should use the time to create, compose and organize our opposition to the moneyed, predatory, ruthless, and hypocritical politicians who represent those well-to-do citizens unfriendly to public school funding. As they take a "recess" to enjoy their ill-gotten money from us, we need to keep them uncomfortable. They have played hardball with our schools and certainly have pulled no punches in this fight. In their front-line attack they used heavy national artillery in their hand-to-hand combat with public schools. I site the false patriotism of the secular, far-right, neo-conservative individuals such as in the Fordham Institute, the Hoover Institute ---remember the President Hoover that was in office at the start of the Great Depression ---, the powerful Heritage Foundation, and all the other anti-public school foundations listed in a wonderfully comprehensive and outstanding : A Brief Framework for Understanding the Anti-Public School Movement Publication date: 2005-05-30 by Tom Siebold. [Click here to view article] Please take the time to read this. It is an eye-opener! It exposes what is rotten in this movement to kill our schools. In their assault on public schools, they have found out that using religious values did not work, so now they are trying to force change by using false patriotism.

Exasperated by the 2007 ORTA President Dr. Don Bright's message in the Summer 2007 Quarterly, pg. 6; "Instead of always bemoaning changes, let us embrace them." Dr. Bright, I do bemoan change when in the "new challenges" you mention changes such as: 'No Child Left Behind', "Education Standards", and "More Testing". These are changes that the active teacher organizations have listed as unacceptable. Not all change is good for children, their active/retired teachers, nor the tax paying public! These negative changes, and the others I have mentioned, have unfairly increased the tax burden on the struggling home owners. When you say we should accept "more taxes", do you mean that we should accept those that put the burden on some, and not all citizens, I wonder?

The anti-school movement has a the forefront of it's mindset to destroy our active and retired teacher state and national unions along with our public school system. When Dr. Bright uses jargon that expects ORTA members to "collaborate" with those who wish to demolish our schools, I wonder if he could be part of our problem. For at least 50-years ORTA did represent leadership in retired teacher issues. For the past 10-years, it seems to me, that on many occasions they have not. This is "change" this life member cannot accept. My opinion is: Weakness is shown when a leader of an education union expresses words of support that emboldens those opposed to our public schools.

On the positive side, this ORTA member will give credit to the Quarterly Editor, Tom Seamons, for putting my SummitCRTA Legislative Chair, Dr. K. Fluke's photo on the front page. Dr. Fluke has been a retiree sparkplug in long fight to keep the Ohio Legislature open, honest and incorruptible. Editor Seamons, at least, gave our STRS Retired Rep., Dr. Dennis Leone, a small photo on pg. 10. It would have been cordial to have mentioned some of his comments.

By the way, this retired member is not bemoaning but forcefully expressing my mind in strong support of those who are like minded in the long battle to expose the threat to our schools, their students and the active/retired teachers who have served them.

RHJones, proud life-member of CORE and a life member of ORTA