Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy will be in Greenwich tonight, the next stop on his 2011 Tax Tour that’s sweeping through the state.
Since Malloy’s disastrous plan was announced last month, I’ve received eight emails from the Connecticut Education Association. Here’s a brief summary of each one:
February 16: Governor presents budget; Keeps promise on Education Cost Sharing Grant (ECS); Funds teachers’ pension at actuarial amount; Funds retired teachers’ healthcare fund at actuarial amount.
February 20: A reminder to vote for CEA endorsed candidates for February 22nd special elections. All endorsed candidates supported fully funding the ECS, the right of teachers to collectively bargain, and the fair evaluation of teachers and due process rights.
February 21: A call to action, warning that “We are All Wisconsin,” asking teachers to show up at the Capitol building in Hartford for a rally to support public employee unions and workers.
March 1: A report on how teacher seniority is under attack.
March 11: Two emails, two calls to action insisting teachers’ rights are at stake.
March 15: An update on a bill that impacts teacher performance evaluations and the Fair Dismissal Law.
March 24: The issue of a waiver of certification for charter school teachers.
I agree with the CEA on many of these issues. And on these issues, and many more, the CEA provides needed leadership for teachers across this state.
But we need leadership when it comes to addressing the crippling tax hikes Malloy proposed, leadership that stands up and voices loud concern over a tax plan that hits everyone hard. I’m amazed how anyone can support these tax hikes. These will be felt, not just by the rich, but by those of us who are proud to be in the middle class. And, unfortunately, unions are too blinded by their loyalties to the Democratic Party to do what’s right for their members and, in this case, the state. Listen, how else can you explain eight separate emails that miss the point in each one? Eight emails and no mention about how Malloy’s tax increases will impact the very people the CEA says it’s representing. No mention of tax hikes on income, sales, and a ton of services.
The Greenwich Education Association should be out in full force tonight when Malloy appears at Eastern Middle School. Teachers from all over should show up and ask the Governor how he can say he supports the middle class, then taxes them about as hard as you can. Stamford residents should show up and tell everyone how for 14 years Malloy taxed the heck out of the city, until it became more affordable to own a home in Greenwich than in what he referred to as “The City That Works.”
I don’t expect any of these scenarios to happen. That’s a shame because, on this one, we all lose.
Shared sacrifice sounds a whole lot like socialism to me.
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