We are an important voice
[ Editor's Note: UEA President Pat Rusk submitted the following letter to the Deseret Morning News in response to an editorial by an individual who aligns himself with the Parents for Choice Political Action Committee. ] So, Royce Van Tassell wants everyone to celebrate the success of the Voluntary Contri-butions Act. ( Deseret Morning News editorial — Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 ) Interesting, but not surprising. He personally aligns himself with the Parents for Choice PAC – which received nearly $250,000 from wealthy out-of-state donors, along with money from a few other individuals contributing as much as $50,000 each to push their pro-voucher agenda – and yet he believes that the Utah Education Association should be stifled in its ability to speak up for thousands of Utah teachers and students. U-PAC Accepts Contributions from Members, not Out-Of-State Donors Here's something you should know. The UEA Political Action Committee (U-PAC) accepts contributions primarily from our members, all of whom are teachers in public schools. The biggest contributors give $100 a year, but the average contribution is far less. Most give up about a dollar each month in the hope of having a common voice to speak up for their profession and their students. They did this for decades by having that amount taken out of their monthly paycheck voluntarily, like they do for United Way or insurance premiums. After all, they earned the money and should be allowed to decide where it goes. Is that so sinister? It hardly compares to the huge contributions that corporations and wealthy individuals make to their favorite PAC. |
Yet, Mr. Van Tassell applauds a bill (Voluntary Contributions Act) that made giving that dollar a month more difficult. It seems wrong to him that 80 percent of our contributions came from those small monthly deductions of hundreds of Utah teachers, but just fine that 70 percent of the Parents for Choice PAC monies came from out-of-state organizations pushing their agenda in Utah . And here's something else you might not know. U-PAC does not give up front, cash contributions to candidates. We offer a line of credit. That means we will reimburse campaign expenses to a given limit, but NO ONE has any of our teachers' hard-earned dollars sitting in their own “war chest” after the election. We are careful about how we spend those dollars and that's why we have a balance from which to draw when needed. Mr. Van Tassell compares our contributions to other political action committees, but not to the corporations and individuals who give more in a single contribution than any teacher could contribute in a lifetime. He also doesn't mention that the Parents for Choice PAC spent significantly more than the UEA spent in this last election. But, I guess that's okay since their huge contributions weren't given through payroll deduction. Teachers in this State are NOT the Enemies When will citizens realize that teachers in this state are NOT the enemy; nor is the organization representing them? We are the dedicated heroes of the next and future generations and we believe that we are an important voice in the debate on public schools. Celebrate? I don't think so. We should all worry. If we celebrate the loss of one collective voice, whose will be next? Remember, if you want dominance over a citizenry, you must first silence the teachers who could educate them. |
By UEA President Pat Rusk