I know, I know... just stop watching him... but I just had to wade in on the union bashing and propagandizing against Wisconsin going on this morning with Morning Joke and Meek-a. (Slightly OT, but Mrs Dood and I were actually in Madison the day before the protests started... we were in Moldova when their failed protests began... we need to travel more...)
Anyhoo I emailed Joe with this tidbit from a comment that I saw attached to Krugman's column today and checked out for myself...
My Email, (never likely to see the light of day):
Joke, you and Meek-a purport to be so concerned about education... while you continue to shamelessly union bash during the Wisconsin protests, here's a tidbit/factoid for you:
Only five states in the US do not allow collective bargaining for teachers by law:
South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia...
They rank in the same order, 50th, 49th, 48th, 47th, and 44th on ACT/SAT scores
Wisconsin's rank? #2 (Google it)
Also, please stop spreading the lie that public workers make more than private sector counterparts... this has NEVER been true, and those "cushy" benefits you're upset about still don't make up the difference.
Wow. I'm ashamed of my home state of NC. We have great colleges, but a sorry record for getting our own kids ready for them. This data speaks volumes and we ought to be drubbing Emperor Walker over the head with it every time he opens his mouth.