While others may become bored reading about my grandfather, I never tire of writing about him. He drove from Ruston to Galveston, Texas, back in 1945 to retrieve an abandoned and malnourished infant from a hospital there, brought him home and he and his wife set about giving the baby a home filled with love and not much else.
My grandparents were unlearned in terms of formal education but my grandfather tried to teach me dignity, honesty and respect—respect, most of all. Some of those lessons stuck. Once he bought me a candy bar and as we were riding in his pickup moments later, I tossed the wrapper out the window. Suddenly a resounding POW! exploded in my ears as the palm of his hand found the back of my head and I saw Jesus at the end of a long tunnel waving me to the light. My grandfather never said a word. He didn’t have to and to this day, I refuse to throw anything out my truck window and defy any of my passengers to do so.
But there was another lesson he taught me, one that a man named Winston Churchill also espoused. He drilled into my psyche the importance of defending myself and defending the rights others with equal determination. “If you don’t stand up for yourself, it’s for damned sure nobody else will,” he told me at least a thousand times during my childhood and adolescence. Churchill more eloquently said much the same thing on Oct. 29, 1941, in a speech at Harrow School: “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVEiskNv1hs
That’s why I call Bobby Jindal out on every occasion that I catch him lying through his teeth. Like, for instance his claim that he has reduced the state work force by 30,000 employees during his administration when the Office of Civil Service, in its latest report, puts that actual number far lower—like 13,604 positions abolished but only 8,420 people laid off since Fiscal Year 2008 which actually started six months before he took office. But don’t take my word for it; see for yourself: MAY 2015 LAYOFF REPORT
The words of both my grandfather and Churchill are lessons we can apply in our efforts to confront the efforts of Jindal and the Louisiana Legislature in their efforts to weaken state employees and teachers.
Remember a few years ago when bills were introduced to abolish civil service? Those bills actually provided the impetus to start LouisianaVoice. Already making preparations to retire from my own civil service job with the Office of Risk Management, I could not stand idly by and watch my fellow employees stripped of their job protection, such as it was. (Of course, when LouisianaVoice was born, it hastened my retirement as Jindal did not—and does not—take kindly to criticism of any form or from anyone.)
I could understand and accept the prohibition against civil service employees’ participation in political campaigns. That ban extended to campaigning, contributing to campaigns and even to signs and bumper stickers. But it was okay. Civil Service was established by Gov. Jimmie Davis for the specific purpose of protecting employees from political patronage and their firing for no cause other than supporting the wrong candidate.
But to place that restriction while at the same time abolishing their job protection? Not for one nano-second, not as long as I owned a computer and a keyboard. Even though it ultimately precipitated my retirement a year or so sooner than I had anticipated, my grandfather’s admonitions to stand up for myself and others was stronger than my concerns for job security.
The efforts to do away with civil service failed but now Jindal and his lackeys in the House and Senate are doing their dead level best to follow the example of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/04/3654397/scott-walker-says-crush-whats-left-american-unions-elected-president/ and to meekly obey the demands of Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) in his letter to legislators: https://www.atr.org/louisiana-labor-committee-passes-paycheck-protection-bill
That letter calls on legislators to support House Bill 418 by Rep. Stuart Bishop (R-Lafayette) and Senate Bill 204 by Sen. Dan Martiny (R-Metairie), both of which call for the cessation of the withholding of union dues for teachers by the state.
Both bills are blatant attempts to weaken teachers unions, namely the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and the Louisiana Association of Educators. The smokescreen thrown up by proponents of the bills is that it is burdensome for the state to process the dues withholding.
That’s simply a lie and a disingenuous one at that. The transactions are done by computer and once set up, never need human input. It’s certainly no more difficult than withholding state employee premiums paid to the Office of Group Benefits or to any one of dozens of premiums withheld for life, dental and disability insurance companies. You’d think these guys would at least give the appearance of trying to be a little more believable.
A story by Education Week explains the predicament faced by teachers in a single headline: “Education is political; can teachers afford not to be?” http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2015/05/01/education-is-political-can-teachers-afford-not.html
The story points out that teachers often refrain from viewing themselves as political even though curriculum, standards, testing and funding are all political.
“If teachers and parents don’t get more political, our public schools will continue to be assaulted by the privatizers, profiteers, pseudo-reformers, voucherizers and other enemies of public education,” one reader wrote in a comment about the story.
Don’t believe that? Let’s review. It was in March of 2012 when teachers demonstrated at the State Capitol over Bobby Jindal’s so-called “education reforms” and when one teacher attempted to testify before the House Education Committee, then-Rep. Nancy Landry (R-Lafayette) attempted to push through a requirement that in addition to the customary practice of witnesses providing their names, where they were from and whom they represent, they also be required to say if they were appearing before the committee in a “professional capacity or if they were on annual or sick leave.”
A furious John Bel Edwards (D-Amite) said he had never in his House tenure seen such a rule imposed on witnesses. “This house (the Capitol) belongs to the people,” added Rep. Pat Smith (D-Baton Rouge), “and now we’re going to put them in a compromising position? This is an atrocity!” https://louisianavoice.com/2012/03/page/5/
If teachers still are not convinced that they should unite as one and flex a little muscle, perhaps they should remember Jindal’s infamous speech before the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry in January of 2012 at which he introduced his education reform package. During that speech, he alluded to paying teachers simply by virtue of their ability to breathe. http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?tmp=detail&md=newsroom&articleID=3197
Subsequent to that endearing line, several teachers stopped breathing when they sacrificed their lives defending school children from berserk gunmen but Jindal never once acknowledged those acts of heroism. Not once, though he did pose with his family for his Christmas card last year—with everyone, including children, dressed in camouflage. Touching.
If additional proof is needed of the severity of the situation for educators, in North Carolina, teachers have begun demonstrating their commitment to public schools by wearing red clothing as a symbol of support for their vocation.
So, what’s wrong with that, you ask? Didn’t we in recent years start a tradition of wearing red on Fridays as a salute to our armed forces?
Yes, but with teachers apparently it’s different and offensive enough that Senate Bill 480 was introduced in the Tar Heel State legislature that would make such a brazen act a Class 1 misdemeanor because supporting public education is considered a political view, subjecting teachers participating in such anarchy to dismissal.
Never mind that the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said that the “threat of dismissal is nonetheless a potent means of inhibiting speech” and a violation of First Amendment rights.
So, bottom line, corporations, with their billions in political dark money, are classified as individuals and free to purchase elections and politicians at will but teachers, with an average salary of $40,065, are political activists to be feared and controlled—muzzled, as it were.
But to all teachers who read this: you vote, your family votes, your friends vote and you would be wise to watch to see how your legislators vote on issues that affect you. The election is this October. We will be choosing a governor and 144 legislators.
I harken back to my grandfather’s sage advice: “If you don’t stand up for yourself, it’s for damned sure nobody else will.”
Louisiana Voice 
If you’re not at the table, you are on the menu!
There seems to be something about women becoming involved politically that touches a nerve with these Koch-heads. 80% of WWL radio poll participants blame teacher unions for all problems in Louisiana schools, but have no problem with millionaire football players like Drew Brees having union representation & a collective bargaining contract. This is absurd!
Does that say something about the folks who listen to WWL radio? 😉
I wonder if Mr. Brees pays his union dues through a payroll deduct or by sending in the money like many union members throughout the country? My Dad was a union member and sent a check in, why can’t teachers, policemen, etc. do so? Are the union powers afraid that once the individual teachers have to write that check, they may wonder if they are getting their monies worth?
@Sidwit. The period in history may have required your Dad to send in a check. I don’t know when that was but payroll deduction for items other than taxes and insurance didn’t appear much until the mid 80s I believe. Also the union situation may have affected it as well. I had a roommate in the 70s in the carpenters local who had to submit payments as his jobs changed every few months or so. Again I don’t know your father’s situation, just thinking of possibilities. On the flip side, any legislator spending a moments thought on this issue while our state is in such dire straits should feel shame and Bishop and Martiny should be run out the building for wasting our time on such drivel. They’ve already spent more time talking about it than it does to set up an auto-deduction.
There is another glaring example that, in my haste to write the story, I completely overlooked: Even as Bishop and Martiny are pushing to remove the payroll deduction for union dues as a burden on the state, nothing has been said about the requirement that all employers (no exceptions) withhold deductions for FICA, federal and state taxes.
Even state employees have federal and state taxes withheld automatically.
Will Bishop and Martiny address this burdensome requirement? I believe you can check that box “No.”
American Press on June 27, 2012, reported that the executive director of the state’s Republican Party issued public records request was made for the recall petition of names, addresses and signatures. The Calcasieu Parish teachers showed a tremendous amount of courage to push back, (retain a lawyer, not in their budget, I am sure), but nevertheless attempted to do exactly what you are writing about. Yard signs went up by the hundreds all over the area, stating , we support Kleckley and some We support Kleckley and Jindal. Those teachers were dead on target with Jindal’s game and in their attempt to follow the democracy of the U.S. Constitution, they were bullied, threatened with legal proceedings against their efforts and more importantly the Jindalites placed fear in those who signed the petitions. When all that was going on, I supported the efforts of the teachers to at least slow down the dismantling of the education system and create a timeframe to change it efficiently and cost effective. However,it was never about Louisiana improving education outcomes. Yet, The fear was real. In hindsight, is their anyone who thinks the actions of those brave teachers was shortsighted? It was the beginning of the terror in which Jindal and has administration dismantled our state hospitals, crammed Common Core down our throats, and fired anyone who spoke out or against in the public sector and in the private sector, they sicked the Ethics Board on them to ,”investigate,” whatever they could find. His rapid push for Common Core was a costly program for our state. And we in Louisiana would be out of our minds to not get our money out of it. No one has given exact figures of the cost of what Jindal and the legislators did with pushing Common Core through in one session but you can bet it cost us Millions of Dollars… He bankrupted our state and legislators who are still discussing Common Core need to come up with a state refund before you get to change it for more millions of dollars that you already spent. Let’s not have short term memory loss. Revisit 2012, And all the recall efforts. It ought to leave the hairs on your arm standing up. In Louisiana, we have been marched by the drum of a dictator and right over the cliff. All the while, as Tom mentions, Lies, lies and more lies to anyone who will listen outside of Louisiana of course. Please stop what you are doing and email your legislators and whomever is supporting any of Jindal’s bills. Tell them you are not suffering from memory loss and look at how they are voting. Tom said it, but I think it applies to all of us not just teachers and firefighters. We all must stand up for our state. Can we have some yard signs, ” I stand for Louisiana!” That means our teachers, firefighters, veterans, the children, our natural resources and the disabled and mine and your family, friends and neighbors and our,” Louisiana culture. “
With you all the way, leekhoury – I stand for Louisiana.
It takes critical mass to fight back – STAND FOR LOUISIANA.
Think about that, y’all.
I wish I had known your grandpa; better still, I wish he had known Jindal so he could have given him a few “back of the head pop messages” to prepare him for his role of governor of this state. Thank God for our parents and grandparents who taught us to have dignity and respect no matter what the cost.
I also recall Jindal trying to reorganize the general retirement system that he wasn’t a part of, which would have eliminated the vast majority of pay for members, WHILE he simultaneously shifted funds and purchased service time in the retirement system he was a part of, securing a large payout for himself.
His spokesperson explained that Jindal was just doing retirement planning like anyone else, but there was no explanation for why Jindal was trying to screw everyone else out of their life’s work/savings.
As many people know, the state had “borrowed” money from the employee’s retirement system, and Jindal’s financial reorganization looked like a blatant attempt to default on paying it back, as well as ending future contributions. Apparently, he believes that annuities (for others) are evil.
And Jindal actually offered idiotic financial advise to civil servants–that they switch to Social Security. As if a teacher who’d been legally excluded from Social Security for their whole career could get any money from them. In addition, Jindal’s plan was illegal because federal law forbids states from having multiple systems like the extra one he was trying to establish.