Surreal hypocrisy

If there is one thing that seems to bind together many of the paid PCE workers and consultants it's this: Hostility.

Each of the PCE ads and presentations I've seen has a strong undercurrent that is downright hostile. Hostile to teachers, to school administrators, to parents, to anyone who disagrees with their numbers or their opinions.

Read this diatribe about our public schools below, which is pasted from a pro-voucher blogger:

"It is only from a special point of view that education is a failure. As to its own purposes, it is an unqualified success. One of its purposes is to serve as a massive tax-supported jobs program for legions of not especially able or talented people. As social programs go, it's a good one. The pay isn't high, but the risk is low, the standards are lenient, entry is easy, and job security is pretty good...in fact, the system is perfect, except for one little detail. We must find a way to get the children out of it."

And, most of PCE's paid ads are a rant against the teachers' association. You know, it is your teachers (and my Mom) who belong, voluntarily, to the association.

Even toward the end of Richard and Linda Eyre's 7-minute Oreo cookie video, Richard says to the camera, "and if our schools have to cut a few teachers, that won't be so bad..." (which of course causes one to question his wide-eyed claims that schools will hire MORE teachers because of vouchers).

There are even the PCE-led letters to the editor that claim that Utah's public schools are controlled and "monopolized" by teachers through their union. Clearly that can't be true because if the teachers' association controlled education, then they would be the best paid teachers in the country! And, they wouldn't have to deal with the huge classes that they have. Too, Utah would be a lot better than last in the nation in per pupil funding.

With so much hostility emanating from the PCE campaign, it is impossible to believe their latest ad, in which U.S. Congressman Rob Bishop says: "I know how hard our Utah teachers work and what a great job they do with the resources they have."

The hyprocrisy is surreal.

P.S. For those who tuned in for the next chapter on Patrick Byrne, it will be forthcoming. There is a LOT of material to go through.