Kentucky's efforts to preserve pensions for its public employees and teachers, and to reform and improve the failing public education system, have met with protests by people who are mistaking an effort to help them for a vendetta against them.
A number of advocacy groups have sprung up from those protests. One of the most odious calls itself KY 120 United, also known as #120Strong. Its motto is "We support KY teachers and public employees."
Let me be clear. As a public employee, I can unequivocally state that you have done nothing in support of me. You have undermined efforts to preserve my pension should I ever be able to retire. You advocate for the election of politicians whose views are diametrically opposite from mine.
What's sad is that the heart of this group's support comes from educators who are supposed to be intelligent. The arguments that KY 120 United is putting forth show a complete lack of understanding of how things work.
One meme the group recently pushed out is a complete and blatant lie, yet their supporters are lapping it up the way a cat would drink a bowl of milk.
That meme blames Gov. Matt Bevin for last year's repeal of the state's pension income tax exclusion and the extension of the sales tax to services such as car repairs and veterinary services.
The truth is that Bevin vetoed that legislation, but was overridden by the Republicans in both chambers of the General Assembly. (That, incidentally, is to their shame. We elect Republicans to lower taxes, not raise them. Some Republicans already see that move was a mistake and are moving to walk it back, wanting to reinstate the pension exclusion in next year's legislative session.)
The truth doesn't matter to those with a political agenda, however.
The educational bureaucracy has always opposed conservatives and their proposals, and not just on educational issues (witness their stances on gun control and elective abortion). They don't want school choice, they don't want greater accountability, and they don't want the process reformed in any way. One of the biggest opponents has been the Jefferson County Teachers Association. After recent school test results came out that showed Jefferson County dominating the bottom of the statewide rankings at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels, it's easy to see why. They're probably afraid that real reforms would cost them their positions because they're obviously not getting the job done now. When some school districts in the poorest areas of rural Kentucky showed up at the top of the rankings, what's the excuse for Kentucky's wealthiest county performing so badly?
And now the "educracy" is steadfastly opposing efforts to preserve pensions for retirees and current teachers, while ensuring that future teachers have a sustainable retirement option. The Kentucky Education Association even opposed a plan that would have moved future hires into the Social Security system and a defined contribution pension plan, the same as current state employees. They probably did that so they could continue to point out that teachers aren't eligible to draw Social Security, even from their spouses' accounts or from jobs they had where they participated in Social Security.
People of good will can disagree on policy positions. Not everyone totally agrees with every politician or official, even those from within their own party. Feel free to oppose Matt Bevin. I don't agree with everything his administration has done the past four years. But if you do disagree, then do it for truthful reasons. He didn't call all teachers "thugs," which is another big lie that's been spread. He didn't unlawfully access or use the state educational email system to glean addresses for which to send campaign materials. And he didn't try to steal anyone's pension.
It's fine if you oppose charter schools, or tuition tax credits, or school choice in general. If you want taxes increased to fund pensions or other educational programs, that's your prerogative. Campaign against Bevin and for his opponent on those matters. Just don't spread lies, half-truths, or out-of-context statements to further your agenda.
We should hold our educators, public servants, and public officials to a higher standard. We should expect them to be honorable in their conduct when the expenditure of taxpayer dollars is at stake. Blaming the governor for a tax increase he actually vetoed is not honorable conduct. It doesn't set a good example for those children they claim their acts are supporting. But what else can you expect from a group that thinks it's OK to lie about being sick, in violation of state law, to go to Frankfort to protest, then gets upset when their improper acts are called out?
