Education cuts are aimed at busting teachers’ union

In a way, the contract concessions that Hamtramck Public School teachers agreed to was inevitable.

That’s because Gov. Rick Snyder and his fellow Republican legislators are about to impose similar cuts anyway. The crux of their demands is for public school teachers to pitch in 20 percent of their health care costs.

Snyder and the state legislature have also agreed to cut per pupil state aid by $400. This is going to create financial instability in many of the state’s school districts.

And if school districts go belly up financially, Gov. Snyder has laid the groundwork for emergency financial managers to take over. The EFMs have been given broader power that allows them to rip up union contracts, privatize services and even merge districts.

Many have lashed out at Snyder and fellow Republicans for setting up districts for failure just to break the teachers’ union, which is perceived to be a large supporter of the Democratic Party.

These cuts, in our opinion, are indeed aimed at busting the teachers’ union and opening the door to privatize public education.

The defunding of public education is being made at the same time that Snyder is offering corporations millions of dollars in tax cuts in the belief that corporations will in turn become more profitable and hire more people.

Hogwash.

This is the 10th year of the Bush era tax cuts that were also made in the belief that it would boost the economy and create jobs. That theory is Republican pie in the sky. It doesn’t work.

In fact, the economy has gotten worse under these tax cuts.

Let’s face facts: Republicans lawmakers are on the warpath against unions and the working class.

Voters who voted in Republican lawmakers last fall are now having buyers’ remorse. What else will it take to make the public realize that the Snyder’s vision to “reinvent” Michigan is being done at the expense of the middle class?