TENS OF THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS IN OKLAHOMA DECIDED TO TAKE A
STRIKE TODAY AND MARCH TO OKLAHOMA CITY TO PROTEST STATE
LAWMAKERS AND
DEMAND MORE AND FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION AND HIGHER PAY
INCREASES FOR TEACHERS AND ALSO SUPPORT PERSONNEL IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
BUT THAT $450 REVENUE PACKAGE WAS NOT ENOUGH TO MEET THE
DEMANDS OF THESE TEACHERS, AND I WILL SAY THAT THEIR DEMANDS ARE
NOW NOT UNREASONABLE OR OUTRAGEOUS.
SOME OF THESE TEACHERS HAVEN'T RECEIVED A RAISE IN A DECADE.
TEACHERS WANT MORE.
THEY WANT AT LEAST $10,000 FOR THEIR RAISES.
SOME OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE INCREDIBLY OUTDATED BOOKS.
IN FACT, SOME OF THE STUDENTS WHO SPOKE THE PRESS TALKED ABOUT
HOW THEIR HISTORY BOOKS STOP AT THE 2008 ELECTION, WHEN OBAMA
GOT ELECTED.
NOTHING IS INCLUDED AFTER THAT.
THEIR SCIENCE BOOKS ARE FALLING APART.
THE TEACHERS HAVE TO SPEND WHATEVER LITTLE MONEY THAT
THEY MAKE IN THEIR SALARIES TO PROVIDE MATERIALS FOR THEIR
CLASSROOMS.
THEIR CLASSES ARE FULL, OVERFULL AND SO WHAT THEY WANT IS
BEYOND REASONABLE.
THEY JUST WANT ENOUGH FUNDING TO PROVIDE A DECENT EDUCATION
FOR THEIR STUDENTS WHILE ALSO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR
THEIR OWN KIDS WITH THE JOB THAT THEY HAVE.
IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTING THE RAISE
OFFER, FIRST OF ALL, AS ANA POINTED OUT TO YOU GUYS,
OVER A DECADE OF NOT ONLY STAGNATION IN THEIR WAGES
BUT DECREASES OVERALL IN EDUCATION, CUTS, CUTS, CUTS.
SO WE'RE NOT STARTING FROM THE GROUND LEVEL HERE.
THIS IS AFTER THE DEVASTATING CUTS ARE COMING
INTO PLAY.
SECOND OF ALL, THE MINIMUM SALARY FOR A FIRST YEAR TEACHER
IN OKLAHOMA IS THE LOWEST IN THE COUNTRY AT $31,600.
HOW CAN YOU LIVE ON THAT MUCH MONEY?
AND YOU ARE A TEACHER, YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL.
THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A MINIMUM-WAGE JOB.
BY THE WAY, THAT IS THE MOST EXACTLY $15 AN HOUR AND THAT IS
WHAT THE MINIMUM WAGES AND A LOT OF THE BIGGER CITIES NOW AND
THAT IS WHAT TEACHERS AND OKLAHOMA ARE STARTING AT, AND SO
THEIR DEMANDS ARE NOT AT ALL IN REASONABLE AND SOME OF THEM ARE
IN SUCH DIRE STRAITS THAT THEY ARE THINKING OF CROSSING
THE BORDER TO KANSAS FOR A BETTER SITUATION.
IT IS CRAZY.
AND KANSAS HAS DEVASTATED THEIR EDUCATION BUDGET BUT
NOT AS BAD AS OKLAHOMA HAS.
WHY?
NONSTOP TAX CUTS FOR BUSINESSES, INDUSTRY, CORPORATIONS.
THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY, THEY HAVE TO GET THEIR TAX CUTS
SO WHAT HAPPENS?
THEY HAVE TO TAKE IT FROM SOMEWHERE.
THEY TAKE IT FROM YOUR KIDS.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS GROWING UP REPUBLICANS WERE SUPPOSED
TO BE PART OF EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY.
REALLY?
NOW IT SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS.
IT SEEMS LAUGHABLE.
NOW THEY ARE SPITTING IN YOUR FACE AND SAYING I DO NOT
WANT YOUR KIDS TO HAVE THE SAME CHANCES AS MY KIDS.
NO WAY.
I'M GOING TO PUT MY KIDS IN PRIVATE SCHOOL AND YOU ARE
GOING TO BE SCREWED AND ALL I AM GOING TO DO IS DEVASTATE THE
EDUCATION BUDGET BECAUSE I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU.
I JUST WANT OUR VOTERS TO DO BETTER.
I REALLY DO AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS I WANT PEOPLE TO
EDUCATE THEMSELVES AND ACTUALLY VOTE FOR THEIR BEST
INTEREST.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT RED STATES HERE.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT OKLAHOMA.
WEST VIRGINIA JUST HAD A TEACHER STRIKE AND LUCKILY THE TEACHERS
GOT WHAT THEY WANTED AND WHAT THEY NEEDED AND SO I LOVE
THE POLITICAL ACTIVISM THERE BUT VEST VIRGINIA'S ANOTHER
RED STATE, OKLAHOMA IS A RED STATE, ARIZONA AND KENTUCKY ARE
NOW THINKING
ABOUT HAVING TEACHER STRIKES BECAUSE OF HOW UNDERFUNDED
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN HOW LITTLE THE TEACHERS ARE PAID.
PLEASE VOTE FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY HAVE YOUR BEST
INTERESTS IN MIND.
THERE MIGHT BE REPUBLICANS WHO THINK DIFFERENTLY THAN WHAT
WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW BUT FOR THE MOST PART, WHAT I SEE AS
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS WHO WANT TO CONTINUE PROVIDING THESE TAX
CUTS FOR CORPORATIONS AND JUST ESSENTIALLY TAKE ANY AND
ALL FUNDING AWAY FROM GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS THAT HELP PROVIDE
A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERYONE.
EDUCATION IS SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR
EVERYONE SO PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE BORN OR
HOW THEY ARE BORN OR WAS SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS THEY
ARE AND HAVE THE ABILITY TO PICK THEMSELVES UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.
HOW ARE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT WHEN YOU ARE TAKING
OPPORTUNITIES AWAY AND DESTROYING THEIR EDUCATION?
LAST TWO THINGS.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO TRICKLE DOWN ON YOU.
IF SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS THAT THE REPUBLICANS TOUTED
SINCE REAGAN WORKED.
SO WHY DID THEY CUT THE EDUCATION BUDGET BY 28%
JUST THE LAST DECADE AND OKLAHOMA?
IF ALL OF THOSE TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE
YOUR LIFE BETTER, WHY DID IT MAKE YOUR LIFE WORSE?
THEY NEVER BOTHERED TO EXPLAIN THAT, RIGHT?
THEY STOLE FROM YOUR KIDS TO PAY FOR THOSE TAX CUTS FOR THE
RICH AND CORPORATIONS.
IT IS NEVER GOING TO GET BETTER.
IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK THAT WAY.
FINALLY, GO ON STRIKE.
IF YOU ARE TEACHERS AND YOU ARE UNDERPAID AND THEY CUT YOU
FOR OVER A DECADE, DEFINITELY DO IT.
THE REASON THAT PEOPLE IN POWER FREE GOT EVER STRIKES IS
BECAUSE THEY WORK.
YOU HAD TO HIT THEM IN THEIR POCKETBOOK GOT IT IS THE
ONLY THING THEY EVER CARE ABOUT.
IT IS TRUE IN THE PUBLIC
SECTOR THEY GO, OH MY GOD, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO.
THESE TEACHERS ARE NOT GOING TO WORK AND NOW THAT COULD
HURT MY ECONOMY.
PEOPLE ARE UPSET ABOUT THE KIDS, ETC.
IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
IT WORKS EVEN BETTER.
WAIT A MINUTE, THAT AFFECTS MY PROFITS AND THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN YOU HAVE THEIR ATTENTION.
I LOVE THAT THE TEACHERS HAVE STARTED THIS NEW WAVE OF
STRIKES IN THE COUNTRY.
YOU GO GET THEM.
WE HAVE TO TAKE ONE MORE BREAK.
WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.