Washington teacher greed strikes again: Seattle teachers vote to go on strike over "respectful pay' (top salary=$142,000) and smaller classes (Class size averages 14.46 per class)

As every sentient being in the State of Washington knows, the McCleary budget was merely a scam to overpay underworked teachers who, based on OSPI report card statistics, were already overpaid as it was.

Now, proving once again there is no end to teacher greed, Seattle teachers have just voted to go on strike.

The demand to be paid MORE (so-called "respectful pay") for doing LESS (the usual smaller class room size scam.)

Here's the top salary schedule for Seattle:

Top salaries:

Bachelor’s: up to $122,271/year (~$58.78/hour) at Step 4

Master’s: up to $139,106/year (~$66.88/hour) at Step 5

PhD: up to $142,523/year (~$68.52/hour) at Step 6

That's not bad for a 183 day/7 hour per day work year

Here's the Seattle Student/Teacher ratio, according to OSPI:

Students: 50,948

Teachers: 3,523

Classroom Average Size (Students/Teachers): 14.46

It's illegal for teachers to strike in the State of Washington:

"Yes. Washington law does not grant teachers—or any public employees—a legal right to strike, making teacher strikes unlawful under RCW 41.56.120 and confirmed by the Attorney General’s 2006 opinion."

But since unions own the legislature and he courts like the 13th Amendment was never ratified, no striking teacher is held accountable for, effectively, pissing on the law of this state like an illegal alien crossing the border... something else leftists totally support.

Republican Senate passage of the McCleary budget scam caused property taxes to explode, but academic achievement has continued to fall year over year... which any blind idiot could tell would happen... just like THIS blind idiot (me) knew they would.

If *I* knew it, then how come legislative morons DIDN'T know it since the McCleary pay scam required NO improved teacher performance?

And as teachers in Seattle have just proven, there's no end to teacher greed even though the academic achievement they provide has been exceeded by, for example, Mississippi... at a paltry $6000 per student per year LESS.

Money isn't the issue. If it was, SPSD and most every school district would be punching out geniuses like movie tickets instead of functionally illiterate "graduates."

Is the Israeli War spinning out of control?

As this is written, we seemingly have two carrier strike groups (Eisenhower and Ford in the Eastern Med.) Combat Marines are available as part of a quick reaction force. You can bet that our units like the 25th ID, the 82nd Airborne and the 101 Airborne (Air Assault) are getting ready to go and taking steps to increase their readiness posture.

Units already in Europe are likely hamstrung due to Russian expansionism. Russia, of course, is doing everything they can to get a major war to break out in the Middle East to further dilute our badly crippled military as it is.

And how could anyone believe that China isn't watching all of this with MAJOR interest... since their calculus is likely one of... if they get more tangled up in the Middle East, then we'll never have a better chance to take out Taiwan... which they want so badly they can taste it.

Now many of these things have been on the table for a long time.... even before the hamas scum launched their terrorist attacks against Israel.

But I stumbled across a story that troubles me greatly, a story that broke a few hours ago.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, went to Saudi Arabia to have a chat with the Saudi Crown Prince, one Mohammed bin Salman, aka "MbS."

After forcing Blinken to wait for several hours, Salman then cancelled the meeting.

No notice. No warning.

Can you even remotely begin to ponder MbS taking such a step if the President's name was Trump?

That's neither here nor there, because it isn't Trump. It's Biden.

What does this insulting behavior mean, precisely?

Well, even in the diplomatic world that is a humongous "Fuck You" to the United States. It means they neither respect us nor fear us. I suppose, with an incompetently, indecisive and frequently cowardly foreign policy, I can understand why MbS would take such a step.

He gains a great deal of face in the process, ending the politically opportunistic idea on the part of his political opposition that he is America's puppet. The US loses a great deal of face in a region where that sort of thing matters.

But at the same time, he risks a great deal depending on American retaliation. We can cut off his parts and maintenance fort his almost entirely American mechanized armed forces, in everything from personnel carriers to F16's.

He can cut off oil to us (hey, face it: it's not like it hasn't been done before) because he knows that thanks to Biden, we've long since lost our energy independence. He also knows our strategic reserve is gutted.

For our part, we can end the security services we've provided that have kept Saudi from becoming an Iranian vassal state. We can withdraw all American personnel and equipment from not only Saudi, but from the entire region.

There's a great many things we can do... a great many things THEY can do... and the omnipresent reality that none of this would be happening if Trump has been in office.

To me, it seems increasingly likely that American combat troops are going to be committed. The army for its part, is what... 40,000 under strength dues to blown recruiting quotas? All of the other services save for the crayon eaters (slang for Marines) are similarly situated. Activating even the inactive reserve forces likely could shore up the numbers but for how long?

The rurality here is that clearly, it seems none of the players in the area give a damn what Biden thinks, or, for that matter, even does.

They've had it with Israel; Israel's had it with them. And Biden's (and per force, the United States') stature is the lowest of any president in this... or the last.... century.

Expect it to get worse before it gets better, particular with leftist hamas supporters infesting Congress.

How the taxpayers in Washington State are getting screwed by public schools.

Yesterday, I stumbled across an article showing what a horrific academic disaster Baltimore Public Schools have become.

At 13 Baltimore City high schools, zero students tested proficient on 2023 state math exam

Pretty straightforward: Baltimore Public Schools are a disaster: an international disgrace, frequently exceeded in academic achievement by the most base, 3rd world schools.

My first thought was, that for the reader, that MUST mean they are horrifically underfunded.

It's an understandable, knee-jerk reaction. After all, the fringe-left neocommunist teachers unions want us to believe that money will solve ALL of the decades-long academic issues confronting our schools... and their willful accomplices in their media sidekicks go along cheerfully, reinforcing that utterly false messaging that we've been pounded with for years.

Except they are anything BUT "underfunded." Baltimore Public Schools expend $21,606 per student.

That equates to $4400 MORE per student than here in Washington State.

And folks, Washington State ain't got nothing to brag about, either.

Simply stated, contrary to the fallacious claims of the left generally and teachers unions particularly, money does NOT equal academic outcomes.

In recent years, the teacher's unions and their leftist/RINO scum colleagues in state/local government have RAPED us for massive, unconscionable increases in our property taxes.

I have, rightfully, claimed that these multi-billion dollar increases would accomplish absolutely nothing in the realm of the ONLY thing that matters from our school systems... and that is academic outcomes.

It would enrich teacher unions. It would put even more money in the pockets of these thugs for their 183 day, 7 hour per day per year prima donnas.

But when it came to OUTCOMES?

We would see no measurable improvement... PARTICULARLY where it matters most: academic outcomes.

Oh, they have time to program our little darlings into little leftist automatons. They've got time to ram pronouns for the 8,000 odd genders down their throats. They've got time to do all they can to get these kids mutilated into falsely changing genders. They've got time to orchestrate walkouts over their latest faux outrages designed to get media attention.

But as they jam this crap into the classroom day... as they program THEIR sense of morality into these kids psyche, as they do their best to remove parents from the equation altogether, (and you know leftists are attempting to do that through policy) academics... readin',  writin' and 'rithmatic get short shrift.

And isn't that what we send them there for?

Now, I led off this post with the horrific outcomes of just one complete failure of a school district... in this case, Baltimore. They've been a disaster for decades. And oddly, no one there seems to care.

I get that there've been riots around the country. Murders, assaults, arsons, looting... all in the name of social justice. (Whatever THAT is.)

But where's the social justice in sending kids to school for 13 years who can't do grade level work in English, math and science when they get out?

Where's the social justice in handing a kid a worthless piece of paper that says they've graduated from high school when they can't read, write or do math?

Where's the outrage? Where's the riots over an education system that condemns its children to lives of poverty, gangs, prostitution, drugs and all that goes with it? WHY AREN'T TEACHERS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR OUTCOMES?

You know.... like the rest of us are out OUR jobs?

I provided Baltimore's years-long issues as AN example. But many school districts around the country are circling an equal-sized drain.

Locally, for example, Evergreen School District comes to mind.

Recently victimized... again... by teacher extortionists demanding to do even LESS work for MORE money... I was sure that it was because these teachers were doing an COMPLETELY OUTSTANDING job in their classrooms and they weren't getting paid for it (And EVERY teacher extortionist strike is for one reason only: more pay for the teachers) so, piss on the law (which states that teacher strikes are illegal and gives them something to laugh at while they're doing it) and lets hold the kids hostage for even MORE money...

Academic outcomes be damned.

So, we cruise on over to the easily accessed but typically ignored Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instructions Report card function and take a quick gander at the AMAZING academic outcomes the just-two-weeks-ago striking teachers of the Evergreen School District were providing.

Here's a screen capture.  See for yourself: 

Wow! Amazing!  Just not in a good way.

How is it even remotely possible for only 55.1% of the students to "attend school regularly" but still have 93% graduate?

And how is it possible for ANY student to graduate who is not at grade level in English (only 37.6%) or Math (26.9%) or Science (35.7%)?

And these teacher extortionists went on strike?  Instead of a pay INCREASE, they should be giving BACK their pay.

Paying those more to piss off on their job is inexplicable, It's inexcusable.

Is it any wonder that there are 700 fewer students going to these shithole schools this year than last year?

It's safe to say that at this point in time, Evergreen schools are somewhat better than those Baltimore Public School shitholes.

But the trend is heading the wrong way and soon, Evergreen and other school districts in the state will be fighting it out with Baltimore for the worst schools not only in the country... but on the planet.

And locally, if any group has a justification for rioting, it's the parents of the students in the Evergreen schools.

And yet.... once again. They do nothing. 

And this is yet another illustration of how the taxpayers in Washington State are getting screwed by public schools... because it ain't just happening in the Evergreen district.