We have come to expect teachers to be high-minded, educated individuals with minds of their own who view teaching as a profession. These are the people, after all, who we trust with our kids more hours a day than anyone else; people who teach our children to be critical thinkers and to make sound decisions based on evidence.

There seems to be a disconnect when it comes to their union.

The world is in deep recession. Unemployment is rising at a gut-wrenching pace. The state is facing a $14 billion deficit caused by decades of union-influenced overspending in Albany and exacerbated by the loss of Wall Street’s tax revenues. Companies large and small all around New York state are fighting to stay in business and avoid laying off employees.

But we have no shortage of rhetoric and self-interest in Albany…

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