Our office had a deadbeat school for a customer. They never paid their bills anywhere near on time and worse, when called about their delinquencies they would tell us all sorts of lies about the invoice being processed and payment would be sent soon, or else the payment had been sent, blah blah blah. But no matter what, it was worse than pulling teeth in Marathon Man or Oldboy trying to collect from them. Yet because it was a school we tried to be nice to them and allow them to still make credit purchases.
One day we put our foot down, however. Here they were trying to order more things and yet their account hadn't changed - the bills still hadn't been paid. So no payment, no further sales. Despite pleading and begging and lying and whatever else they could conjure up, this was just too much. Finally they saved the knockout punch for last and laid it on us: We were hurting their kids. How could we do that to those innocent kids at that school?
Excuse me, but WE are hurting your kids? Because YOU don't pay your bills and YOU lie to us, WE are hurting your kids by refusing to be hoodwinked again? By refusing to subsidize you because YOU can't manage your money? It was amazing how they tried to lay that guilt trip on us, claiming that we were hurting the kids at the school because we were doing what any sensible company or person would have done.
Yes, I realize money was tight within the school district. But money was tight everywhere. Everyone in the school district had to chip in and make cutbacks but yet almost all of our other customers within the district somehow found the funds to pay the bills we sent them. What really got me, though, was how they tried to accuse us of hurting the kids, and also the horrible example they set for their students the way they lied to us about paying their bills. Is that the sort of irresponsible adult they wanted to develop?
Gee, why does that remind me of those ads on television sponsored by the teachers unions that try to portray Governor Schwarzenegger as doing great harm to the school children in our state? Could it be that same attempt to lay a guilt trip by bringing the children into it? Could it be the lying in both circumstances? Trying to blame Arnold for their own irresponsibility when it comes to managing their finances?
As most people know, the state of California is in a fiscal mess. We can thank former governor Gumby D for that, spending left and right as if there was no tomorrow. Well in his case I guess there was no tomorrow, but anyway, we inherited a big deficit from him. During the time he was in office he let it get worse and worse so obviously it isn't something that can be fixed overnight. And because it is such a tremendous deficit, all of us in the state are going to have to cut back and suffer in some way to pay for it. That includes teachers. Somehow the teachers unions think that just because they teach kids they are exempt from having to cut back on anything.
I agree that educating our children is important and we can't ignore this. But take a look at where a lot of the funds for "education" go: they help those fat administrators redecorate their offices every year, pay the salaries of their chauffeurs, pay for all the useless things they waste while kids go without books. It pays for the fancy lunches they eat while our kids get nice and fat eating the slop served in the cafeteria that has plenty of fat and salt in it. We're all in this mess together and we all have to cut back because there simply isn't enough money to go around. Education is important, yes, but there are other things that are important also. Besides like I said, I am sure that the funds supposedly going to "education" could be used in a much more efficient way.
So when you see those terribly misleading ads sponsored by the teachers unions (and any union for that matter) that slam our governor, just remember the greed and self-interest that lies behind them. Remember that they love to use kids as the symbol to turn you into Pavlov's dogs by ringing your soft spots. And also remember these are put on by vicious political types who want your money first and foremost and then maybe with whatever is left they'll use it for what you thought it was going to be used for in the first place.
Today Arnold announced he is running for reelection in 2006 and I am happy. He has my support. I just wish he would take a stronger stand against these greedy selfish groups, but I guess he is learning just how dirty politics is.
No comments:
Post a Comment