Pissed off teacher's union, so it must be good.

Apparently the teacher's unions don't like how they are portrayed in this upcoming documentary.  Obviously that can mean only one thing... and that is this must be a good film that is hitting the root on some of the cataclysmic issues plaguing our government run school system.  One key item that I hope you take note of is on our schools system rankings among other developed countries around the world currently.  Just over 20 years ago we ranked number 1 in some categories and go back even further in our nation's history and we ranked in the top 5 in all categories.  What has changed to cause our drop in the quality of our education system?  I don't think it's one sole cause and with having two young children just starting in public school, I am early in exploring this.  However, I have identified a couple of key areas and a few resolutions.

• Abolish the Department of Education; this is a newer institution and established by former President Jimmy Carter in 1979.  Accomplishments so far include skyrocketing education costs and declining quality and test scores.  Return this to the State and Local levels.
• School Vouchers; it's our money and more so our children's future.  Engage the free market system and if your school is not performing then move your children, without vouchers and/or dramatic tax code changes our children and families are being financially held hostage to the school that they are zoned to.
• Tax Code Reform; How is it that Communist Russia has a flat tax system of 15%, yet we in America insist on class warfare with our progressive tax code with some of the highest taxes in the world?.  I think this ties to our family structure and ultimately education.  Parents are working longer and harder to just make ends meet, the declining value of the dollar only compounds this, but the historical key to success in education has been parental involvement.  Give not only the families the ability to be home more with our children, but do what is right and give all Americans their money back.
• Break the Teacher's Union; this one is a bit more philosophical on my part.  If you're a public employee then I have been unable for the life of me to come up with a reason that you should and can join a union other than to give campaign cash to politicians.  More direct to this one is the ability to fire bad teacher's, but more so I want our local school's more flexibility to reward great teachers.  3 years thus far of public school and I've encountered mostly great teachers, but one absolutely horrible one.  The latter can not be fired, not for lack of trying, due to status in the teacher's union.
• Get political agenda's out of the text books; How many of us later in life have come across dozens of historical facts from our nation's past that stopped us for a second and we thought why on earth were we not taught this in school?  Example; The Great Depression and massive government spending and repeated stimulus to deal with it and the Forgotten Depression of the 20's with taxes and government spending cut in half and the comparison of the resulting impacts both approaches had on our country.
• Restore families; this ties to another post series I have and I will not elaborate greatly, but does our Family Code have incentives to break families apart and the resulting impact is less parental involvement?  I would say yes.
  

Pissed off teacher's union, so it must be good.