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campaign finance
November 2008 
Teachers unions and lobbying
Ryan
Megan McArdle's BlogI'm a parent of three in NYC. Where do I get to vote on education policy here? Tell me.
BTW, the NYC Council last year passed a campaign finance reform bill, "the toughest in the nation", that strictly cracks down on campaign contributions and lobbying by private citizens -- like, oh, parents -- but exempts ... guess who?... from the rules.
Yes, you guessed right, the government workers' unions!
"The City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn ... has repeatedly drawn a distinction between unions negotiating with the city for better pay and benefits, and [others] vying for lucrative land deals or government contracts." NYT, 6/28/07
(So we see that a goverment contract with a union isn't a government contract!)
And guess who is the #1 campaign contributor and biggest spending lobbyist in NYS. Why ... the teachers union!
Thus, as a parent not only do I have no vote on education matters, but I am even prohibited from trying to bribe politicians on equal terms with the schools unions -- only unions now can legally buy politicians!
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