a:1:{s:15:"field_blog_body";a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:5:"value";s:2782:"<p>Unions exist for one reason - to serve their members. (Well, one other thing - to give money to Democrats.) Their purpose doesn't include the welfare of the industry they supposedly serve, including schoolchildren.</p>
<p>This is not to say that teachers don&rsquo;t care about students - that is not at all what I&rsquo;m saying. But the union representatives exist to squeeze every dime out of whomever they are negotiating with for the benefit of their members. In this case, those dimes come from you and I.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.mackinac.org/12083">Mackinac Center for Public Policy</a>, health care plans for Michigan teachers in 2008-2009 were 39 percent higher than the statewide average. The average teacher contribution to is four percent, so their union has been serving them well, at the cost of taxpayers. As Michael Van Beek notes:</p>
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<p>Michigan taxpayers now spend $2 billion per year, or $1,250 per pupil, for school employee health insurance.</p>
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<p><a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2010/02/17/education_too_important_for_a_government_monopoly">John Stossel's column </a>last week dovetails with this idea of expensive per student cost with little benefit:</p>
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<p>Since 1980, government spending on education, adjusted for inflation, has nearly doubled. But test scores have been flat for decades. <br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>
<p>Today we spend a stunning $11,000 a year per student -- more than $200,000 per classroom. It's not working.</p>
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<p>House Speaker Andy Dillon, a Democrat, has proposed including public employees (teachers included) be handled by the same state commission. Estimated to save $900 million (less, of course - government projections of money saved are always wrong, cough - stimulus bill - cough). Would is save money? Yes, it probably would. Occasionally, a Democrat has a good idea. Bravo, keep them coming.</p>
<p>Mr. Van Beek has a better idea:</p>
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<p>If all school employees were enrolled in consumer-driven health plans, such as a high-deductible health savings account, Mackinac Center analysts estimate that schools could save at least $450 million in just one year. Over the course of a decade, those savings could grow to $26 billion. States like Indiana are already reaping the benefits from moving public employees into HSAs, yet only 19 Michigan school districts have HSA plans for their teachers.</p>
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<p>I highly doubt this idea will ever come to fruition because the Michigan Education Association, arguably the state's most powerful union, will oppose it. But it is important to keep these ideas coming. Eventually, we may have enough people in the legislature to make it happen.</p>";s:6:"format";s:1:"2";}}}