A TPM reader goes on an epic anti-union rant, with the obligatory teacher and cop bashing.
To start, he makes one of my very favorite anti-teacher arguments:
I don’t want to demonize School teachers, and I am sure it must be a tougher job than I think. But over the last 10 years, I have taken a full 1 week off for vacation a grand total of 4 times. I take a day here and a day there, but if I am lucky it will work out to 2 weeks per year, usually less. Then there is the ever present e-mail, texts and phone calls that intrude into my evenings and weekends.
Teachers get that much time off around Christmas time.
Well, allow me to retort!
Of course anyone whose ever even known a teacher can tell you that a typical day is at least 8 (probably stressful) hours at school followed by more at home in the evening and on weekends. So yea, teachers get a couple months off. Because the rest of the year they’re working damn near constantly. And sure, I know plenty of non-teachers that work damn near constantly year round, but they get paid well for that. Teachers, not so much.
Next up, an argument to lower cops’ pay:
Public Safety Unions I precieve to be much tougher, and stressful jobs. But oh lord, the motherload of great pay, great benefits, high degree of public respect. Retiring at age 50 or earlier seems a little ridiculous though, especially given the gold plated retirement package.
For a police officer to be effective, they need to, ya know, give a damn. Slashing their pay and benefits is a great way to incentivize them to not.
I really have to wonder, if teachers and public employees have it so easy, get paid so much, and have such fantastic “gold plated” benefits, why don’t the people that constantly complain about it become a teacher or public employee? After all, you get paid a bajillion dollars to sit around and do nothing and you dont have to pay taxes right? Sweet gig!
But of course that isn’t true. They’re working shmucks just like the rest of us.
And the three billionaires (who actually have outrageous pay and benefits) that bought the recall election are sitting back and laughing that they’ve gotten all of us working shmucks to fight amongst ourselves. Takes the heat off them.
520 Chestnut 
and don’t forget teachers aren’t paid for that “vacation” generally they’re on a nine month contract, and if they’re lucky the school district will allow them to receive reduced paychecks throughout the year so that it stretches through the summer.