Voters’ focus on spending forced Democrats to make a telling choice this week — between public unions and folks on food stamps.
Guess who they picked? Yup: To fund another bailout — $26 billion to save teaching and other government jobs — Dems cut money meant to feed the poor.
President Obama inked the bill Tuesday — to great cheers (natch) from teachers.
True, food-stamp spending will still go up, but not by as much. Dems also hiked taxes again, by $10 billion. Yet the Congressional Budget Office says even that isn’t enough: The measure will bloat the deficit another $13 billion over 10 years, using “pay as you go” accounting.
Still, with a choice between the public unions who fund their campaigns or the “hungry,” it’s clear who Democrats put first — despite their professed concern for the poor. (Who’s providing their political advice — Marie Antoinette?)
There’s another lesson here, too: With their power over lawmakers, teachers are immune to market rules like supply and demand. Imagine if plumbers or doctors or waiters could turn to Washington for a handout whenever business turned soft.
Let’s be honest: This Christmas-in-August gift is as much about boosting teacher pay as saving jobs. The US teacher-student ratio has soared, so minor teacher cuts are surely tolerable. Anyway, many districts had canceled layoffs even before the bill passed.
But the new cash will help ensure that teacher pay exceeds market rates. Consider: The New York Times reported a few months back that, in districts across the nation, thousands of teachers were applying for just a handful of openings.
In Pelham, 3,000 sought just seven jobs at the high school. In Port Washington, 3,600 vied for eight spots.
In a free market, a glut of applicants bids down pay packages. But teachers can keep getting raises if extra cash keeps flowing in from Washington.
No, there’s nothing “free” about this market.
Too bad for the hungry.