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http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Feb/02242004/nation_w/141927.asp
Education chief in 'NEA culpa'
By Robert Tanner
The Associated Press
??? WASHINGTON -- Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" Monday, taking on the 2.7 million-member National Education Association early in the presidential election year.
??? Paige's comments, made to the nation's governors at a private White House meeting, were denounced by union President Reg Weaver. Paige said he was sorry, and the White House said he was right to apologize.
??? The education secretary's words were "pathetic and they are not a laughing matter," said Weaver, whose union has said it plans to sue the Bush administration over lack of funding for demands included in the "No Child Left Behind" law.
??? Paige said later that his comment was "a bad joke; it was an inappropriate choice of words."
??? "As one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better," said Paige, the first black education secretary.
??? Pat Rusk, president of the Utah Education Association, reacted to Paige's comment while attending a hearing on Utah's Capitol Hill.
??? "Last week we were told that we weren't welcome in the Republican Party of Utah. And this week we're told we're terrorists. Seems like someone's really upset about No Child Left Behind. It seems to me that when you're running scared, you just start throwing stones.
??? "More and more people coming out criticizing this law, and they are refusing to back away from the legislation and say we made a mistake. "
??? The Utah House has voted to stick with No Child Left Behind, but has barred districts from siphoning state and local money to carry out the act's mandates.
??? Meanwhile, Paige said he had made it clear to the governors that he was referring to the Washington-based union organization, not the teachers it represents.
???-----
??? Tribune reporter Mike
???Cronin contributed.
??? Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, put it in stronger terms, accusing Paige of resorting "to the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech, comparing those who teach America's children to terrorists."
??? Education has been a top issue for the governors, who have sought more flexibility from the administration on Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, which seeks to improve school performance in part by allowing parents to move their children from poorly performing schools.
??? Democrats have said Bush has failed to fully fund the law, giving the states greater burdens but not the resources to handle them. The union backs the intent of the law but says many of its provisions must be changed.
??? The NEA spends roughly $1 million a year lobbying in Washington. It is also a big political donor, mostly to Democrats.
??? In the last presidential election cycle, 1999-2000, NEA and its political action committee donated $3.1 million to federal candidates and national party committees, with about $9 of every $10 going to Democrats. At that time, national party committees were allowed to raise union donations, part of the so-called soft money that they are now barred from accepting.
??? Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, said Paige's remarks startled the governors, who met for nearly two hours with Bush and several Cabinet officials.
??? "He is, I guess, very concerned about anybody that questions what the president is doing," Holden said.
??? Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said, "Somebody asked him about the NEA's role and he offered his perspective on it."
??? Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, a Democrat, said the comments were made in the context of "we can't be supportive of the status quo and they're the status quo. But whatever the context, it is inappropriate -- I know he wasn't calling teachers terrorists -- but to even suggest that the organization they belong to was a terrorist organization is uncalled for."
??? Paige, in an interview, talked at length about his agency's efforts to work with states over their concerns with the law. He said meetings with state leaders have erased misunderstandings and a tone of confrontation.
??? But he said some opposition to the law has been stirred by at least three groups that are "hard nosed, highly financed and well organized." Asked to name the groups other than the NEA, Paige declined, saying: "I've already got into deep water with that one, haven't I?"
??? The governors were in Washington for four days of discussions at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, though the usual effort to build consensus was marked by partisan politics that Democrats said couldn't be avoided.
??? In brief public comments, Bush told the governors that rising political tensions of an election year won't stop him from working closely with them.
??? "I fully understand it's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue," Bush said. "But surely we can shuffle that aside sometimes and focus on our people."
???
???
???
???
?
? Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.
All material found on Utah Online is copyrighted The Salt Lake Tribune and associated news services. No material may be reproduced or reused without explicit permission from The Salt Lake Tribune.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education chief in 'NEA culpa'
By Robert Tanner
The Associated Press
??? WASHINGTON -- Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a "terrorist organization" Monday, taking on the 2.7 million-member National Education Association early in the presidential election year.
??? Paige's comments, made to the nation's governors at a private White House meeting, were denounced by union President Reg Weaver. Paige said he was sorry, and the White House said he was right to apologize.
??? The education secretary's words were "pathetic and they are not a laughing matter," said Weaver, whose union has said it plans to sue the Bush administration over lack of funding for demands included in the "No Child Left Behind" law.
??? Paige said later that his comment was "a bad joke; it was an inappropriate choice of words."
??? "As one who grew up on the receiving end of insensitive remarks, I should have chosen my words better," said Paige, the first black education secretary.
??? Pat Rusk, president of the Utah Education Association, reacted to Paige's comment while attending a hearing on Utah's Capitol Hill.
??? "Last week we were told that we weren't welcome in the Republican Party of Utah. And this week we're told we're terrorists. Seems like someone's really upset about No Child Left Behind. It seems to me that when you're running scared, you just start throwing stones.
??? "More and more people coming out criticizing this law, and they are refusing to back away from the legislation and say we made a mistake. "
??? The Utah House has voted to stick with No Child Left Behind, but has barred districts from siphoning state and local money to carry out the act's mandates.
??? Meanwhile, Paige said he had made it clear to the governors that he was referring to the Washington-based union organization, not the teachers it represents.
???-----
??? Tribune reporter Mike
???Cronin contributed.
??? Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, put it in stronger terms, accusing Paige of resorting "to the most vile and disgusting form of hate speech, comparing those who teach America's children to terrorists."
??? Education has been a top issue for the governors, who have sought more flexibility from the administration on Bush's "No Child Left Behind" law, which seeks to improve school performance in part by allowing parents to move their children from poorly performing schools.
??? Democrats have said Bush has failed to fully fund the law, giving the states greater burdens but not the resources to handle them. The union backs the intent of the law but says many of its provisions must be changed.
??? The NEA spends roughly $1 million a year lobbying in Washington. It is also a big political donor, mostly to Democrats.
??? In the last presidential election cycle, 1999-2000, NEA and its political action committee donated $3.1 million to federal candidates and national party committees, with about $9 of every $10 going to Democrats. At that time, national party committees were allowed to raise union donations, part of the so-called soft money that they are now barred from accepting.
??? Missouri Gov. Bob Holden, a Democrat, said Paige's remarks startled the governors, who met for nearly two hours with Bush and several Cabinet officials.
??? "He is, I guess, very concerned about anybody that questions what the president is doing," Holden said.
??? Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said, "Somebody asked him about the NEA's role and he offered his perspective on it."
??? Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, a Democrat, said the comments were made in the context of "we can't be supportive of the status quo and they're the status quo. But whatever the context, it is inappropriate -- I know he wasn't calling teachers terrorists -- but to even suggest that the organization they belong to was a terrorist organization is uncalled for."
??? Paige, in an interview, talked at length about his agency's efforts to work with states over their concerns with the law. He said meetings with state leaders have erased misunderstandings and a tone of confrontation.
??? But he said some opposition to the law has been stirred by at least three groups that are "hard nosed, highly financed and well organized." Asked to name the groups other than the NEA, Paige declined, saying: "I've already got into deep water with that one, haven't I?"
??? The governors were in Washington for four days of discussions at the annual meeting of the National Governors Association, though the usual effort to build consensus was marked by partisan politics that Democrats said couldn't be avoided.
??? In brief public comments, Bush told the governors that rising political tensions of an election year won't stop him from working closely with them.
??? "I fully understand it's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue," Bush said. "But surely we can shuffle that aside sometimes and focus on our people."
???
???
???
???
?
? Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune.
All material found on Utah Online is copyrighted The Salt Lake Tribune and associated news services. No material may be reproduced or reused without explicit permission from The Salt Lake Tribune.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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