Gov. Bevin of Kentucky must be really peeved at the teachers who walked out on Friday to protest various vetoes by Gov. Bevin of various budget and revenue bills, as WDRB.com reports:
“I guarantee you somewhere in Kentucky today a child was sexually assaulted that was left at home because there was nobody there to watch them,” the governor told a group of reporters outside the Capitol. “I guarantee you somewhere today a child was physically harmed or ingested poison because they were home alone because a single parent didn’t have any money to take care of them. I’m offended by the idea that people so cavalierly and so flippantly disregarded what’s truly best for children.”
Gov. Bevin is deeply unwise to use an argument which can easily be turned around and used on himself. I’ll just note in passing that he’s an exemplar of the third-raters who have ridden the first rate GOP marketing machine to positions of influence.
But, of course, it’s Gov. Bevin’s vetoes which have brought the teachers out to help ensure the public good, and encourage the KY Legislature to override his actions.
Bevin’s comments came after thousands of teachers swarmed the Capitol, most of them hoping lawmakers would override his vetoes on budget and revenue bills. The House and Senate ultimately overturned those decisions, but Bevin said children across the state suffered after several school districts closed either to allow teachers to attend Friday’s events or because enough teachers absences triggered closures.
The suggestion that the teachers should curtail the civil rights they were using in opposition to his actions, whether those actions were correct or not, is not only inappropriate, but unethical and against the spirit of the United States. Fortunately, such arguments as his are specious and sensationalistic, and should alienate the independents who hold the pivot of power. If children are at such risk, then we should ask why he’s running a State that does not provide safer environments to all children. Teachers, after all, are not baby-sitters. They are teachers, who are inculcating knowledge; the safety of the classroom, which I say fairly sardonically at this juncture in American history, is strictly a requirement for teaching.
Shame on you, Gov. Bevin.
