1. When did I say I didn't like summer vacation? I think it's fantastic, I just don't think its proper to credit it's existence with the teachers union. 2. It's not the tax dollars, it's the fact that (like you) I'm a new parent and I can't stand the fact that the teachers union protects incompetence. Are you familiar with the "rubber rooms" in the NYC school system? These are rooms where teachers that districts are trying to fire go to during the "investigation" process. They go to these room every day, sometimes for years, and collect full paychecks and benefits. -this is ridiculous. 3. "Because I see that you do not understand"? -Don't presume to know what I do and do not understand cgod, that statement says more about you than it does me. I come from a family of educators, good ones too. It is a very difficult job and it should be compensated accordingly. I truly think that if the union was out of the way, and teachers had access to pay raises based on performance and reviews (like nearly every other industry), the entire system would benefit. 4. "Maybe you desire, as so many of our fellow Americans, to disenfranchise labor by removing it's right to collectively borrow". -If you read my previous comment you would already know that I don't. I made it clear that many industries need unions to protect the three legs of business: the employee, the company and the consumer. I sincerely think that the teachers union stands in the way of "good teachers" when it protects the bad ones. worth checking out: http://teachersunionexposed.com/bargaining.cfm