The woman is Megan Sampson, who won an award as Outstanding First-Year Teacher but then got laid off:
The anecdote is often used by Walker to explain why he believed his 2011 legislation to curb collective bargaining rights for most public employees was needed. Under the district's union contract's seniority rules, a good teacher was laid off because she was recently hired, he has said....It's not surprising that a young woman making her way in the teaching profession in Wisconsin would feel stressed having her name associated with Walker's.
"My opinions about the union have changed over the past eight months, and I am hurt that this story is being used to make me the poster child for this political agenda," Sampson told the Journal Sentinel. "Bottom line: I am trying to do my job and all this attention is interference and stress for me."
Interesting locution: "My opinions about the union have changed over the past eight months...."
Why did her opinions about the union change? Where is the stress coming from? Walker?
Posts
70 comments:
Your experience is his experience.
What, are we allowed to copyright out lives now?
Now, THAT would be handy.
-XC
She is clearly a lazy entitled union shill. That's the case for anybody who doesn't support our Dear Leader (at least here on Althouse). Tired of being used as a political talking point? Perish the thought. She's a union thug, plain and simple.
The term "Peer Pressure" (As for juvenile delinquents) comes to mind.
The terms "Threats", "Putting someone in Coventry" and the like also come to my mind.
Take it up in the court that decided the Blurred Lines case.
Walker has been my favored candidate but he just lost me with that sports facility subsidy.
What happened to her happened and he is perfectly within his rights to openly discuss a factual occurrence. That she is now being pressured to speak out against him alters nothing about the facts of her case and his right to discuss those facts openly.
Notice that the complaint isn't that his facts are wrong, but rather that she doesn't want to be involved publicly anymore and that she has changed her "feelings" about the union. I'm sure both of those latter two things are linked quite directly. Unions are all about intimidation of the individual by the group, after all, and I'm sure she is being intimidated quite effectively.
Years later, Walker still unable to find a single other example to prove his point. Not a one.
1. Outstanding First-Year Teacher.
2. No seniority so forced out by Union Rules that favor old slow and weak teachers.
3. Walker notes the incongruity, as is his right to note public actions of Public Unions.
4. Teacher screwed by Union rules blames Walker.
From new hotness to same old thing in four easy steps! Conclusion: yes she is a union shill now and might just be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome.
Mark, maybe the extremes of Outstanding First-Year Teacher and laid off make her the best example he can find of perverse union rules.
Or maybe it's a rare exception, thus the inability to find others.
If it's a matter of public record he is obviously free to bring it up, but I'd think he could save a bit of embarrassment by clearing it with her if he's going to be using his name in the campaign. Even if she agrees with what he's trying to do, she reasonably may not want to make waves as her future in the field could be affected either by people who don't like Walker or who just want no part in controversy. It always looks bad to tout a poster child and then the poster child publicly complains about being used.
Too bad. This isn't really about the teacher so much as it is the students.
"peer pressure"
As in, "nice knee caps you have there, lady"?
If she was drowning would she want Scott Walker to save her?
Why did her opinions about the union change? Where is the stress coming from? Walker?
Why would the publicity matter unless it was driving a reaction, such as local union reps pressuring her into making political statements to minimize the damage her story does to the teachers union? But since union supporters are close and personal and Walker is far and impersonal it's emotionally easier to blame Walker for creating the tempest than union supporters for pressuring her.
Who ever suggested that teachers were smart?
Much more germane to the Walker candidacy, I would think, is that he has been roasted, two days in a row in two separate columns, by GOP gatekeeper Jennifer Rubin.
Scotty is circling the bowl, and his latest statements indicate that he knows it.
No more Mr. Nice Guy, indeed.
Bob Boyd said...
If she was drowning would she want Scott Walker to save her?
8/20/15, 9:34 AM
If she were drowning, would the unions allow Walker to save her
"Mark said...
Years later, Walker still unable to find a single other example to prove his point. Not a one."
8/20/15, 9:20 AM
Unable? You are declaring that he has tried and failed?
Just more bullshit from our resident retard.
Mark said...
Or maybe it's a rare exception, thus the inability to find others.
Now Mark, are you saying that the teacher with the most seniority is ALWAYS the better teacher?
Her views on the union changed?
The same union that would've had her fired.
Yeah, he shouldn't mention that his state gave a teacher so mind-numbingly stupid an award.
Years later, Walker still unable to find a single other example to prove his point. Not a one.
...except the massive savings in health care costs and the lack of a need to fire teachers.
Much more germane to the Walker candidacy, I would think, is that he has been roasted, two days in a row in two separate columns, by GOP gatekeeper Jennifer Rubin.
Speaking as a conservatibve...I've spent approximately no time in my life worried about what Rubin thinks.
Bbkingfish, Althouse has ignored all such stories since the debate.
Rubin, among others, have branded him this year's Rick Perry who is just not up to task.
I don't think his attempt to mirror Trump's immigration stance is electable in the general election. They are likely right.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel June 14 2010, facts for the factually challenged.
Fact: Outstanding young teachers were laid off
"Megan Sampson was named outstanding first-year teacher by the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English last week.
Second-year social studies teacher Kevin Condon, also at Bradley Tech High School, has four licenses and can command the attention of 40 students in an open-concept classroom.
Both are among 482 educators - more than 12% of the full-time teachers in the district - who have received layoff notices from Milwaukee Public Schools. ..."
Fact: Seniority Counted
"Milwaukee School Board President Michael Bonds said ... The district has to lay off teachers based on seniority ..."
Fact: Outstanding young MPS teachers were laid off because senior teachers insisted that the MPS pay complete costs for a "Cadillac" health plan. This is not done elsewhere.
"Bonds said if all teachers switched to the lower-cost plan, about $48 million could be saved, enough to pay for 480 educators.
"I'm not aware of any place in the nation that pays 100% of teachers' health-care benefits and doesn't require a contribution from those who choose to take a more expensive plan," Bonds said."
Fact: What Sampson said about the union at the time
"At Bradley Tech, Sampson, 24, is one of nine layoffs. She said the union never solicited views from her about switching plans.
"Given the opportunity, of course I would switch to a different plan to save my job, or the jobs of 10 other teachers," Sampson said.
Sampson and her laid-off colleagues, all who have less than three years of teaching experience, also expressed frustration that their jobs would be filled by more veteran, but not necessarily better, educators.
"I feel kind of let down by my city today," said Kaphaem, 25, as she lost the fight to hold back tears in Principal Ed Kupka's office."
Fact: Principals felt that better teachers were being laid and principals saw people they hired in order to turn around failing schools laid off.
"Kupka is equally frustrated. He hand-selected the new teachers because of their talent and enthusiasm for turning around Tech, recently designated as one of the worst-performing high schools in the state.
"Based on the pressures we're under as a low-performing school, I absolutely would have chosen a different nine (for layoffs)," Kupka said. "Not everyone is on board with the cultural shift, or has the skills to implement it. The people that are leaving are among the most transformation-minded people on staff."
Sampson and Emily Kaphaem, a world geography and citizenship teacher at Tech, said they have received exemplary performance reviews."
"Michael said...
Who ever suggested that teachers were smart?"
The generally have the lowest entrance exams of any major. Then again, they are smart enough to realize great pay, great bennies, summers off.
"Principals felt that better teachers were being laid"
Oops. I am obviously not a robot
""Principals felt that better teachers were being laid off"
Her job prospects are tied to her opinion of the teacher's union. Walker may take on the unions but she can't be seen at odds with the union.
Mark if you think seniority perversities like this are rare then you really don't know what goes on inside education. When layoffs happen this is the rule, the union rule: last in first out. LIFO. Your opinion doesn't matter. LIFO is a fact of life at any union shop whether the workers make widgets or indoctrinate children. Perverse incentives lead to perverse outcomes. Walker is right to use a very obvious example but you're deluded if you think there aren't another million names he could mention. The public may not recognize those names but many will recall the "best new teacher" being laid off to save some old tired union thug's position.
Her story is worth money so it would be sporting of Walker to send her a couple of bucks.
Her story is public, she can complain but she can't stop its use.
I remember Obamas first state of the union, when talking about the state of education in America said that we would remove ineffective teachers from the classroom.
I guess he forgot to clear that with teachers unions too.
Mike, we got rid of that union boogeyman here. Walker solved that problem, right?
Or are you telling me everything he did left us unchanged?
Hit the link, see it's the Wisconsin State Journal article about Walker, and you instantly know it's crap.
Dive in to the comments section and fact that it is a junk publication is confirmed.
The poor girl must not be allowed to participate in teacher lounge reindeer games.
Can they rescind her award?
The use of seniority when determining retention and pay has been a must-have for teachers unions for years, and it's easy to see why.
Once you get away from seniority in determining pay and retention you're getting into "some teachers are better than others" territory, which leads to competition between employees and destroys the solidarity-among-members that unions depend on.
But also important issue was baking seniority into the union pay scale, so that all union contracts specified a percentage raise that every teacher received every year, merely for having one more year of service. So where the press might announce "Teacher contract contains pay raise of 3%," that 3% was in addition to the automatic years-of-service raise all teachers received, year after year.
It's easy to see why unions favor the use of seniority in determining pay and retention, but not so easy to show how students, parents of students, or taxpayers benefit from it. Because just about everyone knows that some teachers are much better than others, and some are much worse, and the better/worse doesn't correlate much with years-of-service.
What's remarkable is that the teachers unions got away with this for as long as they did. What's not remarkable is its use as a political issue. If the use of seniority to determine pay and retention is such as good idea, why don't we hear those Democrats who are supported by teachers unions (that's about 100% in Wisconsin) speaking up in support of it?
Of course, they wouldn't say "Seniority trumps quality!"; they'd say, "Every student deserves an experienced teacher!"
Bu bu Curious George said he met Walker, and he's ready.
Small consolation that the rest of country gets to appreciate this mental midget like the rest of Wisconsin.
What makes her think she has the right to grant or withhold permission? I'm not surprised she's not thrilled about the way what happened to her is impacting policy, I wouldn't be happy either. But tough noogies.
That article was written to highlight how the governor is possibly twisting the facts and their powerful investigative journalism has found a few nits in the story.
I thought maybe the writer was looking at some Watergate news articles and magazines, and trying to come up with some sort of inspiration from them.
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows. Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted and spit upon. A Walker supporter tried running over his own wife because she signed the recall petition. A Republican very active in local elections put bruises upon himself and falsely reported to the police that he was attacked by leftists.
And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish. So it is no surprise that Scott Walker is also constantly telling lies, like about this teacher - being untruthful and out of touch with reality is a big part of the Republican's DNA.
"Mark said...
Mike, we got rid of that union boogeyman here. Walker solved that problem, right?
Or are you telling me everything he did left us unchanged?"
Geronimoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
madisonfella said...
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows. Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted and spit upon.
LOL Physically assaulted? Bullshit
"madisonfella said...
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows."
More bullshit.
madisonfella said...
And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish. So it is no surprise that Scott Walker is also constantly telling lies, like about this teacher - being untruthful and out of touch with reality is a big part of the Republican's DNA.
What exactly is the lie being told?
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows.
And unions incited law violations, damaged public and private property and defied police orders during the failed capital building riots over Walker-sponsored legislation - the pot calling the kettle black, if the accusation is true.
A Walker supporter tried running over his own wife because she signed the recall petition. A Republican very active in local elections put bruises upon himself and falsely reported to the police that he was attacked by leftists.
It is all Scott Walker's fault! - just as was the case of the Milwaukee prosecutor's improper use of the law to investigate a Walker campaign leader.
madisonfella said...
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows. Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted and spit upon. A Walker supporter tried running over his own wife because she signed the recall petition. A Republican very active in local elections put bruises upon himself and falsely reported to the police that he was attacked by leftists.
And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish. So it is no surprise that Scott Walker is also constantly telling lies, like about this teacher - being untruthful and out of touch with reality is a big part of the Republican's DNA.
8/20/15, 11:30 AM
Not saying any of that did not happen but have you got sources? If any of that is true, those involved show face consequences and I don't know any conservatives that would not think so.
Can't say the same for those OWSers that raped and robbed and shat upon police cars nor the union thugs that beat up that fellow in the wheelchair or those that prayed upon Walker's parent's house...
http://crooksandliars.com/cltv/2015/02/cashin-pundits-say-pro-union
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/12/12/abc-nbc-and-cbs-ignore-union-thugs-attack-on-fox-news-contributor.html
http://www.voicesofliberty.com/article/taxi-union-thugs-force-couple-out-of-uber-car/
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/09/05/happy-labor-day-top-10-union-thug-moments-of-the-year/
Yep, NO SUCH THING as a union thug, oh and those stories you hear about union thugs? Completely made up...
Sorry, libtards. Take your gag orders and shove them. We'll talk about whatever we want, and we sure as fuck don't need permission from any of the likes of you.
Shorter Curious George:
*fingers in ears* trololol I can't hear you I can't hear you
madisonfella said...
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows. Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted and spit upon. A Walker supporter tried running over his own wife because she signed the recall petition. A Republican very active in local elections put bruises upon himself and falsely reported to the police that he was attacked by leftists.
And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish. So it is no surprise that Scott Walker is also constantly telling lies, like about this teacher - being untruthful and out of touch with reality is a big part of the Republican's DNA.
8/20/15, 11:30 AM
Also, what lies has Walker said about this lady's story? She was fired from her teaching job, she was an "outstanding" teacher, the person that fired her said he would not have but had no choice due to union rules. Where is the lie? Her story is public record (now) and anyone can repeat it for any purpose. So, where is the lie?
"garage mahal said...
Bu bu Curious George said he met Walker, and he's ready.
Small consolation that the rest of country gets to appreciate this mental midget like the rest of Wisconsin."
" garage mahal said...
Shorter Curious George:
*fingers in ears* trololol I can't hear you I can't hear you"
LOL That's some powerful stuff right there for sure.
Todd:
Penquin, like Mark, are hit and runners. Show up, spew bullshit, hit the bricks.
How esily you spout the leftist lies, Mark. Rid of the Union boogeyman? Really? Contrary to the myth being spun by you and every lefty Walker did not, could not have, got rid of the union. The tiny little change is that he removed the state as the collector of union DUES. He changed the law so that each year each public union member (save fire and police unions) would certify that they indeed want representation by the union and then each employee is responsible for paying the dues.
So simple.
But so easy to spin apparently into the hoary old "he killed the unions" bullshit. If the unions die it is because they are not providing enough SERVICE to warrant the DUES they wish to collect. As in most cases of free choice, progressives abhor people having a choice whether to join and pay a union or not. Because "or not" wins so many times!
That you are willing to project complete ignorance of how seniority rules (not changed by Walker, still in effect) operate is not surprising. Feigning stupidity is another liberal act that grows tiresome. (See Hillary's "you mean wipe it with a cloth" comment for another recent obvious example.)
this is what happens when you are polling lower than deez nutz...
jus sayin
machine blathered: "this is what happens when you are polling lower than deez nutz...jus sayin"
Just saying indeed....LOL
Walker job approval is at 39%, is getting beat by Hillary by 10 points.
I met him. He's ready!
You don't get to give permission for him to speak about you, lady.
This is still (some parts anyway) America, and he can talk about you all day and all night long if he wants, and there's fuck-all you can do about it.
The presumption of these people. You don't get to talk about me! I don't want you to! I don't like you so shut up about me! Grow up and deal with it, ma'am.
"garage mahal said...
Walker job approval is at 39%, is getting beat by Hillary by 10 points.
I met him. He's ready!"
garage, after feeling the sting of a Walker beat down over and over, takes solace in a poll about an election that is 15 months off.
Guess you gotta clutch to something....
if Walker can't use stories about individual teachers in campaigning, then teachers can't use stories about an individual named Walker in their campaigns.
"And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish"
If you want to drum up concern about lying, try not lying.
garage mahal said...
"Walker job approval is at 39%, is getting beat by Hillary by 10 points."
This speaks more to people who are willing to support a person who stood on the caskets of dead veterans and knowingly lied to the country to try to save herself embarrassment than to support for a governor from a small state who has little name recognition nationally.
what lies has Walker said about this lady's story?
Politifact covered that one, as well as the many other falsehood Scott Walker has spread in his race to the White House. And while I understand that to most Republicans "half true" isn't considered lying whatsoever, reasonable people know that half true = lie.
And what is my lie Althouse? Are you still trying to walk back your earlier posts where you claimed the protests at the Capitol were violent? Didn't you claim that you were physically assaulted by the union? Didn't you blame the unions for the death threats you received? Nice attempt to revise history, but you aren't fooling anybody except those who eagerly drink your kool-aid every day.
And speaking of liars, am STILL waiting for Curious George to provide the "absolute proof" he has that shows I'm this Penguin girl he is constantly obsessing over. Will he finally show everyone whatever it is he is talking about or will he just cowardly slink away as usual?
She probably hasn't experienced real overt pressure. It's probably more like the self imposed "I want the cool people to like me" kind. Like that really goofy guy in the Road Warrior who tried to act cool for his bad guy buddies by catching the feral boy's razor boomerang, only to get his fingers cut off. He doubled over in pain until he realized the cool guys were laughing at him, so he started laughing too. He had to confront life in a post apocalyptic world without fingers, but it was okay if the cool people liked him. She just wants the cool people to like her.
"madisonfella said...
what lies has Walker said about this lady's story?
Politifact covered that one, as well as the many other falsehood Scott Walker has spread in his race to the White House. And while I understand that to most Republicans "half true" isn't considered lying whatsoever, reasonable people know that half true = lie.
And what is my lie Althouse? Are you still trying to walk back your earlier posts where you claimed the protests at the Capitol were violent? Didn't you claim that you were physically assaulted by the union? Didn't you blame the unions for the death threats you received? Nice attempt to revise history, but you aren't fooling anybody except those who eagerly drink your kool-aid every day.
And speaking of liars, am STILL waiting for Curious George to provide the "absolute proof" he has that shows I'm this Penguin girl he is constantly obsessing over. Will he finally show everyone whatever it is he is talking about or will he just cowardly slink away as usual?"
LOL "she'. We both know that you are male penguin. And your stupid little tap dance is typical to your MO.
And any proof of this bullshit claim "Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted..."
Imagine a discussion in which everyone was brutally honest.
Then Walker could say "this star teacher was fired because of dumb union rules", and she could reply, "I'm still pro-public-worker-union".
And I could say, "So either you're an idiot too stupid to teach kids, or else you're under somebody's thumb."
We should not expect elementary-school teachers to understand civics. Actually, we should, but that ship sailed decades ago. Anyway, they can still teach 2+2, but they should shut their traps about unions unless they know something about them.
Even the gullible rubes in Wisconsin who trusted Walker are turning on him.
Special Thanks to people like Althouse and Madison Man - our academic elites- for elevating this destructive child to carry out his devestating policies on the state after it was quite clear from day one where those John Birch Society policies originated from.
The way Walker is polling now can we call him an 'anchor candidate'?
John Birch...interesting allusion. If I were an FBI profiler, I'd say it's likely that garage mahal is either >60yo or obsessed with the politics of 1950s/1960s.
It could be, though, that Wisconsin has sulfuric pools of craziness of all sorts. I cannot judge.
Even the gullible rubes in Wisconsin who trusted Walker are turning on him.
"Man, this recall is going to be easy. He's going to get KILLED!"
"Man, Burke is going to take him to the cleaners"
"Man..."
Politifact covered that one, as well as the many other falsehood Scott Walker has spread in his race to the White House.
You were asked what lies he said about her story. I notice you weren't able to answer.
And what is my lie Althouse? Are you still trying to walk back your earlier posts where you claimed the protests at the Capitol were violent? Didn't you claim that you were physically assaulted by the union? Didn't you blame the unions for the death threats you received? Nice attempt to revise history, but you aren't fooling anybody except those who eagerly drink your kool-aid every day.
They were violent. Sorry to burst your bubble.
"Are you still trying to walk back your earlier posts where you claimed the protests at the Capitol were violent?"
Who do you believe ? Inga or your lying eyes.?
Hoo, boy.
Just saw the article on MU Law Poll showing Walker getting slapped around in WI by HRC. Pretty bad for him, huh?
Those GOP billionaires don't like investing in losers. Imagine they're done returning Scotty's phone calls for a while.
Does the FCC force TV stations to cut their advertising rates for politicians who shop at Kohl's?
And the response to that teacher is, tough shit.
"bbkingfish said...
Hoo, boy.
Just saw the article on MU Law Poll showing Walker getting slapped around in WI by HRC. Pretty bad for him, huh?"
Was that the same poll that had Burke neck and neck with Walker right before the election?
When did Penguin/Inga become a guy? And just when are we going to see this "absolute proof" Curious George said he has?
madisonfella said...
Coffeehouses with pro-union signs had bricks thrown through their windows. Recall supporters, trying to gather signatures, were physically assaulted and spit upon. A Walker supporter tried running over his own wife because she signed the recall petition. A Republican very active in local elections put bruises upon himself and falsely reported to the police that he was attacked by leftists.
And yet Althouse and her followers are constantly saying it is the unions that are violent and thuggish. So it is no surprise that Scott Walker is also constantly telling lies, like about this teacher - being untruthful and out of touch with reality is a big part of the Republican's DNA.
Putin could really use a man like you.
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