The mayor denied that he had misled the public when he issued a news release Aug. 4 saying that Mr. Goldsmith was “leaving to pursue private-sector opportunities in infrastructure finance.”
Of course. The fact that he was leaving for a completely unrelated reason is neither here nor there. But why embarrass the guy? It's not like he's a teacher or anything. I mean, if he were, you'd need to reveal his students' scores to the press as though they were 100% his responsibility, as though there were no other factors whatsoever that went into this decision. And, of course, you'd do this despite an explicit agreement with the UFT that you would not do so. Despite this, Mayor Bloomberg says:
“I have longed believed that public officials are all too willing to humiliate the people who work for them whenever it’s politically convenient or advantageous,” he said. “It’s an outrage, and I refuse to play that game.”
Of course that doesn't apply to teachers. Perhaps he doesn't see us as people. Who knows? In fact, as occasional commenter Paul Rubin pointed out, when teachers are arrested, they're required to instantly report their transgressions to both their principals and the DOE. It's hardly a private matter.
So what's the point? It's crystal clear that Bloomberg has one standard for city employees, particularly those who are highly-placed, and another for teachers. Why else would he have granted a pattern raise to absolutely everyone but teachers? And how could he get away with it?
Well, in the US today, the moneyed classes gamble, lose, have us pay for it, and then need a scapegoat. Make no mistake, we are that scapegoat. A demagogue like Bloomberg has no problem exploiting this, and does a fine job of it. The man gets away with murder on a daily basis.
Let's hope his third term gives the public even more evidence of his monumental arrogance. If we can see through him, we can see through all of his ilk.
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