Sunday, July 12, 2009

SEIU child care center bill defeated

The SEIU child care center bill was defeated for a second time in two years. The defeat benefits parents, children, center staff and center owners.

Someone once said that "Democracy is like washing the dishes". Which means daily attention must be paid to the dishes (democracy).

For parents dealing with the daily event of having to work outside the home, whose energies, hours and minutes of the day run out too quickly; who then attempt to carve out some home life with their children, taking on the task of understanding the SEIU bill would have been like scrubbing a ballroom full of dirty, greasy, caked on pots and pans.

I could write a book on the last two years in dealing with the SEIU bill. Suffice it to say, for my little blogging moment, that I thank the Senators of Washington State for the process and the outcome.

SEIU has millions of dollars. I'd guess, that most parents, who might have read my blogging on SEIU for the last two, are unaware that the SEIU is getting their millions directly from the taxpayers' pocket. Yes, the Washington State taxpayers.

The relatively small band of us, who thought most about you, the parent and your children, had a minuscule fraction of the money SEIU had and has.

This is where I feel much appreciation and gratitude to the Senate members. It is very true, that those that represent you, the private citizen, in their districts, so want to hear from you. They do listen.

The relatively small band of us, included Stu Jacobson, from Washington Parents for Safe Child Care, Colleen Hill, Candi Doran, Ginger Still and their bigger band of child care center folks that they reached out to, and brought into the conversation to benefit the senators who discussed this bill and issue.

Senator Hatfield and Senator Hobbs helped facilitate that discussion within the Democratic Senate Caucus.

Everybody washed the dishes on this one which took time, focused energy, research, testifying, getting public disclosure, explaining and showing the real intent of this bill.

All senators cannot be experts on licensed child care, all senators cannot be historical experts on the SEIU. In the final analysis and vote, the senators were able to listen to the private citizen voice over the million dollar coffer of the SEIU.

They listened to the citizens of Washington and what was in the best interests of their children. The SEIU isn't Washington State. The SEIU is Andy Stern, the president of SEIU (headquartered I believe in Chicago). Andy Stern doesn't allow democracy in his union.

Andy Stern came out of a government bureaucracy, he at one time was a CPS social worker and learned of the great cash cow that is state government. Andy mixed two views in coming up with the creature now called SEIU; 1) Alford Sloan, a corporate president and 2) Saul Alinsky, a social justice organizer for people's rights. He talks social justice (to reel workers in) and does corporate control (once reeled in and the money from taxpayers is flowing into his coffers).

His odd juxtaposition of two opposing world views has been for his benefit. If you google "SEIU Reform Movement" you will begin to see what his "organizing" has wrought on the worker. It is not good.

SEIU can be rather crude and brutish to those who don't fall in step with Andy Stern's plan.

Washington state will need you (her private citizen) in the next year, if you have some moments, to wash the dishes, to make calls to your representatives and senators; and share your views. Email works fine, the more you can just write, simply, from your heart, the better.

SEIU will make a list of senators and representatives who they will intend to target for their belief, that the senators and representatives did not do the bidding of SEIU and Andy Stern.

So we thank the Washington State representatives and senators again. We have some dish washing soap and wash basin ready and standing by.