Teachers tried to embarass Roberts, but lost because they went home at 3PM
By Wally EdgeSome members of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the state’s largest teacher union, decided a good way to send a message to Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts was to defeat him in Round 1 of the PolitickeNJ.com Smartest Legislator Tournament. There was an organized effort by the teachers to vote for Joan Voss, the Assembly Education Committee Vice Chairwoman and a retired public school teacher.
After the second day of voting, Roberts led Voss in the voting. But by Monday morning, Voss had a huge lead, and it looked like the #1 seed Roberts might be facing an upset. But some readers, according to e-mails sent to this website, became upset that NJEA members were trying to use an online tournament to embarrass Roberts, and suddenly the Speaker’s vote totals began to surge. Still, Voss continued to receive votes -- presumably from teachers – and maintained her lead.
How did Roberts win? Voss’ margin began to dwindle around 3PM, and by 4PM she essentially stopped adding to her vote total. Roberts votes kept coming in right up until the poll closed at 6PM, and the Speaker won 53.9%-46.1%.
Analysis: sorry to stereotype, but it seems the teachers stopped working at 3PM.
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If they were voting in this poll
they weren't working before 3 either.
Nice Use of Taxpayer Money
The NJEA was advocating and using taxpayer funded computers to partake in political activism.
Gee, what a shock...
Ballot stuffing
Unfortunately, this wasn't the only match-up that suffered from ballot stuffing (as was obvious when Wally mistakenly posted the vote totals rather than percentages for a short time yesterday). A couple of Mensa-caliber legislators were knocked out in round one.
Probably a more appropriate contest for this website would have been to rate each on some sort of liberal-conservative scale.
Id rather see coverage of real races...
than who some teacher in Sayreville thinks is smarter. Has the NJGOP dumped "Orange Jumpsuit" Zimmer yet or is he hoping to break the $5 mark in fundraising today?
School Teachers
Teachers only care about 3 things in life.
1. Having summers off.
2. Only working 180 days per year.
3. Being home in time to watch Oprah.
My answer to all the teachers who voted!
SCHOOL CHOICE YOU LOONEY TOONS!
Teachers in NJ are a joke.
These bitter, hateful bureaucrats are the single biggest problem in New Jersey.
When is Chris Christie going to launch an investigation into the practices of these public employee unions that have way too much to say, make way too much money and are nothing but worthless scabs on the government dole?
The NJEA is the primary reason why public schools in NJ are an outright embarassment and the Democrats are too afraid and the Republicans too dumb to oppose them.
It is amazing the public sees no problem paying morons who average like 800 on the SAT $100K a year with lifetime pensions and free health benefits.
These people are the reason public education is a total joke in even the most affluent of districts.
Vote Column "A" - All the way!
NJEA
The NJEA is bankrupting NJ.
If Corzine really wanted to control spending, he would put a stop to this unions excesses. Instead he closes some parks in Republican districts.
NJ and You. Bankrupt together.
RonReagan
I love it: "NJ and You. Bankrupt together." That is the best line I've heard in a long time.
Wally Edge be sane!
What is this story about? This stupid contest is too much to digest.
Academic standards
How about a 3.9 GPA in Political Science undergrad and a 4.0 in Computer Science grad school? You are referencing an old myth about those entering the teaching profession-teacher ed because that was the easiest for soft academics.
NJEA has its share of zealots. So does politics.
tone it down
while you may have issues with the NJEA, and you have a right to, the general slandering of ALL teachers in new jersey is harsh and unnecessary. as someone who went to public school for more years than i didnt, i definitely had my share of teachers i still wonder about and question their commitment to their profession. but there are thousands of great teachers and to say you never had ONE is a lie. if you really care about the educational system and feel that they are overcompensated then become a teacher. take night classes and then one day you'll be making all that money + benefits and you'll be a great teacher (I'M SURE).
just shut up with the gross generalizations and focus on either the NJEA or politicians but leave teachers alone. they deal with more shit than you can imagine. i'm sure being a public school teacher in the heart of Newark or Camden is a lot harder than the jobs most people on this site have. until you can relate or understand, just shut up.
Yes. I feel your pain
Ever notice whn you read these hysterical whinings of a teacher, they NEVER resign?
Why is that?
It's because they have a great gig that's easy, unaccountable and unavailable anywhere in the real world!
I don't need to relate and I certainly understand. I understand how teachers have their collective hand in the pocket of every taxpayer and homeowner and I'm sick and tired of being ripped off with bad education despite the billions this state pisses away on substandard employees who hide behind the likes of tenure.
Vote Column - All the way!
NJEA cares more about pensions and benefits
than they do about education or the respect teachers receive, in and out of the classroom. Where is the NJEA when my friends and family members who are teachers have to BUY school supplies for their students? And why do teachers have to buy supplies in the first place when we spend over $11 billion on public education? Because it's not the teachers making 50k a year that are to blame, its the 16 administrators per school making 150k. Bottom line - the amount of good teachers vastly outweigh the bad, but the NJEA and the wasteful bureaucracy they support give the very people they are supposed to protect a bad name due to the public perception of greed.