See, this is not an attack on teachers. Far from it. Teachers have been poorly served by these unions as well. Teachers are underpaid and undervalued, with limited resources. This is true. The American Federation of Teachers was established in 1917. The National Education Association was established in 1857. They are some of the most prolific spenders in American politics, spending over $65 million in the last election cycle alone. And yet their constituents have become a byword for underpaid professionals. What exactly are teachers getting from these organizations other than a bad reputation and a sizable chunk of their still-modest paychecks taken away to fuel political donations? One hundred sixty-four years of lobbying for practically nothing. Because of seniority rules, bad teachers can make more than good teachers, and schools have few financial incentives available to encourage more of the latter. Money meant for teachers ends up funneled into massive administrative bureaucracies and little else. The unions have one job, and they are always failing at it. Parents in even well-off districts still need to supply classrooms. Students are graduating without basic knowledge that was considered rudimentary one generation ago. Teachers remain historically underpaid. But this is considered “success” for unions — so long as political cash flows to the bosses.