Special interest anyone?

Obama pushing $23 billion teachers union bailout
By: Mark Hemingway

Yet another example of public sector employee union smash and grab, at a time when private sector workers are desperate for jobs:
The Obama administration on Thursday threw its support behind a $23 billion measure intended to avert large-scale teacher layoffs, urging Congress to include the effort in a spending bill lawmakers are drafting to fund wartime costs and other urgent needs.
"We are gravely concerned that ongoing state and local budget challenges are threatening hundreds of thousands of teacher jobs for the upcoming school year," Education Secretary Arne Duncan wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
Duncan added: "These budget cuts would also undermine the groundbreaking reform efforts under way in states and districts all across the country."
What's particularly galling about this is that a huge chunk of the stimulus is already devoted to education funding. In particular, the $53.6 billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, included $39.5 billion for local school districts to prevent teacher layoffs and program cuts. Further, it's notortiously difficult to fire incompetent teachers, thanks to union strictures. Los Angeles Unified School District spent $3.5 million just to fire seven bad teachers out of over 33,000 on the payroll. And we're supposed to prop them up?