RUSH: I didn’t know this was happening. Apparently some New Jersey students have walked outta school to protest the Governor Chris Christie. How long has this been going on? (interruption) Oh, it just started yesterday. All right, okay, good. I pride myself on nothing getting by me. This did. So we have a little montage here of Newark High School seniors George Jones and Jamel Gamble talking about why they’re protesting Governor Chris Christie’s budget.
JONES: Christie has made tremendous budget cuts and our high schools are being affected tremendously we have to lose — my school, personally, have to lose — 16 teachers and we can’t afford to lose 16 teachers.
GAMBLE: They’re not teaching at all. They’re starting to stop teaching, starting to stop doing everything. We don’t learn anything nowadays. We don’t get no homework, no nothin’. So now we just go in class and we don’t do anything.
RUSH: (laughing) I haven’t heard anything funnier in my life! Would you play this again for me? (laughing) I don’t believe what I just heard! The teachers aren’t teaching? Thank your lucky stars they’re not teaching you! You’re learning more by having those teachers not teach you anything than if they were brainwashing you with the usual pap that they’ve been brainwash you with. But that’s not what’s funny to me. (laughing). Play it again. I gotta hear it again.
JONES: Christie has made tremendous budget cuts and our high schools are being affected tremendously we have to lose — my school, personally, have to lose — 16 teachers and we can’t afford to lose 16 teachers.
GAMBLE: They’re not teaching at all. They’re starting to stop teaching, starting to stop doing everything. We don’t learn anything nowadays. We don’t get no homework, no nothin’. So now we just go in class and we don’t do anything.
RUSH: (sigh) Well, yeah. ‘We don’t get no homework.’ Did you do it in the first place, kid? You want us to believe you’re actually doing the homework? ‘We don’t get no homework.’ Get no English lessons, either. The English teacher’s obviously walked out. We don’t learn anything nowadays. We don’t get no homework, no nothing! So now we just go to class and we don’t do anything. So what’s new? What is new about any of this? (laughing) They need…? (interruption) Well, I guess they need the teachers to stay. The reason I’m laughing here, folks, is because you go to any school and you can put in a phone booth the number of students that are there to actually learn something. They’re there because they have to be there and they can’t wait to get out and they go through the motions. You’re telling me of all places in… I better shut up.
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RUSH: Jason, Virginia Beach, Virginia, you’re next, thank you for waiting on the EIB Network. Hi.
CALLER: Hey, Rush, how are you today? I want to thank you very much for what you do. God bless you.
RUSH: Thank you, sir, very much. I’m doing very well, thank you.
CALLER: I just wanted to ask a question about the New Jersey issue with Governor Christie being harassed —
RUSH: Yeah, have sound bite 22 hanging on just in case we need it here. Yeah, go ahead.
CALLER: I just have to wonder why aren’t people upset with the NEA and in the unions with each state and in the country? I’m sure they’re lining their pockets just like the SEIU. And where is that money, why isn’t that money going to our students and our kids for their education, for their betterment?
RUSH: Yeah, that’s a good point. When you look at New Jersey, you know what we’re spending? What is it, up to $20,000 per student in New Jersey? Okay, the average is 13 but it gets as high as 20 in some schools. So $13,000 a student, that’s when the teachers show up, and what are we getting for it? I mean, this talk about states are bankrupt, cities are bankrupt, they may well be, but look at all of the money they waste, $13,000 a student, average in New Jersey. New Jersey teachers health care benefit, they pay zero. The governor has asked them to pay 2% to avoid layoffs. They said no. They pay zero. He asked, ‘Come on, just contribute 2% of it, I won’t have to lay anybody off.’ They refused, walk off the job, leaving these information starved children panicked alone in the classroom. Ain’t getting no homework assigned.
These students are letting us all down. Actually wanting homework? Don’t these kids know you spend your life in school trying not to do it, trying to get out of doing it? At least I did. And look where I ended up? (laughing) But all of this money that they’re spending, all these levels of bureaucracy throughout the state, they’ve got the money. It’s just that these are the public union employees who have all these pensions, and the deal is, we’ll give you a pretty good salary now, we’ll give you a great retirement when you quit, just vote for us all the time. That’s the deal, that’s where we are, and Chris Christie is trying to do something about it.
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RUSH: Wall Street Journal story from April 10th, Chris Christie is quoted in this story as saying the Newark school system is spending $22,000 a student. You know what I think they’re being taught? How to protest the governor. I think the teachers are teaching the kids how to protest. I don’t believe for a minute that students immediately start protesting no teachers. (interruption) Well, Facebook inspired thing, fine, okay, a teacher Facebook. Look, folks, I don’t care how our culture has evolved. One thing has not changed. The teacher doesn’t show up, you throw a party. You don’t complain that the teacher is not there. You don’t complain that you’re not getting homework. It’s like a snow day. You get to sit in the classroom and not do anything but chew the fat, maybe play on your iPhone or BlackBerry, send text messages, go off to MySpace, My Butt, my whatever, Facebook, all these places. And maybe if you do enjoy learning how to protest and the teacher is not there to teach you then I can understand you being upset the teacher is not there.