There's a lot of talk about money in politics these days with things like the Supreme Court decision called Citizens United which allows corporations and labor unions to spend as much money as they want on advertisements and other avenues of persuasion in support of their desired political candidates. This decision is controversial because it allows independent groups to fund campaigns without identifying the funding source. One subject that is not nearly addressed enough is the issue of who the Koch Brothers are and why we should care as future teachers.
The Koch Family is a massively wealthy family that has used their vast wealth to influence politics in ways that are favorable for them. Koch Industries is the second largest privately held corporation in our nation. This family has made it their business to become more and more connected with powerful conservatives in U.S. politics including Supreme Court Justices, high ranking congressmen and more. These personal connections lead to discussions about monetary investment in politics. Thus, because of laws like Citizens United, Koch Industries can use their vast wealth to support conservative politics since that's what's most likely to suit their own needs. Because their funds are unlimited, so is their political influence. One could even argue that because the conservative politicians know they have the support of the Koch Brothers, which will in all likelihood help them be re-elected, they might be inclined to act in a way that will suit the needs of the Koch Brothers. Yikes! Koch Industries has a huge amount of influence in our political system, with our political pundits (experts), and also with the media.
We, as citizens in a democracy, need to stay vigilant when it comes to money in politics. We need to understand its influence and remember that our own politicians might only be saying something because corporations or other groups with their own interests have supported them with vast finances. Candidates and representatives have the responsibility of representing all constituents, not only those that are able to contribute to their campaigns.
There is another way to take this information though. Whether we like it or not, money
is important in politics. This is why the IEA has things like IPACE (Illinois Political Action Committee for Education), a fund for supporting public education in politics. The goal of the IPACE is to channel "the force of thousands of organized education employees into many constructive relationships with candidates and elected representatives." IPACE is not affiliated with any political party and only supports political efforts of public education in Illinois. This means no IPACE money is contributed to the presidential campaigns, national elections or political efforts. IPACE also supports efforts to get IEA members more politically involved. IPACE listens to IEA members like us about political issues and candidates we think would best represent our views to support public education. IPACE has endorsed candidates from both parties only after a meeting in which IEA members interview the candidates. If you would like to attend one of these recommendation meetings, please contact one of your state officers whose contact information is on this very blog!
For more information on the Koch Brothers, I highly recommend checking out both the YouTube video "Why do the Koch Brothers want to end public education?" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mbJhjCbwo8 and the documentary
Koch Brothers Exposed. If you're interested,
more information about IPACE can be found at ieanea.org.
