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the meaning of words

New York State United Teachers (the state arm of the AFT) has launched a "massive campaign" (their words) to fight Gov. Pataki’s education tax credit proposal.  And judging from their online campaign, they aren’t kidding.  Like many such unions, a significant portion of their website devoted to the struggle against the nefarious cabal looking to demolish public education. 

With respect to the NYSUT’s campaign against the tax credit, it was this article that gave us pause.  First, let’s go through their list of planned actions:

• more than 31,000 letters opposing backdoor vouchers faxed to the offices of individual lawmakers in just 10 days;
• thousands of phone calls to lawmakers across the state;
• a special Voucher Threat Resource Center on the union’s Web site, www.nysut.org. Parents and other public school supporters are using the Web site to marshal opposition to the voucher scheme;
• a two-week, statewide television ad campaign warning New Yorkers of the damage that education tax credits would do to public education;
• billboards on the highway rimming the state Capitol;
• full-page advertisements and opinion pieces in key newspapers; and
• a rally by 2,500 United Federation of Teachers members and New York City parents;

"And NYSUT will do more if we have to," promised executive vice president Alan B. Lubin. 

All this for a $500 tax credit?  Talk about a study in excess.  But notice something from the first bullet: "backdoor vouchers."  Not tax credits–vouchers.  In fact, throughout this press release, the term "tax credit" (which is what this proposal actually is) is only used three times.  Comparatively, the term "voucher," or some variation thereof, is used nine times.  And note the first usage of "tax credit", in this sentence from the fifth paragraph:

Lubin added that NYSUT members are outraged that the disingenuously named "education tax credits" — which are really backdoor vouchers — would cost hundreds of millions of tax dollars annually "without a penny of accountability."

The sneer quotes.  The hostile language.  The conspiratorial tone (they’re practically accusing Pataki of lying).  Good heavens, these people are seething.  Next paragraph:

"Private schools are just that — private," Lubin said. "Private and religious schools don’t publish test scores, hold public meetings or put their budgets up for a vote. Public schools in New York are the most scrutinized and most accountable schools in the nation.

Actually, in terms of their openness to outsiders, both "public" and "private" schools should trade names.  Public schools are notoriously difficult to examine internally, as John Stossel (insert devilish laughter) noted in his report.  Kind of the opposite of private schools, which generally are quite happy to give people a look around. 

It’s wrong to pour $400 million into private or church schools without demanding the same level of accountability."

Oh, come on.  Let’s have a look at that $400 million in context:

New York State now ranks number three in the nation in education spending, with a statewide per-pupil average of $14,000 a year; only New Jersey and Washington, D.C., shell out more per student. And New York City kids aren’t shortchanged: while per-pupil education spending in the city once slightly lagged the state average, the gap has narrowed to almost nothing. Earlier this spring, New York city councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, who chairs the council’s Education Committee, released a report showing that the Gotham schools’ operating budget has ballooned 50 percent over the last five years, to $13.5 billion. That figure, Moskowitz noted, doesn’t even take into account pension and benefit costs, representing another $2 billion annually, nor the billions the city spends on the schools’ capital budget and interest payments on school construction loans. All told, the real New York City education budget is zooming toward the $20 billion mark—over one-third of the total city budget. That works out to a jaw-dropping $18,000 per pupil.

According to this, the state spent a total of $39 billion for the 2002-2003 year.  Assuming spending has remained flat, the education tax credit would siphon off a whopping 1 percent of the budget.  Shame on those lousy private schools trying to mooch off the system!