Despite record unemployment, debt, deficits, and spending President Barack Obama won re-election. How was this possible? The answer is simple really. He was able to convince enough people that the message offered in this video is true:
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As though we needed yet another reason to disband teacher’s unions, we are given this gem. The video was produced by the California Federation of Teachers. From the CFT.org website:
New CFT animated video explains economic inequality, need for wealthy to pay fair share of taxes
Tax the rich: An animated fairy tale, is narrated by Ed Asner, with animation by award-winning artist Mike Konopacki, and written and directed by Fred Glass for the California Federation of Teachers. The 8 minute video shows how we arrived at this moment of poorly funded public services and widening economic inequality. Things go downhill in a happy and prosperous land after the rich decide they don’t want to pay taxes anymore. They tell the people that there is no alternative, but the people aren’t so sure. This land bears a startling resemblance to our land. After you watch this video, click here to share with friends, and send an email to your elected officials to let them know they need to restore higher federal tax rates on the wealthy so that we may once more enjoy properly funded public services.
The link prompting you to share the propaganda video with friends brings you to a which further demonizes the wealthy:
The next few weeks will reveal whether President Obama’s reelection will be interpreted as a mandate to help fix the federal budget by asking the rich to pay their fair share of taxes. His call to allow the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans (people making over $250,000 per year) to expire is a small step toward reversing tax policies that have shifted responsibility from the rich to the rest over the past few decades. You can do three easy things to help President Obama accomplish this task: watch this animated Youtube video narrated by Ed Asner, share it with your friends and family, and click below to send an email supporting higher taxes on the wealthy to your congressperson.
You’ve seen the video, and know the rich need to begin paying their fair share of taxes so that we can have good schools and strong services once more. Now, make that happen by contacting your elected officials and telling them to vote for rescinding the Bush tax cuts on the rich.
No word yet if this “educational” video has been shown to students. But given it’s PBS-esque cartoon look, I wouldn’t doubt it. Remember Teacher’s unions are not about children and education, they are about power. If you can get to the kids while they’re young and impressionable, you can shape them into mouthpieces for the future. The ideas espoused in the classroom today will be the political agenda of those in power 30 years later.
UPDATE: The original video has been classified as private. Probably due to the attention it received. However, an edited version has been put up in its place on the CTF website. At the 2:50 mark where the urination scene had taken place, a still frame has been put in its place. However, the “rich” character is still stand in the same position as though he is urinating. Here’s the kicker, as Ed Asner says “trickle down” you can still hear what sounds like running water. Below is the edited video. HERE is a critique of CTF’s claims.
Sifting Reality 
Clearly, this is a propaganda piece (one that I don’t necessarily disagree with, but clearly a propaganda piece, nonetheless) that is intended for the union members and those who agree with it to motivate them. It’s not an educational piece that would be shown in schools – or at least shouldn’t be. Having worked in public schools and gone to public schools and sent my kids to public schools, I can safely say that at least in my experience, 99.9% of teachers would agree that this silly cartoon (while perhaps agreeing with it) is not something suited for schools.
You see, when we go to school (for many of us, PUBLIC STATE colleges) to LEARN about being a teacher, we learn the difference between appropriate and inappropriate materials to bring to classrooms. So, you can safely set aside the concern that schools are using something like this to “indoctrinate” students.
As to the unsupported and scurrilous charge that teachers and their unions don’t care about children, only power and indoctrination, well that is so scandalous and ridiculous as to be beneath contempt. Do you KNOW any teachers?
Finally, once again, holding a belief in progressive taxation (you know, like THOMAS JEFFERSON and many of the founders held) is not the same as demonizing the rich.
The video is private
Tracey
The union took the original video and market it private on YouTube, and released a version with the rich character urinating on the poor and working class people edited out. I’ll update the post when I get home tonight.
“So, you can safely set aside the concern that schools are using something like this to “indoctrinate” students.”
Schools constantly try to indoctrinate students. That’s why they made kids watch An Inconvenient Truth repeatedly, along with other propaganda videos such as The Story of Stuff. You ought to see the “educational” Planned Parenthood videos they’ve shown, too. This sort of video is in the same vein, and absolutely would be used in schools, given the opportunity.