I'm making my way through a review copy of former Education Secretary Rod Paige's new book, The War Against Hope.  The subtitle, which tells you all you need to know, reads, "How Teacher Unions Hurt Children, Hinder Teachers, and Endanger Public Education." 

In the Paigean view, teacher unions are all-powerful beasts responsible for everything that is wrong with schools.  For example, he blames us for pushing for smaller class sizes on p. 61 and, 34 pages later, blames us for not fighting for smaller classes.  He blames us for the actions of assistant principals, principals, and school boards, and for the large number of teachers working outside their area of expertise.  And he blames teacher unions for causing cancer.  (Okay, I made that one up.)

In making the case that unions are the source of all evil, Paige plays fast and loose with the concepts of cause and effect.  Passages like the one below are typical of the quality of thinking and writing in the book:

"Of course, no matter what profession you are talking about, experience counts for something.  This is why teacher unions oppose accountability in our schools."  Uh, come again?

I don't plan to post again on this book.  But if there's a reader out there who wants to know more about it and doesn't want to pay Paige $25.99, let me know.  I can write more.  There's his bizarre account of calling the NEA a "terrorist organization," his appendix on the do's and don't's of union bashing, and a few hints about who actually wrote this drivel.

(Note to the Democratic Leadership Council, Ed Sector, Eduwonk and Mickey Kaus:  Paige cites you all.  Favorably.  Congratulations for your contributions to his book.)