Mike: Don’t Blame BP, Blame Teachers

June 14, 2010 (GBN News): NY City Mayor Michael Bloomberg today reiterated his assertion that BP executives should not be blamed for the ongoing Gulf oil spill. But this time he went even further, telling reporters at a City Hall news conference that accountability should be laid squarely on the shoulders of those who are truly responsible– the teachers unions.

Asked by a reporter how teachers could be held responsible for the disaster when they have nothing whatsoever to do with oil drilling, the Mayor snapped, “I’ve had enough of their whining about accountability.” As the reporter was hustled out of the room by the Mayor’s security detail, Mr. Bloomberg continued, “Good teachers can make up for problems in children’s environment, like poverty, poor nutrition, lack of parental involvement, absenteeism and drug use. If their unions weren’t blocking reform, c’mon, teachers would certainly be able to deal with a little environmental problem like oil in the Gulf.”

Reaction to the Mayor’s statement was swift. A NY Post editorial praised the Mayor’s stance towards the teachers unions as “courageous”, and went on to say that, “If the teachers had spent as much energy capping the well as they did on capping the charter schools, this whole thing never would have happened.”

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Arne Duncan suggested that Mr. Bloomberg’s statements point up a bright side to the oil spill. “This situation might be even better for our school system than Katrina,” Mr. Duncan told GBN News. “Because now the teachers unions will finally have to stop making excuses and realize they can’t avoid true accountability.”

In a related story, newly released e-mails suggest that at the urging of charter school magnate Eva Moskowitz, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has reportedly promised to relocate some New York City public schools to offshore oil rigs to make room for Ms. Moskowitz’ Harlem Success Academy schools.