A $6,000 Raise? I'll Take It, But Oklahoma's Teachers Won't

I love and have much respect for all my friends who are educators. You have a tough job. You're probably still paying on the student loans that got you to where you are today. You put in extra time and spend your own money in order to educate the students you have. Unquestionably you are dedicated. What I am about to say is NOT directed at you; rather it is to the teacher's union in Oklahoma.

I put in over three decades wearing a badge. I worked year-round, in all weather conditions, holiday or not. I saw murder, suicide and fatal accident scenes you cannot imagine, sometimes having to inform members of the decedent's family of what had happened to their loved ones.

I lost friends who died in the line of duty; I also lost 'friends' because of my profession.

I suffered broken bones, torn ligaments and spinal disc degeneration because of the job. I've had five knee surgeries, including a replacement and, eight years later, a revision of it. I had to have my right ankle reconstructed. A fleeing felon hit my cruiser head-on; a drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into the side of my cruiser.

 I've been spit on, assaulted and called vile names...just because I was a policeman. I've had my life threatened and, worse, had the lives of family members threatened. I had a convict tell me he would find out where I lived and rape my wife.

I, too, worked part-time jobs...and all the overtime and special details I could handle. Why? So I could give my family things they deserved since, a lot of times, I couldn't be at home for birthdays and holidays.

A raise of $6,100 a year sounds pretty good, if you ask me, since I retired on disability and have a limited income; there's hundreds of thousands of others who are worse off than I am who would take a raise like that in a heartbeat. You see, we can't go on strike, but you can....

...at the expense of our young people.