In the same spirit as the Indiana Legislature, who seems bent on assigning A to F grades to public schools, I think it is only fair to give our elected officials letter grades. I recently had a chance to grade Rep. Tim Wesco’s homework when he sent a survey to my house. Here is a sample of his work:

”Currently, the teachers’ unions can automatically deduct fees and dues from teachers’ paychecks. In many cases, these dues are used to support candidates or political organizations that a teacher may disagree with. Would you support a law that requires the union to receive authorization from a teacher before it can deduct fees and dues from their paycheck.”

It appears that Wesco copied his work from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. His premise that union dues are withdrawn automatically without authorization is wrong. Had he done his research, he would know there is already a law addressing this issue, IC 20-29-5-6. It says that a school employer may only deduct professional association dues after having written authorization from the employee.

Unfortunately, Wesco also failed to study the laws regarding political contributions. If he had, he would know that not one penny of Indiana State Teachers Association dues is sent to political candidates. The ISTA follows the same PAC rules and regulations as other organizations — including the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

With the serious economic and social issues facing this state, Wesco’s extreme devotion to routine administrative operations for most school corporations was more than a little off topic. He should stick to the subjects he was elected to address, the welfare of Indiana citizens.

So, due to his lack of creditability, originality and effort, I have no choice but to give Rep. Tim Wesco an F.

Bruce Shannon

Osceola