NJEA and REA Endorse Ethically Challenged Bob Menendez for U.S. Senate

file photo by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, back in August the New Jersey Teachers Union (NJEA) along with Ridgewood’s REA endorsed  the ethically challenged Bob Menendez ,

According to a Senate Ethics Committee report, Senator Bob Menendez broke federal law and completely abused his position as senator when he should have been serving the people,” U.S. Senator Bob Menendez received a strongly-worded bipartisan admonition from his Capitol Hill colleagues on the ethics committee.

Even more ironic is that the NJEA along with Ridgewood’s REA endorsed Senator Menendez after allegations that the Senator flew to Dominican Republic. to have sex with under age prostitutes .

In the 2015 Government Indictment ,  “While those allegations have not resulted in any criminal charges, there can be no question that the Government has an obligation to take such allegations regarding potential harm to minors very seriously, regardless of who the alleged perpetrators may be,”  The indictment goes on , “Presented with specific, corroborated allegations that defendants Menendez and Melgen had sex with underage prostitutes in the Dominican Republic, the Government responsibly and dutifully investigated those serious allegations,” the filing says. “The indictment here, of course, charges only corruption and does not include any allegations of soliciting underage prostitution.”

from the NJEA endorsement:

“As the product of New Jersey’s public schools, I understand firsthand why it’s so important for every child to have a chance at a first-rate education and a high-quality teacher in the classroom. A good, quality public education is the backbone of a thriving community and a booming economy. New Jersey has among the best public school systems in the country, and I will never stop fighting to expand early education, to make sure our public schools are state-of-the-art and that our educators have the resources they need to ensure each student is given the keys to unlock their full potential,” said Sen. Menendez. “The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher, and I am grateful to have New Jersey’s teachers and educational support professionals in my corner. The last thing New Jersey needs in Washington is a morally-bankrupt CEO like Bob Hugin rubber stamping the Donald Trump-Betsy DeVos agenda that threatens to unravel our public education system.”

Bob Menendez is a product of New Jersey’s public schools and has a strong record of fighting for teachers, public education, and the right of workers to unionize. He opposes Trump’s far-right Supreme Court nominees and recently spoke out against the Janus Supreme Court decision that undermined unions. Menendez has always fought for paid family, sick, and medical leave.

The Senator voted against Trump’s Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, who promotes the privatization of schools and neglects much-needed public school funding, and opposes Secretary DeVos’ plan to arm teachers with guns. He is fighting against Secretary DeVos’ rollbacks of LGBTQ protections, and cosponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act to explicitly prohibit public schools from discriminating against any student on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.

Bob Menendez supports the America’s College Promise Act, which would make two years of community college free for all students, and has secured $700 million in federal funding for school safety and school-based mental health services. He also backed the Every Student Succeeds Act, which lets local communities control their own education system, while ensuring, through federal law, that students receive a high-quality education.

Hummm not sure we would want anyone like Bob Menendez near children for any reason.