I happen to think that when it comes to technology, Steve Jobs is a visionary. I routinely stay up late into the night to watch a stream of Jobs' latest keynote address. I regularly volunteer to people who inquire as to my religion that "I'm a Mac user." I proclaim that "If my Mac could make coffee, I'd marry it." I'm only half-joking on any of this, although I'd love to see Rick Santorum's head explode as he contemplated man-on-Mac marriage.
However, this past Friday in a joint appearance with Michael Dell in Austin, Texas, Mr. Jobs said some things that are about ready to make my head explode.
As detailed in the Austin American-Statesman,in an appearance before the Texas Public Education Reform Foundation Statewide Education Summit
Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc., drew applause from many people in the audience with his sharp criticism of teacher unions.
Comparing schools to small companies and principals to CEOs, he asked rhetorically what kind of CEO can't hire the people he wants, get rid of workers who aren't performing or pay better workers more.
American schools "have become unionized in the worst possible way," Jobs said.
Until that is remedied, he said, schools won't be able to attract the best teachers and administrators. "No amount of technology is going to fix it until we address the underlying problem," he said.
Yeah Steve, it's just too damned bad you can't outsource the teachers' jobs to Asia, as you do your computer manufacturing.