This letter concerns my feelings toward the teachers unions and some of the teachers who share the union attitude toward the people who are paying the exorbitant expenses of our school systems.

You can only bite the hand that feeds you for so long until it strikes back. I feel that we’ve certainly reached that point and it’s time for the hand to strike.

For the union to refuse a pay freeze, on top of receiving practically free health care and pensions that teachers are provided under their contracts, while the rest of us wonder where the next loaf of bread is coming from, is, in my opinion, pathetic.

Unions are supposed to seek fairness in the workplace for the employees, while also being fair to the employer — in this case, the taxpayer.

The current contracts with the Slippery Rock School District and others are far from fair to the taxpayer-employer. To be so greedy as to possibly cause another tax increase is asinine.

We haven’t had children in the school system for more than 30 years, yet our taxes on our home keep going up.

If teachers were forced to pay their fair share for health insurance, we might be able to have a tax reduction.

Meanwhile, teachers have an astounding list of other benefits.

The icing on the cake is the fact that, despite all this outrageous spending, teachers are producing many graduates who can’t read, write legibly or add or subtract without a calculator. Discipline has gone by the wayside, along with self-pride, and in many cases the school even is teaching them modified American history that fits today’s political correctness.

My wife and I are retired and living on a fixed income that amounts to about two-thirds of a teacher’s starting salary. It’s my understanding that the teachers pay only $20 or $30 a month for their health insurance and pension — and taxpayers pay the rest.

Wow, talk about fairness. My wife and I, between our Medicare and other health insurance, pay almost $700 a month. At the same time, we haven’t gotten a Social Security cost-of-living increase the past two years.

Our insurance doubled after the Barack Obama/Nancy Pelosi health plan was adopted. Hmmm, I wonder if there could be some collusion between the health providers and the government.

I’m an 11-year cancer patient, and my wife is now a heart patient. With these conditions, it’s not easy to change coverage to try to cut expenses.

It’s time that negotiators for school boards to take a stand and fight for the people paying the bills. We shouldn’t lose our homes to support these organizations.