After seeing some of the images from the rally on the steps of the Louisiana Capitol Wednesday, all we can say is that we hope the state’s children weren’t watching.

As much as we’d like for the state to be able to fund raises for teachers and sanitation workers and legislators and every other state employee, it isn’t going to happen if no money is available.

Yet the teachers won’t take no for an answer. They are trying to force the hand of lawmakers.

Something is a little unnerving about seeing many of the state’s educators becoming a mob before the television cameras.

Yelling and screaming — including a few curse words directed at Gov. Mike Foster — the teachers showed what’s at the heart of the debate — greed.

Not one teacher can honestly say otherwise.

According to 1990 Census data, the median income for people in Louisiana was less than $22,000 per year.

Currently the average Louisiana teacher makes $32,500 per year — a salary that isn’t going to have first grade teacher driving expensive, luxury cars up to the elementary school anytime soon. But let’s remember that most of these teachers get nearly three months off from school and the luxury of normally being off from work when their children have school holidays.

Wednesday’s public spectacle in Baton Rouge was a disgrace. In the first place, teachers forced many districts to simply close their doors for the day forcing children to skip a day of school right as school is winding down for the year.

Secondly, the teachers — or more precisely the powerful teachers’ lobbying groups — are arguing that we’re losing teachers to other states which offer more pay.

We don’t buy it. No one has, as yet, explained to us how raising teachers salaries — across the bar — will help make them better educators. All we know for sure is that at least one group of them are great — but crude — political lobbyists.