Gracie Allen, a TV favorite in the 1950s, was somehow always crazily rational in the context of her zany premises. Given her comedic role, all else followed with an inexorable logic baffling poor George Burns as her husband and straight man. Context is everything.

There are social constructs that we witness throughout the years that are truly baffling to us because, unlike George Burns, we find it hard to accept the zany premises. Considering our collective worldview as teacher unionists from a progressive viewpoint, it is timely early in the year to try to make sense of the forces arrayed against us and the baffling logic that motivates them.

In our world, earned pension benefits make sense as a way to build a stable society. For others, we become the leeches dragging down those around us. Offering dignity to working people makes sense to us as a fulfillment of the social contract: work hard, play by the rules, fight for the disenfranchised, make government a catalyst for good. To those other forces, we obstruct the unregulated retro world of the divine right of marketplace self-interest.

As a dyed-in-the-wool optimist who has always believed in the growing good of the world, I say we must be undeterred and continue to move forward. Perhaps that premise of optimism can present a logic of its own that can overcome the current political craziness that too often catches on these days — that is, if we continue to act and make it a reality.

Here is an example of making it a reality from a recent trip to speak to UFT retirees in Florida. Our retirees there have been building up a political, union activist operation in the I-4 corridor running diagonally across from Daytona through Orlando to Sarasota. It is a voter swing area for that state and, generally, whichever way it goes, Florida goes. Our efforts there over recent years helped turn the state blue in the last presidential election.

Now, a special congressional election will be held on March 11 to fill a vacancy. Pundits say it is a bellwether district that may provide an indication of where the whole nation is headed as we gear up for the 2014 congressional elections in November.

Retired UFT District Representative Stuart Cohen, assisted by retired DRs Elaine Siegel and Lynne Winderbaum, are leading a political task force to help progressive congressional candidate Alex Sink win that special election. We hope for success.

We look at our world there with the belief that might not baffle even Gracie Allen: Sending a labor-friendly progressive from that district to a dysfunctional Congress would be a sign of hope.