Socialists DEMAND MORE for nothing
The government education system is crap. I’m completely serious. If the entire government education system shut down tomorrow, the only people actually effected in a bad way would be bureaucrats who base their entire career upon living off other people. If you honestly think that any children are getting ANY education from the public school system, you’re fooling yourself. Oh, I know, not in YOUR school. Look, it’s garbage, plain and simple and should be completely dismantled and destroyed. I absolutely guarantee that all children would get a better education starting one day after government got out of that business.
But then there ARE a lot of career bureaucrats who literally make a living off other people. And there are a LOT of votes being bought by politicians “For The Children.” And because the more you punish people for working hard, the more control you have over them, socialists will continue to strongly support the cesspool that is the public education system. And now, of course, while working people are suffering and having a hard time making ends meet today, socialists continue to call for massive pay increases for bureaucrats who are producing nothing and have done nothing to earn a pay increase.
So, what was your pay increase the last few years (if you stayed at the same job)? Of everyone I know, no one received more than about a 1.5% pay increase in the past few years. The only people that did changed job. Most got 0.5% - 1% increases. Many got less or no increase at all. Those who did better were involved with companies or projects that were substantial money makers for the business. But if you were a bureaucrat who did absolutely the same thing each year, or even did LESS, you would have gotten increases of 4%, 8%, and 5% the last 3 years. Yes, for producing nothing more, and in fact working LESS, these people have gotten tremendous pay increases. But even that’s not enough — now the governor and the socialists at the Charlotte Observer are demanding another 7% pay increase (on top of those previous increases) just because. No, the bureaucrats haven’t done anything to deserve the pay increases AT ALL. But this isn’t about facts, it’s about power and control.
Teaching is a simple job. It does not take a great deal of skill to be a government school teacher. It does not take a lot of schooling. In a free market, this means that there are a lot of people who can do the job. In a free market, that means this job doesn’t pay a lot of money — and it shouldn’t. Look, if you’re a teacher and don’t think it pays enough money, FIND ANOTHER JOB! That actually goes for any position. Instead of demanding more money for doing nothing, if you don’t like your job, QUIT! It really is that simple. There is absolutely no logical economic reason for paying teachers more money — especially as long as there’s people who want to teach.
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I don’t usually comment on political blogs, but I found this both so incredibly inaccurate and offensive to teachers that I have to say something.
First, in no way do I agree with how public education is run. It is in need of a serious overhaul, and even so, I plan on homeschooling my children to give them a decent education. However, this is in no way a fault of individual teachers. The government in charge is to blame - for the curriculum, for the overcrowding of schools, for the lack of resources.
The bureaucrats are to blame, and I don’t think any socialist out there wants more money to go to them. We want more money to go into the public education system, to overhaul it and make it actually work. And, to do so, money is required for more and better teachers. That is how most socialists think. I think you’re confusing capitalism and socialism. Socialism is the complete opposite of punishing the workers and giving more money to the higher-ups. If it is indeed the “socialists” doing otherwise, it is because this is a capitalist world.
You also had some glaring inaccuracies in your attack on teachers.
To become a teacher requires at least a Bachelor’s Degree. That’s at least four years of university education, where, even at a state school, you’re going to rack up some serious debt.
Teaching is a vital job. We need doctors, firemen, and we need teachers - a new system of education, yes, but still teachers. Prices go up, and wages go up not so much, like you pointed out. And if they followed your advise.. Is every teacher supposed to go back to school to study for more well-paying jobs, becoming more in debt in a terrible economy? What jobs would they go to? Do we really need more lawyers, or entertainers, ect. If every teacher left, who would be there for the children?
All of that is assuming, of course, that you agree with (a seriously re-vamped) public education at all.
In your first paragraph, you say, “Look, it’s garbage, plain and simple and should be completely dismantled and destroyed.” I absolutely agree with all but the last part. What would you have to replace it? From the sound of it, you don’t want a replacement at all, is that correct?
Without a public education system, I think you’re facing some serious issues. Do you agree that children should have access to formal education at all? To clarify, is that all children, or just those whose parents can afford private education? I’m sure you can see the inherent classism in the lack of public education . Of course, if you’re a republican, it’s okay to keep the poor down.
Then again, I’m just a crazy socialist.
I was going to respond to this comment, but when I read the ending of “if you’re just a republican, it’s okay to keep the poor down” and I realized that there’s just no point in responding because the commenter isn’t interested in ideas or thoughts, just calling names — inaccurate names, but names all the same.
Thanks for stopping by.
I’d like to apologize for that second to last line. It was riddled with assumptions and accusations. I was actually looking for a response and your thoughts to the questions I brought up in that last paragraph. I was reading an article at the time dealing with similar issues (http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/86482/ ) and the comments had me almost in tears with frustration. Obviously, I took it out on the wrong person!
As for name calling, I still maintain that your post was written as an attack. “Teaching is a simple job. It does not take a great deal of skill to be a government school teacher.” Oversimplified, offensive, and degrading. But this is not the point.
I would very much like to hear your views on the matter of a replacement for public education as we know it. I don’t expect we’ll agree, but I’m interested in an honest, conservative take on the matter.
Very well. First, I didn’t blame teachers for anything — other than asking for more money for doing nothing extra. In other words, in most industries, if you get a raise, it’s because you did more or produced more. In this case, the teachers want more money for doing exactly the same job they’re doing. That doesn’t make logical sense.
As for the job, I’m not degrading, I’m stating facts. For example (and no, I’m not saying that teachers are garbage men) — picking up garbage is simple. It does not take a lot of skill. I’m not degrading them, I’m just stating facts. Teaching is the same way — it does not take a great deal of skill to teach. In fact, nearly everyone is capable of teaching. That you need a college degree does not make it any harder — because the degree is only needed to teach in government schools — in other words, government is putting arbitrary requirements on a job. This would be the same as government requiring that garbage collectors need a degree to collect garbage — it doesn’t make the job any more difficult, it just makes it harder to get the job.
When you say that socialists don’t want more money for education, that’s not correct. And by claiming that you want more money for teachers and not bureaucrats, that’s simply not possible in our current system. North Carolina recently added a lottery “for education.” Know how much of that money teachers got? Zero. Know how much net gain there was in education? Zero. Under the current government system, giving more money to education means more cash for bureaucrats — no matter how it’s sold.
As for teachers finding a job, that’s not my business. I view such things as a matter of freedom. I think people should be free to pursue the career they want. If they want to be teachers (knowing how much they will be paid), great. If they want to get training and rack up debt for another job, that’s fine with me, too.
Do we need teachers? I think the better question would be, “Do we need professional teachers trained and working for the government?” No, we clearly do not. If you check the numbers, the only thing the current government system has brought about has been less education and less knowledge. Seriously. Look at the test scores, writing, and abilities of people in this country before and after government education. Do you realize that there were MORE people who were literate BEFORE government education than today?
Is there a need for formal education run by government? No, not at all. Is there a need for formal education? I would prefer to let the market decide. And no, that won’t mean that the so-called “poor” will not get an education. If the entire government education system completely shut down tomorrow, everyone would be better off. I know that I, personally, would quit my job and start up a school immediately. And yes, it would serve the poor. In fact, I’d do that today, but government would put in jail for doing it because I don’t have their permission and “certifications” to do so — despite the fact that I can teach.
Keep in mind — the citizens of this country were MUCH better educated before the advent of the government education system and would be MORE educated if the government education system shut down.