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Bill Alstrom (MA/Maine/MA)'s avatar

Life is a job. Just like a job, it requires training. If you were running a company, you would want to hire the best trained employees available. "We" are running a company called The United States of America. Why wouldn't we want to use the very best trainers available? And if we did, how would we attract those trainers to our "company".

Would we ask them to be cops and carry weapons? Would we ask them to train remotely without offering every trainee a good computer with a good internet connection? Would we let meddlers interfere with our curriculum? Would we pay them crappy wages and ask them to bring their own training supplies?

I have just made the case that those who don't support high salaries and full support for our public school teachers are ... not in full support of the USA....not patriots.

Of course, aside from the patriotism issue, isn't there the possibility that we love our kids and grandkids? Isn't it possible that we could buy that old idea that they will have better lives than us? Don't we want them to have a better future? Isn't that what a smart loving species wishes for?

Well, the evidence is clear. Our kids are struggling. And there is a sense of hopelessness across the nation. They feel stuck. Desperate to find affordable housing. Crushed by student loans. Held back by low wages (small recent improvements don't compensate for decades of wage stagnation). Both parents working means one income is mostly spent on day care for the kids. And their parents are living longer - requiring all manner of assistance. That's some future we set up for them, eh?

There is plenty of money to raise wages for teachers if we make it important. There is plenty of money to provide parents with daycare and high quality education from birth to employment. This is the richest nation in the history of humanity. We just decided to give the money to a few Oligarchs, CEOs and sports stars. The person who literally determines the future well being of our kids is abused and paid crap to take the crap. The person who can throw or hit a ball well becomes a millionaire. The team he is on is owned by guess who. They are the nobles. We are the peasants. And we don't question the system because they have given us big TVs and phones that can do anything. We are drugged with toys.

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Karen RN's avatar

This is excellent Bill. It is tragic that the people who teach our children are not compensated for what has to be one of the most important professions that influence not only the children’s future, but also our country’s future. I am so disgusted with the pressure being put on teachers regarding CRT that is not even taught in school, and the Ron DeSatan crap of Don’t say gay. And of course the book banning of classics like “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Thank you for this article. I am going to share it. It is so important .

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