When Did Health Care Become A Privilege?
Thoughts on Tuesday
In a couple of hours, the NJ governor is going to give a budget address and he is proposing dire things for any type of worker he can harm (state, municipal, etc.) so he can eliminate the state deficit. You know how I feel about going after the working stiffs and not the rich cats but this post is not a rant about that.
Apparently, the one thing we know pretty much for sure with this speech is that the state will be eliminating $800 million in aid to schools. That's going to have a ripple effect and at the end of the day I'm sure art, music, afternoon programs - all types of stuff which give the soul to life - will be eliminated as will be their teachers.
But that's not even my point.
Since this announcement, I've been following the comments to news articles on this subject. Wow! Talk about some very angry puppies. Obviously, hatred of teachers' pay and perks has been simmering sub rosa for a long time.
Now, I have always been dismayed when teachers' contracts are negotiated for large pay increases, especially during bad economic times (truth be told, even during good economic times.) But I don't blame union greed as much as I blame B. of E. culpability. Boards of Education are so many times the first step for a lot of local politicians. Most of them have kids in the school system so they go along with the negotiations. I guess I never heard of a B. of E. drawing a line in sand with contract negotiations in NJ.
However, even that's not my point. Here it is: it's the anger in these comments. These commenters are royally pissed. After all, as they tell us, they learned with 50 kids in a class. They don't have pensions like teachers . They don't have job security. The litany of woes is endless.
It spooks me that there is so much anger out there just waiting for "pay back" policies which won't solve anything except give temporary succor to tremendously negative feelings.
I didn't hear it from Obama; I'm not hearing it from Christie. One is "lay-backing" his way through; the other is bullying his way through.
Neither is saying to ordinary citizens: Hey, we're all in this together. Let's work together to make things better.
Wait a minute! That's a paraphrase of Aragon's coronation speech!
I guess I am still proverbially digging through the shit to find the pony.
Oh, and that excessively angry guy who did so well in the 50 kid classroom. Maybe if the teacher had had fewer kids she/he could have given him the hug he so desperately needed.
Apparently, the one thing we know pretty much for sure with this speech is that the state will be eliminating $800 million in aid to schools. That's going to have a ripple effect and at the end of the day I'm sure art, music, afternoon programs - all types of stuff which give the soul to life - will be eliminated as will be their teachers.
But that's not even my point.
Since this announcement, I've been following the comments to news articles on this subject. Wow! Talk about some very angry puppies. Obviously, hatred of teachers' pay and perks has been simmering sub rosa for a long time.
Now, I have always been dismayed when teachers' contracts are negotiated for large pay increases, especially during bad economic times (truth be told, even during good economic times.) But I don't blame union greed as much as I blame B. of E. culpability. Boards of Education are so many times the first step for a lot of local politicians. Most of them have kids in the school system so they go along with the negotiations. I guess I never heard of a B. of E. drawing a line in sand with contract negotiations in NJ.
However, even that's not my point. Here it is: it's the anger in these comments. These commenters are royally pissed. After all, as they tell us, they learned with 50 kids in a class. They don't have pensions like teachers . They don't have job security. The litany of woes is endless.
It spooks me that there is so much anger out there just waiting for "pay back" policies which won't solve anything except give temporary succor to tremendously negative feelings.
I didn't hear it from Obama; I'm not hearing it from Christie. One is "lay-backing" his way through; the other is bullying his way through.
Neither is saying to ordinary citizens: Hey, we're all in this together. Let's work together to make things better.
Wait a minute! That's a paraphrase of Aragon's coronation speech!
I guess I am still proverbially digging through the shit to find the pony.
Oh, and that excessively angry guy who did so well in the 50 kid classroom. Maybe if the teacher had had fewer kids she/he could have given him the hug he so desperately needed.
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