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Milwaukee schools to lay off 354 teachers

They were useful idiots. The real criminals were the politicians who sold our grandchildren into a life of slavery, or serfdom to the state, if you prefer, in order to buy the votes to keep themselves in office. Marxism has always had enormous appeal. Who wouldn't want to get something for noting (or very little)?

I don't know about you but most of America has paid into SS and Medicare their whole lives. They are not what's caused our financial problems, it is our antiquated health care system, all the unfunded wars and imperialistic size military spending that almost equals the rest of the world COMBINED, at the same time we cut taxes for people just because they happen to be rich.

If our debt situation gets bad enough they will stop giving tax breaks to people just because they are rich and stop all the unfunded wars.
 
I will state that I don't believe pay is the major reason for the low retention rate.

you will state...

LOL!

who needs links?

is that what they say in SYDNEY?
 
social security and medicare BY THEMSELVES added an EXTRA three point four trillion dollars of debt last year ALONE

SS has taken in more money than its obligations which has been spent on the general fund because of tax cuts to the wealthy. The corrective action would be to repay the money taken from Social Security through an increase in the FICA cap or repayment through increased income taxes for those that have gotten a break for the last 30 years at the expense of those who paid into SS and had that money taken for other uses.

The health care costs that have caused both Medicare and private insurance to become unaffordable is the result of our antiquated health care system. The answer to both is to upgrade to a single payer system as the rest of the first world nations have done.
 
and the GOP plan of making American's even dumber is going strong.. hey soon people will actually believe that Jesus rode dinos, the world is flat and the sun revolves around the Earth....

Cutting education is the single dumbest thing any government can do. Children are the future and having a massive uneducated population has never helped any nation.. unless of course you want to be like India and China...

Nice partisan hack job, Pete. Congratulations. It's easy to talk when it isn't your tax dollars, isn't it??"?
 
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and the GOP plan of making American's even dumber is going strong.. hey soon people will actually believe that Jesus rode dinos, the world is flat and the sun revolves around the Earth....

Cutting education is the single dumbest thing any government can do. Children are the future and having a massive uneducated population has never helped any nation.. unless of course you want to be like India and China...

Yep, the far right in this country considers the educated to be an unfair advantage against them. They are considered to be elitist because they are intelligent. The far right would like to even the playing field by dumbing down future voters.
 
SS has taken in more money than its obligations

social security accounted ONE POINT FOUR TRILLION dollars of ADDITIONAL unfunded liability in the year two thousand ten ALONE

The answer to both is to upgrade to a single payer system

LOL!

you couldn't get two dozen senators to sign on

dream on, danilov

The far right would like to even the playing field by dumbing down future voters

as if the far right (LOL!) is responsible for the DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

pity poor mister bobb, first appointed as emergency manager by jennifer granholm

he has to void contracts AND close schools AND pink slip every teacher AND rip up collective bargaining AND bid out to private ops up to a third of motown's academies...

all to make things right

object lessons, anyone?
 
social security accounted ONE POINT FOUR TRILLION dollars of ADDITIONAL unfunded liability in the year two thousand ten ALONE

You are mistaken, that is the amount that has been taken from SS to provide the tax cuts for the rich. It is the tax cuts that have been and are the unfunded liability.



as if the far right (LOL!) is responsible for the DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS

It is the far-right that created the recession that resulted in the state's lack of revenues.
 
that is the amount that has been taken from SS to provide the tax cuts for the rich

you don't know what you're talking about

The federal government's financial condition deteriorated rapidly last year, far beyond the $1.5 trillion in new debt taken on to finance the budget deficit, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

The government added $5.3 trillion in new financial obligations in 2010, largely for retirement programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

Social Security added $1.4 trillion in obligations, partly reflecting longer life expectancies.

U.S. funding for future promises lags by trillions - USATODAY.com

61.6T and counting, doubling every ten years

It is the far-right that created the recession that resulted in the state's lack of revenues.

oh, absolutely

it's the far right that totally destroyed DETROIT

LOL!
 
Wikipedia is not a reliable source. I did read about him and I don't see why he thinks he's an expert because he's not.

you have someone better Qualified to dispute what he says ?
 
you have someone better Qualified to dispute what he says ?

There are many differing opinions out there. I don't think a degree in political science qualifies someone to be an expert in education. The conclusions he draws from a few facts do not match my experience in education. His conclusions about how much time teachers spend teaching seems especially off, but maybe that is true some places. All we can do is read what people say, look at their qualifications, examine potential bias, and form an opinion. My opinion is that he is wrong.

As I've said before, my concerns are less with pay and more with how teachers are treated. I , and I would guess most teachers, knew that we'd never get rich teaching. Would I like to make more and do I think I deserve more? Of course, who doesn't. What is more important to me is that teachers stop being the target for everyone, especially legislatures, and stop being the first place cuts are made. I understand that in these economic times we all have to sacrifice and that I am lucky to have a job. But, for a personal example, I took a $5000 pay cut last year and I have to decide whether to continue to do the work with students that money was paying for or to stop doing the work for free. How is that situation good for the students?

I thought this was interesting. Our problems and concerns are not new.
Education: Underpaid Teachers - TIME
 
There are many differing opinions out there. I don't think a degree in political science qualifies someone to be an expert in education. The conclusions he draws from a few facts do not match my experience in education. His conclusions about how much time teachers spend teaching seems especially off, but maybe that is true some places. All we can do is read what people say, look at their qualifications, examine potential bias, and form an opinion. My opinion is that he is wrong.

As I've said before, my concerns are less with pay and more with how teachers are treated. I , and I would guess most teachers, knew that we'd never get rich teaching. Would I like to make more and do I think I deserve more? Of course, who doesn't. What is more important to me is that teachers stop being the target for everyone, especially legislatures, and stop being the first place cuts are made. I understand that in these economic times we all have to sacrifice and that I am lucky to have a job. But, for a personal example, I took a $5000 pay cut last year and I have to decide whether to continue to do the work with students that money was paying for or to stop doing the work for free. How is that situation good for the students?

I thought this was interesting. Our problems and concerns are not new.
Education: Underpaid Teachers - TIME


It's not good for the students … and it's not good for you … I apologize for the crudeness of some of my comments towards you I'm use to dealing with boo ….

My feeling are we have some serious problems with our educational system. I'm just tire of politicians from each side .. not looking to find the problems and thinking that if we just throw more money at it .. everything will fix its self ..

I have no problem with teachers, I do have a problem with the unions they belong to, because in my opinion they are part of the problem. They look out for the unions first .. the teachers second, and the students last.
The government isn't much better .. they have given into union demands time and time again .. using the benefits to push the problem with budgets down the road .. until quite frankly it has become unsustainable..... the time of reckoning now has arrived ... cuts have to be made … and not surprisingly those that it effects thinks they are wrong .. Not much is different on the federal level, everyone agree we must cut spending, but no one wants those cuts that effects them.

What is being debated here lately … is who to blame .. (thats wrong to begin with) but the simple fact is, the person making those cuts is no more or less to blame .. then the people who actually take those cuts and implement them. In the case of Wisconsin one district decided to lay off teaches .. and they get the public forum pointing the finger at Walker … while the 100's of other districts seem to manage those cuts without layoffs … get no ink. Why is that ? IMO it's purely political ..

Just as a side note .. you do realize that the article you are referring to was posted in 1949 don't you ?
 
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i make 78,000 for a hundred and eighty one days of exactly two hundred minutes of instruction

i haven't taken a paper of work home in decades

i correct tests while the next class is testing, i can correct a math test in less than 30 seconds

entering data takes longer for me than correcting papers

i have taught hi school english, however, and that's a different animal---still, a veteran english teacher, dena l*******, to whom i am still greatly indebted, taught me how to correct an essay in less than two minutes

however, correcting essays---several hours of reading the worst and most boring writing imaginable---it actually depressed me

i've taught history too---other than the story telling, a piece of cake

if i could do it all again i'd go pe---shoot hoops forever

i paid off my house when i was 51, i've got money coming out my ears with nothing to do with it

i have no commute

most veteran teachers i work with here in northern california are equally well set, quite a few with estates, before housing crashed, approaching a mil

fat 401k's on top of our over-generous pensions which will never be paid as promised

beautiful summers, glorious summers---lots of roses, home improvement and european travel

a great deal of retirement talk in circles of older teachers

that's my experience

my heart, sincerely, aches for these young teachers, so many in upside down houses, young families, getting their pink slips on march 15

pray for this country

stay up
 
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It's not good for the students … and it's not good for you … I apologize for the crudeness of some of my comments towards you I'm use to dealing with boo ….

My feeling are we have some serious problems with our educational system. I'm just tire of politicians from each side .. not looking to find the problems and thinking that if we just throw more money at it .. everything will fix its self ..

I have no problem with teachers, I do have a problem with the unions they belong to, because in my opinion they are part of the problem. They look out for the unions first .. the teachers second, and the students last.
The government isn't much better .. they have given into union demands time and time again .. using the benefits to push the problem with budgets down the road .. until quite frankly it has become unsustainable..... the time of reckoning now has arrived ... cuts have to be made … and not surprisingly those that it effects thinks they are wrong .. Not much is different on the federal level, everyone agree we must cut spending, but no one wants those cuts that effects them.

What is being debated here lately … is who to blame .. (thats wrong to begin with) but the simple fact is, the person making those cuts is no more or less to blame .. then the people who actually take those cuts and implement them. In the case of Wisconsin one district decided to lay off teaches .. and they get the public forum pointing the finger at Walker … while the 100's of other districts seem to manage those cuts without layoffs … get no ink. Why is that ? IMO it's purely political ..

Just as a side note .. you do realize that the article you are referring to was posted in 1949 don't you ?

Thanks for your post. I agree with much of what you say. I'm not a huge fan of the NEA but teachers do need someone advocating for them. I like the state organization I am in. They do political work advocating for teachers and students but not collective bargaining. We pay dues, but not nearly as much as NEA dues. All of the teachers I know are in it and not in a union.

Yes, I know the article is from 1949. I was surprised that it came up, but that is why I thought it was interesting. If you didn't see the date and the salaries weren't so low, it could have been written today.
 
Thanks for your post. I agree with much of what you say. I'm not a huge fan of the NEA but teachers do need someone advocating for them. I like the state organization I am in. They do political work advocating for teachers and students but not collective bargaining. We pay dues, but not nearly as much as NEA dues. All of the teachers I know are in it and not in a union.

Yes, I know the article is from 1949. I was surprised that it came up, but that is why I thought it was interesting. If you didn't see the date and the salaries weren't so low, it could have been written today.

Then I would like to hear more about the organization you are it … because it sounds like something that more states need to adopt ..

As per the article .. thats not quite true . Teachers pay has risen to where they are more on par with the average wage of workers .. now I'm sure that differs in different parts of the country, and as I said .. I don't have a problem with wages at all, teachers should be well paid for what they do, what seems to be the main problem is the insurance and retirement that they get … at least those in unions. As has been mentioned various times before this things amount to 2.5 trillion dollars of debt for the states. I'm not sure about you … but I have trouble wrapping my mind around such a number.

I would like to thank you for your post too, if more people that carried the title of liberal were like you, we could have sane and sensible discussions about the problems we face …course we would have to get the conservatives to tone it down also.
 
Again, then fight for something that address that. If you were, if Walker was, you would find far less objection from me. But less teachers means more students in a classroom. It can't be otherwise. Cutting just to cut is no more wise than spending just to spend.

I don't know if you noticed but they did also close nine schools. That accounts for some of the teachers. I didn't see any statistics on enrollment but that has an affect on how many teachers you need. Curriculum changes could mean a need for less teachers and probably other factors we are not considering. It could be possible that they just didn't need those teachers.
 
I don't know if you noticed but they did also close nine schools. That accounts for some of the teachers. I didn't see any statistics on enrollment but that has an affect on how many teachers you need. Curriculum changes could mean a need for less teachers and probably other factors we are not considering. It could be possible that they just didn't need those teachers.

Possible but not likely. And I do believe one of the articles we have here siad class size would increase. I'll search later when I have more time.
 
It is the far-right that created the recession that resulted in the state's lack of revenues.

Really since we are talking about Wisconsin here .. tell me how the far right created it .. . it was a Democrat for the last 8 years before Walker ... and since 1959 Wisconsin has had a democratic governor for 26 years .. and a republican governor for 17 years .. of are you just busy foaming at the mouth again .
 
How do we as a society expect to get the best teachers if we start them off on barely above poverty pay?
By privatizing education. Only then will each teacher be paid based on on how much money that teacher brings in. Competition and the free market are the forces needed.
 
I don't know about you but most of America has paid into SS and Medicare their whole lives.
Granted.

They are not what's caused our financial problems,
Wrong. And extra-constitutional. We need to change this for future recipients.


it is our antiquated health care system,
Democrat Talking Point. Noted.

all the unfunded wars and imperialistic size military spending that almost equals the rest of the world COMBINED,
Democrat Talking Point. Noted.

at the same time we cut taxes for people just because they happen to be rich.
Democrat Talking Point. Noted.
If our debt situation gets bad enough they will stop giving tax breaks to people just because they are rich and stop all the unfunded wars.
Perhaps we ought to stop all the spending for extra-constitutional purposes.
 
By privatizing education. Only then will each teacher be paid based on on how much money that teacher brings in. Competition and the free market are the forces needed.

bringing in means that the focus will not be on education, but enrollment. The two do not mean the same thing.
 
The health care costs that have caused both Medicare and private insurance to become unaffordable is the result of our antiquated health care system. The answer to both is to upgrade to a single payer system as the rest of the first world nations have done.
Not so fast my Marxist comrade. The real right answer is to get the government completely out of health care.
 
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