2003-01-16 - 2:14 p.m.
There is a part of this on going debate between my friends that has finally struck a nerve. And therefore I am going to vent I hope that you take the time to think about what I am going to say as opposed to just agreeing or disagreeing. Think about what needs to be done to fix it�and think about what our current impotent Government is doing to solve the problem�or if it is even the Governments job TO fix it. Think about what you are doing to fix it.
What does it say about a people who accepts or condones the out of control salaries of our societal predators such as lawyers, insurance agents, real estate agents, the media�and all the while turning a blind eye to those members of society who keep them safe, or teach the upcoming generation of contributing members of society? Why is it we can stomach our politicians and their 6 digit salaries, or our sports hero�s and their 7 digit ones? How can we rationalize the big paychecks and the volumes of respect that the Doctors, Engineers, and other Professionals earn? What makes them �better� than our Teachers and Law Enforcement Officers?
Well we can say that they all had to spend a vast amount of time, energy, and money in school to get where they are. We can all say that they provide a specialized skill to society that many people cannot. We can all say that they have paid their �dues� and sacrificed lots to get to where they are. And I will not disagree with any of those claims�cause they are all true.
But who got them there? Who enabled them to become what they are today? And who looks out for them and their well being day after day? Teachers�Police officers�Fire Fighters�and other civil servants.
But do we appreciate them? Do we show them that we care and respect what they are doing for us EVERY day? Or do we just pay them lip service? Have these people spent any less time in school? Or worked less hard than others? Have they sacrificed less than anyone else in society?
It is easy to forget that education is a very real need in our society�when you have no children. It is easy to complain about the educational system today and say that it is not up to par. It is very easy to disdain police officers when they have just handed you a parking violation, a speeding ticket, or are shutting down your party because it is too loud, or wondering where they were when YOUR house was broken into, or your wife was raped, or when you were mugged.
How do we show them that we appreciate them? We pay them poorly, we cut their operating costs, we make them work under conditions that most people would find appalling! And we have the audacity to complain about the service we are getting.
As a whole, we treat those who are most important to society as if they were second rate citizens. We show them this by our actions and inaction�s�we show them that we really don�t care. And that Pisses me off.
Did you know that with a Masters Degree in Education�A degree that requires 6 or more years of school to attain, a battery of tests that 75% of all takers FAIL the first time (I wonder how many folks fail the Bar the first time?), a license that must be maintained and renewed by continuing your education in your chosen field, that you can expect to make $28,000 annually teaching in Virginia? Did you know that 50% of the supplies that are used in class are often paid for out of the teacher�s pocket because the schools cannot afford to purchase them. Did you know that the folks who make policies regarding education in Virginia are NOT the teachers (cause hell�we can�t expect them to know what is/what works best)? Did you know that on average a Teacher spends more time working than most other professions? As a teacher you can expect to spend on average 14-16 hours a day doing work related activities. Did you know that as a teacher you DO NOT have a guaranteed lunch break? You are not allowed to leave the building during school hours(even if you do not have a class at that time). That you are responsible for the safety for 30 children at any given moment? That you are forced to function as a baby sitter while acting as a lunch room monitor, or morning and afternoon bus duty (you got a masters degree for this?)? That you are MORE responsible for the emotional well being and upbringing of a child than the child�s parents these days? That if a child fails�it is ALL the teachers� fault and not the responsibility of the child or parents. Did you realize that they are expected to do all of this and SO MUCH MORE�for less than a Shift Manager at McDonalds makes? This should make you FUCKING ILL! YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT�but you do, and you complain about education in America today. And folks ask me why I don�t teach anymore. I can�t afford to�and that is a crying fucking shame�cause I am one of the best God Damn teachers you will ever have the honor of meeting. And yes I know that sounds pompous�but for once I know that I am right.
We don�t need FUCKING TAX BREAKS! We need to start ponying up the $$$ to make schools work. Think about it. If a teacher were to make $75,000�$100,000�$150,000 a year as opposed to $28k or at best $35k a year�don�t you think that the Cream of society�those folks that we REALLY want to be teaching our kids, those who are REALLY GOOD at teaching would be more willing to put up with the crap and step up to the plate? Don�t you think that if Schools could afford to provide their teachers with the supplies they needed to do their job (My roomie was UNABLE to make photocopies for 6 day because the copier was broken�and the School could only AFFORD to have ONE copier! He had to get it done at Kinkos or not get it done at all! How the FUCK can you be expected to teach under conditions like that?) Of give them modern working environments, with access to modern equipment and resources with which to do their jobs. I mean Jesus Christ�there are still Schools in Shawsville that are using computers (ha! I say computers�they are lucky if they have more than 1 in their classroom) that are using windows 3.14�because they cannot �afford� anything better.
So honestly I think we need to TAX the SHIT out of the American people until our education system gets to where it needs�should be. Cause obviously the �rich� are not ponying up the $$$ to take care of it on their own. We don�t need to be cutting taxes�
Now lets look at your average Joe Policeman. Did you know that the average police office makes $33,000 a year�to keep you safe? Last time I looked, you do not put your life on the line EVERY time you put on your uniform, and chances are you make more than they do. Why? Is your job more important to the very well being of society? No? Yeah I didn�t think so.
Read this:
NORFOLK -- A city police officer was killed by a gunman who was in turn fatally shot by police early today outside the Champion Sports Bar & Grill at 1010 E. Brambleton Avenue.
Officer Sheila Herring-Patrick, 39, died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
Police received a call shortly before 2 a.m. for a person shot inside the bar. Four officers in two cruisers responded. They encountered people outside the bar, said police spokesman Chris Amos.
One of them produced a handgun and shot Herring-Patrick. She was hit three times in areas not protected by her bullet-resistant vest.
The officers returned fire, and the suspect was struck. He died at the scene, and his identity was not released.
Herring-Patrick died of her wounds at 2:51 a.m.
Another shooting victim was located inside the bar, according to police spokesman Amos. That victim's injuries were not considered life-threatening. The individual had been shot by the suspect prior to his encounter with police.
He has not been identified by police.
Herring-Patrick had served with the Norfolk Police Department since February 2002, Amos said. Before that, she was an officer in Detroit.
The state has no record of any charges or complaints against the bar and grill, said Leon G. Coleman, special agent in charge of the bureau of law enforcement, Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The department has started an investigation into this morning's incident.
A westbound lane of Brambleton Avenue was closed later in the morning while investigators combed the scene. But by late morning, the lane was re-opened.
Amos said police were somber.
``It's tragic,'' he said. ``It's the nature of the beast. You never get used to it, and you're never really prepared for it when it happens. You just pick up the pieces and move on.''
This officer is FUCKING DEAD! And all she was trying to do was make the world a safer place for you to live in. Someone tell me why she makes less than your average Insurance Agent? Last time I looked, insurance agents are not willing to stop a bullet to ensure that your world is a safer one. Do we value our insurance agents more than our Law Enforcement Agents? If so�then this is a sad sad country that we live in.
The police are plagued by the same woes and frustrations that the Schools are. They are under funded. Did you know that because of Budget cuts Norfolk Law Enforcement is having their operating budget CUT by HALF A MILLION DOLLARS! FUCKING CUT! And you are telling me that we need to reduce taxes? Then who is going to ensure the men and women in blue are there when you need them? The so called Rich? FUCKIN A they won�t�and you know it.
So once again I say�As a whole, we are not paying enough! When the foundations of our society are no longer wanting for the funding necessary to properly do their jobs, when their pay is more in line with their REAL worth�then perhaps we can consider cutting taxes.
Now of course there is always an alternative�one that I am very fond of (as if!). One that I think will increase the quality of our teachers, schools, law enforcement, and numerous other services�Privatize them.
Take them out of the hands of the Government Completely. Then we could apply our precious mantra of capitalism to them as well�Survival of the fittest/most cut throat and all that right. And if suddenly only the elite of society�the rich�can afford to have these quality services, then that is fine right? Cause ya know�fuck it�ignorant uneducated folks are much more likely to work for reduced wages, in shitty conditions�and not care or complain.
You want a viable superior society? You are going to have to PAY for it. And if it just so happens that you can afford to pay more�then Fuck You�your going to just have to suck it up and pick up the slack if you want to reap the benefits of living in a better place. It is our job to take care of those who can�t�that is what separates up from dogs and monkeys. Unfortunately we have become a VERY greedy egocentric society who no longer feels this way as a whole �so the Government has to step in and force us to do it. And ya know�if you don�t fucking like it�leave.
-Sigh�and now I am tired, and irritated. It is now 2:00pm�I guess I will run home and get my divorce papers and run them over to the lawyer�who thinks it justified to charge hundreds of dollars for this generic paperwork�fuckin a�.
I haven�t learned a thing today�I am to pissed to think at the moment.
And you�did you learn anything?
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