[geeks] Goodbye, I guess

[wa2egp at att.net]

> Average salary can be misleading all around.  

Agreed.

> That is pretty bad, but not unexpected.  We've had budget fights locally
> where the meetings cost more than what was being debated, and heaven forbid
> they decide to do a "study" on it.

And "studies" can be expensive in various ways.

> Sounds to me like teachers are finally starting to find themselves where
> most people I know have been for nearly 30 years.

Of course, when teachers are starting to get paid higher salaries approaching
other people with the same education.  Before, no one cared.

> The people cutting my father's benefits all have fully paid insurance plans.
> My father was a cop for 31 years, and despite the high job risk, made less
> than most teachers and had to pay most of his health care to boot.

Depending on the city, he might have been able to retire earlier and had
a better pension.  He might have started at a higher salary too.  Again, I
don't know the particular circumstances but I know that when I started
teaching, I made $11K/yr less than my wife and $5K/yr less than garbage men.
Even though she lost her job a couple of years ago, she has still collected 
more total pay than I have.

> Not that I don't feel for anyone losing medical benefits, but I don't see
> teachers as easy targets, rather I see them as some of the only targets left
> to steal from.

I see them as easy targets because they don't yell as loud and now that 
they are getting paid more equal to their education and have tenure, I 
think there is a little professional jealousy. We've been getting an influx
of individuals from business and 80% leave before tenure because they never
realized how much work was involved. (That's the rate of attrition in NJ
for the alternate route teachers.)  The state has been stealing from us
for years, the last five or so, they haven't put any money into the 
pension fund and have "borrowed" millions without paying it back.

> Most people lost such benefits a long time ago.

That was about the only thing we could get at one time. 

Bob