Some Responses
Investors
So I guess you're an equality of opportunity guy, I'm more an equality of outcome guy. I'm willing to leave it at that on an agree to disagree.
India
I'm of the opinion that imperialism is never benign. It always involves subjugating another people and reducing them to a sub-human status. That one form of imperialism appears more benign than another, to draw an analogy, is like saying "Well I shot this guy in the face, but I only knee-capped this other guy." But beyond that, the Amritsar Massacre alone indicates that British conduct on the Indian subcontinent, despite attempts by the Viceroy's office to distance themselves from the event, carried negative consequences for the indigenous population.
Americanism
I'm not responding to Judson because he can sit and spin. I'm responding to Steve. I don't believe in the freedom to bear arms. Yet I do believe in the freedom to arm bears. What happens to my citizenship?
Teacher's Unions
Well we're kind of on different pages on this one, since I'm in post-secondary education. Things are probably a bit different there, as are the unions. My first concern is always my students. I will gladly continue to teach at sub-minimum wage levels without a raise. When I worked at a certain Jesuit University that shall remain nameless, I personally opposed a TA walkout to protest budget cuts because I didn't want to leave students hanging, even a little bit. I honestly don't know what's going on with secondary education teacher's unions. But here in the city colleges, they're just trying to get a few more dollars for adjuncts, if possible. If not, I won't strike, I won't quit, I'll continue to give my best possible effort as a professor. It's all I know how to do (aside from playing the fiddle, I'm nearly competent with it these days) and it's all I've ever wanted to do.
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§ 4 Comments
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Mike,
Mike,
I can get behind your union beliefs 100% in this case. At the large state school I got my MA at, the grad student employee had newly unionized. As a result, TA's got a 16K stipend, though no insurance apart from the student health package. PRIOR to the unionization, which was preceded by strikes, strikes, and strikes, TA's made between 5K and 7.5K per year, and were barred from holding outside employment to augment this. Result: I was able to live in reasonable comfort, study, teach, and work summers to make up the rest of my needs, all thanks to the local union.
Funny side note: the union in question is a local of the AFL/CIO, affiliated with I believe a boilermaker local. Any port in a storm, I guess.
Mike, I know that your
Mike, I know that your concern is for the students - and that is likely the case for the majority of members in teachers unions. But the union is different than a teacher, and necessarily has different aims. When union goals interfere with the good of students, they must be opposed, even though some benefit to teachers might result. I do hope you get a raise, you deserve it.
I will sit and spin on my
I will sit and spin on my $850 Aeron office chair. Comfy. It rolls too. Boy, one anti-union comment and look what happens!
For the record: I think shortchanging teachers by paying them $4.15 an hour is a crime, especially when we've done it because we want to give yet another giant tax cut to industry "giants". I just don't think a union is the right way to get at the problem. Or maybe it is. I could be convinced otherwise. My experience with unions is in other areas, areas where they''re maybe not so good. Like high tech show unions, where they'll charge you $4000 to hang a sign above your booth, which takes all of 3 minutes. And your little company is fighting to survive and pay ten people's wages, and these f@#$ers are screwing you because they can. Or garbagemen in New York. Or dockworkers who make 150k a year unloading crates.
The thing is, not all unions are like the teacher's union.
Of my whole list, Mike only
Of my whole list, Mike only quibbles about gun control. I guess its not so hard to define what an American is. Even Judson didn't chime in with any smartaleky remarks.