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In these recent times of financial insecurity and a decrease in services provided to the public, one has to think, why does this problem exist? There are the obvious easy answers to this question – the housing market, the stock market, bank bailouts; you know the tune. However, I think that the problem is much deeper than that. I don’t think the reason that we are in this current crisis is as simple as blaming a former President or some bad lenders who led people astray, or our overly priced houses finally coming back down to the value they are probably worth. I think the real reason is a result of the “me” epidemic that plagues our society.
What is the “me” epidemic? Well, that’s easy to answer. It is the general belief that we are entitled to everything. That we don’t have to work for what we want, and that we don’t have to pay for things we need. “I” deserve everything, and everything “I” want should be available to me at no cost or with no effort required. Our state, the welfare state, is full of individuals who abuse the system because they are too lazy to go out and find a job of their own or to make a living for themselves. Now yes, the job market right now is kind of rough, and that has hampered attempts by many to find work. Let’s be honest though, this welfare problem existed well before this current stint we are going through. People get comfortable getting something for nothing. The government gives me a check. The more babies I have, the more money I get. Why should I try to find a job and contribute to society? It’s just easier to sit here, have babies, and get paid to stay at home. Sadly, everyone loses in this scenario – the people who legitimately need the funds, and those who have to pay for it.
Let’s talk about public education and organized labor. Let me count the number of times I have heard people complain about how the teachers are the problem in education. It’s the big unions fault that the school system is how it is. Isn’t it sad that our great society, which believes in equality, justice for all, and the pursuit of happiness, can fault an organization of professionals for trying to make sure that they are treated as professionals and compensated as such? Do we all not strive for this in our own professions? I have yet to meet someone who says that they are perfectly happy with the amount of money they make and they never want to earn a dime more. How dare you try to tell us that because we chose to enter a certain field, that we do not have the right to provide for our families and to earn enough money to send our own children to the same great colleges and universities we are helping your own kids get in to. We should not be faulted for trying to provide our own children a means to excelling in this horribly over competitive world, where the weak become part of the problem and the strong fight to make everyone else weak; constantly perpetuating the errors of our world.
For the cynics of public education who say that teaching is a “part-time job”…I invite you to spend a week in the shoes of a classroom teacher. I ask you to keep straight the 30+ personalities of the students in your class, upwards of 150-200 if you teacher high school or junior high. Remember about and adapt your instruction for the learning disabilities and learning styles of all your students. Taking into consideration the home lives of all your students. Also remembering their likes, dislikes, and the things that motivate them to become better citizens in training. I encourage you to see past the minimum hours you think we work, and really see the extra time that goes into our profession, away from our own families. All for making the lives of your children better, at the risk of the detriment of our own families. I ask you to clear your calendar and attend the IEP’s, the SST’s, the back to school nights, open houses, school plays, band concerts, football games, and staff meetings. Let’s not forget the essays and homework that you have to grade on your own time, during dinner, or after you place your own child in bed, wishing you had five more minutes to play with them. If you think it is so easy to be a teacher, and that we shouldn’t get paid a fair, professional wage because we are a public “servant” then you are mistaken. Somewhere along the way maybe you weren’t hugged enough, told you were loved, or just had a bad childhood and now you are soured towards everyone out there who is really trying to make a difference in the lives of others. Regardless, you can choose to enact change in your own life if you want to. No amount of attention, love, or motivation can make you see things differently until you remove the blinders and decide to see the world for how it is, instead of how you thought it was.
This country that we all love so much, grew out of the work of organized labor. To deviate from this is like disowning our soul, and saying that what was done for us is no longer appreciated and we don’t care for the sacrifices you made. Organized labor exists because in our free world there are still people who feel that they have control over others; that they can decide who is worthy and who is not. People can still be fired for the color of their skin, the way they dress, the people they love, and for any other petty reason under the sun. THAT is why organizing is still an important concept at the core of our nation. And until people can truly become accepting of others and their differences, then organized labor and a collective voice will remain a necessity.
The time has come, for us as a society to either put up or shut up. We can no longer stand around pointing the finger at others and blaming them for our faults and transgressions. It is the responsiblity of each and every one of us to account for our own lives, and to act as a society. If we want a service, then we have to pay for it. If we want to change something for the better, then we better stand up and do it. Don’t sit there and pass the buck off to someone else and say it’s their problem. That is why we are in the mess that we are today, because our society lacks leaders who are willing to stand up for what they believe in. We are a nation of followers, who elect “leaders” who do only what is needed to get re-elected. Many people want to be led to pasture like a herd of sheep by a Shepard. To enact change requires action – so do it and stop waiting for someone else to lead the way.
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