The Next Generation

I realize it's been awhile . . . I just couldn't do another political blog, blaming politicians. It's time to get closer to home. We have all taught children irresponsibility by the examples we set, or we've taught them greed, or . . . both. So, here's one of my local pet peeves. How long have we now been hearing how important the children are? It takes a village . . . Our children are our future . . . Children's health care . . . Religious education . . . Public education. Seems our children are always in the forefront of the concern, at least when it comes to lip service, but the bottom line is politicians, doctors, even teachers are looking at the bottom line. I don't know of a politician that is truly focused on cutting spending so we don't leave a pile of debt to the next generation, and that's both sides of the aisle. The left side seems more than willing to allocate tax dollars for children's needs, but in the event of cuts, their salaries will remain intact. The right side of the aisle seems most concerned about children before birth and after that . . . the conservatives would just as soon keep their money for their priorities. Doctors are pretty much owned by the time they complete their training and become established in their practice. Private practitioners are not so quick to take medicaid, but of course medicare is huge business. Sadly, the children don't qualify for medicare. I'm pretty used to my disdain for politicians and the business of modern medicine, but I've received a new perspective on teachers. It recently dawned upon me how many "retired teachers" I've run across in the general work force and by general work force, I mean retail sales, clerk, bank teller, announcers. Do you see what all these jobs have in common? None of them requires a college degree!!! So that means teachers, "degreed, public servant to tend to the children," are actually taking jobs FROM the precise people for whom they claim to care so much. They are taking jobs that could be filled by college students, young college students like they themselves were, back in a kinder, gentler, more caring America. Now these senior citizens or people at least old enough to be grandparents, are working at the same type job they probably had while establishing themselves as young up and coming adults. And they aren't working these jobs because they'd be starving on a teacher's pension . . . OH NO, not all! They are working these jobs because the teacher's union and pension excluded them from contributing to social security, much like the rail road and civil service; which provided their own retirement plans. So, they become vested in the teacher's union and pay into the teacher's pension plan to ensure eligibility, then when vested and circumstance presents obstacles or opportunities, a teacher can retire in their early 50's and collect their retirement, PLUS, they can find a job that will withhold social security taxes and in just 10 short years, 40 quarters, by their early 60's they are eligible to also collect social security. Not to worry, people that have paid into it their entire working life and produced children that are actually in the work force paying taxes can't collect til their early 60's either. I guess I have a question for the teacher . . . If you care so much for the students' future, how can you steal their jobs and their social security contributions?
I would expect this from politicians, I think most of them would sell their mother for a vote. I have seen the "money angle" in modern medicine and Big Pharma for years, but teachers! Parents trusted teachers to care and teach their children. I realize many of you spoke quite intellectually from the text, but you're still teaching. You're teaching double dipping! And you're teaching the "ungolden rule!"
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them . . . Golden Rule - words of Messiah