Fairweather

How cliche. "Armed Democrats.com?" I thought you hated them too? In any event, I'm glad you're free to own guns.

And how's that going? In aggregate, I mean. As for your police, fire, IRS comp, well, gimme a break--and leave it to a lib to come up with a straw-man. Like all employees, they (and you) should be judged by a combination of results and the effort they put forth--as judged by their supervisor(s) and, in most cases, their peers.

This is the world the rest of us live in. Employment at will. Outside of age, race, gender, there are minimal protections against a-hole managers. And yes, they're out there. Still, why do teachers think they are somehow above being evaluated?

I'm on your side more than you realize. My point is that a teacher with her credentials and experience would fare far better with a salary dictated by supply and demand. Why does the teachers' union hate good, well-qualified teachers?

Teacher's should make as much or less than the average hourly salary of a heavy equipment operator. This will keep qualified candidates from joining the field of education and allow them the opportunity to become heavy equipment operators, or join professions that actually matter and improve society, like professional sports. Curious minds want to know, so I crunched these numbers for my spouse last year. I made very conservative assumptions - only putting her down for an average of 60 hrs a week (believe me it's likely more like 70), 3 weeks of break where she takes off one but merely puts in 35 hrs each of the other two (which is a low estimate), 6 weeks off in summer but works 30 hr/wk for 4 of those meeting with teachers, developing/refining lessons (doesn't get out of school after kids leave till last week in June has to be back at school officially week before kids arrive). And it comes out to a whopping $24.85/hr. As she said when she went from geology consulting to teaching - pay cut in half and hours doubled. But she loves it. Regarding a Masters - yes you get a pay bump - but I don't know if they differentiate between a degree that is your teaching field vs. the Masters in Education, which is a softball. Both of us being in the sciences we went through a rigorous MS program - entrance orals, field work, stats, thesis, defense - which took about 3 yrs - an average for sciences. When she went back for a teaching certificate it was a year long program but if she had stayed an additional 3 months (over the summer) she could have earned a Masters in Education! That's an interesting contrast. Jim, are you using x1.5 for plus forty/week, or plus 8/day? Either way,that's pretty easy take-home math--and it doesn't help your argument that teachers are underpaid. I like your points about the MEd softball, though. Spot on.

Yep, you got it. Union thug extortionists. Were you as outraged when the legislature threw out the will of the voters who passed I601 and I602? And how about those Tim Eyman initiatives? Selective outrage? If you are so unhappy teaching, why not quit? Seriously. Take your skills where you feel they will be respected and or adequately compensated.

No problem with private-sector unions. No use for public extortionists who use kids as human shields.

Conservative analysis, post-election: http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/blog/post/wea-union-sees-declining-influence-recent-election

It's more than a little ironic teachers choose now to agitate for particular legislation--in the new post-Democrat Olympia monopoly era. Gimme a break. As for your stated/desired version of "democracy" in the form of initiatives (mob rule) and state supreme court dictates (a directory), well, I hardly think your version of democracy passes any American history test on republican government. Yet another reason American libs can't be trusted with the torch. I honestly hope teachers do walk out en masse at some point in the future. I'll be even happier to see their union broken as a result of the public backlash that follows.

A clear voter mandate? Hardly. I1351 passed with 50.8% of the vote. Supporters (the teacher's union) spent $ 5million; opponents spent $ zero. What's more, this so-called mandate provided no funding. $ zero. Finally, the still-phantom House budget--with tax increases--does not fund I1351 either. We don't need tax increases just to give teachers a raise or to fund a utopian ballot initiative that Seattle voters passed without funding ala monorail. And McCleary will be paid for with the additional $3Bn in growth revenue. Geeeez, is it even possible for Democrats to budget our money? And where were all these Democrats, say, during the last 30 years when they had complete control of Olympia? Where was the teacher outrage? This is all just political. Shame on teachers for putting their ideology and greed ahead of kids. I've taken the rare step of writing my Republican State Senator and my one Republican Rep to remind them that they are expected to reject any proposed tax increases beyond the justified 11 cent gas tax they have already agreed to.

Reality can be a real bitch when you're a libtard.

Scott Walker for president!

DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND, IF YOU DON'T GIVE TEACHERS MORE MONEY YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO END UP IN PRISON YES IT REALLY IS THIS SIMPLE.

Holding kids hostage to get taxes raised on everyone else to get a raise. Classy. Don't forget: IT'S FOR THE KIDS.

Insults. Good fall back. Whatever, that was not my original premise--the economics angle on the election was yours. And in any event, the whole Keynes-Hayek thang is not likely to be sorted out by you or I. Love the irony with Jimbo referring to free-dumb, as if he isn't an example of the adjective following the hyphen. Never underestimate a libtard's sense of self-importance.

Insults. Good fall back. Whatever, that was not my original premise--the economics angle on the election was yours. And in any event, the whole Keynes-Hayek thang is not likely to be sorted out by you or I. Translation: I don't have a valid argument. Well,thank you for finally admitting it.

I agree. When is Democrat Troy Kelly going to be impeached? http://q13fox.com/2015/05/12/push-to-impeach-state-auditor-kelley/

Insults. Good fall back. Whatever, that was not my original premise--the economics angle on the election was yours. And in any event, the whole Keynes-Hayek thang is not likely to be sorted out by you or I.

Oh, I've argued the "stupid voter" excuse is over-played by both sides. Given the facts, however, they aren't obviously voting on economic motivations - least not for the majority of the public. Here in the US it can come down to "other" factors -- a perception of freedom (WTF that means is anyone's guess), social policy (hate the nigras, homos, and baby-killers) or perception of our leaders (...he's a muslim!) Comments like this are more revealing about the liberal mind than any sort of broad-based reality. What you seem to say here is that you don't believe voters who disagree with you are stupid, rather, that they must be bigoted, racist, homophobic.

Not at all. I'm just pointing out that what you're saying makes no sense. The lib's "stupid voter" meme has to cut both ways to be valid.

So, naturally, Brits voted for more lethargy? I think not. You're swallowing an MSNBC fantasy.

". . . accepted economic theory . . ." Um, nice try. If you mean "Keynesian economic theory widely accepted by modern liberals for now as a placeholder in lieu of the end goal being centralized control," then, yes.

You mean Hillary without all the corruption?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/05/12/heres-a-clock-that-counts-the-minutes-since-hillary-clinton-answered-a-press-question/

Kk and I read gay porn by the campfire while Bob masturbates our horses.