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Jim

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Posts posted by Jim

  1. Got to jump to the teachers defense here rurp. You got it wrong. All the ones I know work at least 10 hour days at school, bring paperwork home, work at least a day during the weekend. Yes they get holidays off but most of the time they're grading or preparing lessons. With mandatory weeks before and after school is in session the summer off is about 6 weeks, and most of them take workshops (more unpaid time), and work on lesson plans in the summer.

     

    If you can bust your tail during the school year and don't mind working weekends all the time then maybe it's a decent tradeoff for extended time off in the summer. The pay is good? With a Phd and 15 years experience you top out at $56 k. BS and no experience- a whopping $23K. You should become a teacher if you like kids and what to teach - bottom line.

  2. I've met Bronka and her husband a couple of years ago. I was out for a spring ski up to Muir and saw this couple pass another skier below me, also on his way up. I thought they were a couple of young bucks. They were cruising at least as fast as I was on the way up. They arrived at the hut (they work as park volunteers) and we had a nice chat. They left as the other skier arrived. He just shook his head and said they blew his doors off on the way up. He was about 25 years old.

  3. Fairweather -

     

    I surprised this thread is still alive. Very good points. I hope I didn't mean to imply that the Republicans are the only elite, nope, Democrats are up there too, they just don't have as much practice. Basically the Reps don't care, the Dems throw a few crumbs to the masses, but they all scramble towards money.

     

    We're such a rich country it's too bad we waste it on so much military and business handouts.

  4. Well I guess if you think that a society that caters to monied interests is what you like, and that letting corporations off the hook for paying thier fair share of taxes (Enron for instance paid no taxes in 2001 on 557 million in profit!) then there's probably nothing I can say otherwise. My opinion is that it's not fair and equatable. Seems your opinion is tuff luck!

     

    Here's a recent example of how it works: Even after all the coporate crimes in the news one would think that the Bush administration would avoid even the appearance of graft. Not so - guess who got the 300 million contract to build the new, updated detention center at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba. You guessed it - Hallerburton - the company Cheny came from. So is this fair - a bunch of fat cats feeding from the public trough. I don't go in for your social darwinism arguments. It's a matter of fairness.

  5. Mtn Goat -

     

    But I'm forced to pay for your opinion such as the likes of military hardware, business tax breaks, payments to for-profit health care, etc. I'd rather pay for more social benefits - education, universal health care, environmental protection. But here's the catch - no money - no influence. Spray all you want but it's not a level field and 'sur isn't no free market.

  6. The main problem with using only an economic analysis (taxes) is that society, natural resources, bear the costs of private business, such as pollution. Not to mention all the subsudies that business gets in the US. It's just not a level playing field - money-ed interests push the agenda in their benefit.

     

    It's the Tragedy of the Commons. Benefit for me but cost beared by society.

  7. Greg W-

     

    Not whinning - just telling it like it is. Write letters or email - Right! Emails get dumped pretty quick. Letters almost as fast. Unless there's a check attached.

     

    I dunno what to do about. Big changes needed. I do write and vote for who I think will make a differnce, but the choices are lame.

  8. I think the point those folks are trying to make is that it's not true democracy in this country. If you have money, access to the media (read money), political connections (read money) then your voice is heard.

     

    As Trent Lott said in reply to what are people to do who can't buy access to politicians "Well, they have to gain access in other ways"

  9. There's a guy here in Seattle who's family owns a shoe repair place downtown on Stewart and Fourth. He's the son and only does climbing shoes. Dave Page is backed up big time right now cause his help is off on climbing trips. Dave suggested this guy to me. He also will pick up shoes for resoling from the climbing gyms in town.

  10. You can get certified in a year to become teacher if you already have a BA. Teachers work hard, my wife went from a geologist to teaching middle school. Little time during the school year with a couple of months off in summer.

     

    I'm an ecologist and I like it. I travel around in the northwest and get to work in climbing and ski trips around field work. There's lots of fieldwork and you can stay in decent shape just crusing up and down ridges for some projects. The summer can be busy with field work though and conflict with the climbing season. Pay's decent.

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