The American Solution?

Pragmatism doesn’t win elections.

A pragmatic candidate may very well begin answering each question with, “It depends on” or “When considering all of the variables” or some other introductory phrase that does not bend to the impatience of today’s populace. People are inconvenienced by wordy explanations peppered with logic and reason. 

People perceive such logic as a candidate attempting to skirt an issue.

Ideologies win elections.

Ideologies are simple, quick, and easy.  

Ideologies cling to the necessity of a villain – somebody, or something, has to be at blame.

Recently, we’ve seen political ideologies place blame on immigrants, Wall Street tycoons, and big government.

Today, blame is placed on the impoverished.  The public, through its ideological prism, sees the lower class as lazy, incapable, and unskilled - that they are to blame for their own plight and that they should have known better, perhaps long ago during their adolescence, for the career path they had chosen.

It seems blame has now diffused into the middle class.

Nearly seventy years ago, coming out of the Great Depression, Abraham Maslow offered a theory that schools recognize still today. Maslow theorized that that if one were to reach their potential, one would have to overcome a series of challenges before doing so.

Photo source - Wikipedia

The first of such challenges would to overcome hunger and thirst and to be properly rested.  Over the last year, in the town in which I reside, one out of every three school-aged children participated in the “reduced or free lunch program”.  One out of every three, before they learn their math, science, or reading, must be fed by the school – must be fed with tax dollars.  Sixty-one percent of the children in this country are victims of neglect.

The second such challenge would be for the person to have a sense of security and safety.  In Wisconsin, the percent of married-couple households is 51.6%, the percentage of kids who are read to every day is 46.1%, and, nation-wide, 44% of children are victims of abuse.

Before a young person may discover their potential, as characterized by Maslow’s third and fourth stages, one must have a sense of belonging, friendships, respect of and by others, a sense of achievement and self-esteem.

 

In other words, before a student in today’s culture is ready to learn math, science, or reading skills, a school must expertly nourish, keep safe, and build a child’s sense of belonging to something greater than him/herself.

Sometimes, one potential is not expressed in math or science.  Sometimes, if we’re lucky, one finds their potential in the arts or music.
 

As a teacher, I see many who are choosing impractical career paths such as these. 

I see kids who dream to be artists, actors, musicians, or athletes. 

I see kids who hope to become an art therapist for autistic children.  What a beautiful and perfect expression of one’s potential.

Yet, I feel compelled to shake my head, in obedience to the socioeconomic structure at large, and challenge them: “How will you ever pay the bills!?”    

What a sad expression for what we’ve become.

Disregard FoxNews and MSNBC, advocates of ideology and promoters of villains.

Do not search for a person of pragmatic qualities, become one.

Our children depend on it.

If we must resort to scores on standardized tests, then consider which countries are out-performing the U.S.: Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.

 

In Finland, teaching is a prestigious career. Teachers are highly valued and teaching standards are high. 

Their schools are free from prescriptions based on political ideologies. (See BBC article.)

In Finland, to be competitive, the government has concluded that they must substantially boost investments in education and research in order to foster innovation and cutting-edge development.
(In the town in which I reside, the schools have given the responsibility of working with our most challenging kids - those kids behind in their math and reading and kids with special learning needs - to people making $9/hour.  These paraprofessionals are not master teachers, are not formally schooled in the challenge, and some are not even college educated.  They are people in town who are looking for work and willing to work for that hourly wage.) 

In Finland, the personal income tax structure is more progressive, the capital gains tax is greater, and the corporate tax structure is more demanding. 

Is it socialistic to look toward Finland for answers?

Is it un-American?

Does it violate our sense of national identity?

Only if one were ideological.

We have to find our potential beyond simple ideologies.

We can no longer skirt issues and defy logic.

We have to become pragmatic.

Families Just Looking to Survive

Today, JSOnline reported that 2 out of every 5 children in this state will qualify for subsidized lunch programs. 

  To be eligible for free lunch, a student must come from a family (say a family of four as example) earning $28,655/year or less. 

  Reduced-price lunches are available to students whose families have incomes which amount to $40, 793 for a family of four.

  Statistically, it's reported that the average public school teacher earns $49,000.

  (I have a family of five and for starters will lose $630/month from my family’s income as a result of Governor Walker’s cuts.) 

  After Walker’s cuts and without collective bargaining to help the average worker empower themselves, the average Wisconsin teacher’s kids will qualify for free or reduced lunch.

  Does it appear the families of Wisconsin teachers have too much?

Wisconsin governor defends budget bill as opposition persists 
By the CNN Wire Staff

"The state's Legislative Fiscal Bureau -- similar to the federal government's Congressional Budget Office -- reported last month that tax cuts passed late last year by Wisconsin's newly elected, Republican-led legislature had helped add more than $200 million to the state's budget shortfall."

State Legislature Passes $67M Tax Cut

By WTMJ Radio

Story Updated: Jan 27, 2011

 

 MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Republican Gov. Scott Walker scored more victories Thursday, signing a major lawsuit reform bill into law and watching as the Legislature approved a tax cut for businesses that he says will create new jobs.

   Walker had promised swift action to show that Wisconsin, in his words, is "open for business." Even though most of his measures have received some support from Democrats, critics argue they are largely symbolic and will do little to actually create jobs or improve the state's economy.

   Senate Democrats said the latest tax cut measure, expected to cost the state $67 million over two years, was too expensive given the projected $3 billion shortfall in the two-year budget. They also said the tax bill, which would give businesses deductions worth $92 to $316 per job, wouldn't be enough by itself to get businesses to hire more people.

   That bill is the third tax cut the Legislature has passed this month. Walker has already signed into law a measure that eliminates income taxes on contributions made to health savings accounts. Another bill awaiting his signature would eliminate corporate and personal income taxes on companies that relocate to Wisconsin.

  The average worker in the private sector is not faring much better.  Yes, today’s average worker has it tough.

  In the state of Wisconsin, a single person making just over $20,000 pays 6.5% in income tax.  A single person making over $150,000 pays 6.75% of his income to the state in the form of income tax. 

  Does that seem fair to anyone?  

  A married couple in the state of Wisconsin making just under $27,000 pays income tax at a rate of 6.5%.  If this married couple has three children, this figure is just $2,000 over the poverty level.  A married couple making over $201,000 pays state income tax at a 6.75% clip. 

  Does that seem fair?

  Today’s battle in Wisconsin is not about unions per se – it’s about fairness – it’s about families struggling to survive.

Harmony for Families

Weeks ago, union leaders wrote me this:

"On Friday, state and local public employees offered to accept all economic concessions called for in the budget repair bill – including Governor Walker’s pension and health care concessions that he says are needed to solve the state budget challenge.

Governor Walker turned it down.  He wants more."

Walker got what he wanted last night. [Read Here]

 Admittedly, public employees have not always made the most favorable impressions.

A story came out of Milwaukee this summer reporting that their teacher union leaders wanted Viagra to be covered under their insurance plan. [Here]

Disappointing for sure.  In many respects, union leadership and some teachers, as exemplified in this case, have proven themselves unworthy for leadership positions. 

  

This lack of leadership has been obvious on both sides.  

“Republicans devised a plan to get around the impasse and hurriedly approved the bill late in the day after meeting for hours behind closed doors.” – JSOnline.com

This plan may have been legal but it certainly was not democratic.  Few would argue that it portrays the lack of political leadership show by the state’s chief executive.

As for my family and our resulting sacrifices, the financial concessions we’ll make will equate to $630/month out of pocket.  However, the financial costs will be so much more when all other contractual variables are considered.

To ask anyone of already moderate income to drop this sum from their family's monthly income is completely unreasonable and potentially economically devastating for us.

For families such as mine, and for so many others, we simply can't budget for those losses.

These personal losses are just a drop in the state’s economic bucket.  My family’s purchasing power was already comparatively minimal.  However, when one considers the impact of the decreased purchasing power accrued by the hundreds of thousands of families of state employees…it may devastate local economies and the economy state-wide.

Those in the private sector, who have so much scorn for the public employee, may find solace in our legislated miseries but that comfort won’t last long. 

Though my family’s contributions to this economy may amount to only one drop, the economy will have to endure the loss of hundreds of thousands of such drops.  Those in the private sector will soon learn that it’s difficult to fill an economic trough when so many drops are absent.  Indicators show the state will lose trillions of dollars worth of purchasing power from its economy.  

Whether or not this state’s economy can endure the loss of so much purchasing power,   I can promise this:  Those of us in the public sector will not find comfort in your losses, will not find refuge in some distorted sense of revenge, and will not celebrate your destruction with commentary.

Reasonable people are everywhere.  Empathetic and hard-working people abound.   

It’s the extremism, absolutism, and authoritarianism in leadership that concerns me.

I tell my students this, “Balance the needs of the individual with those of the greater good.”  If our state leaders put into practice this simple creed, union members, Republicans, teachers and taxpayers would find reasonable solutions for bringing harmony to our families. 

Glue on Marble

  When I knew enough to ask my wife to marry me, I took a job selling used cars to raise the revenues for an engagement ring.     
  Over the course of a twenty year teaching career, I've had to work several "odd jobs" in order to raise revenues. 
  When my first daughter was about to be born, I sold shoes.  As soon as the school day was over, I rushed to the shoe store for 3-4 hours.   My boss was a local high school student - he was employed there before I was.
  When my son was about to be born, I worked on an assembly line for Benchmark Electronics.  I worked alongside a young lady who insisted she could become a bowler on the pro tour...if she practiced more.
  As my son grew, I milked cows when I could.  I learned to move quick when I saw the bovine's tail raise.
  I tended bar.  Worked sport camps for many, many years.  I did what I had to do.
  I don't believe that to be a rare quality for a husband and father. 
  A man dedicates himself to his family.  He tends to their needs and looks over them.  Nothing is more fundamental than that for a man.  And, an essential trait of a man's dedication to his family is paying the bills.
  Oh, and there was one other job that I once held...


  Early this week, it was reported out of Governor Walker's office that state protesters did $7.5 million worth of damages to the capital. Click {here} for that story. Click {here} for related budget story.
  Today, that number was adjusted...by $7.15 million.  The actual cost of removing the glue would be $350,000. 
  The damage done to the capitol?  Glue on marble.
  Protesters apparently used Duck Tape to hang their signs.  The glue on the marble walls left by the Duck Tape is apparently difficult to remove.
  I would know.
  On weekends, as one other job I once held, I used to remove glue, wax, and other unwanted substances from school hallway floors and walls.  It was a painstaking job.  Progress was slow.  In the end, the job was finished and the school looked as new. 
  I got paid $8/hour and amassed nearly $500 for my labor.  However, I wasn't working on the pristine surface of the capitol - just the hardened, gray surroundings of an ordinary school; a school that needed someone to get on their hands and knees so that a sparkle might make a difference somehow.


  A man does what he needs to do for the welfare of others.
  I will not take this opportunity to comment on what I perceive to be Governor Walker's math skills or his ability to tell truths. 
  I will end by writing that I lost my job selling used cars.  Well, more to the point, I was fired.
  This particular dealership had an 8-cylinder Chevy Cavalier that had been on the lot for too long.  One day, finally, a customer wanted to buy that car.  My commission for that particular sale was going to make my next check a dandy.  The customer: a meek, slight, elderly woman who was much closer to 80 years old than she was seventy. 
  Before I would sell her that car, I felt compelled to inform her of some things first. 
  She needed to know that the car had previously been in an accident.  She needed to know that the car still needed work done.  She needed to know that we had better runners and better deals on the lot.  And, I couldn't help but let her know my opinion - that maybe 8-cylinders wasn't necessary to fulfill her driving needs.
  She decided to wait, re-think her decision, left the lot, and never returned.
  Later that week, I lost my job.


  A man does what he needs to for the welfare of others.
  That includes making sure the bills get paid but...
  must the bills get paid through the approach of "buyer beware"?  
  

“A Father’s Efforts to Fight Public Opinion and Improve Education”

  To this point, too much of what’s been reported on the dilemma in Wisconsin has been impersonal and absent of human detail.  News efforts fail to break free from the political ideologies cherished by both sides.

  Well, I cannot afford to own such ideologies – I’m a father of three.

  I don’t own an iPad or iPod.  Such technological luxuries don’t squeeze into my already tight budget.  After all, my phone cost me .01 cent.

  I don’t twit or tweet.  My lifestyle is not grandiose by anyone’s standards and I would imagine that what reveals itself in my stream of consciousness is far too militant and dutiful to promote general interest.

  I do email.  This was how I chose to communicate with friends and family regarding my battles against the state’s current “budget” legislation. 

  My first such email was not well-received…

  Let's see if I understand Governor Walker's math...

"We have about a $3.6 billion deficit facing us..." says the governor.

"(By making changes to public employee payments for health care and pensions) saves us about $30 million," continued the governor.

That's less than 1/100 of the state budget… 

  (Little did I know that this was only the beginning.)

  It's projected that Governor Walker's proposed legislation could cost me and my family 17% of our income.

  (Again, little did I know.)

  I have four college degrees (two undergraduate and two post-graduate) and had to pay for each degree out of my own pocket.  The last masters-level degree I earned cost me $14,000.

  If one post-graduate degree costs $14,000 (the state requires teachers to maintain their teaching certifications by continuing their education by the way) and a teacher's annual salary increase is $1,100 (as reported by The Post Crescent), then my last college degree absorbed all of my raises from the past 12.7 years… 

  …On behalf of my family and all state employees being attacked by Governor Walker, please contact your local and state representatives.

  In response, a local veterinarian and small-business owner wrote that teachers retire at 58.  Teachers may double-dip by subbing within the district from which they retried.  And can make $10-15,000 over the summer months.  Lastly,

   “The only guaranteed retirement that I have is what I personally am able to put away or what I can sell my business for. Then you want to take as much as 40% of that?! You have also never had to worry about making payroll or collecting for sevices rendered. 

  I say its about time things become more equalized.”

  This blog will be written, not in address of the public necessarily but in response to public’s scorn. 

  People are angry.  Trapped within a challenged economy and politically unstable environment, people are scared.  I don’t blame them. 

  This blog will also be written in an effort to inform the public about today’s classroom, the 21^st Century classroom.  A classroom dedicated to democracy, problem-solving, and devoted to a child in need of more developmentally-friendly learning environment.