A twofer!
Another in a long line on why I hate unions.
See, where I work, if you do well you get bigger raises, bigger bonuses and if you do well over the long haul, you get promoted. On the other hand, if you don’t exceed you may not get fired, but you won’t reap the rewards of the high achievers. Then again, if you continue to produce so marginally that the firm finds itself better off without your services, you will, in fact, eventually be promoted; to customer. In other words, the company will no longer employ you.
I like this system. It allows me to go to work everyday, work hard and WANT to do a good job. The better I do, the better my reward. Is this “greedy” or “selfish” or some other adjective meant to imply that I look out for myself before the needs of others? Perhaps. Nah, in fact, ‘prolly it is. However, that’s how we are built. We always look to maximize our position in all transactions. I will gladly trade some amount of money for a gallon of milk. Further, depending on my situation, I may pay more or less for it, and even pay to have special circumstances attached. For example, at 02:00 AM with a hungry baby and an empty milk container, I might be willing to pay double the going rate for a gallon of milk. Further, I would be willing to pay to have it delivered. Conversely, standing in line at McDonald’s, I may find that the price for that little container of milk is too high and frankly, I would rather have water.
Point is, we all act in a manner that maximizes our benefits and minimizes our liability.
The fantastic news is that when this concept is embraced, an entire society can benefit. When someone discovers that yeast, malt, hops and water can be maxed just so, people will pay for it, we get beer. And choices of clothing. And entire warehouses full of food. And on and on and on. But when that ability to transact in a manner that benefits us is hampered, or regulated, the benefit begins to degrade. Look at Maine’s health insurance. The state now has one of the highest costs to be insured and the % of insured is going down further and further. In short, eliminating the choice to maximize benefits harms everyone. Be that a person or a corporation. Or a school district.
A Queens teacher who collects a $100,000 salary for doing nothing spends time in a Department of Education “rubber room” working on his law practice and managing 12 real-estate properties worth an estimated $7.8 million
Get that? A cool 100 G’s for NOT teaching. Why?
In 2001, six eighth-graders at IS 347 in Queens accused Rosenfeld, a typing teacher who filled in for an absent dean, of making comments like “You have a sexy body,” asking one whether she had a boyfriend and making others feel uncomfortable with creepy leers.
Rubber Room NYC Teacher
The DOE can’t fire him.
“We have to abide by the union contract,” spokeswoman Ann Forte said.
So Rosenfeld simply collects his $100,049 salary — top scale for teachers — plus full health benefits and the promise of a fat pension, about $82,000 a year if he were to retire today.
I LOVE the union. Nothing like wasting $1 million is salary, plus his health care and THEN he gets to retire. All because the union won’t let the school fire this guy.
Compare that to this:
NYC "Criminal"
NEW YORK — A New York City middle school student has been arrested for doodling on her desk with a marker.
Twelve-year-old Alexa Gonzalez scribbled “Lex was here 2/1/10” on her desk Monday. She also wrote “I love my friends Abby and Faith.” The girl says the doodles could have been erased, according to the Daily News.
Moraima Tamacho says her daughter was released several hours after she was taken in handcuffs to a police station.
Yup. An adult man can hit on young girls and he gets paid for it. When those young girls scribble on a desk, they get arrested.
What a world!