Hello Dave, I did not attack you. I made an observation that was evident from what you said. You stated that concerns about people's compensation were a matter of their personal choice and work performance. Do teachers speak out about unfair practices? Yes, but they are not powerful in many cases because they are represented by union leaders who are easily - and pretty much universally - paid-off by interests that don't care about any student's achievement or lack of it. I am a former community college teacher and I know what I am talking about. K-12 teacher unions are even worse than our community college reps. Teachers have a low value and low reputation and it's not because of "underperforming schools." Were you aware that US educational stats are skewed in favor of other countries who evaluate only their top students, whereas US districts test all students, including disabled students who are going to perform poorly due to innate differences?
Our society doesn't value jobs that are typically done by less-favored individuals, and it doesn't pay well for them. These include servers in restaurants, K-12 teachers, nurses and other healthcare pros who aren't doctors, cleaning personnel, and home care aides.
People who make the decisions about people's pay don't do it for the reasons you give for not paying the yard care company. They do it to direct as much money as possible to those who own or benefit from the various enterprises. K-12 schools are public, but most school board members regard them as their personal businesses. And yes, many school board members enjoy "perks" of their positions. Nearly all hospitals and clinics in the US are no longer public facilities. They are privately owned. Profit to the shareholders is the only consideration. As to restaurants, those are owned by private owners and these days, chain ones by investment groups.
It's all about money, Dave. Money for a few rich people, often not even those who live in the U.S. Nothing you said is valid for those out seeking jobs from any big company, hospital network, or even large school district. Schools, for example, enriched teachers who started in the 70s, and gave them big retirement pay. But that was over and done with in the 80s and 90s, and now, new teachers start at low pay and much worse retirement and benefits.
"No one would do those jobs who couldn't get a better one."
I know you think you're really smart and have all the answers. Our society treats too many people horribly and privileges a tiny few. That's the problem.
