Educational
Decision
Making.
. .
Education is many different things to many different people. For some it is a pathway to a career. For others it is an enjoyable pursuit that
leads them to new discoveries and widens their world view. For others it represents hope for the
future. There are many different views
of what an education is for, and what it means to be educated. The topic of education is one worthy of significant
public discussion, and our efforts to create thoughtful and meaningful public educational
policy are among the most important that our public officials can undertake.
While
there are many things that education can be to people, there are some things
that it shouldn't be as well. Education
should not be a for-profit industry.
When we create a system that is driven by bottom-line thinking, we
inevitably see a loss of opportunity for those who need access to it the most. Unfortunately, we are seeing the lure of
profit encroaching into the decision making processes that create policies for
our public schools. Many of the
"reforms" that are being touted as educationally sound practices, are
actually financially sound (for investors in education) and financially driven
practices instead.
The people of Wisconsin are resisting
changes like this, but these ideas don't go away, especially when supported by
top GOP officials.
Labor
and Business. . .
Just like educational decision making is
driven by the potential for profit, so to are our economic decisions. Of course, this makes sense to a significant
degree. After all, businesses, unlike
schools, should exist to make a profit.
No one can reasonably dispute the reality that if a business doesn't
make money, it is not viable as a business.
While there have been many different economic philosophies put forward
over the years, and some of these include thinking that radically shifts
ownership and distribution of profits, the reality is that in almost every
economic system developed around the world there is a stratification in wealth
and control of financial resources. Some
people earn more, control more and benefit more from these economic and
political systems.At the same time, an argument can be made that huge disparities in wealth and power are not conducive to long term, sustainable success for any society. When these huge economic gaps occur, they are usually followed by some degree of change in either the system, or in those who control the wealth. Whether through legislation, revolution or other means, those with less access to financial resources find a way to advance their cause. The questions often are, how radical, violent, or unpleasant is the change going to be, and what will the changes look like?
America has endured many different periods when we struggled to resolve issues around distribution of wealth and power in very visible ways. From the very beginning of our nation there was a tension between different groups around these issues. These struggles haven't gone away with time. America has not found a way to resolve economic, class and labor issues with any degree of permanence. Yet, our recent history has been one of relative stability in terms of labor issues.
There are many reasons why we've enjoyed relative labor peace in the years after WWII and leading up to 2010. The trends certainly haven't favored labor in many ways. Yet, systems were in place that put a band-aid over the wounds caused by the conflicts between classes, labor and management. Unions existed to represent some workers. Collective bargaining existed for public employees in many states. While a significant number of workers labored without protections, the general mood of the nation didn't support upheaval or change. The case can be made that labor should have been more active and engaged, but in general the decades leading up to 2010 were the calm before the storm.
That all changed with the elections of 2010 and the electoral victories that gave Conservatives significant power in many states including Wisconsin. Not content to continue to erode the power of labor through systematic, but gradual, attacks, these radical Conservatives used their power to try and eradicate the power of labor. Needless to say, this awoke organized labor and created the uprisings and push-back that has been occurring around the nation ever since.
The current picture is very troublesome for those who support worker's rights and a more equitable distribution of resources. We are facing challenges in all areas, including the fight for public opinion.
billmoyers.com
The Good, The Bad, and
The Ugly. .
.
The Good . . . Despite the constant efforts of many to discredit and
demean the U.S. Postal Service, there are many who continue to recognize the
importance of our mail carriers. For me,
this ongoing debate over the viability of the USPS is a symbol of the struggle
that we are engaged in as a society. We
need to retain the benefits that humans delivering tangible messages and items
provide. That this continues to exist as
a public service is also important.
Labor and
management can work together!!!
The Bad . . . More evidence that money is damaging our political
system.
The Ugly . . . We can't allow our political system to be controlled
by a wealthy few, who then use their power to harm citizens, our environment,
and our way of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment