patrick.net

The offshoring of high paying jobs was the primary cause of middle class decline.

The decline of unions is a secondary cause. Private sector unions were marginalized long ago. Public sector unions are being marginalized now.

bobcat says

The offshoring of high paying jobs was the primary cause of middle class decline.

That's only been the last 15 years or so. The middle class has been in decline since the 70s. I guess if "by off shoring of high paying jobs" you mean manufacturing, which includes competing companies such as Toyota,
the I agree.

Wow. Interesting discourse. To summarize, though, correlation does not necessarily indicate causation, and therein lay the problem. Non-thoughtful minds immediately assume correlation = causation. Lazy minds don't bother to ask, "is this relationship coincidental, or causal?". Venal minds ask, "how can I use this information to support my agenda?". And perhaps the truly thoughtful say to themselves again, "oh dear, more 'information' to misdirect from the real issues".

I would bet big money that BS (Bill Smith), even if he needs to bring out a new identity just for this profound comment, sees himself as in the " truly thoughtful." (translation: "I have an enormous ego")

Killing public unions would be an end of all unions. If you think this is a non issue, or if you think the middle class will be better off without any unions, you should assemble your argument and share it with us.

But now you have to keep track of which identity you made this profound observation under.

Maybe you're right. Maybe a lot of people that used to be in the middle class, simply don't deserve to be anymore. It's tough out there, right ?

The American new way: Unions aren't helping ME,... directly,...RIGHT NOW,...Fuck em.

marcus says

bobcat says

The offshoring of high paying jobs was the primary cause of middle class decline.

That's only been the last 15 years or so. The middle class has been in decline since the 70s. I guess if "by off shoring of high paying jobs" you mean manufacturing, which includes competing companies such as Toyota,

the I agree.

Actually, it's been going on since the mid 80s. The pace of offshoring picked up dramatically in the mid 90s.

I do not just mean manufacturing jobs. I mean engineering jobs too. Those disappeared faster than the manufacturing jobs which preceded them.

For example, consumer electronics manufacturing completely vanished more than a decade ago.

marcus says

I would bet big money that BS (Bill Smith), even if he needs to bring out a new identity just for this profound comment, sees himself as in the " truly thoughtful." (translation: "I have an enormous ego")

Killing public unions would be an end of all unions. If you think this is a non issue, or if you think the middle class will be better off without any unions, you should assemble your argument and share it with us.

But now you have to keep track of which identity you made this profound observation under.

Maybe you're right. Maybe a lot of people that used to be in the middle class, simply don't deserve to be anymore. It's tough out there, right ?

The American new way: Unions aren't helping ME,... directly,...RIGHT NOW,...Fuck em.

Yes, killing public unions will be the end for all unions. Private sector unions were marginalized long ago. Public unions are all that's left. Once those go, the union movement will be a flatliner.

I agree with deficit hawks that states and cities do not currently have the fund to meet their obligations to the unions. But I part company with the deficit hawks who claim the unions caused the bankruptcies of states and cities. Revenues fell off a cliff while costs stayed the same. Until the economy tanked, nobody cared about public unions. The deficit hawks are using the financial meltdown as pretext for union busting, some of Naomi Klein's Disaster Capitalism in action.

Right now in California if a school district wants to save money because it is getting less revenue from the state then it must per union rules lay-off lower senority union teachers and increase class sizes for students unless the teacher's union approves accross the board cuts for its members. Does this improve our public schools or hurt them?

Public school teachers because of union rules are very difficult and expensive to fire for cause. So it is very rare that teachers are fired. So many bad teachers are kept in our public schools. Does this help our public schools or hurt them?

In Sacramento, every single member on our local school board has been elected with the financial support of teacher's unions. There is no difference of opinion on our school boards. Does this help or hurt our public schools?

Teacher's unions have virtually controlled school districts for at least 30 years in California. Why does California rank near the bottom in education results in spite of spending more money per student than most states? Because teacher's unions and other public sector unions represent the union memberships interests not the public's interest.

If you want to make more money then become more valuable to society. How does having corupt, self-serving public sector unions bring more value to our society?

Cook County resident says

Just to be clear, he said this happened in the late 60s.

We haven't had it that good since:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/UNRATENSA

There were ~2M males turning 18 each year in the 1960s, and we were drafting a big chunk of them, too.

Baby boom was aged 6 to 21 in 1968. Massive demand generation. Credit was only started getting rolling:

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/graph/?g=1xQ

cdw7503 says

Why does California rank near the bottom in education results in spite of spending more money per student than most states?

The immigrants suck at taking tests, obviously. The white-bread school I went to in the late 1970s:

http://www.redfin.com/school/24653/CA/Salinas/Monterey-Park-Elementary-School

has a rating of *3* now (it was totally awesome when I was there -- my parents chose our house to get into that school's catchment -- and probably still is regardless of the standardized testing results). The Mexican kids are 75% of the peeps but only passed the tests at 35%, which is not surprising since half of them are ESL, and the ESL group passes the test at 15%.

California also ranks in the 30s (out of 50) in revenue per student ($10,000). This is between NE and KY.

The states under CA have a much lower cost of living.

CA also has the highest per-capita expenditure for corrections, after Wyoming.

CA has the 2nd-highest student-teacher ratio, at 21. The national average is 15.

CA has the 3rd-highest average salary, at $67,000, but not much above the national average of $54,000, considering the cost of living.

shrekgrinch says

tatupu70 says

And how is that relevant?

Because YOU made it relevant when you asked:

tatupu70 says

Who said anything about being popular??

Wow--you are taking trolling to a new level. Bravo.

cdw7503 says

Right now in California if a school district wants to save money because it is getting less revenue from the state then it must per union rules lay-off lower senority union teachers and increase class sizes for students unless the teacher's union approves accross the board cuts for its members. Does this improve our public schools or hurt them?

Public school teachers because of union rules are very difficult and expensive to fire for cause. So it is very rare that teachers are fired. So many bad teachers are kept in our public schools. Does this help our public schools or hurt them?

In Sacramento, every single member on our local school board has been elected with the financial support of teacher's unions. There is no difference of opinion on our school boards. Does this help or hurt our public schools?

Teacher's unions have virtually controlled school districts for at least 30 years in California. Why does California rank near the bottom in education results in spite of spending more money per student than most states? Because teacher's unions and other public sector unions represent the union memberships interests not the public's interest.

If you want to make more money then become more valuable to society. How does having corupt, self-serving public sector unions bring more value to our society?

cdw7503 says

Why does California rank near the bottom in education results in spite of spending more money per student than most states?

California is 47th in spending per student if you adjust for cost of living.

Adjusted for cost of living, California spends $7,571 per student, compared to $9,963 per student nationally. With our state's students shortchanged by an average of nearly $2,400 per pupil, the survey gave California an "F" in the category of school spending.

The mid-year cuts imposed upon our state's schools, which were not included in the study's results, have further compounded the problems resulting from California's abysmal school funding rankings.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2009/01/08/index.html

Not adjusted for cost of living, California was 31st in 2008 - 2009.
http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/09f33pub.pdf

It's lower now.

marcus can you post edweek stuff please, it's subscriber only.

Maybe I'm not reading the government graph correctly. It shows CA spends more than any other state on education, almost twice as much as the next closes one NY, and yet spends about 30th/31st on spending per student. There is something fundamentally wrong with this system.

I wonder how much liberal policies of educating illegals have to do with this.

cdw7503 says

Because teacher's unions and other public sector unions represent the union memberships interests not the public's interest.

Teacher's interests are the public's interests. How many great teachers would be replaced by young teachers (the revolving door) for much lower pay if not for unions ?

How many people get in to teaching because they want to give back, but without the prospect of decent pay and benefits that is there because of unions, they wouldn't be able to ?

The idea that unions "control schools" is an outright lie propagated by evil scumbags on talk radio.

Unions negotiate collectively for teachers in their union. They have a contract, yes that gives some slight edge to senior teachers. And their contract makes it difficult to get rid of teachers, unless for example they repeatedly don't follow the directives of their administrators.

This union pay and contract ATTRACTS QUALITY TEACHERS !

I don't see how this is "controlling schools."

IF you feel that education is something that we as a country or state can't afford, then just say so. But honest and fact based discussion would be nice.

marcus says

Teacher's interests are the public's interests. How many great teachers would be replaced by young teachers (the revolving door) for much lower pay if not for unions ?

so why not change the union rules to make it based on quality of education provided and to not allow salary be part of the reason? Why seniority, why not quality?

FortWayne says

so why not change the union rules to make it based on quality of education provided and to not allow salary be part of the reason? Why seniority, why not quality?

How do you propose to judge "quality" of education?

combined with the chart posted by marcus earlier. does not paint a good picture of our education system.

Regarding seniority, I'm not that senior, but I'll tell you one of the things that happens under the seniority system, which isn't perfect, but it's how it works. People pay dues in their early years. They teach classes that maybe wouldn't be their choice. They get less honors classes etc.

In elementary school, it might mean teaching 2nd grade, when they really want to teach 6th grade. After many years, the senior teachers get to choose the grade they want to teach over the brand new teacher, who may be given an assignment that isn't their first choice.

That, and knowing that you can continue teaching after paying your dues, rather than being put out to pasture at 55, are the primary things that the union contracts gives teachers for seniority. Although I'm sure it varies somewhat.

It's putting something that is fairly common sense about dues paying in writing, so that it is standardized and everyone feels they are being treated the same (over time).

Is it any surprise that most of the states at the bottom of the school spending per pupil chart are all RED states?

Negative correlation of unions to executive pay. Very tight.

nuke says

Negative correlation of unions to executive pay. Very tight.

Executive pay has gone up in a curve that looks exponential, not a straight line, the way union membership has dropped.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/04/08/business/

marcus says

This union pay and contract ATTRACTS QUALITY TEACHERS !
I don't see how this is "controlling schools."
IF you feel that education is something that we as a country or state can't afford, then just say so. But honest and fact based discussion would be nice.

Is this the best argument you have Marcus? If the teachers are of such high "quality" then why do our public schools have such bad educational outcomes? But of course it it is the students that are defective right?

If a school disctrict has ALL of its trustees elected by the teacher's union financial support then how is that not "controlling" our public schools? This is not some "evil talk radio" comment; it is a fact. I have seen the election of union supported school board members over and over again here in Sacramento. One school board member up for re-election replied to a policy question like this: "I'm not sure; let me check with the teacher's union and I'll get back to you." She won with 60% of the vote.

Paying teachers more is not the answer. Outcomes over time are the answer to evaluating teachers and teacher's unions. I noticed you did not say or argue that teacher's in unions have had excellent educational outcomes in California over the last 30 years and that is why we should pay teachers more and that is the value that teacher's unions bring to our society. If teacher's in unions were doing an excellent job then we would not be having this discussion.

cdw7503 says

If teacher's in unions were doing an excellent job then we would not be having this discussion.

If you are truly interested, and would like some links, and would like to learn more about education and problems in education let me know. I'm just a teacher on the front lines, but it seems to me you have it all figured out.

In a nutshell, "it's all the teachers fault."

So califonia is 47th in spending for education. All my classes will have over 40 students per class this coming year. Some may be over 50.

What was your question again ?

marcus says

Teacher's interests are the public's interests. How many great teachers would be replaced by young teachers (the revolving door) for much lower pay if not for unions ?

That's why Monopolist Schools should be abolished. There should be competing schools and parents should decide where to send their kids. BTW, if you really believe school administrators don't want good teachers but only cheap teachers, even under the current system, they can let go every single teacher after 1-3 years and never give tenure to anyeone

How many people get in to teaching because they want to give back, but without the prospect of decent pay and benefits that is there because of unions, they wouldn't be able to ?

Give back? Sounds to me like a robber taking your wallet, swipe all the cash inside then toss the empty wallet back at you. The teachers who want to "give back" should be allowed to found their own schools and teaching facilities. That's why Monopolist Schools should be abolished, or at least be forced to compete for their funding amongst numerous schools that parents can choose from.

marcus says

So califonia is 47th in spending for education. All my classes will have over 40 students per class this coming year. Some may be over 50.

Cut the teachers' salaries or get rid of the benefits, then use the same amount of money to hire more teachers from among the newly minted wannabe teachers looking for jobs. That solves both the problem of class room size and the problem of unemployment.

Reality says

BTW, if you really believe school administrators don't want good teachers but only cheap teachers

Administrator aren't the ones who decide how much to spend on teachers. It comes from the school board and from higher levels in government.

How much we spend on education is really what this is all about. Some want to argue for competition. I've addressed this before. There would be some advantages, and some disadvantages. It probably can't really be done right without totally destroying public education.

Question, what percentage of public schools do you think are really really good ?

marcus says

Regarding seniority, I'm not that senior, but I'll tell you one of the things that happens under the seniority system, which isn't perfect, but it's how it works. People pay dues in their early years. They teach classes that maybe wouldn't be their choice. They get less honors classes etc.

hmm, what's that fantasy fairy tale about wanting to "give back" again? You mean the senior gansters get to pick over the loot first before the new gang members take their turn at raping the taxpayers?

I'm unaware of ANY human enterprise in which their isn't a hierarchy of job assignments.

The FNG always gets the shit jobs.

Wake me when the general is crawling through the muck alongside the privates, or the senior salesman is cleaning the toilets and delivering memos. Suggest otherwise and you'll be some kind of SOCIALIST demanding everyone work their day in the community fields.

Reality says

hmm, what's that fantasy fairy tale about wanting to "give back"

hmmm, another a.h.... It's just an expression. It could mean someone who feels that the time they spent in school helped them to be who they are.

But it could also be someone who is fortunate in any number of ways independent of school, and knows it, and has learned that "giving" and "helping others" etc. can be a more rewarding (even from an enlightened selfish standpoint ), more meaningful way to spend the 50,000 plus hours of their work life, than just grinding away at making money.

I'm sure that many that go in to health care, science, social work, even law (sometimes), or criminal justice, setting up a website like this one, vetrinary science, or even politics (sometimes) and many other fields are at least partly motivated by such thinking.

marcus says

In a nutshell, "it's all the teachers fault."
So califonia is 47th in spending for education. All my classes will have over 40 students per class this coming year. Some may be over 50.
What was your question again ?

You for got UNION when you stated it's all the teacher's fault. Most teachers are good teachers. But the union will not let bad teachers get fired. This is obvious if you look at union run public schools. And ask any principal if he can avoid the "lemon dance" with these bad teachers?

If the teacher's union would have allowed all teachers to take across the board pay and benefit cuts then we would not have 40+ students per class coming up this year.

The question always has been this marcus: What value does public sector unions bring to our State and local communities if any? How does raising taxes all the time to meet the demands of public sector unions benefit society?

There is always a point where taxes become too much of a burden to our society. California voters have said now is that time. Make due with what you have to spend. The unions say ok lets see how bad we can make our public schools to teach Californians a lesson of who really controls our schools. In the end, its the students in CA that lose with 40:1 because of selfish union demands. And students have been on the losing end of education for the last 30 years at least. How does that benefit our society? It doesn't; why is that so hard to see marcus?

cdw7503 says

But the union will not let bad teachers get fired.

That's not true. The big thing these days is "evaluation." You don't think that unions change and can respond to criticism (even from within) over their shortcomings ?

Nothing is written in stone, one teachers union is different from the next, and they are all adapting to pressures, from within and from society in general.

cdw7503 says

If the teacher's union would have allowed all teachers to take across the board pay and benefit cuts then we would not have 40+ students per class coming up this year.

That's more made up bs. We are in our third year of furlough days.

cdw7503 says

The unions say ok lets see how bad we can make our public schools to teach Californians a lesson of who really controls our schools.

You're obviously still learning (NOT !!)

cdw7503 says

And students have been on the losing end of education for the last 30 years at least. How does that benefit our society?

From a Dianne Ravitch critique of "waiting for Superman:"

There was a time—which now seems distant—when most people assumed that students’ performance in school was largely determined by their own efforts and by the circumstances and support of their family, not by their teachers. There were good teachers and mediocre teachers, even bad teachers, but in the end, most public schools offered ample opportunity for education to those willing to pursue it. The annual Gallup poll about education shows that Americans are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the quality of the nation’s schools, but 77 percent of public school parents award their own child’s public school a grade of A or B, the highest level of approval since the question was first asked in 1985.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/11/myth-charter-schools/

(edit: had to edit some messed up quotes in this - confusing to anyone who read it right after I posted it)

I do not like the term public school. I prefer "Failure Factory". I support higher taxes on the underclass so we can expand the success of the Failure Factories. For example LAUSD has the highest paid teachers in California while producing students who achieve the lowest test scores. This is a wonderful success in producing underling failures. My hat is off to you LAUSD.

After all, my boots aren't going to lick themselves.

Reality, and CDW, you are obviously alter egos of trolls I already have on ignore. So I will add you to the list now, and you can now make any ridiculously stupid, dishonest and factually deficient comment you would like, without a response from me.

As the kids say, "haters gonna hate."

Huntington Moneyworth III, Esq says

For example LAUSD has the highest paid teachers in California

A lie.

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/26/995141/see-how-well-your-school-district.html

marcus says

Administrator aren't the ones who decide how much to spend on teachers. It comes from the school board and from higher levels in government.

The administrators decide who gets tenure who doesn't. That's the issue I was addressing when you said that without union the more experienced teachers would be let go and substituted by new teachers.

How much we spend on education is really what this is all about.

In other words, failures should be rewarded with more funding. That's exactly the problem with Monopolist Schools.

Some want to argue for competition. I've addressed this before. There would be some advantages, and some disadvantages. It probably can't really be done right without totally destroying public education.

The Monopolist Schools have done a fine job of destroying the Monopolist Education system already.

Question, what percentage of public schools do you think are really really good ?

People ask silly questions like that should not have the right to teach my kids. What the heck is "really really good"? Different parents have different standards on what is "really really good": some want special attention to their gifted kids, some want every kid treated the same so their retard can feel a sense of belonging. The two goals are not compatible, yet both are eminently understandable coming from any parent who is blessed with a kid that is unusual. That's why Monopolist School scheme would never work.

marcus says

But it could also be someone who is fortunate in any number of ways independent of school, and knows it, and has learned that "giving" and "helping others" etc. can be a more rewarding (even from an enlightened selfish standpoint ), more meaningful way to spend the 50,000 plus hours of their work life, than just grinding away at making money.

I'm sure that many that go in to health care, science, social work, even law (sometimes), or criminal justice, setting up a website like this one, vetrinary science, or even politics (sometimes) and many other fields are at least partly motivated by such thinking.

Then you are not talking about "giving back" at all, but about extorting the taxpayer into paying you for something that you want to do! Should all wannabe bands be paid by the government extorting money from taxpayers because making music is what the band members enjoy doing for the 50,000hrs of their working lives? Actually, shouldn't the typical private sector employee work on average 88,000 over 40 years? 2200hrs per year. Being able to retire after only 50,000hrs when the rest of the society has to work 75% more hours is just one of the parameters showing just how grossly overpriced Monopoly School teachers have become. Little wonder people want to be in that privileged position feeding at the trough if they can get it.

A person deserves to be paid as a teacher only if the parents of kids say so with their own money. Just like, a chef deserves to be paid only if the patrons are willing to pay for the food he/she cooks up. Food is after all far more fundamental to human survival than even education. Should we use tax money to subsidize good-for-nothing chefs who waste raw food? and give them more funding when they turn good ingredients into unappetizing cooked food? It's all about how much we spend on the Monopolist restaurant, right?

marcus says

Reality, and CDW, you are obviously alter egos of trolls I already have on ignore. So I will add you to the list now, and you can now make any ridiculously stupid, dishonest and factually deficient comment you would like, without a response from me.

As the kids say, "haters gonna hate."

I read your posts for the first time this afternoon. You are supplying another piece evidence for your low intelligence and analytical skills, narrow-mindedness, and overall disqualification to be the teacher of any promising mind. A mind is terrible thing to waste. I feel sorry for your students.

marcus says

That's not true. The big thing these days is "evaluation." You don't think that unions change and can respond to criticism (even from within) over their shortcomings ?
Nothing is written in stone, one teachers union is different from the next, and they are all adapting to pressures, from within and from society in general

Maybe some of the really obvious bad teachers get fired. But as one teacher at my daughter's school said to me last year: "You have to pretty much show up drunk to get fired here."

My other daughter's algebra teacher gave her a B in her Algebra class last year and begged me to allow her to go on to Geometry next year in high school. She took the Algebra Final at a private high school and got a 54% on it. My daughter got a 86% on the public school final... That Alegbra teacher obviously not very good and my daughter now gets to repeat Algebra this coming year with the exact same text book she used last year.

Your theory, marcus, does not match the facts on the ground in public schools my daughters attend.