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egbertowillies

(4,058 posts)
Mon Jul 23, 2012, 01:09 PM Jul 2012

Marginalization of Teachers, Police, Firefighters, Public Workers Genius For Right Wing Policies

Original Post HERE

Teachers are the bastions of our society. Whether they are elementary school teachers or college professors, they are the ones that ensure the continuity of knowledge for the next generation. They provide the raw material for growth.

A society cannot exist without safety. The police are the arbiters of our safety. We expect them to be there as they were at the Colorado tragic shootings. When we need them they must be there with the resources necessary to protect us.

Firefighters are not just for fighting fires. They are our first responders for wrecks, health incidences, and that cat stuck in the tree. When we need them, we need them. Ask all those affected by forest fires that jumped into neighborhoods all around the country. Ask Texans who last year were hit by fires that could have been better handled absent budget cuts in firefighting.

We want that public worker at the end of that 311 call for poison control, traffic tickets, etc. We want that worker at the Social Security office there to help with needs only they can address. Bottom line, we want our government, we the people, there when we need them.

Because all these people provide all these services we want and need, we would normally have a rather large fondness for them in the aggregate. Moreover we would rightfully want them compensated well.

This is anathema to Right Wing vision of government. They do not want a public sector with teachers, police, firefighters, and other public employees. They want to relegate all these services to private corporations.

How would they accomplish this? It is a two stage process. Firstly, Americans must be convinced that government is inherently wasteful and inefficient. Secondly, the public sector must be demonized by asserting public sector employees are overpaid because of demands by corrupt unions. They have been extremely effective in having that concept metastasized in much of the American psyche.

Their complete success would have private schools, government services outsourced to low wage contract employment services, and who knows, the eventual privatization of firefighting and policing.

It is important to note that for the above services, profit is an inefficiency. It is a transfer of wealth from the middle class to the few owners of corporations that would provide these services. Moreover because these outsourced services generally pay less to employees it has a depressive effect on local economies as the available dollars to spend in the given community falls.

This is just a continuation of what afflicts America. We have already seen what outsourcing has done to private sector wages and employment. We have seen that inasmuch as the middle class has gotten much poorer over the last 30 years, the wealth of the select few continue their geometric growth.

Is this the America you want? If it is not then you must stay informed and vote your interest, the interest of your family, and the interest of your country.

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Marginalization of Teachers, Police, Firefighters, Public Workers Genius For Right Wing Policies (Original Post) egbertowillies Jul 2012 OP
If GOP Had Its Way The Aurora First Responders Would Be Private Security By Halliburton. TheMastersNemesis Jul 2012 #1
I was a f**king public employee and had to put up with all the sh*t from every a kennedy Jul 2012 #2
Republicans want to privatize everything Rosa Luxemburg Jul 2012 #3
This is a well stated essay. annabanana Jul 2012 #4
I would remove one of those... Fredjust Jul 2012 #5
 

TheMastersNemesis

(10,602 posts)
1. If GOP Had Its Way The Aurora First Responders Would Be Private Security By Halliburton.
Mon Jul 23, 2012, 01:53 PM
Jul 2012

The RW wants to replace first responders with minimum wage part timers. They would have no benefits, no health insurance, and no pensions.

a kennedy

(29,663 posts)
2. I was a f**king public employee and had to put up with all the sh*t from every
Mon Jul 23, 2012, 05:36 PM
Jul 2012

d*mn tom, dick, and harry, and every woman, or girl that filed for unemployment......hated it....over and over, "I don't have to fill this out, it should be in your files".....I SAY, doesn't matter, you have to fill out this paperwork to start or reopen your unemployment claim again, now please fill out the paperwork". They say, "I don't have to fill it out it's on file"....and I say, "no it isn't, that was 2, 3, or 4 months or however long it was since they last got laid off. I HATED BEING A PUBLIC SERVANT. THEY CAN'T PAY ME ENOUGH FOR PUTTING UP WITH THE WORST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. They're rude, crude, and down right mean. So glad I'm outta there........been retired now since 2006, and just pray, the State of Wisconsin doesn't let the "Wanker" ruin our retirement fund.

 

Fredjust

(52 posts)
5. I would remove one of those...
Mon Jul 23, 2012, 10:49 PM
Jul 2012

Totally agree, except for the bit about police. They spend more time supporting the Rethuglicans policies (most are Rethugs) and violating people's rights than they do about public safety. Not sure what the alternative would ever be, but the donut eaters are definitely WAY over-paid.

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