Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

The Wonk Salon, November 1, 2011

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by

James A. Bacon
in , ,

A Modest Proposition: Treat College Students as CustomersCenter for American Progress

Too many students fail to graduate from college, and among those who do, too many fail to acquire marketable skills. It’s a wild and crazy idea, but maybe colleges should make students their central focus.

Teachers Paid 52% above Fair Market Value
Heritage Foundation
True, teachers get paid less than other college grads — but they tend to have fewer marketable skills. Given the value of their pensions, retirement health care and job security, their total compensation is 52% higher on average.

Eat Taxes, Fat Boy!
Tax Foundation
The newest tax-raising craze in the 50 states: taxing sugar on the grounds of reducing obesity. Seventeen states now tax candy at a higher rate than other groceries, and four states collect a tax on sodas. Just one problem: Adolescents offset calories from sodas and sweets with calories from other sources.

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3 responses to “The Wonk Salon, November 1, 2011”

  1. RBV Avatar
    RBV

    “Teachers Paid 52% above Fair Market Value”

    Interesting.

    I wonder what the Fair Market Value is for administrators?

  2. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    I wonder how that compares to European teachers who receive govt health care and pensions in addition to the salary?

    and don’t forget – European kids outperform our kids on core academic subjects.

    so what SOLUTION does Heritage actually call for?

    I’m all for privatization as long as they meet two criteria – the same criteria that public schools have to meet:

    1. – they must take all comers even the harder-to-teach demographics

    2. – they must use the same testing regimes and perform at least equivalently

    European teachers get health care and pensions – the two biggies that unions want in the US.

    What the Heritage folks are pushing is NO benefits for teachers – a race to the bottom.

    sooner or later the American people are going to catch on to what the Heritage folks are about which is keep taxes on the rich low but forcing everyone else who is not rich into the lowest paying no-benefits jobs.

  3. Richard Avatar
    Richard

    Shocking! Another attack on public school teachers from the Heritage Foundation! According to the Heritage folk, public school teachers are not only overpaid, but grossly overpaid (by 52%)! The Heritage folk are flaks and their research is nothing more that right-wind progaganda. Laughable.

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