The office belongs to JIM? Or the PEOPLE! It belongs to the people.

You are right, Elisa, the office does belong to the people where Jim has represented us well.

Spending on benefits and salary vs in the classroom? You do realize the value a teacher adds is his/her brain. The teachers job isn't just to produce tangible products on an assembly line. It is to take each child where they are at, analyze what they need and are good at, and deliver instruction in addition to give personal support to a child's emotional development. When you pay teachers it is value added to the classroom. I was a special ed and regular ed teacher. We go through a lot of psychology type classes. We deserve to be paid for our level of expertise.

►We deserve to be paid for our level of expertise.◄

We deserve not to overpay for it.

Steve: $40,000 is over paid for a 4 yr BS plus additional college credits? Yet you WAY over pay the oil kings and it's fine b/c it's GOP entrusted. I see. Where is your outrage there? It's a matter of priorities, I guess.

FYI, my ex-husband who never finished a 2yr tech degree made $70,000 (plus 3 weeks vacation and health insurance) to fix the body of a car. Tell me that teachers are over paid. Please.

Your husband likely works 12 months a year and 40+ hours a week, which is in stark contrast to 190 six hour days. Get a calculator and do the math, type in 190, X, 6, =.
He is working twice the hours isn't he?
Have you been enlightened, or are you still feeling the effects of the KoolAide?

So, yeah... I lived with him for 11 years. I am pretty aware of the hours he worked and that I worked. He worked 40 I worked 60 but only got paid for 40. Where in gods green earth do you get 6 hour days? I worked weekends grading he went on motor cycle and peddle bike rides. I took college courses in the summer to maintain my license and he well, he didn't. I worked a summer job to make up for the lack of money. As for the months, I got paid 3 days to set up my classroom and meet the kids and parents. Even though it took over 2 weeks to prepare for this. So my math says that over 12 days were unpaid. When you add up all the hours I worked and wasn't paid for I'm sure I come close to 12m. I was in at 7 left at 6/7. I didn't even start to make dinner until 7:30 8 most nights. Some nights were ridiculous and ended at 9 (if I couldn't take the work home i.e. cutting up paper for a craft project for the little ones the next day etc). Substitute teach 1 week and tell me how cushy the job is. Be accountable to the principal, parents, and government too.

Let me guess Elisa, you are a public school teacher. If things are so bad for you, why not find a different job, like in a private school? Now those teachers are paid far less than public and enjoy their jobs!

Oil kings? What does this have to do with anything? Oh right it doesn't just a distraction to change the subject.

You forgot to factor in your benefits including a pension, early retirement and a great healthcare plan. In 2009/10 it was $51,150. As Craig points out you are working part time with a full time salary. Your ex-husband pays into his healthcare, and his retirement out of his base salary.

Having a piece of paper does not entitle you to anything. You are welcome to join the private workplace where we live like kings drilling for oil.

Those who can- do.
Those that can't- teach.
Those who teach are great at inventing work that really doesn't exist.
By the way: Many professions require CE classes, and they don't get paid for them. Many of those are self employed and do not rely on the taxpayer to foot the bill for everything like an extreeme benefits package.

Elisa, I have many friends who have taught in public school and in private and parochial schools as well. Im so tired of whiners saying they need to feel more valued (by the unbelievably over the top benefits past anyone in the private sector)for teaching our children! My friends who teach in the private/parochial school put their money where there mouth is---they have low low salaries, poor benefits, even have to pay for their own subs for family illness or emergencies and are not given personal days. And they love their jobs! They truly are in it for the children--not to feel valued or validated as an important member of the working force. And my friends who work in the private sector pay extremely large percentages of their salaries and work year round without getting a week off at holidays or paid days to just catch up in the classroom. PLEASE stop telling me that you are entitled to these benefits because you care for my children.

And all you teachers out there...please dont slam me for a typo--I spelled there instead of their. Sorry went to public school!

Joseph: Not to toot my own horn and distract from the purpose of this article (Why Dave Heaster is the better alternative to Jim Sensenbrenner!) But I already quit teaching. I am not the only one who quit. And to be honest. I was value added to the profession. I graduated in the top 1% of my class with a GPA of 3.91 Summa Cum Laude. I decided to not implement bad gov't policy in the classroom and influence WHO got elected to make decisions in the classroom. At least that is the last project I did. I am looking at a second career now. I've decided that if I'm going to shit on from an employment standpoint I might as well get paid to get shit on. Thus my soon to be switch to corporate world and trainings.

BTW: private school teachers do NOT need to be certified like public. The teachers stay there for several reasons. Private (usually religious) schools align with their ideology and beliefs. They also can reject students who have learning and emotional disabilities. They teach children who come from privilege (usually) and have home support. They are apples and oranges. They also have their own standards and curriculum. We can't compare benefits here.

Steve: you are gravely wrong on how benefits and pensions work. Basically it's called "deferred compensation" look it up. Second of all, the pension was never free give aways. Teachers always paid in, the district invested for 30yrs (which other private sector companies vest after 5 or so) and couldn't be withdrawn for that 30 yrs unless you were only removing your personal contribution. When I quit I withdrew my personal contribution over 5 years (which was around 5K and reinvested on my own). The school districts used the teachers money and the stock market in safe portfolio's to fund retirement not taxpayers money. Health insurance premiums was part of how teachers used the union to vote on how to apply their increase in pay due to credits. Apply to premiums or put in biweekly checks. We chose the health ins package. So again, it wasn't free money, its how we distributed pay.

As for Oil. You're ok with one sector screwing you and blame another who really isn't. Backwards. That's all.

Craig: "People who can-do. People who can't teach" Seriously. All I want to say to you.. is go (find something to do to yourself)!!!! I was a darn good teacher. You must have been a darn bad student. I could have chosen many careers, and I am good at several things and have several passions. I CHOSE teaching. People with that attitude cannot engage in respectful or intellectual dialogue. I'm done with such petty ignorance.

Funny you chose to only respond to that, and not all the other comments. Guess you can't deny the truth, and I am sure it hurts.

What does being a man or woman have anything to do with this?

Elisa, I think you would vote for an idiot if they were on the ticket next to a big D.
That is your perogative, you and the seven other liberals can vote for him. He has no platform other than "I am not Jim Sensenbrenner".

If you think anyone has taken away your right to cancer screenings, you are an idiot.
Don't believe the BS adds you see on TV, try reading a little bit. If you want to spin abortion clinics as cancer screening clinics then that is indicative of your ability to think for yourself.
Both you and Dave fall into the same category: educated idiots.

LOL-
He should buy a bottle of shampoo and get a haircut though. That way, when he takes Willie to the roof there will be doubt if he actually inhaled.