There really is no excuse.

Now, before I express my opinion on the particular subject I have chosen today, I would like to point out to my audience that I homeschooled for a large portion of my education. My view of the current schooling method adopted by the public and parochial schools is horrid, at best. However, different children learn in different manners, etc, so I believe schools have their uses. However, one thing still bugs me:

Teacher salary negotiations.

The phrase sends shivers of non-comprehension up my spine. Why, oh why, are you fucking about, trying to pay as little as possible to the people who are educating your children? Why? Can someone please explain this to me? It seems to me that if you want the children of the world to be educated, you have to pay for that. Now I dig the private school vs. public school debate, but that doesn't change the fact that public schools are generally horribly underfunded, and that's just God-awful. People complain about kids being stupid, etc, but then they are unwilling to fork over a bit more in tax money to help these kids get a quality education, so that they can stop fucking up. I mean... c'mon now, have a little common sense, and some damn civic sense, for once. You fucking people are screwing it up. I pay my taxes, and I'll continue to vote for every increase that involves teachers getting paid more, or getting more vacation, or *gasp* getting help with their medical insurance.

Now, this particular topic came about today as I was getting a cup of coffee at the local gas station. Kevin, the owner, is very good about allowing differing opinions in his station, and will often post handouts in his store, often time putting opposing sides right next to each other. I saw a flyer in his station decrying the fact that District 50, the local school district, was going to attempt to pass another tax raise, in order to A) Pay the teachers more; B) Help them out a little more with their medical insurance, C) Obtain more funding for some District activites, etc. Well, the last bill they tried to pass to get the school more funding failed, although it was a very heated debate in this city, evoking several firey editorials from both myself and my father, and causing my sister to stage a "sit-in" (remember those, hippies?) at her High School in support of the bill. Unfortunately, there are more people in this town that understand money rather than rational thought, so it failed, but only by the skin of it's teeth. I'll be DAMNED if that's going to happen this time. So why am I writing to you, the folk who almost certainly live outside Illinois' D-50? Because I'm sure shit like this is going down by you, and you need to be aware of it. Teachers work very hard, and they get rewarded by being shat upon by the general taxpaying public, who refuse to pay $300 more a year on their $150,000 house. And to those who disagree with my opinion as stated here, let it be known that I am a fair man, and will listen with an open-mind to your arguement... on every issue but this one. You're wrong, now sit on it and give those teachers some fuckin' cash, bitches.

Now then, where did I put my hanger and lighter?