President Biden: The NEW one and only politics thread

This, too, shall pass.

 

The exception is always in the room, of course, so duly noted.

Generally, in my experience, school districts tend to like very much the students who get scholarships to great schools, reflect on the district, kids they can drag to school board meetings and legislative hearings as public school props, etc. The students themselves are awards-oriented - they like to win and have been raised as winners - and school can get reflected glory from it. Likewise, there is a large amount of attention placed on students who, more than academically struggling, just have no time for school emotionally or behaviorally.

 

With higher prices for all, of course.

 

But what is your experience? You refuse to say if you have kids. Are you reading things, are you seeing on TV, or are you actively involved with the school district? When you're actively involved with the school district you see the truth. You don't need someone to dissect it for you. Frankly, what you're saying sounds like boilerplate criticism of public education most often told by people who don't have any idea how schools work.

 

[QUOTE="Mngwa, post: 4817209, member: 150927"You don't need someone to dissect it for you. [/QUOTE]

I don't need anyone to dissect it for me.

I have a lot of respect for public schools. Almost impossible work at this point in lower-income areas. They're doing too much and they're asked to do too much. They should try to do far less. As I said, like Atlas, shrugging. (And no I am not fond of Ayn Rand's work.)

We're moving/have moved toward a two-America school system for low-income areas. The charter system will capture the best athletes and students. The public schools will be increasingly stripped of them, and the better charter schools, having the backstop of public schools, simply won't abide by the behavioral issues children bring to schools.

In suburbs, because of a property tax funding system, public schools will remain robust, because they will be well-funded by communities with affluence and two-to-four-parent family arrangements.

Disabuse me of my perspective, by all means. But I'll say that we may be different in worldview.

 

"Look, here's the deal, America. The only unemployment metric that really matters, is this: whether the former guy stays that way and doesn't become future guy. It all comes down to that, man."

 

A lot, too much, is asked of public schools. It’s become a place for children to be raised and cared for, not merely educated. Teachers are multi-disciplinary instructors, nutritionists, social workers and care givers. Along the way the foundation of schools, education, has taken a back seat to parenting.
Then the Koch Industries along with the Conservative Christian churches and followers are doing their best to destroy public education because an educated public won’t work for low wages and becomes church paying cultists.

 

That’s why you never hear the right attack the child care portion of the American Families Plan
They all have small kids and know how $$$ it is
So they just don’t mention it and pretend it doesn’t exist
But after the Jobs Plan and Families plan pass through reconciliation it will be something Republicans will try to take credit for, like they are now with small business loans

 

“Actual child trafficker” is a dangerous statement at this point. It may very well be true. But it hasn’t been proven yet.
This is an example of how Twitter’s existence depends on Section 230.

 

And I couldn't let this pass.

First, most of these links/articles are pretty old. I wouldn't say things in them never happened, but the news is out of date.

As for Sam Walton's philosophy, it is, generally, speaking, the philosophy of any retail or other business that people would consider low-paying or bottom of the barrel. And, within limits and relative to what the particular business will support, it is the philosophy of virtually any business.

I've worked for Walmart for just over 10 years now. For the most part, my experience has been very good. But that's because I have a good work ethic, I'm generally interested and engaged, and have been promoted a couple of times. At a certain point, Walmart became an actual business to me, rather than just a job I needed because I was desperate (which is how it started).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Much depends on individual stores, and their management ranks. But with good management, and some perspective on the part of the employee, Walmart can be as good a job/career, for certain people, as any other one. As I see it, the greatest problem now -- especially now, and this is something that is becoming prevalent in many, many places -- is that Walmart and other jobs like it are wanting to limit most of their hiring to part-time positions, for what I'd think are obvious company-beneficial financial reasons, and reasons that are not beneficial to the workers unless just a part-time job is what they want. It is this condition that forces people to have to have three jobs. And, did you know that well-loved Costco hires in virtually everyone -- everyone -- as a part-timer, and that yes, you may struggle to get hours for years? Trust me, I've looked into it.

There is pay that is more than commensurate with the industry at Walmart. Where I am, the minimum is $13 an hour. There are many opportunities for quick upward promotion, and plenty of lateral moves to be made without having to leave your job if one is just seeking change/experience, or you don't like what you're doing. There are benefits -- probably not the greatest in the world, but there are three levels of it. I've always taken the middle level (with which I can have a PPO rather than an HMO system). It has suited my needs fine, and it's affordable; and I've heard from colleagues that the top level is quite good and comprehensive, but, commensurately, more expensive. Part-timers can get in on the benefits; they just have to have been working at Walmart for longer (a year) than full-timers (six months) to begin getting them.

There is a company-paid dollar-a-day pay program to fund employees' efforts to complete a college education if they choose to enroll in it. You can buy shares and invest in the company. There is a quarterly profit-sharing bonus for workers. There is an additional pay differential for overnight workers. There is a very good 401k -- 100 percent company match, up to 6 percent -- that I consider the second-best perk of the job and that has grown exponentially in the past few years (not to sound like Doc Holliday, whom others have lampooned for being happy about just that, but so am I). And it's all with a job that's eight minutes from my house, which I consider the best perk of all -- a real, truly legitimate time-, money- and stress/energy-saver that most people wouldn't appreciate unless you experience it after having commuted to downtown L.A. every day for eight years.

Walmart isn't perfect, the work can be draining, and there are aspects to the "evil empire" image that are probably true on a corporate level. But, just speaking from experience, any problems I've had with it -- and there have been a couple of disappointments lately -- have had more to do with poor management decisions that I've felt were wrong, not well handled, or else, unfair, and, well, I can realize that that can happen in any business.

But as far as general treatment in a general job, it's not much different than anywhere.

You do have to be able and willing to work, though. I also have never been asked to work while off the clock. In fact, the one time I did so of my own volition, just cleaning up cardboard on the sales floor, after I'd already clocked out? I could've gotten fired for it, and was told so in no uncertain terms by my store manager the next morning. I have never done it again. If I'm working, I'm on the clock, and I stay on the clock, even if it's overtime, and even if they complain about having to pay me overtime. As I had it so clearly explained to me, it's better to take managers' grousing or a slap on the wrist about overtime, than it is to work while off the clock.