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We, the people, need to address this. We mustn’t rely on government as government is always self interested with the interest being toward the top of the hierar

We, the people, need to address this. We mustn’t rely on government as government is always self interested with the interest being toward the top of the hierarchy. Without education, our community will have serious problems. Let’s fix this now.

toomuchtodo 9y ago
What options do you have available besides running for office in Oklahoma or leaving Oklahoma? Making up the difference out of pocket? That reinforces the bad behavior of local government. If your problem is with the government, coordinate to fix government through elected office. Worst case scenario is other states (that can pay teachers a living wage) recruit teachers away en masse, which is unfortunate for Oklahoma residents but the best outcome for those teachers.
- hugo0384729109 9y ago
  Agreed. The people voted for a party that has been going on and on about the government being the problem and that it should shrink and that private companies should have very low tax and not face almost any regulation. It’s not like they hid those views and people voted for them to the point where they control the entire state completely (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Republican_Party https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Republican_Party). The people who chose to support that party will have to realize that if they’re not happy with the consequences of their support, they have to get over partisan politics and either reform the party themselves or vote for someone else. So frustrating when “the government” is referred to as some vague entity out of anyone’s control. They chose this and they can choose something else. Other people saw through the extreme right economics and didn’t chose it so that was a possible path too.
  - Feniks 9y ago
    Wholeheartedly agree. In a democracy the government is your government.
    - scarface74 9y ago
      In states and cities yes. But federally, if you want to vote for a party that's fiscally conservative and focuses on the needs of the people, which party do you vote for?
hux_ 9y ago
KhanAcademy?
- quickben 9y ago
  Schools provide much more than YouTube.
notacoward 9y ago
> government is always self interested with the interest being toward the top of the hierarchy That statement is correct except for the "always" part. Yes, that's the kind of government we have right now at the federal level and at the state level in some states. In other times that hasn't been the case. Even now, it's generally not the case at the local level and in some states not at that level either. Self-reliance is great, markets are great, but a responsive government has its role too. Sometimes it's the fairest and/or most effective way to provide a service. This is especially likely to be true for services everyone needs, as universal demand tends to bring about the worst kinds of market failure. I contend that schools, police, and courts (mentioned in the story) are examples of such services. The solution in cases such as these is not to abandon government but to make it responsive. They're supposed to be our agents and they've become someone else's. Unfortunately, when the state is full of voters who believe your "always" and the federal government has (via gerrymandering and other undemocratic means) come under the control of people who who hate education so much they're destroying the department devoted to it, it's the children who suffer.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

What options do you have available besides running for office in Oklahoma or leaving Oklahoma? Making up the difference out of pocket? That reinforces the bad behavior of local government. If your problem is with the government, coordinate to fix government through elected office. Worst case scenario is other states (that can pay teachers a living wage) recruit teachers away en masse, which is unfortunate for Oklahoma residents but the best outcome for those teachers.

hugo0384729109 9y ago
Agreed. The people voted for a party that has been going on and on about the government being the problem and that it should shrink and that private companies should have very low tax and not face almost any regulation. It’s not like they hid those views and people voted for them to the point where they control the entire state completely (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Republican_Party https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Republican_Party). The people who chose to support that party will have to realize that if they’re not happy with the consequences of their support, they have to get over partisan politics and either reform the party themselves or vote for someone else. So frustrating when “the government” is referred to as some vague entity out of anyone’s control. They chose this and they can choose something else. Other people saw through the extreme right economics and didn’t chose it so that was a possible path too.
- Feniks 9y ago
  Wholeheartedly agree. In a democracy the government is your government.
  - scarface74 9y ago
    In states and cities yes. But federally, if you want to vote for a party that's fiscally conservative and focuses on the needs of the people, which party do you vote for?

hux_ 9y ago

KhanAcademy?

quickben 9y ago
Schools provide much more than YouTube.

notacoward 9y ago

> government is always self interested with the interest being toward the top of the hierarchy That statement is correct except for the "always" part. Yes, that's the kind of government we have right now at the federal level and at the state level in some states. In other times that hasn't been the case. Even now, it's generally not the case at the local level and in some states not at that level either. Self-reliance is great, markets are great, but a responsive government has its role too. Sometimes it's the fairest and/or most effective way to provide a service. This is especially likely to be true for services everyone needs, as universal demand tends to bring about the worst kinds of market failure. I contend that schools, police, and courts (mentioned in the story) are examples of such services. The solution in cases such as these is not to abandon government but to make it responsive. They're supposed to be our agents and they've become someone else's. Unfortunately, when the state is full of voters who believe your "always" and the federal government has (via gerrymandering and other undemocratic means) come under the control of people who who hate education so much they're destroying the department devoted to it, it's the children who suffer.