[Vision2020] Idaho State Legislator Pay

[Joe Campbell]

I don't understand how you can use the performance of students to
judge the merits of teachers. Why not do this with all businesses?
You're a computer programer. Why shouldn't your pay be based on a
percentage of the money that business make after your services? If my
business doesn't make a lot of money after your services, it would be
your fault, right? After all, that's why I'm hiring you: to make more
money. If I don't make more money it must be your fault right?

Why not use the merit based system to fund the military? By any
stretch of the imagination the recent interventions in the Middle East
have been failures. Why not fire the solders since we're likely to get
a better crop once we do? Once you try generalizing the idea to other
jobs you'll understand what a bad idea it is.

As with anything in our culture, if you want better Xs, you have to in
crease competition. Who would want to teach in Idaho after these
policies are passed? If passed, they will not encourage the best and
brightest to come to Idaho to teach our children. The reason math
education has declined in the US, just to use one example, is that
there are so many other things you can do with that knowledge base
than teach, jobs that will pay more, result in less criticism, and
more job security.

On Sun, Oct 21, 2012 at 11:31 PM, Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I wasn't arguing any particular side, just wanting to correct your inflation
> of their pay amounts.  But, what the heck.
>
> The quip about making politician's pay be merit-based is a cute sound-bite,
> but that's about all it is.  What is more merit-based than having to be
> re-elected by popular vote every few years?  If they are not doing well
> enough, they are out of a job.
>
> Is it so evil to want teachers to be rehired based solely upon how well they
> are teaching their kids and not because they've been there forever and no
> one can get rid of them?  I can think of some problems with this approach,
> namely how do we determine how well they are doing and do we really want
> teachers more concerned every year with getting rehired than with teaching
> their classes, but on the whole the idea seems to make sense.  Is there more
> to this proposition than is apparent here?
>
> Paul
>
> Btw, I deleted the obligatory list of extra contacts from the CC lines.
> Maybe they should join the list?
>
> On 10/21/2012 08:41 PM, Tom Hansen wrote:
>>
>> Paul Rumelhart suggests:
>>
>> "The job of a state legislator encompasses more than just those 80 days.
>> I'll bet they put in a lot of time outside that window, especially if they
>> are trying to get some legislation developed.  I'm sure it varies from
>> person to person."
>>
>> And the difference between a state legislator and a public school teacher
>> is . . .?
>>
>> Seeya at the polls, Moscow, because . . .
>>
>> "Moscow Cares"
>> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>>    Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students.  The college
>> students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."
>>
>> - Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)
>>
>>
>>
>> On Oct 21, 2012, at 8:30 PM, Paul Rumelhart <godshatter at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> The job of a state legislator encompasses more than just those 80 days.
>>> I'll bet they put in a lot of time outside that window, especially if they
>>> are trying to get some legislation developed.  I'm sure it varies from
>>> person to person.
>
>
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