Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats
- Thread starter GasBandit
- Start date
Wisconsin Teachers retiring in droves due to new anti-union law. Gee... you think? Why would they stay?
All dem evil gubbermint teachers should retire anyway. They're nothing but parasites, and the cause of all of society's problems!
No, all they'll do is lower standards and hire worse teachers... which will ultimately only hurt the children even more.
It's okay. Children don't vote, so you can screw them over all you want. By the time they're old enough to actually vote the morons in office will have moved on.
Sniff, sniff... you smell something?
And no, it's not the burning remnants of a wildfire in NE Minnesota, either.
Walker staffer benefited from increase in number of political appointees
Oh, by the way, this is the same staffer that had her home raided by the FBI.
And no, it's not the burning remnants of a wildfire in NE Minnesota, either.
Walker staffer benefited from increase in number of political appointees
Oh, by the way, this is the same staffer that had her home raided by the FBI.
I'm almost... ashamed of conservatism when I see that behaviour. Last week, when Brian Williams mentioned that Gov. Perry had executed more than 200 prisoners during his time as governor of Texas, the crowd burst into applause. I'm opposed to death penalty as it is, but even if you support it, it's not because you revel in the deaths of other human beings. I think Perry could've gained a lot of respect with a smart rebuke acknowledging the seriousness/controversial nature of the topic, and that it was something he believed necessary, not positive.
What's that Dave Barry quote? Something about how if your car breaks down on the highway, the Democrat will happily pull over but your car will go from minor malfunction to on fire, while they Republican, who knows how to fix your car, won't stop because he doesn't want to be late to fancy pants night at the country club.
GasBandit
Staff member
No, it would be more like someone who was born from a forced sexual encounter being against pregnancies resulting forced sexual encounters from being brought to term...
But hey, good job convincing me that you really don't see the subtleties when it comes to hypocrisy...
GasBandit
Staff member
No, that's an invalid comparison. Yours is more like forcing the child of an illegal immigrant to go to college.
GasBandit
Staff member
The Congressional Black Caucus doesn't care for the content of Obama's character, but won't oppose him due to the color of his skin.
GasBandit
Staff member
What if the NFL operated under the same rules as the US Public Education System?
Short Answer? I'd never have to worry about shows I actually like getting preempted by Football ever again.
Longer answer? It's a flawed analogy to begin with. Football is defined by it's risk and it pays accordingly, both in money and accolades from the public. Even the worst player is pulling more than most people will ever see in their lifetimes and is likely recognizable by people on the street. Even if their own salary wasn't enough, many players can also receive lucrative endorsement deals to supplement their income. Nearly all training expenses are covered by the team and players know that should they get injured, they will be covered under the health plan provided by their employers or using the fat stacks of cash they get payed. Basically, in Football the system is stacked to ensure the players succeed, whether they perform well or not. Professional Players that do not succeed in life are rare and few.
Teaching isn't defined by risk, yet teachers face risks at all angles (my mother has been assaulted numerous times in her career), every day, and get payed jack squat to do so by an ungrateful public that sees their job as glorified government daycare. They receive no income outside of their work during the school day, despite having to put in unpaid hours just to meet their commitement. Continuing education is a requirement that teachers have to pay for out of their own pocket, merely to stay employed. Healthcare is a luxury that Teachers had to unite to even obtain, not to mention one that would be taken away if they didn't constantly fight for it. They are forced to teach to the testing standards set up by the government, to the detriment of the actual educational experience... and the standards change yearly. Teachers exist in a system that does not value them, constantly punishes them, and yet cannot exist without them.
In short, being a teacher is the exact opposite of being a football player... because at the end of the day you will ALWAYS be able to find talented people willing to toss around a fucking ball for a living, while being able to find people willing to be abused by just about everyone involved in their lives, despite the necessity of their work, is become rarer and rarer every day.
To be fair, I've only be able to see the experiences of teaching first hand because I see the time my mother puts into. And yes, I don't follow football that much. That really doesn't change the fact that even in a few years of professional sports, your still going to be much better off than with a lifetime of teaching in the public sector and you'd be more respected to boot. Job security is basically the only thing that teaching DOES offer over professional athletics.
If you're the type of player who only lasts a few years of pro ball, you're not making retire-for-life money. You may not even be making take-a-year-off money. Also, a lot of players piss away their career earnings within a couple years of retirement. Then couple that with what is likely a joke of an education which leaves them nigh unemployable, years of dedication to their sport which leaves them barren of the skills necessary to become employable, and the eventual physical tolls (likely much less than other players since they're only in for a few years, but which will be their responsibility since they don't have enough time in to be eligible for league benefits). And who remembers, much less respects a washout ex-jock, whose name you probably don't even recognize in the first place? So no, you're not really going to be much better off.
The bottom of the barrel for pro players are practice squadders. They make about $90,000 a year, provided they actually stick for the entire 17 week season. They make a comfortable living, but nothing like the minimum for active roster players. And even the minimum, which is indeed a princely sum for the average person, isn't much leveraged out over the rest of your life, especially given the washout rate and the players' propensity for spending it like there's no tomorrow. This is key. Even guys with big money contracts are susceptible to bankruptcy. Sure, if you or I were making that money, we could do something with it. But there's a reason so many ex-players become bankrupt, and they effectively are fucked despite their earnings. Except now they get to look forward to dealing with traumatic brain injuries.
You're saying we should feel bad for their 90,000 salary over 17 weeks? That's at least the salary of 2 new (less than five years) teachers where I live. Which they make in 1/3 of a year.
Having poor spending habits does not excuse bankruptcy.
-edit- Krisken beat me to it.
Having poor spending habits does not excuse bankruptcy.
-edit- Krisken beat me to it.
Who said anything about feeling bad? And I'm not even talking about personal excuses. I don't give a shit about whether the players fuck up their lives (well, other than basic sympathy for the suffering of others). They make their choices, and they'll have to live with them. I'm talking about perception, and the reality surrounding players' lives. AshburnerX made it sound like a fait accompli that all pro players have it made with just a couple years of playing time.
"Professional Players that do not succeed in life are rare and few."
The majority of pro players are just grist for the mill. We can talk about theoreticals and bad choices all day long, but the reality on the ground is that a lot of these guys end up fucked.
"Professional Players that do not succeed in life are rare and few."
The majority of pro players are just grist for the mill. We can talk about theoreticals and bad choices all day long, but the reality on the ground is that a lot of these guys end up fucked.
It's still 90k for 17 weeks of official time. That doesn't exactly fall under grist for the mill to me.
Actually, yeah.
Article XXIV - Guaranteed League-Wide Salary, Salary Cap, & Minimum Team Salary
Section 6 - Computation of Team Salary
(c) Practice Squad Contracts
Any Practice Squad contract Salaries
shall be included in T eam Salary except to the extent otherwise provided in
Article XXXIV , Section 5
There's more stuff under Article XXXIV - Practice Squads, but that's the first bit that explicitly mentions contracts.
Added at: 17:06
Article XXIV - Guaranteed League-Wide Salary, Salary Cap, & Minimum Team Salary
Section 6 - Computation of Team Salary
(c) Practice Squad Contracts
Any Practice Squad contract Salaries
shall be included in T eam Salary except to the extent otherwise provided in
Article XXXIV , Section 5
There's more stuff under Article XXXIV - Practice Squads, but that's the first bit that explicitly mentions contracts.
Added at: 17:06
Yeah, but if you earn that for three years and spend the next 40 years of your life living below poverty level, would you call that a successful life?
No, I would call it "your own fucking fault."
Why you felt the need to "educate" people on the plight of the poor, misunderstood athlete who makes 90k a year in a discussion about how teachers don't get paid shit is beyond me.