We spent the evening with our friends Lisa and Craig’s home, joining some of their friends for drinks and dinner while the associated kids played in the yard. I had been dragging most of today, with the heat and humidity (and, er, the beer I drank last night while still suffering from a cold) sapping my energy, but I perked up considerably from the socializing.
One of the couples were teachers and they had quite a bit to say about Governor Perdue swiping a huge chunk out of their paychecks without warning in her effort to balance the budget. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard this complaint. As our friends said, teachers paved Perdue’s way into the Executive Mansion and it will be teachers who will show her the door.
I think its criminal how we mistreat our teachers. They work incredible hours for low pay. They put up with bureaucracy that would drive most people up the wall. They often foot the bill to pay for a needy kid’s lunch, or to buy simple school supplies for their classes. They do all of this with nary a compliant, and now they’re forced to retroactively fork over a large chunk of their already modest paycheck? Because the so-called “education governor” said so? Pathetic! We’re lucky there is anyone still left in the classroom, frankly.
The kids had a great time playing together, the food was great, and the grown-ups enjoyed the company. Hopefully we’ll go to more of these parties in the future!