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[nebo113]

I make less than Kim Kardashian, but then I'm not as buff, either.

[navydad]

Truly amazing. This country is undergoing a massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy while basic social services (including public education) are being gutted. And whose fault is it? Of course it's all those fat cat public school teachers and college professors. Of course they are overpaid. Let's cut all those salaries from 70 - 100K per year down to 40 - 70k and that will fix everything! And make them work until they are 70 so they won't collect much of their pork barrel pensions.

Your salaries are rounding errors for the people who now run this country, but they've managed to turn the debate over taxes and spending onto a war between the struggling and the barely well off. 

[al_wallace]

Truly amazing. This country is undergoing a massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy while basic social services (including public education) are being gutted. And whose fault is it? Of course it's all those fat cat public school teachers and college professors. Of course they are overpaid. Let's cut all those salaries from 70 - 100K per year down to 40 - 70k and that will fix everything! And make them work until they are 70 so they won't collect much of their pork barrel pensions.

Your salaries are rounding errors for the people who now run this country, but they've managed to turn the debate over taxes and spending onto a war between the struggling and the barely well off. 

I'm convinced many of the GOP legislators have puppies at home that they like to kick and maybe a mother that they are trying to sell.

[nebo113]

Truly amazing. This country is undergoing a massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy while basic social services (including public education) are being gutted. And whose fault is it? Of course it's all those fat cat public school teachers and college professors. Of course they are overpaid. Let's cut all those salaries from 70 - 100K per year down to 40 - 70k and that will fix everything! And make them work until they are 70 so they won't collect much of their pork barrel pensions.

Your salaries are rounding errors for the people who now run this country, but they've managed to turn the debate over taxes and spending onto a war between the struggling and the barely well off. 

I'm convinced many of the GOP legislators have puppies at home that they like to kick and maybe a mother that they are trying to sell.

While calling in Grandma's mortgage.

[plunkett]

Yes, in some cases they are.  I'm a college prof.  I'm actually thinking of giving quite a chunk of some "bonus" money I'm getting soon to a starving-artists organization. (It's not actually bonus money; it's a perq that many of us profs are getting, and I feel kind of guilty about it because it's sort of just an undeserved windfall.)

But then again I'm always careful to live well within my means; not everyone does so. So it's easy for me to give away this basically undeserved windfall.  

Still, I actually think SOME college profs are compensated a bit too lavishly, considering that many of us have already hit the jackpot in having such wonderful and always stimulating jobs and so many perqs.  (Which is not to say that Navydad is wrong: most of our salaries ARE in fact rounding errors to the banksters and other corporate types.)

Life is very unfair and the current organization of higher ed is stinkingly corrupt.  Most college profs are adjuncts who are paid obscenely low amounts.

I'm one of the lucky ones, and so I will give some money away to a group of artists who live on rice and beans.

[southerntransplant]

Most college profs are adjuncts who are paid obscenely low amounts.

Whoa.

Cite? Or are you generally prone to hyperbole?

[retrenchment]

Yes, in some cases they are.  I'm a college prof.  I'm actually thinking of giving quite a chunk of some "bonus" money I'm getting soon to a starving-artists organization. (It's not actually bonus money; it's a perq that many of us profs are getting, and I feel kind of guilty about it because it's sort of just an undeserved windfall.)

But then again I'm always careful to live well within my means; not everyone does so. So it's easy for me to give away this basically undeserved windfall.  

Still, I actually think SOME college profs are compensated a bit too lavishly, considering that many of us have already hit the jackpot in having such wonderful and always stimulating jobs and so many perqs.  (Which is not to say that Navydad is wrong: most of our salaries ARE in fact rounding errors to the banksters and other corporate types.)

Life is very unfair and the current organization of higher ed is stinkingly corrupt.  Most college profs are adjuncts who are paid obscenely low amounts.

I'm one of the lucky ones, and so I will give some money away to a group of artists who live on rice and beans.

Yes, how many Americans believe they are wealthy? 2%?
And when you implied that many college president "fatcats" are paid too much, that was, well, an unfounded, unkind accusation. But now when you say that you, a full time professor, could easily donate your bonus money without suffering devastation to your standard of living, well, that's just freakin' annoying.
Cut it out.

[navydad]

You see, "trickle down" is a deceptive term. The republican economic strategy, at least since Reagan, is better described as "suck it up." We'll suck up your money, then you'll just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Sometimes I wish I were wealthy and amoral because this middle and lower class internecine warfare over the economic remains of the great republican wealth grab would be hilarious to me if I were.

[rebelgirl]

Truly amazing. This country is undergoing a massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy while basic social services (including public education) are being gutted. And whose fault is it? Of course it's all those fat cat public school teachers and college professors. Of course they are overpaid. Let's cut all those salaries from 70 - 100K per year down to 40 - 70k and that will fix everything! And make them work until they are 70 so they won't collect much of their pork barrel pensions.

Your salaries are rounding errors for the people who now run this country, but they've managed to turn the debate over taxes and spending onto a war between the struggling and the barely well off. 

Succinctly put, Navydad.  Now . . . how do we help more people see this? 

I'm thinking about developing a group research project for my research / argument composition class on wealth distribution in the U.S. . . .

[retrenchment]

You see, "trickle down" is a deceptive term. The republican economic strategy, at least since Reagan, is better described as "suck it up." We'll suck up your money, then you'll just have to suck it up and deal with it.

Sometimes I wish I were wealthy and amoral because this middle and lower class internecine warfare over the economic remains of the great republican wealth grab would be hilarious to me if I were.

What's different about resenting an "overpaid" college prof from resenting an "overpaid" insurance company executive? Same thought process, isn't it? The republicans may enjoy certain kinds of animosity and try to quell others, but they'd be there anyhow.

[watermarkup]

What's different about resenting an "overpaid" college prof from resenting an "overpaid" insurance company executive?

About an order of magnitude more salary, I believe.

[gekko]

You might as well argue about the morality of crossing on a red light riding a unicorn vs on foot. It just isn't going to happen anyway. Go ahead and lobby for increased taxation on the upper crust. Not only will it not be paid, it will be avoided legally in most cases. If you think there's something to accomplish by waving a finger at these individuals and critiquing their morality, go for it. They'll give an alternate digit in return on their way to India, China, Switzerland, or whatever other country happens to provide more favorable conditions.

[peppergal]

A friend of a friend, not knowing that she was in a room with four faculty members, went off on a rant about overpaid college profs, lumping us in with corporate lawyers and plastic surgeons in terms of salary.  I finally pulled up my last pay stub (ah, the joys of internet everywhere) and showed it to her, just to shut her up, saying, "This is my monthly take home.  I only get paid ten times per year, unless I secure outside funding for the summer.  Don't you DARE compare me to someone making an order of magnitude more than me.  I'm good at what I do, and I do it because I enjoy it.  But I make less than an elementary school teacher in this district, so you just need to shut it.  By the way, my salary, as well as that everyone else at the university, is a matter of public record, so maybe next time you should do some research."  The other three faculty members in the room applauded me.

[systeme_d_]

And I am applauding you right now, Peppergal.

[prytania3]

Oh yawn. I have to go fuel my jet. I'm really not in the mood to fly to Cabo tonight, but I promised some people I'd take them on a little jaunt.