Well, to be fair, I’m against any significant wealth redistribution (say 60% tax rate at $40K) that would help the extra-national poor at the significant expense of the 1% (>$34K), so obviously I’m doing my part to keep more money than others. I’m just not as good at it.
Strongly agreed. Much of the bad stuff (and a fair amount of the good stuff) is simply the outcome of systemic factors that have been in play for a long time. Education has been at the forefront of social change and we have been the beneficiaries of this. Teachers are a respected, well-educated, organized, middle class group which has allowed them to to be one of the stronger liberal influences on popular culture.
However, this also means that they’ve become a target by the reactionary movement that almost inevitably accompanies rapid social change.
Whether this targeting has been successful or not is another question. My general feeling is no, teachers still maintain the respect of the general populace. However, I live in a city, which pretty much equals liberal around here, so I can’t see beyond my bubble to the other 50%.
