Politician: Don’t Pay Teachers More
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(Image Credit: Alabama State Senate)
An Alabama state senator just made himself an enemy of the state’s nearly 50,000 teachers.
“It’s a biblical principle: If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach,” State Sen. Shadrack McGill, a Republican, said at a prayer breakfast earlier this week.
McGill’s comments were in response to a question about a legislative pay hike that raised his salary as a part time legislator to $49,500.
“It’s absolutely astounding that a legislator believes that a part-time legislator ought to make twice the money of a full-time teacher,” David Stout, a spokesperson for the Alabama Education Association, told ABCNews.com. “He seems completely out of touch.”
McGill told ABC News affiliate WAAY that his comments were taken out of context.
“The point that I was trying to make in the speech is simply that … things ought to be in balance,” he said. “I believe God made everything to be in balance. He weighed the Earth and the valley and the mountains and the hills on a scale to keep them in balance because he knew he was going to be spinning it real fast, so that’s the gist of it.”
McGill did not return ABCNews.com’s request for comment.
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teachers should get more money than politicians for two reasons.
One: Teachers do something for someone else besides themselves.
Two: Teachers generally have a better education and understanding of what’s going on around us.
Posted by: Dyingwolf | February 3, 2012, 5:49 pm 5:49 pm
So out of touch with the working class. From top to bottom.
Posted by: jeff burge | February 3, 2012, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
Hmm, interesting that he thinks politicians should be paid, but not teachers. I find it interesting because several of the Founding Fathers of America believed that members of Congress and the President shouldn’t get paid. Why? Because being a politician shouldn’t be a career; it should be selfless public service.
There’s nothing in the Bible that says you don’t pay a teacher; instead there’s a lot that talks about the value of wisdom. In fact, if we paid our teachers better, we’d get better teachers.
Posted by: swell | February 3, 2012, 6:36 pm 6:36 pm
Gee, another Right Wing religious zealot nutbag spouting insane comments so out of touch with mainstream America. It would be news if it DIDN’T happen so often.
Posted by: A Cynic | February 4, 2012, 9:42 am 9:42 am
This clown is making educational policy decisions for Alabama and he does not have a college degree. He is the only Alabama state senator without a degree, and they put him on the Education Committee. To top it off, he publicly disrespects teachers and has yet to apologize. Why? That last paragraph where he’s attempting to tell WAAY what he meant is enough said. Did anyone understand that? All I can say is Huh???
Posted by: Corrie | February 5, 2012, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm
This story doesn’t include the reason he thinks politicians should receive raises and I think it’s worth mentioning: He believes politicians should make more money to “keep them honest” so they have no incentive to take bribes. Apparently, mcGill thinks that’s a Biblical principle too….
I really hope the rest of the country knows that intelligent people do exist in Alabama. Such an embarassment.
Posted by: Corrie | February 5, 2012, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm