Just Politics

[jbsliverer]

Teachers are in a crisis right now. They leaving the profession in droves, many asking to be excused from their contracts mid year even, many retiring early or going into another profession. Extreme shortage on finding replacements. I know many, but anyone can look this up.

Pay now, which many make less now than ten years ago figuring inflation (but there has been many actual wage cuts in the last ten years) isn't the only reason. Although, the red states are worse in pay. They have less bargaining rights in those states since the Republicans in about 11 states back in 2011 passed laws reducing teachers bargaining rights in those states, but that isn't even the main factor in their pay. In more liberal states where the bargaining is better, those states put historically more money into the public schools and pay higher. We know the GOP is always trying to funnel the money towards private schools and starve the funds from public schools.

The guns (the inaction on gun violence), violence or threat of violence from parents and students (students violence against the teachers and staff are reaching epidemic levels), the Covid Mitigation Wars, the Culture Wars about race and sex, book banning, constant harassment to teachers and staff from parents and the New GOP antagonistic behaviors has overwhelmingly been created and nurtured by the New GOP. This has just put fuel to the fires that were already burning before the pandemic. All the hate and New GOP culture are the biggest factors in the fact that they are decimating the teaching profession and causing the mass exits. All of this vitriol has trickled down to our young and stressing our teachers in public schools and is a massive problem. "Being hit by both sides", maybe, but one side has a small rubber mallet, the other, automatic weapons and political culture bombs.

On the note of guns and crime, more specifically violent crime and the fact that it is effecting the culture and way of life of our children (or way of death being #1 killer of our kids now) and reasons they act the way they do in school (along with the irresponsibility of the parents and some elected officials). I recommend anyone that doesn't already know to research the violence and harassment that is being perpetrated upon our children and public schools and where it originates from and the reasons for it. Ask yourself, who, what, and where do we address the most? What is really being taught to our future society?

Example articles, but there are many and many more studies, facts and figures backing this up. It really is a crisis.

The Recent Rise in Violent Crime Is Driven by Gun Violence
Violent crime is driven by gun violence, and elected officials must support gun violence prevention measures.
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-recent-rise-in-violent-crime-is-driven-by-gun-violence/
AUTHOR

Eugenio Weigend Vargas
Gun Violence Prevention

MEDIA CONTACT
Madia Coleman
Associate Director, Media Relations

[e-mail]

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Peter Gordon
Director, Federal Affairs

[e-mail]

Jerry Parshall
Senior Director, Safety and Justice Campaign and Director, State and Local Government Affairs

[e-mail]

DOWNLOAD
Fact Sheet
PDF (92 KB)
An AR-15 rifle is displayed during the NRA's annual meeting in Houston.An AR-15 rifle is displayed during the NRA's annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on May 28, 2022 — just days after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (Getty/AFP/Patrick T. Fallon)
The rising violent crime rates over the past two years is a major issue that elected officials must address immediately. While many have blamed the criminal justice reform movement for the rise in violent crime, the fact is that these increases in violent crime can largely be attributed to an alarming escalation in gun violence. If elected officials are serious about stopping violent crime, they need to prioritize and support stronger gun laws.

This fact sheet provides telling data on the link between gun violence and rising crime rates.

From 2019 to 2020, homicides increased a staggering 28 percent.1 This sharp increase was driven by a dramatic rise in gun-related homicides:
While nonfirearm homicides increased less than 10 percent from 2019 to 2020, gun homicides rose by 35 percent, the largest annual increase ever recorded.2
In 2020, 8 out of every 10 homicides were perpetrated with a gun, the highest proportion in recent years.3
Unfortunately, the rise in gun homicides continued through 2021: Preliminary data suggest an additional 7 percent increase in gun homicides from 2020 to 2021.4
Because of this increase, gun deaths are now the leading cause of death for children and teenagers:
From 2019 to 2020, the rate of gun homicides among children and teenagers ages 1 to 19 rose by 40 percent.5
In 2019, gun deaths surpassed vehicle-related accidents to become the leading cause of death for children and teens.6
While data are limited, evidence suggests a rise in nonfatal shootings in recent years:
A survey conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum indicates that 70 percent of agencies reported an increase in nonfatal shootings from 2019 to 2020.7
From 2019 to 2020, there were more than 820,000 violent crimes involving firearms—primarily robberies and aggravated assaults.8 This means that every day, more than 1,100 people were threatened with a gun.9
Mass shootings increased 46 percent from 2019 to 2020 and another 13 percent from 2020 to 2021.10
Unfortunately, data suggest that the number of mass shootings in 2022 will surpass 500—more than one shooting per day.11
Assault weapons have been found to be used in 16 percent of mass shootings, which has significantly increased the number of victims and fatalities:12
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, when assault weapons were used in a mass shooting from 2009 to 2020, six times more people were shot compared with shootings that involved other weapons.13
Assault weapons have been the common denominator in the deadliest mass shootings in the past 10 years:
Uvalde, Texas (2022): 21 people killed
El Paso, Texas (2019): 23 people killed
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (2018): 11 people killed
Parkland, Florida (2018); 17 people killed
Las Vegas, Nevada (2017): 58 people killed
Sutherland Springs, Texas (2017): 26 people killed
San Bernardino, California (2015): 14 people killed
Orlando, Florida (2016): 49 people killed
Aurora, Colorado (2012): 12 people killed
Newtown, Connecticut (2012): 27 people killed
States that received an “F” grade based on the strength of their gun laws—according to the latest scorecard from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence—saw the highest homicide rates: 14
States with “F” grades saw 25 percent higher homicide rates than states with “C” or “D” grades.15
States with “F” grades saw 61 percent higher homicide rates than states with “A” or “B” grades—states with the strongest gun laws.16
Children and teenagers are most vulnerable in states with weaker gun laws:
In 2020, the 10 states with the highest rates of gun deaths among children and teenagers ages 1 to 19 were Louisiana, Alaska, Mississippi, South Carolina, Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Alabama.17 All of these states received an “F” grade for their weak gun laws.
Reports also suggest that rates of nonfatal gunshot injuries sustained during assaults are higher in states with weaker gun laws:
In 2017, the year with available data across states, states that received an “F” grade had a rate of nonfatal gunshot injuries that was 22 percent higher than states with “C” or “D” grades and 59 percent higher than states with “A” or “B” grades.18
Conclusion
Every day, more than 50 people are murdered with a gun and another 1,100 are threatened during a violent crime. As a result, the United States has the highest level of gun violence across developed nations, with mass shootings occurring at a daily rate.19

We cannot continue living like this. Elected officials must stop circumventing gun violence by putting blame on the criminal justice reform movement. If they are serious about stopping crime, gun violence prevention laws must be on the top of their agendas.



https://ussanews.com/2022/12/10/report-50-shell-shocked-teachers-staff-flee-chaotic-florida-school-district/

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teachers-are-quitting-midyear-its-leaving-some-schools-in-the-lurch/2022/03