Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Overworked and overschooled?


While I'll admit I don't know much about the pros and cons of extending the school day, one article I read recently said that Bill Gates (above) and other billionaire executives are behind a 10-hour school day largely because that translates into a normalized 10-hour work day.

Time is one of the most valuable commodities we have, and we spend far too much of it toiling on the job. Americans work significantly more than Europeans (two weeks paid vacation vs. two months), and our country is the only developed nation that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation time. Why? Because most U.S. laborers are not members of unions, and thus have little negotiating power. For more, check out this article from Znet.

1 comment:

ms. whatsit said...

It dismays me that not only do many people in my little world downplay the positive potential strong unions might present in their lives, but some go so far as to vilify them altogether. I just don't get it.