snuffy @ 89
By the time things get so bad here that revolution becomes a possibility, everyone who’s alive today will be dead. People in general only started waking up in the last 2 years. Remember What’s the Matter with Kansas? The Middle Class is just beginning to feel what is going on and still thinks the U.S. is the shining city on the hill. Today’s rich have little to fear from the masses.

They should fear that the masses might stop buying stuff (simply because they can’t afford to). That is the kind of thing that can really slow the economy and hurt a lot of businesses.

N=1, part of my viewpoint is that I’m bitter on my Mom’s behalf. She is 70, and will be retiring in September. The pension from the hospital she worked for will just cover her health insurance, so she’ll be depending on Social Security to cover her living expenses.

What a fine reward for a lifetime of service…

In my case – no pension _ I was shuffled around a hospital system during one of its many downsizings, and the powers that be wouldn’t recognize all of my service – so after all of the salary cuts, crappy work schedules and being perpetually on call – nothing. That happens to many nurses who never get vested, let alone get to collect. Another hospital’s board used the pension funds to award exec bonuses before it went under – and so almost everyone lost every bit of their pensions.

What a fine reward for a lifetime of service…

Kevster @ 45

The Hispanic vote is ours for at least a generation.

Illegal immigration will be the lead wedge issue for the GOP in 08-just as in 02,04 and 06 (gay marriage) there will be a passel of anti-immigration ballot measures to rally the wacky 25%.

It won’t work and will end up mobilizing more Latinos than whackjobs.

They are the largest group joining Pentecostal churches now. I fear that the whole right wing framing of abortion, birth control, marriage and similar issues will impact them as well. In short, I won’t count them eggs yet.

Richmond, you are right, do not count on them yet, especially when you[Democrats] throw them ‘under the buss’:

14(!) cowardly democratic senators voted against latest immigration bill – read: against Latinos. 14 !!!
And now what? Silence… No questions during debates, no statements, no attempts to try again. Nothing. Just silence. COWARDS!!!

I am an immigrant(what you call ‘legal’) from former Soviet Union, not a Latino, but trust me, we[immigrants who can vote] are never going to abandon our brothers and sisters who are considered ‘illegal’ under some idiotic unjust law. Legalize them, change the law and we(30 million) will be yours forever! Hide, use the issue for election points and we are going to stay home. In the best case.

Do something!

N=1 @177 — I understand that, I just happen to think that until “women’s work” (nursing, teaching) is seen to be as valuable as “men’s work” (doctor, lawyer) nurses aren’t going to get the pay they deserve.

But then, I believe that the government should PAY for the education of anyone interested in being a doctor, nurse, therapist, etc. In return, those who received that funding would serve a certain number of years in a medically underserved area.

Pipe-dream, I guess.

I’m with you and I sure appreciate your perspectives and your interest in the subject. It’s nigh unto impossible to find an audience that cares about nursing issues beyond the emotion-laden, stereotype of the “nurses are so wonderful” variety. Sorry I went on and on and on – guess I let the cat out of the bag about where my passion lies….

quaker

The data wasn’t for “lowest paid”- it was national average..what should nurses salaries average in your opinion?

I’ve had to deal with some serious life-threatening health issues in my immediate family as so many people do. Here is where we learn so much about the profession we would otherwise rarely come in contact. In oncology I found highly specialized nurses. A nurse couldn’t just transfer into that area. In Pediatric Oncology the nurses had special training and on those rare occasions we had to deal with a “regular” nurse the difference was dramatic.

I know your data was based on average pay, my point, though unclear, was that the average paid equates to low pay for such an important profession. To me there isn’t a one size fits all. Nurses attending patients with very serious illnesses, requiring specialized training and on-going training and education to keep up with new developments, should be paid higher. A general nurse (I’m sure there is an industry term better than general) who does not have such heavy responsibilities should be paid accordingly. If I need brain surgery, I want a nurse who didn’t just come from the Pediatric /Birthing Ward. There are gradations in expertise and nurses, like teachers, should be paid accordingly.

A problem with our system is the one size fits all approach. It doesn’t give incentive to those who will go the extra mile. None of us wants a nurse who is heading for “burn out” to care for us when in critical need or preparing our chemotherapy medication. Beyond scary. I wonder how many medical disasters are the result of burn out and poorly trained nurses. Any idea?

brisin

You think that nurses should make the same as doctors?

Hell, yes! Doctors are very important, BUT — without nurses, they’d be dead in the water. AND — nurses provide all the care, know the details of each patient, keep the meds straight and so on and so on and on. Honestly, it truly is a misunderstanding to see nurses as “subservient” to doctors. They are not. They are providing an equally important level of care. It’s just along different dimensions. You’re dead with out the doctor. You’re dead ten times over without the nurse.

Because “leadership” ought to mean that you think more than one move ahead, and don’t allow yourself to get snookered by a bunch of lying neoconmen on a legislative bender.

In light of other posted comments and analysis of how the bills moved through congress — I’d add: leadership also means putting the job over vacation on important things. Gah!