In the picture above we have a taller and more physically fit son holding a Science , Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) Bachelors Degree.
The older gentleman has doctorate the behavioral sciences, 34 years of teaching experience, a presidential award, numerous state level awards, 17 years of supervisory experience and many students who have won regional, state and nationally at science fairs and academic competitions.
The son has an electrical and optical engineering degree at the Bachelor level and has never had a full time position in industry.
Who is worth more in a free market? Some have already guessed!
Now we face the facts.
The starting salary of the young man is four times greater (adjusted for inflation) than the starting salary of the elder when he became a first year teacher. In fact the salary of a 34 year experienced teacher with a doctorate in the nearby Public School System will make less than this young man with a STEM degree having NO experience at all.
Should the elderly teacher be upset and angry? Should he scream about the injustice? Should he harbor envy and jealousy concerning the disparate pay scales?
What if teaching is a chosen vocation? What if teaching is a calling and offers a personal fulfillment that no other career offers personally? What if teaching is the personal calling planted in the heart? Then suddenly all the sacrifices of his family are put into context. The teacher's family lived with less material goods but he did have a "fulfilling" vocation (even if his family lacked some resources.) The elderly gentleman was lucky enough that the children had a great mother (so he did not do everything wrong!)
Finally it must be said that the free market is truly the place to hash all the issues out relating to the value of labor. The elderly gentleman has had time and experiences during the summer that those working full time all year could never pull off. He and his family have lived in the wilderness, hiked peaks, descended into valleys and driven the nation shore to shore. The teacher also had an opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people every day over many years and has been enriched because of this. The pay and the salary do not measure the personal satisfaction found when a person is responding to the call in his heart. Teachers must have such a call or they do not persist in the career long.
You can be assured that the elderly father is happy for his son and only wishes him even better for the future. The son is serving the needs of society and based on the salary provided by the company there is great need for his skills. The free market serves all by selecting the right people for the job. Pay, of course, is only one factor and the personal calling to teach may be another. Any alternative to the free market would be a hideous mess. Imagine a government bureaucrat or pompous academic dictating salaries based on who knows what including the party affiliation of the worker? Why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? Why not trust the invisible hand of the market?
No tantrums, no envy, no jealousy but plenty of congratulations to the young man! There is genuine joy for another's good fortune.
The old man is happy and he is happy for his son too!
The Government is never big enough. Make it bigger!
Does our big government truly help families?
Perpetuating Poverty with the Wrong Solution
Is our big government a wonderful healthcare provider?
Why does healthcare matter to those who want freedom?
Does forcing employers to pay a certain minimum wage help?
How a government truly can enrich everyone!
