Obamacare guts the pay of yet more of its strongest supporters
**Posted by Phineas
“But at least we won the election! Obama!!”
We’ve seen this before: state and community colleges cutting the hours of its part-time faculty to avoid the increased financial burdens of Obamacare. Well, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again:
In Ohio, instructor Robert Balla faces a new cap on the number of hours he can teach at Stark State College. In a Dec. 6 letter, the North Canton school told him that “in order to avoid penalties under the Affordable Care Act… employees with part-time or adjunct status will not be assigned more than an average of 29 hours per week.”
Mr. Balla, a 41-year-old father of two, had taught seven English composition classes last semester, split between Stark State and two other area schools. This semester, his course load at Stark State is down to one instead of two as a result of the school’s new limit on hours, cutting his salary by about a total of $2,000.
Stark State’s move came as a blow to Mr. Balla, who said he earns about $40,000 a year and cannot afford health insurance.
“I think it goes against the spirit of the [health-care] law,” Mr. Balla said. “In education, we’re working for the public good, we are public employees at a public institution; we should be the first ones to uphold the law, to set the example.”
Cry me a river, Robert. Stark State is upholding the law — to the letter. Obamacare, which you evidently support, redefined full-time as as average of 30 or more hours per week and, with the expansion in required coverage, greatly increased the college’s financial burden. It’s not their fault that progressive, statist Democrats, in their rush to ram an unpopular, unwanted bill down the throats of Americans, created perverse incentives that your employers found irresistible. You had your chance to reverse this last November, but, I’m willing to bet, you chose Hope and Change, instead.
You got what you voted for, dude.
Be sure to read the rest of WR Mead’s article for a good discussion of the exploitation of part-time academics in higher education. I’ve done the grad school gig myself, and what he describes is all too common. For being towers of liberal sanctimony, universities and colleges are some of the worst exploiters of labor.
via Bryan Preston, whom I quote: “Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.”
(Crossposted at Public Secrets)
Categories: Clueless Wonders, Economics, Elections Have Consequences, Healthcare
Seems like the perfect emoticon for this post: :o as in doh!
Also, this old saying is applicable: Be careful what you ask for, you may just get it.
by Libertarian Advocate on Jan 22, 2013 at 3:39 pm
The same lack of sympathy for the Obhammudites suffering under the so-called Affordable Care Act (in the same vein that North Korea is democratic) is also reserved for the victims of Superstorm Sandy. They weep, wail, and gnash their teeth over their predicament when they should be calling the presidential candidate for whom they voted.
by Drew the Infidel on Jan 22, 2013 at 3:58 pm
Drew: Actually, some of Sandy’s worst damage was to Staten Island, which tends republican. It could explain some of the lethargy in getting help to them. Michael Bloomberg has openly stated that he hates Staten Island.
by Libertarian Advocate on Jan 22, 2013 at 4:58 pm
@Libertarian Advocate–The point is Obhammud carried the state of NY in 2012.
by Drew the Infidel on Jan 22, 2013 at 5:33 pm
[...] Phineas noted how Stark State College is limiting the courses and hours taught by one Robert Balla, specifically to avoid having him cross the threshold beyond which they would have to allow him to enroll in the colleges health insurance plan. [...]
by Taxing hospitals to pay hospitals « THE FIRST STREET JOURNAL. on Jan 22, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Drew, Libertarian Advocate has a point. NYC has exactly one GOP congressman out of its entire delegation – and he’s the one that represents Staten Island.
Those people didn’t vote for Obama, and knowing him, would it surprise you if he decided to withhold or slow down aid just to punish the people he calls his “enemies”?
by Great White Rat on Jan 22, 2013 at 8:57 pm
but obamacare is going to lower the cost od medical care.
by tommy mc donnell on Jan 22, 2013 at 11:10 pm
Personally, I have heard from a manager of a brand new, from the ground up restaraunt chain business that in order to hire enough staff to cover the 7 day a week business they had to hire over 300 employees….to keep it beneath that full-time level I am sure. But I can only imagine having to interview over 300 people to staff the place. Some staff was transferred from other areas by the chain itself to get it started I am sure. But, that’s a lot of manpower just to get warm bodies in place! So instead of having full-time positions they have to parcel out the schedule into part-time sized positions.
by Kate on Jan 23, 2013 at 8:57 am
The yo-yo teacher may call himself an English instructor, but I find it very amusing he doesn’t understand a simple concepts like “law of unintended consequences” or “uninformed voter.”
Ya know, if those purveyors of socialist ideology would stick to purveying subject matter instead of making sure none of their mushmind charges could think a lick, this country wouldn’t have idiots like him teaching that the greatness of thuggery exhibited by Dear Leader wasn’t the best thing in the world since public dole.
by Carlos on Jan 23, 2013 at 9:18 am
Even in hating it, they will find a way to justify it.
by Liz on Jan 23, 2013 at 11:11 am