Virtually all of my friends who own or run companies say theirbiggest issue these days is finding skilled people to fill middlelevel jobs. There is a dearth of properly educated talent invirtually every field, and it is not a matter of pay. It is a lackof a good education and a good solid work experience and training.Many jobs go unfilled today because the skill set is just notshowing up to be hired. Part of the problem might be that wellqualified people are so rare they are well compensated and wellregarded in their existing job so they have no incentive to leaveunless the offered pay is far higher. But if someone is earning agood income for their level, and if they are being treated well,why leave for a relatively small jump in pay unless it is to acompany that offers a much better career path long term or a stockoption or other equity incentive.

In my view the real issue is we are not educating kids in schooltoday to a proper level to be properly prepared for the high techworld we are now entering. The teachers unions have pretty muchseverely damaged the whole generation of kids by refusing to allowbad teachers to be fired and by not allowing schools to haveteachers put in the hours after class or in proper preparation. Formost young teachers who come into the system all revved to reallydo a great job, it is a crushing set of rules that stops themharshly from doing the extra things that would have made adifference to the kids. I know several young teachers who quitafter a couple of years because the union would not let them do theextra things they knew were needed to give the kids that extra pushto achieve.

All you need to do is look at the results of charter schools vspublic schools to see the obvious difference. It is glaring.Charter schools are non union. Teachers are mentored and encouragedto go the extra mile. They are encouraged to make the kids the bestthey can be and at no extra cost per child. Money is not the issue.No unions is the issue. Freedom to teach the best they can do isthe way charters work. Just get through the day, and do not doanything extra or special, is the way public schools work. When youknow you cannot ever be fired and that even if you are found guiltyof sexual predator actions, the union will still protect yourpension and healthcare, what incentive do you have to try to doanything outside the confines of union rules. All you get ispounded down if you do.