"Hylourgos" wrote in message

I am well aware of what Conn. (secondary) teachers make, but find it
odd that anyone would use that as the standard. If you think that
(secondary) teachers across this nation make a decent living or are
anywhere close to the Conn. standard, then you haven't done much
reading for the past 50 years or so.

You brought up the fact that you are a only a teacher. It is your chosen
profession so please don't use it as a crutch. There are a lot of people
happy with their chosen profession that do not make a lot of money. They
don't bring it up as a whine that they must save money on clamps. Everyone
has priorities for their spending and thier allocationof free time.


As for your analogy with tradesmen/mid-levels/assembly workers, your
assumption seems to be that they too should be above tinkering with
tools. Sorry, but I don't understand that kind of snobbery. I know
plenty of JDs, MDs and MBAs who are happy to the enjoy the process of
fixing tools rather than buying new ones.

I said nothing of the kind. What I did say was that many teachers work less
days a year and make more money than those in other occupations. But I
don't hear those guys poor mouthing.


Of course, the wealthier you are the less likely you might be to spend
time in such pursuits, unless you enjoyed those pursuits in
themselves. Was that your (rather obvious) point?

No, for an educated person, you seem to have no perception of what I said.



You apparently assume I was whining.

YES. Now we are getting someplace.

My
explanation, which you took for whine, was in answer to several
respondents who suggested (without reason I might add) that I scrap my
repair plans and just buy new clamps.

Well, sometimes that is the best way regardless of how much time you are
willing to expend on a project. Maybe these guys are offering good advice
based on their experiences.


Perhaps I am mistaken in reading your post as snobby and ignorant. I
have seldom met a man for whom "the money is ... enough", regardless
the net worth.

I'm not sure where you get snobbery. If you think I'm ignorant that is your
opinion. Nothing wrong with fixing tools for the satisfaction of the job
well done, saving a few bucks, but just don't complain that you are doing it
because you are a teacher and don't have a lot of money.

Your words: I'm only a teacher and I have kids, so I don't have much
money.

I had kids too. One reason I did not do woodworking when the kids were
small was that I could not afford it. Nothing wrong with not having a lot
of money, but don't use the teacher excuse. "Tis you that comes across as a
snob that way. There are probably people that read this group that make a
very good income but don't have a lot of money because they are paying
medical expenses, supporting sick parents, or a million other things.
Ed