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During my MBA economy class the discussion of wages came up. A student had a friend in some tiny town in Iowa who had a four year degree but could only find employment in Walmart at $12/hr. She thought that Walmart should pay her friend more because she had a college degree. I said that Walmart had a job it thought was worth 12/hr and had advertised for somebody to fill that job. It is not Walmart’s concern that the friend had a degree that was not required. If the friend wanted to use her degree then the friend needed to move to someplace where her degree was in demand.

The class went to pieces. Nobody should have to move to get employment. (That was just one of the ludicrous arguments.) My defense of Walmart made the professor take me aside and threaten me that if I didn’t leave my “radical right wing” attitude at home he would suspend me from the class.

I have worked in several union shops. When pay is decided on seniority, you lose the really good people who could grow the business. They go elsewhere to market their skills.

I have had to work with women and blacks who were promoted based on being female or black. They find themselves over their heads and really screw up the organization. Women and blacks who got there on their own because they could do the job are a real pleasure to work with.

If that's the kind of classroom environment you had to deal with, I suspect your MBA is worthless.

That's not intended to be an insult, either. I had a very good friend and astute businessman talk me out of going to business school. His exact words: "You probably have about 90% of an MBA right now, and you learned it on the job without spending a dime on it."

...if I didn’t leave my “radical right wing” attitude at home he would suspend me...

--and while you had to shut up to get thru the class there were most probably lots of good things you were able to learn anyway. There is no 'free speech' in the work place. Some folks complain that their boss told 'em that they can't talk about say, Jesus anymore just like years ago hippies complained that the boss insisted that they get a haircut (and a bath).

We know there some places our politics aren't welcome and others where it's OK.

My defense of Walmart made the professor take me aside and threaten me that if I didn’t leave my “radical right wing” attitude at home he would suspend me from the class

Why do you people put up with this stuff? Unless you were out of line or said more than you are letting on I would have complained to the dean. If this professor cannot have an open discussion in class then he shouldn’t. By the way I made to complaints about professors when I was in college a long time ago.