"You people all need a wake up call. These are college educated individuals."
So what?!? I have a friend with a masters in psychology. He's lucky if he can get a job making 25K working full-time, year round. A degree entitles one to nothing but your whole post seems to be about some entitlement you feel is deserved because of some degree your wife has. This, "Oh poor me, I work 2/3 as much as everybody else and get paid the same. Boo-Hoo". Pardon me if I hang on to my hankerchief.
Welcome to everybody else's world, pal. I've been working ias an IT professional for 10 years and I don't make $34 an hour. I have to fly all over the country and be away from my family for weeks sometimes. I commute 50 miles to work and have 40K miles a my 1-year old car. I leave at 6:30 and get home 13 hours later. I'm not sure what my house looks like in the daylight.
So spare me, OK.
SO CHANGE JOBS.
No offense to you or your friend, but just as you want to slam what teachers make, what in the heck did your friend with a Masters in Psychology plan on doing with it? My point on college education is what many feel is a fair salary. People with degrees in engineering, Business management etc... expect and in most cases earn much more and everybody things they should earn it.
My wife chooses to teach because she loves it. She doesn't have to teach. My point is, everyone thinks teaching is a piece of cake. You want to talk about walking in shoes. I can almost gaurantee you that within a few months you would quit teaching because of the BS you have to put up with from parents, state and national requirements, stupid union influences etc..
So, boo hoo. Maybe you should become a teacher.