Lurking in our great country is a troubling issue plaguing the professional education workforce. When compared globally, American teachers work the most hours, but are paid in the lowest ranges compared to the top 32 nations (Teachers Pay). Additionally, when comparing a teacher's salary to other four-year degree salaries, teachers are among the 5 highest paid degrees (O'Shaughnessy). Not only are salaries among the lowest in the American workforce, but the typical workload of a homeschool teacher exceeds all other professional jobs by 20% (current). Furthermore, in 2009, teachers were only given a 2.3% pay increase. Yet the inflation rate has risen to 3.1%, causing a loss of purchasing power and creating difficulties for professionals trying to educate America's youth (Carter). Because teachers play such an important role in our society, some states like New York have conducted studies to track teacher reactions and teaching styles based on their pay. While some see a reason for such large expenditures in our Department of Defense, others tend to forget the most important of departments, the Department of Education. With $710 billion spent on the Department of Defense in 2010 and only $110 billion on the Department of Education, it is understandable to hear the common term “teachers are underpaid” (AS). While states like New York have tried to create incentive programs for teachers, they simply don't allow them enough time to truly thrive. High standards, low pay, poorly managed government budgets, and a lack of effective solutions are causing problems among America's overworked and underpaid teachers. Researchers at the Bureau of Labor Statistics say that t...... middle of paper. .....y(2010): ERIC. EBSCO. Network. February 20, 2011."How Congress Spends Your Money." Federal budget spending and national debt. March 17, 2011. Network. March 17, 2011. "Freeing Teachers: Toward Market Competition in Teacher Representation | MyronLieberman | Cato Institute: Policy Analysis." The Cato Institute. August 28, 2002. Web. April 14, 2011. O'Shaughnessy, Lynn. "Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary - CBSMoneyWatch.com." CBS MoneyWatch.com - Personal financial advice, analysis and financial planning. July 21, 2009. Web. February 20, 2011. "Teacher Pay Around the World - NYTimes.com." The Economy and the Economics of Everyday Life - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com. The New York Times, September 9, 2009. Web. February 20, 2011. "Teachers, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary." US Bureau of Labor Statistics.02 November 2010. Web. 21 April. 2011.