In this address, the author builds the case that a new political economy of education, dominated by what Pauline Lipman calls the "neo-liberal social imaginary," is changing the moral context in which educators imagine their professional roles. The author argues that educators are placed in relation to others in rather complicated ways, leading to new and stunning moral problems and twisted versions of old and stunning moral problems. Two moral problems are named: first, the valorization of the educator-as-entrepreneur, and second, the normalization of the educated self. Taken together, the author believes the two problems point to a fundamental danger now facing the United States, the potential privatization (or elimination) of social responsibility for public education. These moral problems highlight moral concerns that certainly extend beyond the scope of the individual educator's moral actions. Nevertheless, drawing from Michel Foucault, James Brassett, and Christopher Holmes, the author argues for a professional ethics: one that engages rather than opposes power so that there may be a chance at creating and sustaining some notion of professional responsibility in light of current challenges brought about by a changing political economy. (Contains 72 footnotes.)