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JCM800 · 04-09-2013, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by er48665

Yssup Rider · 04-09-2013, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainMidnight

A whole lot of stuff desperately needs to be fixed.

Agreed, CM. But is the solution to improve the public education system or to suck the funding from it to give to charter schools and church schools?

Or is it to take the students you describe from New York, and mandate that they be home schooled by their two (allegedly) working parents?

I think the course is pretty clear. I think we need to reform public education to make it more educational. Kids need to learn how to think, do and create. Instead, they're caught in a never-ending political mud-wrestling match between political interests who could give two shits about the kids, or the future for that matter, just who has the power/control today.

Moreover, we need parents to support the schools as if their lives depended on it... which they do.

Let's get our priorities straight in this country and the rest will follow suit.

Guest032516 · 04-09-2013, 10:02 PM

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

The only reason the deficit dropped as a percentage more than it has since WWII is because it increased so much under Obama in the first place.

In four years, Obama ADDED 6 trillion in debt. That is an annual deficit of 1.5 trillion (one average). Previously, a BIG deficit would be about $350-$500 billion in one year.

So, if Obama dropped the annual deficit from $1.5 trillion to "only" $500 billion, the percentage drop (-66.7%) may be big, but the annual deficit is still HUGE compared to historic levels.

So we are still piling on debt at an astonishing rate - with no end in sight.

Forget about debt reduction. That would require an annual surplus, instead of a deficit. Heh.

Yssup Rider · 04-09-2013, 10:16 PM

Obama did it?

I thought I saw someone holding a gun to Congressional Republicans' head, making them spend, not raise taxes for the wealthy and corporations or cut defense spending.

Must have been a lone gunman...

CuteOldGuy · 04-09-2013, 11:26 PM

A lot of the problems could be solved by . . . wait for it . . . VOUCHERS!

Yssup Rider · 04-09-2013, 11:39 PM

Absolutely! The fucking constitution would be proud.

CJ7 · 04-09-2013, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExNYer

Lies, damned lies, and statistics.

The only reason the deficit dropped as a percentage more than it has since WWII is because it increased so much under Obama in the first place.

In four years, Obama ADDED 6 trillion in debt. That is an annual deficit of 1.5 trillion (one average). Previously, a BIG deficit would be about $350-$500 billion in one year.

So, if Obama dropped the annual deficit from $1.5 trillion to "only" $500 billion, the percentage drop (-66.7%) may be big, but the annual deficit is still HUGE compared to historic levels.

So we are still piling on debt at an astonishing rate - with no end in sight.

Forget about debt reduction. That would require an annual surplus, instead of a deficit. Heh.

damn lies and stats, notice Reagan and Bush's numbers ..

http://www.skymachines.com/US-Nation...ental-Term.htm

Yssup Rider · 04-10-2013, 12:00 AM

I guess this economy dealie swivels day to day, right? Does it go round in circles? I wish the government got to spread its spending over a few months at a time ...

What? The economy takes years to shrink and grow?

Bullshit! We ALL know it can be ruined in 8 years. Just start a couple of was and put it in the lay away!

CuteOldGuy · 04-10-2013, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Just start a couple of was and put it in the lay away!

Is "was" correct, or should it be "were". I don't know. Maybe someone here can help. You'd think that if there was more than one "was", it would be a "were". Ijs.

Texas Contrarian · 04-10-2013, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Agreed, CM. But is the solution to improve the public education system or to suck the funding from it to give to charter schools and church schools?

Or is it to take the students you describe from New York, and mandate that they be home schooled by their two (allegedly) working parents?

I think the course is pretty clear. I think we need to reform public education to make it more educational. Kids need to learn how to think, do and create. Instead, they're caught in a never-ending political mud-wrestling match between political interests who could give two shits about the kids, or the future for that matter, just who has the power/control today.

Moreover, we need parents to support the schools as if their lives depended on it... which they do.

Let's get our priorities straight in this country and the rest will follow suit.

I think the public education system worked very well for us in the past, but we've lost our way. We need to concentrate on making the system work for kids, not just for the ever-expanding and largely dysfunctional collection of education bureaucracies and teachers' unions. In many districts nowadays, it's almost impossible to get rid of bad teachers. I think we need to get back to the basics, pay good teachers better, and get rid of the bad ones.

Other wealthy nations do public education much better than we do, and for less money. Our current status should be considered a national embarrassment by all of us. We were the best in the world fifty years ago, but just look how far our achievement levels have dropped. Kids whose educational attainment levels are falling behind those of their counterparts elsewhere in the world are going to fall behind in the global marketplace as adults.

And a lot of the problem is cultural. Sadly, in all too many cases, kids don't even have one parent who cares, let alone two. Parents must get in the game and demand good educations for their kids, or there's little hope for real improvement.

Yes, we need to "get our priorities straight," get back to real education (not just a bunch of politically correct fluff), and get serious. Otherwise we will have little chance of competing effectively in today's world.

Texas Contrarian · 04-10-2013, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CJ7

damn lies and stats, notice Reagan and Bush's numbers ..

http://www.skymachines.com/US-Nation...ental-Term.htm

Is there some point you were trying to make, or do you simply enjoy reveling in disingenuous obtuseness?

It was already noted that George W. Bush, by way of a number of actions over his two terms, worsened our fiscal outlook markedly. Then Obama and Pelosi's congress immediately began making it far worse. But to you partisan Obama supporters, fiscal recklessness is only objectionable when the Republican Party practices it, right?