President Obama called for the US to have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world by 2020. A noble goal, but will it really help and is it good for America.
“One, we need to reduce the college dropout rate (with more than one in three failing to graduate college within six years of entering).”
Eduflak.
“Three out of 10 US public school students do not graduate from high school, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifand major city school districts only graduate one out of two students, according to a study released Tuesday.”
Brietbart
There is also this economical principle called Supply and Demand – maybe if the president had worked 1 hour in a private business he would have heard of it.
CNN
So what is the answer? Clearly the government run K-12 system is broken. Clearly the government financed collegiate system is broken. You may argue that it is not broken, but it would be difficult to argue that it is working (unless you choose to ignore the deficit and high unemployment).
I had an interesting discussion a few weeks ago with my friend Michael Stadnisky who is a respected scientist and a brilliant mind. He argued that we needed “inspiration” – like when we had the moon race with USSR and a generation was inspired to go into the sciences. Today we have nothing in the educational field to inspire the masses.
In rare occasions in history events like this will transform a nation, but in most cases through history it was a single person who inspired change in a single other person. Almost all successful people will look back on their childhood and pick out that one teacher, one coach, one pastor, one parent who inspired them to do better.
Unfortunately, maybe it is due to mass marketing, education is now tied to institutions. I want to get a piece of paper with such and such school on it. A set of buildings has rarely inspired anyone (unless you’re an architect) to do anything. Instead we should be educating our young people by finding people to inspire them.
I want to go study under Professor X. There was a time when being a teach was respected and people sought out the best. Now we ridicule them (see the news). We seek out institutions, and then wonder how a building would fail us.
Instead of a higher education system built around buildings, it should be built around people. That means when you graduate from high school instead of going 200,000 in debt to earn a business degree find a small business in your area and offer to work for free. I promise you in 4 years you will be a lot less in debt and have a lot more business experience than a fancy college degree. I bet you will be more connected to the actual business community then your peers.
I’m sure our teachers would be much more prepared if instead of going to school for 4 years they went to school for one and then spent 3 years in the school system, with 1 set of children and go through 3 grades and all classes with them.
This would cut our student/teacher ratio in half. The students wouldn’t pay tuition (who can afford to pay student loans on a teacher salary) and the school district wouldn’t have to pay them (interns!)
The younger students would get a role model for 3 years straight! Talk about a chance to inspire the next generation.
So there it is – my education plan. It reduces the debt in this country, it inspires the next generation and it builds community relationship.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Debt Ceiling – Education in America
The Debt Ceiling will be raised and America won’t default. The part that should be alarming to you is that they want to raise it around 2 TRILLION dollars and that will get us to 2020, no 2015, no 2013! A year and a half from now! That is why so much pressure is being put on the administration to lower spending that is higher than any in our history.
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” - Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006.
The main problem is employment, if employment was higher than we could make up for a good portion of this budget short fall. One of the reasons employment is so low is a lack of education in American workers. Business leaders are saying it, the Education department recognizes it, but the news cameras aren’t reporting it. Why? Because if you tell someone it is their fault, they get mad. America has become a society of blame, when we were a society of being great we took things on our own shoulders. Now we seek to ride on the backs of others.
The reason our society feels compelled to do that is that the Government wants us to rely on them. If you rely on someone you aren’t likely to rebel and then they can treat you however they want. What is the 99ers had instead of shipping out resumes the last two years had accepted an unpaid internship. Do you think they would still be unemployed or do you think the company probably would have hired them full time by now? What if the 99ers had gotten together and started a company, do you think the economy would still be in the dump? Wait it is HARD to start a company! I wonder why that is? Oh government regulations and laws. Doesn’t the government want you to be working, my guess is not.
The other issue is that people haven’t been taught to be thinkers, because our education system is designed to create industrial workers. Why do you think we have children sit for nearly 6 hours a day – so they can be still on the factory line. Why do you think we have them ride school buses for hours – so we can feel comfortable commuting to our job. When manufacturing jobs left for overseas, and we still hear it, it cost American workers their job. Jobs are not guaranteed. Nor should they be, but when the government says they are going to educate you so you can get a good job (neither of which they can guarantee) and you believe them, then there is no one to blame but yourself.
You can’t rely on other for your future and Americans have done that for far too long and look where it has gotten us. We need to teach people how to think and how to learn, not what to learn and people are smart enough to take care of themselves… unless a government official is going to feed you at his/her dinner table at his/her house I would stop listening to them and believing them and become self reliant.
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” - Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006.
The main problem is employment, if employment was higher than we could make up for a good portion of this budget short fall. One of the reasons employment is so low is a lack of education in American workers. Business leaders are saying it, the Education department recognizes it, but the news cameras aren’t reporting it. Why? Because if you tell someone it is their fault, they get mad. America has become a society of blame, when we were a society of being great we took things on our own shoulders. Now we seek to ride on the backs of others.
The reason our society feels compelled to do that is that the Government wants us to rely on them. If you rely on someone you aren’t likely to rebel and then they can treat you however they want. What is the 99ers had instead of shipping out resumes the last two years had accepted an unpaid internship. Do you think they would still be unemployed or do you think the company probably would have hired them full time by now? What if the 99ers had gotten together and started a company, do you think the economy would still be in the dump? Wait it is HARD to start a company! I wonder why that is? Oh government regulations and laws. Doesn’t the government want you to be working, my guess is not.
The other issue is that people haven’t been taught to be thinkers, because our education system is designed to create industrial workers. Why do you think we have children sit for nearly 6 hours a day – so they can be still on the factory line. Why do you think we have them ride school buses for hours – so we can feel comfortable commuting to our job. When manufacturing jobs left for overseas, and we still hear it, it cost American workers their job. Jobs are not guaranteed. Nor should they be, but when the government says they are going to educate you so you can get a good job (neither of which they can guarantee) and you believe them, then there is no one to blame but yourself.
You can’t rely on other for your future and Americans have done that for far too long and look where it has gotten us. We need to teach people how to think and how to learn, not what to learn and people are smart enough to take care of themselves… unless a government official is going to feed you at his/her dinner table at his/her house I would stop listening to them and believing them and become self reliant.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Reason for Tax Hikes in 2012 Budget
We need to raise taxes, that is right, I said it, but on everyone, not just the Rich. The main thing the need to go up on is businesses who are receiving unfair tax credits through pork project and behind door deals. These are typically called tax loop holes, they typically go to the wealthiest businesses with the most lobbyist.
The second reason we need to raise taxes is because we got ourselves into this mess, and so we need to get ourselves out of it. We owe much of this money to ourselves. It is time we start paying the piper.
We also need to lower spending significantly, bring out troops home, and provide stability for businesses. If you are in your mid 20’s you know that if we keep going the way we are going we won’t be able to use Social Security, because it won’t exist. If you think it is worth saving, lower our future financial problems now so that we as a society can prepare for it. We need to slowly up the retirement age by a few years, starting in 20 years adding 1 year to the retirement age and adding a year to that age every 10 years until we are in a stable financial condition. I know that this isn’t part of the “budget” but since we borrowed from this fund we will now have to pay it back. Guess who borrowed from it? Not my generation! Guess who is going to pay for it? ME!
We need to reform our entitlement programs to encourage getting off those programs, and make them shameful to be on.
Private sector businesses need to start competing with government programs and showing that is it possible to have capitalism work and we don’t need the government interfering with our lives.
The second reason we need to raise taxes is because we got ourselves into this mess, and so we need to get ourselves out of it. We owe much of this money to ourselves. It is time we start paying the piper.
We also need to lower spending significantly, bring out troops home, and provide stability for businesses. If you are in your mid 20’s you know that if we keep going the way we are going we won’t be able to use Social Security, because it won’t exist. If you think it is worth saving, lower our future financial problems now so that we as a society can prepare for it. We need to slowly up the retirement age by a few years, starting in 20 years adding 1 year to the retirement age and adding a year to that age every 10 years until we are in a stable financial condition. I know that this isn’t part of the “budget” but since we borrowed from this fund we will now have to pay it back. Guess who borrowed from it? Not my generation! Guess who is going to pay for it? ME!
We need to reform our entitlement programs to encourage getting off those programs, and make them shameful to be on.
Private sector businesses need to start competing with government programs and showing that is it possible to have capitalism work and we don’t need the government interfering with our lives.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
History is Homosexual
Should Race or Creed dictate our history studies?
I am not going to discuss if being homosexual is right or wrong, but rather http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwhat this legislation will eventually turn into and that is the continued destruction of our public education system, a system that is already in rubbles.
A recent report shows that American’s are not good at History. Now California is going to add another hurdle to helping our children learn history, by glorifying the person’s sexual preferences. You will notice that the first Article is from Los Angeles, which I last checked was in California, yet where is the uproar? Should we not go back to the basics, should you not be judged by race or creed, History was made by ordinary men doing extraordinary things – and we have trouble teaching this basic concept.
If this passes in California, be sure it will eventually come to your state. I radically believe that people should be known for what they do, not because of their sexual orientation. I have friends that are homosexuals, and I don’t see them prancing about seeking to glorify it, no more than my straight friends. They are teachers, engineers, marketers and performers, and that is what they will tell you.
Will our history books be riddled with sexual identity? Booker T Washington, straight black man, was an author, orator, educator and political leader. We should be teaching facts and how history was shaped by events.
I urge you to write the California Governor, and all politicians to veto this bill or vote down similar bills. History is dependent upon it, as well as our future.
I am not going to discuss if being homosexual is right or wrong, but rather http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifwhat this legislation will eventually turn into and that is the continued destruction of our public education system, a system that is already in rubbles.
A recent report shows that American’s are not good at History. Now California is going to add another hurdle to helping our children learn history, by glorifying the person’s sexual preferences. You will notice that the first Article is from Los Angeles, which I last checked was in California, yet where is the uproar? Should we not go back to the basics, should you not be judged by race or creed, History was made by ordinary men doing extraordinary things – and we have trouble teaching this basic concept.
If this passes in California, be sure it will eventually come to your state. I radically believe that people should be known for what they do, not because of their sexual orientation. I have friends that are homosexuals, and I don’t see them prancing about seeking to glorify it, no more than my straight friends. They are teachers, engineers, marketers and performers, and that is what they will tell you.
Will our history books be riddled with sexual identity? Booker T Washington, straight black man, was an author, orator, educator and political leader. We should be teaching facts and how history was shaped by events.
I urge you to write the California Governor, and all politicians to veto this bill or vote down similar bills. History is dependent upon it, as well as our future.
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