One other thing. Once you’ve eliminated the lowest common denominator (whatever that is) from your schools, some other group will become the lowest common denominator you shouldn’t waste money educating. There’s always a bottom rung no matter how high your ladder goes. Why not ditch them too?
Like the majority of the country. I don’t want to be snarky but I’d rather rely on myself until someone can convince me otherwise. Man, I knew I should have pretended like the rest of you that I KNEW what was best!!
“One other thing. Once you’ve eliminated the lowest common denominator (whatever that is) from your schools, some other group will become the lowest common denominator you shouldn’t waste money educating. There’s always a bottom rung no matter how high your ladder goes. Why not ditch them too?”- The Tooth
If you had bothered to read and follow along the discussion, I say nothing about ditching anyone. I want them brought up to par so that the ladder extends upward, not trending to the bottom. Think x^2 , not 2/x or x/2
Nobody is up to the task (except God, and He was distracted by something shiny 2300 years ago and hasn’t been seen or heard from since).
Of course, “up to the task” isn’t the standard that needs to be met, is it? That standard is “better than what we have now”. I think that the gov can do that, based on data from other countries where it’s been doing so.
How much of a tax increase are you willing to support to fund this massive new social program?
If that is all the standard that needs to be met, then I can safely say that I will take on the job.
For a bit less than what you planned on funding the government. (not much less though, I want to make a profit)
I believe it was called “No Child Left Behind” and it is still being funded btw.
I compliment you on your humor, and accept your concession of the point. The current system is very bad, and the government can do much better for the populace than it does (or than you could do).
In return for your concession, I will concede that there are probably aspects of the Obamaplan that are not optimal, and could be improved upon.
Personally I think we need more death panels. You can never have enough death panels.
I don’t think that’s what you want at all. You want government not to be involved. I don’t see you arguing, or even claiming, that doing so would improve matters. You come across as declaring some people to be more deserving of necessities than others based on their material worth. That an educated society is better off than an ignorant one ought to go without saying; that’s how educating people even if they’re poor (or ‘catering to the lowest common denominator’ as you put it) improves society.
Consider how much better the world would be if Sean Hannity hadn’t dropped out of school and gone into radio.
I do believe that somewhere in between our jesting propositions, an answer lies. I have no argument against the current system being a bad one. Rushing to get a bill passed so that you can point to it and say ‘AH-HA’ isn’t the scenario I want.
Actually it never was funded sufficiently, that was the problem. It imposed testing requirements in order to receive federal eduction money. It did not provide any money to improve schools, or make teaching more effective, or even pay for the testing that was required. It is the epitome of an unfunded mandate. Talk to an elementary school teacher about how successful NCLB has been.
Who weren’t even born in the US!!!
(Have we ever had a real, live, honest-to-goodness Freeper here before?)
You ain’t gonna get the scenario you want. (Me, I wanna pony. Mmm, horsemeat.) Your options are supporting the obamaplan, supporting the current plan, using your political impotence as an excuse to complain about whoever wins, or executing a bloody coup and overthrowing the goverment and imposing your own will by dictatorial mandate. What’s it gonna be?
I know, right? Imagine him as a senator or the president.
I know it was unsuccessful. Therein lies the problem with “letting the government do it”
What they want to do and what they can be successful doing are two distinct entities no matter what some of you guys like to think.
Gee, an administration ideologically opposed to government-run services built a government program that doesn’t work. I’m SHOCKED. :rolleyes:
True of just about every human endeavor since the dawn of time. What’s your point? A human endeavor under the auspices of a government is no more, nor any less likely to fail.
I threw my vote away to the ‘third’ party.
My own personal beliefs are as long as we have a two party system, we will continue to trend downwards in the political spectrum. I believe we should institute term limits onto political figures. No longer should they be allowed to linger. The framers of the constitution sure didn’t. They should work to better our country during their careers as something other than a lifetime politician. Some restriction (like transparency) needs to be placed upon special interest groups so that we can limit their influence.
We shouldn’t have to rely on the GNP to pick our “choices”, they should be put forth at the local level and work ever upward.
Give a third party some decent air time. I could go on and on. I am a conservative, not a republican. Most of my ideals would come off as libertarian but the voting system doesn’t recognize that other than to put “other” as the label.
As long as people justify “your choices are”, we will never leave the path we are currently on and our country will stagnate. I will make my own choices.
So no, my choices aren’t just the Obamaplan or the status quo. I’m not complaining about who won. I am complaining that we aren’t given enough choice.
You say this like you believe it to be true? The republican party of today is not the republican party of yesteryear. The Republicans want big government these days just as much as the Dems do.
What would a senator or the President be doing selling used cars?
Let me get this right so I know how to argue against it (since, well it is you)
As long as the government proposes a tumor of spending that is likely to encompass a lot (and by a lot, I mean EVERYONE) as a “good for society thing”, it’s ok no matter how it is run or even if it’s possible?