Where would we find such ideal men and women, let alone mafiosos, surely not on this side of Oz. All this makes me think of all the necessary planning and initiative involved in such things...:/
Politics. I'm watching the Budget. It's all about keeping the pressure on the poorest, and giving massive tax breaks to big corporations and the very richest. And the Chancellor's line about legal access just nearly gave me a heart attack. This is a ****ing travesty.
Bonjour mon emperor! Como se vou? Yeah, that makes me angry too. I thought only the Americans did that crap though, don't tell me it's part of anglo politics too! We still have tax breaks in place for the rich that Bush propsed when he was in office...years ago.
It's an abomination. There are a few crumbs offered to the common man, but it's a budget for the rich man. And there was a frankly sickening attack on the principles of justice, hidden away in a single line, likely to be missed and ignored amid everything else. I've blogged on it on my external blog, but I don't hold a lot of hope that it won't get swept under the rug. I feel sick.
You can hope to vote for better candidates next election, and there may be some hope in an independent party. I used to think bipartisan tactics would work, they won't. Obama damn near begged the Republicans to help him, they slander him every chance they get and have been on the attack ever since he took office. Disgusting to do that during a time of crisis. What's the unemployment like in England?
The next election will be better. Labour will win and be back in office, and can get about sorting this mess. The economy was on the mend before the Tories started cutting everything. Now it's shrinking.
Great---supposedly the economy here is getting better, but they have terrible ideas for balancing NY state budget, like severely cutting education. Our education system is already the laughing stock of the world, none of the politicians here are really serious about education at all. Our teachers get paid crap, they deal with crap all day, and they get laid off first. Is our children learning? A dim voice in my head screams "tax the rich"!!!
The voice in my head is saying the same thing Jonathan. The richest people in our society can escape paying their tax, and place the burden on the poorest. In times like these, rather that cutting services that the vulnerable rely on, we should be taxing the richest who benefit most and can afford it most. But that's just me, and I'm a socialist
The education system is getting cut everywhere in the states. One side says that less funding will lower the quality of education, the other side says lowering funding will increase efficiency. The teacher's unions say that the 'more efficient' 25+:1 student/teacher ratios will never work. Officials cite the 200+:1 ratios in universities. Teacher's unions claim that they need more funding to raise the quality of education. Officials point out that increased funding has, historically, never increased quality. They suggest that the relationship will work both ways and so lowering funding won't hurt anything. It's a huge mess, and I think that both sides are (to a degree) wrong. I believe that, under the current model, more or less funding won't have a great impact on anything. I believe that the current model is grossly inefficient. I believe that it is time to fundamentally rethink how we teach the youth of our country.
But will the politicians listen? Nooooo! Unless it's a means to their end, they won't even consider it.
Aye. Most teachers devot their time in verbally trying to get the kids to behave rather than their subject.
Yep. Both sides have done this to each other consistently for as long as I can remember. It's not as easy to see though when you agree with one side, but not the other. It's not slander if you believe you're right, after all.
You raise an interesting point. Our government has been smearing each others since the days of the Jefferson vs. Adams elections of 1790s/1800s
Oh my god, if only I hadn't just repped you for your "aggressive tutoring." I'll run the casino, Pallas. It's perfect, since you'll be winning the lotto around the same time that I will be newly unemployed. I wonder if 'officials' take into account that college students are adults, while teachers with 25+ students in their classes are dealing with far younger people. Also, not all college classes are that big. I had a few classes with under 5 people in them. So there, officials. Always there with the wise words, Rob.
Lets form a transnational "Robbin Hood" party. We will cite the global increase in billionaires as proof that Reganomics doesn't work and that the only way to help the poor is to actually help the poor (versus the rich). We will tax the rich and those who try to dodge the taxes will be EATEN.
Educated population is the enemy of government. One of the main goals of a government that wants to be stable is to reduce to a manageable minimum, dictated by productivity. However, educated population will stop the government from trying to create a future uneducated generation. Thus the only option the government has is to progressively uneducated population; the educated ones will eventually die and the just a little less educated population will allow the government to go just a little farther. Uneducated population is the sign of a modern civilized government. One who has finally outlived the population that was educated enough to create it. It's the victory of an immortal entity over its mortal parents.
I disagree with that. An educated population builds better weapons and infrastructure. Both of those gives your nation an edge over other nations. Governments do not exist to oppress their citizens, they exist to protect and serve citizens. Modern days, however, have seen the growth of apathy and bitchnmoan syndrome among the masses. Everyone wants things 'different' but no one can agree on how they should be or what should change. The result is stagnation.
Blimey, Thanshin! It's not an iron law, of course, but in many parts of the world, stupid people tend to prefer smaller government. Whether that injures your analysis, is for you to say. Not much love for politicians in this thread! I'm inclined to pity rather than condemn them. Unemployment is about 8% here, in the UK , I think. That doesn't tell the whole story. More part-time workers now, of course, and lots of self-employed folk not doing much (but not regarded as unemployed).
I think you mistake population with individuals. You don't need an educated population to build better infrastructure, you just need an educated elite to lead the mass. It works quite nicely once you separate the elite education from the mass education. Governments self preserve. A government that doesn't have that as first and foremost priority will be replaced by one who does. And you think a lower quality education has nothing to do with that? Exactly. And stagnation is stability. Stagnation is the ideal situation for a government.
