The Road to Hell..

..is paved with Good Intentions.
Someone said that once. Actually a LOT of people probably came up with that independently.

Well, Barry's come up with a new path: Mandated Community Service. Oh, he didnt SAY it would be a mandate... but the madness is in the method:

. . .Ask what your government can make you do for your country

Note that JFK inspired by creating a voluntary vehicle for service, the Peace Corps. It was a success.

What Barry wants to do is institute programs at the local level, to be abused -yet again- by school officialdom.

Like the writer says, the best way MIGHT be to teach History and Civics the way it was done back in the fifties. Let peer and parental pressure do the rest.

 

Barry...........

I can't decide if that nickname is cute, or too cute. I'm leaning towards the latter. You can probably do better, 'fog.

 

2 responses

PCB makes more of my use on nickname 'than it is'

Don makes less of the thread point 'than it is'

Don, I clearly said the madness is in the method, did I not. Now how did YOU discern the method advocated in reaching that goal?

You didnt answer before when I asked exactly WHY Liberals seem to think everyone should go to college.. how about putting down for posterity just what you think Obama is thinking, there.

 

If I may, Don.

People should get a college education, to.....uh, LEARN MORE.

Sometimes the best answer really is the most obvious. I'm not saying people will be more successful in life or have any special wisdom, but one thing I feel confident saying is, they will generally know substantively more than those people who do not go to college. What they do with that substance is another story.

 

He has a wilder hair than usual tickling his bum.

 

I just read the latest DSCC email... all I need to get up for it

And, by the way, Franek... my opinion is that the typical college Sophomore is actually DUMBER and less informed than the B graded HS Senior of 40-50 years ago. Only my opinion, of course.

It's further my opinion that liberals believe the indoctrination is done best in the halls of academe, away from a steadying parental influence. I cant prove that either.

It's further my opinion that Libs would like nothing better than to see direct correlation between Educational level and personal income, no matter individual drive and determination to succeed. No more freakin big house, 2 cars and a boat for your plumbers, mechanics, and furnace service guys fucrineoutloud!

That way there can be a solid dependent base from which to draw votes. Buyt that woulld fall under 'Conspiracy' wouldnt it.

 

sieg heil?

heh....

 

Ah yes, your opinion. And here I was talking facts. So much for reason.

 

What facts were you talking about . . . the hair tickling Petty's bum?

 

Ok, I give, who is Seig Heil Barbie?

Actually, if we're shooting for the brightest, wouldn't it make the most sense to have kids go to college and drop out? Plenty of examples of succesful people to draw from for that list. Seriously though, not everyone is cut out for college, so even if he were suggesting making it mandatory, I'd think it's a bad idea. You'd need other alternatives.

And Don, you're not alone, I wasn't able to deduce mandatory from that either.

 

I have to agree with Petty, this mandatory service idea would be a mess. When will learn that we just need to go back to teaching the core subjects, plus one or two new things like computers. The schools (and parents) are doing enough wrong at the moment, why give them something else to muck up. However, I do like Obama's intent - stressing service. I'm tired of the ever increasing "I deserve, I'm entitled" mentalilty of our culture and would welcome JFK's words of "Ask not ....."

I also agree that trying to get everyone to go to college is counterproductive. We need a vocational track for kids who arent interested or good at academics. We need skilled mechanics, electricians, plumbers, technicians, etc and since we need them they should be well paid. There is also no point in trying to get everyone to go to college because we have a system, unlike other countries, in which it is never too late. Some people arent ready at 18 years of age, but they are at 27. Colleges are already having to dumb down their curriculum and offer useless degree tracks.

I'm kind of surprised at this proposal because I read a speech by Obama on education and he did not mention it. What he did mention was this and I have no problem with it.

 

The word mandatory isnt in there but when you tie it to receiving federal assistance then it might essentially be mandatory.

 

Everybody already has a chance at college... it's called community college. This is one of Bill Clinton's calling cards. He pushed the proliferation of community colleges and more non-competitive state 4 year institutions. Most states have started a whole bunch of schools in the last 10 to 20 years.

What I'd like to see is more technical schools and job re-location centers. It's the working class that has problems. They're slow to re-tool and slow to move across the country to where their skill is needed. I mean, you don't need to go to college to push some buttons at the car factory.

 

Wouldn't that make us.......ENGLAND?? :shock:

 

God no about the last part. Everyone should be told to try to get to college... but if it is not for you here's a trade school or here is a military recruiter.

I don't know of any 'MAJOR' trade schools. There are definitely trade schools all around, but maybe they could do a better job at what they do. The problem is low income workers are slow to re-train and then move somewhere else. Somehow this should be facilitated better... if it even can. I mean if a car plant shuts down in Michigan and one opens up in Alabama... people in Michigan need to move to Alabama. Which, I guess is happening to a certain extent, but it is just hard to tell.

Texas is also blessed with a ton of wealth and has some great educational oppurtunties. A lot of other States aren't as fortunate though.

... by the way, nothing Bush has done has made the U.S. any less of a meritocracy than it was under Clinton.