School rankings and test scores. (Montclair: how much, property taxes, live in)
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Those are some screwy rankings. Britain is #1 ?? And North Korea #4 ? Don't misunderstand I agree that the US school system is bad. But where do these screwy rankings come from? Is the OSIR a UN organization? If so, that explains everything. Why are people so quick to defend socialist countries on this forum? Sure some of them have great sidewalk cafes, but do you really want your kids to grow up under socialism?
Public education is an inherently socialist idea: the government pays for education and the citizenry enjoy access to it as a free entitlement.
I agree with native56. Education should be handled by the free market through a user fee system. Schools should be entirely funded by tuition revenue paid by those who have children who need schooling. Asking people who do not have children to help underwrite the cost of educating those who do is socialism.
Socialism? Yes, let's let the Jerry Springer watching toe lickers "opt" for educating their kids, because such a high percentage of school dropouts go on to lead productive lives. I can only imagine the world we'll live in when 3% of society educates their kids. Talk about the blind leading the blind. You of higher means better batten down the hatches. They'll be coming for you.
As for hours with my children, I'd rather not burden my 4-year old with mileage calculations to and from anything. Seems a bit burdensome. Those of you spinning the hourly calculations of parenthood should step back and respectfully decline to comment... unless it's you living the dream today.
Read any book used in California schools - especially those used in the humanities. The socialist influence is unmistakable. How can anyone advocate for a system that has proven to be a faliure every time it has been tried? Only someone living off the public teat I'll bet. Go talk to anyone who has started a business and created jobs and see what they think of socialism. Or perhaps those sort of people don't show themselves in your elite circle.
The socialist influence is unmistakable. How can anyone advocate for a system that has proven to be a faliure every time it has been tried?
A failure? Don't you read? Don't you travel? Here is Europe, and don't forget the Chicoms, well on their way to being the next superpower.
"America is slow to grasp the economic might of an emerging Europe in part because we compare ourselves to individual countries rather than to the EU as a whole. The three largest European states (Germany, Britain, and France) each have economies about 50 percent larger than the three largest American states (California, New York, Texas). And Americans, so enamored with Bill Gates and Boeing, don't notice that the 60 of world's largest 140 companies are European, while only 50 are American. French-owned Airbus, whose new, mammoth A380 Navigator dwarfs the Boeing 747, has rocketed past Boeing and now controls 75 percent of the global airplane market. Of the world's 20 largest banks, 14 are European. Three of the top six chemical companies are European. European companies dominate in food, insurance, engineering, construction, and telecommunications. And while America is quick to brag that small businesses are the backbone of its economy, the EU has more — with nearly 70 percent of employment in Europe coming from small and medium businesses (as opposed to less than 50 percent in the U. S.)......
Let's look at the numbers. Though the United States and Europe have comparable GDPs (both around $11 trillion), a few things need to be factored in to assess the overall quality of life. GDP figures count the entire economy — productive and non-productive. The United States spends half a trillion dollars ($500 billion) each year on its military (not counting the Iraq War), while Europe spends only $150 billion. The US spends more on legal services and health care. The United States consumes a third more energy. Europe has more doctors per thousand people (3.22 vs. 2.79), while the United States has higher infant mortality and shorter life span. When rated for healthcare fairness among developed nations, the United States was dead last. While the United States spends more per capita than any other nation on health care (over $5,000 per person), we're one of only two developed nations (with South Africa) that don't provide health insurance for their citizens. (We have more than 40 million citizens who can't afford health insurance.) Compared to Europe, the United States has four times the murders per capita. With more than two million Americans in prison (a quarter of the world's prison population), we have over seven times as many people in prison per capita than Europe .
America clings to the belief that more money and material wealth bring us happiness and the "good life." But when all of these intangibles are factored into the big picture, you can see why Europeans believe that, while our economies may be roughly equal, their quality of life beats ours.
Ponder the fact that France (with a quarter of our population) lost as many people in a single day during World War I as the U.S. did in the entire Vietnam War. It's hard to imagine the depth of the scars of war Europe lives with. And yet today, the Irish toss darts with the English, Serbs vacation in Dubrovnik , and Germans enjoy the beaches of Holland (careful never to ask directions to the "old town" in Rotterdam ). Many Europeans consider the best thing about the EU to be how it streamlines the various nations' armies into one single peacekeeping force. Europeans, long masters of warfare, are now pacifists. And their pacifism is something that is driving the creation of the EU.
Whether it's part of the "American Dream" or just the hard reality, the United States spends vastly more on its military than the EU. In fact, we spend nearly as much as the rest of the world combined, including 80 percent of the world's total military research-and-development spending. Meanwhile, since World War II, 75 percent of the world's on-the-ground peacekeeping forces have been Europeans. This means that the U.S. has taken on a greater responsibility when it comes to international military actions. Standard operating procedure has become "the United States does the cooking, and the EU does the dishes." This trend is likely to continue as European nations consider essentially abolishing their armies and American politicians are learning it's hard to get elected without promising to spend more on the military."
You've got too much time on your hands. Your lengthy support for socialism jumps from the European economy, to US prison population, to military spending and then even more. Is there anything about the US that you like?
Tell us how socialism is responsible for helping any country's economy. In Europe it produces chronic high unemployment and kills incentive. Many European countries spend 50-60% of their GDP on government. More than half of all the money earned in these countries goes through the government on the way to being doled out to the people. Is that what you want for the US?
We do seem to be hellbent on spreading socialism here in the US. At least that is the objective of the present administration and legislature. With the expiration of the Bush tax cuts achievers will be paying about 60% in total taxes in California. By the time my 13 year-old son starts paying taxes the full impact of Obama's spending will be felt and he will be paying 65-70% in taxes if he succeeds in business. Why should he or any young person be the one to start the next Boeing if he will keep 30% (or less?) of the rewards for his work. That is the failure of socialism that you cannot address. Socialism kills incentive. Talk to people who have moved here from former Soviet countries what they think of socialism versus our capitalist system (or what's left of it).
By the way I spot checked a couple of your "facts". Don't have your time to spend all day on this, but here's what's wrong with a couple of your statements. You say that Airbus controls 75% of the airplane market. Wrong: In fact in the most recent period reported Airbus and Boeing are tied having delivered 3400 planes each. Here is my source: Analysis: Airbus and Boeing sales struggle continues through third quarter
And I fly a lot. My personal experience is that Airbus quality is below Boeing. Every Airbus I've been on shakes, rattles and vibrates on take off. Regardless of that your numbers are wrong.
You also mention that Europes infant mortality is lower than the US. Wrong again. The two can't be accurately compared. The reason is because in the US every birth is classified as an infant no matter how premature or how sick the child is at birth. Lots of these sickly babies die and are counted in the US infant mortality rates. In Europe a child is only counted as a birth once it is able to survive on its own. Babies born sickly in Europe who then die do not count toward their infant mortality rate. You can't compare the two numbers unless you are trying to sell people that socialism is good for you.
As for the US 40 million uninsured that has been widely debunked already. I beleive that you must know this. The 40 million (probably an inflated lie) includes illegal immigrants. Do you favor being taxed to give them free medial care? And it includes a large number of young adults like my 19 year old son. He does not have health insurance. Does not want to pay for it and does not need it. People in his college age peer group seldom need a doctor. Perhaps some catostrophic medical coverage would be appropriate for him if anything at all. Take out the illegals and those who don't want or need coverage and you are left with a manageable number of uninsured who could be covered under some plan without destroying the American health care system with Obamacare. But you already know this. It just does not fit a socialist agenda. Socialists would like to keep Americans ignorant of facts like these.
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