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Today, even if a couple works, it's not guaranteed. It used to be the husband works and you'll just be fine like you mentioned. Now that even if both work, it will still not be fine? Something is wrong with this picture. If you dive into this further and ask, well where's all the money at? You've found the problem. We're spending too much money on defense and not enough on ourselves. Shoving down the toilet R&D and instead building missiles and tanks. Instead of creating good paying jobs like in the tech industry, we rather invest in last generation technologies and "factory" jobs. Being friendly with big corporations and stockholders (which are primarily baby boomers now and their retirement funds) while shafting the younger generation by reducing government support on things that allows the younger generation to be competitive (education, healthcare, R&D), free college doesn't equal college degrees, you still have to WORK for it.
It's not because it's all about free stuff, no. It's about the right priorities and the GOP does not have a good track record of helping the middle class or those wanting to enter the middle class right now. Most of the millennials who you speak of including myself was alive and observing during Bush's presidency and look at what has happened.
The days of a middle class family having everything they need with a stay at home spouse was back in the big defense days. The days when we made everything from steel to spacecraft. We were going to the moon, building missles , tanks, the entire interstate system, etc. Universities actually trained kids to compete, not give out hugs when things don't work out.
There's an election every 2 years. There's only 2 political parties. Get used to losing something very frequently.
Given the attitudes of the American people, we'll never be a tech powerhouse if we keep this up.
Can't even pass legislation that lowers the interest rate on student loans, let alone make it free. How are you supposed to encourage students to pursue STEM if you pile all this burden and say, gotta work for it by working at Wal-Mart and McDonalds. That's crap. Other countries PAY you to go to school to study something that benefits everyone (i.e STEM) because the ROI is worth it. We don't think so in this country and that's the problem.
I paid off my 65K in school loans. I didn't ask for someone to make it free. Which majors should we have to pay for? Your suggesting I should pay more taxes for someone to spend 4 years getting an art degree? Do I get a refund on my tax dollars if the art major doesn't make a meaningful contribution? Not everyone needs to go to college. I worked while in school, had roomates, lived sparsely. Can't the snowflakes do this?
Given the attitudes of the American people, we'll never be a tech powerhouse if we keep this up.
Can't even pass legislation that lowers the interest rate on student loans, let alone make it free. How are you supposed to encourage students to pursue STEM if you pile all this burden and say, gotta work for it by working at Wal-Mart and McDonalds. That's crap. Other countries PAY you to go to school to study something that benefits everyone (i.e STEM) because the ROI is worth it. We don't think so in this country and that's the problem.
You are partly correct. But you only see half the picture. The other half is the national obsession with enrolling virtually every young American in colleges and universities for which they are not remotely qualified to attend. Our tertiary system is flooded with unprepared and unmotivated students, resulting in grade inflation, the lowering of academic standards, and the creation of pseudoacademic "disciplines" like gender studies, recreational management, LGBTQ theory, etc. The (largely European) countries to which you refer strictly enforce stringent admissions criteria and stream students from the early years of secondary education into technical, academic, or vocational institutions. Your reference to STEM is unintentionally humorous given the inability of contemporary American undergraduates to handle diverse viewpoints without "safe spaces" and "comfort zones". It's no wonder that differential calculus presents potential psychological trauma to such fragile flowers...
The days of a middle class family having everything they need with a stay at home spouse was back in the big defense days. The days when we made everything from steel to spacecraft. We were going to the moon, building missles , tanks, the entire interstate system, etc. Universities actually trained kids to compete, not give out hugs when things don't work out.
There's an election every 2 years. There's only 2 political parties. Get used to losing something very frequently.
Right now as it stands, defense is still a huge portion of spending. We basically have our arses in every corner of the world. It's unnecessary, we have neighbors called NATO to help (well maybe not anymore in a few years if Trump keeps up his claim of getting out of NATO). The new "big defense" today is energy and to some degree I'd argue, infrastructure spending to modernize the system. There aren't any big R&D investments anymore like going to the Moon. This country is even politicizing basic scientific R&D like even getting rid of NASA. There's no motivation for students to go to college due to the burden of student loans, let alone the grant programs are under attack. It's sickening.
I paid off my 65K in school loans. I didn't ask for someone to make it free. Which majors should we have to pay for? Your suggesting I should pay more taxes for someone to spend 4 years getting an art degree? Do I get a refund on my tax dollars if the art major doesn't make a meaningful contribution? Not everyone needs to go to college. I worked while in school, had roomates, lived sparsely. Can't the snowflakes do this?
Yes and I did almost the same thing plus I have student loans myself. However, for the sake of my own kids and their futures, the country's competitive future, I would be willing to shift priorities to fund college education to encourage STEM fields, even if it may not be fair numbers-wise. I'm willing to make the sacrifice on behalf of the next generation.
You are partly correct. But you only see half the picture. The other half is the national obsession with enrolling virtually every young American in colleges and universities for which they are not remotely qualified to attend. Our tertiary system is flooded with unprepared and unmotivated students, resulting in grade inflation, the lowering of academic standards, and the creation of pseudoacademic "disciplines" like gender studies, recreational management, LGBTQ theory, etc. The (largely European) countries to which you refer strictly enforce stringent admissions criteria and stream students from the early years of secondary education into technical, academic, or vocational institutions. Your reference to STEM is unintentionally humorous given the inability of contemporary American undergraduates to handle diverse viewpoints without "safe spaces" and "comfort zones". It's no wonder that differential calculus presents potential psychological trauma to such fragile flowers...
I'd argue, the fundamental problem is not the college itself, but the culture of America. There's so many people that refer to a college degree as "just this piece of paper". If there was more respect for what it actually represents, then we would have more motivated students to learn. Rather than teach our kids, "everyone gets through this" vs. "you're going to school to learn something useful".
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