America's Biggest Threat

[Silera]

I won't say spend more, because poor ass countries like Cuba manage to have a higher literacy rate than the US. Spend better. Invest in head start, raise the bar for schools in poor neighborhoods, invest in teachers and not in administrators. Instead of spending millions to build new schools in congested neighborhoods, figure out how to bus kids to schools that aren't over burdened and then use the money to train our teachers, involve parents, pay for books and supplies.

In my neighborhood, when I was growing up, there were so many kids. The schools were crowded and they just built new schools on top of the existing ones to accomodate them. Now, the neighborhood is gentrified and the schools are empty. One of the schools was converted to lofts, one to an alternative high school, 2 sit empty.

I think we've become too reactionary and there is no long term planning. Why were they able to teach kids from 1st grade to 8th grade in one room on Little House on the Prairie, and we have to have an entire school built for gay kids?

Throwing money at things doesn't always fix them. Reevaluating them may be a better solution.

[Black Lazerus]

Then we would be killing a lot of Conservatives.

[TheDude]

Better education is key, the entire system needs to be restructured. Acedemic programs have become so systematic that it creates herd like thinking at such an early age. Independant thought must be encouraged.

[sweet angel]

raise the bar for schools in poor neighborhoods

Raise the bar for schools in ALL neighborhoods. In my town (a basically blue-collar, but not "poor"), kids have to fail TWO major subjects to stay back. If you only fail ONE major subject, you get pushed through and are not required to take the failed course again. That makes no sense to me. If you can't pass 7th grade math, how can you possibly take 8th grade math? A parent also cannot request that a child repeat a grade.

[TheDude]

Don't forget about all the dumbass kids who can't tie their own shoes but get pushed through because they are the best Offensive Linebacker in the state.

[header]

I'm not against spending a couple bucks to update schools or make new ones as long as the money goes to the right place. That's the problem. I live in one of the fastest growing communities in the region. Because of this more families are moving in with their kids and they need to expand the school capabilities. The rapid growth has put a strain on pocketbooks because they are expanding schools to accomodate the new students but the state isn't redirecting funds to the district. Instead the money is going to school that some say doesn't need it. Thus then, taxes go up.

Just like anything though, it is situation and busing and vouchers and shit are a reasonable solution to part of the problem.

I don't mind throwing money into the system when there is money. What I don't like is the tax the rich to support the poor mentality. McGreevey instituted the Millionaire's tax. And just like the people fed up with property taxes in Jersey the Millionaires will move out of the state and find a more suitable living arrangement that benefits them. Then where will my crappy state be? Even higher property taxes to pay for all the new programs that the millionaire tax created.

[header]

Can we fine parents that raise stupid kids?

[Silera]

I don't have a problem with the terror alert as much as the fact that even though I've been alerted, I don't feel safer.

We've been fighting the war on drugs for 30 years, and truckloads, shiploads, and airplane fulls of drugs still get into this country. 10% of our imports are checked. A lot of unemployed people could be put to work at our ports to address that problem. Also, instead of putting all our money and effort to make illegal immigrants stay underground, let's register them all, make them pay taxes and know where the fuck they are. Instead of creating a class of citizens that are uneducated, unemployed, and dependant on the government to keep them housed and fed we could take the same money and say here's a downpayment, here's a low interest loan, here are affordable homes that you can buy and not have to move to bumble fuck Idaho. You have the options after that move ahead and try for more.

I want government to start providing for our society and not the other way around.

[sweet angel]

Don't forget about the newly raised realty transfer fees. Sellers now pay higher rates and if the property is over a million, the buyers also pay a "mansion tax". That should wreak havoc on the housing market.

[Silera]

I want parents to raise kids, but I think that when you work 60 hours a week, the result is a nation of kids that are parentless

I think the mess lies in the fact that as a nation we are not providing an appropriate base from which people can live and better themselves.