Quote:
|
Originally Posted by aceventura3
I visit this website as a diversion to an already busy day. Not responding to every point is not a concession.
I am sure you realize it is easier if we took things one point at a time rather than adding more points before reaching any kind of resolution on any point in paticular.
No matter what these discussion give great insight into how the other half thinks.
|
I agree, especially if they are done with respect.
I admit I become very emotionally charged over the fiscal suicide I believe our country is facing because I truly want better to leave a better world for my children and with Bush I don't see it happening. As pointed out by the ASCE links and grade reports I posted above.
Quote:
|
I agree. We need a literate population. However the government should not subsidize colleges and universities. People who get college degrees are the primary benefactors not the nation as a whole, therfore the people who get thos degrees should pay the cost, not the guy who did not have an opportunity to go. You should agree with that, since you care about the poor. Why should rich people get to go to government subsidized colleges, then get jobs as; i.e. plastic surgens, and then get richer?
|
So if you do not subsidize these colleges, and you cut loans and scholarships...... then only the rich can go. I'd rather have subsidized colleges and loans so that ALL can go.
But it is a moot point when the public schools K-12 are in horrible shape financially and the kids are not able to be taught what they need to get into college..... so again the rich kids who go to private schools become the only beneficiaries of college.
Quote:
|
The free market determines wages. Shaq makes $100 mil, because people want to see him play, Tom Cruise makes $20 mil/film, because people go to see his movies. Warren Buffet is one of the richest men in the country because he has skills as an investor no one in the world can match. The guy mopping the floor at McDonald's make $7/hr. because 90% of the world's population can mop a floor. The CEO of McDonald's makes millions because the shareholders beleive he is worth the money, if they didn't they would fire him. Personally, I think capitalism is wonderful. No matter who you are in a free market you get paid for what your skills are worth. I don't hate Shaq because I can't play basketball, nor do I hate CEO's because I can't run a fortune 500 company. Why do you?
|
Capitalism with civic responsibility and leaving or at least trying to leave the world in better shape for your children is one thing, what is going on today is an unchecked greed that is not beneficial nor healthy for the future.
I hate the CEO's that would rather cut 1000's of jobs, ruin a city's economy and move jobs overseas so that they can keep their multi-million dollar salaries. Salaries that if they cut a percentage of could save those jobs, and cities economies. It's bullshit to say they are saving money for their investors. The money those investors are saving is lost because of the cost to the infrastructure, the loss of tax revenue to that city, the loss of jobs, the loss of school funding, the total disregard of the future generations.
Quote:
Iraq invaded another country.
The UN impossed sanctions.
Iraq ignored those sanctions.
Iraq paid $ to suicide bomber families.
Iraq shot at US plains, regullarly.
Iraq let the world believe they had weapons of mass destruction and would use them.
We needed a good location to wage the war against terror. Iraq was a better spot than Iowa and most other places.
The first three reasons were good enough for me.
I get the feeling that if Sadaam personally had a weapon pointed at you and said he was going to annihilate you, and the George Bush, personally blew Sadaam's head off before Sadaam pulled the trigger, you would say Bush had no reason to take preemptive action. Am I right? Come on you know I am.
|
I personally, do not see the logic. I think it was solely for oil and has been proven over and over again. We did nothing to N. Korea did we? In fact one of Bush's biggest supporters Rev. Moon has donated them millions, bought them old Soviet Nuke subs and is a great supporter of their leadership.
And what about the fact that almost all of the terrorists were saudis, yet we haven't done anything to them have we?
Or what about the illegals that come over? As I have stated over and over they scare me far more than Iraq, Iran, N. Korea ever will. Yet, Bush does nothing to defned us against the illegals, in fact he works to give them free healthcare (the $1billion pledged) he works to get them driver's liscenses and so on. Yet, does nothing to prevent them from entering.
Quote:
Imagine a world were local governments took care of the needs of local citizens on a local level. What a concept. A world were local government officials were directly accountable to the folks next door, you and me. We might actually get some stuff done. 
|
Perhaps, but, in reality, the Federal government is the only entity that has the money or can get the money to straighten out the infrastructure.
Look at the above grades and needed repairs, we need to fix our future.
When you are sending factories and good paying jobs overseas, the states and cities are losing tax bases left and right. There is no way they can survive when you destroy their tax bases and then cut any funding to them.
If our government started fixing our infrastructure the construction jobs would be there, local economies would be helped, good paying jobs would become available, tax revenue from those jobs would go up, area economies would improve, factories may actually start coming back, and the economy would boom.
You cannot grow an economy if all you do is consume and produce shit for shit wages...... which is what we are doing.
Put the money into the infrastructure that is falling apart and let the economy boom that way...... It is truly the only chance we may have.