Considering the largest country in the world (by pop and land area) is communist and they are threatening our economy (and at least Helladumb thinks they're a huge military threat), I'd say socialism hasn't exactly failed all the way.

 

Symantics...we burn some trees/shrubs/etc to save others...just like you suggested sarcastically.

 

They hurting our economy only because they are strategically taking advantage of the exchange rate and using free-trade sanction agreements to their advantage. The UN is in the process of delegating sanctions on the Chinese gov't if they don't us more ethical currency rates. Secondly, would you want to live in China?

 

Just like dub said, by letting underadvantaged kids get in to good schools at a slightly higher rate than advantaged kids. The kids who were well educated all along aren't going to suffer; they know enough to get into several schools. The kids that had a crappy k-12 don't have those choices.



But all of that is beside the point. I'm not a fan of affirmative action because it doesn't really address the issue (which is crappy K-12 education). And the gov't SHOULD step in and give money to underprivaledged K-12 public schools because if they claim to give public education, it should be the same public education for all students regardless of geographic location and social/economic status.

 

1sti... you missed the boat on my example of high school students. It is more difficult to go to school in an area like Compton (replete with guns, drugs, single parent families, poorly funded schools) than it is to go to school at Palo Alto High. I think that this goes without saying.

 

Of course not, but that doesn't mean that socialism/communism is neccesarily an evil bad thing. I love democracy, but I recognize that the optimum form of gov't and economy is probably somewhere in between a total democracy and a total communist society. The whole idea of 'red scare' and Mcarthyism type stuff is as silly to me as hippies are. They're both outdated and ignorant things.

 

Exactly! However, much of the funding comes from property taxes. Ghetto slums dont generate the same kind of wealth as 3,500 sq ft mansions

 

Exactly why reappropriation of school funds is neccesary, even though it's a 'socialistic' thing to do.

 

yep yep

 

OK, I can almost agree to this HOWEVER, I don't think a kid should be punished simply because his parents did all they could for him. That's a little demeaning and doesn't support devoted parents at all and in my opinion parenthood in America is a dying tradition. You also have to look at it from a degree of ethnocentrism. In that I mean if I grew up in a great school it'd be hard from me to adapt to school in the hood with poor teachers, facilities etc... Academically I may have the potential to excell but external influences might prevent this from happening. On the same note if I grew up in the hood in bad facilites and was moved to a Blue Ribbon school I might have great surrounding but lack the scholasitic ability to excel because of my below standard schooling before. Their good at different things.

 

I totally agree. No parent, regardless of local should have to fear sending their children to public schools due to either physical dangers or sub-standard academics.

 

Agreed, that's why it has to happen starting at the kindergarten level.

 

Just trying to clarify.........that's why what needs to happen at the kindergarten level?

 

FYI Gates stole that technology from Steve Jobs.

 

I'm not even going to go there.