America's Priorities, what should they be?

[Jenos Ridan]

Well?

[Hologram]

Economy, economy, economy.

And I'm not just saying that because of the clusterfuck our financial sector is in right now. But capital is the most driving force in the world, and the most economically stable nations will be the most powerful.

Followed closely by education. We either need to lower education standards and bring the US back to an industrial giant full of blue collar workers that don't know anything, or make everybody able to compete in a corporate environment. You choose America, lots of education or even less of it?

Foreign relations. Defense doesn't mean shit if we're diplomatically isolated. We need to strengthen our ties to our allies and stop being arrogant pricks when it comes to dealing with enemies.


This is after reducing all the corruption and partisanship in the government too. We seriously need to be able to find middle ground here.

[Snorri1234]

I don't know about Defense not being in the top ten, but it is certainly less important that a lot of other things.

[Hologram]

I don't know about Defense not being in the top ten, but it is certainly less important that a lot of other things.

Yeah, though there are some serious things that need to be addressed in the War Department (as it should be called). Such as the relaxing of training standards in the past few decades thanks to Mothers against America.

[DaGip]

Economy, economy, economy.

And I'm not just saying that because of the clusterfuck our financial sector is in right now. But capital is the most driving force in the world, and the most economically stable nations will be the most powerful.

Followed closely by education. We either need to lower education standards and bring the US back to an industrial giant full of blue collar workers that don't know anything, or make everybody able to compete in a corporate environment. You choose America, lots of education or even less of it?

Foreign relations. Defense doesn't mean shit if we're diplomatically isolated. We need to strengthen our ties to our allies and stop being arrogant pricks when it comes to dealing with enemies.


This is after reducing all the corruption and partisanship in the government too. We seriously need to be able to find middle ground here.

Ditto!

Economy all the way! Without an economy, there is no defense...

Ron Paul was the only candidate that spoke about the economy from day one, it didn't become a political issue until later on. The patient is sick and dying and is in need of treatment, and I am afraid McCain and Obama will both fall short.

Economy first, and then Defense!

Education should be privatized, and I believe that Bush's voucher system is a good idea in the right direction; however, the whole No Child Left Behind concept has really hurt the educational system, as many good teachers and substitutes were made to quit because they didn't have the education that Bush put a standard to. These were good teachers that loved their jobs and children, but because of the governmental policy put forward on education made a lot of teachers ineligible to teach in the school systems and they were forced to leave while the schools were forced to search for teachers that met the higher standards. Standards are okay, but sometimes standards are not everything.

[b.k. barunt]

Health care, absolutely. We are the only industrialized nation in the known world without public health. WTF?? It's almost enough to make me like Hillary. Ew.


Honibaz

[gdeangel]

Free porn!

[Fircoal]

RON PAUL IS THE #1 PRIORITY!!!

[Spuzzell]

Atkins and exercise.

[Frigidus]

Atkins and exercise.

All that would do is force you to find other things to ridicule us for.

[Jenos Ridan]

Ideally, Defense, Law Enforcement and Education should not have to compete for first place, we should just fund them as if each are absolutely vital. Digressing to the topic of Education.

Something I noticed as far back as High School, that in the US it is a one-size-(supposedly)fits-all system. And that quite simply does not work. I'm thinking the better system is how the Germans and, for what I've been told and researched on my own, most of the rest of Europe and Japan do their schools; figure out early on which students are college material and which are better off learning a trade.

A good example of this sort of thing being done right now is to be found in something called Clark County Skills Center, which is a vocational program that offers training equivelent to a two-year college in a number of fields, including nursing, diesel mechanic and what they called Electro-Digital Technology, which I only did one year of.

So I would propose that we adopt the gymnasiums and vocational high schools that many other "first world" nations use. I'd still allow people to home school their children if they wish, so long as they pay an extra 3% or so on their property taxes or however the school district in which they live funds its schools, and allow private schools to take on the role of "magnet" schools to a greater degree (probably via the voucher system that Bush (at least, so people say) fought for). If someone wishs to retrain in another field, there is always community college (which nobody should sneer at).

Am I "talking arse" or do I really have something? If the former, then I'll drop this like a bag of cement.

[Neoteny]

Education, for f*ck's sake. Everything else will follow. Really.

[jonesthecurl]

Education, for f*ck's sake. Everything else will follow. Really.

And the fact that education isn't even listed as a possible priority is an indication of how bloody important it is.

I was going to make a non-serious comment as I often do, but effinell, that needed to be said!

[Jenos Ridan]

5 people voted to reduce the US military to a priority no worth of a top ten. On a forum about a game which involves War?

[Neoteny]

5 people voted to reduce the US military to a priority no worth of a top ten. On a forum about a game which involves War?

Well, it was the closest to my views. Education wasn't up there.

[Jenos Ridan]

Dude, under option two it holds the number two on priority, come on! And under option one, it's number three. Sounds "up there" to me.

[Neoteny]

Dude, under option two it holds the number two on priority, come on! And under option one, it's number three. Sounds "up there" to me.

Not up there enough. You need education for good healthcare anyhow. It seems so backward to me...

[Jenos Ridan]

So your responce is to scrap the military?

I'd see your point if it took into account how much more medical supplies (especially in large amounts) cost than textbooks, hence my putting healthcare in first place for option two.

[Neoteny]

So your responce is to scrap the military?

I'd see your point if it took into account how much more medical supplies (especially in large amounts) cost than textbooks, hence my putting healthcare in first place for option two.

Like I said, it was a throwaway pick. Sorry to skew your poll. :]

[Jenos Ridan]

So Education is first. I can live with that, so long as public education is not my only recourse.

[Neoteny]

So Education is first. I can live with that, so long as public education is not my only recourse.

By all means.

[Jenos Ridan]

Of course this never got a nibble:

Ideally, Defense, Law Enforcement and Education should not have to compete for first place, we should just fund them as if each are absolutely vital. Digressing to the topic of Education.

Something I noticed as far back as High School, that in the US it is a one-size-(supposedly)fits-all system. And that quite simply does not work. I'm thinking the better system is how the Germans and, for what I've been told and researched on my own, most of the rest of Europe and Japan do their schools; figure out early on which students are college material and which are better off learning a trade.

A good example of this sort of thing being done right now is to be found in something called Clark County Skills Center, which is a vocational program that offers training equivelent to a two-year college in a number of fields, including nursing, diesel mechanic and what they called Electro-Digital Technology, which I only did one year of.

So I would propose that we adopt the gymnasiums and vocational high schools that many other "first world" nations use. I'd still allow people to home school their children if they wish, so long as they pay an extra 3% or so on their property taxes or however the school district in which they live funds its schools, and allow private schools to take on the role of "magnet" schools to a greater degree (probably via the voucher system that Bush (at least, so people say) fought for). If someone wishs to retrain in another field, there is always community college (which nobody should sneer at).

Am I "talking arse" or do I really have something? If the former, then I'll drop this like a bag of cement.

Well, am I?

[Hologram]

I just didn't vote because the options were all terrible.

[Hologram]

Of course this never got a nibble:

Ideally, Defense, Law Enforcement and Education should not have to compete for first place, we should just fund them as if each are absolutely vital. Digressing to the topic of Education.

Something I noticed as far back as High School, that in the US it is a one-size-(supposedly)fits-all system. And that quite simply does not work. I'm thinking the better system is how the Germans and, for what I've been told and researched on my own, most of the rest of Europe and Japan do their schools; figure out early on which students are college material and which are better off learning a trade.

A good example of this sort of thing being done right now is to be found in something called Clark County Skills Center, which is a vocational program that offers training equivelent to a two-year college in a number of fields, including nursing, diesel mechanic and what they called Electro-Digital Technology, which I only did one year of.

So I would propose that we adopt the gymnasiums and vocational high schools that many other "first world" nations use. I'd still allow people to home school their children if they wish, so long as they pay an extra 3% or so on their property taxes or however the school district in which they live funds its schools, and allow private schools to take on the role of "magnet" schools to a greater degree (probably via the voucher system that Bush (at least, so people say) fought for). If someone wishs to retrain in another field, there is always community college (which nobody should sneer at).

Am I "talking arse" or do I really have something? If the former, then I'll drop this like a bag of cement.

Well, am I?

It'd definitely be the most efficient way of educating.

The only problem is the glorification of free choice in this country, and telling people whether to go to vocational school or college would seem socialist/communist in nature to a bunch of ignorant Americans.

[Jenos Ridan]

I'm reminded of a speech Bill Gates gave to some high school grads. It basically boiled down to "life is nothing at all like school. Your boss doesn't give a damn if you can't "find yourself" on your own time and he/she won't go easy on you like how your parents have instructed your teachers to do" and so on. The way I see it, students shouldn't have the choice to refuse to do their assignments.

No more coddling the students. The US standards of disipline have slipped too far. For the first time in a very long, we need to follow the lead of other countries; uniforms in public schools at a minimum (not in favor of teachers being legally able to whip their students on the butt, however, being sent home sure doesn't solve anything. I'd dock major points off their grade of being a spoiled twit).