Jenksismyhero Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:20 AM) I agree that some form of financial planning/responsibility class as well as other real life prep classes should be offered (if not mandatory) in high school. I do disagree with cutting things like language. As someone who's lived and traveled through Europe, it's kind of embarrassing that Americans are so culturally ignorant and inept compared to most Europeans, who often speak 2, 3 or even more languages. As for the JSF program and any other military program, well I don't think people realize how many people these programs keep employed. My company will supply around $20M of product in support of this program this year. But we're not supplying it to Lockheed Martin. We're supplying it to an integrator, who will then go to another subcontractor who then supplies to Lockheed Martin. At the other end, we will need to buy a sizable amount of product to help us from our own contractors this year. The military budget funds so many jobs. I don't think people comprehend that. I know I didn't before I worked in the military aerospace industry. When even one large government contract gets cancelled or program gets de-funded, the result is thousands of lost jobs. And usually good paying jobs at that. Do you mean more than it is currently? College is already offered to veterans for free. I'd support something similar for Americorps type organizations, but I don't know what making these mandatory for any sort of financial at all would accomplish. There are also programs that allow you to do this stuff after college and get your student loans waived/forgiven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:20 AM) I agree that some form of financial planning/responsibility class as well as other real life prep classes should be offered (if not mandatory) in high school. I do disagree with cutting things like language. As someone who's lived and traveled through Europe, it's kind of embarrassing that Americans are so culturally ignorant and inept compared to most Europeans, who often speak 2, 3 or even more languages. As for the JSF program and any other military program, well I don't think people realize how many people these programs keep employed. My company will supply around $20M of product in support of this program this year. But we're not supplying it to Lockheed Martin. We're supplying it to an integrator, who will then go to another subcontractor who then supplies to Lockheed Martin. At the other end, we will need to buy a sizable amount of product to help us from our own contractors this year. The military budget funds so many jobs. I don't think people comprehend that. I know I didn't before I worked in the military aerospace industry. When even one large government contract gets cancelled or program gets de-funded, the result is thousands of lost jobs. And usually good paying jobs at that. Do you mean more than it is currently? College is already offered to veterans for free. I'd support something similar for Americorps type organizations, but I don't know what making these mandatory for any sort of financial at all would accomplish. Just the idea of doing some form of service for your country instead of expecting something to be given to you...building character and citizenship simultaneously. Another argument is practical experience in the real world before learning theory in college would be quite helpful for many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 07:20 AM) I agree that some form of financial planning/responsibility class as well as other real life prep classes should be offered (if not mandatory) in high school. I do disagree with cutting things like language. As someone who's lived and traveled through Europe, it's kind of embarrassing that Americans are so culturally ignorant and inept compared to most Europeans, who often speak 2, 3 or even more languages. As for the JSF program and any other military program, well I don't think people realize how many people these programs keep employed. My company will supply around $20M of product in support of this program this year. But we're not supplying it to Lockheed Martin. We're supplying it to an integrator, who will then go to another subcontractor who then supplies to Lockheed Martin. At the other end, we will need to buy a sizable amount of product to help us from our own contractors this year. The military budget funds so many jobs. I don't think people comprehend that. I know I didn't before I worked in the military aerospace industry. When even one large government contract gets cancelled or program gets de-funded, the result is thousands of lost jobs. And usually good paying jobs at that. Do you mean more than it is currently? College is already offered to veterans for free. I'd support something similar for Americorps type organizations, but I don't know what making these mandatory for any sort of financial at all would accomplish. I think a foreign language was required for you to graduate from my high school. I do think that requirement should remain in tact. The world's economy is global and the more people we have that can communicate with various people, the better. The curriculum of high school should be geared toward what people can expect in life. The more educated kids are, the less mistakes you hope they make when it comes to finances, life choices, and etc. I know military contracts produce jobs. I just find the money spent on top notch planes, weaponry, and ships are not be beneficial to the American people (financially for some people yes). What good is a new weapon for the average American? The illusion of protection? I rather see that money spent on the infrastructure. Amtrak is a bottom feeding rail service compared to other industrialized nations. That in itself is a good investment that will produce tons of jobs. Look at the bridges and roads! They are a heartbeat away from a tragedy that could be prevented. America touts as being the greatest nation on the planet yet they lack basic fundamental services. At some point we have to look at the s*** we've got ourselves in and say, "WE CAN DO BETTER!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigruss Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Is knowing a foreign language as important as personal finances? It's a zero sum game, you only have so many hours in a day for classes. I would probably land on personal finances as being more important, at least in this country. While knowing a foreign language is great, English is pretty well accepted around the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 10:30 AM) Is knowing a foreign language as important as personal finances? It's a zero sum game, you only have so many hours in a day for classes. I would probably land on personal finances as being more important, at least in this country. While knowing a foreign language is great, English is pretty well accepted around the world. Then I'm making arts and literature classes electives. Learning a foreign language is an investment in a sense. English might be accepted but that doesn't mean we should be complacent. The world is too big for the egocentric attitudes most Americans exhibit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrimsonWeltall Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 05:36 PM) Then I'm making arts and literature classes electives. Learning a foreign language is an investment in a sense. English might be accepted but that doesn't mean we should be complacent. The world is too big for the egocentric attitudes most Americans exhibit. I doubt there's a great ROI on 4-6 years of Latin or French or German. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 11:45 AM) I doubt there's a great ROI on 4-6 years of Latin or French or German. Latin is very helpful when it comes to SAT or ACT time, and with communication generally. You are essentially learning the roots of English. If you see a term you aren't familiar with, but you know something similar in Latin, you're probably on the right track. But yeah, not exactly using it much in the real world. Unless you go into the Priesthood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiSox_Sonix Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 11:23 AM) I think a foreign language was required for you to graduate from my high school. I do think that requirement should remain in tact. The world's economy is global and the more people we have that can communicate with various people, the better. The curriculum of high school should be geared toward what people can expect in life. The more educated kids are, the less mistakes you hope they make when it comes to finances, life choices, and etc. I know military contracts produce jobs. I just find the money spent on top notch planes, weaponry, and ships are not be beneficial to the American people (financially for some people yes). What good is a new weapon for the average American? The illusion of protection? I rather see that money spent on the infrastructure. Amtrak is a bottom feeding rail service compared to other industrialized nations. That in itself is a good investment that will produce tons of jobs. Look at the bridges and roads! They are a heartbeat away from a tragedy that could be prevented. America touts as being the greatest nation on the planet yet they lack basic fundamental services. At some point we have to look at the s*** we've got ourselves in and say, "WE CAN DO BETTER!" I would love, love, love our country to invest in real rail infrastructure. That may be the thing I miss/envy the most about Europe. The ease of getting around without the need for personal transportation is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I would love, love, love our country to invest in real rail infrastructure. That may be the thing I miss/envy the most about Europe. The ease of getting around without the need for personal transportation is awesome. I'd love to see a Midwestern high speed rail network centered around Chicago: Chicago-Kenosha-Milwaukee-Madison-Rochester-Minneapolis Chicago-Davenport-Des Moines Chicago-Peoria-Springfield-St Louis-Columbia-Kansas City Chicago-Lafayette-Indianapolis-Cincinnati Chicago-Kalamazoo-Detroit Chicago-South Bend-Toledo-Cleveland Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illinilaw08 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 12:45 PM) I doubt there's a great ROI on 4-6 years of Latin or French or German. I'd also be making kids start foreign language in grade school. There's significant value to knowing a foreign language, but it's really difficult to get anywhere close to fluent in four years of high school (which was the requirement when I was going through). There have been a number of times in my professional life where having a real command of Spanish would have been extremely valuable... So there you have it - I'd make personal wealth management a pre-requisite to high school graduation and I'd be throwing in foreign language in grade school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illinilaw08 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 01:25 PM) I'd love to see a Midwestern high speed rail network centered around Chicago: Chicago-Kenosha-Milwaukee-Madison-Rochester-Minneapolis Chicago-Davenport-Des Moines Chicago-Peoria-Springfield-St Louis-Columbia-Kansas City Chicago-Lafayette-Indianapolis-Cincinnati Chicago-Kalamazoo-Detroit Chicago-South Bend-Toledo-Cleveland Chicago-Fort Wayne-Columbus Agreed. I see high speed rail as having a ton of value regionally - in the Northeast and the Midwest in particular. Just need somebody to bite bullet and invest in the very high start-up costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 12:31 PM) Agreed. I see high speed rail as having a ton of value regionally - in the Northeast and the Midwest in particular. Just need somebody to bite bullet and invest in the very high start-up costs. Divert some of that bloated military budget to this. How many times over has the US outspent the world in military spending and for how many years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 How many schools offer Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, etc.? I learned Spanish, and that's quite practical inside the US and abroad, but there needs to be a serious rethinking of what languages will be the most important in the future...not the world of 1945. As far as getting rid of liberal arts courses, being able to communicate effectively verbally (and written) is still a critical tool for future success. Where will that foundation come from, especially with courses like history and debate also fading? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 01:50 PM) Divert some of that bloated military budget to this. How many times over has the US outspent the world in military spending and for how many years? What Republican other than Rand Paul would sign off on that after all the Obama criticism for softness and not projecting power around the globe effectively? Not enough bombing runs in Syria, etc. I suppose Trump will make some proclamation our enemies will pay for the increases, or we'll use the seized oil assets. Still, more likely to see military budget increases, if anything. Edited February 17, 2016 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 04:11 PM) What Republican other than Rand Paul would sign off on that after all the Obama criticism for softness and not projecting power around the globe effectively? Not enough bombing runs in Syria, etc. I suppose Trump will make some proclamation our enemies will pay for the increases, or we'll use the seized oil assets. Still, more likely to see military budget increases, if anything. I get why the US spends astronomical amounts of dough on the military but in my opinion, there in lies the problem. We are too quick to use our new toys to intimidate instead of being leaders. If you're a big guy in the room that can already take on everyone, why do you need a machine gun too? People say it's weak to cut military spending but do they realize that we spend more than many countries combined! That is just unacceptable if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 12:30 PM) I'd also be making kids start foreign language in grade school. There's significant value to knowing a foreign language, but it's really difficult to get anywhere close to fluent in four years of high school (which was the requirement when I was going through). There have been a number of times in my professional life where having a real command of Spanish would have been extremely valuable... So there you have it - I'd make personal wealth management a pre-requisite to high school graduation and I'd be throwing in foreign language in grade school. I think different schools have different philosophies. Only the gifted students were even considered to be taught foreign language and even then they had to get their education in a school for the gifted or at a model school level. I think it's worth knowing a foreign language or recognizing some of it, but it has to be one that is relevant to today's world. I do think that in high school, students and parents should have the option to take either a foreign language class (for however many years they want, I got away with two years of Spanish that my undergraduate institutions counted) or the option to take an additional course of their choosing to work on if it is identified as a deficiency of theirs. Math or science comes to mind - this way the student could work on a deficiency in a certain subject and not have to go through two years of Algebra when they are acing the remedial course and get up to the next level sooner/better their ACT score in that subject. Then again, a student could suck on their ACT, get awesome grades at a community college and get into a school of their choosing. Someone also mentioned the value of liberal arts courses - I think there's some value as long as someone is able to pick what they want to learn. For example, journalism and radio/TV were electives but they allowed me to perform better on the writing portion of the ACT test because of the skills I picked up in those two courses and in US History. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmteam Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Feb 17, 2016 -> 12:31 PM) Agreed. I see high speed rail as having a ton of value regionally - in the Northeast and the Midwest in particular. Just need somebody to bite bullet and invest in the very high start-up costs. Sign me up. Infrastructure is where I want to see the biggest spending increases, and military the biggest cuts. Just cutting the military budget would severely mess up the economy, as mentioned, but shifting all the money to other areas would definitely help. But the fact that the economy depends so much on the military industrial complex is in itself a problem. As to pettie's question, the US spends as much on its military as the next 9 countries combined. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count...ry_expenditures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDF Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) what i am posting is not a direct or indirect shot or correction to anyone. what i am posting was something i thought would reinforced what was said, which is a great topic. #1 nice article and actual chart and explanation. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/st...-nations-combi/ #2 show global spending per top military https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldvi...t-of-the-world/ #3 RANKED: The world's 20 strongest militaries http://www.businessinsider.com/these-are-t...s-ranked-2015-9 Edited February 18, 2016 by LDF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 https://www.yahoo.com/politics/if-trump-win...2603880502.html How Christie might have inadvertently cost the GOP both the 2012 and 2016 elections... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 https://www.yahoo.com/politics/if-trump-win...2603880502.html How Christie might have inadvertently cost the GOP both the 2012 and 2016 elections... John McCain cost the GOP the 2012 election when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 09:07 AM) John McCain cost the GOP the 2012 election when he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. That was clearly his biggest mistake, though I am not sure he would have beaten Obama even with a competent VP on his ticket. Would certainly have been closer at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 That was clearly his biggest mistake, though I am not sure he would have beaten Obama even with a competent VP on his ticket. Would certainly have been closer at least. A closer election in 2008 at least makes Obama slightly vulnerable in 2012. As it played out, nobody had a chance to beat him in 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Feb 18, 2016 -> 09:28 AM) A closer election in 2008 at least makes Obama slightly vulnerable in 2012. As it played out, nobody had a chance to beat him in 2012. Obama was vulnerable for defeat in 2012. However, the Republicans simply do not know how to put candidates forward that make anyone other than Republicans, excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Under GOP rules, 30% before Iowa/New Hampshire implies a delegate majority: Simulating the “proportional” rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix...ling-the-truth/ Please pass this onto the RNC. They should just make one ad with this video sequence and play it over for the general election in every state one million times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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