EPT2008 US Presidential Election - Page 31
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Skye_MyO
Singapore107 Posts
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Rayzorblade
United States1172 Posts
The facts show that there are disparities in the quality of education between lower-, middle-, and upper-class districts and, even more striking, there are huge opportunity inequalities that are borne primarily out of the concentration of wealth in our country. I find it even absurd that you suggest that "any student anywhere in the US can get an amazing education in high school if he tries to," because the fact is that there are students out there who are really trying, but the environments which they find themselves are devastating both socially and mentally. Is it any wonder then that two students, scoring equally well on I.Q. tests, one from a lower-class family and one from an upper-class family, will have completely different opportunities when it comes to education? | ||
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ahrara_
Afghanistan1715 Posts
On October 21 2008 14:37 Skye_MyO wrote: John Stossel has a new special out on the presidential race, dated Oct 17 i think http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phs6CwnutoY look at me i'm john stossel i have a mustache and a tv show i get to pretend to be a journalist! Seriously, I can't stand this guy. He has no understanding of anything he "reports" on. | ||
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oneofthem
Cayman Islands24199 Posts
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D10
Brazil3409 Posts
As you can read in the comments. PLEASE DO IT, the coffin is already nailed, now all you need is some dirt to make it disapear. Its the end of the republican party as we know it. | ||
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The Storyteller
Singapore2486 Posts
On October 21 2008 11:25 TimeShifter wrote: O.O okay..maybe you are right..i dont really understand the american education system but i believe its far better than the Singaporean one and quite effective, looking at the talents they produce everyday, from World class "Rocket Scientists" to basketball players..you know..my country cant produce any real professionals, just bookworms who are good at examinations.. i feel that the american economy should be prioritized more because the education system is already comparatively top-notch.. Btw, does anyone here understands why the US dollar is rising all of a sudden when the credit crisis just happened..i think its because its near the end of the bush administration and there is more public confidence in Obama/McCain.. i am not living in america so i dont really have an idea..any suggestions anyone?? As a fellow Singaporean I must disagree with you. Our education system is very, very, very good. I have taught in a school before and I continue to give private tuition. It is just not true that Singaporeans can't think, or that our education system only goes for rote learning. Of course it is true that memory work gets a lot of emphasis. But that is the basis of all education. You can't learn to play Starraft unless you memorise your hotkeys and build order, and you can't learn to write unless you memorise some vocabulary. As for Singapore not producing world class scientists and sportsmen, that's not a result of our education system, it's a result of our population size. Obviously in a country of 4 million, you are not going to get a whole lot of world class scientists. That is not to say that the US does not have a very good university system. It does. I am especially impressed by it when I watch Girls Gone Wild. But a big reason for its high standards is the fact that the US has a huge population which can support multiple universities, all of which compete for students. That is hard to replicate in Singapore (though we're getting there... SMU has really made NUS and NTU work harder). Also, just take a look at the facilities in our schools, from primary all the way to university. I have never seen another country, not even Britain, that even comes close to having such good facilities. Even the lousiest, crappiest primary school in Singapore has computers, science labs, a library, a field... I haven't even seen a chalkboard in the past 5 years - they've all been replaced by computers. And all those facilities are with land in Singapore being at a premium. I know not everything can be solved with money. But when our students see that so much money is being pumped into schools, it sends a clear signal - you are valuable, and we want you to have a good education. When you have lousy schools, you send the signal that nobody cares about education, that it's not important. That has dire consequences. Finally, Singapore's schools are very safe. Bullying is not a major problem, drugs are kept out of schools, discipline is generally enforced. The schools are so safe that many parents feel safe about their students staying back in school to studying with friends or by themselves. Providing a safe environment in which to learn is crucial to having a good education system. Singapore's education system isn't perfect. But it's definitely very good. As for the dollar going up, I think it's partly because currency levels are all relative. If all economies go down, but the US goes down less than most, the US dollar will still go up. It could also be because of people buying US dollars to purchase things like US government bonds as a safe place to park their money in uncertain times. | ||
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Choros
Australia530 Posts
That is not to say that the US does not have a very good university system. It does. Individual American Universities receive billions of dollars in funding, this in my opinion is why the United States apparently has the highest spending on education per student in the world. They have no issue with pouring billions of dollars into institutions primarily inhabited by the rich and in the process distort average statistics creating misleading results. Singapore's education systems success is largely due to significant Government support and funding. Money may not be able to solve everything but it certainly can solve many things. Singapore is also testament of how a big government approach can achieve tremendous things, particularly when the government earns significant revenue from the private sector. The Singapore government actually owns most of Australia's telecommunications and many of our airlines for example. Obama's education plan is in my opinion one of the most sus aspects of his policies, he actually agrees with McCain to a large extent. Now he will spend more on it which will help the economy by creating jobs and also improve education standards this is basically essential but like McCain he advocates charter schools which I personally disapprove of. They basically argue that reducing government spending increases the quality of education this is in essence what charter schools attempt to achieve. This is madness covered up through convoluted logic and pseudo economics. We will find out if it will work one way or another however as both candidates support them. It is interesting that one of Obama's economic advisers is a stringent free market economist from the Chicago school, hence Obama's support of charter schools. This is the type of economist you would expect to be advocating McCain's policies so who knows what impact this will actually have on Obama in the longer term but thus far Obama's policies are all quite competent but come from a big government philosophy which Chicago economists traditionally oppose. Fixing the economy cannot be achieved in the long term without fixing the education system. Every developed economy relies upon its educated work force to succeed. Education standards in the United States have fallen to second world standards (approximating Slovenia in international rankings). This effectively means that the majority of the labor force are attempting to compete with the second world including places like China. They simply cannot compete for wages resulting in downward pressure on the economy as it has reduced wages in some cases and costing jobs in others. The United States must improve their education system and return their strategic economic focus back to the services sector and other education centric sectors like high-tech manufacturing, sectors the United States has fallen behind in. On a different note the demand for Government securities is an interesting thing at the moment. Traditionally the stock market falls and demand for government securities rises as people retreat to the safe heaven. Over the last few weeks the stock market has fallen and the demand for Government securities has remained weak. This is basically a sign that people are loosing confidence in the ability of the American state to repay their debt, for obvious reasons the deficit for next year is estimated at around $1.4 Trillion. I take this to mean not so much the United States will go broke rather that it is a realistic prospect at this point particularly if the economic situation continues to deteriorate. It also means that the paralyzing phobia of increased taxes which McCain actively preaches is dangerously inept as tax hikes which are well targeted is literally the only feasible option at this point and can be done without negative economic effects. This is reason enough in its own right to for god sake vote Obama. | ||
Jibba
United States22883 Posts
This is why I don't believe any of the polling data they give. The survey also suggests that most Americans are not happy with President Bush. Seventy-two percent of those questioned disapprove of the president's handling of his job. Do you honestly believe 28% of Americans think Bush has done a decent job? Do you even think 2/10 Americans think that? | ||
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TimeShifter
Singapore235 Posts
On October 21 2008 18:40 The Storyteller wrote: As a fellow Singaporean I must disagree with you. Our education system is very, very, very good. I have taught in a school before and I continue to give private tuition. It is just not true that Singaporeans can't think, or that our education system only goes for rote learning. Of course it is true that memory work gets a lot of emphasis. But that is the basis of all education. You can't learn to play Starraft unless you memorise your hotkeys and build order, and you can't learn to write unless you memorise some vocabulary. As for Singapore not producing world class scientists and sportsmen, that's not a result of our education system, it's a result of our population size. Obviously in a country of 4 million, you are not going to get a whole lot of world class scientists. That is not to say that the US does not have a very good university system. It does. I am especially impressed by it when I watch Girls Gone Wild. But a big reason for its high standards is the fact that the US has a huge population which can support multiple universities, all of which compete for students. That is hard to replicate in Singapore (though we're getting there... SMU has really made NUS and NTU work harder). Also, just take a look at the facilities in our schools, from primary all the way to university. I have never seen another country, not even Britain, that even comes close to having such good facilities. Even the lousiest, crappiest primary school in Singapore has computers, science labs, a library, a field... I haven't even seen a chalkboard in the past 5 years - they've all been replaced by computers. And all those facilities are with land in Singapore being at a premium. I know not everything can be solved with money. But when our students see that so much money is being pumped into schools, it sends a clear signal - you are valuable, and we want you to have a good education. When you have lousy schools, you send the signal that nobody cares about education, that it's not important. That has dire consequences. Finally, Singapore's schools are very safe. Bullying is not a major problem, drugs are kept out of schools, discipline is generally enforced. The schools are so safe that many parents feel safe about their students staying back in school to studying with friends or by themselves. Providing a safe environment in which to learn is crucial to having a good education system. Singapore's education system isn't perfect. But it's definitely very good. As for the dollar going up, I think it's partly because currency levels are all relative. If all economies go down, but the US goes down less than most, the US dollar will still go up. It could also be because of people buying US dollars to purchase things like US government bonds as a safe place to park their money in uncertain times. hmm..but it seems we produce no world class scientists or talents..except for our leaders of course. i daresay Mr Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is a very talented leader..other than that, there is almost no talent produced from our education system.. i have always wanted to be part of america, and study there..it has always presented itself as a place where people get rights and choose what they want to be, not like in Singapore, where we toil so hard on textbooks and things that we would never ever apply to real life. i have always wanted to be a world class Quantum Physicist and work in CERN..i feel so stuck in this education system, don't you feel the same when u were young?i am only in Secondary 4..taking my Cambridge Ordinary level lol..i just had English examinations today.. | ||
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JudasT
Spain2226 Posts
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=3iojPaw8yX0 | ||
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TimeShifter
Singapore235 Posts
On October 21 2008 23:29 JudasT wrote: <3 Obama coolest campaign vid ever seen in my life..Singapore politics are so boring | ||
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D10
Brazil3409 Posts
What that means is, its impossible to watch non cable tv. | ||
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
Then again, Obama wouldn't have had a chance if that were the case, so who knows. | ||
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D10
Brazil3409 Posts
Well thats why this could only happen in america hehehe | ||
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Flaccid
8859 Posts
On October 21 2008 13:21 Savio wrote: I'm not disagreeing with you, but I would like to see a source I could read about the comparison between Canadian and US education. I have never compared the two so I wanna read it. Thx. I don't have anything at all to add to this conversation (as I'm not a fan of my country's education system either), but since someone decided to post a statement without supporting it, I'll post a link: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS138590 03-Mar-2008 BW20080303 Cheers | ||
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TimeShifter
Singapore235 Posts
On October 22 2008 01:33 D10 wrote: Hahaha, yea americans have a way more enjoyable campaign, here in Brazil theres a retarded law that when its campaigning time around 6 hours of everday TV is given to the candidates to make adds, for FREE, and they use money to buy MORE TIME. What that means is, its impossible to watch non cable tv. hahax.. :D | ||
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Haemonculus
United States6980 Posts
On October 21 2008 14:42 Rayzorblade wrote: The facts show that there are disparities in the quality of education between lower-, middle-, and upper-class districts and, even more striking, there are huge opportunity inequalities that are borne primarily out of the concentration of wealth in our country. I find it even absurd that you suggest that "any student anywhere in the US can get an amazing education in high school if he tries to," because the fact is that there are students out there who are really trying, but the environments which they find themselves are devastating both socially and mentally. I have to second this. Every now and then I volunteer to work with my mom at the National Cathedral giving tours to school kids. These kids are usually from inner city DC schools, and it's really sad to watch. Some of these kids in 5th grade cannot add two-digit numbers in their head. They can't answer the simplest questions of American history, and there are roughly 50 of them for one teacher. It's horrible. They will in no way ever be prepared for the life ahead of them. They aren't learning anything in their schools. And every now and then we get a group that comes from a private school. The difference is unbelievable. Kids that ask engaging questions, can try to solve math problems, (If this column is 15 feet wide, how long is it's circumference?) They've heard of George Washington and are aware who the current president is. The disparity is absolutely mind blowing. I feel so incredibly bad for these inner city public school kids, (90% minorities), who are completely let down by their school system. And then these rich kids, (99% white), who are just at a completely different level. I was lucky to go to good public schools, and I think my high school was rated one of the best in the state of Maryland, but it is absolutely ridiculous to think that these kids in DC have even the slightest chance of growing out of poverty. To say that they have just as much hope for a better future as the rich kids if they just tried hard enough is absurd. | ||
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Jibba
United States22883 Posts
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Biff The Understudy
France7929 Posts
On October 22 2008 00:02 TimeShifter wrote: coolest campaign vid ever seen in my life..Singapore politics are so boring 1- Politic is not an entertainement. 2- In US, there is no regulation about compaign's financement. Better being very rich and have very rich friends to be elected president. | ||
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TimeShifter
Singapore235 Posts
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