Am I really screwed when im older?Follow

I was in History today and my teacher Mr. Marshall said that my medicare money, retirment money and so was gone because Bush spent it. Supposely he spent it all on that whole period of "War on Terrisom" thingy, I really dont know I mostly slept through it the whole time but anyways... like my teacher said we had about 275,000,000,000,000 trillion (isnt that how many numbers are in 275 trillion?) and now we owe about that much
-275,000,000,000,000 in debt. so my grandchildren are gonna be payen this off from what he said? is there some truth to this or is my teacher just stupid?

Do you listen to everything that your teacher says, Trunks?

Yes, your teacher is stupid. For more, please check out the thread that has over 150 posts about this very subject.

While the facts may be slighty incorrect, "stupid"?? 1) Stupid for making kids think? Hmmm. 2) I'd like to see you teach and make a difference.

Keep questioning, Trunks, because you are learning all about the lies that get fed to you daily.

Just a tidbit for ya. For the most part, you can't get a job teaching in a public high school without belonging to the local teacher's union. Most teacher's unions automatically take some of your dues and put it towards the Dem campaign/election funds.

Think about that the next time you think teachers are "impartial". When did we get to the point where it was assumed that teachers were all Democrats?

Tell your Mr. Marshall that he's welcome to come to this forum and debate economics here if he's willing to actually discuss such things with anyone other then impressionable young kids who don't know any better. I'd be happy to give him a butt-whupping.


Heck. Do this. The next time you see him, ask him about the whole "Bush is blowing our future bit". Then ask him if he really means to teach his kids that their only possibility for a future is to rely on things like medicare (wellfare) and Social security. I just find it offensive that a teacher would be telling kids that they have no future because their comfy wellfare benefits may not be there for them. When did we stop teaching kids that they hold in their hands their own opportunities for the future? When did we eliminate the idea that people can make their own living? By extention, he's putting the idea in these kids heads that if the government isn't there to give them stuff, they can't succeed.

I'd whip his butt in person if I knew where he worked. That just infuriates me. His job is to be teaching kids. Preparing them for their futures. Giving them the best chance possible to succeed. Instead, he's practically telling the kids that their future lies with government entitlement and no where else. That is so horribly wrong. He'd hurt them less if he was molesting them in a back room. Seriously.

Niiiiice.

So this is what my hard earned tax dollars are going to? Democrap Party propaganda? No wonder our public school system is in the *******. Good job, Teach, on educating our young to think for themselves, to learn about the world around us without putting a spin on the results. Yay for you and your union card.

And they wonder why the Republicans want to completely destroy the unions. Perhaps if the teachers union actually stuck to teaching the 3 R's and left the politicization of education to the kid's parents, maybe the budget process would be kinder to you? Freaking idiots.

Totem

Next time you want infomation about your ecconomic future ask your ecconomic's teacher not your History teacher.

Or if you want good grades just nod and agree

I understand what you are getting at, Jo, but a parent can't help but imprint his political values-- or the lack of them --on his children. That is the parent's choice, and not something which a teacher has any business involving himself in. I encourage my kids to make their own choices, but when asked I tell them what I believe. This involves explaining what the other side believes, why they believe it (to the best of my ability, however limited that may be), and why I believe it is wrong.

I can assume you don't let Jophiel Jr. grow up in a vacuum when he asks you what you believe, right? You won't tell him that you're not about to speak of those things because you want him to make his own mind up? After all, if you don't give him a foundation on which to grow, somebody else will. So when he listens to you, of course he takes on your values. And this is as it should be.

In the grand scheme of things it amounts to this: My two little facists are off set by Smasharoo's communist cats. Thankfully, my progeny will be able to vote, whereas his will be too high on catnip to bother, even if they could drive to the polling place like Tounces the Driving Cat.

Totem

My sex ed teacher in the 7th grade told us that the Roman empire fell because of homosexuality. In high school I had a history teacher that started every day by saying "History is a group of lies men agree upon".

Instead of turning me into an adult homophobe who denies the holocaust happened, these teachers helped me to become a critical thinker.

I find all your fake outrage pretty funny. The tide had turned. Bush is kaput, might as well get used to historians bashing him, because the majority of Americans are no longer fooled by Mr. Bush, his far right agenda or his voodoo economics. The GOP has had it's shot; full control of the government for two years. Their grand political experiment has blown up in their faces, for all the world to see.

I mean isn't ironic that the president of the US trashed the economy, started a war of agression and then fouled it up, made up bogus science to support its nonregulatory ideology and lied about all of it and you compare a teacher who speaks his mind to his students to a child molester?

Congratulations, when Bush is tossed out of office in november, when the next three generations study his administration as what not to do, you can still look like a fool by defending him! You'll have a losing debate to last you a lifetime.

Thanks for the laugh guys.

Edited, Tue Mar 2 14:42:44 2004 by Meadros

Care to make a bet, Meadros? I'm going on record as saying the Republicans will retain, if not increase their hold on Congress and Bush will be re-elected in November. Pick your stakes, buddy. I'm already gonna win a Bush doll complete with kung fu grip from Smash, so why not something else? I dunno, a Cheney doll with a fist full of Monopoly money or something.

:D

Totem

Only time will tell. But how about a bet? I am taking all bets ~ say $25 gift certificates to Best Buy? I am that confident that Bush is out. Who wants in?

Eh, I think I'd enjoy spending your money more. I have one condition, it has to be a clean election. Any Supreme Court interference after the fact negates the bet. In turn I won't hold you senate seats lost, this is about Bush's reelection only.

Agreed?

Kids can get a stunningly good education in America, but many children do not. If children feel education is really important they will put effort into it. Parents are a huge factor in this. Teachers can motivate kids to some extent, too. Placing the blame solely on the teachers is like placing the blame for crime on the police. Obviously, there are other factors.

I find it ironic that the politics of teacher's unions has entered into this discussion. I'm a member of a union. I don't have to be, or pay, but they represent me so I joined and I pay. I vote in their elections. We could vote for any candidate and they can send our money anywhere. Its not like there is some big conspiracy to force us all to vote Democratic, or vote for liberal union representatives. I'm sure there are some people who are forced to join the union to be, say a public school teacher, but you always have the choice to go to a private school and when you join you do vote in union elections (maybe there are unions which don't vote I don't know) so you are deciding how your money is spent.

Far more liberal countries than the US have far better results in education for far less money - but it has nothing to do with politics. People in those countries value education. Some of them immigrate to the US, they still value education and their children do well here, in general.

Of course the whole system of basically bribing politicians is insane.

To answer the original question, yes you are screwed in that you inheret a huge debt which was spent, basically, since 1970. You can look up what it is and was spent on. No, Bush did not create the whole debt, but did contribute to it with tax cuts and added spending.

Probably the eligibility age will increase for social security but if you are in high school it is unlikely that you will have paid much into the system and you are very far away from gaining the benefits. Probably the system will change over time in several ways before you retire.

I'm all for raising the eligibility age for social security in the US, as Alan Greenspan says people deserve to know what is in store for them - basically we need to let people know now if we are going to make some change in the future. Perhaps we should give five year notice (this is a minimum to me) that the eligibility age will rise to 66. (Also, you know you can take benefits early, so already the limits are not "hard").

It is unlikely social security will be touched because so many older people vote. Sure they have AARP and they collect a nontrivial ammount of money to wave at politicians, but they vote - and that is also very important. And since the older people won't be effected, expect the rest of us to take up the slack, in one way or another.

As for teachers voicing opinions in class - it is inevitable. Sure its not "professional" but you should expect some of it and tolerate some of it: these people are hanging out with your kids all day something political may come out. (Especially if they are nervous). Obviously, if it is excessive you should complain - and that's the bottom line: you have to take an active role in raising your children. You should talk with them about stuff - you are probably a far, far bigger influence than all the teachers put together. Because if it is not teachers it will be somebody - maybe a talk radio host or their racist friend or maybe a kindly little old lady. Somebody will influence their thought its sort of the parent's job to ensure they have a basis from which to judge the merit of such influences and this is essentially morality.

Easy solution: don't get old. Die young. You really won't want to live past 65 anyways.









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