[wplug] The End of the Telcos?

Zach netrek at gmail.com
Wed Apr 16 00:01:22 EDT 2008


Another good point you touched on Terry is our public education
system. We pay more per student than *anywhere* else in the world yet
we routinely score not even in the top 10 on standardized tests for
reading, math, comprehension, science :-(

Some of the factors imho: we don't place a high cultural value on
education, at least 1/2 of the kids grow up broken homes, lack of
teacher accountability, union interests trumping those of the
students, anti-competitiveness, too many layers of beauracracy, those
at the top making so much (superintendent level and in PA 70% of
teachers are making $60,000 after 7 years! Not bad for 9 monhs of work
a year: fully funded health care plan, extremely generous pension
plan, etc. I daresay you cannot find anothing comparable in most
industries.), and government's general inefficiencies. I think if
parents had to pay tuition directly (look at China and Japan) they
would feel more invested and get more active in their child's
education. It's unfair and punitive even to make someone who never has
kids go their entire life paying for other people's children to go to
school.

Zach


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