Problems Require Good Solutions, Not Feel Good Bandaids

Here is a quote from Adam in one of his posts:

It’s time to start working to fix our failing K-12 education system, to bring minimum wages up to living standards, to move forward on better healthcare for every American, to make a college education more affordable, to honestly fix Social Security, and to move America toward renewable energy sciences.Lost Adam

I like Adam and he is a smart fellow even if he did vote for Nancy Pelosi and I agree with some of the things he says in principle. He says that things like gay marriage and Flag burning are fringe items that do not deserve the attention of real problems. This would be so true if activist judges did not keep seeing words in state and federal Constitutions that are not there. Adam indicates it will take time to achieve the above and that it involves more than poor legislation designed to influence elections (I know he means from both parties). He is right it will be hard but if he wants success, I offer these solutions. They will work as has been demonstrated in the private sector and in other countries.

However, spending more money will not fix the educational system. The per student spending in the poorest performing school districts is thousands of dollars more than in a private school yet the private schools perform better. It is also thousands more in better performing districts. Money is not the variable that is causing the problem. We have spent billions of dollars on education and yet Johnny can not read. Perhaps it is because Johnny’s teacher can not read. Or because Johnny’s teacher is too busy working on union activities and endorsing Democrats so she can get a pay raise for incompetence.

College education can be more affordable if we get rid of tenured professors who allow students to teach while they write their books. Maybe we can do a market analysis or if we are going to pay for people’s college, they have to go to local community colleges. If you want to go to an Ivy League school you should have your own Ivy League money. Also, anyone who gets money for college should have to prove they are a citizen of this country.

To honestly fix Social Security we need to allow people to invest some of it in private accounts. The money they pay in should be theirs as much after it is extorted from them as it is when they earn it. Privatized accounts ALWAYS perform better than anything the government does. Additionally, when people die they can pass THEIR money on to their families (without a death tax would be great). Another benefit would be that the government can not dip into private accounts in order to extract extra money and leave an IOU. Private accounts make the best sense and ALL of your elected officials have their investments in private accounts because they know that SS will not be worth anything. SS is designed to make old people live on fixed incomes and be forever in debt to the government. Private accounts will not lose money but if we accept that they will, then so will the money held by the government. You can not trust the government to manage it and the courts have ruled that the government is not obligated to pay out the benefits. Private accounts also keep ILLEGALS from drawing money to which they are not entitled.

Renewable energy is a good idea. Nuclear power plants would be best. There is never going to be a shortage of nuclear fuel and electricity will be so cheap we can cheaply produce hysrogen to run hydrogen automobiles. The fact is that until we get on the ball and see that nuclear energy is cheap and safe and until we build the plants, we will depend on oil so we need to consider drilling in ANWR. If not then people need to stop crying about the cost of gas and just pony up the money.

Adam is a sharp guy but these problems will not be solved by throwing money at them. We have proven this with the educational system and with the so called war on poverty (3 trillion dollars and the poverty rate is the same as when the war started 40 years ago). We need to get rid of the entitlement mentality and the idea that government is there to provide for us. Let us manage our money and we will do well.

Are all people earning minimum wage dead? If not then they are making a living wage.

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10 Responses to “Problems Require Good Solutions, Not Feel Good Bandaids”

  1. Adam says:

    Why is it that you (and others apparently) desolve all arguments like mine down to “throwing money” at things? I’m not calling for simply “throwing money” at anything, although money is important. On one hand you mention that I’m not calling just for throwing money around, but then on the other hand you only argue in this regard.

    Our priorities are not set correctly in this country. With education for example something like money will take care of itself once America realizes the biggest threat to our democracy is not terrorists but instead a miss-informed electorate. Also, you make puns out of a living wage, but this is deadly serious to many Americans.

  2. Adam says:

    To restate, the entire point of the post on my site was that we’ve voted for a change in Congress and I pray that both parties will begin to work together to find real solutions to the real problems facing this country because the 109th is worthless as a whole.

  3. Big Dog says:

    I don’t believe I said that you felt that way but that this was not the solution. However, I suppose that one could intimate that from the post. Of course then, one could intimate from your post that you advocate throwing money around by saying we are spending it in unnecessary items when these items need to be fixed…

    The minimum wage is not designed for people to raise families on. I never believed that it should be government regulated. The market should determine it. Get rid of the illegals and you will see employers raise their wages to attract workers. Living wage is another ridiculous term used to make it appear as if a person can not live on it but then they would obviously be dead, would they not?

    Educate the electorate? Like they do in colleges. It is pretty obvious that people need to be educated after the last election. Many voted just in opposition or protest. That is not a reason to vote, but it is theirs. As far as education goes, I will be happy if schools teach skills that people can use and let them develop critical thinking so that they can decide for themselves instead of having lefty teachers forming their opinions for them. Jay Benesch ring a bell. Ward Churchill?

    As for

  4. Big Dog says:

    No argument here. The 109th was worthless regardless of party. They were there 95 days or so and that is a waste of money. They come in late Monday and leave late Thursday or early Friday. I want them there 40 hours a week at least and doing what they should be. That goes for all of them and you can find a number of posts here where I have said as much.

    Interesting, when people talk about Tuesday they say that people voted for change (not that there will be any except as I noted) but when Bush won in 2000 (and he did) people cried instead of saying that the people voted. How many Republican lawsuits and recounts have been demanded? None, tells you quite a bit about the philosophies of the parties.

    One believes it is entitled to be in office and if they do not win they need to find out what went wrong and where all the voter fraud was. When they win, there was no voter fraud and people wanted change. When the other side loses they go home and don’t claim fraud or file lawsuits. Can anyone explain that?

  5. Adam says:

    When you say “Adam is a sharp guy but these problems will not be solved by throwing money at them” it looks a lot like you’re suggesting that I’m calling for throwing money at it, but let’s not argue too much. We’re basically agreeing except for a small set of jests and jabs.

    I’m not sure about the answer to the lawsuit and election stuff. There are still cases of voter intimidation and things of that nature and they will be investigated and dealt with hopefully and I believe it’s more the nature of the election system and not one party. Our election system is one that allows millions of votes to go un-counted or not even be cast and we are all somehow okay with this? The real question is why AREN’T the Republicans crying foul?

    I wish there would be a special session of congress after every election to consider the election alone and look back on all the things that went right and all the things that went wrong with the process. Americans deserve such a thing.

    As for voting for change…if I may turn an old Bush phrase around: The Republicans had their moment. They have not led. I believe the Democrats will.

  6. Big Dog says:

    The Republicans are not crying foul because for the most part elections are fair. I completely trust electronic voting I just do not trust the people who run the machines. Having said that, there is little evidence of voter intimidation other than someone saying they felt intimidated by a police car or some crap like that. Considering that there was at least one fight, might not be a bad idea to have a cop around.

    Additionally, I have no problem if an illegal does not vote because a cop was there. I have no problem with people who are not allowed to vote not voting. Very few problems occur. Congress does not need to have a special session, each state legislature does. Voting is a state responsibility.

    I have ideas as to how the elections could be done better but no plan will work if corrupt people have a desire to do something wrong. As Ann Coulter said in her piece today, Democrats are finally happy with Diebold. Of course, if they had lost they would have claimed fraud. That is not speculation since Pelosi said the only way Republicans can win this election is to cheat. She basically said if we lose we will levy charges of cheating.

  7. Adam says:

    “Congress does not need to have a special session, each state legislature does. Voting is a state responsibility.”

    I’d go for that I think.

  8. Big Dog says:

    We agreed again? Must be the new direction LOL!

  9. Adam says:

    We’ve agreed on a few things today. It’s just the nuances that keep us bickering.

  10. Big Dog says:

    and the oldaunces….