The USA is no place to raise a child.

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by TimeTraveler, May 2, 2009.

  1. TimeTraveler Immortalist Registered Senior Member

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    If you have to weigh the costs against the benefit, why would anyone choose to raise a child in the USA?

    The USA is not #1 at childhood education. The USA is ranked 18th in the world. South Korea is ranked #1, a place where 93% of students graduate highschool. While in the USA only 75% of people graduate highschool. If education truly is the key to utility, 25% of Americans are dropping out and making themselves useless to society. Yes these people can and probably will get GED's, but the point is if they were raised in Korea they would not need a GED, they'd have a highschool diploma in the first place.

    The US government including the dept of education, as well as the majority of the US population embrace mediocrity and have no plan or will to compete with Asia, or Europe. As a result the US government has no plan to increase US academic competitiveness. It appears that the government does not care about Americas children. In many cases, parents also do not care about their children and would probably sell their children if they could. We have parents who basically raise their children to fail, and a government which doesn't give them any reason not to.

    The USA is not #1 in adult education. The USA is ranked 14th in college graduation rates. So not only are we setting up Americas children to fail, we don't have a plan to increase adulthood competitiveness either. We accept and even embrace mediocrity, while at the same time expecting the USA to be the world leader on issues such as climate change. If we aren't the most educated nation, why should anybody take us seriously on any of these issues that we claim to want to solve? We aren't a nation of experts, we are a nation of novices, amateurs, fast food employees and immigrant labor.
    http://fiordiliji.sourceoecd.org/pdf/factbook2008/302008011e-09-01-02.pdf

    The USA is not #1 in law and justice. The USA is however ranked #1 in suspected drug criminals. The USA is also ranked #1 in prison population. This means that if you are uneducated, and you are an American, you can look forward to going to prison. It may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but it's almost certainly going to happen when you have millions of prisoners, and many new prisons being built. Why are you almost certain to go to prison? The USA ranks #1 in prosecutions .http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-...e-Operations-of-Criminal-Justice-Systems.html



    I'm not going to go into more details about how the USA ranks. I think we all get the picture that the USA isn't #1 at anything which benefits US children. So the question to ask is, why have children if you are an American? Is it truly in your best interest? The national debt continues to increase, the laws continue to become tougher, the prosecution continue to increase and prisons constantly being built to replace the crumbling schools. These American children are being set up to become service employees in a service economy, this means they will be bartenders, waitresses, waiters, taxi drivers,chefs, and thats if they are lucky. If they are unlucky they'll be taking orders at Mc Donalds, or Dunkin Donuts, or Starbucks, and they will do this for the rest of their natural lives. There will be no money for social security so they wont be retiring anytime soon. Prisons will be filled with the mentally ill, the homeless, and retirees who couldn't take the stress of their job and decided to shoot up the place or do something dumb.

    America is not a place to raise children. If you disagree, I welcome you to make a case proving me wrong.

    http://rankingamerica.wordpress.com/
     
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Your thoughts are interesting. Although there is a 75 percent high school graduation those that drop out seek other jobs which do not require that diploma like waitresses, bus boys, auto mechanics, miners, fishermen and women, race drivers, sanitation drivers as well as a multitude of other jobs that they can at least earn a living and get by on. Sometimes those that do drop out go back and pick up a GED, you fail to mention that.

    As far as living in the USA , it is just as good as other countries and far better than many others. True America has problems as does most other countries but that's just what happens in a dynamic and ever changing society. I remember when America was the highest standard of living and perhaps it will gain that goal once again in the future. The real problem is the asshole running certain businesses that only care about themselves and not everyone else . They get greedy and ruin it for millions of others as you have seen. They will leave or be cast away soon we hope and prosperity will once again be found.

    How many people want to come to America as opposed to living in another country? There are more immigrants coming into America than any oither country so what does that also tell you?

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  5. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    Well not my future child anyway.
     
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  7. Aerika Registered Senior Member

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    America is so large that it's a bit unfair to take an average. For instance, The Ivy League schools, MIT, Duke, Stanford, and Reed are fantastic schools by any standard.

    The USA is too large and diverse to make sense out of averages.








    http://www.learn4good.com/top10/universities.htm
     
  8. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Since I am forever whining about US policy, let me insert here what they are doing right.

    1. The Americans recognise that their education system is crappy. So they import their brains.

    2. They also recognise that most Americans don't want to do laborious work [like fruit picking]. So they allow illegal immigrants to come and do it.

    Basically, if you're American you find someone else to do your physical and mental labour for you.

    This is very good for all the brains and fruit pickers.
     
  9. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    SAM, excuse the hell out of me, but there have been many notable highly intelligent Americans.
     
  10. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    Yes like Henry Miller & Mark Twain. Me loves Henry.

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    I think Thomas Jeffeson was an intelligent guy regardless of his slave lover.
     
  11. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    And who hasn't had jungle fever? I forgive Tommy.

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    Miller and Twain are fine fellas, in my book.
     
  12. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    Ohhh Denzel...daddy yumm yumm.

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  13. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Is that because of the education system or inspite of it? [I was just being provocative btw]

    Any notable American labourers? Fresh fruit and veggies are also important, y'know.
     
  14. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

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    In spite of it, though there are some outstanding schools in the U.S both private and public, and yes labourers are important
     
  15. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    There are bright spots in the American education system. And no notable American laborers spring to mind. I come from cowboys and ranchers on my father's side. That's kind of as far as it goes.
     
  16. madanthonywayne Morning in America Registered Senior Member

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    Yes, SAM, our schools are so horrible you came all the way from India to attend them.

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  17. CutsieMarie89 Zen Registered Senior Member

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    maybe it's just me, but there is more to being a kid than school.
     
  18. S.A.M. uniquely dreadful Valued Senior Member

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    Most of my professors were immigrants

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    School and undergrad sucks, post grad depends a lot on foreign immigrants. I remember when one of my brothers not so intelligent friends moved to the US during school years and suddenly found himself top of the class! I've trained undergrads who cannot spell or write. Spellings are atrocious. Handwriting terrible. Hardly anyone can write cursive.
     
  19. takandjive Killer Queen Registered Senior Member

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    A fair number of mine were immigrants as well. I've always admired that about intellectual communities is that there's a better ability to transcend ethnic and racial boundaries.
     
  20. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

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    And I think it's gonna be a long, long time ....

    Mars ain't the time or place
    To raise your kids.
    In fact, it's cold as Hell.
    And there's no one there
    To raise them if you did.


    (Elton John)

    What?
     
  21. Challenger78 Valued Senior Member

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    The Irony is that many middle class families from developing countries emigrate there so that their children can have a better life..

    I think that's why the migrants switched to Europe as a choice.
     
  22. TimeTraveler Immortalist Registered Senior Member

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    I actually did mention that. As far as those jobs you mention, you can barely get by on those jobs, perhaps if you live on welfare you can do it, and you can forget about kids if you plan on being a waitress the rest of your life. It's not possible to protect your kids as a waitress. If your kids go to college in that position they are geniuses.

    Living in the USA is not the BEST country to live in. We are talking competitive here. We are not talking about "Well at least the USA isn't 99th in education. Thats not making the case for your argument. And the fact that there are more immigrants coming here tells you nothing. Correlation is not causation, they could be coming to take the country from the mass of highschool drop out Americans.
     
  23. TimeTraveler Immortalist Registered Senior Member

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    Those schools aren't "better" schools. They are the more elite expensive schools and thats about it. The students dont learn more in those schools, the classes aren't smaller, the programs aren't better, the teachers and professors aren't better. What you are saying is "if you are born with the last name Bush or come from one of the elite families, the USA is a great country for your children."

    Yeah if you are born rich, I agree the USA is a great place for rich children, but I use averages because we aren't comparing the US aristocracy to the aristocracy of France and England, we are comparing countries and all our citizens count.
     

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