Causes of U.S. Income Inequality

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
21

[quote]lixy wrote:
Sikkario wrote:
In Europe most 4 year schools are community college quality.

Wha-aaaa? What world do you live in?

While Ivy League universities remain the gold standard, European public schools knock the pants out of any community college. Geez…[/quote]

I don’t know about that, I read an article in the Economist that basically went into how underfunded and shitty most of Europe’s Public Schools were, and how they were comparable to Community Colleges in the USA and Canada.

I’ll dig it up.

I imagine the quality of student is better in Europe’s Public Schools, but the Professors and Institutions are the similar from what I read.

Here is the article, How Europe fails its young

This is coming from an English Magazine not an American one, mind you.

22

[quote]hedo wrote:

You will not be poor if you:

Graduate high school.
Don’t become addicted to drugs or booze.
Don’t have children until you complete HS and are married.

If you work hard and put more effort into improving your skills and education and then apply those skills you will move up the economic ladder rather efficiently.

Instill a work ethic and set a good example and your kids will do even better. Government can’t guarantee the outcome only the opportunity.[/quote]

Very good stuff - and I would only add that redefining what “poor” means will be yet another mitigating factor.

It’s been covered before, but even folks with lower levels of income would find themselves “richer” if they would realize that “poor” doesn’t mean not having a flat screen television, the latest video game system, and a 2008 vehicle.

23

[quote]Sikkario wrote:
lixy wrote:
Sikkario wrote:
In Europe most 4 year schools are community college quality.

Wha-aaaa? What world do you live in?

While Ivy League universities remain the gold standard, European public schools knock the pants out of any community college. Geez…

I don’t know about that, I read an article in the Economist that basically went into how underfunded and shitty most of Europe’s Public Schools were, and how they were comparable to Community Colleges in the USA and Canada.

I’ll dig it up.

I imagine the quality of student is better in Europe’s Public Schools, but the Professors and Institutions are the similar from what I read.

Here is the article, How Europe fails its young

This is coming from an English Magazine not an American one, mind you.[/quote]

I know where the edition of The Economist is located, thank you very much.

Anyway, the article makes some good points. European universities are indeed dramatically short of cash compared to their American counterparts. But it also dives into silly logical fallacies such as the idea that “European universities declined so precipitously in recent decades”. That’s really not the case. America has been after European brains ever since WWII, and they were pretty aggressive about it. Europe was still mending the wounds of that dark episode while Americans gained a solid advantage by heavily investing in science and tech. That’s the way research works (I should know, I’m in the field). You invest today in fundamental research to reap the benefits in a decade’s time. It is Europe’s economical lag post-WWII that makes Americans ahead in most areas.

The author also speaks about European universities being solely financed by the government and that is patently false. The school I attend receives huge donations (billions!) from the industry. In fact, a third of my department’s money comes from private pockets. France is indeed in a tough situation education-wise, but that is not exclusively due to the way the schools are financed as the article would have you believe. It really is an issue of mentalities. The typical French would rather study philosophy than a marketable skill. It may be related to tuition fees in some way, but definitely not in the “community college quality” thing you talk about.

And don’t fool yourself. Britain is a lot closer to America than it is to Europe especially in higher education.

24

The link prevents the Economist article from being viewed without a subscription.

25

I didn’t realize that.

My Dad reads the economist, so I guess I have an automatic login.

You should consider getting a subscription, or if you go to a University, you can probably access it through your school or their library website.

26

[quote]Sikkario wrote:

I didn’t realize that.

My Dad reads the economist, so I guess I have an automatic login.

You should consider getting a subscription, or if you go to a University, you can probably access it through your school or their library website.[/quote]

I have a subscription - I was commenting on general availability for viewers here.

27

what a free college degree join the miltary for 4 years get a mgib and use there ta while serving colleges give credits for the training you get and more. clep some stuff and you will have you ba by the time your out in 4 years and plus you have work expierence then.

wellfare needs to be cut back. if there able to qualify for miltary they should give them the choice to join or get a job bc were not supporting your ass more then a few months in your life time.

Any one can get in college from finacial aid to grants and loans just severe lazyness in the poor and thats why they are poor. mind you I know that some people are just screwed at birth.

28

[quote]hazarddude334 wrote:
what a free college degree join the miltary [/quote]

And risk getting your legs blown off or come home in a box? Hardly a fair deal.

29

[quote]lixy wrote:
hazarddude334 wrote:
what a free college degree join the miltary

And risk getting your legs blown off or come home in a box? Hardly a fair deal.[/quote]

I think Hillary wants to trade military for, National Service, and give this benefit to those who serve.

I guess that is a more inclusive way of doing things.

30

[quote]lixy wrote:
hazarddude334 wrote:
what a free college degree join the miltary

And risk getting your legs blown off or come home in a box? Hardly a fair deal.[/quote]

That’s how I paid for my college. I still have my legs too.

31

[quote]lixy wrote:
BostonBarrister wrote:
lixy wrote:
Wait…I thought you needed money to achieve higher levels of education in the States.

Through high school is free (to the student). You can do 2 years at a CC very cheaply, then finish the degree at an in-state university relatively inexpensively (again, to the student). In-state graduate education is also relatively affordable. You won’t get Harvard cheaply, but you can achieve very high levels of education at a cost far below the benefits if you stick with public universities and plan well.

I’d recommend living in California or Virginia to get the best options, but an eighteen-year old from another state could move to a better education state and do the CC thing while establishing in-state residency.

Don’t you think I know that?

Look, the point was that the inequalities in the US are broader than elsewhere because of the educational system that disadvantages the poor. At least, relatively to other developed countries.[/quote]

Once again you prove you know nothing about the US.

32

[quote]lixy wrote:
Sikkario wrote:
In Europe most 4 year schools are community college quality.

Wha-aaaa? What world do you live in?

While Ivy League universities remain the gold standard, European public schools knock the pants out of any community college. Geez…[/quote]

America’s university system is recognized the world over as top of the heap. No wonder you are in Sweden.

33

[quote]SouthernGypsy wrote:
lixy wrote:
hazarddude334 wrote:
what a free college degree join the miltary

And risk getting your legs blown off or come home in a box? Hardly a fair deal.

That’s how I paid for my college. I still have my legs too.[/quote]

Good for you.

34

You can get tuition off 2 years service…the recruiters just dont usually tell you can sign up for just 2 years.

35

[quote]Sikkario wrote:
You can get tuition off 2 years service…the recruiters just dont usually tell you can sign up for just 2 years.[/quote]

And then you can go work for Blackwater and make some good money

36

Ya, if you do 2 years service, then go to college and major in something applicable, and do some rotc but don’t complete it out.

You could prolly get a job at blackwater, and they’d fix you up at Blackwater Academy or whatever.

But I don’t think Blackwater is going to be operational or getting contracts after Iraq is done with.

I think mercenary corp usa, is pretty much done after the Bush administration.

37

All of the kids in my high school who took advantage of the opportunities are graduating either this year or the next. Even some of those who didn’t feel like entering college straight from high school started at community colleges and will be graduating from fully-accredited four year schools next year. While the group around me benefited from living in an affluent area, there are plenty around me who took advantage of scholarships, both private and public, that made sure that those that wanted it got it. I know this because there are plenty around me who had the resources yet didn’t want it. Therefore, they didn’t get it.

I’d be very interested in somebody telling the story of someone who was qualified yet too poor to go to college. Show us, also, how this person failed to receive financial aid from either the government or the institutions to which that person applied.

38

[quote]Sikkario wrote:
Ya, if you do 2 years service, then go to college and major in something applicable, and do some rotc but don’t complete it out.

You could prolly get a job at blackwater, and they’d fix you up at Blackwater Academy or whatever.

But I don’t think Blackwater is going to be operational or getting contracts after Iraq is done with.

I think mercenary corp usa, is pretty much done after the Bush administration.[/quote]

Blackwater were stopped from working at the Baghdad airport twice when I was over there. But there’s always going to others such as ArmorGroup which work out of Britian. They had control basically of the whole southern region around Basra for all the contractors.

They do as much shady shit but it doesn’t seem we hear much because it’s all Gurkhas running the security and the press doesn’t pick it up as much.

39

[quote]SouthernGypsy wrote:
Sikkario wrote:
Ya, if you do 2 years service, then go to college and major in something applicable, and do some rotc but don’t complete it out.

You could prolly get a job at blackwater, and they’d fix you up at Blackwater Academy or whatever.

But I don’t think Blackwater is going to be operational or getting contracts after Iraq is done with.

I think mercenary corp usa, is pretty much done after the Bush administration.

Blackwater were stopped from working at the Baghdad airport twice when I was over there. But there’s always going to others such as ArmorGroup which work out of Britian. They had control basically of the whole southern region around Basra for all the contractors.

They do as much shady shit but it doesn’t seem we hear much because it’s all Gurkhas running the security and the press doesn’t pick it up as much.[/quote]
What I mean is, after our country, gets done with its conquest, which will happen if Barack or Hillary take office, who is going to give the mercs contracts?

Back to classified in SOF I guess. Blackwater needs the War Of Terror to survive all of them do, they are frothing at the mouth for war on Syria and war on Iran.

If we leave Iraq in sixty days, or Afghanistan, then they’re done.

40

All I’ll say is this;

It doesn’t matter how great of a player you are, it doesn’t matter how many hours you’ve spent playing the game, and it doesn’t matter how amazing your teacher was: If you get shit cards, you won’t win.