World brain power

[blind ear]

The US has aabout 3 or 4 % of the worlds populstion. India and China have nearly 50%. They are putting tools of learning into the hands of every peasant child possible. They are increaseing thier effort with time. The genuses will rise to the top by just having the tools. The numbers alone will defeat us in brain power.

This country and the world needs a different plan. A plan not based on greed and agression. A stable biosphere not one that is always in pursuite of growth. The Middle east and Far East had these philosophys of economy somewhat but they have decided ,due to Western influence, to follow the agression, greed, growth, consumption  route.

"I have seen the enemy and I think it's us" POGO

We need a new age of reason, looks like we're, the world, sunk.

eddiegjr

[Heather]

Eddie I couldn't agree more.  As our country was developing we took pride in education and demanded a higher level of educational standards.  Parents worked their whole lives just so their child might get an education.  Students wanted to learn and teachers had a desire to instill knowledge in the minds of youth.  Somewhere along the way those standards have fallen and our thirst for knowledge has wavered tremendously.  

Students don't really care to learn and SOME teachers could care less about teaching.  Text books are intentionally confusing, history is distorted, science and math are limited, and thanks to Federally funded programs, criteria for graduation is so watered down that a high school diploma is practically a joke in most public schools.  

Parents of students today make me more irritated than schools.  They don't pay attention to what their children are learning and allow the schools to be the sole provider of knowledge to their kids.  They fail to teach children life's lessons on how to be a good person with strong morals and values.  People in general just don't THINK FOR THEMSELVES anymore.  

With the path we are on we will see a continuing decline in our citizens education, character, and moral compass.  We are essentially making a breeding ground for chaos and destruction.  Pray often, prepare for the worse, and keep your family close.

Heather

[rockbilly]

As American grew each new generation tried to provide more and make an easier life for their offspring’s.  As time progressed it became a society of “gimmyme,” where a child was no longer held responsible for their actions or their progression, failure was the fault of society.  Parents want their children to do well but most do little if anything to encourage them since they are tied up in their own little world. Parents aalso should be a part of the educational process, not just a sideline observer.

In addition, government has taken the right to teach the three Rs to children.  Too much emphasis is placed on the social graces and equality.  I am a firm believer that all children are not acedeminac; therefore, vocational trade schools need to be available to educate those children who are clearly identified as not being of scholar quality. (Like it or not, all of us are not scholars!) 

Get government out of the classrooms and let the teachers do their jobs and more children will excel.  America will once again be in the forefront of education.

[slim rem 7]

 well it may be true ..but not for me..winning don t allow that approach..
 if the last american standing is holding the U.S. flag an he goes dn..
 i ll still be proud to be an american..nothing earthly last forever..
 wish it could for my grandkids sake..thats not what history teaches..
 just be the best you personally can..keep your priorities ,god ,country an family..
take guidance from the one who is able to guide us through anything..don t worry..his will be done..an it will. slim

[Questor]

The beauty of this situation is that the US is still attractive enough to draw those geniuses here to do their work. Hopefully the tax and  political climate remain favorable for that.

[magooch]

Actually, I'm quite impressed with the schooling that my grandkids are getting.   I don't know about the rest of this country, but around here there is no lack of resources (money) spent on schools.  The teachers are very well paid and the schools are not falling apart.

Probably, like a lot of places, we have problems with parents who don't do the best they can for their offspring and there's nothing new about that.  Drugs have been the biggest problem here for a very long time, so there's nothing new there.  This is where I think that government could really do a better job.  I think there should be a death penalty for anyone who sells, gives, or in any way provides kids, or anyone for that matter with illegal drugs.

Government could also do a better job of preventing illegal people from coming here and burdening the schools with kids who have to be taught our language before they can even begin to be educated.  Get the illegals out of this country and prevent them from coming in the first place.

I don't think it is a bad thing that other countries are educating their people, but I do worry that they might be indoctrinating them with thinking that might be detrimental in the long run.  We have more than enough of that going on in this country and that should stop too.  I have no problem with exposing our kids to some of the beliefs that other societies have, but first our kids should be taught to appreciate our own.

[Questor]

magooch:

I don't think it's just your school. The opportunities are almost everywhere, except maybe inner city public schools where the teachers are more like guards than teachers. It's all in how the parents help to navigate the kids through school. Congratulate your kids for having done a good job helping the kids. It didn't have to work out that way.

[blind ear]

My thought is dirrected toward rate of consumption/surviveability. The US has been the leading consumer in the world with only 3-4% of the worlds population. What will happen when the populations of India and China consume and waste at the rate that the US does?(the growth philosophy) Where will we put all the trash?

The brainpower component is concerning the lifestyle/ecconomic philosophy that the leading powers of the future adopt. We can't win the brainpower war, the numbers dictate that. Can we influence the lifestyle philosophy of ourselves and the world? That would take a complete change from the history of mankind.

Returning to an old philosophy of protection, isolation is a viable option for consumption and jobs. It can also cut the carbon footprint (waste and carrier miles) of necessary consumption.

Humankind, we will eliminate ourselves.

POGO: I have seen the enemy and I think It's us. 

eddie

[MGMorden]

The beauty of this situation is that the US is still attractive enough to draw those geniuses here to do their work. Hopefully the tax and  political climate remain favorable for that.

That's changing VERY fast.  What I've noticed a lot is people coming over here for college (the US's regular schools are terrible but our colleges have a pretty good reputation).  Lots of them do (fully planned) return home after they're done though.  When I was in college (early 2000's) I studied Computer Science, and we had probably 30-40 Indian graduate students who had come over to study and most that I spoke to planned on returning home.

Heck our companies are even shipping the jobs back home for them to work.  90% of the time when you call tech support for a US company you're going to get forwarded to a call center in India.  In the technology sector farming out the development jobs to India was pretty much standard operating procedure for many US companies - though I did hear that the Indians have gotten more expensive over time, so some companies starting moving dev work to China instead, and now THAT has also gotten expensive so some are futher outsourcing to several African countries where the work can be done even cheaper.

We've truly dug ourselves into a hole here.