I realize that you are not a fan of NCLB (as I certainly am not), but when the government tries to overhaul, wouldn't that imply fixing it? Semantics.
what i mean by we should overhaul it, im talking about input from teachers, parents, and administrators and experts, not a washington or state bueracrat I "misspoke" earlier, must have been the sniper fire that confused me.
What he said. Fiscal responsibility is huge. Govt. has got to quit deficit spending, no matter what, cut spending, raise taxes, or some combination of both. But this has got to stopl
1. Cut taxes 2. Cut domestic spending 3. Reduce military deployment 4. Protect the environment 5. Repeal any laws that infringe on personal freedoms or try to advance any social “PC” issues
The economy and the fiscal policy of the government. If you don't get that right, you can forget about fixing any of the other problems. The guv'mint won't have enough money, and when you're broke, you can't do anything for education, or war. In the 19th century we were an agricultural nation, jobs were plentiful, and we produced a tangible good, food. The 20th century moved to industrial base, jobs were plentiful and paid better than agriculture jobs. Everyone was happy. Late in the 20th century, the economy shifted as Asia has taken over most manufacturing, and the US has shifted to information technology and high tech in general. This includes pharmaceuticals, military research, medical. But there is a problem with this. Participation in the advanced fields requires advanced education, the benefits are huge, but you do not need as many people to make those advances, you just need a few really smart ones. The few really smart rich folks want more services and there are those type of jobs, but they don't produce a tangible good that can be exported, and this ultimately hurts our trade deficit. I think we are in uncharted water on the economy, IMO. What happens in a recession in this new type of economy? Seems we're about to find out. Govt. fiscal policy under Bush has been a disaster. Tax cuts and huge spending increases produced the largest deficits in history, twice the size of the previous record. Looking forward it gets tougher, with the baby boomers retiring, medicare and medicaid expense set to skyrocket. The cumulative debt under Bush will equal the nation debt of the previous 200 years, doubling in 8 years. That has cut the value of the dollar in HALF against the euro, and doubled the cost of a barrel of oil from 30 to 60 a barrel. Demand from China and India, and the demise of cheap onshore reserves of oil account for the rest of the price rise. Govt. fiscal policy affects your pocketbook every day now because the deficit is too high.
1. The Economy & fiscal policy - grouped together as they are inherently tied. The government spending money and "creating jobs" is not the solution. Proper regulations (I like some of the ideas to overhaul the financial sector) and lower spending/debt is all our government should do. The economy can take care of itself from there. 2. Health care - the system obviously needs improvement, but socialized medicine is not the answer. I can understand a very basic level of health care being free for all Americans, but above that capitalism is (and always will be) the best answer. 2. Individual freedoms, including the right to bear arms, be queer, be non-PC, etc. Basically, I don't want the government telling me what to do or thinking that it knows what is best for me. 3. Foreign & Military policy - I favor a slower withdrawal of the troops over an immediate pull-out. I also think we should mind our own business more often. 4. The environment - I do care & believe it should be protected, but it must be put in its proper place. This is not the most serious issue that our country faces.
