On 2006-04-29, Roberto C. Sanchez penned: > Mumia W wrote: >> >> Yes, they are. I was educated in a public school. >> > As was I. That is exactly the reason why none of my children will > *ever* go to a public school. I like to think that I am succeeding > in life *in spite* of the fact that I went to public school.
Please note that just because *your* public school experience was subpar doesn't mean everyone's was. A lot of "teenage troublemakers" went to the local Catholic school (whether or not they were Catholic) in my neighborhood. All such kids that I met learned much worse behavior by going to school there (something like sending a first-time teen minor offender to jail, I suppose). >> No they are not. A few, knowledgeable individuals *might* be better >> off, or they might screw up and choose the wrong investments and >> lose most of it. >> > So, you believe that people are fundamentally stupid and need the > government to babysit them? To me, this is a qualified "maybe." Perhaps not stupid, but willfully ignorant and willing to be led by emotion. Maybe it would be better if everyone were taught basic logic as well as how to identify basic techniques of rhetoric (ethos, pathos, logos). Then again, at some point, you have to wonder what the parent could have done differently. Will a brilliant school matter if the parent doesn't emphasize the wonder of learning from day one? Would it have been possible for the parent to choose a better school for their kids to attend? Perhaps the parent could have paid more attention to the curriculum and supplemented it where it was lacking, or paid attention to the PTO and encouraged change from within. I learned a lot at school, but I was taught the love of learning at home. I still have fond memories of my dad taking me to the library to choose my own books, well before first grade. >> And your retirement money shouldn't be entirely dependent upon the >> twists and turns of the business cycle. >> > If you are smart they won't. Even if you are not smart, if you have > the wherewithal to hire someone who is, they won't. I do have some problems with the meritocracy concept*. Why should I be rewarded for smarts, when I didn't really do anything to deserve them? Why should some other guy do poorly in life because he didn't luck out in the brain dept? * Not enough to give back the fun toys I've accumulated -- monique Help us help you: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
