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Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay
Did you know that Cuba's, yes Cuba's, college education is free for everyone? Yet, the United States is the richest country in the world. The federal government has cut down on half the money used for Pell Grants and other aids for college students recently. Do you know why? Because, it has been estimated by the time that these wars (the War on Terror, on Afganistan, and on Iraq) are over with they are going to end up costing a total of 2 trillion dollars. Do you know the good things we could do with two trillion dollars? We could have helped the victims of Katrina, or got the homeless off the streets, or had free health coverage for all...
The United States government, as a whole, doesn't value education at all. Yet, education does run this country. I want you all to think where we would be without those people who have graduated from college. No doctors, no nurses, no scientists, no stock brokers, no computer technicians...etc. Well, we're certainly headed in that direction because it is becomming harder and harder to get an education. Look at the overwhelming shortage of nurses for example. Tuition is rising and federal aid programs are being completely cut or drastically reduced. Without education, we would not be industrialized. Therefore, we would most likely be under the rule of a dictator.
We are living in the jungle folks. Yes, the jungle. These are "dangerous and challenging times". It's called capitalism, and it is going to be what inevitably destroys us; "everyone looking out for themselves" and "everone in competition with one another." There is no sense of community here. "It's do onto others before they do onto you" or "looking out for number one." When Americans' tax money goes into giving others a so-called "free ride" that benefits society as a whole, they get angry. We should be helping others, not trying to beat them. The way we are living now reminds me of Thomas Hobb's "state of nature" theory, only more civil. Members of a society are "killing" and "hurting" the other members of that same society financially. This empire, like all great empires, will inevitably fall too.
Quite frankly, I would much rather my tax money be spent on education than going to wars that we can't win. You can't FORCE democracy upon another country! Just look at Iraq. Hussein was a terrible person and a tyrant indeed, but he controlled those people over there. It wasn't in chaotic ruins like it is now. You didn't have bombs killing hundreds and thousands of people . A firm dictatorship was the only thing that worked for them. The reason that democracy won't be established in Iraq is because some of the people don't want it as they have displayed by planting explosive devices in churches and on streets. How do you beat suicide bombers? Also, Iraq is not industrialized and is in economic ruins. It has been proven time and time again throughout history, that democracy can't and won't be established until the largest class of people are the middle class in terms of economic standing. Therefore, education, wealth, cars, radios, and businesses must first be well established throughout the people. Iraq will only become a democracy when it is ready too, not because the White House thinks that it can force it.
Yes, I would rather my money go to the homeless, or to those who risk there lives serving our country, or the widows and children of those who lost their lives serving this country, or to natural disaster aid programs than into the pockets of greedy Congressmen that said, "Iraq needs democracy!" Yeah, right. I have a message to the White House, "Not very many Americans are buying into that anymore."
Wouldn't having more people who were college educated benefit society as a whole? It's just something to think about.
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