The cost of a desk...

[AustinBoston]

Straight from Snopes...

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/nodesks.asp

Austin

[chip]

This country need lots more teachers like that one.

[byrdr1]

This country need lots more teachers like that one.

AMEN.....

[ScoobyDoo]

My lack of education is messing with me again, I have read this many times and can't see the point. Are the desks made out of plastic, without the military we wouldn't have enough oil to make them?

[AustinBoston]

My lack of education is messing with me again, I have read this many times and can't see the point. Are the desks made out of plastic, without the military we wouldn't have enough oil to make them?

I am going to respond in my most self-controlled means possible...

Without the military, the desks would not be there at all, no matter what the material.  Neither would the school containing the desk, or the bus that drove to the school, or the road the bus drove on to the school.

In some countries, only the extremely rich get an education.  In others, only the politically connected.  In others, only those with the means to leave the country.

Some things cost more than dollars and cents, some cost the freedom to make them work.

Austin

[chip]

Thanks, AB.  Well said.

[ScoobyDoo]

In some countries, only the extremely rich get an education. In others, only the politically connected. In others, only those with the means to leave the country
   The US does not rank real high in the education level of 18yr olds world wide. If we didn't spend a higher % of GNP on the military than almost any other country in the world maybe we could fix the broken education system.
  Freedom means we can disagree.
    I don't think that it would be very easy to find 27 vets that had fought to defend the freedom of this country that could still carry a desk. Invading or bombing other countrys because we don't like the policies of their goverment is NOT defending your freedom.  Proping up goverments that won't let thier poeple elect the secratary of the bowling league because the people might think they should have a vote in goverment is not defending my freedom.
    A standing army IS needed to act as a deterant to protect our freedom, but we can not skip teaching the young that just because the goverment thinks it should be done that it is always right.
     BTW at age 18 the goverment told me that I needed to go invade another country to "protect our freedom and way of life"  I went.

[AustinBoston]

The US does not rank real high in the education level of 18yr olds world wide.

Utter nonsense.

First, the only comparisons I see where they come even close to this kind of conclusion is comparing the US to Western Europe or Japan.  Do you really think the average 18 year old from India (17% of the world's population) is better educated than an American?  Over 30% of the population can not read at all!  

But even with Western Europe, comparisons break down when you look below the surface.

For example, when you compare "college educated," it looks like Europe is way ahead of us.  But in Europe, "College Educated" is more closely eqivalent to a 2-year associate's degree or less.  Of course they have more "college educated" people.  It's equivalent to our High School Diploma plus one year.  That's why you will hear them talk of going to "University" (a place we are way ahead of them when you consider a typical US college is as good as a typical Eurpoean "university."  

BTW, I am hearing of more and more excellent 4-year colleges changing their names from "Bozo College" to "Bozo Univeristy" for the sole purpose of attracting more Eurpoean students!

At other times when you hear people spouting about how much is spent per student, class sizes, days in school, etc., ask yourself if the person doing the talking is looking for money.

Although I believe in spending on education, I don't see the total collapse of the US that was predicted in the 70's, 80's, 90's, and is still being predicted because of our "deplorable" education system.  That's just the fundraisers talking.

Austin

[ScoobyDoo]

Start  welcome home.
  In my opinion, education is just one place money could be spent to help defend our freedom. In a democracy nobody over voting age has the right to be ignorant about what is happening in the world and in their goverment.I have heard it said that a man that won't read is no better educated than the man who can't. What % of the US population reads non-fiction or newspapers. What good is the milatary going to do to defend your grandkids freedom from the threat of our monthly trade deficate? Are we going to bomb China to keep from repaying them what we borrowed from them at Wal-Mart?

[CajunCamper]

My lack of education is messing with me again, I have read this many times and can't see the point. Are the desks made out of plastic, without the military we wouldn't have enough oil to make them?

I think the whole point of the original post was a reminder that in our past both men and women made personal sacrifices to insure the very freedom that we so much enjoy in this country.