Am I missing something here on car payments?

[RoyGBiv]

what a lot of conservatives (myself included until relatively recently) get wrong about public education is that it's not about putting money in for today, but putting money in to attract a better future. I don't want to pay the CURRENT teachers more, I want to increase salaries to attract better prospects tomorrow.

I agree with you generally, but.....

Who will be willing/incentivized properly/capable/etc to implement the systemic changes needed for public education to succeed?

For example(s).... Pay for performance? Expedited removal of incompetent educators? Curricula that get back to the fundamentals (Reading, Writing, Math, Civics)?

There is exactly nobody currently inside the public education system that has the ability to fix the system. I'd offer legislation as a path, but, we all know that path ends in the ocean.

Mr. Gorbachev... Tear down the education system.

[SecondsCount]

Are these the same people that cry when the government isn't paying them enough social security when they hit 65?

If they bought a $3K used car and put the rest in their retirement, they would be well on their way to being financially independent at 50.

[TGS]

They need to start teaching proper finances in grade school.

Is it a matter of people not knowing, or a matter of people ignoring the reality of their decisions?

Not sure about you guys, but during high school we had a class for a semester that was a "simulation" of managing your finances. We were assigned a random "profile" (i.e. you make this much, work in this zip code, etc) and had to find housing, transportation, budget for food, emergencies, etc.

Even if everyone had that class, I don't think it would change things. I think people purposely ignore stuff...they know their finances are shit. IMO, the problem isn't education. People just make bad decisions and then stick their head in the sand.

[SecondsCount]

These are the same people crying that they can't afford rent or a home. They need to start teaching proper finances in grade school.

Half of the problem is self control, which we are severely lacking in the US.

[Hambo]

IMO, the problem isn't education. People just make bad decisions and then stick their head in the sand.

I think they live like they drive, looking slightly ahead of the hood ornament. When shit happens, they're shocked. They don't see the crackhead about to carjack them, their finances three months from now, the Spanish Inquisition, or anything else until they get hit in the face.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Electric cars starting at $60K will help this problem. Welcome to CA.

[LittleLebowski]

Electric cars starting at $60K will help this problem. Welcome to CA.

And not beefing up our electricity infrastructure should make everything just perfect.

[mtnbkr]

I agree with you generally, but.....

Who will be willing/incentivized properly/capable/etc to implement the systemic changes needed for public education to succeed?

For example(s).... Pay for performance? Expedited removal of incompetent educators? Curricula that get back to the fundamentals (Reading, Writing, Math, Civics)?

There is exactly nobody currently inside the public education system that has the ability to fix the system. I'd offer legislation as a path, but, we all know that path ends in the ocean.

I don't have an answer, I just hope it improves soon because my oldest wants to be a teacher. Straight As in HS, AP, Dual Enrollment, Honors, top 10 in her class, etc. Getting straight As so far in college too. Found Physics fun and not hard. Literally lowered her grade in one class by getting a 100 on her final. She *wants* to be an elementary school teacher. Really wants it. Won't consider anything else.

Mr. Gorbachev... Tear down the education system.

He can't, he's dead.

Chris

[Bart Carter]

My parents were children of the Depression. Never had a problem living within our limits.

[CleverNickname]

My parents were children of the Depression. Never had a problem living within our limits.

Yeah, I think that's what it's going to take: another Great Depression where the current panoply of government benefits and social services are cut to the bone. It's one thing to be irresponsible with money when you have a government-provided emergency parachute. It's another thing to be irresponsible when if you live outside your limits, you're out starving on the street.