The Economist: The best policy

ttwtt78640 said:

The states can't do this because....? Not every government power exists at the federal level nor should it.

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Assuring the educational formation of any and all American-citizens is indeed a foremost criteria of the national government, and NOT JUST THE STATES*.

It is therefore the duty and responsibility of LaLaLand on the Potomac to assure that all states are educating their students to a nationally recognized level of competence. It is individual capacity (and a bit of luck) that then determines the outcome for each of us.

But when a nation is unable to assure that "all who want an education" can indeed avail themselves of one, then it is reneging on its obligations.

The US is the obverse of most modern countries. Private financing of education is about two-thirds, and governmental funding education is about one-third. Which is the opposite of most developed countries where governments assure that all students are able to obtain a subsidized Tertiary Education. See infographic here titled, "Spending on tertiary education Private / Public, % of education spending, 2013"

By the numbers - "Educational Attainment of the Population Aged 25 and Older (2014)" (from the Census Bureau here):
-High-school graduate or more = 88.4%
-College or more = 58.9%
-Associate’s degree or more = 42.3%
-Bachelor’s degree or more = 32.5%
-Advanced degree = 12%

Meaning this: 42.3% of high-school graduates (or 88.4% of the those graduating) get an Associate's Degree or more. That is, 42.3% of 88.4% of the HS graduate population obtain an "advanced degree" - or ONLY 37.4% of all high-school student continue on to an Associates or Bachelor's degree (or higher).

That aint nearly good enough ...

Lafayette said:

It is therefore the duty and responsibility of LaLaLand on the Potomac to assure that all states are educating their students to a nationally recognized level of competence..

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not its not!! Lets never forgot that liberals are like little children and thus believe in magical federal govt. There is no problem that central govt cant solve at gunpoint if you ask a liberal. Our Founders created the greatest country in human history by far based on idea that central govt was the source of evil in human history!!

James972 said:

obviously because you cant make all 1.4 billion people rich at the same time!!!!!!! OMG!!!! Current situation is 1000 times better than under socialism wherein 60 million slowly starved to death and remainder lived at subsistence

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If we suddenly had the technology that we may eventually have, then it's not impossible that everyone could simultaniously be rich - depending on how we define "rich". Wealth doesn't have to be zero sum, others don't have to be poor for some to be rich, all we have to do is to have ample wealth in this world, and everyone can be rich.

I'm sorta talking about the George Jetson type lifestyle, where the family has virtually everything they realistically need, there is only one worker in the household, and due to technology, that worker only has to work a few hours a month. The flying cars and floating houses may seem a little far fetched today, but we have gradually been seeing a reduced amount of need for long work hours both at our jobs and in the household. Cleaning machines, instant communications, the ability to record and replay entertainment, kitchen appliances, indoor plumbing, electricity in nearly every home, rapid transportation, etc all serve to make even the poor in the US today rich when compared anyone just a few generations ago.

imagep said:

If we suddenly had the technology that we may eventually have, then it's not impossible that everyone could simultaniously be rich -

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everyone is rich, by historical standards, if say they can afford an iphone super computer in their pocket but the point is many want to be richer than others and some much much richer than others. This is human nature or evolution. The beauty of Republican capitalism is that the only way to get rich is to have the best products in the world that everyone can afford and wants to buy because it makes them richer too.

Lafayette said:

Meaning that they are consigning their population to everlasting poverty ...

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any poverty on earth is caused by liberalism. If a country adopts capitalism it will get rich and who prevents that? Liberals of course!