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A hundred and fifty years ago, adults were incensed about child labor. Low-wage kids were taking jobs away from hard-working adults.
Sure, there was some moral outrage at seven-year olds losing fingers and being abused at work, but the economic rationale was paramount. Factory owners insisted that losing child workers would be catastrophic to their industries and fought hard to keep the kids at work--they said they couldn't afford to hire adults. It wasn't until 1918 that nationwide compulsory education was in place.
Part of the rationale to sell this major transformation to industrialists was that educated kids would actually become more compliant and productive workers. Our current system of teaching kids to sit in straight rows and obey instructions isn't a coincidence--it was an investment in our economic future. The plan: trade short-term child labor wages for longer-term productivity by giving kids a head start in doing what they're told.
Large-scale education was never about teaching kids or creating scholars. It was invented to churn out adults who worked well within the system.
Of course, it worked. Several generations of productive, fully employed workers followed. But now?
Nobel-prize winning economist Michael Spence makes this really clear: there are tradable jobs (making things that could be made somewhere else, like building cars, designing chairs and answering the phone) and non-tradable jobs (like mowing the lawn or cooking burgers). Is there any question that the first kind of job is worth keeping in our economy?
Alas, Spence reports that from 1990 to 2008, the US economy added only 600,000 tradable jobs.
If you do a job where someone tells you exactly what to do, they will find someone cheaper than you to do it. And yet our schools are churning out kids who are stuck looking for jobs where the boss tells them exactly what to do.
Do you see the disconnect here? Every year, we churn out millions of of worker who are trained to do 1925 labor.
The bargain (take kids out of work so we can teach them to become better factory workers) has set us on a race to the bottom. Some argue we ought to become the cheaper, easier country for sourcing cheap, compliant workers who do what they're told. We will lose that race whether we win it or not. The bottom is not a good place to be, even if you're capable of getting there.
As we get ready for the 93rd year of universal public education, here's the question every parent and taxpayer needs to wrestle with: Are we going to applaud, push or even permit our schools (including most of the private ones) to continue the safe but ultimately doomed strategy of churning out predictable, testable and mediocre factory-workers?
As long as we embrace (or even accept) standardized testing, fear of science, little attempt at teaching leadership and most of all, the bureaucratic imperative to turn education into a factory itself, we're in big trouble.
The post-industrial revolution is here. Do you care enough to teach your kids to take advantage of it?
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Posted: 04 Sep 2011 06:10 PM PDT On September 7 Germany's top court to rule on euro bailouts. The Karlsruhe-based Federal Constitutional Court will announce its verdict on September 7 at 4 a.m. EDT, it said in a statement on Tuesday.Any changes, even parliamentary approval will leave the door open at a later date for saying enough is enough. Biggest Ever Italian Bond Rollover in September The Telegraph reports Italy needs to rollover €62-billion of bonds in September. The Globe and Mail claims €46-billion. Either way, September will be a big month. Please consider German endgame for EMU draws ever nearer. Finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble could hardly have chosen a more toxic term than "Bevollmächtigung" or general enabling power when he requested blanket authority from the Bundestag for EU rescues, as if Weimar were so soon forgotten. He was roundly rebuffed.Troika Abruptly Walks Out of Talks in Athens In case you missed it, last Friday Inspectors leave Greece after talks are suspended THE STRUGGLE to keep the ailing Greek economy afloat took a further turn for the worse as the EU-IMF "troika" abruptly suspended talks in Athens on the release of the next round of rescue aid to the country.Can Italy rollover debt without help from the ECB? I highly doubt it, but we are about to find out. There is lots of Eurozone action in September, that's for sure. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Merkel's Credibility Shattered; CDU Party Defeated in Regional Election, Merkel Coalition at Risk Posted: 04 Sep 2011 03:10 PM PDT The Telegraph reports Angela Merkel slumps to defeat in home state elections Exit polls for the vote in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern gave Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrats just 24 per cent of the vote, down from the 28 per cent they garnered in the last vote in 2006. Adding to her woe was the performance of the Free Democrats, her coalition allies, who could be wiped out of the regional assembly, with just 3.6 per cent of the vote.Coalition at Risk The Financial Times reports Merkel suffers blow in regional election Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, suffered a blow on Sunday as the parties underpinning her national government were on course for big losses in a regional vote in the Baltic Sea state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.Voters have clearly had enough of Merkel's Eurozone bailout policies. Whether she has the votes to ram through expansion of the EFSF remains to be seen. As noted yesterday, Two-Thirds of Germans Oppose Expanding EFSF, Believe Merkel has "Lost Grip" on Euro Crisis. Today voters took it out on her at the polls. Merkel's only concern now is her legacy. She does not want a breakup of the Eurozone on her watch. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Nevada Dramatically Expands Lawsuit Against Bank of America; Recap of Recent BAC Events Posted: 04 Sep 2011 09:47 AM PDT Last week the state of Nevada amended its previous complaints against Bank of America. The Amended Complaint accuses Countrywide Financial of a "pattern of pattern and practice of deceptive conduct ... misconduct cut across virtually every aspect of Defendants' operations - from originating to servicing and, all too often to foreclosing on the loans and homes of Nevada consumers". Please consider Nevada Wallops Bank of America With Sweeping Suit The state of Nevada dramatically expanded its lawsuit against Bank of America today, turning the narrow case it filed late last year into a broadside that targets virtually all aspects of the bank's mortgage operations. Bank of America has previously denied wrongdoing.Bank of America Broke 2008 Mortgage Settlement Agreement The New York Times covered this on August 30, in Nevada Says Bank Broke Mortgage Settlement The attorney general of Nevada is accusing Bank of America of repeatedly violating a broad loan modification agreement it struck with state officials in October 2008 and is seeking to rip up the deal so that the state can proceed with a suit against the bank over allegations of deceptive lending, marketing and loan servicing practices.This Nevada lawsuit is in addition to the FHFA $196 Billion lawsuit against 17 banks accused of "misleading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about the soundness of the mortgages underlying the securities". For details of the FHFA lawsuit, please see Is it Acceptable to Present a $196 Billion Sac-O'-Sheet to Sophisticated Investors as Diamonds-in-the-Rough? Bank of America insists it does not need to raise capital but it raised $5 billion from Warren Buffett on very onerous terms and it has been busy shedding billions of assets. Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism reported Bank of America Death Watch: Unloading "Non-Core" Assets Aggressively Indeed, actions speak louder than words. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
If Donkeys Could Vote; Orwellian Madness Posted: 04 Sep 2011 08:23 AM PDT On the lighter side ... Link if video does not play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6etfJgZQ7A&feature=player_embedded Orwellian Madness Here is something straight from the insane asylum: Reich: Government Has To Spend More To Get Out Of Debt "At this point, there's a huge shortfall between consumer spending, businesses are not going to hire, on the one hand, and also on the economy's potential at full employment or near full employment on the other hand. Government is the spender of last resort. The only way to restart not only jobs, Simon, but also economic growth, which is terribly important for every purpose including deficit reduction. the only way we're going to get the deficits and long-term debt under control is if we get back growth. The only way to get back growth is for government to be this spender of last resort," Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich told CNBC.Such idiocy did not work for Japan and it will not work here. Of course the nutcases will simply respond that "Japan did not spend enough". Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
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While there may be a lot of them, they're satisfied with what they've got, which means that they're hard to attract.
No, the real opportunity is in reaching out to the dissatisifed, to those in search of something new.
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Posted: 03 Sep 2011 06:05 PM PDT According to a Treasury Inspector General audit, Individuals Who Are Not Authorized to Work in the United States Were Paid $4.2 Billion in Refundable Credits Redaction Legend:American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Made Fraud Easier The Washington Post commented on the fraud in Undocumented workers got billions from IRS in tax credits, audit finds Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, On Friday announced plans to examine the refunds.Fraud and government programs go hand-in-hand. In my opinion we should kill this ridiculous program entirely. The next best alternative is to not grant any credits to anyone who does not have a social security number and is not a US citizen. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Posted: 03 Sep 2011 04:50 PM PDT Against the wishes of two-thirds of German citizens, Merkel is hell-bent on ramming through a massive expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). Please consider Germans oppose bailout boost, critical of Merkel Center-right Chancellor Merkel is trying to face down a threatened revolt in her own bloc in parliament over a September 29 vote to ratify more money and powers for the euro rescue fund.Coordinating policy and "eurosceptic" are not opposites. For example, the US could coordinate trade policies with Canada and that would neither imply or deny "Loonie Skepticism". To Hell with Taxpayers, Merkel Worried about Her Legacy The important take-away is German taxpayers are clearly fed up with bailouts, yet Merkel does not care one iota what they think. After all, she has a legacy to preserve. At this stage, enduring legacy is even more important to Merkel than reelection. She does not want the Euro to go down on her watch. Nothing else matters to her, and that is why she repeatedly gives in to demands of ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet and wishes of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Just to show you how wishy-washy Merkel is regarding the EFSF, on August 17 Bloomberg reported "German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy rejected an expansion of the 440 billion-euro ($633 billion) rescue fund". Now she is in favor of it. So is Sarkozy. What happened? This ...... Greek One-Year Yield Soars to 72% Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:05 AM PDT President Obama's approval index rating is -21, the lowest ever. Obama's sinking numbers can be explained by a CNN Poll: 8 in 10 think we're in a recession Economic fears are not diminishing. More than eight in 10 Americans think the economy is in another recession, according to a new CNN/ORC poll. One-third of those surveyed think it's serious.Definition of Recession It's disappointing to see CNN spreading nonsense that it takes two quarters of negative growth to call a recession. Two quarters is certainly a sufficient condition, it is not a necessary condition. Recessions are called by the NBER and nearly all them start while the economy is still growing. Poll Results 35% say the recession is serious, 34% moderate, 13% mild. Only 18% say the country is not is recession. Click here for complete CNN poll results. I suggest the average person has it correct. Obama Full-Month Approval in August Falls to Lowest of His Presidency Please consider Obama Approval Index Month-by-Month When tracking President Obama's job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis, and the results can be seen in the graphics below.Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
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Posted: 02 Sep 2011 10:36 PM PDT |
Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Multiracial Posted: 02 Sep 2011 06:26 PM PDT While some of these celebrities ethnic backgrounds might not surprise you, others will have you scratching your head. Here are 34 celebrities who's lineage is much more interesting than you would have thought. Who knew?. Steve Jobs Half Arab. Mark-Paul Gosselaar Quarter Indonesian. Vince Vaughn Part Lebanese. Kid Cudi Half Mexican. Alia Shawkat Her father is a native of Iraq. Tony Shalhoub Half Lebanese. Keanu Reeves Quarter Hawaiian and a quarter Chinese. Ralph Nader Lebanese. Rob Schneider Quarter Filipino. Aubrey Plaza Half Puerto-Rican. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Half Samoan. Olivia Munn Half Chinese. Karen O Born in South Korea and is half Korean. Nicki Minaj Half Indo-Asian. Chad Michael Murray Quarter Japanese. Freddie Mercury 100% Parsi. Frank Zappa Quarter Arab. Lea Michelle Part Spanish. Eddie Van-Halen He is half Chinese-Malaysian. Bruno Mars Half Filipino. Norah Jones The daughter of Ravi Shankar, and half Indian. David Gallagher Half Cuban. Bob Marley Half Black and Caucasian. Sara Paxton Half Mexican. Alexis Bledel Half Mexican. Sonya Walger Penny from Lost is Half Argentine. Naomi Campbell Quarter Chinese. Vin Diesel Half African-American. Jimi Hendrix Quarter Cherokee. Frankie Muniz Half Puerto Rican. Jennifer Tilly Half Chinese. Shannon Elizabeth Half-Arab. Ne-Yo Quarter Chinese. Jessica Alba Half Mexican. Source: buzzfeed |
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