How to put America on the Right track. It Will take 20 years.

This problem isn't new. The solution won't be easy. Or quick. What I'm thinking about here is a combination between economics and education.

The bonus. This won't affect the 2 sacred cows. Guns and the military budget. Those are "hands off".

ONE Make education a priority. I don't mean saying something nice like "Leave no child behind" and then leave them behind. This isn't new. It's on the hands of both parties. I mean putting teeth into the education budget. See Lean on Me. Clark held everyone accountable. The system. The teachers. The students. The parents. Hold EVERYONE accountable for this important endeavor. It will cost a LOT of money. Make education an option for the young.

So how do you do this?

Drugs

Turn a negative into a positive. Legalize weed federally. Let the states do as they will. My guess is that after 5 years you will have 49 weed friendly states and Utah. That is a HUGE revenue influx. Use it for education.

Release people in jail on weed beefs. THAT'S important. Over half of the drug charges in the States are for weed. We are going to need those beds in my system. NOT housing these weed people also saves at least 200/day for housing. We're going to need that money too. For.....

Prosecuting street dealers. In the 80's coke was prevalent but not on the street because it was too damn expensive. Here's my deal. Decades long prison sentences for those that deal crack, extacy, meth. Minimum 20 years without parole. If you can't dry up the supply, make it so damn dangerous to deal that it becomes expensive. Too expensive. Everything comes off of that. Drug money can but a lot. Dry it up. We've got the beds from letting the weed guys go.

WHY?

Like I said. It will take generations. At least 20 years. You may save one or two now but it the "up and commers" that I am the most interested in. They see the Bangers that are hangin, sharing smokes, not much else. No money. School looks like a decent option.

There is tweaking(not the drug kind) that is needed but is this not a viable beginning?

No thanks. You can't throw money at a problem (education) and expect it to get better. Also, ALL drugs should be legalized.

20 years for taking molly is a bit harsh, it's seen as a recreational drug just like weed,I have fond memories of it in my younger days at festivals, But i agree with mostly everything you say, Would like to add one thing though, Get rid of the welfare state, Anyone that is able and fit to work, Should be made to go to work....

originally posted by: Blueracer
No thanks. You can't throw money at a problem (education) and expect it to get better. Also, ALL drugs should be legalized.

In other words bury your head in the sand and accept the status quo?

originally posted by: ColaTesla
Anyone that is able and fit to work, Should be made to go to work....

If somebody doesn't want to work they shouldn't be made to work. They shouldn't get welfare but they shouldn't be made to work either. People might have reasons to not work. Maybe they would rather enjoy life. Or maybe they need to care for someone else.

I agree that education is a problem, but how then do you explain that the US already spends more than every other developed nation on its education per pupil already and gets worse results?

Clearly, gross dollars spent alone are NOT the problem.

You have to also address certain aspects of the culture, certain aspects of the public education system, certain aspects of the way the curriculum is constructed and compiled.

Because let's be plain, where I live, the public schools spend an average of around $10 to $11K/year on each student in public schools and yet the inner city districts barely have state accreditation, assuming the finally managed to earn it back. We are paying about $4K less/year to send out son to a private school, and he is going into Kindergarten this year reading ready and doing basic addiction and subtraction thanks to the pre-K work they did last year.

He is writing in cursive.

Of course, the easy way out of this is to excuse it by saying they can be selective and keep the bad kids out, but that's no excuse. In order to really fix things, you also have to address the problems that lead to so many "bad" kids in the first place, and that starts in the culture. You won't fix that in the school system. Pumping more money into the schools is a fool's errand and misplaced if you don't have children who come ready, able, and prepared to learn.

Granted, you aren't going to be able to fix them all, but you need to address the very real statistical declines in home and family life before you are going to reverse the negative education trends with better schools. Until then, you would do better to re-route the kids who DO want to learn and ARE ready, able, and prepared to learn to schools and environments where they can get the education they desire.

Let people take drugs...legally. If people want to kill themselves, get high ruin their lives whatever...its their life and no-one elses.Lock up people with kids who clearly cannot look after them, until they are sober. Legalising the drugs does away with so much, crime, drug lords, gangs,bad poisonous drugs and of course creates a nice tax income for the state. In almost every scenario once something becomes legal the novelty and taboo goes away and many don't even bother

a reply to: intrepid

I go along with the Drug part of your program.
But education may be an impossible fix....and should not be a federal mandate....too many layers of bureaucracy.
Reason: corruption. All the money school systems squander and pilfer....money that never gets to the kids.

If you can, find this movie and watch it. It's about New Jersey schools...but I'll bet many others face the same issues.
I actually think it's gotten far worse since Education became a federal child. Give control back to localities......
the Cartel

In his first feature film, director Bob Bowdon takes aim at America's public school system, revealing a self-serving network of wasteful cartels that squander funding and fail to deliver when it comes to academic testing and basic skills. Both parents and teachers want change, but reform is an uphill battle in the face of heel-digging bureaucrats and so-called "dropout factories." It's a bona fide crisis that's burgeoning out of control.

a reply to: Blueracer

I agree, I could of worded my post better, If someone doesn't want to work that should be fine, But they should not be entitled to any welfare after a short period of time... welfare for the fit and able is only supposed to be a stop gap until the person finds employment after losing his/her job ect...

originally posted by: intrepid

originally posted by: Blueracer
No thanks. You can't throw money at a problem (education) and expect it to get better. Also, ALL drugs should be legalized.

In other words bury your head in the sand and accept the status quo?

Whatever you choose to call it matters not to me. Who are you to say something should be legal but something else should not be legal? Hasn't money been thrown at education for years already? Do you just want to throw more money at it? What are the reasons that you think it would work when it hasn't worked already? Are you going to abolish teacher unions because maybe they make too much money? IS Canada so perfect that you can focus on only the US's problems?

originally posted by: ketsuko
I agree that education is a problem, but how then do you explain that the US already spends more than every other developed nation on its education per pupil already and gets worse results?

Not sure if that's so BUT there is NO accountability. I'm spending billions I want a return on my investment. Like I said in the OP, make EVERYONE accountable.... including the system. Ensure the future. The present sucks. No one will argue with that.

a reply to: intrepid
Your biggest fault is you think humans can co-exist together. Being #1 is always going to be the issue. Humans always need a leader and someone is always going to try and take the leaders position.
Someday some 1.75 billion years the sun will destroy Earth.. Do you really think Humans will be around that long?
Enjoy life the best you can and be content that that is it. No after life. No heaven (really, heaven? then what? heaven for ever? lol why?) Would you not get bored with heaven? lol Mind control for the masses.....

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

That's my point. The Fed makes mice words about education. Put some teeth into it so that it accomplishes what it sets out to. Put some teeth into education.

a reply to: intrepid

ONE Make education a priority.

Make education, especially higher education, a RIGHT.

Revenue influx for education I completely agree with, but first this problem:

The for-profit criminal justice system, of which convictions for non-violent offenses (and weed) is bound.

And then this problem: Cutting education while building more jails and hiring more cops, while hitting more (poorer) people with more BS charges and convictions. Education is fundamental to a prosperous society. As long as society operates for-profit, things will likely not change.

Until the system is fundamentally changed, little will change. Even after 20 years, but maybe legalization and focus on education (not jail) is a start.

So part of your plan is to get everyone stoned then try and educate them....You ever smoked Weed.??

originally posted by: intrepid

originally posted by: ketsuko
I agree that education is a problem, but how then do you explain that the US already spends more than every other developed nation on its education per pupil already and gets worse results?

Not sure if that's so BUT there is NO accountability. I'm spending billions I want a return on my investment. Like I said in the OP, make EVERYONE accountable.... including the system. Ensure the future. The present sucks. No one will argue with that.

People have tried to make the system accountable, but there are the teachers unions. Every time someone wants teacher assessments so that bad teachers can be scotched in favor of good ones? ... The teachers' unions raise a stink and lobby and rally for candidates who will protect them.

Do I need to mention which party generally has the teachers' unions in its back pocket?

Public employees' unions are some of the biggest rackets out there.

If possible, they could stop the war on drugs, legalize drugs, tax it like alcohol or cigarettes, you now put that money in education and healthcare.

You take away the machine that feeds the criminals, no more black market drugs, and to purchase you just need to be whatever the country age of drinking i would say.

a reply to: intrepid

No....I say take the feds out of it completely.
That is a whole level of admins....who all make salaries....have offices....staffs....and take money away from actual teaching.
It should be a local and state issue.

a reply to: dukeofjive696969

I am so confused as to why more states are not legalizing weed....after seeing the money Colorado etal are making on sales.
My state is short of cash....drug sales could fix a lot of budget problems.

a reply to: intrepid
whatever the course of action, we have to start by taking baby steps. Putting a non politician in charge of America is the first most important baby step toward achieving the 20-year goal.