http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-gerson-romney-should-lead-americas-solution-of-class-problem/2012/07/12/gJQA7eOQgW_story.html
My response:
Your recommendations for Romney at the end of the article are all wrong. Early childhood education (Head Start) has been shown to make no long-term difference at a high cost. High school completion leads to "social advancement" i.e. graduating seniors who can't read. College education was the reasoning behind the higher education bubble,where graduates are $100,000 in debt and can't find jobs. Wealth-building was the reason behind getting people in houses to "build equity" which led to the real estate bubble and sub-prime mortgages. Every one of your ideas has led to problems and worsening effects. Is your point that Romney should support these for political reasons regardless, or do you really think that government can do something useful about class?
Mobility comes from a family that pushes it's kids to achieve, and the government's role should be to equalize opportunity. Fix the schools to emphasize learning, not fuzzy self-esteem. Ensure that what you make you get to keep. Simplify the process of starting a business, getting rid of unnecessary regulations.
The most important, however, is a family that pushes kids. If your parents don't have any respect for learning, or any belief that you can succeed, there is no upward mobility. Do you have any ideas on how Romney can fix the culture that mocks studying and hard work? I am an immigrant who spoke no English when I hit kindergarten in Detroit's public schools. My mother ensured that I could at least count to one hundred before I started so that "they won't think you are stupid". I arrived to find that kids who were native English speakers couldn't count to ten. My family is the source of my success, and I don't see where the government could do much but harm.
My response:
Your recommendations for Romney at the end of the article are all wrong. Early childhood education (Head Start) has been shown to make no long-term difference at a high cost. High school completion leads to "social advancement" i.e. graduating seniors who can't read. College education was the reasoning behind the higher education bubble,where graduates are $100,000 in debt and can't find jobs. Wealth-building was the reason behind getting people in houses to "build equity" which led to the real estate bubble and sub-prime mortgages. Every one of your ideas has led to problems and worsening effects. Is your point that Romney should support these for political reasons regardless, or do you really think that government can do something useful about class?
Mobility comes from a family that pushes it's kids to achieve, and the government's role should be to equalize opportunity. Fix the schools to emphasize learning, not fuzzy self-esteem. Ensure that what you make you get to keep. Simplify the process of starting a business, getting rid of unnecessary regulations.
The most important, however, is a family that pushes kids. If your parents don't have any respect for learning, or any belief that you can succeed, there is no upward mobility. Do you have any ideas on how Romney can fix the culture that mocks studying and hard work? I am an immigrant who spoke no English when I hit kindergarten in Detroit's public schools. My mother ensured that I could at least count to one hundred before I started so that "they won't think you are stupid". I arrived to find that kids who were native English speakers couldn't count to ten. My family is the source of my success, and I don't see where the government could do much but harm.
