World is Falling Apart Thread (Locked forever)

[marurun]

Ultra right-wing domestic terrorists take more lives than foreign terrorists. Our own home-grown terrorists are more dangerous and that's where we should be putting more security attention.

[CRTGAMER]

Submitted for your approval, I present you two candidates for the DNC.

Candidate #1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ8S3ZnLq_Q

Candidate #2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejlmr7zWpUE

A one party system is not healthy for the country. The DNC really needs to take a hard look at how to revive the party. Old traditional partisan ideas are out, it is time to listen to the voters.

[jp1]

Oh look, completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand. What a surprise.

A one party system is not healthy for the country. The DNC really needs to take a hard look at how to revive the party. Old traditional partisan ideas are out, it is time to listen to the voters.

The majority of voters didn't choose Trump. Hopefully we will listen to them next time.

If anything, DNC needs to double down. Fuck kowtowing to the extreme right.

"Liberalism, above all, means emancipation - emancipation from one's fears, his inadequacies, from prejudice, from discrimination, from poverty."

[Tanooki]

You're nuts right? Your definition is nice and all that, but it's not how liberalism has been played out in recent years in the least bit. It as it stands has caused one group to be fearful instead of another, one feel inadequate or wrong just for their skin color or sex, feeling screwed by a system, discriminated against when they weren't before, and has even shoveled a good bit of those folks into poverty due 'get even' type policies.

DNC needs to double down on the divisive bullshit of the Obama years? That's why Trump had the shot he did to eek one by. Enough of the states populations had enough of being told how rotten and wrong they were just for being themselves, male, white, you fill in the blank there as you can find many gripes online to pop in there. The fact Trump pulled some long blue states catering in a way about jobs and so forth that got larger numbers of union people to back them over the DNC said a lot how far that party has swung into crazy town. It's not like the right stunk any less, they fucking lost too. No one won, just Trump, and you either get on board or get run over going as he rolls along as he has no allegiance with anyone.

The DNC needs to get back to how it was before the divisive vocal minority screwed up the place like back in the late 20th century. I'd vote for a party like that, but fuck that party as it stands now. It's all about identity politics, playing sides against each other, fingering people as privileged, some kind of ist, igot, ism, or some other convenient tag line of bullshit to shut down argument.

It goes to show in a way if all we had was a choice between the cheeto and the lying harpy having a two party system in this era is a really really bad idea. Sure you can whine the greens and the rest are in there, but when they can't even nationally pull over 1-2% they're a joke.

[Sarge]

It may be a statistical outlier, but that doesn't mean that through the vigilance of our law enforcement and military that we haven't prevented other attacks. It's not like radical Islamists have changed their mind about us. If they could do it again, they would.

If, also, our vetting process is as solid as some claim, then this just shows its effectiveness. Crime here is more difficult to prevent because, well, we can't actually screen them before they try to enter the country, because they're already here.

[MrPopo]

I'm not saying we shouldn't try to prevent terrorist attacks, just like we should try to prevent all other crime. But bullshit like banning entire countries or making me take my shoes off at the airport doesn't really help.

[MrPopo]

You're nuts right? Your definition is nice and all that, but it's not how liberalism has been played out in recent years in the least bit. It as it stands has caused one group to be fearful instead of another, one feel inadequate or wrong just for their skin color or sex, feeling screwed by a system, discriminated against when they weren't before, and has even shoveled a good bit of those folks into poverty due 'get even' type policies.

I thought you were describing the Republican party, as they shit all over everyone who isn't a straight white Christian male.

[jp1]

@ Tanooki, It isn't my definition. It's in quotation marks for a reason. The rest of your comment is ironic considering the source of the quote.

I agree, it seems like you are describing the right to me. Just because "igot" "ism" "ist" exist, doesn't make them less true either. It is the ultimate white privilege to victimize yourself for being a white male.

Those labels have no effect on people who don't have some tendencies toward them. If someone calls me a bigot, I know it's bullshit. If the call me sexist, I know it's bullshit. If they call me racist, I know it's bullshit. Because I know it is bullshit, I don't put any value in it at all. It is when people call me out on my true faults that I get bothered. Just saying.

Talk about hypocrisy.

[jp1]

It may be a statistical outlier, but that doesn't mean that through the vigilance of our law enforcement and military that we haven't prevented other attacks. It's not like radical Islamists have changed their mind about us. If they could do it again, they would.

If, also, our vetting process is as solid as some claim, then this just shows its effectiveness. Crime here is more difficult to prevent because, well, we can't actually screen them before they try to enter the country, because they're already here.

I don't think anyone is saying to ignore it Sarge, at least I'm not. I'm just saying that the disproportionate reaction sends a message. The same way it sends a message when a cop does something illegal and doesn't have to answer for it. That's why you see groups rise up out of anger towards the establishment. If you saw people executing Christian white men based on nothing else but fear, and then watched them take paid leave as a punishment, you wouldn't be pissed off? That's just religion though, not something as simple as your race, then it is even more offensive because that is literally all they know about you.

How do you feel about the current administration supporting torture? I have to imagine that as a decent human being you take issue with that. So, where is the line?

[SpaceBooger]

It was more that I wanted you to say it instead of inferring exactly what you meant. I suspected your opposition was primarily rooted in DeVos. I'm going to be perfectly honest (and I know there are teachers 'round these parts), outside of some spectacular teachers, our public school systems in many areas are a mess. And I don't think these are issues that can be solved solely by throwing money at them. I have no issue with school choice. I have no issue with charter schools. I have no issue with "for-profit" education.

As far as indoctrination is concerned, that's also a claim that I hear leveled from the right all the time at the school system, and in some instances I can believe it. (For the record, I don't think Common Core is devil-spawn. I also have experienced three different forms of education: public school, private school, and home-schooling. I'm the most partial to the last one, but it isn't for everyone.)

I am a teacher and I agree and disagree about the state of public education. Here are a couple reasons:
1. I have been teaching 18 years and over those years the standardized tests used have changed six times. For three of those six tests the expected scores fluctuated from year to year leaving the state changing the required scores when too many schools had high scores. Last year was the first year we were tested on Common Core (which as a science and math teacher am a fan of)... not this year though, now we are taking the PARC test which is not based off of Common Core. Two different tests with different score sets/standards/scales, yet student's scores will be compared between the two different tests and then published to show growth or failure.

2. School choice takes money from public schools. In Ohio we loose more money per student that leaves our schools that the government gives us. Example say (not actual numbers) the state gives us 3k per kid at each public school, if a student in that district chooses a different school the original school pays 5k. That would be a 2k loss...and I think my made up numbers are low but they help to explain the damage the current system creates.
Also related to money, every time the state changes tests all material is instantly outdated. When the state changed to Common Core it totally changed what was being taught in what grade, the the new test changed that again. Publicly funded schools don't get more money to update books and material. We needed to buy new material for all Math and ELA grades 3-12 twice in the last two years. We didn't have the money, so us teachers spent tons of time and resources to make our own books, tests, and other materials. Next year we are required by the state to take standardized tests online... we don't have computer labs in our schools. We have one cart of 30 chrome books for every even numbered grade (not in 5th or 7th, but one set for 6th and one for 8th) this means one two hour test will take 16 hours at the school I teach at so that every student has the technology for two hours each. Now multiply that by 4 tests. I'm not complaining because we will make it work, I just want people to understand that not every school (I teach in a middle class community) is equally prepared and funded. Speaking of funding for public schools:

3. Almost 20 years ago the the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that the current property tax funding of schools is illegal. Yet schools still are funded primarily by property taxes and asking the community to pay more taxes to fix and rebuild buildings and pay electric bills.

DeRolph v. State is a landmark case in Ohio constitutional law in which the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that the state's method for funding public education was unconstitutional.[1] On March 24, 1997, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled in a 4-3 decision that the state funding system "fails to provide for a thorough and efficient system of common schools," as required by the Ohio Constitution, and directed the state to find a remedy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeRolph_v._State

I typed this quick while my kids are playing and plan to get back to them instead of proofreading this post. I apologize in advance for grammar errors and/or run on sentences... I get kind of worked up when people accuse public schools for failing but don't mention the financial hardships schools are placed in by the same government that claims they are failing.

I do think that the leader of education needs to have more experience which could be used to improve and better a system that is broken not at the local level (stop blaming teachers and superintendents) but at the top (Federal and State).