HardOCP News
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Amen to that.
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Free Laptops and Broadband for the Poor
- Thread starter HardOCP News
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Amen to that.
sulfur_lad
Weaksauce
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This is dumb. The poor (generalizing) have far greater problems than no internetz. Seriously, a lot of these families could care less about tracking their childrens' progress, and this money will be so many kinds of ill-spent it's not even funny.
My brother has taught at some schools in some pretty terrible spots, and the sad truth is that they ended up doing more social help than teaching. Like, sometimes getting the authorities involved and extracting kids from their homes. He was lucky if he had one parent show up for parent/teacher nights (contrasted with the near-100% participation he enjoys at his current school). Kids acted out often because of what was happening in their home life. They had food programs because for some kids lunch was the only real meal they got during the day. You could not count on the parents to even want to improve their own situations, and their kid's school performance was the last on their list of cares.
It's sad, but that's the way it is. You can try to help (and the staff did), but it was an uphill battle; most of the time people didn't care or want help. For this reason, it's ludicrous that this money will be spent the way it is.
My brother has taught at some schools in some pretty terrible spots, and the sad truth is that they ended up doing more social help than teaching. Like, sometimes getting the authorities involved and extracting kids from their homes. He was lucky if he had one parent show up for parent/teacher nights (contrasted with the near-100% participation he enjoys at his current school). Kids acted out often because of what was happening in their home life. They had food programs because for some kids lunch was the only real meal they got during the day. You could not count on the parents to even want to improve their own situations, and their kid's school performance was the last on their list of cares.
It's sad, but that's the way it is. You can try to help (and the staff did), but it was an uphill battle; most of the time people didn't care or want help. For this reason, it's ludicrous that this money will be spent the way it is.
In other news, 270000 laptops were added to Ebay this week....
Im from the UK too and this is a joke. If the government wants to add IT for kids lets put more computers in schools and have the IT room open after school so kids with no internet can use them. This way its fair for everyone, i dont get it that just because you have a job and not sponging off society that you have money for these things.
I actually work for the Civil Service and i know for a fact that a lot of so called poor people have more disposible income than my wife and i, and we both work (she is a nurse).
I really hope Labour gets wiped out at the next election, they have always gone after the "poor" vote, i almost think they want to keep their voting base poor and on benefits rather than trying to tackle the problems properly.
You are just SOOOO WRONG........Cash Converters! Ebay is just too much hard work....and costs money.
I have to agree with you though. It is a total waste and most will end up full of porn or sold off in the pub etc.
I dont understand why kids need laptops to do school work. I remember I had to actualy use a pen (remember those) to write an essay and read books to get the info. The school would issue most of the books so it wasnt hard if you were rich or poor.
Use to take a couple of hours or so to do 4 sides of A4. Now all they do is cut and paste from wikipedia.
They dont? BS! My GF runs a book review website where she writes all the reviews. The number one search term for her website is "book report". She does wonder how many kids she's helped get through school.
Laziness on all sides.
It is really sad that things are this way and I just don't understand it. I grew up poor, but my parents took an interest in my education at least to the point their limited education allowed. The area I grew up in was pretty poor overall, but rural and for the most part the parents were actively involved in the school.
My entire adult life, I've lived in more urban areas. The urban poor just don't seem to care at all about education even though thats the only real good way to improve in life.
I got talking to a friend who had recently become a teacher at a local high school. I mentioned to him that I had wanted years ago, to be a primary school teacher but as I was male, I didnt think that was a great idea or would be allowed so didnt pursue it.
He mentioned that they are now desperate for male primary school teachers as so many kids now have no male role model in their lives. In many areas the only male role models are the drug dealers and pimps.
I guess the battle is well and truly lost.
He mentioned that they are now desperate for male primary school teachers as so many kids now have no male role model in their lives. In many areas the only male role models are the drug dealers and pimps.
I guess the battle is well and truly lost.
+1.. stop the stupid people from breeding!
I disagree. When I was nearing the end of High School, and was applying for scholarships, I was amazed at the percentage of scholarships that are "need-based." My parents didn't pay anything for my schooling (besides transportation back and forth), but because my family was middle-class, I was ineligible for all those scholarships.
The combination of state schools, Pell grants, low-interest student loans, and low-income-only scholarships makes it quite easy for the poor to get funding for college, if they work hard in High School.
If you're rich, naturally you can afford it. If you're poor, you get someone else to pay for it. If you're middle class, you'll have to actually work for it.
Oh, and don't forget all the scholarships for only women, or only blacks, or only hispanics, etc. Can you imagine the howling you'd hear if there was a whites-only or men-only scholarship fund out there?
If you are poor and stupid the world is your oyster it seems.
I was unemployed a coupld of years ago and signed on for job seekers allowance for 6 months. The reason I claimed it was the fact that I had paid in for 20 years so I thought I may as well get some back.
Anyway after a while it became apparent that folks have made a career out of 'being poor'. I'd see them turn up to sign on with the bulging bags of stuff from Argos, new trainers and mobile phones...with the essential toddler in the pushchair.
I'd been seeing on the TV numerous govt adverts for unemployed people to get re-training. The adverts would show quite technical professions so I thought I'd ask. When I asked the 50 year old civil servant lifer behind the desk he looked at me aghast. "why would you want to do that???" he asked. I replied that one day I might have to get a job in a bar or burger joint and having my food hygiene certificate might be helpful (see I didnt go in asking to be a flight engineer). I was told that traning wasnt for me. I asked why but he wouldnt say.
Next fortnight I asked another chap, this time just in his twenties so not as bitter as the last chap. I asked about getting some skills re-training and he said that wasnt possible. I then came out and asked the direct question that had been my suspicion all along.
"So then I take it these training courses are just for the retarded/career hopeless to give them something to do so they get off the stats or can claim extra? And because I have been a tax payer and have qualifications I'm not entitled?"
The guy tried hard not to laugh out loud but nodded and said in hushed tones "erm yes basically but don't quote me on that!"
It's a shame that millions are spent on what are essentially a worthless section of society yet I couldnt get any help at all even though I would get out of bed for it and maybe bring back some tax income.
I was unemployed a coupld of years ago and signed on for job seekers allowance for 6 months. The reason I claimed it was the fact that I had paid in for 20 years so I thought I may as well get some back.
Anyway after a while it became apparent that folks have made a career out of 'being poor'. I'd see them turn up to sign on with the bulging bags of stuff from Argos, new trainers and mobile phones...with the essential toddler in the pushchair.
I'd been seeing on the TV numerous govt adverts for unemployed people to get re-training. The adverts would show quite technical professions so I thought I'd ask. When I asked the 50 year old civil servant lifer behind the desk he looked at me aghast. "why would you want to do that???" he asked. I replied that one day I might have to get a job in a bar or burger joint and having my food hygiene certificate might be helpful (see I didnt go in asking to be a flight engineer). I was told that traning wasnt for me. I asked why but he wouldnt say.
Next fortnight I asked another chap, this time just in his twenties so not as bitter as the last chap. I asked about getting some skills re-training and he said that wasnt possible. I then came out and asked the direct question that had been my suspicion all along.
"So then I take it these training courses are just for the retarded/career hopeless to give them something to do so they get off the stats or can claim extra? And because I have been a tax payer and have qualifications I'm not entitled?"
The guy tried hard not to laugh out loud but nodded and said in hushed tones "erm yes basically but don't quote me on that!"
It's a shame that millions are spent on what are essentially a worthless section of society yet I couldnt get any help at all even though I would get out of bed for it and maybe bring back some tax income.
This is economically dumb. That money can be used to spur industry, not something marginally useless. If a family doesn't care about school without a computer, they certainly won't care with a computer. Most of them will probably just sell the laptop anyways...
Parmenides
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 6,578
Here's a better idea.....
Set up nonprofit charities that give out free laptops and broadband. Taxpayers can choose to pay normal taxes... or they could opt to give .1% of that would-be tax money to their favorite computer/broadband charity.
Who wins? The poor win! A greater percentage of the poor benefit!
Who loses? Bureaucrats and their budget to buy new furniture for their office.
Set up nonprofit charities that give out free laptops and broadband. Taxpayers can choose to pay normal taxes... or they could opt to give .1% of that would-be tax money to their favorite computer/broadband charity.
Who wins? The poor win! A greater percentage of the poor benefit!
Who loses? Bureaucrats and their budget to buy new furniture for their office.
That's a Great idea, Of course I don't live in the currently snowed in UK(I live in the backward republican USA that doesn't like to pay for this or that in their taxes{their a bunch of Stingy Self Centered Cheapskates}) and I already own a PC.
I live in the currently 31F and sunny state of Kentucky
I've entertained the idea of privatizing welfare for quite a while now, and I have become more and more convinced that doing so would be a huge boon to everyone except bureaucrats. The same goes for Social Security and Education. In none of these three situations does the US federal government add any real value.
This is the truth. Being born to a middle class family that actually works, I naturally received no financial help for my education.
At my university there are even chairs labeled "for minorities only". There are also women "cultural centers" and African American "cultural centers" (they actually have dedicated buildings for these "clubs"), but of course a male only or white only "cultural center" is considered sexist or racist.
Sounds like You think the Disabled are too much of a burden(When was the last time You saw any Charity on the USA giving anything? Sure they'll accept donations for elsewhere, But here?), Sure I get SSI(Supplemental Security Income) as I'm permanently disabled, Can't work anyway(not like I wanted to break a leg in 2002 & damage the other hip joint), Considering the idea of privatizing Social Security is dead as people invested their money in 401K funds which were invested in the stock market and that Wall Street lost all of It or nearly all of It, The idea of privatizing Social Security or anything is not going to fly, Privatize Title II & XVI? I highly doubt It will ever happen, So dream on as It's dead, move on... Besides I'm Human, I have Rights, And I'm as Human as You are, I exist and I will not go quietly into the night, As I have a Right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and You have no right to take that from Me, Absolutely NONE. So pay Your taxes like a Good Person should, quit over spending & stop being so unchristian to those who are less fortunate, It's not like I wanted to be disabled(Are You sure Yer not a Scrooge??), I sure don't over spend...
I love this idea!!! They could make everybody buy a license to screw. No money, no sex!!! Might just pay off the debt in less than a years time.
Perhaps I spoke too broadly, but I think you're jumping at conclusions here.
>>First of all, by privatizing social security, I was referring to supplementary income benefits, not to disability insurance.
>>Second, Privatizing SS does not imply investing in the stock market, as the liberal left would have you believe. Investing in lower-risk bonds (corporate or government bonds at whatever level you choose) would be available as a choice. And so would putting your money in the vanilla SS program. The idea is to give people a choice, rather than squeeze them all into a one-size-fits-none government program.
>>Third, I know quite a large number of charities which distribute money/food/other services within the US.
>>Fourth, I was in no way advocating the abolition of charities, but rather the transfer of the administration away from the government into the hands of private companies. People would be able to choose where their charity dollars go. Charities compete for the money (low overhead, better screening of recipients, etc).
>>Fifth, I actually give a significant percentage of my income to charity. And I know a fair number of people who give a similar percentage who have been audited because it is such an unusually high percentage.
>>Sixth, you are correct that I have no right to deprive you of life, liberty, or happiness. However, I am also under no obligation (beyond the requirements of the law) to provide it for you on a silver platter.
>>Seventh, a busted leg and hip may leave you physically disabled (and you have my sympathy), but it does not prevent you from getting a job which does not require that you be ambulatory. My job, for example, involves sitting at a desk for several hours per day. Physically, you could do my job.
Lastly, (and this might help you find work) it might do you a bit of good to work on your grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Good written communication skills are very valuable in today's workforce.
Parmenides
Supreme [H]ardness
- Joined
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- Messages
- 6,578
Joker, if tax money was diverted into privatized organizations that were regulated to help, there would be more to go around for the disabled.
Humans, by nature, do better in life when there is one or both of these things: competition and accountability.
Humans, by nature, do better in life when there is one or both of these things: competition and accountability.
In other news, 270000 laptops were added to Ebay this week....
Im from the UK too and this is a joke. If the government wants to add IT for kids lets put more computers in schools and have the IT room open after school so kids with no internet can use them. This way its fair for everyone, i dont get it that just because you have a job and not sponging off society that you have money for these things.
I actually work for the Civil Service and i know for a fact that a lot of so called poor people have more disposible income than my wife and i, and we both work (she is a nurse).
I really hope Labour gets wiped out at the next election, they have always gone after the "poor" vote, i almost think they want to keep their voting base poor and on benefits rather than trying to tackle the problems properly.
Ahhh, you do see the point don't you. If they made the "poor" successful, they would vote conservitive, because they would then see how stupid the librels are!!!
I notice that you didn't mention HOW you broke your leg, or damage the other hip joint. I see that you can type, so your not totally disabled, you just need a new career. I worked with a man who recieves disabillity from the Gov for a leg lost in Vietnam. Yeah, he was drunk and flipped a Jeep.
Oh yeah, the bible says " if a man does not work, he shall not eat"
So take your "unchristian" statement (which BTW was also non-christian) and stick it!!!
I doubt working would be the best idea, As just working on a PC problem here makes Me sweat like crazy and for a PC that's not good, The broken leg made Me gain a lot of weight and My education is a GED, As I never took a SAT test and I'm within 6 months of being 50 and I live in the middle of nowhere. Oh yeah, I worked as a security guard in the past, all they wanted after a while was someone who could stand on their feet for about 8-12 hours, Back problems, Concentration, Anxiety, Depression, I'm lucky that I have prescription eyeglasses as I can't see without them, I have a bad thyroid that I think causes those incurable problems(I'd taken hormone pills that had no effect in the past), I do the best I can as to My typing, I also use a cane now, So far I haven't needed to go through an airport metal detector as I have 3 titanium screws in the leg that ruined Me financially and such. Its bad enough that recently I had to put My elderly cat to sleep(She was almost 18yrs old), As I couldn't afford Her care anymore, I'm lucky could afford what care I did attempt before I had to do what I didn't want.
Simple I slipped on a step while exiting a house, I don't drink, smoke or take drugs, The lower left leg snapped and the right hip dislocated and then afterwards the right leg popped back into the socket, My typing looks decent as I use a spell checker, I could have corrected Your "recieves disabillity" to "receives disability", But I won't. I'm lucky I could drag Myself a few feet and that I managed to keep from going into shock, I've always had back problems, No idea why of course, Dad didn't like most Doctors and so He always took Me to a General Practitioner instead of a Pediatrician when I was a kid as He only trusted one Doctor, But I digress.
Maybe self centered would have been better, As I'm no Bible thumper like My Grandpa was supposed to have been, He made My Dad Memorize the Bible, Dad didn't make Me go to Church though. In other words, No work? So starve and die? Oh the NAZIs liked something like that, They called them Work Camps, Where they worked people to death and others they merely exterminated and cremated by the millions in WWII, As they didn't like anyone who wasn't perfect, Disabled, Blind, Jews, etc were all targeted and over here We've had those who said such things never happened(My Dad served in WWII in the 368th Medical and He saw a lot from North Africa to Occupied Germany from 1942 to 1946 and He was a clerk(To Him High School was good enough). Oh and when I could I gave to charity(Now I can't, Of course the Governator didn't help matters much in 2009, In 2010 He wants the last $15 a month He legally can get)... I've heard of the Red Cross helping in a Natural Disaster, But that's all I've ever seen. I don't even get food stamps, So I'm lucky that I can attempt to maintain My Car and My mobile home(which isn't as mobile as one might think and It gets very expensive and I do know moving It again would cost nearly $10,000.00 and that just isn't feasible as I don't have access to that type of money), Just cheaply made It turns out... At least the car I can slowly get fixed, But then both are paid for and the SSA didn't pay for them at all.
And since they'd be regulated, There would be more bureaucracy to deal with and so less money for those that deserve the help/money as is noted Here in the Poverty Privateers...
As the author there states: "This is one of the biggest corporate grabs in history,".
The Social Security Administration is very accountable, The system could use fixing, As I live below the poverty line as the US dollar buys less and less as the dollar sinks in value, I spend about $125 to $200 a month on food(It depends on what I have in the house still), I spend about $330 to $350 a month on space rent and for electricity and natural gas, TV isn't free out here as It's cable or satellite as UHF is not something places install anymore unless It's with a Satellite system(bummer), My house could still use 3 new windows(4 are dual pane now and their not cheap at $330 and $370 each as their custom sized vinyl windows) and weatherstripping for the two exterior doors, paint, work on the carport and guy wires(Which It needs, It leaks between the house and the carport when It rains out here, Gusty winds cause problems with the carport roof and the carport legs could use bolts and washers instead of screws which are now coming loose again in the gusty winds), The flooring throughout most of the house could use replacement(except for the 2nd bedroom), The floor under the washer/dryer and in part of the master bedroom could use new plywood instead of particleboard, the ducts under the clothes washer/dryer could use replacement(I had then inspected), I'd had some electrical problems(fixed, bad 220v breaker and dryer, a Free gas dryer from My Nephew replaced the 220v one), The A/C isn't hooked up as I'd run out of money originally(I do use a swamp cooler though, a heat pump would cost $6000 to replace the A/C and the heater(the heater is over sized I'm told) and the thermostat is old and has two sets of wires(that meet near the heater and so the colors don't match) as the place was fixed on the cheap as It had been vandalized before I bought the place back in 2006(I didn't know all of this back then of course), But most of this is simply not something I can do, As My income is way too small and being unable to work, I get Supplemental Security Income instead, Of course what It supplements is a good question as no effort has been made by Congress to fix SSI as It was originally for Seniors and then the Blind and the Disabled were added on and now the Disabled out number the Elderly and the Blind as people who receive SSI(Which as most know does not come from the Trust Fund that Congress has liked to raid in the past, I'm qualified for SSDI except for the fact that I haven't worked in the last 5 to 10 years, Congress could fix this so that if one is Disabled ones credits would get one the insurance benefits that they paid for without a stupid window in the way saying Oh You haven't worked the last 10 years, You get SSI instead(Nothing else either in California, and It isn't cheap to live here in the state of My birth[California]), I asked and was told It could be fixed, But not for those Who have accumulated credits already(No grandfathering in as I was told they didn't want to do this). As SSDI is an Insurance plan with a loophole, If You can prove You worked recently within the last 10 years of applying and have problems that are proven and not merely diagnosed, One can get SSDI, If one doesn't one is screwed as the clock is ticking all of the time, But like I said My Dad didn't like Doctors for the most part, Why? I have no idea and I can't go and ask Him, He died in 1993, He was 75, Mom died in 1998, She was 76, Grandpa lived until He was 82(He was born in a log cabin too) as did most of My other relatives who lived into their 80's).
What real value does the corporation add to the exchange when you're talking about directly providing money from the government. It took them long enough to cut the banks out of the government subsidezed student loan market. They were making billions a year from the tax payer just for handing the money given from the government to the borrower. What exactly did they do to deserve their cut?
You raise two different issues, so I'll take them one at a time. The value of transitioning welfare from government administration to private administration is in the introduction of competition. Right now, there is no competition--the government merely taxes you and distributes the money as the bureaucrats see fit. There's no incentive for efficiency (% of income actually dispersed to the needy) or effectiveness (e.g. getting folks back into a productive lifestyle). If multiple options are available, and taxpayers are given the opportunity to decide where their welfare-tax dollars go, then competition will improve the result. Personally, I would tend to send my welfare-tax dollars to a charity that works to get people in productive jobs, that refuses to help people who only want a handout, and that strictly enforces a no-drugs policy. The mechanism for distributing the funds to the private charities would be similarly simple: each qualified charity gets an ID number, and you fill out a line on your 1040 form with that ID number.
As for student loans, I confess that I'm not well-versed in how that system works. I'm not convinced that federal involvement in financing college tuition is the most effective use of taxpayer dollars.