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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Srexley who wrote (133646)	3/27/2001 12:18:35 PM
From: George Coyne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

I have heard (and believe) that many black kids think it is uncool to be smart (or viewed as smart). Do you believe this assertion? If so, where do you think they get this message? This book is a good read on this subject, a rational approach, but not boring. Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America by John H. McWhorter.

To: Srexley who wrote (133646)	3/27/2001 12:27:39 PM
From: Kevin Rose	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 769667

Not everyone who works hard succeeds. One of the jobs I had in college was to manage a donut shop. The lady who taught me worked very hard. Because of the way that the company set up their bonus plan, you needed to make bonuses to make a living (like waitresses, the base pay was very low). Since the bonus was determined by the shops net profit, to make her numbers she had to work every day. Every day. They closed on Easter and Christmas. That was it. And the hours were brutal. Start at 9pm to do books, 10pm start the bake. Finish between 7am and 10am, depending on the day (weekends were very busy). THEN, they were expected to do a noon bake - 12noon to 2 or 3. Then, back to work at 9pm. EVERY DAY. It was akin to slavery, but it was what she knew and did best. She did not have the education to move into anything different; no exposure to computers or formal accounting, no other translatable skills. Jobs like this abound in America. Many people in our area (Silicon Valley) work 2-3 jobs to make enough to afford the super high rent. I don't know when these people sleep. Working these hours prevents them from furthering their education and breaking out of the cycle. Working my way through college at a variety of low paying jobs, such as the donut shop and as a security guard, really rounded out my education. I really saw the value of an education, but also saw how people with family responsibilities became trapped in low-paying jobs with long hours. So, I have to respectfully disagree: hard work does not always make you successful. Education and opportunity are the key; hard work is the engine.