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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: koan who wrote (50166)	2/8/2009 2:58:17 AM
From: Gary Mohilner	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 149317

Koan, I can agree that our education system does need to give us a picture of where we are, and how we've gotten there. My point wasn't to eliminate the classes that give us an educated electorate. I do believe that not everyone must learn Algebra, however, in California, if students cannot pass a basic Algebra test, they cannot graduate High School. For some kids, who just don't understand some of the abstract concepts of Algebra, or even worse, who cannot perform basic mate, this means taking Algebra classes every year from the eight grade on. While I doubt most who spend four years attempting to learn enough to pass a basic algebra test will go to college, I cannot help but think that there are a lot of classes that would benefit them far more than taking algebra for the 8th time. While I don't believe we should pass students who cannot do basic math, but we do, but don't pass the state mandated algebra test and you won't graduate. The shop classes, which these same people might really benefit from, aren't available, but even if they were, it's doubtful they could take them, after all they must take algebra for the next four years. I like the expression that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. We constantly fail to learn that we cannot dictate democracy. If you want to promote democracy, you need to build the economics, the educations systems, the availability of food, power, etc, in short, you need to be certain the need in the Maslov's hierarchy of needs have been met, then a democracy can be successful. Bush's idea that you can simply invade a country, tell them they're free, lets have a democratic election and all will be well doesn't work. Telling the Palestinians the same thing got us Hamas in charge of Gaza. When you dictate to people that they should have an election you need to live with who gets elected. If you educate a people and provide for their needs when the time's right for an election, you'll get a govt. that you can get along with. Gary