October 14, 2004
What did that mean?
I watched the debate last night and after a ragged start it did pick up. Being in education, particularly at a community college, it was interesting to here Bush's take on our role - training the workforce of the 21st Century. I had hoped we were doing more than that.
link fo full transcript of the 10/13 Debate
Brief excerpt...
SCHIEFFER: Mr. President, what do you say to someone in this country who has lost his job to someone overseas who's being paid a fraction of what that job paid here in the United States?BUSH: I'd say, Bob, I've got policies to continue to grow our economy and create the jobs of the 21st century. And here's some help for you to go get an education. Here's some help for you to go to a community college.
We've expanded trade adjustment assistance. We want to help pay for you to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
You know, there's a lot of talk about how to keep the economy growing. We talk about fiscal matters. But perhaps the best way to keep jobs here in America and to keep this economy growing is to make sure our education system works.
I went to Washington to solve problems. And I saw a problem in the public education system in America. They were just shuffling too many kids through the system, year after year, grade after grade, without learning the basics.
And so we said: Let's raise the standards. We're spending more money, but let's raise the standards and measure early and solve problems now, before it's too late.
No, education is how to help the person who's lost a job. Education is how to make sure we've got a workforce that's productive and competitive.
Got four more years, I've got more to do to continue to raise standards, to continue to reward teachers and school districts that are working, to emphasize math and science in the classrooms, to continue to expand Pell Grants to make sure that people have an opportunity to start their career with a college diploma.
And so the person you talked to, I say, here's some help, here's some trade adjustment assistance money for you to go a community college in your neighborhood, a community college which is providing the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And that's what I would say to that person.
I have a follow-up question Mr. President. What are the jobs of the 21st Century that we are training for? I thought that things like technical support, engineering, accounting, medical transcriptionist, and computer analyst were the jobs of the 21st Century. That's what those blue collar workers who lost their jobs to NAFTA were training for (or held). Now those jobs are being "off-shored" in record numbers. What are the new jobs of the 21st Century Mr. President?
And another follow up question Mr. President. What is the "trade adjustment money, and how do I access it? My understanding was that Trade Adjustment Assistance offered the shortest training possible (extending up to 104 weeks) to get a worker displaced by trade agreements back in the workplace. Which 2 year (maximum) program do you recommend President Bush? What should a tax accountant with a 4-year degree take 2 years of training in? Or do you have any 2 year training suggestions for doctors who specialized in radiology?
Oh, Sorry. One more thing - what about the people who aren't displaced by globalization - they are just trying to enter the workplace at all?
Posted by rowan at October 14, 2004 6:49 PM | TrackBack | [eMail this article!] |I am not in education, I am a veteran, when GWB said Veterans get good health care, well I suggest GWB gets his care at the VA. I am a high risk patient for the flu vaccine, you remember that stuff, ..the stuff that is only available because of our free market systems....the profit incentive....the stuff that was contaminated by a European country. But wait, it is a California based company, somebody from the Left Coast, that explains it....but wait...there is a shortage because there isn't enough profit in making the vaccine.......not enough profit. No government intervention needed here, somehow it has to be the fault of government....yeah that's it the ticket....it's a result of government ! No I think it's gay marriage or possibly activist judges, or gun control, or Viet Nam....all wrong it's Bill Clinton and that 60's crowd, no it's WMD !
At any rate I have spent the last two days just trying to contact the VA, I will give the a point a person or recording comes on line and tells you your position in line.....there has not been a time that I called where I was less than the 25th person in line, tommorrow I will have to go there and see what I can do.
Now I don't know about all kinds of wonky policy stuff, I can only deal with what I can see and touch.....and I would encourage all you war-loving fellows afflicted with pre mature, I mean preemptive striking disease...that you visit your local VA, stand in line and see for yourselves. Since the alleged cut backs they can use lots of red, white and blue volunteers.
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at October 14, 2004 8:43 PMGo Bill!
I think it is criminal what you and other Vets are going through with the VA. I think that reducing benefits for Guard & Reservists is criminal as well.
Listening to Bush talk is an erie experience for me as he touts how much he is doing for X (the troops, families, those on medicare, the environment, veterans ...) when he is doing the exact opposite.
I hope you have better luck with the VA tomorrow.
Posted by: rowan at October 14, 2004 10:14 PMBill, it is beyond my comprehension that a veteran with the intensely serious health considerations you have, would have to fight tooth and nail to even be HEARD about getting a flu vaccination. Yet we claim to value our veterans. It is empty rhetoric, what the powers-that-be spew, pure newspeak.
I am sorry that you are having this trouble. I wish there was some way I could help.
Posted by: Pamela at October 15, 2004 12:28 AMPost Debate Poem
THE DEBATE
Stinker and Slinker
had a great debate
-quite a spate
over eating from the same plate
each threw a most magnificent fit
over sucking the same corporate teat
(goesh)
Regardless of The Winner
of the debate and election, the monumental task of creating and sustaining a viable 3rd party needs to commence - a party that will address real needs of all Americans and the planet. I sound like a career politician already. There are enough from the Left who are tired of purported Humanists feeding at the corporate trough to join. There are enough from the Right who are tired of the draconian measures implemented to sustain the Right's ideology, measures that are hurting vulnerable people, to join. There are millions of people who simply don't vote that would join because they see no real difference between the Dems and Repubs.
Personal compromise, personal expenditure of money and time - the 3 ingredients needed to make it work.
Posted by: goesh at October 15, 2004 5:04 AMThanks for the kind words....my problems are pretty small, the vets I am most concerned about are the ones we keep making.
In today's headlines now we have an epidemic of price gouging, see those trail lawyers are at it again, inflating medical costs?????????????
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at October 15, 2004 6:29 AMThanks for the kind words....my problems are pretty small, the vets I am most concerned about are the ones we keep making.
In today's headlines now we have an epidemic of price gouging, see those trail lawyers are at it again, inflating medical costs?????????????
I agree with Goesh, we need a third party for our survival.
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at October 15, 2004 6:30 AMRipped From The Headlines:
A big fat mea culpa for straying from the subject at hand,you know it pains me to stray, but, this is taken from a local newspaper and important.
"Forest chief backs limits on off-highway vehicles
Owners of all-terrain vehicles must learn to accept limits in National Forests, Dale Bosworth, the U.S. Forest Service Chief, said yesterday.
It's reached a level in my opinion that we can no longer allow motorized vehicles to go wherever they want"
Well no sh*t Sherlock! What took you so long!? You see Homo sapien arrogance displayed all the time in car commercials on TV - trucks and other 4WD vehicles ripping through the environment, as if it is something cool to rend the earth and pollute with noise and fumes simply because one can own such a vehicle and do it.
Amazing how we don't allow critters to cohabit with us and come into our environments. Kill the little devils! spray them! trap them! Nope, we won't have snakes and bugs invading our environment, but we sure the hell invade their environment. We have whole industries devoted to maintaining the borders of our habitation - ant spray, roach spray, mole inhibitors, grub and mite destroyers, mouse traps, rodent poison - we even destroy yard plants in this paradigm of man v nature. Someone explain to me how quack grass threatens us? Yet it is perfectly OK for us two-legged critters to disrupt the feeding and mating habits of life forms at our leisure. Isn't that a travesty?
If I were the boss, there would be massive areas of our parks and wilderness areas totally off limits to all humans.
Those ful shots are a much bigger issue than just the VA not having them. When Bush & Kerry were asked at the debate what the cause of the problem was, neither candidate answered. The reason is that global flu vaccine is concentrated in the hands of two companies. That is about as close as you can get to "putting all your eggs in one basket" (pun intended). Now you have increasing crackdowns on who can get the vaccine (D.C. Plans Flu-Shot Crackdown), and and the federal government considering being the channel for all flu vaccines).
Posted by: rowan at October 15, 2004 7:06 AMIF cost containment is an issue, and apparently it really isn't, can you imagine the financial impact in sick days, productivity, hospitalzations, uninsured hospitalizations etc. etc.
Consolidatation and deregulation is suppose to help us, in my former industry, the trucking community, I haven't seen it happen.
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at October 15, 2004 8:10 AMPill Piracy:
My wife has a friend who is a Rehab Counselor - one of his clients is on some exotic antibiotics that for 60 pills the bill is just over 4000.00$
Bill makes a darn good point - the economic impact of 10% of the work force laid out with flu will be very high.
Could the President put a freeze on the costs? Where is Bushrod when you need him - he seems to know a thing or two about the Law.
If Bush could put a freeze on the costs of flu vaccine, he is dumber than I thought for not doing so.
Posted by: goesh at October 15, 2004 8:58 AMNot to make anyone more depressed, I have been noticing in public places us non vets have access to- places previously set to administer flu shots- have cancelled signs over their advertisements for the shots. All I can think about are the elderly who are dependent on their yearly shot and how many nursing homes are going to be quarantined while the flu raids their centers.
We all know who will be obtaining what flu vaccines are available. It won't be anyone in the lower 80% of the population, eh?
Where's John Lennon when you need him? I can hear one of his songs now.
Posted by: Shawna at October 15, 2004 9:56 AMThe song I'm thinking of is "Johnny Get Your Gun", but I don't want to be accused of being a Leftist guerrilla here, so I won't sing it...
Posted by: goesh at October 15, 2004 10:07 AMImagine that !
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at October 15, 2004 11:35 AM.
Posted by: mp3 at November 4, 2004 5:13 AM