The Future Leaders of America

[BrooklynGuy]

Here they are ladies and gentleman the next leaders of America 

Liberal Minnesota college students can't name a single recent Democrat accomplishment

Students attending a Bernie Sanders-Ilhan Omar rally fail to name a single thing Democrats have accomplished in the last three years.

Video: https://www.yahoo.com/news/liberal-minnesota-college-students-cant-131714651.html

 

College May Not Be Worth It Anymore

Last year, New York became the first state to offer all but its wealthiest residents tuition-free access to its public community colleges and four-year institutions. Though this Excelsior Scholarship didn’t make college completely free, it highlights the power of the pro-college movement in the United States. Recent decades have brought agreement that higher education is, if not a cure, then at least a protection against underemployment and the inequality it engenders. In 2012, President Barack Obama called a college degree an “economic imperative that every family in America has to be able to afford.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/opinion/college-useful-cost-jobs.html

 

rally fail to name a single thing Democrats have accomplished in the last three years.

Edited November 6, 2019 by BrooklynGuy

[+Desertrat56]

"higher education is, if not a cure, then at least a protection against underemployment and the inequality it engenders"

That is a deluded perspective.  My daughter worked full time and went to college full time.  She got a better job, better except for pay.  She has about the same benifits and better hours, but there is no where for her to go.  Her student loans are ridiculously high and she doesn't expect to ever be able to pay them off.

AND we are always short of trained tradespeople, like carpenters, plumbers, welders, ect.  

My other daughter has an MBA and is doing really well financially, but has very little family time.  She also has a huge student loan that will probably not be paid off before her 30 year mortgage that she got 2 years ago will.

[ExpandMyMind]

1 hour ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Students attending a Bernie Sanders-Ilhan Omar rally fail to name a single thing Democrats have accomplished in the last three years.

With McConnell's legislative graveyard, it's not wonder Dems haven't done anything. 

Quote

In an interview with Mike Allen for "Axios on HBO," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) lamented that more than 250 bills passed by Democrats in the House are sitting in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's "legislative graveyard."

The big picture: McConnell has called himself the "grim reaper" of progressive policies in the Senate. His campaign has also tweeted a photo of a graveyard with Democratic efforts marked on the headstones, including the name of McConnell's Democratic competitor Amy McGrath.

• Since taking back control of the House in 2018, Democrats have argued that their policies have been given unfair play in the Senate, often going without committee assignments.

https://www.axios.com/jeffries-hakeem-mcconnell-mitch-house-bills-93d704be-58f4-44c8-89f7-9a8daab492cd.html

[BrooklynGuy]

17 minutes ago, ExpandMyMind said:

With McConnell's legislative graveyard, it's not wonder Dems haven't done anything. 

https://www.axios.com/jeffries-hakeem-mcconnell-mitch-house-bills-93d704be-58f4-44c8-89f7-9a8daab492cd.html

Not your best work but a good effort none the less. Why do you think those nice college students couldn't name a single thing the Dems have done in three years? 

[ExpandMyMind]

1 minute ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Not your best work but a good effort none the less. Why do you think those nice college students couldn't name a single thing the Dems have done in three years? 

My post that you just replied to specifically addressed the reason. It's why I posted it.

[BrooklynGuy]

57 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

"higher education is, if not a cure, then at least a protection against underemployment and the inequality it engenders"

That is a deluded perspective.  My daughter worked full time and went to college full time.  She got a better job, better except for pay.  She has about the same benifits and better hours, but there is no where for her to go.  Her student loans are ridiculously high and she doesn't expect to ever be able to pay them off.

AND we are always short of trained tradespeople, like carpenters, plumbers, welders, ect.  

My other daughter has an MBA and is doing really well financially, but has very little family time.  She also has a huge student loan that will probably not be paid off before her 30 year mortgage that she got 2 years ago will.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply Desertrat56. I agree folks almost have to have a 4 year degree these days to get a decent job with good benefits unless as you pointed out they have a skill like one of the trades. You hit it on the head with that last line, the crushing debt associated with that 4 year degree makes some folks wonder if it's worth it. 

[+Desertrat56]

6 minutes ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Thanks for the thoughtful reply Desertrat56. I agree folks almost have to have a 4 year degree these days to get a decent job with good benefits unless as you pointed out they have a skill like one of the trades. You hit it on the head with that last line, the crushing debt associated with that 4 year degree makes some folks wonder if it's worth it. 

In one daughters case it wasn't worth it, in the others it was, though the debt is huge, more than my mortgage.  I think a college education is oversold and if that's the way we are going what New York is doing is probably the only way to make it work so that people aren't impoverished by the student loans.  The reason my older daughter could buy a house is that she has a husband without student loans to offset her student loans.  The other daughter has no hope of ever buying a house.  My cousin has a grandson that just graduated from high school.  He is really smart and decided to take advantage of a program in the high school to get certified as a welder.  It took him his junior and senior year, but he expects to earn enough money to go to college.  He wants to get a degree in philosophy because that is what he likes.  He also has already taken 2 semesters of college after school.  He knows a philosophy degree, like a psychology or english lit degree, will not get him a job.

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by Desertrat56

[BrooklynGuy]

12 hours ago, Desertrat56 said:

In one daughters case it wasn't worth it, in the others it was, though the debt is huge, more than my mortgage.  I think a college education is oversold and if that's the way we are going what New York is doing is probably the only way to make it work so that people aren't impoverished by the student loans.  The reason my older daughter could buy a house is that she has a husband without student loans to offset her student loans.  The other daughter has no hope of ever buying a house.  My cousin has a grandson that just graduated from high school.  He is really smart and decided to take advantage of a program in the high school to get certified as a welder.  It took him his junior and senior year, but he expects to earn enough money to go to college.  He wants to get a degree in philosophy because that is what he likes.  He also has already taken 2 semesters of college after school.  He knows a philosophy degree, like a psychology or english lit degree, will not get him a job.

 

Thanks for the reply and sharing a little bit about you children's struggles and successes. It looks like from what I have been reading lately that some colleges may have lost sight or moved away from providing the best unbiased education possible, often for financial reasons, and have become more focused on the bottom line in a market that seems to be over saturated. With some recent college closures that appeared to be nothing more than diploma mills and other colleges misuse of student aid funds appears to have further tarnished the reputation of colleges and their attractiveness to young folks.

[Setton]

15 hours ago, ExpandMyMind said:

My post that you just replied to specifically addressed the reason. It's why I posted it.

Yes, but he can't argue with that so could you come up with another one for him? 

[Buzz_Light_Year]

16 hours ago, ExpandMyMind said:

With McConnell's legislative graveyard, it's not wonder Dems haven't done anything. 

https://www.axios.com/jeffries-hakeem-mcconnell-mitch-house-bills-93d704be-58f4-44c8-89f7-9a8daab492cd.html

Oh yes payback for years of Harry (table it) Reid..........Karma

[+Desertrat56]

6 hours ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Thanks for the reply and sharing a little bit about you children's struggles and successes. It looks like from what I have been reading lately that some colleges may have lost sight or moved away from providing the best unbiased education possible, often for financial reasons, and have become more focused on the bottom line in a market that seems to be over saturated. With some recent college closures that appeared to be nothing more than diploma mills and other colleges misuse of student aid funds appears to have further tarnished the reputation of colleges and their attractiveness to young folks.

not to mention the mismanagement of the federal student loan program.

[BrooklynGuy]

1 hour ago, Desertrat56 said:

not to mention the mismanagement of the federal student loan program.

Yes great point DR. It looks like some Senators have taken up the cause and are looking into it, hopefully something good will come out of their investigation and some positive changes will follow. I would be interested to hear your thoughts when you have a minute.

23 Senators Demand Investigation Into Mismanagement Of Student Loan Program

Twenty-three U.S. senators are calling on the nation's top consumer protection agency to investigate a loan servicer for its role in a troubled student loan forgiveness program. The program is designed to help public service workers like teachers and police officers. The loan servicer, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, better known as FedLoan and PHEAA, is one of the entities that handles the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774395247/23-senators-demand-investigation-into-mismanagement-of-student-loan-program

[Tatetopa]

20 hours ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Not your best work but a good effort none the less. Why do you think those nice college students couldn't name a single thing the Dems have done in three years?

Who has been the President for the last 3 years?  Who controlled both Houses of Congress for the first two?  Who still controls the Senate?

Well here is something Democrats did, they got enough representatives elected to take control of the House.  Even that I guess you could say was more down to what the Republicans did than what the Democrats did.

[BrooklynGuy]

3 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Who has been the President for the last 3 years?  Who controlled both Houses of Congress for the first two?  Who still controls the Senate?

Well here is something Democrats did, they got enough representatives elected to take control of the House.  Even that I guess you could say was more down to what the Republicans did than what the Democrats did.

Thanks for the friendly reply Tatetopa as I always enjoy our polite political discourse. When you have a minute could you take a stab at answering my original question? Why do you think those nice college students couldn't name a single thing the Dems have done in three years?

[Tatetopa]

5 hours ago, Buzz_Light_Year said:

Oh yes payback for years of Harry (table it) Reid..........Karma

Funny way to think of it, Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have their ego and karma battles and we are the ones that take it in the shorts.

[+Desertrat56]

1 hour ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Yes great point DR. It looks like some Senators have taken up the cause and are looking into it, hopefully something good will come out of their investigation and some positive changes will follow. I would be interested to hear your thoughts when you have a minute.

23 Senators Demand Investigation Into Mismanagement Of Student Loan Program

Twenty-three U.S. senators are calling on the nation's top consumer protection agency to investigate a loan servicer for its role in a troubled student loan forgiveness program. The program is designed to help public service workers like teachers and police officers. The loan servicer, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, better known as FedLoan and PHEAA, is one of the entities that handles the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/29/774395247/23-senators-demand-investigation-into-mismanagement-of-student-loan-program

Hasan Minhoj did a story on this. 

 

 

[Tatetopa]

59 minutes ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Why do you think those nice college students couldn't name a single thing the Dems have done in three years?

Two answers spring to mind.  You can take your pick.  They are ignorant or the Democrats didn't do anything noteworthy on a national scale.

I would fail you in my duties if I left it at that Brooklyn Guy.

While the country stagnates on a national level, Democrats in state offices have been active.

The US Congress has not altered the minimum wage since 2007.  Twelve years of inflation and rising costs for the middle class and the working poor.

13 states have raised their wage floor above the federal minimum since 2014. It may only be by a quarter, but 29 states now have a minimum wage above the federal level.  According to the NY Times, that affects about 15 million workers.  I can't vouch for their numbers.

Paid family leave at the birth of a child, nada on the Federal level even with Ivanka pushing.  There are eleven states with paid sick leave of up to two weeks in some states.  Six states have passed family sick leave policies that cover the birth of a child or a major illness.

Many states have retained air and water standards higher than the current federal limits after  those pesky regulations have gotten in the way of business.  (I suppose that is a dig, huh,)

California has had its own emission and fuel efficiency standards up until now.  I would suspect that was a self defense measure to counteract the stench and smog of Los Angeles.  Many states followed those standards until Elaine Chou said it wasn't American for states to over rule the federal government.  My oh my I bet she would have been popular among the states rights crowd in 1860.   Sorry Brooklyn, I am a cranky old man who can't resist a few editorial comments.

Between 2010 and 2016 Republican controlled state legislatures cut budgets and reduced education spending among other things. States controlled by Democratic legislatures have had some success in restoring education funding.  FIve states controlled by Republicans voted to cut taxes instead of restoring funding.  Just a difference in philosophy I guess, take your money now or invest in the country's future.

States are pushing solar and wind power options and giving incentives to home owners and businesses to install solar and wind capacity.

Some states and cities, largely the ones controlled by Democrats are  taking initiatives around reducing carbon, increasing recycling, and taking other actions to minimize the effect of climate change.  Some of them, like the coastal city of Charleston  SC are doing it out of necessity.  Four floods of portions of downtown in four years.  Charleston along with about 400 other municipalities has agreed to uphold the spirit of the Paris Accords.

Democratically controlled state legislatures  and city governments are fighting pollution.  My state was among the first to have a bottle bill requiring a deposit.  Over the objection of soft drink and spirits corporations, most glass, aluminum, and plastic  containers are recyclable and have a deposit.  Some cities have banned single use disposable plastic bags.  China and many other countries have stopped accepting our plastic waste, so even the largest companies like Waste Management have had to stop exporting that. 

My state has a college savings plan for residents, I am sure other stated do as well. It is a 529 plan which is a federal plan, but the state allows a tax deduction for money deposited in the state plan.  It won't offset all costs, and it does not solve the problem for parents with no money to save, but it is something. It was passed by Democrats.

My state as well as many others has a medical insurance plan  as a safety net for working poor that have no insurance through an employer, also passed by Democrats.

 

So, there is the start of a list of a few things Democrats have done.  Maybe those nice students just didn't do their homework or prepare for the interview, or maybe it was a pop quiz.

[BrooklynGuy]

6 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

Two answers spring to mind.  You can take your pick.  They are ignorant or the Democrats didn't do anything noteworthy on a national scale.

I would fail you in my duties if I left it at that Brooklyn Guy.

While the country stagnates on a national level, Democrats in state offices have been active.

The US Congress has not altered the minimum wage since 2007.  Twelve years of inflation and rising costs for the middle class and the working poor.

13 states have raised their wage floor above the federal minimum since 2014. It may only be by a quarter, but 29 states now have a minimum wage above the federal level.  According to the NY Times, that affects about 15 million workers.  I can't vouch for their numbers.

Paid family leave at the birth of a child, nada on the Federal level even with Ivanka pushing.  There are eleven states with paid sick leave of up to two weeks in some states.  Six states have passed family sick leave policies that cover the birth of a child or a major illness.

Many states have retained air and water standards higher than the current federal limits after  those pesky regulations have gotten in the way of business.  (I suppose that is a dig, huh,)

California has had its own emission and fuel efficiency standards up until now.  I would suspect that was a self defense measure to counteract the stench and smog of Los Angeles.  Many states followed those standards until Elaine Chou said it wasn't American for states to over rule the federal government.  My oh my I bet she would have been popular among the states rights crowd in 1860.   Sorry Brooklyn, I am a cranky old man who can't resist a few editorial comments.

Between 2010 and 2016 Republican controlled state legislatures cut budgets and reduced education spending among other things. States controlled by Democratic legislatures have had some success in restoring education funding.  FIve states controlled by Republicans voted to cut taxes instead of restoring funding.  Just a difference in philosophy I guess, take your money now or invest in the country's future.

States are pushing solar and wind power options and giving incentives to home owners and businesses to install solar and wind capacity.

Some states and cities, largely the ones controlled by Democrats are  taking initiatives around reducing carbon, increasing recycling, and taking other actions to minimize the effect of climate change.  Some of them, like the coastal city of Charleston  SC are doing it out of necessity.  Four floods of portions of downtown in four years.  Charleston along with about 400 other municipalities has agreed to uphold the spirit of the Paris Accords.

Democratically controlled state legislatures  and city governments are fighting pollution.  My state was among the first to have a bottle bill requiring a deposit.  Over the objection of soft drink and spirits corporations, most glass, aluminum, and plastic  containers are recyclable and have a deposit.  Some cities have banned single use disposable plastic bags.  China and many other countries have stopped accepting our plastic waste, so even the largest companies like Waste Management have had to stop exporting that. 

My state has a college savings plan for residents, I am sure other stated do as well. It is a 529 plan which is a federal plan, but the state allows a tax deduction for money deposited in the state plan.  It won't offset all costs, and it does not solve the problem for parents with no money to save, but it is something. It was passed by Democrats.

My state as well as many others has a medical insurance plan  as a safety net for working poor that have no insurance through an employer, also passed by Democrats.

 

So, there is the start of a list of a few things Democrats have done.  Maybe those nice students just didn't do their homework or prepare for the interview, or maybe it was a pop quiz.

Thank you for the thoughtful reply and recognizing that my issue here in this thread is with what I think is a poor job some colleges and are doing in educating our children and not the lack of action by either the Dems or the Rubs getting some of the peoples business done. I'm sorry you went to the trouble to research and post all the Dems and Rubs accomplishments in the last few years, many of which you posted I'm well aware. I would have simply taken your word for if you had said so . All kidding aside you and I both know that if the Dems and Rubs haven't been working together behind the scenes to get legislation passed the Federal Government and the services they provide would have come to a stop long ago and there would be even more protesting in the streets. I don't think it's either of the two choices you listed but thank you for answering my question in a thoughtful and respectful way. I think there is a third option that you may have over looked and I will get to in a minute. I don't think these nice students are ignorant as they clearly were able to meet the admission requirements to get into a well respected University. But it's puzzling don't you think that they were at rally for Mr. Sanders who is a serious candidate for President and Ms. Omar who probably gets more press than any other Democratic Representative except for Ms. Ocasio-Cortez but they weren't informed enough to answer the simple questions posed to them. I think we both can agree that the Dems and the Rubs have accomplished much in the last 3 years that we can all be proud of. Perhaps the reason the nice folks couldn't answer the question is because they can't hear the Real Message of Hope and Change being offered by both the Dems and the Rubs because it's being drowned out by the divisive rhetoric come from both sides in a shameless attempt to sway voters in the 2020 election. As always it's a pleasure discussing the issues with you and thanks again for the replies.

[aztek]

naw, those aren't future leaders, future SJW.  

[Tatetopa]

5 hours ago, BrooklynGuy said:

Perhaps the reason the nice folks couldn't answer the question is because they can't hear the Real Message of Hope and Change being offered by both the Dems and the Rubs because it's being drowned out by the divisive rhetoric come from both sides in a shameless attempt to sway voters in the 2020 election. As always it's a pleasure discussing the issues with you and thanks again for the replies.

Bingo buddy!  Divisiveness is a filter.  After a while, you don't even know why you like one side or the other and stop listening to what they are saying. You don't look for new facts to analyze and inform your decision, you look for validation of the decision you have already made.  It is sad and shameless and a huge disservice to the citizens.  Good one Brooklyn.

[BrooklynGuy]

I think this video should be required viewing for admission to every college in America. I'm sure all of us, especially those of us that are more mature in their years, can really appreciate the sacrifice these real heroes made for us.