- Sep 14, 2011
- 63,945
- 9,979
- 2,040
Is anyone watching this program? If not, its what the title says. The program shows short vignettes of all sorts of unrelated items and shows a nutshell version of 'how its made'. What is so striking about this show is that some of the jobs are just too mind-numbingly, dead end, boring and repetitive and others are done cheaper by robots. What does that mean to the jobs numbers?
Jump to a visit we had with an orthopedic surgeon today (one of us is having surgery tomorrow). We've been going to this guy for quite a while. He did my total knee replacement and some other procedures. He's quite conservative politically but likes Jon Stewart and Bill Maher because neither are strictly liberal and happily skewers both sides.
Anyway, he teaches various procedures in countries around the world and was talking about how the medical and education systems differ from country to country and that the US is headed for a two tier system. We talked about how education is some countries is geared to the student, that not all people should go to a big university, that some should go to a trade school. Also talked about how some countries are way superior to the US in health care. That conversation led us to talking about other issues which brings me to the subject of this thread.
Why can't the US do what other countries do? Why are we so stuck in the past that we cannot or will not demand that the country move into the 21st century?
Medicine
Education
Infrastructure
Health care
Alternative energy
Equal rights
High speed trains
And other issues.
Why can other countries, with much smaller tax bases, do better for their citizenry than the US? Why are we stuck in the 18-19th century?
First, we spend way too much on our military but the deeper question is, are we so cemented into our partisan opinions that we are unwilling to vote for what is best for ourselves, our children and grandchildren and our country?
Thoughts?
Jump to a visit we had with an orthopedic surgeon today (one of us is having surgery tomorrow). We've been going to this guy for quite a while. He did my total knee replacement and some other procedures. He's quite conservative politically but likes Jon Stewart and Bill Maher because neither are strictly liberal and happily skewers both sides.
Anyway, he teaches various procedures in countries around the world and was talking about how the medical and education systems differ from country to country and that the US is headed for a two tier system. We talked about how education is some countries is geared to the student, that not all people should go to a big university, that some should go to a trade school. Also talked about how some countries are way superior to the US in health care. That conversation led us to talking about other issues which brings me to the subject of this thread.
Why can't the US do what other countries do? Why are we so stuck in the past that we cannot or will not demand that the country move into the 21st century?
Medicine
Education
Infrastructure
Health care
Alternative energy
Equal rights
High speed trains
And other issues.
Why can other countries, with much smaller tax bases, do better for their citizenry than the US? Why are we stuck in the 18-19th century?
First, we spend way too much on our military but the deeper question is, are we so cemented into our partisan opinions that we are unwilling to vote for what is best for ourselves, our children and grandchildren and our country?
Thoughts?