Obama to announce $795 million in funding to expand broadband in poor, rural areas

[Charles_Main]

More job creation eh.

 

[daveman]

I don't think you quite understand the integration of the internet to education in today's schools. Our school offers twelve distance learning classes that would be impossible to offer without a broadband connection. Many schools don't have that luxury, too bad for those kids?

And what good is that going to do them if they can't read?

Dave if a student isn't going to learn to read at school, a tutor isn't going to help either. The internet based courses help the kids who want to excel, and I am in a proponent of pushing the top kids by offering them as much as possible while encouraging the other kids to do better without taking away from the opportunities for the excellers. I do NOT believe in keeping the top down to cater to the middle or lower students. It's a waste of resources.

Mandatory tutoring programs are useless. If a child refuses to learn in the classroom, he'll refuse to learn from a tutor.

But for a child who wants to learn...a tutor will make up for a poor school.

 

[daveman]

Are you comparing electricity to broadband?

Well, yes. But more broadly, I'm comparing infrastructure investment to infrastructure investment.

So is that a yes? Rural electrification was okay?

As part of the New Deal, it was an unconstitutional expansion of the government's power.

But that ship has sailed. This is no different.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

We still have a Rural Electrification Agency!

http://www.usda.gov/rus/electric/

Can we please shut this fucking thing down already?!!!

 

[daveman]

We still have a Rural Electrification Agency!

USDA Rural Development's Electric Programs

Can we please shut this fucking thing down already?!!!

No! That's where the buggy whip makers union employees were moved to!

 

[Ravi]

Yeah, I knew someone would bring that up. There is a difference between volunteer tutors and poor houses, though.

Dave, what would you rather see the money spent on?

I just mentioned a far more beneficial recipient: Tutoring programs. Definitely would do society a lot more good than broadband.

Teacher's unions wouldn't allow it, though.

All public schools have tutoring programs, and what's more the teachers encourage the kids to get tutored.

You're quite the retard.

There's no doubt in my mind that if the money was used for more tutoring programs you'd whine about that as well.

 

[Care4all]

We still have a Rural Electrification Agency!

USDA Rural Development's Electric Programs

Can we please shut this fucking thing down already?!!!

Does everybody HAVE electricity? I know they don't up here in some rural areas....? several areas are not on any kind of electrical grid yet...they have to use generators and/or solar because there still is not electricity or phone lines in their areas....

though, there probably will never be electricity in their areas so yeah, they should shut the silly department down

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

So I think making broadband internet ubiquitous in the USA is a damned good investment.

Is it is a necessity? When we have $13 trillion in debt, spending on anything other than the most vital operations needed to run this nation is reckless and wasteful.

I still have an eight year old TV/VCR combo in my living room. I've wanted to a get a nice HD flat screen for a couple of years now, but that would require me taking on at least a grand in debt or more and I don't find it a responsible thing to do when I have a mortgage payment, a car payment, college loan payments, a child to feed. It's called being responsible.

 

[ConHog]

So I think making broadband internet ubiquitous in the USA is a damned good investment.

Is it is a necessity? When we have $13 trillion in debt, spending on anything other than the most vital operations needed to run this nation is reckless and wasteful.

I still have an eight year old TV/VCR combo in my living room. I've wanted to a get a nice HD flat screen for a couple of years now, but that would require me taking on at least a grand in debt or more and I don't find it a responsible thing to do when I have a mortgage payment, a car payment, college loan payments, a child to feed. It's called being responsible.

What the fuck? I just seen a 42" flat screen for $388 at wal mart bro. You gotta spend money to get out of debt. Now get down there and buy that TV.

 

[edthecynic]

Dave, what would you rather see the money spent on?

I just mentioned a far more beneficial recipient: Tutoring programs. Definitely would do society a lot more good than broadband.

Teacher's unions wouldn't allow it, though.

All public schools have tutoring programs, and what's more the teachers encourage the kids to get tutored.

You're quite the retard.

There's no doubt in my mind that if the money was used for more tutoring programs you'd whine about that as well.

Not only will they whine about that, they will find a way to blame one of their pet scapegoats. If it's not the teachers union's fault it's Hollywood, or big government, or the trial lawyers.

 

[edthecynic]

So I think making broadband internet ubiquitous in the USA is a damned good investment.

Is it is a necessity? When we have $13 trillion in debt, spending on anything other than the most vital operations needed to run this nation is reckless and wasteful.

I still have an eight year old TV/VCR combo in my living room. I've wanted to a get a nice HD flat screen for a couple of years now, but that would require me taking on at least a grand in debt or more and I don't find it a responsible thing to do when I have a mortgage payment, a car payment, college loan payments, a child to feed. It's called being responsible.

So you are saying St Ronnie and Cheney are liars.
Thank you.

"Reagan proved deficits don't matter."
Dick Cheney

'I don't worry about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'
Ronald Reagan

 

[jeffrockit]

Nice idea. Bad timing. On account of that deficit and all.

This isn't "new" spending. The link says it is being paid for with money from the stimulus.

How exactly does that stimulate the economy?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

What good is broadband if they're accessing it on a Tandy? Don't they need Macs and iPads?

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

So I think making broadband internet ubiquitous in the USA is a damned good investment.

Is it is a necessity? When we have $13 trillion in debt, spending on anything other than the most vital operations needed to run this nation is reckless and wasteful.

I still have an eight year old TV/VCR combo in my living room. I've wanted to a get a nice HD flat screen for a couple of years now, but that would require me taking on at least a grand in debt or more and I don't find it a responsible thing to do when I have a mortgage payment, a car payment, college loan payments, a child to feed. It's called being responsible.

So you are saying St Ronnie and Cheney are liars.
Thank you.

"Reagan proved deficits don't matter."
Dick Cheney

'I don't worry about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'
Ronald Reagan

Reagan ran up the debt more than any president in history until Bush came along. Bush took 200 years of debt and doubled it in eight.

 

[daveman]

Is it is a necessity? When we have $13 trillion in debt, spending on anything other than the most vital operations needed to run this nation is reckless and wasteful.

I still have an eight year old TV/VCR combo in my living room. I've wanted to a get a nice HD flat screen for a couple of years now, but that would require me taking on at least a grand in debt or more and I don't find it a responsible thing to do when I have a mortgage payment, a car payment, college loan payments, a child to feed. It's called being responsible.

So you are saying St Ronnie and Cheney are liars.
Thank you.

"Reagan proved deficits don't matter."
Dick Cheney

'I don't worry about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'
Ronald Reagan

Reagan ran up the debt more than any president in history until Bush came along. Bush took 200 years of debt and doubled it in eight.

And the largest increase in any single year happened in Obama's first year. And the Obama Administration is itself projecting doubling Bush's second-term increase.

But that will be blamed on Bush, of course.

 

[Care4all]

So you are saying St Ronnie and Cheney are liars.
Thank you.

"Reagan proved deficits don't matter."
Dick Cheney

'I don't worry about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'
Ronald Reagan

Reagan ran up the debt more than any president in history until Bush came along. Bush took 200 years of debt and doubled it in eight.

And the largest increase in any single year happened in Obama's first year. And the Obama Administration is itself projecting doubling Bush's second-term increase.

But that will be blamed on Bush, of course.

NOT QUITE....the biggest yearly deficit in our History occurred under the Bush Administration's last FISCAL YEAR....which began October 1st of 2008 and ended September 30, of 2009.....

this deficit is attributed to President Bush's last year in office....

the Budget for 2001 was attributed to Clinton as his last year in office, even though it did not end until September of 2001, with months of Bush actions that affected this Budget....like, he gave us all a tax rebate that august....that went against President Clinton's budget and was not attributed to president Bush.