The problem with Illinois pensions isn't the level of benefits. It's that the legislature has been underfunding the pensions for more than 20 years. Legislators and governors have kept tax rates low and spent most of the tax revenues on the general budget, always promising to catch up on pension contributions "next year." As a result, the state's retirement system is now only 36 percent funded. Decent pension fund management would keep it around 80 percent funded. In addition, the legislature gave the state all the responsibility for making pension payments for all local school districts in Illinois except the city of Chicago, letting those places keep property taxes lower rather than taking some responsibility for the pensions they negotiate.
OK, I am far from a supporter of many things the U.S. government does or wants to do online. That said, the level of democracy that does exist, combined with public pressure in the U.S., and in the European Union, for that matter, has made it possible to block things like SOPA. Things don't work that way in countries like Russia and China, and there's no way I want the governments of those two countries to have the power to decide how the Internet works for everyone else. It's a non-starter.
So what's your alternative? Yeah, you can say things like, "Turn it over to something like the FSF." That ain't gonna happen. So, again, what alternative to U.S. governance that stands a chance of happening does anyone here propose?
This.
Seriously, I'm 58, got a Bachelor's degree more than 30 years ago and just started back to school to get a two-year A.S.A. degree. You're never too old to learn - it's just a matter of figuring out what you want to learn and going for it. And these days, there are more ways than ever to go about doing it, from cheap community colleges to free online courses. Heck, just get a book and learn a new language on your own. Download some free software and start learning that way. But you have to take the initiative.
Actually, no, it's not U Phoenix or anything like that - just a local community college. And, thanks, your comment explains what I was trying to say in a way. I don't have a problem with them using MS Office in the labs, etc. It's more that I think that, if they're teaching basic word processing skills, then let the assignment be "create a document that has this type of formatting, this kind of style, this font, a nameplate, a picture, two columns, etc.," not "you have to use MS Office 2010 and click here, click here, click here, etc." I understand MS Office is the most popular, but I can create a document with any number of programs. And at my last job, at a weekly newspaper, they switched everybody over to Google Docs. The kids in these classes are going to be lost if they get a job in an office that uses that.
I'm not testing out - too late for that if it's even an option. I had to decide to go back to school and register pretty quickly, and the adviser didn't offer that option, even when I said, "But I've been using computers for 20 years." So like I said in the original post, I'll finish the course and take my A, then write them about it.
But, yeah, - it's like taking an "Intro to Car Repair" course and finding out that the textbook is called "Intro to Fixing Starters on Toyota Camrys." Granted, it's the most popular car on the market and knowing how to fix a starter on one could be useful, but there's more to car repair, even on a basic level.
Read the Shanghai Daily article again, which states:
"They started work on the production line last Thursday and were being paid 1,550 yuan (US$243.97) a month for working six days a week, she said.
But they had to pay hundreds of yuan for food and accommodation, she said in an online post under the name of mengniuIQ84."
In other words, no, Foxconn is not providing them "free lodging and giving them subsidized food," nor are they being paid anywhere close to "$350/mo." It's clear that the students quoted in the article do not see this as "an upgrade to their lifestyle." Rather, they see it as an unneccesary, forced disruption of their academic studies.
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The problem with Illinois pensions isn't the level of benefits. It's that the legislature has been underfunding the pensions for more than 20 years. Legislators and governors have kept tax rates low and spent most of the tax revenues on the general budget, always promising to catch up on pension contributions "next year." As a result, the state's retirement system is now only 36 percent funded. Decent pension fund management would keep it around 80 percent funded. In addition, the legislature gave the state all the responsibility for making pension payments for all local school districts in Illinois except the city of Chicago, letting those places keep property taxes lower rather than taking some responsibility for the pensions they negotiate.
OK, I am far from a supporter of many things the U.S. government does or wants to do online. That said, the level of democracy that does exist, combined with public pressure in the U.S., and in the European Union, for that matter, has made it possible to block things like SOPA. Things don't work that way in countries like Russia and China, and there's no way I want the governments of those two countries to have the power to decide how the Internet works for everyone else. It's a non-starter. So what's your alternative? Yeah, you can say things like, "Turn it over to something like the FSF." That ain't gonna happen. So, again, what alternative to U.S. governance that stands a chance of happening does anyone here propose?
This. Seriously, I'm 58, got a Bachelor's degree more than 30 years ago and just started back to school to get a two-year A.S.A. degree. You're never too old to learn - it's just a matter of figuring out what you want to learn and going for it. And these days, there are more ways than ever to go about doing it, from cheap community colleges to free online courses. Heck, just get a book and learn a new language on your own. Download some free software and start learning that way. But you have to take the initiative.
Actually, no, it's not U Phoenix or anything like that - just a local community college. And, thanks, your comment explains what I was trying to say in a way. I don't have a problem with them using MS Office in the labs, etc. It's more that I think that, if they're teaching basic word processing skills, then let the assignment be "create a document that has this type of formatting, this kind of style, this font, a nameplate, a picture, two columns, etc.," not "you have to use MS Office 2010 and click here, click here, click here, etc." I understand MS Office is the most popular, but I can create a document with any number of programs. And at my last job, at a weekly newspaper, they switched everybody over to Google Docs. The kids in these classes are going to be lost if they get a job in an office that uses that. I'm not testing out - too late for that if it's even an option. I had to decide to go back to school and register pretty quickly, and the adviser didn't offer that option, even when I said, "But I've been using computers for 20 years." So like I said in the original post, I'll finish the course and take my A, then write them about it. But, yeah, - it's like taking an "Intro to Car Repair" course and finding out that the textbook is called "Intro to Fixing Starters on Toyota Camrys." Granted, it's the most popular car on the market and knowing how to fix a starter on one could be useful, but there's more to car repair, even on a basic level.
Read the Shanghai Daily article again, which states: "They started work on the production line last Thursday and were being paid 1,550 yuan (US$243.97) a month for working six days a week, she said. But they had to pay hundreds of yuan for food and accommodation, she said in an online post under the name of mengniuIQ84." In other words, no, Foxconn is not providing them "free lodging and giving them subsidized food," nor are they being paid anywhere close to "$350/mo." It's clear that the students quoted in the article do not see this as "an upgrade to their lifestyle." Rather, they see it as an unneccesary, forced disruption of their academic studies.