Ramblings on Change
I find it sad that people don't want to change. It seems like everyone is so worried about it, that nothing can ever get done. Take for instance, the government. There's absolutely no reason why our country is in the state that it is in, there's more than enough money to go around, yet no one wants to take a good hard look at what is working and what isn't working and then change it. It's too hard for them to put aside petty bickering and look at the bigger picture, and so nothing gets done.
Here we are in the year 2011, and we're still doing business like it's 1911. Obviously, this isn't going to work. The world has changed, but our thinking hasn't changed with it, which I think is part of the problem. Another part of the problem, is that those in charge don't want to give up... anything. They want to blame the other guy, take no responsibility, and come up with (what I like to call) band-aid ideas. Ideas that seem good in the short run, but ultimately don't work, rather than coming up with an idea that gradually changes things for the better.
I look at the fact that our government is making a lot of money, they have multiple houses, private jets, spa and island vacations, while the people who are fighting and dying for our country have to apply for foodstamps. Because, it's okay to fight for your country, but don't expect to get paid to do so. It's sad when a man can come on TV and admit that he makes so much money that those working for him pay more in taxes than he does. It's sad that there are programs in place that DON'T WORK, yet no one is willing to sit down and really explore WHY they don't work and how to fix them so that they can work. And it's sad when we scream about our educational system not working yet we're not willing to give schools money to get the things they need, or pay our teachers a salary that they can actually afford to live on, and then we blame them when our children don't test well. But let's be honest, if you had to worry about paying your bills every month would you be in a fantastic mood to deal with 30 students every day? MOST teachers do work about 10 hours a day and NOT just 9 months a year, but we justify paying them practically nothing because we tell ourselves they only work 9 months a year and obviously not as hard as other people... and yet... we expect great things from them. So.. by this logic, we want something for nothing. Because that's always worked so well in the past.
It's not just JOBS that we need, but QUALITY jobs. People can't afford to be self employed because they get shafted in taxes, and it's so extremely hard to start a business because there's just no money, no incentives and too many taxes. That's not to say that taxes are bad, they're not, but they're not going toward the things they need to go towards, and not everyone is paying them, so you end up with people bickering about it rather than coming up with a solution that's moderately fair, and still keeps the country going (BTW: Why is it that if a poor person, or a middle class person doesn't pay their taxes, or steals, they get years and YEARS in prison, yet if it's a rich person, or a government official, they get fired and a slap on the wrist? Why a double standard? Shouldn't those in power be held to a HIGHER standard? Just think about it)
The problem, the REAL problem, is that no one is held accountable. Some how, along the way, the government went from "For the People By the People" to "I'm going to make as much money as possible".
When did that happen? How did we as a country LET that happen? Oh right, it's because the world changed, but our government structure hasn't. It's because those with the power to CHANGE said government structure are the ones profiting from it. IE: The ones who are being voted into office.
What we need to do is make people accountable again. We can't afford for Congress to choose their own pay rate any longer. We can't afford for them to sit there and bicker while the rest of the country starves. The only way to make them accountable is by giving the people they're supposed to serve, the power to kick them out and cut their pay. If each state was responsible for their own government agents, and created a budget that took into consideration what their people in Washington was to be paid, those in Washington would be a lot more willing to actually do their jobs.
I mean, everyone else gets reviews for raises, why not them? If they're doing a good job, if the state is in good financial standings, if people are being paid what they deserve to be paid, if businesses are hiring and the majority of people are healthy and well cared for, then that would mean their government workers are doing a good job, and should therefore, get their raise. If instead the state has a low employment rate, too many people are collecting government aid, and there aren't a lot of jobs, then shouldn't it seem logical that those in charge aren't doing their jobs and shouldn't get raises? Or even get their pay cut? I mean, if that state isn't doing well, then that money has to come from someplace right? If those in charge of that state can't seem to get policies in place to make the state better, then the money should come from their paychecks. After all, it's their job to make sure their state is thriving.
If every state did this, if everyone was held accountable, and really WORKED to make sure that their states were doing well, then by logic, it would turn around and make the whole country better. We'd have more money to pay debts, we'd be able to put in place other programs, and dismantle ones that aren't working. We'd be able to restructure the way the country works, because we'd have the means and the money to do it. But you can't start from the top and work your way down, you have to start at the bottom, make small changes, continue to make those changes and by the time it reaches the top, things are looking pretty good.
Just because it could take 10, or 20 years, doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Look at Finland, in 50 years they went from the worst educational system in the world to the #1 spot. The US is around #25. That's because Finland decided they didn't like being the bottom and made it a priority, they changed small things, mostly they changed the way their people thought about things. They got people involved, parents involved, and 50 years later, they have an amazing educational system. Now you can argue Finland is much smaller than the US, but just because we're larger, doesn't mean we can't learn from them. Start small, and continue from there. In 10 years, we could have an AWESOME country.
Here we are in the year 2011, and we're still doing business like it's 1911. Obviously, this isn't going to work. The world has changed, but our thinking hasn't changed with it, which I think is part of the problem. Another part of the problem, is that those in charge don't want to give up... anything. They want to blame the other guy, take no responsibility, and come up with (what I like to call) band-aid ideas. Ideas that seem good in the short run, but ultimately don't work, rather than coming up with an idea that gradually changes things for the better.
I look at the fact that our government is making a lot of money, they have multiple houses, private jets, spa and island vacations, while the people who are fighting and dying for our country have to apply for foodstamps. Because, it's okay to fight for your country, but don't expect to get paid to do so. It's sad when a man can come on TV and admit that he makes so much money that those working for him pay more in taxes than he does. It's sad that there are programs in place that DON'T WORK, yet no one is willing to sit down and really explore WHY they don't work and how to fix them so that they can work. And it's sad when we scream about our educational system not working yet we're not willing to give schools money to get the things they need, or pay our teachers a salary that they can actually afford to live on, and then we blame them when our children don't test well. But let's be honest, if you had to worry about paying your bills every month would you be in a fantastic mood to deal with 30 students every day? MOST teachers do work about 10 hours a day and NOT just 9 months a year, but we justify paying them practically nothing because we tell ourselves they only work 9 months a year and obviously not as hard as other people... and yet... we expect great things from them. So.. by this logic, we want something for nothing. Because that's always worked so well in the past.
It's not just JOBS that we need, but QUALITY jobs. People can't afford to be self employed because they get shafted in taxes, and it's so extremely hard to start a business because there's just no money, no incentives and too many taxes. That's not to say that taxes are bad, they're not, but they're not going toward the things they need to go towards, and not everyone is paying them, so you end up with people bickering about it rather than coming up with a solution that's moderately fair, and still keeps the country going (BTW: Why is it that if a poor person, or a middle class person doesn't pay their taxes, or steals, they get years and YEARS in prison, yet if it's a rich person, or a government official, they get fired and a slap on the wrist? Why a double standard? Shouldn't those in power be held to a HIGHER standard? Just think about it)
The problem, the REAL problem, is that no one is held accountable. Some how, along the way, the government went from "For the People By the People" to "I'm going to make as much money as possible".
When did that happen? How did we as a country LET that happen? Oh right, it's because the world changed, but our government structure hasn't. It's because those with the power to CHANGE said government structure are the ones profiting from it. IE: The ones who are being voted into office.
What we need to do is make people accountable again. We can't afford for Congress to choose their own pay rate any longer. We can't afford for them to sit there and bicker while the rest of the country starves. The only way to make them accountable is by giving the people they're supposed to serve, the power to kick them out and cut their pay. If each state was responsible for their own government agents, and created a budget that took into consideration what their people in Washington was to be paid, those in Washington would be a lot more willing to actually do their jobs.
I mean, everyone else gets reviews for raises, why not them? If they're doing a good job, if the state is in good financial standings, if people are being paid what they deserve to be paid, if businesses are hiring and the majority of people are healthy and well cared for, then that would mean their government workers are doing a good job, and should therefore, get their raise. If instead the state has a low employment rate, too many people are collecting government aid, and there aren't a lot of jobs, then shouldn't it seem logical that those in charge aren't doing their jobs and shouldn't get raises? Or even get their pay cut? I mean, if that state isn't doing well, then that money has to come from someplace right? If those in charge of that state can't seem to get policies in place to make the state better, then the money should come from their paychecks. After all, it's their job to make sure their state is thriving.
If every state did this, if everyone was held accountable, and really WORKED to make sure that their states were doing well, then by logic, it would turn around and make the whole country better. We'd have more money to pay debts, we'd be able to put in place other programs, and dismantle ones that aren't working. We'd be able to restructure the way the country works, because we'd have the means and the money to do it. But you can't start from the top and work your way down, you have to start at the bottom, make small changes, continue to make those changes and by the time it reaches the top, things are looking pretty good.
Just because it could take 10, or 20 years, doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Look at Finland, in 50 years they went from the worst educational system in the world to the #1 spot. The US is around #25. That's because Finland decided they didn't like being the bottom and made it a priority, they changed small things, mostly they changed the way their people thought about things. They got people involved, parents involved, and 50 years later, they have an amazing educational system. Now you can argue Finland is much smaller than the US, but just because we're larger, doesn't mean we can't learn from them. Start small, and continue from there. In 10 years, we could have an AWESOME country.