Why do people today take the easy way and not become productive members of society?

start a business immediately and pay them the wages you feel are proper.

 

THe far right considers anyone who is highly educated enough to see through their propaganda as "Elitist"

 

Arbeit macht frei.
Arbeit macht frei.
Arbeit macht frei.
Arbeit macht frei.
Arbeit macht frei.
Arbeit macht frei

 

For the most part it isn’t really up to the employers, they face competition and are doing the best they can. Wages are not just set by what employers pay. Wages are what is left after taxes and rent-seeking parasites have had their take…and it is getting to the point where the taxes and rent-seekers are taking so much from the economy that productive work is not rewarding enough.

My big stink about conservatives is that while they complain about how high taxes act as a disincentive to production, those same conservatives turn a blind eye when it comes to rent-seeking privileges, which are just a harmful to work incentives as taxes are.

 

A. You have one major political party telling them not to try. There is no upward mobility in America. The only way to improve you lot in life is to vote for the socialists who will then give you what you want.

B. We have a public school system that drives kids out of school and offers them precious little for staying in.

C. It isn't just those at the bottom. What about those born into rich families, or at least well-to-do families, who get an education and then do nothing worthwhile. In England we see some of those rioting in the street and trashing businesses to pass the time.

So, we have people at the top and the bottom not becomming productive members of society. Why? Because, they're entitled. They're special. They don't need to do what others do and get up and go to work and pay their bills and give a lot of their money to the government to support people like them who are so special.

We have two leisure classes. One supported by stupid and indulgent parents and the other supported by stupid and indulgent governments.

 

neither liberal or conservative is proposing taxation on real wealth.
Both are looking to the average guy to foot the bill. They just sell it to a different voter block.

 

Education is not underfunded. We spend more on education per student than most other countries (Switzerland beats us slightly), and certainly more than we did 20 yrs ago.

http://mercatus.org/publication/k-12-spending-student-oecd

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66

 

Wonder why they do so much better than us in academics

 

I agree, actually.

I disagree with the implication in the OP that you have to have a college education to be a productive member of society. But I do think that too many Americans have become intellectually lazy. We'll just outsource it. We need to make rocket ships? We'll outsource that. We need to replace oil? We'll outsource that.

We're even becoming artistically and aesthetically lazy. Good movies? Outsourced. Good foods? Outsourced.

Maturity? Outsourced.

It's an imperial way of thinking. No, we don't need to do that ... we have people for that.

 

Okay. Maybe it's more badly funded than underfunded. I still think we're screwing it up on purpose so as to generate masses of sheeple.

We should be spending more money than anyone else, 'cause we have more money than anyone else.

 

and speaking of "made-up assertions"...

Oh for Gawd's sake! Who do you think is gonna buy this crap your shoveling?

Republicans have been trying to destroy the US social net and any social spending since it all started.

If you're gonna lie...at least make it a believable lie.

 

James:

Let me explain something; people always try to do the best thing for themselves all the time - this is the fundamental tenet of Neurolinguistics and psychology.

Even when we see perverse, or criminal, behaviour that is what is happening inside that persons brain.

You said it yourself, if education is seen by a particular individual as hard, pointless behaviour with only a remote possibility of eventual payoff, then it is stupid for them not to stop doing it.

Now you can look for the environmental factors that would support such a decision. Slyhunters post might give you some ideas:

- high opportunity cost compared to having fun right now.

- Poor future prospects of employment even if you are a graduate.

- High, or simply impossible, financial cost.

- Bad teaching in bad conditions.

- Unstable family life or bad family atmosphere.

- poor early childhood and primary education leading to lack of necessary learning skills.

- Bad fit between person and subject - I can't stand dissection, I could never be a doctor for example.

- Lack of vocational education opportunities.

- Lack of educated role models, especially when the richest most successful guy in the neighborhood is the drug dealer or pimp.

- perceived bias in entry to good schools

- perceived bias in hiring even if you are educated.

What is worse is that America doesn't seem to even want to understand that giving every child regardless of who, where or what they are the absolutely bestest, most excellent primary and secondary education it is possible to give is the best cold hard cash investment it is possible for a nation to make.


This is why I was just flabbergasted at the American national stupidity demonstrated by this incident:

http://www.care2.com/causes/homeless-mom-charged-stealing-school.html

 

I disagree, frodo.

Many people are lazy and want to seek immediate gratification now. They do not want to sacrifice now for the greater rewards they will have in the future.

Let's face it. Most people who in the USA are just plain stupid.