Get An Education

Jill @ Brilliant at Breakfast has a good post on Bush’s attitude toward outsourcing. Certainly she addresses my frustration toward Bush’s usual blase remark that if your job is outsourced, you should just get an education for the 21rst century — doesn’t he understand that those of us who got educations we were told were for jobs of the 21rst century want to squeaze the eyes out of his head when he says that? We’re the one’s who’s jobs are being outsourced? Those jobs of the 21rst Century appear to be the jobs of outsourcing.

Obviously we can’t all be President, so what are these jobs of the 21rst century?

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Tags: politics, George W. Bush, education, jobs of the 21rst century

Reflections On Last Night’s Debate & Related Things

• Why do Congressmen get $7700 per family health insurance packages? Obviously these people have far more money than the people they represent so why are the taxpayers forced to pay this enormous amount to ensure these people when something like 5 Million or is it more are unable to afford health insurance. John Kerry mentioned this number in his promise to give everyone this option. He said that obviously those who could afford health insurance would have to pay for their own, but that those those that didn’t would get the same deal Congressmen do. I think that Congressmen are obviously wealthy enough to afford their own health insurance, why are the taxpayers are not burdoned with it.
• In response to a question regarding job loss in the United States, President Bush said that it was important to re-educate people for jobs of the 21rst century. He suggested that there would be programs at community colleges for this to happen. Fifteen years ago, careers in computers were going to be the jobs of the 21rst century. Now, IT is one of the top industries hit with unemployment in the U.S. As we watch our 21 century jobs being shipped overseas, what jobs does President Bush suggest we re-educate ourselves to do and why is it that my 4-year Bachelor of Science degree is now worthless and needs to be replaced by a community college education?
• President Bush indicated that one of the ways to cut Healthcare costs is to bring the medical sector into the 21rst century with technology. I agree with this. However, as one of my IT co-workers at the hospital pointed out, most hospitals cannot afford to go all the way to electronic medical records. In fact, the very conversion would be a complete nightmare. It would take a decade per hospital probably. And I suppose that the best way to cut costs on this is to ship the IT conversion part overseas. Though likely the consultants would be astonished at the snail’s pace and red tape dealing with a hospital requires.
• Bush refused to answer the question on whether or not he supports overturning Roe V. Wade. He even accused Kerry of wanting to purposely appoint people who he knew would not do this rather than choosing the best person for the job. However, looking at the people Bush has chosen to nominate to key positions where Pro-choice and the option for birth control could be decided and/or taken away, I think that President Bush does in fact have a lithmus test for his appointees, despite his smoke and mirrors claim.
• Kerry correctly pointed out that while “No Child Left Behind” is a good program, it is severly underfunded and this is Bush’s fault. Bush’s reply was to claim that only a liberal would say that increasing education funding by 49% is not enough. The fact is that it wasn’t enough to fund the “No Child Left Behind” Act.
• Why, oh, why, can’t people laugh with their candidate’s opponents when they make a joke? At least recognize that not everything that comes out of Bush, Chenney, Edwards, and Kerry’s mouths are to be interpreted seriously. One of my co-workers was all pissed off at her literal interpretation of something Bush joked about. I didn’t like the joke myself when I heard it last night, but I at least recognized it was a joke not to be analyzed with the regular propoganda and rhetoric.
• Neither candidate is pefect and neither is the devil. While I don’t agree with either candidate 100%, I do agree more with Kerry. I’m tired of people suggesting that a vote for Kerry is just a vote against Bush. It’s not all about Bush, you know. Some of us actually do care about the environment, pro-choice, a better world reputation, a better funded border patrol, better healthcare, better benefits for those in poverty, better paying jobs, less tax breaks for the wealthy and companies sending jobs overseas, and a balanced budget. Yes, I am pissed off at Bush too. I don’t like that he’s taken us into a war that was unnecessary at the time and that he’s not caught Osama yet. I don’t like that N. Korea and Iran actually have moved forward with their nuclear progams and that the number of terrorists is on the rise. I really don’t care for the deficit. Everyone says that Clinton didn’t do anything he promised either but truth be told, one of the things I liked about him when he first ran was that he had a plan to balance the budget and get us out of debt and then once elected, he did it. We had a surplus when he left which was earmarked to help us with the social security issue but that money is gone and now we are in the largest debt ever.I fear for this country. I really do. I am terrified that no matter who wins we will remain divided and that some sort of rioting will occur. I imagine the worst. Obviously something isn’t working with our two party system. I don’t know how to fix it though.

Tags: politics, 2004 election, health insurance, Congress, jobs of the 21rst century, George W. Bush, John Kerry, Women's Rights, outsourcing