Healthcare Reform and Drinking Games

“I want to advise people watching at home who are playing that now-popular drinking game — you take a shot whenever the Republicans say something that’s not true — please assign a designated driver,” he said. “This is going to be a long afternoon.”- New York Times

With the house passing the repeal of the health-care bill tempers in D.C. are flaring and the media outlets are buzzing. The call for chivalry seems to have been just another example of political posturing. Right out of the gates a Representative from Tennessee came out swing. He implied that republican are acting just like Goebbels, who was the propaganda director for the Nazi Regime during World War II.  "On the House floor Tuesday, Cohen said: "They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie, just like Goebbels.You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That's the same kind of thing."- Washington Post  

With the events in Arizona, I like the majority of Americas hoped that this horrific event could be a catalyst to a new era of  political chivalry. But like much in politics these days, their claims to reform their behavior was only a claim nothing more.

Throughout the health care debate the arguments from both sides of the isle where so polarized it came off as if they were arguing about two completely different bills. "Depending on your side of the aisle, it will either raise taxes, increase unemployment and sever the patient-doctor relationship or help heal the economy, reduce the deficit and save lives."- New York Times With that growing separation in American politics, and the continual attempt by both sides to demonize there adversary, I wonder IF and when the American electorate will  be able to bridge the political divide.

I propose a new drinking game, every time the democrats and republicans agree about an issue take a drink. It will be a sobering experience.

The Decline in Education

In an USA Today report, a study found some shocking data about the depth of education in higher education.

"Nearly half of the nation's undergraduates show almost no gains in learning in their first two years of college, in large part because colleges don't make academics a priority....After two years in college, 45% of students showed no significant gains in learning; after four years, 36% showed little change. Students also spent 50% less time studying compared with students a few decades ago, the research shows."- USA Today

If you've been to a college campus these days you sadly can see how this is very true. Education in general is being push to produced more higher education graduates. Like most government related products lowing standards are a lot easier then increase the difficulty. For when you lower the bar everyone a winner right?

Facts like this are not all that uncommon, studies have shown that students entering the workforce after college are increasingly unprofessional and unprepared for the tasks at hand.  People are not raised with the idea that they are responsible for their work, and that the quality and timeliness of their work does effect the outcome. People expect their teachers to hold their hands throughout college, then have their bosses hold their hands throughout the work world. Whatever happened to individual independence, and personal motivation to succeed? I guess holding people accountable and forcing people to think instead of just repeating information is now "Un-America".

Like most things in life time has a habit of fixing our own mistakes. With more students at college graduating in to a world were jobs are fewer and far an between, maybe people will start waking to reality. If not there is always government jobs available.