Shocking Reality: We are $698 million more in debt

"The state's chief economist, Arun Raha, on Thursday projected the state will collect nearly $700 million less in taxes over the next two years than previously forecast. That pushes the budget shortfall to around $5.1 billion or more, depending on how you count it, through fiscal year 2013. State fiscal years run from July 1 through the end of June." ( Seattle Times)

So if you haven't heard, we are even further in debt than before. So the cuts to higher education we were worried about will only get bigger with a 11% increase being the minimum that it might go up. Teacher unions and state workers unions that protested against reducing their state  benefits, might have to reevaluate their strategy. With our state not being able to raise taxes with out a 2/3 majority, the only thing we have left to do is cut.

Get ready for some intense rallying and protesting at our capital because people and services are going to be getting cut. And with every dollar goes another voter. So with all eyes once again on our legislators what projects will they cut? Will they reduce the size and the power of regulator organizations? Will the state expand the gambling taxes and allow more off reservation gambling? Will we privatize the whole sale of liquor in our state? Will we finally allow charter schools in our state? What will out state do?

Out of every crises comes opportunities, and with our state having to cut back on costs, we will be able to in-act sweeping reform in our state the likes of which we have not seen in a long time. But the question beckons, what form will that change take?

Social Security : The Titanic of our Time

"More than eight in 10 Americans now see the country’s Social Security system as headed for a crisis, and most think a major overhaul is in order, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll."(Washington Post)

One of the lesser talked about crises is that of social security. While we talk about reducing the deficit our officials don't like to talk about the growing deficit that is social security. Sense its creation it has been raided by one administration after the next. The funds have gone to paying for a large number of pet projects, many of which now are on the chopping block. So what will be come of the National Retirement plan? If our recession and deficit grow, will we limit or cut those on social security? If it comes down to funding our parents retirement of paying for infrastructure who will win?

To understand the true magnitude of the problem I will give a little back ground to the program. In a nut shell social security was created to get older people out of the work force to provide opening for new young employees to get there start in the work world. Social security is base off a ponzi scheme. Basically the workers pay into this program to pay for those that are retired, and once they retire the younger generation pays for there retirement and so forth.

This plan works only if there are more workers then retirees. However with people living longer and the population having a high percent of retirees, the percent of people working to retiring is becoming less. What this means is that we either have to increase the amount each worker pays into the system, to off set the difference, or give less benefits to those that have social security. However neither of these plans seem favorable to most people in the system. People don't want to lose benefit or want to pay more into the system. So in the end a deficit and inflation is the only option.

This topic will be a hot button issue during the 2012 campaign season, it will be interesting to see what candidates on both sides of the political world think about reform. For whatever reform we do in act someone is going to get the short end of the stick. I wonder which generation will in the end call the shots?

The Plight of Education

Most days I read two to three newspapers to stay up to date on whats going on in the world. One of my favorite things to do is read some of the comment chains on popular articles and stories of controversial issues. Of late the more I read and research controversial issues, the more I come what is the biggest problem in American education, the inability to think critically.  

I love to talk politics with people, especially if they don't agree with me. ( You learn more about the world by looking out a window then by looking in a mirror)  Lately I have run into a large number on both sides of the political spectrum that don't think critically, they think emotionally. They are more likely to yell at you then talk with you. 

My parents are both teacher and conversations like this come up all the time. How do we teach critical thinking?  Mainstream education teaches you what to think, not how to think.  What we need is to focus more on the latter. With "Education reform" making education look more like an assembly line then a school. The question beckons...What are we teaching our kids? 

Being a higher education student myself, I have learned and refined the ability to regurgitate the equivalent of an education hairball in class, but true understanding is another situation entirely. So i would pose the question, should we be focusing on measurable criteria? Or on something more in depth when i comes to education reform?