On globalization ...

The workforce in the western world has become a highly educated very expensive workforce and the only way to justify the cost of labour their productivity has to be dramatically higher than their third world competition; or their education must allow them to do work that can't be done by offshore labour. Unfortunately, unions and politicians have no interest in producing the best long term results and there has been a healthy stream of subsidies (and constant threats of strikes) in order to ensure that companies maintain the least productive workforce possible.

Had we began focusing on ensuring that our manufacturing workforce was as productive as possible 50 years ago most people who worked in manufacturing today would be highly skilled machinists (or similarly skilled workers) and the work done by these people would be worth their cost. The truth is that we didn't and today you can pay a GM employee $77 per hour in wages and benefits or you can pay a worker in China $2.50 per hour and get similar results.

I don't have a problem with that kind of globalisation, TBH. You can pay a guy in a developing country 2.50 an hour because over there the average daily wage might be 20 bucks or something anyways; which would be a decent living compared to the costs there.

The only thing I would want those companies to do is to follow some sort of basic human work standard guidelines where you're only allowed to work people X hours a day, X days a week, etc. etc.  Those companies are already saving boatloads of money by outsourcing; they should have a couple bucks to spare to provide those workers with clean, safe, working conditions.

@ Numonex:  If you were a CEO your main priority is to provide for your shareholders.  If you can get a product made overseas for less, let me use the Ireland 12% vs US 35% corp tax for example, than why wouldn't you?  I find it akin to tyranny when a govt forces a private entity such as a company to make products in its home country.  Does it lay people  off--sure.  Would I like it if I was laid off?  Hell no.  The problem lies in govt intrusion into corps that get taxed to the gills.  I say lower the tax on companies here and some--not all--will bring some biz back to the states.

Wait wait, what? Are you saying that we need to relearn everything that we learn every generation? That sounds retarded in itself.

Why?  People do need to relearn everything every generation.  It's not like we have gentic memory that passes down from one person to another.

Before teaching was a profession the younger generations still learned how to do shit through apprenticeship and passing knowledge down in their families, and books.

Regardless, just like every other profession... teachers are worth whatever they're paid.

You are saying that everyone needs to re invint everything? Because without teachers that's what will happen. Teachers ae by far one of the most impotant professions in ANY society. Without them knowledge is not passed down, it's lost.

Are you serious?

When someone wanted to become a blacksmith in the middle ages did they have to reinvent blacksmithing?

If teaching wasn't a profession then people would go back to the apprentice system.  It would be annoying and it would be less efficent but society would survive and entire disciplines wouldn't just up and disapear.

That's just stupid.

Also... you know.  Books exist and such.  I mean people are homeschooled you know.  They turn out just fine when it comes to learning.

What he is saying is teachers are a good way to pass knowledge down, but not the only way.

In fact, as information is more readily available, teachers become less of the vehicle to inject information onto the masses.

Some people will say the most important thing a teacher could ever give, is the skill to learn. It takes a lot less skill to learn today, then it did 100 years ago.

There is nothing more obnoxious then quoting huge messes of text without cleaning it up. Start using the "delete row" button to clean it up.

I would certainly agree with that. Helping to develop independant learners is the most valuable thing a teacher could offer.

Although information today is more readily available and accessible, classrooms, I believe will always have an important place in learning. Discerning what information is valid, how to determine if it is valid and learning how best to procure said information are all things that need to be learned in order to become an independant learner.

This is only touching on the passing of knowledge aspect of it all. A lot can be said about the socialization in schools as well as the practices offered in debate, public speaking, presenting, etc.

Anyhow, I'm incredibly tired and I'm getting the feeling I'm just needlessly rambling now... goodnight all.