[Rudey]

I feel like kids that go to bad colleges are pretty much screwed in life. Do you feel the same way?

-Rudey
--Hardy har har

Originally posted by Betarulz!
I've heard several stories like this, namely one about 2 college students. Each time I have to demonstrate why such a story is not really very evident of the real situation in America and the goals of those of us who believe that things like social welfare.

The difference is this: I have no problem with people who don't work hard not getting rewarded similarly as those who do. However, my problem is the fact that there is a large discrepency in the types of opportunities those that do work hard are likely to receive. The goal is Equal opportunity, not equal rewards.

The fact is that there is a large discrepency between the type of opportunities I had compared to what someone from a rural school district or an inner city district got. I know this. Tom knows the type of socioeconomic area I am from and can attest to how relatively well off the area is.

My school was less than 10 years old when I graduated, had at least one brand new computer in every classroom, often more than that, had three computer labs each with over 40 computers. We had new textbooks (no older than three years old) and current maps and modern science labs. Teachers in my district were among some of the highest paid in the state, starting from $30000 for a 1st year teacher. Further there are plenty of kids that I graduated with that would be considered grasshoppers in that parable that are still going to college right now, simply because their situation allowed that.

Compare that to a student in an inner city or rural district where they can't afford new text books, computers, or even to have enough teachers for the number of students enrolled in their school, let alone attract any of the top new teachers coming out of college right now. Those good teachers that do go to those districts are likely to leave much sooner for better pay in those suburban districts if they can. For the kids that do work hard in these disadvantaged schools, it is much tougher to get out and go to college than it is for those suburbs kids who give minimal effort. These kids have far fewer opportunities than the ones I was given.

The simple truth is that education up to the secondary level is the one constant experience we all have, yet it creates an unequal society b/c so much is unequal creating unequal opportunities. It has been proven time and time again that the more education you have the more you earn, and so these kids that can't get to college even if they work harder than the suburban kids are stuck in a viscious cycle of poverty. Welfare is definitely nothing more than a bandaid on the problem of poverty, but until politicians are really ready to address the roots of poverty it will remain the same and the cycle will continue.