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Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Two-percent Solution

Have you ever noticed how much effort we put into fixing problems without providing solutions?

Consider. Education is a problem. Kids need to be educated, to know how to read and write and do math and to think, to evaluate, even to learn. It's necessary for living. And it seems as if it's not happening. So, our solution? Well, let's 1) remove religion because that gets in the way and 2) give it more money because that will solve it. We'll be sure to obscure learning in the name of learning and then, having eliminated the original values included in school, we'll pick new ones like "diversity" and "tolerance" all while being sure to eliminate their original meanings and intents. So, we've solved the problem, right? Well, no, we haven't. But we're sure working on it. With nothing that actually addresses the problems of education. Plagiarism, bullying, how to evaluate learning, misbehavior, even values to teach -- lots of genuine problems in education that our "solutions" are only making worse.

How about healthcare? That is a big one. Seriously. People who need it can't get it because of "pre-existing conditions" or because of financial problems. Well, now, that is a problem. How do we fix that? Well, we produce a new system whereby people must buy insurance. Wait ... what? Yeah, that sounds weird, so we'll just call it a "tax". And we'll require that insurance companies accept people with pre-existing conditions. Yes, to be sure, that will drive prices up for everyone (which exacerbates the problem, doesn't it?), but it's necessary to solve the problem. And, good news! More people are insured now. I'm pretty sure that it has actually helped a few people who needed help. But I'm equally sure that it has done absolutely nothing for millions of Americans who couldn't afford it before, are now insured, and still can't afford it. Yes, they have insurance. No, they can't use it. The deductibles are too high and they still can't afford to go see a doctor. Problem solved? Well, if you listen to the government, we're well on our way. If you pay attention, we're not even approaching a solution.

Recently we've turned our attention to this major problem, a "gun violence epidemic". Okay, now, I won't debate whether any such thing exists. I won't discuss actual numbers or statistics or ... you know ... reality. Let's just take this "epidemic" at face value and go with it. What is the solution to the "massive illegal use of guns"? That's easy. Make more rules. If they're getting them illegally now, we can stop that by making it illegal. If they're using them illegally now, we can curb that by making it illegal. Repeatedly one side asks, "How will any of these rules solve any of the problems we're seeing?" and the chirping of crickets in response is deafening. But we have the solution! Make it harder to get guns legally, and that will prevent people from obtaining and using guns illegally. Worse, make guns harder to get, and that will make gun violence decrease ... without any apparent impact on violence except, as some studies suggest, to increase it. Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't have stricter gun laws. Not the point. The point is that it's not a solution.

Just examples. I'm sure if you spend just a moment looking around and thinking about it (something our educational system no longer equips kids to do) you can find lots of your own examples. You show up at the doctor's office with a flesh-eating virus and he provides the "solution" of a band aid and some pain killers. "Doctor, that's not a solution!" "Why not? Doesn't it feel better?" Yes, yes it does. No, it's not a solution. But you'll be paying a lot for that band aid and pain killer and the visit to the MD. Like we are for all the other non-solutions that make us feel better without solving things.

11 comments:

Bob said...

hey how about we come up with a series of moral laws that will make everyone accountable.
that way every we can use these laws to make people more considerate of each other. oh yea we tried that. never mind...
FYI as far as more education is concerned, Hitlers staff were some of the most educated people in Germany. see,, if we want to be better people we need to know more stuff..
i recommend that we have background checks for anyone that purchases an automatic screwdriver.
that way when i buy a new car the salesman can be trusted.

Stan said...

Hey, I just read that people who use Prilosec have an increased chance of kidney disease. How about background checks on Prilosec users?

Stan said...

Note: Another really keen way to solve a problem is to deny its existence, at least when there is a challenge that we aren't offering solutions. "Education today is much better than it was before" is a denial that there is an education problem, but multiple sources are arguing from multiple and varied perspectives that there is an education crisis in America (and elsewhere) (just using education as an example). "No there's not" doesn't answer those concerns, whether it is about education, healthcare, gun violence, or anything other crisis we seem to be facing.

Alec said...

The frustration for any of us trying to understand these issues as described is a result of using logic and reason based on the assumption that the system itself is sound. If a house is infected by termites, and they are not identified and treated early, then the methodical destruction they wreak is total.

Vested corporate interests - termites - discovered long ago that they could manipulate American laws and lawmakers into carving out wonderfully lucrative benefits for themselves and their friends. At this point, the structure of our country remains, but who would really say it's what it once was?

Stan said...

And what is the solution?

Stan said...

Dear Dan, this is not about education. It's about solutions to problems that are not solutions to problems. Complain to someone else about how wonderful the educational system is.

Stan said...

Last try. Dan, this is not about education. It is about the solutions that are offered that are not, in the end, solutions. Please, go and have your dialog about the educational system as you think it is or should be somewhere else.

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

I started on Prilosec in 1999 and a few years later I was put on Nexium, which I'm still taking but not daily as required. Last month I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. No one ever told me that was a possibility.

Stan said...

My wife takes it regularly, too. The report I read (yesterday) said that up until very recently they thought the drug was very safe. This is a new discovery.

Stan said...

Dan, given the amount of stuff you're trying to post as comment here, you appear to be under the mistaken idea that I read what you write before I delete your comment. 1) I don't. 2) Even if I wanted to I couldn't since the information on the comment section only shows some of your comment. 3) Since I am not approving any comments from you, I don't need to read them all the way through. All I know is "Dan is talking" and I might look at a line of what you tried to say and then I delete it. Usually I don't read any at all. "It's from Dan Trabue. Delete." Thanks for playing.

Craig said...

Having lived in multiple cities where the education system was rife with problems, the folks who just continue to repeat the "We just need more money." mantra even as their school system has the highest per pupil spending in the state, just don't seem to realize that they are simply perpetuating the problems. Our two big urban distracts have a minority graduation rate of around 50% and about 30% of minorities don't read at grade level, yet when various people and groups try to raise these issues they are shouted down for various pointless reasons (You're white being one reason). It's as if there are two many people who benefit from the existing system and are unwilling to even discuss changes or solutions since it will negatively impact them.