[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Obama Outlines Plan to Put Every Child Online here

[number6]

He sounds so generous when he talks about how he' going to spend our money. If he wants every child to have internet that's his business. He can pay for theirs and I'll pay for mine.

[tenney67]

I'd rather have Obama spend my tax money on something that will benefit our country than line the pockets of Bush and Cheney's friends at Halaburten and the oil industry, and I assume it will hopefully make high speed internet more affordable for all of us.

[lordmorgul]

This sounds great at surface value... but our children's biggest educational problem is not that some do not have access to the internet. Their problem is an educational system failing them, due to many factors such as: very low pay for educators which has kept many would-be teachers from entering the profession for decades, very poor oversight over administrative spending in schools, bureaucratic wastefulness from state legislatures on down to the classroom, bad family conditions and parents who do not care about their children's future and will not help them learn.
This is nothing but an elaborate rouse to make the foolish amongst Americans (read: those who voted for him) believe something useful will be done with this money. Instead, it would be useful to IMPROVE THEIR EDUCATION and let those children without access to the internet visit a library... after someone teaches them how to use one.

[lordmorgul]

For those unaware, modernized high-tech communications that will enable shared databases and secure patient records between hospitals have been evolving and been developing for decades as well. There are many hospitals that have already gone completely paperless for patient records. It will be very convenient for Obama to claim having something to do with this in 1 or 2 years but will be coincidental to advancing technology that makes as much financial sense (lowers operational costs) for hospitals as it does improve healthcare (lower risk of incorrect records and treatment mistakes). Anyone with their eyes open will see how little Obama (the man who votes 'present') has to do with any of that.

[lordmorgul]

I first 'used the internet' in high school... it didn't hurt my education not to have access to it before then, and it certainly doesn't hurt the average second grader not to either. I find it amazing that some people think it is so important to teach very young children computer skills, and algebra, as if that will fix our almost 50% failure rate in college (students completing their first degrees within 5 years).

[bignumone]

I agree, instead of spending the money on our troops at war, let's give it to six figure school superintendents to line the pockets of their buddies. Now our children will have the ability to play on-line games and surf porn while in the classroom!

[brian0918]

Failure is the only possible result.
Hoover tried big govt. spending to fix a recession. As a result, that recession became a depression. When will politicians learn that increased govt spending and employment do not stimulate production and advance the economy, but in fact have the opposite effect? They are sacrificing the future for the present (the next 4 years).
This is a clear sign of political pragmatism: help those who complain the loudest now, without regard for anyone else. Those other people who will be harmed by increased govt. spending - employers who could have had more employees (now working for the govt), producing goods that could have existed (supplanted with unnecessary bridges to nowhere), bought with the additional money that could have been in the pockets of consumers (now taxed to pay for these jobs) - will be the ones complaining tomorrow.
Relevant chapters from Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson (1946):
Public Works Means Taxes:
http://jim.com/econ/chap04p1.html
The Fetish of Full Employment:
http://jim.com/econ/chap10p1.html

[Zuke]

Like most every child in the nation is NOT online already, playing Xbox or computer games?!?! Let's teach them to read, write, and comprehend fundamental subjects.
IMO, getting online is overrated for education purposes and I've been online since 1993. I remember the old days of going to the LIBRARY and researching topic in the ENCYCLOPEDIAS and other reference materials. This teach basic researching and organization skills.

[Zuke]

Hmm, didn't teach me foolproof typing skills though... doh! :o

[snorg]

Is putting poor kids online gonna fix their rotten teeth??
Is it gonna keep them from going to bed hungry??
Keep them from being abused??
Keep them from being bullied at school??
Keep them in decent clothes and shoes??
Is it gonna pay for them to see a Doctor and medicine when they get sick??







Until ALL kids real world needs are fully taken care of the idea of putting money into getting kids online is a sick twisted sadistic perversion!!

[darklightning]

You elected this guy, now see what he does!

[Zuke]

I forgot to add all the kids on MySpace, Facebook, and checking out YouTube... etc. etc.



I don't think internet connectivity is a problem with our youth today...

[number6]

I wouldn't elect him if he were the last man on earth.

[snorg]

It dont matter who you elect, its just a big dog and pony show.

[ClaudeD]

Obama is using the usual line "it's for our children" to extort money from parents and tax payers who are not educated or experienced enough to see it's just another Scheme. Part 1: Kid's need access to the internet. Part 2: Kid's need computers Part 3: We need to provide it. Part 4: We need tax money to provide it. This means simply Kids can't develop educationally without the internet. Those that can't or won't afford it, will get it provided and last since financially the US is in such good condition we can just say "it's for our children" and people will just pony up the cash. By the way, he can't do anything like he's presenting. Everything he wants done has to be introduced by our state senators, voted on and last signed by the current president. The president has no power to introduce or authorize any laws or programs into law. He can sign it to make it law or not. As to blaming the teachers for the short falls in education. Remember "No Child Left Behind" what that really means is; if you don't achieve certain benchmarks we will put you on a list and deny you finances for your educational facilities. What that does is force School Boards to mandate the teachers curriculum so it's teaching for the test. If the kid's pass the test, we get money to pay the teachers and build multi-million dollar educational castles. Still we end up with adults who can't spell, can't add and are nearly functionally illiterate.