Wall Street Journal: Teachers Quit Jobs at Highest Rate on Record
A popular song from the 1980s began, “I believe the children are our future…” Wouldn’t you like to interview the lyricist and ask his reasoning? He might have thought: well, at first I wrote, “I believe that the old people are our future,” but then I realized, well, no, the old people are going to be dead soon, so I’m going to go with the children.Yes, it’s pretty damn obvious that the children are our future, and it’s equally clear that we in the U.S. are doing essentially everything in our power to make that future as bleak as we possibly can. As suggested in this article from the WSJ, we’re beating our educational system to a fine, even pulp, rendering young people incapable of competing in the global market.
But it doesn’t stop there. If ignorance doesn’t make life sufficiently miserable for young Americans, they still face:
• A ruined environment featuring climate change (sea-level rise, droughts, wildfires, super-storms, etc.), ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, and ever-increasing threats to human health
• A morality based on the example of the sexual abusers, pathological liars, and felons running our country
• Gun violence from hell
• Rampant, overt racism
• A dwindling middle class
• Hyper-expensive, fourth-rate healthcare and a declining life-expectancy
• Endless wars
• A skyrocketing national debt, to be paid for by our children; banking deregulation, and a near-certain, deep, and long-lasting recession
• America’s loss of relevance on the world stage as it continues to act with brutality and stupidity all around the globe
• A government run by corporate interests, and the end of any meaningful democracy
I believe the children are our future, and I also believe we have the power to change their fate before it’s too late. We all need to be directly involved in making that happen.
Craig,
This week I attended yet another funeral of a contemporary old army buddy. On these occasions I often reflect how many empty horses I now witness as I get older.
I’m also grateful of my health and the friendship of younger associates who help provide insight and perspective into the world of today.
The period following WW2 was unique in modern history as with increased prosperity, baby boom, huge leaps in technology etc, the post-war generations could look forward to the future with optimism. (at least in the Western nations).
But, was everyone so optimistic back then ?
Well, most people certainly were, the exceptions being grim old curmudgeons of the left or the activist radical youth!
Just like your grim doomsday senario, the post-war left, intellectuals, radical activists etc all predicted a bleak, doomsday future. Fortunately, just like your list of dire predictions none of the predictions occurred or were proven to be wild exaggerations.
Craig, one of the problems of getting older (as we both are) is the tendency to complain loudly, the “world is going to hell in a hand in a handbasket”! We also romanticize and forget problem and issues that seemed so important yesterday.
Rose tinted glasses, like hindsight, are very useful tools for aging pundits who bleat on how bad the future will be, (probably as a consolation for not be around to witness future events).
Change is inevitable, civilizations rise and fall. (although more often, just evolve). Each new technological revolution changes forever how humans perceive society and the environment.
Your list of morbid and punitive predictions is hardly new. Such predictions have been made for thousands of years, and yet the human species continues to prosper.
1) Even in America, children are becoming better educated and better equipped to deal with the future than previous generations. They may not be taught in a traditional manner, but quickly learn the skills a high tech age requires. (it may not be your idea of learning, but your knowledge is rapidly becoming irrelevant and obsolete).
2) “Climate change” is inevitable. Humans can no more stop the planet from evolving changing weather patterns than stop the earth spinning ! The climate has been continually changing for the life of the planet. We can moderate, even reverse, some harmful effects created by human technology, but we certainly can’t freeze the planets climate into a sort of permanent Nirvana.
Clean(er) technology is already rapidly producing solutions. Providing we are pragmatic and focus on practical priorities, forgetting counter-productive ideological agendas, we will avoid damaging our environment.
3) “A morality based on the example of the sexual abusers, pathological liars, and felons running our country”. Hmmm,…hopefully the current mood of neo-purititanism will pass as the US has always been run by sexual abusers, pathological liars, and felons in conjunction with a media who are even better examples of such morality!
4) “Gun violence from hell”. With larger populations and more sensationalist media outlets, this has become an aspect of modern life. there will always be aberrant individuals in any free society.
5) “Rampant, overt racism” Nope, quite wrong ! Racism, has always been just a form of tribalism, but it’s dying all over the world. This is evidenced by the way in which racism is sensationalized in the media. Between 1924 and 1975, the Klu Klux Klan and other racist groups could boast of more than 10 million supporters or sympathizers, today they would be lucky to number 10,000 from a nation of 313 million.
In fact, the largest “racist” organization in the western world is probably consists of US Black Muslims and other radical American black groups, with close to a million supporters.
6) “A dwindling middle class”. All over the world, the traditional middle class is being transformed by the changes in traditional economies brought about by technology and globalization. These changes are inevitable and the transformation will be painful and not easily comprehended by those mired in the political-ideological doctrine of the twentieth century.
7) “Hyper-expensive, fourth-rate healthcare and a declining life-expectancy”. Not True, or even close to being true. A report conducted by the US Centre for Disease Control identified only a slight fall in like expectancy, 78.7 to 78.6 years due to a bad year for influenza and a slight increase in the toll of Alzheimer’s disease. More significant was an increase in suicides and overdoses, which added 2.4 more deaths per 100,000 Americans.
The researchers Anne Case and Angus Deaton, writing in the Economist, termed a prime cause as being “deaths of despair”, due to the economic and social decline of America’s white working class over the past 20 years.
The study also found this syndrome to have had a dramatic reversal since the election of President Trump. The NYT attempted to spin this finding, but even the NYT was forced to concede the validity of the fact, while claiming the effect wouldn’t be permanent once the American Working class became disillusioned with President Trump.
One of the biggest problems for heath care is the disproportionate amount of money spent on keeping older people alive a tiny percentage longer.
8) “Endless wars” . Such is the Human condition. Wars have plagued ever generation, but for America at least, the current US President is disengaging from these futile, unresolvable conflicts and not engaging US forces in new conflicts.
9) “A skyrocketing national debt, to be paid for my our children; banking deregulation, and a near-certain, deep, and long-lasting recession”. National Debt is never a good legacy, but it depend on the national debt. If the debt is incurred as a result of building infrastructure, then future generations should pay for the acquisition of such assets.
The US economy is not headed for a “deep, and long-lasting recession” (unless the democrats get elected), this is just a morbid wish by disgruntled democrats who can’t accept the booming Trump economy.
10) “America’s loss of relevance on the world stage and it continues to act with brutality and stupidity all around the globe” America’s dominance in world affairs was always more of an illusion than reality. The US will remain a dominant economic and military power for decades to come, but will no longer be the only power.
The last “imperial President” was Ronald Reagan, with the total destruction of the USSR and Warsaw Pact communist Eastern Europe, the era of US dominance also began to decline as other nations began to grow economically and in confidence.
The rise of Asia, a resurgent Europe and the rapid development of previously undeveloped nation left the US in the position of a decaying giant, bellowing impotently as it’s assets and carcass were picked clean.
Luckily for the US, the US oil giants responded and provided the decaying US economy with reprieve in the form of cheap and abundant domestic energy. The election of President Trump gave America a President who understood the problems and is attempting to reverse the disastrous policies of previous administrations.
The era of US illusions are over! Each incoming President must concentrate on being just the president of the US, not some kind of world policeman, or exporting evangelist for mythical “US Ideals”.
11) ” A government run by corporate interests, and the end of any meaningful democracy” What you really mean is democracy is only democracy if only the political group I support is allowed to be heard and hold power”.
Democracy (or at least the US version) is strong and healthy. It will always face challenges but the system is resilient and will be inherited by generations to come.
In conclusion, I too believe in by children and grandchildren. I have great faith and optimism they will be successful and also make mistakes. I believe they will make the best of the planet they inherit and will keep driving the human species forward to amazing accomplishments beyond my wildest dreams.
(one day, they too, will look back at a new generation and complain “the World is going to hell in a handbasket):).
Now, forget all this pessimism. I suggest you obtain an invitation to the next Retail Global Conference in Las Vegas. Once there, you can wander around and experience the future among inspiring young innovators and marketers.
Or, stretch your imagination and attend the Coaltrans USA 2019 Conference.
Held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Miami Florida, (31 January 2019 – 01 February 2019), the conference will provide expert speakers covering subjcts as diverse as the latest in Coal byproduct technology, clean(er) coal technology, tariffs, finance along with an opportunity to meet and converse with more than 250 coal professionals and industry leaders.
The conference you shouldn’t miss is the international IEA Clean Coal Centre’s 9th International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies (CCT 2019) 3-7 June 2019.
This is the first time this conference will hosted by the USA. The conference will be held in Houston Texas, and include subjects such as;
• High efficiency, low emissions plant and flexible operation
• Developments in carbon capture
• Pollutant controls
• Gasification, conversion, and non-energy uses of coal
• Biomass cofiring
• Policy, financing, and social issues
The agenda for Attendees will include site visits to two world-renowned facilities – NRG’s Petra Nova project and NET Power’s pioneering demonstration of the Allam cycle.
Love to see you there !