Krellin, i wasn't disagreeing? I was saying most of my family agrees.

@ krellin

But that's just it, krellin. It isn't all around me. My neighbours, my community, and my family are largely unaffected. Generally speaking people are slightly worse off. In Greece, as Sarg claims, around 1 in 4 are out of work, wages have been cut by huge amounts and the prices of basic good has shot up. Greece is experiencing a genuine crisis. Britain is not, and neither is most of the world.

^^They're trying to phase out the B-52s, krellin. They have these nasty characteristics of being slow and easily shot down.

Anyways, not to derail, I'll come back and comment on this in an hour or so. Dinner time

The NSF supports research and education in the STEM fields, through funding, workshops, and outreach programs.

Stem, like the science programs in highschool?

@AM

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It's basically anti-Liberal Arts.

@Octavious....again...so YOU are unaffected....well come to Detroit, my friend, where the ENTIRE REGION has been affected. But...still...don't pretend that you are not affected. Gas prices are up EVEYWHERE. Which means FOOD prices are up EVERYHWHERE. adn ELECTRICTY prices are up EVERYWHERE. Give me a break. I have demonstrated that 1 in 5 in the US are out of work or making lower wages...and you STILL say that we are not in crisis....but...oh my...1 in 4 in greece is a crisis?

Go ahead...vote Obama....Why are you asking the question is you will dispute the answer? Keep living in your bubble and read your liberal "All is well" press releases...

If you don't want to hear LOCAL facts...but will agree to foreign facts...then this is a pointless conversation. You are clearly unwilling to do research on your own country's economic status....

Hey Krellin, I think you might be overlooking the fact that Octavious is BRITISH, meaning he can't vote Obama even if he wanted too.

It also means that he doesn't have to define a crisis by how America is doing, because seriously. America can go screw itself. It's had it coming for long enough. It needs this long hard fall, and a serious rebuild.

@Goldfinger....ah hell...I'm an old fart....B-53'w were all the rage when i was a kid. STEALTH BOBMERS AND DRONES all the way, baby!!!!

@Abge - I do not know what STEM fields are...but if there is a use for them in Constitutional mandates (like defense) then bring them on. DARPA is a great example of MILITARY RESEARCH that provide measurable public benefit, and I am ALL for DARPA. Hope that helps.

@Abge But in general there is this: I CHOSE to live in a community where there is good education, where I knew my children would recieve a good education and I AM INVOLVED. Education is a LOCAL ISSUE....and ALL the Federal Funding in the world will NEVER make LOCAL school districts perform well. We have been fighting the WAR ON POVERTY for how long? At the cost of how many BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars?? But welfare from the Feds will NEVER solve poverty. What WILL solve poverty is LOCAL jobs by LOCAL businesses...and LOCAL businesses thrive when they....for one...PAY LESS TAXES...

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2012/04/02/worlds-highest-corporate-tax-rate-hurts-us-economically

Gotta go make dinner.

Good converasation guys and gals.

@Abge

That's the one. I'm actually in that at my school, and i have to say (for us at least) it is something we find valuable. A lot of out of district kids, some of the smartest students at the school in fact, were able to come primarily because of the stem program. it's let a pretty large portion of the school (which is about 3000 kids, maybe a couple hundred more) get a better education then they otherwise could have, and almost all of those in the program especially those also from out of district are the upper tier of the school

Once again, krellin failed to notice that given the way he presents himself—angry netizen using all the bad style means like multiple exclamation marks, ALL CAPS, ellipsis, ellipsis, ellipsis, typos—one cannot distinguish when he talks literally and when figuratively. Just like a joke is not a joke when noone gets it, using a figure of speech that no one recognizes as such is, to paraphrase krellin,...

Stop whining that liberals may use hyperbole and humour while you are consistently called out for it, krellin. If you actually cared for others to correctly understand what you're writing, you would make sure to separate the lighter parts from the real stuff, like you do in any topic that only revolves around pleasures of life and not anything remotely political.

damian: That was krellin's hyperbole, I'm getting the hang of it.

For the record krellin, both "NSF" and "STEM fields" return the relevant search result on the first hit in google. Do you seriously not know what the National Science Foundation is?

Also, DARPA does so much more than defense research. You can get almost anything interesting funded through them based on their broad definition of defense.

"That was krellin's hyperbole, I'm getting the hang of it."
"I'm getting the hang of it."

For which you have my deepest sympathy ; )

@ krellin

Gas prices??? The economic situation has actually helped gas prices by lowering demand. Detroit has been in its own personal hell from long before anyone had heard of the credit crunch and all that came from it. And I am not going to vote for Obama because (as I thank God for every day) I am not a God damned Yank! In fact, I am one of the only Brits in this world who wanted the other guy to win.

But as you don't actually read what other people write I think I will leave it there. Night, all :).

@AM

I'm not actually sure what you're referring to. STEM is a designation. I'm sure there are a lot of STEM programs. Do you have a link to your particular one?

not that i know of, i can try and find one in a sec. Our stem program is a magnet program mostly for sciences and tech/engineering that is one of the two main ways to get into the school from out of district. Though it is basically full now, so not as many out of district kids are getting to come here.

Well, in any case, I'm glad your school is putting an emphasis on science.

we have a pretty decent arts program too (Especially drama and photography(digital)) but yeah. Though, if you're being cynical, part of that might just be sciences and maths have the most AP possibilities, and the school gets funding for each student that passes an AP exam

STEM -- Apparently a program funded by government so kids can get an education or something....if Mom and Dad didn't pay so much in taxes....if their essentials didn't cost so much....then they would have more money for CHOICES....like educating their kids.


Of course, MOST selfish Americans FIRST spend money on: Cable/Sat TV, Data Plans, Unlimited Texting, The Latest Fashions, etc....and kids education comes last.

NO sympathy here. My Mom and Dad sacrificed to send me to school. I have no sympathy for whiners that stick their hand out for the next government program and take NO responsibility for themselves...

@Octavious....if this is LOWER gas prices....then you, again, have demonstrated your COMPLETE lack of knowledge of the real world. I'm done with you. You have nothing logical to say.

@ulytau....TYPICAL liberal....You are smart enough to get it...but everyone else here is too stupid to get it? Arrogant prick...

@Abge -- My kid's school puts an emphasis on science. It is a LOCAL choice. NOT a Federal choice. This is something that Liberals will consistently fail to grasp. Detroit public schools live under the SAME Federal standard as my school district, and fail 95% of the time....so, what good is this Federal education standard that you hold so dear???

@krellin

1) Why should children be punished if their parents are too stupid to properly invest in their kids education?

2) Having more engineers and scientists directly helps the country as a whole, so why is it a waste of time for the country to invest in that?

"so, what good is this Federal education standard that you hold so dear"

...

I never said I supported the Federal education standard.

Also, krellin, it is made federally available but it is a local (state and then within that district) level decision to have the program. The government just supplies some of the funding

@Abge....if you are going to say that kids should not be punished if their parents are too stupid, then you are ALSO saying that I should not benefit if my parents are too smart/too successful, right? i.e. Take them from the womb and put them in Government Equalized Birthing Centers where all will be read to and interacted with equally. After all, it isn't JUST money that makes difference in a child's life. MY all-A children were read to from birth, and we quiz them on math out of the blue, and make everything a learning experience. I suppose that is unfair, huh?

@Abge....I never said investing in Engineers is a waste of money, did I???? Please READ what I wrote. Invest in things that are relevant to the countries VITAL interests. Military.....that means....guns....bombs (construction...)....planes (transportation)...leadership (Military officers....business leaders...politicians...)....medical devices (obvious)....communications (cell phones, internet, etc.)....

I would ask you to take 1 day out of your life...JUST ONE....and research WHERE all of your favorite technolgies evolved from.

Damne dnear sure you will find the military is involved in most, if not all, of them, including your comfortable, thin winter jacket.

Get an education....learn about your world....

(Begins to suspect he is muted by Krellin; tests theory)