There has been a big influx in the controversy of universal healthcare. Especially, when the numbers came out about how many people were not insured. More than one in five nonelderly Californians lacked some form of health insurance coverage for all or part of the year in 2003—nearly 6.6 million children and adults under age 65, which is more people than the entire population of the state of Massachusetts. That is a crazy amount of people that are not insured. More than 3.7 million of these Californians lacked health insurance coverage for at least the entire year. If one thing happened that put someone in the hospital they would talk to you while you are in the hospital about how you are going to pay. They put a price on health, a price on living. Some of the arguments is that we have a right to Life, yet that right we heavily have to pay for. What is the price to pay for life and wellness? What is life? Is it just being alive or is it being ALIVE? Some other countries have a healthcare system as well as a private sector where people can choose their own doctors. Right now I don’t think that general healthcare would be a good idea. In a prosperous time period, sure, I think it could work and I am sure it would work. Many nations have it now and they are doing fine and even better than us but that is another matter and because of many reasons. Who gets healthcare is also another matter. Many people think that everyone should get healthcare and many others think that only citizens should. The question of who gets what where and how is one that
applies here. Even immigrants, legal or illegal, would get healthcare. The United States of America has a massive population and it would be very expensive to finance a general healthcare system. It would not work now and would only when we had a stable tax base and a stable economy.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Corey P's Questions
1)Should everyone have health care no matter if a citizen or not? Should only citizens get health care? Is it the government's responsibility? How would you work this out?
2)In other parts of the world there is universal health care as well as private health care companies. Should we take up this method? What should be counted as part of the health care? Transplants, face lifts, what should be counted as health care?
2)In other parts of the world there is universal health care as well as private health care companies. Should we take up this method? What should be counted as part of the health care? Transplants, face lifts, what should be counted as health care?
Samantha Frank's Questions
Do you think that the removal of the underwriting process would allow more people to recieve health insurance (like they do in Washington State)? Do you think that it's fair that our State is allowed to turn people away for pre existing conditions, especially when they can't help having them? (For example someone who has been diagnosed with Cancer will never be accepted by any insurance company for any reason, because they do not wish to pay for a condition that was there before the person applied)
Do you think that government assistance programs such as Medical allow people who can't receive health insurance reasonable coverage and medical care so that they can have their problems taken care of? Do you think a different type of program would allow easier access to medical care at a cost that the uninsured could afford?
Do you think that government assistance programs such as Medical allow people who can't receive health insurance reasonable coverage and medical care so that they can have their problems taken care of? Do you think a different type of program would allow easier access to medical care at a cost that the uninsured could afford?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Ashlee Williams blog post
Education is one of the most important areas that the government needs to fund. It is important to plan for the future and to make sure that everyone is going to receive a similar education to their peers throughout the nation.
Bilingual education in California is completely necessary and I believe beneficial even for children whose primary language is English. If children learn 2 languages before middle school, it will be easier for them to learn a third language in high school, rather than ‘learning’ a second language in high school and intending to study a third language later. Once bilingual education becomes the norm for schools, the negative stigma that is currently associated with it will fade. I am now disappointed that I did not learn Spanish when I lived in a mainly Hispanic neighborhood and again when I enrolled in French in high school and later became a French minor in college. Though I can learn the language later in life, I feel that it would have been a definite advantage in my life and probably my French language skills to have been taught Spanish in elementary school.
Proposition 13 led to California’s disadvantage in funding and led their ratings to fall from the top schools in the nation to the bottom with 60% the amount of funding that other states’ schools receive. If California’s schools had the population that most other states’ schools have this would be able to be adapted for and schools would be able to function at the high rates of the past. With overcrowding and lack of books, the students that would normally just barely pass end up failing and it shows up as poor ratings for the schools. I think if schools in California were adjusted to fit the same characteristics as schools in other states, including class sizes and fluency of students and the same amount of money per student, the education would be approximately the same but due to three negative factors all at the same time public schools are forced to do the best they can with what they can fundraise or cutting corners.
At this point, even if public school funding was increased to the highest in the nation, it would take close to a full generation for students to catch up with the nation, with the poor preparation that many children receive in elementary school that leads to students struggling in regular classes in high school. While it is a worthwhile pursuit, with Prop.13 and the current economy it is not looking hopeful for schools to improve any time soon.
For me, while public education in California, is a problem I feel that some of the responsibility that we place on the districts should be laced on the students. I graduated from a lower-middle class high school that while it was fairly new, it was severely overcrowded with my graduating class having over 900 students. While our school didn’t have nearly as much money as other schools I still managed to learn enough that I felt prepared for my college classes. Many other students did the same and even though some students slipped through the cracks, this was due to the fact that they did not want to be there and while they may have thrived in smaller classes that unfortunately was not an option unless you wanted to pay for the one private high school in our city. Of course, many parents could not afford this or did not want to send their children to a private Catholic school and the overcrowded schools in the area were their only options. It would have been nice to go to a small close-knit high school but I feel that I learned many valuable lessons
from the large school environment and that students should try their best to learn from the situation rather than giving up because they are not receiving the same perks as a richer school.
Bilingual education in California is completely necessary and I believe beneficial even for children whose primary language is English. If children learn 2 languages before middle school, it will be easier for them to learn a third language in high school, rather than ‘learning’ a second language in high school and intending to study a third language later. Once bilingual education becomes the norm for schools, the negative stigma that is currently associated with it will fade. I am now disappointed that I did not learn Spanish when I lived in a mainly Hispanic neighborhood and again when I enrolled in French in high school and later became a French minor in college. Though I can learn the language later in life, I feel that it would have been a definite advantage in my life and probably my French language skills to have been taught Spanish in elementary school.
Proposition 13 led to California’s disadvantage in funding and led their ratings to fall from the top schools in the nation to the bottom with 60% the amount of funding that other states’ schools receive. If California’s schools had the population that most other states’ schools have this would be able to be adapted for and schools would be able to function at the high rates of the past. With overcrowding and lack of books, the students that would normally just barely pass end up failing and it shows up as poor ratings for the schools. I think if schools in California were adjusted to fit the same characteristics as schools in other states, including class sizes and fluency of students and the same amount of money per student, the education would be approximately the same but due to three negative factors all at the same time public schools are forced to do the best they can with what they can fundraise or cutting corners.
At this point, even if public school funding was increased to the highest in the nation, it would take close to a full generation for students to catch up with the nation, with the poor preparation that many children receive in elementary school that leads to students struggling in regular classes in high school. While it is a worthwhile pursuit, with Prop.13 and the current economy it is not looking hopeful for schools to improve any time soon.
For me, while public education in California, is a problem I feel that some of the responsibility that we place on the districts should be laced on the students. I graduated from a lower-middle class high school that while it was fairly new, it was severely overcrowded with my graduating class having over 900 students. While our school didn’t have nearly as much money as other schools I still managed to learn enough that I felt prepared for my college classes. Many other students did the same and even though some students slipped through the cracks, this was due to the fact that they did not want to be there and while they may have thrived in smaller classes that unfortunately was not an option unless you wanted to pay for the one private high school in our city. Of course, many parents could not afford this or did not want to send their children to a private Catholic school and the overcrowded schools in the area were their only options. It would have been nice to go to a small close-knit high school but I feel that I learned many valuable lessons
from the large school environment and that students should try their best to learn from the situation rather than giving up because they are not receiving the same perks as a richer school.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Ashee's Questions
In today's society, it is very important for children to be taught
bilingually, including children whose primary language is English. What do
you think the best way is for this to be accomplished?
With Prop. 13, California's education system has lower funding than the
national average. Do you think the problem we now have is from this lack
of funding or from the wrong allocation of resources or a combination of
both? What do you think the best solution would be?
bilingually, including children whose primary language is English. What do
you think the best way is for this to be accomplished?
With Prop. 13, California's education system has lower funding than the
national average. Do you think the problem we now have is from this lack
of funding or from the wrong allocation of resources or a combination of
both? What do you think the best solution would be?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Alyssa Milne's Questions
Question 1: Is it possible to create a system of public transportation that works? Would you agree that an underground metro (much better and more complex than the 5 stops on one line that we have in LA right now) is impossible? What about expanding the bus system? Do you have any other ideas for alternative transportation?
Question 2: California's gas tax is one of the lowest in the nation, much of which goes to help pay for the roads. Is it fair for us to complain if we don't want to pay taxes? Do you think there is another way around it? We have so much transportation, especially trucks, on the road in this state more than others. Do you think Californians should just accept that our roads are going to have more of a toll taken on them?
Question 2: California's gas tax is one of the lowest in the nation, much of which goes to help pay for the roads. Is it fair for us to complain if we don't want to pay taxes? Do you think there is another way around it? We have so much transportation, especially trucks, on the road in this state more than others. Do you think Californians should just accept that our roads are going to have more of a toll taken on them?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Kaitlyn's Questions
1. What do you think California can do fix the water problem? Do you
think people actually hold up to only using what is necessary usage of
water? Do you think people hold up to conserving their water? What else
could we do to help our drout?
2. Do you think the current system of water federalism is ready for the
future of California? What ways can you think of to manage California
water resources?
think people actually hold up to only using what is necessary usage of
water? Do you think people hold up to conserving their water? What else
could we do to help our drout?
2. Do you think the current system of water federalism is ready for the
future of California? What ways can you think of to manage California
water resources?
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Ashlee Williams' Questions
1. We read about many of Los Angeles' problems. What do you think is the largest problem and what steps should be taken in order to solve it?
2. Los Angeles is one of many urban cities, all with similar problems. What makes Los Angeles different? For example, New York is known for crime, Los Angeles is overlooked and seen as a place that people want to live in not just visit like most urban cities. What do you think the reason is for the overlooking of problems in Los Angeles?
2. Los Angeles is one of many urban cities, all with similar problems. What makes Los Angeles different? For example, New York is known for crime, Los Angeles is overlooked and seen as a place that people want to live in not just visit like most urban cities. What do you think the reason is for the overlooking of problems in Los Angeles?
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