Free internet for kids! Obama's offering free internet to kids! (Yes, there's a catch) President Obama will officially launch Wednesday afternoon a new program to get kids in flat-broke households online. ConnectHome is a joint partnership between the federal government (the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)), local communities, and a number of different profit and non-profit organizations that …
The theories are similar:
* Households with better internet produce kids with better outcomes. Therefore lets give poor people free internet.
* Companies with higher internet bandwidth employ more people. Therefore upgrade internet to companies and we'll sort out unemployment.
It makes no more sense than:
* Households with better outcomes pay more tax. Therefore make poor people pay more tax.
* Companies with more employees need more car parking. Therefore build more car parking and we'll fix unemployment.
I feel sorry for whichever president is left holding the bag when the debts are called in. This seems to be a huge problem exposed by the recession but nobody seems willing to tackle it. It is all well and good spaffing money on welfare programs but where is the money to pay for it? If it is debt then it must be paid back with interest (think PFI), if it is the people then there must be a working economy that can afford it. The result of overbalancing is Greece.
Charles Manning hit the nail on the head, this seems to be faulty logic. And the people will have to pay for it one way or the other.
How about this is another boondoggle that won't solve the problem? If past history is anything to go on when dealing with federal agenices, local communities and businesses, this will be so mismanaged and rife with politics as to be a waste of everyones' time and money.
How can cats and porn be of an educational benefit?
I don't see the benefit to felines who must have cheeseburgers, but porn may be the most educationally beneficial tool for disadvantaged kids, because it shows males that they shouldn't (most of the time) leave their sexy surprise inside the females, but instead on their faces. Who needs abortion when we have porn to inspire the young?
OK, never mind. Not even sure I want my coat now...
No educational benefit? How about being able to do the homework in the first place? I'm sure one can find examples of schools that don't use internet access to supplement teaching, but there are many that do.
I know it's an uphill climb. Less advantaged kids often live in families where research and self learning is not valued, but showing them the way is still important. If only a few benefit, then we're ahead.
"If only a few benefit, then we're ahead."
That is the broken logic we see behind the typical politicians response: do something... anything...
A few might gain from this, but the majority will not.
Instead there's been a nice little pork-barrel program that allows the politicians to put their name next to something but really achieves nothing.
These are just sideshows which muddy the water. The distract from addressing the real problems.
The major hassles these kids is not lack of resources. It is the environment they're in.
When you grow up in an environment where academic success etc are spurned, that becomes your template. Kids who show aptitude are put down by their peers, their parents and everyone else.
Typically successful environments are just the opposite. Parents and peers encourage each other and get engaged.
I've known a few kids who have turned that around. They became the first in their families to go to university. Getting there was had work though. They had to cut ties with their loser mates. Every Christmas Uncle Fred gets drunk and rants on about "You think you're better than us do you? We're proud to be working class..."
I've also known some kids with the potential to make the move but have not. One was damn good at maths, yet left school at 16 to work on the vege isle in a supermarket. He'd engage you in civilised, intelligent conversation but as soon as his mates were in earshot he'd start talking gangsta. His parents approved of his choice too: "He has a job", "a job is a job". Bloody waste.
Sure, there are a few kids who will benefit and will be made into posters to show the success of the program, but this really does not get to the main reason why so many kids reach their potential.
"If only a few benefit, then we're ahead."
That is the broken logic we see behind the typical politicians response: do something... anything...
Perhaps I didn't phrase that in a way that was meaningful to you. I agree with everything in you post, particularly about environment. I do think that an effort to influence that environment is worth attempting and don't plan to give up just like that.
This is the same thing that happened in the mid 1990's when some of the telcos were rolling out their DSL/ISDN. The local city and state governments forced the telcos to upgrade all the phone lines in the HUD areas knowing that the majority of the people living in those areas did not even have phones, much less be able to afford DSL or ISDN.
This will be the same unless it is absolutely free, which this is not. most will not bother. when there are other priorities for their $$ to be spent on.
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