Quote:
Originally Posted by
quahaug
Reditz, what does it mean to be left of Marx exactly? Communist totalitarianism under Marx isn't enough dead people for you. You lean more towards real killers like Stalin, Mao or the dreaded Hitler maybe?
It means I think that everyone, regardless of status at birth or parents' income/wealth, should have equal access to all levels of education and job training if they have equal grades and aptitudes. That means everybody starts on an equal footing preschool. I have some quirks regarding health care, in that I would want the state picking up the tab only if people follow particular dietary and workout regimens. I guess that would be considered totalitarian. Oh well.
When I talk about equal opportunities in education, I don't mean just to get into particular high schools or colleges. I mean to be able to execute at school. Somebody working 20-30 hours a week at something not related to their area of study is at an enormous disadvantage compared to someone who can devote the hours to the field of study. Malcolm Gladwell would point out that working 20 hours a week per year (most college students take five years these days) means 5000 hours, which is halfway to expertise, according to Gladwell. That 5000 hours is crucial. The U.S. system is woefully slanted to the wealthy, compared to other western democracies.
And let's not go with the mortality tallies. The United States isn't the worst, but it comes close. We're talking two separate genocides and the highest incarceration rate. Plus the first to use a nuclear weapon on a civilian populace. Not lacking in bloodthirstiness, not that there's anything wrong with that.