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S--Not taking any issue with US public housing being a disaster, but the home ownership rates in both SKo and Japan are significantly below the ownership rates in America. How are the urban poor of Seoul, for example, housed (I have no idea)?

Also, with the "conversion to private ownership" are you suggesting (a) an expansion (effectively) of Section 8 housing with public housing privately-owned and managed or (b) selling (at undoubtedly nominal cost) existing public housing to the residents?

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If only. I fear that the battle to retain the tax break on dividends and capital gains may get in the way of eliminating the minimum wage and public school funding.

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My bad -- I meant to add "black" since that's what we are talking about.

But, as for your examples -- Any minimum wage in those countries? Any welfare?

There are clearly some lessons we could draw from these countries. I believe that Japan, for example, pushes responsibility along with rights in its welfare system. And I believe that should be done here, too. But I do question whether largely homogenous Asian societies are so culturally and historically different from us so as not to be a good model. And I also would guess that other, more similar countries -- say, Canada -- do better by their urban poor, and have more of the "great society" stuff that you guys reject.



On the rights/responsibilities question -- if we make healthcare more available, as we should, I personally believe that people who fail to see their doctors, and who treat their bodies like shit, should get less access. Bluntly, if someone wants to eat at McDonald's three times a day, never exercise, and smoke like a fish, why should everyone else pay for the urgent medical care he's eventually going to need?

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I don't know about South Korea but they also have pubic housing in Japan. However, as in Singapore, they do not have any right to privacy in the public housing, and they have really strict rules. Still the places are much more run down than everywhere else, (as always the common areas are total crap) but they don't have the rampant crime our public housing has. However, their solution to the problem is not an acceptible solution here so public housing is out.

I just know that Pubic Housing (like Cabrini Green) just doesn't seem to work in the US.

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I agree, especially if he also drinks like a chimney.

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Well, this has been an entertaining foray into the politics board. I will stop with the non-substantive comments now and leave you to whatever it is you all do here.

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I am nearly positive that this is untrue. It certainly wasn't true in my suburban Minnesota public school system.

And to be clear, in general, I actually agree with much of what you have written in these last two posts (although I am sure we would quibble about how your suggestions should be implimented), but I think to suggest that bad personnel is the key challenge facing urban schools is to ignore many other significant impediments.

Which is not to say that bad personnel can't be a problem too. But there is a long list of other factors.

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But how do separate these people out? And who turns in the constant eater at McDonalds? And how does the person know who turns them in that it is not a genetic problem but their lifestyle? The only solution to this problem, I can see is to tax unhealthy stuff and throw that money towards the healthcare system. That way you are really increasing their insurance rates because of unhealthy eating and living.

I know the anti-tax cabal is going to kill me for saying that, but I am going to dig my hole deeper by saying would should also have a safety tax. If you drive a car that is less safe, doesn't have automatic seatbelts, or if you drive a motorcycle, you pay more taxes (unless maybe if you sign you organ donor card - then we subsidise your motorcyce riding).

This should make California politics fun........
 

In Dallas, our doctor friends always told us that the best place to go in the event of any major trauma was Parkland Hospital (huge, county-run hospital to the masses) because of its top-of-the-line trauma facilities, doctors and other resources. Then, of course, once the trauma was over, the key was to be transferred over to Baylor or Presbyterian for any continuing care. I would assume this is true in most cities.

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Mostly it's Alphonse and Gas . . . uh, I mean Hank and Penske, jerking chains.

http://www.std.org/strubin/ccc/cccalp.gif

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It is really hard to get rid of a teacher in the Palo Alto pubic school system, but it can be done. In Los Angeles and Oakland, the teacher pretty much has to molest a student before you can get rid of them. My friend was a principle in LA and he had teachers that were missing a third of the school year that he couldn't get rid of. Some didn't teach at all and just shot the shit with their students all day; couldn't get rid of them.

That is fair.

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Definitely you should try not to make any non-substantive comments over here. Some people are very sensitive about non-substantive comments.

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Goddamit, people! We had primo FB membership bored with the dead Xmas tree sitting in the living room, wander over here to check out the digs, and this is the best we can do to retain their interest?

(OTOH, it's probably better that gwnc didn't see Penske & Hank's vaudville act of a day or two ago. Carry on.)

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Around here, the suburban school districts have real trouble getting rid of bad eggs - in part because they don't have the resources to go through what is a painful process. On the other hand, Boston has on-staff lawyers dedicated to the process, and so can weed out a steady stream.

Remember, though, the big reason its hard to weed out teachers is the civil service rules, generally put in place by those who wanted to get rid of urban machine patronage. Unions may provide the lawyers and reps in that process, and may add a bit of additional process into the mix contractually, but it is the civil service process that takes most of the effort. The Rs played quite a role in that historically (though I know it's always fun to blame the unions that provide the representation).

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I disagree.