Was it worth it?

Academia for all

This comment on a discussion board over at Motley Fool talks about the folly of our current approach to education.
I mean, really, what is the point of forcing all children down the same academically inclined educational path when a large propotion don't have the interest, aptitude or simply intelligence to gain anything from it?

What would be wrong with taking the non-academic types out of the system at a much earlier age and appealing to what DOES interest them?
Vocational courses have always been a poor relation to the academic and we're doing a great many people a disservice with this attitude.

Take the obnoxious little chavs and give them something to do that makes them more useful to society that simply keeping the gut-rot cider companies in business.

Even beyond the disruptive scumbag types, what about those who just don't want full-blown academia? The artists, musicians, linguists, sports(wo)men, carpenters, builders, etc? If a real vocation and propensity is shown at a fairly early age then take it and nurture it.

In the UK we're constantly talking about getting more and more people into higher education. Besides the fact that it's not the life for everybody, what exactly are we going to do with them all? I still want my car fixed, my drains cleared, my house wired and my bins emptied. This does not make anybody doing any of these jobs "below" someone with a degree. Personally, I think the guy emptying the bins is worth more to society than your average investment banker or computer programmer (and I work in IT).

We're a big hive of interdependent worker bees and we need to start accepting that everyone has a role to play irrelevant of educational background.  And start giving everyone the chance to do what they are good at without cutting them off at the knees before they've even reached 16.

Another voting option?

After my tirade yesterday I'm presented with another alternative from Who Should You Vote For?

Labour -38
Conservative -7
	Liberal Democrat 26
	UK Independence Party 6
	Green 31

You should vote: Green

The Green Party, which is of course strong on environmental issues, takes a strong position on welfare issues, but was firmly against the war in Iraq. Other key concerns are cannabis, where the party takes a liberal line, and foxhunting, which unsurprisingly the Greens are firmly against.

I've never thought about voting Green. I know voting Lib Dem can be seen as a wasted vote, but not sure if I can go as far as the Greens. I really don't think I've ever put this much thought into which party to support.

Maybe it's time for some full blown manifesto reading. Or is it all such a done deal and my local seat so safe that I'm fooling myself to think that it's going to make a blind bit of difference anyway?

Self or selfless?

It's election time again here in the UK and for the first time I'm considering switching allegiance.

I'm not a politically active person, but I always vote and think it should be compulsory.
Anyway, I've always voted Liberal Democrat, but one thing is causing me some concern: local income tax . Yes, I know the current system is unfair in inumerable ways, but the fact is I simply cannot afford the 150% increase that their proposed system would give me.

For various reasons that there's no point going into (no, I'm not an ex-junkie before you ask) I accumulated a hell of a lot of debt when I was younger that I am still trying to get out of. This takes up a large proportion of my income.

My house is relatively modest (Council tax band B and cost about £100K nearly 2 years ago [not even average house price these days]) and I'm the only wage earner.

There's a lot of talk about people with higher incomes can afford this, that and the other. That's simply not true for middle income families. Whenever a new tax comes in it's always middle income that get hit the hardest: the poor escape it and the rich can afford it (despite much bleating).

None of these decisions actually take into account the actual amount of money coming into the house (always based on gross earnings) and individual financial situations (child maintenance, personal debt, etc).

If I get stung with a 150% raise in tax to my local council what am I supposed to do? Tell the bank that I can't afford to pay my loan because the council thinks I should pay for everybody else?

And another thing: I am sick to death of people going on about the pensioners. Yes, I have elderly relatives and I'll be old one day, but for pity's sake stop expecting us to pay for every damn thing for them. If the single pensioner up the road in a large house can't afford the council tax then sell the damn thing and move to somewhere more sensible. Swap with me; I need a bigger house.

For the reasons outlined above, I've got enough on my plate. I simply cannot afford to take on anything else. I am doing my damnedest to get out of debt, start becoming a consciencious saver, put more into my pension and maybe even start my own business one day, but there's not a cat in hell's chance of doing any of this while they keep taking more and more money off me.

So who do I vote for??? I'm actually tempted to start getting selfish and thinking Conservative. Bottom line is  need tax cuts. I need more money in my pocket each month to live.
And at the moment, public services be damned.
Improved schools? Can't afford kids.
Improved NHS? Lucky enough to private mediacal via employer (No tax benefits there...).
Immigration? Don't give a monkey's.
Police? Stop annoying motorists and you might have some resources...

Rant over.