2/17/09 Are you ready?

[annunaki]

Very often, poverty stays in families. This might have something to do with the fact that poor people often need to quit school in order to get a job so they can eat and have a roof over their heads, so they can't get a good paying job because they lack a good education. Also, poor people tend to live in districts with poor schools (as much of a school's income is typically tied to local property taxes, and not surprisingly, this means that there is much less funding for poor areas), even if they don't have to quit school to get a job. Additionally, even if they make it through high school, mommy and daddy are not going to be able to pay for college (obviously, because they are poor), and, because they went to a bad high school, they are less likely to be able to get a scholarship to a college, so their chances of going to college will be small.

If we look at the other end of the spectrum, people who have rich parents can afford to go to the best schools, and do not generally need to drop out of school in order to eat. They also can afford to hire tutors if they are a bit slow, so they are likely to be able to pass, even if they are not the best students. This means that they can get high paying jobs, if they want them. Of course, if one has money, one invests the money, and then one can work much less, or not at all.

Simply put, people do not start at the same position, so it is hardly surprising if they do not end up with the same results.

It is as if we were to have people run a race of a mile, with some people starting half-way to the finish line, some at 3/4 of the way there, and some who have to run the whole way. The ones who start 3/4 of the way have the best running shoes. Who do you think will win the race? Unless the one at the beginning is exceptional, while the others are very bad runners, there will simply be no contest.

Also, you seem to think that someone who is poor should work 24/7, and have no leisure at all. People do not work efficiently that way; everyone needs breaks, and consequently, even poor people may want to watch a little TV upon occasion, without it being a sign of laziness.

The attitudes & decisions one makes is what keeps them where they are. People telling them it is not their fault and that they are a victim of society breeds more of the same attitudes that got many there in the first place. In essence hope is lost before it could even begin.

People failing to take accountability for themselves & their decisions, blaming problems on the "system" is a big problem. Thought process & decision making is a big factor here. Starting point is irrelevant as everyone has the same opportunity to advance. If one chooses to believe otherwise, or let others sway the belief against that (with opinions such as yours), it is one's loss and others gain. It sounds like a planned belief system to keep people in the economic state they are in???

 

[Pyrrho]

... Starting point is irrelevant as everyone has the same opportunity to advance. ...

Surely, you are joking. Do you really believe it is equally easy to become a millionaire if one starts with nothing or one starts with millions? Come on, the starting point matters very much, and unless you are disinheriting your children, you don't really believe what you are saying yourself. The reason to leave money for one's children is to make things easier for them. If it were all the same regardless, then there would be absolutely no point in giving them a dime. One would not give one's children anything to go to college, or aid them in any way. After all, according to you, the starting point is irrelevant.

Now, of course, the choices people make matter very much. But they are not the only factors in the equation.

 

[annunaki]

Surely, you are joking. Do you really believe it is equally easy to become a millionaire if one starts with nothing or one starts with millions? Come on, the starting point matters very much, and unless you are disinheriting your children, you don't really believe what you are saying yourself. The reason to leave money for one's children is to make things easier for them. If it were all the same regardless, then there would be absolutely no point in giving them a dime. One would not give one's children anything to go to college, or aid them in any way. After all, according to you, the starting point is irrelevant.

Now, of course, the choices people make matter very much. But they are not the only factors in the equation.

I did not know we were talking millionares vs. the poor now? I thought we were talking the average Joe middle class vs. the "poor".

How can one become a millionare if they are one already??? i.e. starting with millions

 

[Midcow2]

If people aren't ready its their own fault as this has been an ongoing tv ad for 6 months now. I see it all the time....

I understand that they have run out of coupons; people waiting for the last minute. Rumor it they are going to delay the date.

The best advertisment or maybe it was a testimonal of your typical frustrated housewife saying she has been trying for weeks to hook up and she is so mad. But then her christian side kicks in and even though she is madder than a hornet she just can spit out a cuss word or even a bad word.

I have some lone TVs and ordered two and opened on an hooked it up. No problem, but for some it could be difficult.

LOL. I will probably never use it though

Later,

MidCow

 

[Shock]

Cool product! Wonder when we'll see it in Canada.

My tv is driven by 3 penguins and a moose. We don't need no stinkin' digital box.

 

[Haoleb]

Well, there are some people who are very poor who may have trouble affording being ready. But for pretty much everyone else, I basically agree with you.

This only applies to OTA broadcast stations over a certain power level. Of course, if your getting OTA tv you probably havent got a ton of money or you would have something else. And all new tv's are equipped with tuners capable of recieving digital signals.

 

[Tarub]

FCC chairman: DTV delay could cause confusion

FCC chairman: DTV delay could cause confusion

LAS VEGAS—Postponing the turnoff of analog TV broadcasts beyond the scheduled date, Feb. 17, could confuse consumers, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission warned Saturday.

President-elect Barack Obama's transition team on Thursday asked Congress to delay the shut-off. The main reason the team cited was that the Commerce Department earlier in the week ran out of money for the coupons that subsidize the cost of the converter boxes which allow older analog TVs to receive digital signals.

In an interview at the International Consumer Electronics Show here, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said it's important to make sure that the converter box subsidy program gets back on track, but that doesn't mean delaying the analog turnoff is necessary.

"There are options they can do without having to delay to get coupons flowing immediately," Martin said. Congress could give the program additional funding, or eliminate the 90-day expiration deadline on the coupons, he said.

"I'm concerned about a delay in the sense that if you can solve that issue other ways, a delay has actually the potential to confuse consumers," said Martin, a Republican. "All of our messaging has been about Feb. 17 -- not just ours -- the industry's."

The Feb. 17 date has been widely advertised by local TV stations.

Additionally, Martin said, some broadcasters have already scheduled the engineering work necessary to take down their analog antennas so they can maximize their digital coverage.

The date of the transition and the terms of the coupon program were set by Congress. The FCC, as the broadcast regulator, has an important role in administering the transition.

Democratic FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, speaking at a panel discussion at the show, said he understood the call for a delay.

"This program has been badly mismanaged. It's not ready for prime time," he said. "There are so many elements of the preparation that have not been undertaken ... We don't have program in place in the field to help people who need assistance in their homes. The phone banks are inadequately prepared."

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/01/11/fcc_chairman_dtv_delay_could_cause_confusion/

 

[annunaki]

With over 9 years of delays, the excuses are really tired. Make it happen and everyone will deal with it. No one is happy with the government anyway, like this will really make it any worse.

 

[Tarub]

State of Hawaii did the switch a little bit earlier.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090115/ap_on_hi_te/tec_digital_tv_transition