The "Occupy" Movement

[Nemo888]

In Canada, every worker has the right to refuse unsafe work.

And before the argument comes that they'd just be fired, or laid off, if a worker follows the legislated process and the employer is found wanting, orders would be laid and it becomes incumbent on the employer to solve the problem with an engineered solution. All other avenues have to be exhausted before it comes down to the worker status. Firing or otherwise dismissing a worker for a safety problem is a reprisal. Reprisals aren't allowed under the law.

Actually is was straight numbers. We all had traing and equipment for proper safety precautions. The problem was that if you followed them all you could not keep up with the robot. Which means an additional robot would be purchased and the job would be gone. This place was a sweatshop. It motivated me to go back to school.

Those Chinese workers now get about $1.95/hour and their low-skill jobs are moving to really poor places in Indonesia and the Philippines.

The answer, as I have said (maybe too often) before is not equality of outcomes, what Obama and the NDP want to dictate, but, rather, equality of opportunity which really means better schools for all even, maybe especially, in poor neighbourhoods and it also, in my opinion means school meal programmes for many, many kids because they have poor, stupid or neglectful parents and it seems clear to me that hungry kids do not learn well. My guess is that 10 half decent meals a week would do more for public education than all the Education faculties of all North American universities combined.

It  bugs me when education and infrasctructure get cut. Where I work we can easiliy spend 40k on a 98 year old woman to keep her alive for an extra 9 months. Most of our patients are retired.  I like that we are so generous with healthcare. But the money spent on the 98 year old with dementia could have paid for two post secondary educations. Priorities I suppose.

 

[aesop081]

This place was a sweatshop.

A worker muscled out of his job by technology ? Say it ain't so. Must be the first time in history.

 

[vonGarvin]

Sapplicant:
I'm talking about two meals a day, every day, cost-free, for every student, from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive.  Not a cafeteria where you pay for your food, or just for the poor kids, but for all kids, irrespective of background.  Thus, equal opportunity for all.

 

[GAP]

A worker muscled out of his job by technology ? Say it ain't so. Must be the first time in history.

and the CF is going to be next.....ex CF member created this http://technology.canoe.ca/2011/11/30/19040961.html . 

 

[Sapplicant]

Sapplicant:
I'm talking about two meals a day, every day, cost-free, for every student, from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive.  Not a cafeteria where you pay for your food, or just for the poor kids, but for all kids, irrespective of background.  Thus, equal opportunity for all.

If it were to be done without some of the unnecessary costs mentions by Mr. Campbell, I'd highball it at 7$/day/student. Lowball it at 4$. Find the number of k-12 students in canada, then multiply that by 5, then by the number of actual school days in a school year.

 

[GAP]

number of actual school days in a school year.

200

 

[mariomike]

Where I work we can easiliy spend 40k on a 98 year old woman to keep her alive for an extra 9 months. Most of our patients are retired. 

It is going to get worse. From what I read, 14 per cent of Canada's population is 65 or older. Those 14 per cent consume about 44 per cent of total health care spending. 
By 2036 seniors are expected to make up nearly a quarter of the population.

 

[Sapplicant]

If it were to be done without some of the unnecessary costs mentions by Mr. Campbell, I'd highball it at 7$/day/student. Lowball it at 4$. Find the number of k-12 students in canada, then multiply that by 5, then by the number of actual school days in a school year.

Just under 5.1 million students enrolled in publicly funded schools in 08/09 was what I could find. Keep in mind, my prices are completely arbitrary. It could probably be done a lot chraper in reality. Still, looking at at least a billion. Probably more.

 

[Sapplicant]

4x5100000x200=4.08B$ per year.

 

[ballz]

Still, despite the costs that I expect would be high, I believe the benefits would outweigh them. I am inclined to the view that the best crime prevention programme is a half decent education, that the best cure for our drug use problem is education, that the key to productivity and prosperity is education, and I am persuaded that hungry kids do not learn very well.

Nope, no good. What we really need to do is lower the minimum working age to 5 years old, and allow them to work for $1.00/hr, so by the time they are 18 they have acquired way more skills than someone that wasted their time getting an education... those with a high school diploma will be behind the 8-ball, and will have to start working $5.00/hr while all those who had been working for dirt cheap for so many years will be in high demand and will get $15.00/hr.

The world would be a better place, the invisible hand would make it so.

[/sarcasm]

Sapplicant:
I'm talking about two meals a day, every day, cost-free, for every student, from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive.  Not a cafeteria where you pay for your food, or just for the poor kids, but for all kids, irrespective of background.  Thus, equal opportunity for all.

I agree it would have to be universal... Kids, especially adolescents, would rather starve than feel embarrassed amongst their peers.

I remember when they had a snack program at my school when I was in grades 4-6 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It might just be a bunch of celery with cheese whiz or cheese & crackers or hot dogs or something with a juice box or milk carton, but they would bring it up, stop class for 15-20 minutes, and everybody was welcome to it... I remember myself and my classmates loving it and everybody taking part.

 

[vonGarvin]

4x5100000x200=4.08B$ per year.

You did the math for me.  Thanks

(I found that the school year was generally 190 days/year, and 180 days/year in Quebec)  It puts it just under 4 Billion/year.


So, my non-trolling question is: would it be worth it?

 

[Sapplicant]

If it worked, then absolutely. But, there's another honest, non-trolling question. Would it actually work?

 

[Sapplicant]

Another thing to keep in mind is, if "we" are the ones feeding them, then "we" know what they're eating, and can ensure that they get the proper nutrition they need. This could be one step (of the many required) towards erasing the "obesity epidemic". Fuel their bodies, and minds.

 

[vonGarvin]

Just imagine, the older kids helping with picking out the menus as part of their education, learning about the benefits of this and the nutrition of that.  And the social aspect.  Younger kids helping with clearing their plates.  Of course, there would be vegetarian, halal, kosher and whatever meals available. 
For those of you who know me, I didn't suddenly turn hippy overnight and promise to "feed the children", but the increased taxation that would sure to follow would be offset by the reduced grocery costs.  For this to work, this would have to be a federally funded program (which means it's doomed!  LOL)  But, no, seriously, it would have to be in order to keep it even across the country.  And no, it wouldn't be getting into education, but rather into whatever other department.  But overall, I see this as an investment in our future.  As Mr. Campbell stated previously, well-fed kids learn better than hungry kids.  And hungry kids fail out of school.  And kids who fail out of school go to low end jobs, typically.  This wouldn't eliminate drop outs, but if nothing else, it would give equal opportunity to all.

 

[Jed]

But who would actually enforce that the food would actually go into the child's mouth? You know, kind of like telling our soldiers to rehydrate. My old man isn't around any more to push my face into the mashed potatoes to make me lick the plate clean. ;D

/tongue in cheek smiley

 

[vonGarvin]

But who would actually enforce that the food would actually go into the child's mouth? You know, kind of like telling our soldiers to rehydrate. My old man isn't around any more to push my face into the mashed potatoes to make me lick the plate clean. ;D

/tongue in cheek smiley

As stated, it's about opportunity, not force feeding.  The food is there.  If they don't eat.....

 

[Sapplicant]

If they don't eat.....

Then there's complimentary lunch in the teacher's lounge, complete with doggy bags for leftovers. They save money that can be put towards their own personal entertainment/betterment. More and more people are winning here...

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Another thing to keep in mind is, if "we" are the ones feeding them, then "we" know what they're eating, and can ensure that they get the proper nutrition they need. This could be one step (of the many required) towards erasing the "obesity epidemic". Fuel their bodies, and minds.

The Kingston Whig-Standard had a write-up the other day about the new Ontario policy of only serving healthy food in school cafeterias: what the reporters found was that attendance in some cafeterias had actually gone down because the students were actually going to local fast food joints for lunch. Something that I've seen personally; I've stopped a MAC's/Subway store near a local school at lunch time and the place is packed with kids buying sub sandwiches. Reminds me of the old saying: You can take the horse to the water, but you can't make the horse drink the water.

 

[vonGarvin]

Reminds me of the old saying: You can take the horse to the water, but you can't make the horse drink the water.

Agreed.  But if the water is there, nobody can complain about being thirsty...

Just providing an opportunity.

 

[Nemo888]

If hard choices need to be made 5714 days/ 2 meals a day for students(28.5 school years) does seem like a better way to spend my tax money than rebuilding the brittle sponge bones of a 98 year old with dementia. Spending on one can change the world for underprivileged kids and open up a world of opportunity. It can  also return that investment hundreds of times over. The other only creates additional burdens on an already overtaxed system.