Why is there first response to any problem is throw more money at it?
By lilwonders
@lilwonders456 (8214)
United States
May 9, 2009 9:11pm CST
You ever notice that is exactly what our government does. Look at our education system. It has been in trouble for 20 yeras or more. SO what do they do....throw more and more money at it thinking that will solve the problem. yet the situation is not getting better. In fact it is getting worse. We spend more per student in this country than most of the other countries that are out scoring us. So money may be factor but not the main underlining issue. So obviously they need to look deeper into the issue and actually try to solve the problems. Throwing a bunch of money at it and praying the problems with go away is not working.
They are doing the same things with Health Care.
Why is how our government works? Why are they not able to actually DO something that will solve the problems? If you don't solve the underlying problem every dime spent is just wasted.
Tell me what you think.
4 people like this
10 responses
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
10 May 09
I hear what your saying, but I think these issues are just more complex than we realize. I understand that "throwing money" at a problem may not be the ideal way to fix things, but I have also seen how people react to budget cuts.
It just happenst to be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation.
Wherever you cut the budget, someone will be up in arms and criticizing that you cut the funds from "their important program"!
I agree that sometimes hard choices need to be made. I'm just glad I'm not the person who has to do it.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
11 May 09
Yup, I live right here in Miami. Many counties have issues with managing their budgets, but I moved from Tampa to Miami and the budget issues in each county are drastically different.
In Tampa it was a general laziness in revenue collection combined with a top heavy management structure. When Governor Crist reduced property taxes, they cut employees from the bottom whereas private businesses always start at the top where salaries are most bloated. The library was crippled because they had forgiven literally millions of dollars in fines over a 4 year period.
Miami's issue is much different. Here we have revenue based on property taxes which border on extortion. As foreclosures increased, property taxes increased to compensate, which became a cycle where people got foreclosed on when they couldn't make payments, which they couldn't make because expenses kept going up. It's why Miami has one of the highest foreclosure rates, highest costs of living, and highest poverty rates.
Spending here is through the roof and people are taxed into poverty to maintain the programs designed to help the impoverished and fund the county. There's also the issue with the county government having a minimum wage over $10/hour which they also enforce on any subcontractors doing work for the county.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 May 09
The point is that there is already so much money going into schools. We don't need to cut or increase funding because money isn't the problem. We need to carefully audit where the money is going. Why are school administrators driving around in golf carts and sitting at cherry wood desks while students have textbooks like "These 48 states"?
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
10 May 09
I may agree with you on this one...
I don't know how much money is going into the schools or where it's all going, but I am certain much of it is going to the WRONG places! I know a lot of people think that there isn't enough money going into the schools. If I remember right Taskr, I think you're from South Florida too, right? I think recently the state PTSA's or some other group organized a day where they all went to Tallahassee to protest budget cuts, if I'm not mistaken. That tells me a lot of people still aren't understanding that we need to "live within our means" as a state.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 May 09
What I want to know is where the he1l this money is going. I can tell you right now that it isn't going to teachers or teaching supplies. I have a sister and several friends who are teachers. None of them have had pay raises over the last few years and some have taken pay CUTS. Students are required to bring in a laundry list of supplies and teachers spend a lot of money out of pocket buying necessary supplies for their classrooms. Teachers keep getting fired and classes like art, gym, and music are either eliminated, or condensed somehow.
Back when I was in school you were required to bring a pencil and paper, period. Schools back then were getting a fraction of the money they get now. It seems that the more money you give these schools, the worse things get. It's hard for me to believe it's anything short of complete and utter corruption.
The only other contributors I can think of are the increase in single parent households and households with two parents working full time jobs. These contribute to children getting less education at home and entering the public school system without the fundamental knowledge and basic skills parents should be teaching their kids.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
10 May 09
It's going to "meetings" and "workshops" where, of course, they must have a nice "spread" for breakfast or brunch.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 May 09
That must just be the meetings and workshops for the higher ups. The teachers I've known actually have to PAY for the workshops they go to, including some that are required. The government really gets away with things that would never fly in private business.
@gewcew23 (8007)
• United States
10 May 09
Because government must prove it's reason to exist. Government is institute that can with force strip someone of everything they have. Yet if government cannot show some reason for having this power the citizens might revolt. So government comes up with a new program to fund. When the program fail, more money will be needed to fix the problem. If government was to cut the program, government would be forced to recognize that no program is necessary. Where would that leave government?
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
12 May 09
You are probly right. THey are not even really solving problems....they are just collection power and money.
@vellibiz (297)
• United States
10 May 09
The government has to throw money around; cuz no one else is.
Look at this crisis...the housing bubble bursted.
all those people who couldnt afford their mortgages,mainly the ones
who owned multiple homes they were trying to sell. are pocketing their cash
and saving while waiting for things to get better, the problem is everybody is waiting for things to get better. everyone is on the sidelines watching the government play the game using our payroll taxes. its funny cuz these professional morgage dealers knew what they were doing ewas risky but it ddidt stop them...now things are real risky and they dont wanna come out and play. who can blame them ?
theyre all scammers in different ways. im just glad that recessions naturally clean out the bad blood such as all of these Madoff characters.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
10 May 09
"its funny cuz these professional morgage dealers knew what they were doing ewas risky but it ddidt stop them...now things are real risky and they dont wanna come out and play. who can blame them?"
The problem is that they would have never given home loans to people who couldn't prove their ability to pay them back. That happened because morons like Barney Frank and ACORN were bullying banks and rallying poor people with the bull that everyone deserves to own a home.
"im just glad that recessions naturally clean out the bad blood such as all of these Madoff characters."
Ordinarily you'd be right, but the bailout has actually kept those characters in power and rewarded their foolishness.
@miamilady (4910)
• United States
10 May 09
"The problem is that they would have never given home loans to people who couldn't prove their ability to pay them back. That happened because morons like Barney Frank and ACORN were bullying banks and rallying poor people with the bull that everyone deserves to own a home."
I don't think that's entirely true Taskr. The mortgage brokers (not lenders) and many Realtors went out of their way to convince people that they COULD afford homes that they truly could not afford. They convinced people that they could get "interest only" loans and they'd be okay because their home values would NEVER go down. They would only go up. I heard a Realtor once say to a client. House values will NEVER go down. I couldn't help but wonder to myself how she could feel so confident in making such a statement. She was so confident that I doubted myself in not agreeing with her.
I'll admit I need to learn more about Barney Frank and ACORN. I'm not saying they had nothing to do with it. Don't you think some of the banks were as guilty as everyone else in not being wary of the housing bubble warnings?
@sanuanu (11235)
• India
11 May 09
Most of the time money is the problem as it is a known fact that if Govt spends 100 cents on any work, only 050-60 cents reaches the actual project, rest goes into the pocket of politicians in between.
hence, whenever they find that there is any problem they throw money as they will get another chance to get their pocket filled. They don't want to resolve the problems because once the problem will be solved, they (politicians) will not have any topic to seek vote from them.
I am sick of politicians.
@PrarieStyle (2486)
• United States
11 May 09
Throwing money at problems is what the government thinks their supposed to do. Plus, it's a heck of a lot easier than taking the time to think through a plan that doesn't involve money.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
12 May 09
it would make more sense to actually think it through. But I guess they don't ahve a lot of sense.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
10 May 09
Personally I really think you are onto something here. There really needs to be a Better solution to all of this instead of continue to raise the amount of money given to a school even if they are not keeping up to standard, than trying and find ways to help it improve in other ways so Teachers continue to get aqueezed out with schools closing, and more students being left behind as well. And when it comes to College, no one is able to keep up so it gets harder and harder to get in and people being able to afford them as well.
Same with Medical Care. They keep on making Businesses up the cost of the premiums for their employees etc. and offering them less. It gets to the point where some people have no coverage now, or not enough to really consider being covered as well. I am truly hoping somehow someday there can be a better solution but until the people in the higher offices in the States, etc. do something about this, there is really nothing anyone can do.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
10 May 09
I'd like to be a problem they threw money at. 
Seriously, as Taskr said the money doesn't seem to go where it is needed. While the superintendents sit in posh offices the kids have to sell over-priced candy to buy necessities. Something really wrong with that picture!
Seriously, as Taskr said the money doesn't seem to go where it is needed. While the superintendents sit in posh offices the kids have to sell over-priced candy to buy necessities. Something really wrong with that picture!
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
10 May 09
The government throws money at a problem because everyone in the legislature has their hand out for their piece of that pie. Someone suggests that we need more money for education, someone else thinks that might be a good idea and I'd better back it so I can be sure to get some of it for my state and it snowballs from there. Same with healthcare. Everyone will be behind it because they don't want to miss out on even a dime of the money the government doesn't have.
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
12 May 09
you are right. But why do the american tax payer put up with it? We are being ripped off.
@Mikaela_taz25 (1842)
• Philippines
10 May 09
I don't know what to think anymore, with more of these financial problems coming up, we are having trouble solving at least one. 
I believe that there doing everything they can, but it's not an easy solution, more solutions but probability of success is less than 50%, unless all would cooperate to it. People in high places should avoid being greedy in these times so that we won't have to suffer like this.
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