Mountain West Microbrew: Chit chat and irrelevancy - Page 115

bunt_q · #**2281** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

There are probably better ways of certifying it than 4 years and $50,000 minimum tuition, though.

Two years in a trench. Probably cheaper than the free tuition plan, make lifelong friends, learn discipline. Wong might be on to something.

s.p.hansen · #**2282** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Two years in a trench. Probably cheaper than the free tuition plan, make lifelong friends, learn discipline. Wong might be on to something.

Oh god, this sounds as stupid as old guys with "School of Hard Knocks" written in their education section of Facebook.

Cirrus · #**2283** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:10 PM**

I doubt very much 2 years in a trench would be cheaper than 2 years at FRCC.

How about that? Your community college associates degree is free. If you want a school with a football team, you have to pay.

wong21fr · #**2284** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

An art history degree may not give you a marketable skill, but it does give you certification as an adult capable of attending enough classes to not flunk out. That's not completely valueless. There are probably better ways of certifying it than 4 years and $50,000 minimum tuition, though.

I anticipate big growth in community colleges over the next generation.

This is true, it's called signalling and something that employers use all of the time. But unless a community college starts offering bachelors, you'll still see most people move on to a four-year program since a bachelor's > associates which bodes well for most low-cost programs.

Community colleges and large state schools are positioned for a large amount of growth as employees seek out signalling credentials. I'm worried about the smaller state schools and private schools though.

bunt_q · #**2285** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.p.hansen

Oh god, this sounds as stupid as old guys with "School of Hard Knocks" written in their education section of Facebook.

That was a joke.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I doubt very much 2 years in a trench would be cheaper than 2 years at FRCC.

How about that? Your community college associates degree is free. If you want a school with a football team, you have to pay.

The catch is, if you actually look at Bernie's plans for free college (if you can even call them plans) he is expecting the states to fund 1/3 of it. Which translates into: there is no plan. If he wants a block grant program or something to states to fully fund community college, that's awesome. And tomorrow I walk across the street to lobby for a bill to increase community college tuition statewide to $1,000,000. Free money from Washington, yay! The thing is, higher ed is completely a state issue. Every state does it differently. You can't just say "we're going to make it free" without some plausible plan for accomplishing that. We couldn't get states to expand Medicaid when it was being completely paid for by the feds! And Senator Naive thinks he can pay 66% of higher ed and Colorado is going to jump at the offer? In Colorado, we couldn't even legally implement his plan without an election and a tax hike. If we wanted to do that to fund higher ed, we'd have done it already.

Cirrus · #**2286** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:26 PM**

Oh, I'm on board with that. None of this is going to happen. Free community college is no more politically plausible in today's America than mandatory military service.

Wong is right though. CCs and big state schools willing to churn out degrees on the cheap are going to grow like gangbusters.

wong21fr · #**2287** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

I doubt very much 2 years in a trench would be cheaper than 2 years at FRCC.

How about that? Your community college associates degree is free. If you want a school with a football team, you have to pay.

How about 2 years of shoveling a trench for a sewer pipeline? Far cheaper than being in a trench and you'd see some very tangible benefits back to society.

Mandatory service at a low wage (<$5/hr) to qualify for any basic social services (which we can now define as education, health, supplemental income, etc.). Basically reintroduce the CCC as a means fo getting government assistance. You'd have to put in all sorts of waivers to get by labor, health, and safety laws to make the labor units cheap enough; and it could be a boon to the construction industry (while decimating some of the rank and file workers).

One wouldn't have to do such work, but it would mean you're screwed for life if you ever should find yourself needing help.

bunt_q · #**2288** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 9:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

How about 2 years of shoveling a trench for a sewer pipeline? Far cheaper than being in a trench and you'd see some very tangible benefits back to society.

Mandatory service at a low wage (<$5/hr) to qualify for any basic social services (which we can now define as education, health, supplemental income, etc.). Basically reintroduce the CCC as a means fo getting government assistance. You'd have to put in all sorts of waivers to get by labor, health, and safety laws to make the labor units cheap enough; and it could be a boon to the construction industry (while decimating some of the rank and file workers).

One wouldn't have to do such work, but it would mean you're screwed for life if you ever should find yourself needing help.

Could pick fruit too. We're going to need some labor force on our side north of the big beautiful wall.

Cirrus · #**2289** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 9:34 PM**

Where are those people going to eat and live while they're working for $5/hour? Are we going to feed & house them dorm-style, or are they on their own? And while we're on the subject of indentured servants, how do we guarantee their healthcare? Humanity has a bad history of mistreating its slave labor, especially when it's only temporary slave labor.

Not that I'm exactly against the idea. As long as we're talking theoretical revolutions and not actual policy proposals, it could be workable. But it would be a lot harder than "line up and build bridges for $5, kiddies."

wong21fr · #**2290** Posted **Apr 6, 2016, 9:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirrus

Where are those people going to eat and live while they're working for $5/hour? Are we going to feed & house them dorm-style, or are they on their own? And while we're on the subject of indentured servants, how do we guarantee their healthcare? Humanity has a bad history of mistreating its slave labor, especially when it's only temporary slave labor.

Not that I'm exactly against the idea. As long as we're talking theoretical revolutions and not actual policy proposals, it could be workable. But it would be a lot harder than "line up and build bridges for $5, kiddies."

The new CCC model: three hots, a shot, and a cot.

TakeFive · #**2291** Posted **Apr 7, 2016, 12:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Nm.

I knew there had to be something on this thread I agreed with

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

Well, I guess this thread is ruined.

The 2nd funniest comment on the thread... and the winner is

Quote:

Originally Posted by wong21fr

The new CCC model: three hots, a shot, and a cot.

THIS

Sawtooth · #**2292** Posted **Apr 10, 2016, 12:10 AM**

This thread needs a beer break.

I spent the afternoon cycling the Boise River Greenbelt and to relax afterwards a local brew is always en vogue. This is my first time trying this variety from North Idaho, brewed with Idaho's state fruit, the Huckleberry which is native to Idaho and the Northwest. These berries which bears love, are found in the high mountains and lush forests of Idaho.

This brewery in Ponderay near Sandpoint is not far from one of the world’s largest hop farms.

La Riviere Boisee is flowing fast, deep and cold because of Spring runoff out of the mountains and wilderness above Boise. The Boise drains a 4100 square mile watershed that begins in the Sawtooth Mountains.

Here's a sampling of the river in the downtown area.

Northernlad · #**2293** Posted **Apr 11, 2016, 3:37 PM**

Beautiful! I wish there was a river like this in my city. Idaho and the Northwest has some enviable urban river stretches.

TakeFive · #**2294** Posted **Apr 11, 2016, 7:13 PM**

Sawtooth... Always love your photo tours.

Sawtooth · #**2295** Posted **Apr 16, 2016, 5:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Sawtooth... Always love your photo tours.

Thanks TakeFive

TakeFive · #**2296** Posted **Apr 20, 2016, 7:22 AM**

^ You're welcome.

"Only three months in, and 2016 will almost certainly be the hottest year on record."
April 19, 2016 by Tom Randall - Bloomberg

Quote:

The Earth is warming so fast that it's surprising even the climate scientists who predicted this was coming.

Last month was the hottest March in 137 years of record keeping, according to data released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It's the 11th consecutive month to set a new record, and it puts 2016 on course to set a third straight annual record.

Interesting read if you enjoy that sort of thing.