Yea great idea. Why didn’t we think of that, oh yeah it is stupid.
I have friends who are active in the group Rethink Afghanistan. Sometimes the post stories and comments that seem more like satire. But lately I am having a hard time telling the difference anymore. This one is a perfect example.
Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times column shares a shocking statistic that shows the U.S.’s warped priorities in Afghanistan: if we brought home just 243 troops, we’d save enough money to pay for all higher education everywhere in Afghanistan this year.
Yep cause the fact that Afghanistan’s illiteracy in that most people in Afghanistan cannot read and write. So the money that would be freed up would be used for post secondary education would not be abused for other things.
“Remember Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years, and neither the Soviets who were here before the Taliban nor the Taliban put people through school. So education was not prized. As a matter of fact, the Taliban shut down the schools.”
But with the time proven statement of “Nothing is impossible to those that do not have to do it” have people over at Rethink Afghanistan is a great idea.
Mr. [Greg] Mortenson says that $243 million is needed to fund all higher education in Afghanistan this year. He suggests that America hold a press conference here in Kabul and put just 243 of our 100,000 soldiers (each costing $1 million per year) on planes home. Then the U.S. could take the savings and hand over a check to pay for Afghanistan’s universities.
The war in Afghanistan isn’t making us safer, and it’s not worth the cost. The fact that bringing home 243 troops could pay for all higher education in Afghanistan this year shows that there are much, much better ways of stabilizing Afghanistan and improving the lives of Afghans if we’re willing to let go of military force as the answer.
Yea with so in review how does passing around this little gem that would not only not work but no one that thought of it will be willing to make it work. But it sounds nice, which is more important then anything else.
Category: Antiwar crowd, I hate hippies, Liberals suck, Terror War
Here’s the really funny part:
“Remember Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years, and neither the Soviets who were here before the Taliban nor the Taliban put people through school. So education was not prized. As a matter of fact, the Taliban shut down the schools.”
Uh huh. And if we really, really “rethink” Afghanistan and go home, as he wants us to, the Taliban will close them again. So that would be a really productive move. I wonder how Taliban rule will impact Afghan literacy? How about Afghan female literacy?
Yes, we could fund the non-existent schools in Afghanistan if we just removed the troops. What a concept!
But then it is out fault then because we only care about Americans.
The liberal solution to all problems: throw money at it. Brilliant.
The liberal solution to all problems: throw OTHER PEOPLE’S money at it. Brilliant.
FIFY.
“But it sounds nice, which is more important then (than) anything else.”
The concept is incredibly naive, and could be considered refreshing or galling, depending on your point of view.
Sorry, #5 was me.
Yes if the logic of liberalism is to throw other people’s money at a problem then liberals have the perfect solution to the all of Afghanistan’s needs. We turn Afghanistan over to the Iranians and let the Iranians throw their money at it.
No one can say that the Iranians can not read or are uneducated. (I wish to make clear that there is not necessarily a correlation between (lack of) education and stupidity.)
In fact I have read that Iranian women are more likely to have a university degree than an American women. That might not be true. But, one thing that is true is that Iranian women are more likely to have health insurance than an American woman.
“there is not necessarily a correlation between (lack of) education and stupidity”. And yet, here you are again.
Heheh, good fix NHSparky. Brain fart on my part.
The report is about cutting the military because its not needed.
Trading troops for higher ed in Afghanistan. Get your calculator out, a known number of troops for an unknown number of Afghan hi ed degrees. Still looking for the unknown button on your calculator. Don’t worry, the liberal elites will figure that out for you.
Anyone wondering what is headed this way can look at Europe and especially the UK. It happens there first.
This sort of thinking is why CA spends umpteen millions on building schools when all the village wants is a new water pump.
I’m impressed at how well the census here worked to be able to pull a definite figure like $240M like that. They have troubles stateside what with liveaboards, squatters etc but over here with remote villages tucked into mountainsides that avoid outsiders they were able to calculate $ needed for an entire school year all from Kabul