More Schools, Not Troops [in Afghanistan]

This problem would be solved...

Schools, not troops in Afghanistan
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: October 28, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html?th&emc=th

"Dispatching more troops to Afghanistan would be a monumental bet and probably a bad one, most likely a waste of lives and resources that might simply empower the Taliban. In particular, one of the most compelling arguments against more troops rests on this stunning trade-off: For the cost of a single additional soldier stationed in Afghanistan for one year, we could build roughly 20 schools there.

It’s hard to do the calculation precisely, but for the cost of 40,000 troops over a few years — well, we could just about turn every Afghan into a Ph.D."

My note: There's research that there's a strong positive relationship between intelligence and athiesm.

http://jonathanturley.org/2008/07/06/researcher-links-high-intelligence-with-atheism/

I'm not a proponent of atheism, not being one myself, but I think it not much of a stretch to suggest that there would be perhaps a stronger inverse correlation between intelligence/education and fanaticism.

And of course, the world would be a better place if they taught parenting skills in these schools. All the problems would be solved if parenting were licensed. Needless to say, being an extremist of any sort would be grounds for denying a parenting license.

Detained Iran Hikers' Families Write of Heartache

This problem would be solved...

Detained Iran Hikers' Families Write of Heartache
August 11, 2009 5:04 PM


http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/08/11/world/worldwatch/entry5235000.shtml

The families of the three American hikers apparently detained by Iranian authorities after mistakenly crossing the unmarked border from Iraqi Kurdistan into Iran have put out a statement calling for the hikers' release.

The three Americans – Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal – have now been missing for 12 days.

"As loving parents, nothing causes us more heartache than not knowing how our children are, and not being able to talk to them and learn when we will hold them in our arms again," the families write in the statement.

This wouldn't happen if kids were taught compassion and a little common sense by their parents.

Experts Worry as Population and Hunger Grow (NY Times article)

This problems would be solved...

Experts Worry as Population and Hunger Grow (NY Times article)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/world/22food.html?th&emc=th
NY Times, October 21, 2009

Experts Worry as Population and Hunger Grow

The number of hungry people in the world rose to 1.02 billion this year, or nearly one in seven people, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, despite a 12-year concentrated effort to cut the number.

Easy to see how licensing parents would solve this problem. At to the test--ability to feed children.

The Solution to All the Problems of the World

The Solution to All the Problems of the World is...

...parents should be licensed before they have kids.


The kid license test would include the following:

• The value of Education
• Ability to teach Compassion
• Ability to teach Work Ethics
  

Think about it... What would problem wouldn't be solved by good parenting? (And preventing poor parenting.)

Help me out here. What else should be on the test?

Scott