Steve Jobs Biography Reveals He Told Obama, 'You're Headed For A

[TNHermit]

Jobs, who was known for his prickly, stubborn personality, almost missed meeting President Obama in the fall of 2010 because he insisted that the president personally ask him for a meeting. Though his wife told him that Obama "was really psyched to meet with you," Jobs insisted on the personal invitation, and the standoff lasted for five days. When he finally relented and they met at the Westin San Francisco Airport, Jobs was characteristically blunt. He seemed to have transformed from a liberal into a conservative.

"You're headed for a one-term presidency," he told Obama at the start of their meeting, insisting that the administration needed to be more business-friendly. As an example, Jobs described the ease with which companies can build factories in China compared to the United States, where "regulations and unnecessary costs" make it difficult for them.

Jobs also criticized America's education system, saying it was "crippled by union work rules," noted Isaacson. "Until the teachers' unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform." Jobs proposed allowing principals to hire and fire teachers based on merit, that schools stay open until 6 p.m. and that they be open 11 months a year.

Aiding Obama's Reelection Campaign

Jobs suggested that Obama meet six or seven other CEOs who could express the needs of innovative businesses -- but when White House aides added more names to the list, Jobs insisted that it was growing too big and that "he had no intention of coming." In preparation for the dinner, Jobs exhibited his notorious attention to detail, telling venture capitalist John Doerr that the menu of shrimp, cod and lentil salad was "far too fancy" and objecting to a chocolate truffle dessert. But he was overruled by the White House, which cited the president's fondness for cream pie.

Though Jobs was not that impressed by Obama, later telling Isaacson that his focus on the reasons that things can't get done "infuriates" him, they kept in touch and talked by phone a few more times. Jobs even offered to help create Obama's political ads for the 2012 campaign. "He had made the same offer in 2008, but he'd become annoyed when Obama's strategist David Axelrod wasn't totally deferential," writes Isaacson. Jobs later told the author that he wanted to do for Obama what the legendary "morning in America" ads did for Ronald Reagan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/1...n_1022786.html

[fishinshawn]

The education system is crippled by the no child left behind act, which is a complete and total failure. Also by the fact that to many americans are forced into having to have 3 income households to survive.

[InvalidID]

Originally Posted by fishinshawn

The education system is crippled by the no child left behind act, which is a complete and total failure. Also by the fact that to many americans are forced into having to have 3 income households to survive.

Merit pay and the ability to fire bad teachers would fix a LOT of the education systems problems. No child left behind was a feeble attempt to fix that, but I do agree it failed, miserably.

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by fishinshawn

The education system is crippled by the no child left behind act, which is a complete and total failure. Also by the fact that to many americans are forced into having to have 3 income households to survive.

The education system is crippled by social engineering. Teach the best and brightest to advance. Teach the rest how to learn a trade. Forget treating them as equals and start working with their strengths. The whole idea of "every kid should go to college" is just plain foolishness. Every kid should learn how to make a living. If that living is working in a factory, or driving a truck there is nothing wrong with that.

[Roadking]

tinknal...all I can say is thank you for using better words than I could have mustered.
Game, set and match with that one.

Matt

[fishinshawn]

Originally Posted by tinknal

The education system is crippled by social engineering. Teach the best and brightest to advance. Teach the rest how to learn a trade. Forget treating them as equals and start working with their strengths. The whole idea of "every kid should go to college" is just plain foolishness. Every kid should learn how to make a living. If that living is working in a factory, or driving a truck there is nothing wrong with that.

I think that every kid should have the opportunity to go to college if they desire it. That said, I believe that "trade schools" should also be a viable option.You correct there is nothing wrong with being a truck driver or engine repairer or a scientist. They all have a place in our community and they all work hard and deserve respect and a decent family wage.

Trying to teach 35+ kids of varying abilities is just dumb. You end up having to dumb down the whole process to try and get those at the lower end through. That is what no child left behind has done. When you combine that with over crowding and elimination of positions within a school, you get the crappy system we have now.

[AngieM2]

I am agreeing with you that are saying that the teaching for the test, or for the lowest factor in a class is surely hurt America.

I know my youngest is very smart, and in 9th grade went into a depression cause in all the advanced classes at school, she had to endure (her words) the dumb questions and the questions being asked just to stall the time of the classes.

And I've experienced a teacher that should have been gone, but she had tenure (bad word to me).

We do need to let people fail and succeed on their own merit and not fictiously. Also, with the cost of an electrician, plumber, HAVC, etc - not a thing wrong with that for a profession to pay for life.

[Ohiogal]

Its an impossible dream, AngieM2. No one fails now. When I was pursuing my second degree in architectural design, I was in class with just-graduates and 20 somethings and they could not think their way out of a paper sack.
The problem is that we now have a couple of generations walking around that are used to being told that everything is OK no matter how bad things get screwed up. And they have learned to not make a decision because by default things go on anyway.
I grew fearful for our future when I was told by my CAD instructor - a very learned man who had been teaching it for 20 years - that they had to 'dumb down' the curicullum for the particular class I was in as the students "won't do the homework, and I can't teach ahead because they don't learn it voluntarily". We are talking college-level learning here, an engineering school. The colleges answer to this? Split the class up and teach 1/2 the quarter in Class A and the other half in Class B. That at least would make their advancement rates seem "fair". So instead of insisting on the students adopting the appropriate study habits, and doing the work, they are dumbing down the curicullum.
I'm very fearful of our future here - these are the leaders of the future for this country.

[AngieM2]

then I hope the Homeschoolers are teaching the old fashioned "readin, riting, and rithmatic" method. Some heavy reading and geography and history would be good.

And critical thinking, how to figure out what a problem is and the various ways to fix that problem.

[Ohiogal]

If they are, (teaching basic skills) those students are far far ahead of publicly educated students. They need to go back to not allowing PC's and calculators in the classroom, so that the basics are understood and used, not just "conceptually grasped".

[tinknal]

Thomas Jefferson wrote a very interesting piece on his concept of free public education. Every kid gets at least an eighth grade education. The best and brightest go on to a higher level, and the rest become apprentices or somehow else enter the work force, usually on the family farm. After the twelfth grade, again the best go on to post secondary education (still free and public).

Interestingly, Germany has a similar education to this. Some go to college, and most of the rest go to trade school.

[PeachyLeigh]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Thomas Jefferson wrote a very interesting piece on his concept of free public education. Every kid gets at least an eighth grade education. The best and brightest go on to a higher level, and the rest become apprentices or somehow else enter the work force, usually on the family farm. After the twelfth grade, again the best go on to post secondary education (still free and public).

Interestingly, Germany has a similar education to this. Some go to college, and most of the rest go to trade school.

I have been saying for years that they should bring back apprenticeships...

Too many people would think their lil' darlin' is too smart or good for job x, y, or z, and that they are entitiled to higher edu.

[AngieM2]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Thomas Jefferson wrote a very interesting piece on his concept of free public education. Every kid gets at least an eighth grade education. The best and brightest go on to a higher level, and the rest become apprentices or somehow else enter the work force, usually on the family farm. After the twelfth grade, again the best go on to post secondary education (still free and public).

Interestingly, Germany has a similar education to this. Some go to college, and most of the rest go to trade school.

I think this general concept is pretty good. We don't need college and that debt to be a worker at McD's or dig a ditch or run one of those nifty big machines (like they make Tonka toys like).

I think college has been oversold and over valued.

[InvalidID]

Originally Posted by AngieM2

then I hope the Homeschoolers are teaching the old fashioned "readin, riting, and rithmatic" method. Some heavy reading and geography and history would be good.

And critical thinking, how to figure out what a problem is and the various ways to fix that problem.

I homeschool and focus very heavily on problem identification, then solving. I think that a large part of the problem is that people today don't know how to identify the problems they face, let alone solve them.

Heck, I've seen my DS6 solve simple problems around the homestead that had hired hands scratching their heads. While it makes me proud to see the boy do well, it makes me want to cry to think some 20 something can't think as well on his feet as my 6 yo.

I do think a lat of it is that as children these people weren't allowed to explore the world enough. Don't do this you'll get hurt, don't touch that you'll get hurt. We have all manor of junk around here and I let the kids do things that would freak out a suburban yuppy mama. I feel that if you let kids build things and make things and generally do stuff they learn to LIKE problem solving.

I guess I'm saying I don't just blame the schools, but parent as well.

[TNHermit]

Parents have used Schools for years as baby sitters while they go running off for that dual income. I raised hell about it when I first got married in the 70's. Mothers with children need to stay at home. But the media invested heavily in making it a burden for mothers to have to put up with children that "Homemakers" were heavily "discriminated " against. As much to me as blacks or anyone else has been

i have nothing wrong with woman working. Its something that needs a lot of discussion. Since we know that the creator didn't discriminate on smarts either way. Just on responsibility. And it is something that needs to be carefully talked about before two people get married.

But despite using the schools as babysitters they are still crap for the most part. I was a substitute teacher for and industrial arts program in a school. until i found out that the student meant more (1500.00 per student) than good teachers. Students ruled the roost

[oz in SC V2.0]

Originally Posted by tinknal

The education system is crippled by social engineering. Teach the best and brightest to advance. Teach the rest how to learn a trade. Forget treating them as equals and start working with their strengths. The whole idea of "every kid should go to college" is just plain foolishness. Every kid should learn how to make a living. If that living is working in a factory, or driving a truck there is nothing wrong with that.

Yup...somewhere people got the stupid idea that everyone was smart enough for college.

[SCRancher]

Originally Posted by tinknal

The education system is crippled by social engineering. Teach the best and brightest to advance. Teach the rest how to learn a trade. Forget treating them as equals and start working with their strengths. The whole idea of "every kid should go to college" is just plain foolishness. Every kid should learn how to make a living. If that living is working in a factory, or driving a truck there is nothing wrong with that.

This is basically what a Mensa article said a few months ago about this issue.