What is Digg?89 Comments
- billmania, on 10/12/2007, -4/+95A billion dollar budget defecit, and they want to buy iPods? How about free bullet proof vests for Detroit residents?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+72No doubt. Buying iPods as an "educational tool" is a monumental load of *****.
- kaenzenwo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+36I... I just... speechless. Proposing something like this when our budget is like it is should be grounds for immediate dismissal.
- LogicBomB, on 10/12/2007, -2/+23The state should never spend tax money on petty luxury.
- DirkBelig, on 10/12/2007, -10/+30Are Diggers unaware that Governor Jennifer Granholm is a Democrat? Since when do Democrats get criticized on Digg???
When she was elected four years ago, she was the belle of the ball - so attractive (Joan Allen would've played her in the movie), so bright, so pretty after 12 years of fat, bald Republican John Engler - and there was talk about amending the Constitution to allow this noble Canadian to run for President.
Then she ran the state into the ground. Business have fled. We're in a one-state Depression with an unemployment rate that consistently lags 2-2.5% behind the national rate. We have a heavy union presence (auto industry), high taxes, a monstrosity called the Single Business Tax which no other state has, lots of regulations and the only way we can get anyone to locate here is thru tax bribes. Google, who only has more money than God, was given about $180 million in tax breaks to open an office here. Meanwhile, Comerica bank, which started in Detroit in 1849 has announced that they are pulling out and moving operations to Dallas because they see no future for Detroit and Michigan.
Despite this record of total failure, she was reelected last November because the alternative was an unpolished businessman, Dick DeVos, who was smeared in her ads as someone shipping away jobs to China (a lie) and tarred with the "evil rich white Republican" brush because his family owned Amway. It's OK for dot-bomb millionaires from Washington (can't recall the name of the woman) and Jon Corzine, who spent over $100 million dollars of his own money to buy a New Jersey Senate seat and his current governorship, to be rich because they're liberal Democrats.
By leveraging this class-envy, her inherent public works and teachers union support and the fact that DeVos was too politically timid to punch back at her lies, she was reelected. (A year before, Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was reelected after wasting city money on a luxury SUV and having his bodyguards rough up the TV reporter who asked about it on camera. His winning strategy: Playing the race card against his BLACK Dem opponent, inferring that he wasn't black enough. Crazy.) Since then, things are still going downhill and the very liberal Detroit Free Press, who endorsed Granholm last year, was so disgusted they put an editorial against her on the front page above the masthead!
First she proposed more spending on "education" (code for teachers union payback) and now she wants to give kids "free" iPods. She's also proposed new taxes to pay for these things. Lovely. That's really going to help Michigan recover. - acosta814, on 10/12/2007, -10/+28Update: If you are a home schooled child in Michigan you will recieve a playstation 3. Well because at this point Sony is willing to give them away.
- bobpaul, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20Well "duh" it was influenced by Apple. That's how our government mostly works--corporate lobbying.
- ChrisWickenscom, on 10/12/2007, -21/+37Well, according to apple fanboy's an ipod is suitable for body armor, because they know so much.
- Grimfaire, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.
When dealing with Apple and Education that should be the #1 thing on everyones mind. Apple has a horrible history with education in the classroom. They've a long list of deals and kickbacks to legislatures, teachers, boards, etc... to get Apples into the classroom only to turn around a few years later and go oh well... we didn't like the Apple Computer all that much... this Macintosh is so much better. Since we're not supporting the Apple computers anymore, if you want our help you'll have to purchase these much more expensive Mac computers.
Yes, I know the Mac fanbois will dig this down. But the truth hurts. Apple is not this loveable corporate entity. They're just as mean and underhanded as the next one. - unibomber999, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16Michigan has had better governors, but Detroit is hopeless right now. Kwame Kilpatrick is a crook just like Coleman Young a generation before him, and is running that city into the ground.
A buddy of mine owns a bar/club downtown and has had to hand out bribes to everyone in the city to get everything from his liquor license to a fire inspection done. In fact, the fire inspector came right out and told him what he wanted (I think it was a tv and a microwave or something), and told him to put it in his car or he wouldn't get an inspection done.
But yeah, what they need is more iPods. Thank god I don't live in that *****-heap of a city anymore. - carltonsmith, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12as P.J. O'Rourke said, "Forget term limits. We need jail."
- Splizxer, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11"Michigan iPod proposal possibly influenced by Apple"
Ummm, YA THINK? - RedHerringHack, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10I can see a use for a media player for education. Especially one that records audio and video.
Educational podcasts would be a great tool. But buy "Dime a Dozen" low-fi disposable pieces
of crap. Not Multi hundred dollar devices. Make them sell cookies for them. Have a bake sale. - 8bit_Hero, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Lies, Lies. Apple wouldn't do something like that! /s
If this was Mircosoft, the comments would be filled with Apple drones calling for the head of Bill Gates - brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9I live in Michigan and it is just mind-blowing to me to watch these lawmakers entertain ideas like while at the same time our roads are rotting away, schools are closing, funding for public services is being cut (by our DEMOCRAT governor, figure THAT one out), and the unemployment rate is incredibly high. Did they actually think that anyone would buy the argument that MP3 players are EDUCATIONAL?
- BritishGolgo13, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10I would much rather have them pay for my expensive ass tuition than buying me a device I have no time to use.
- jayhawk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6i live here as well. we have about the worst economy and unemployment of any state in the nation. services are going to be cut. the state isn't like the federal gov't in that the state can't run a deficit. cuts have to be made. congress and the gov have realized that education is one of the keys to improving our situation, but the state legislature is split between dems (house) and repubs (senate) so there will be a heck of a lot of compromise before this is over. but stupid programs like this won't see the light of day, fwiw.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Well it wasn't influenced by Microsoft
- sigsegfalt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6OLPCs would be much more justified (and cheaper).
- Tawni, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8Bullet proof vests and they could fix the broken education in system in Michigan as a whole.
They really should be ashamed of themselves the kids need an education not ipods. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I love macs/ipods as much as the next machead but this is absolutely retarded. How about proposing that kind of spending on...i don't know...BOOKS? Supplies for teachers and classrooms? Oh, and Apple, quit dicking around with politicians and lobbyists and stick to making consumer products.
- tavisjohn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6If apple thinks that iPods are educational devices, then let them DONATE them to every Michigan student!!!!
They have donated millions of dollars of computers to schools over the years. So let them donate iPods as well!!!! - Ryosen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@threemagic
I really hope you don't believe in that. First, parents already do not spend enough time with their kids, whether helping with studies or just in general. They're not about to sit down for hours and listen to something as mundane as a middle school history lesson. Kids won't use this as a learning tool, either. If they want to review their audio-based lessons that badly, they can bring in a tape recorder. Except....Second, teachers will refuse to be taped - simple as that.
Even if this fantasy of obvious graft were to get passed, it won't get used. Not by the teachers, not by the parents. About all that it will do is ensure that the kids that are coming up on voting age will vote for these criminals. - MadScientist420, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Maybe they should give them away with the purchase of a new Ford instead. Then, maybe, someone will buy one.
- BlueDjinn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I realize that this is most likely an exercise in futility, but I'll try to make this clear anyway:
THERE NEVER WAS ANY SUCH PROPOSAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.
http://digg.com/apple/Shoddy_Journalism_and_the_Myth_of_the_23_iPod - tateswayz91, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4They should put the money in to weather control devices. Maybe it'll stop snowing in April.
- levirogers, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5This is ridiculous; Global Warming, Starvation in third world countries, a failing national education system: Our grand idea.... buy each kid an ipod. What a bunch of idiots.
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2having a live teacher in the room will never be superseded by a one-sided video lecture because a student can ask a live teacher a question if he/she doesn't grasp the material right away. You can't do that with a video.
- threemagic, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7No, they are promoting podcasting their classes so they can take them home with them. The kid and the parents can re-listen to the lesson to get homework done correctly. As an added bonus you can re-listen to the teacher talk about the first part of the chapter over again just before the test as a refresher.
- BlueDjinn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The reason they're denying that this was a serious proposal is because it WASN'T. The reporter made the "$38 million for iPods" proposal up out of whole cloth.
- cgseller, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Would you rather Apple cover the costs of the flight or have tax dollars pay for the flight costs ??? Why is gifts looked down upon so much. It saves the taxpayers money. We are no different than stockholders and if that saved 5 people airfare to calf, then I say great. If they took them out to dinner - then I say great too. Government IT employees mostly are paid peanuts and as a result many of them are the bottom of the barrel. Offering perks like this is a way to get more qualified people to take a government job.
Before all you peeps start complaining about government waste, take a look at your own company first, and then take a government job, and you'll see corporate America is where the fat is. - jjb123, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3And it isn't just republicans anymore ether.
- Lorddias, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes exactly what companies do. You don't even have any money and yet they still rob you blind. Apple should be looked down on for this, they would have made a state throw away lots of money they could have used elsewhere, for their own greed.
Sure its a dog eat dog world, but it just shows that Apple are just as inhumane as any other company. - PaperMonkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@ tadarnold - That's a great idea! Best I've heard in years!
So are you going to supervise all of these children while they sit at home and learn? No? oh... So then what you are saying is that they should close the schools _and_ have people stay home from work. So now not only are you laying off all the people employed by the school system but you are forcing people to stay home or pay for child care. That aught to do wonders for the economy..... really kick start job creation efforts. - orp2000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This whole story is untrue. I have emails directly from the state government in Michigan and there are several stories in the "upcoming stories" section of digg that dispute the accuracy of this story. There is no "iPod for every student" bill in Michigan - period. End of story.
- Mofo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2What makes it even better is that Michigan just paid Ford 350 million to keep several factories open for a few more years despite the fact that they are losing money and the equipment is very outdated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6249117.stm - JK1150, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I thought they just wanted to give a multi-million dollar contract to a single company with no bid for no reason...
- GeneralKickass, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2WTF? An ipod for every child? How about a brain for every legislator?
- scottjl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1well. ya think microsoft would influence them to be buying ipods? hell no.
i say buy 'em all zune's. at least you know they won't trade songs via wifi. - adc86, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Psh... Yeah. Ask a teacher questions. Look up "Connected Math"
It was a pilot program when I was in high school, here in MI. The idea is that the bastard teacher sits and plays solitaire while the students teach themselves. Guess where I learned math? At home, with my mom, and on the internet.
I hate this state so very, very much. - knobenheimer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos....I mean DeVos.
- astra05, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I live in Michigan, I am from the Detroit area and currently reside in Kalamazoo due to Education. They want to spend the money on this when they have had to raise my tuition at my university an average of 8% over the last 3 years? Enrollment at all major universities is down because less financial aid is available. I also worked for the DMC (Detroit Medical Center) which is highly subsidized by the State Government and most of the people that came were so poor they couldn't afford proper treatment. They want to buy luxury for some kids when facilitating the basic needs are not met? I said this during the elections, Granholm was an idiot with money, but she was still better that her second contender. Also, they are going to start raising taxes on Tobacco again and introduce a new tax to alcohol just to cover the deficit. So tax more goods so we can buy them Ipods but leave things like education and health in distress? Just outrageous.
- hipporhino, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The have switched gears, and are denying that this was ever a real consideration.
http://www.thedailynews.cc/articles/2007/04/13/news/news03.txt
They are also paying Apple back for the travel.
Seemed like a good idea to them at the time......now they look like putzes. - TBagwell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2UM is (or was, anyways) the single biggest purchaser of apple hardware in the world.
- colincornaby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Disputed accuracy of the whole iPod bill aside, I don't know why this is surprising. It's common practice that when someone is about to buy millions of dollars worth of your products, that you fly them to your headquarters to meet with your executives on the purchase.
- adc86, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Look, honestly, every child does not need a laptop, iPod, or other piece of technological equipment. The state simply needs a "Oooh, well if we moved to Michigan we'd get that!" It's just marketing. I'm sorry, but even as an Apple user, a paper can still be typed in Word under Win95. In fact, that's what my brother's high school is still running.
Granholm merely wants to fluff up this state's appearance, and with the high amount of ignorance abundant in the rural and suburban areas, she'll probably succeed.
"Last one out of Michigan, turn the lights out." - dethl, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Oh noes....a computer company lobbying the government? Say it ain't so!
Apple - $1.1 million spent on lobbying
http://opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clientsum.asp?txtname=Apple+Computer&year=2006
Sun Microsystems - $34,000
http://opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clientsum.asp?txtname=Sun+Microsystems&year=2006
Microsoft - $8.8 million
http://opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clientsum.asp?txtname=Microsoft+Corp&year=2006
Dell - $1.5 million
http://opensecrets.org/lobbyists/clientsum.asp?txtname=Dell+Inc&year=2006 - bbautista, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The proposal is for upgrading the technology in the State's schools, which for most districts is long overdue. It makes no mention of iPods or any MP3 players whatsoever. This "iPod for every student" business is a result of sloppy journalism from the barely-credible Detroit Free Press.
- Baconn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No *****. Since when have people in government been trustworthy and honorable.
- wootah, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Let no IPOD be left behind! :O
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