Bus Lane Ruins 9 De Julio

[Gringoboy]

What about the 2 million netbooks that were handed out to bribe the parents of public school children just to keep them in her pocket?
What about the millions they have stolen from ANSES?
What about the universal child benefit that mainly benefits her vote count?
What about those who live the 'wrong' side of Libertador who now pay double electricity bills to their neighbours on the other side?
......don't get me started.

 

[Napoleon]

Macri opened 2 new stations Rosas and Echeverria Union Leaders refuse to use them.

http://www.infobae.c...gan-a-usar.html

As I seen written on a sports site I frequent: "I haz sad."

IF there is a true safety concern, then I (would) understand. But that doesn't seem to be the way things usually work around here. Posturing at the expense of the general population isn't unique to here, but it sure is prevalent.

Hopefully they'll get those stations running soon and raise the price of the Subte A.S.A.P. Just think how many new bikes could be purchased with the increased fares... dreaming of people working together to help solve problems. Not fighting to create them.

 

[trennod]

Are there any controls on those 2 million notebooks to stop them being sold by the recipients?
Could that money be better spent than on a depreciating asset?
How about improving education & health infrastructure and quality? These would create jobs for so many that are on "planes trabajar".
Do those on planes trabajar that can and are able to work need to prove they are looking for work, should they?
Is it appropriate to encourage significant child birth in a country which has a lack of work and so many that are unemployed or underemployed (in the interior of the country)? Are these children been born in to adequate conditions?

 

[Borracho Britanico]

I would like to know are those 2million notebooks still around? How long do they last before they get, sold, stolen or broken.
I think its a good idea that the government invests in education but I'm not sure this was the best way.

 

[trennod]

the subsidies to electricity that allow people to get the cheapest electricity bills of the continent, the same about the public transportarion, the soft loans for building your house, and so on.

Housing loans? You are kidding me right...I don't know anyone that has ever obtained credit to buy a house here. In the majority of countries its much easier.
Electricity is not the cheapest for all. Aren't you aware of the very fair system for getting rid of subsidies?
Public transportation is a death sentance. Yes it's cheap (and in many cases free) but I for one would rather pay a little more for a safe, well maintained system (and I am not meaning pay first world prices for a first world class system, just one that is maintained to adequate safety levels).

Argentina has some of the largest resources in the world and has benefited from record soy and grains prices over the last 10 years, it should be moving with Chile towards being a first world country. But instead, the government has lost the past 10 years wasting money through cheap vote buying & blatant stealing/corruption.

Macri has his faults, but atleast he is trying to do some work in Capital Federal (cleaning up microcentro, doing some work on the subte) despite the best efforts of the Ks to make his job difficult.

 

[Napoleon]

Are there any controls on those 2 million notebooks to stop them being sold by the recipients?
Could that money be better spent than on a depreciating asset?
How about improving education & health infrastructure and quality?

First of all, I don't know how those netbooks (NOT "notebooks") are being incorporated into the schools, but you seem to think that (A.) "Spending Money on Computers" & (B.) "Spending Money on Improving Education" are mutually exclusive.

I'm not a fan of this administration, but I would say that Spending Money On Computers falls UNDER "Spending Money to Improve Education", rather than UNDER "Depreciating Assets". I wouldn't consider EDUCATION a "Depreciating Asset". In fact, I would say that it's quite the opposite.

The country could be saving more money on NOT printing textbooks than they are losing money on giving away Netbooks. Considering 1 College Level Textbook can cost what a government produced Netbook can cost, if the kids are all getting their text books in digital form, then the government is probably saving money.

And there are a lot of people who work in Argentina via computer for companies outside of Argentina. Not just expats, but Argentine citizens. So although I think the Netbooks were just a way to buy votes, I think that this policy is positively contributing to the future of this country. MUCH MORE than paying protesters to bang drums and shoot off fireworks in the microcenter. Or to block traffic on 9 de Julio or refuse to drive a Subte to two new stations.

However I agree that paying parents to make babies that will be born into a life of poverty and limited to no opportunity other than crime... well that's just despicable.

 

[trennod]

I would like to know are those 2million notebooks still around? How long do they last before they get, sold, stolen or broken.
I think its a good idea that the government invests in education but I'm not sure this was the best way.

It's a good point, if you head down to La Salada I am sure you can find 80% of them are still around

 

[glasgowjohn]

The problem with the netbook proramme was they forgot to teach the teachers how to incorporate them into the overall system.

 

[trennod]

First of all, I don't know how those netbooks (NOT "notebooks") are being incorporated into the schools, but you seem to think that (A) "Spending Money on Computers" & ( B) "Spending Money on Improving Education" are mutually exclusive.

I'm not a fan of this administration, but I would say that Spending Money On Computers falls UNDER "Spending Money to Improve Education", rather than UNDER "Depreciating Assets". I wouldn't consider EDUCATION a "Depreciating Asset". In fact, I would say that it's quite the opposite.

The country could be saving more money on NOT printing textbooks than they are losing money on giving away Netbooks. Considering 1 College Level Textbook can cost what a government produced Netbook can cost, if the kids are all getting their text books in digital form, then the government is probably saving money.

And there are a lot of people who work in Argentina via computer for companies outside of Argentina. Not just expats, but Argentine citizens. So although I think the Netbooks were just a way to buy votes, I think that it positively contributing to the future of this country. MUCH MORE than paying protesters to bang drums and shoot off fireworks in the microcenter. Or to block traffic on 9 de Julio or refuse to drive a Subte to two new stations.

Thanks for the english lesson, my spanish was getting in the way

A laptop is a depreciating asset any day of the week (Accounting & Taxation 101). The benefit is difficult to measure but I I do not believe the investment of $750 MILLION DOLLARS in this project is worthwhile. That is a lot of money for something with a shelf life of a couple of years!

Napolean how many of these have been sold do you think by the kids and thus are not being used for their education at all? There has been reports of this already. If you like I will find you an article.

If you want to spend money on education, a hand out of something that has a shelf life of 2 years (tops) is not a good policy. For those that are not just sold off by the recipients, what's going to happen when the computers break down, give them new ones? Spend money on maintenance/repair? Or is that it. Whose paying for the software upgrades and programs?

At the minimum, why are they not the property of the schools? Even then I am not sure it would be validated, but atleast it stops them from being sold and makes them available for use by various etc thus getting more value out of them. The answer is easy, because its just another form of vote buying & cheap politics - a cash handout disguised as a laptop.

Anyway, in my opinion the money should be invested in creating schools, improving the quality of classroom infrastructure, investing in more teachers, improving teachers salaries so as to attract better teachers to the profession. Books and materials that can be used for more than the life of the computer and are significantly cheaper (after all, how many books does a student need), research and developing curriculms etc etc. Take a look inside some of the public schools here if you haven't already and you will agree. In fact, better still head to the interior and see some of them there.

 

[Gringoboy]

Glasgowjohn, surely they were never interested in incorporating them into the education system.
I used to have my shop next to a school with cafes and kioscos next door where the kids would have a coke and play with their freebee netbook.
I don't blame the kids at all, after all what better free way to keep up with your mates on Facebook?