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Originally Posted by Beth Sweet
And we want to put 2 million into robotics teams? Seems a little bit like a trivial matter to me, when there are so many businesses going down the tubes.
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But in this case, I'm saying no. The house and senate made a choice. I hope that they use the money that would have been used for FIRST to revive these businesses so that we don't have to worry anymore about whether or not we will have a job. Jobs mean money, healthcare and a way of life. Right now, in this state, none of that is safe, no matter how many years you've had with a company, how much education you have or how respectable a company you work for. Frankly, I think money for robotics teams should not be at the top of the money list. We don't need future planning, we need the solve the problems now.
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I understand and respect your point of view on this matter, however, I feel that FIRST is a worthwhile endeavor within our education system. And its just that which brings me to this:
The $2 million is already within the education budget - what they are deciding is how to allocate and make use of these funds. No choices on how to pull money from thin air, or how to sort the general funds - this $2 million is for education.
Yes, I can see it from the eyes of the Michigan business leaders – our economy is in a slump, with seemingly no way to turn out of our dead end. Manufacturing has become a precarious field in these days. It is imperative to find a method to revive the economy and the grow new jobs.
Speaking of our future, winter comes in just 6 months:
CHOICE: Fill those potholes every Michigan winter, or find a better way to build a road
Beth, your last line is one I don't agree with. How can we solve today's problems without planning out the future?
I can fill a pothole every week in winter, each time wondering why I do this continually. Someday, someone will do this job cheaper than me, or hell- someone might just build a robot to do it for me. If we don't keep minds interested in engineering, interested in science, interested in technology, we risk staying the course- a path the economy is on right now.
Look at where we are with the gas crunch- these technology programs for alternative fuel sources took some time to develop after the 70s, and are still being worked on today. What will happen to manufacturing jobs if nothing changes in the work and the same labor is available elsewhere for less? How can we make our labor more valuable, more advanced? Without development into the future, without future plans for what we will do, we might as well stagnate where we stand.
Ford, GM, DCX and other companies 15 years worth of investments in FIRST have helped to show a couple hundred thousands of students the potential in engineering- not just manufacturing, but newer fields in electronics, computer science, and others.
It’s still a draft, their choice is not final yet. The message we are sending them must be loud – FIRST is our life, an educational tool which has developed our passions for engineering and new technologies. It is a marvelous tool.
I too have sacrificed for this program, yet it has benefited me in countless ways. I’m voicing my opinion to them, sharing with our representatives and senators the full potential of FIRST.
Alex Golec