Margaret Thatcher was Britains greatest leader since Churchill. Discuss.

[kentonio]

I doubt that highly. Top Chinese brass have admitted to the Pentagon that they are generations behind in military tech. A top general visiting the United States a few months back when Gates was still SecDef commented that China couldn't hope to compete with US seapower. I still don't totally understand why Americans are so worried about Chinese militarism. I'm not.

China have advanced decades in a very short time. They have lots of cash and no need to justify their military spending to an electorate (although it probably wouldn't matter anyway). They are pushing into technologies like stealth, space tech and are pumping huge money into their naval forces at the same time as becoming increasingly expansionist in the China Sea.

It's too easy to go all 'Yellow Peril!' about it, but anyone who doesn't think China are advancing by leaps and bounds just isn't looking properly.

[Hauldren Collider]

In the meantime, our navy is also advancing by leaps and bounds. Their pace of development is largely due to them playing catch-up, something they'll perpetually be playing considering how much our technology keeps advancing. They simply lack the research and development output of our military-industrial complex.

[kentonio]

What makes you think that? At a time when science education is slowing in the west, China has huge numbers of graduates going into the sciences. You just aren't far enough ahead to assume you're always going to stay there.

[Hauldren Collider]

They've got huge numbers of graduates with worthless rubber-stamp degrees. I've seen article after article detailing how the Chinese education system is basically one massive diploma farm for all but a small handful of people.

[Fake Boris]

Your diploma sure doesn't sound much different.

[Hauldren Collider]

Shows what you know. What, do you think CMU is a diploma farm?

Or TJ?

Median income post-graduation for students in my program is ~$70k. Clearly someone thinks my education is valuable

[giblets]

No, genius, he's saying that you reflect poorly on those institutions.

[Hauldren Collider]

Not based on my employment history. Or my grades. Given how everyone on this board seems to jump on Zevico, I'm pretty convinced at this point that most on this forum will just assume anyone who disagrees with them is an idiot.

God dammit, someone please fix the rolleyes smiley.

[Fake Boris]

You will forgive me if I base my judgements on available evidence.

[kentonio]

They've got huge numbers of graduates with worthless rubber-stamp degrees. I've seen article after article detailing how the Chinese education system is basically one massive diploma farm for all but a small handful of people.

Would you like to link to some of these articles so we can see how reputable the sources are?

[Hauldren Collider]

Would you like to link to some of these articles so we can see how reputable the sources are?

There was one in WSJ like two months ago. I'll find it and post it here in a bit.

[notyoueither]

Not based on my employment history. Or my grades. Given how everyone on this board seems to jump on Zevico, I'm pretty convinced at this point that most on this forum will just assume anyone who disagrees with them is an idiot.

It took you a while to see the blindingly obvious.

[Elok]

Not based on my employment history. Or my grades. Given how everyone on this board seems to jump on Zevico, I'm pretty convinced at this point that most on this forum will just assume anyone who disagrees with them is an idiot.

God dammit, someone please fix the rolleyes smiley.

Zevico isn't an idiot. He's really more of a crank.

[Elok]

In the meantime, our navy is also advancing by leaps and bounds. Their pace of development is largely due to them playing catch-up, something they'll perpetually be playing considering how much our technology keeps advancing. They simply lack the research and development output of our military-industrial complex.

Which we can't afford, and which is rapidly drowning us in debt. I don't know how long China can keep up its present economic growth, but we can hardly continue our present rate of shiny-toy acquisition indefinitely.

[DaShi]

Although I've long suspected it, this thread has convinced me that HC is willfully ignorant. He goes out of his way to not learn or understand things. The saddest part is that he is taking a spot in at a university that is more deserving for someone else.