Dumbed down Americans

[Foxfyre]

We all seem to agree, however, that too much of America is dumbed down.

I wonder if you took two groups of say 50 equally politically ignorant people to run an experiment.

For three months one group would watch only Fox Cable News for X hours per day.

The other group would watch any of the other Cable News (CNN, MSNBC, HLN) for the same X hours each day.

At the end of the three months, which of the two groups would be better educated on:

1. The difference between Democrats and Republicans
2. The primary leaders among Democrats and Republicans as well as aspiring candidates and other high profile people.
3. Market forces, inflation, global markets, taxes, regulation, monetary policy.
4. Deficits, national debt, spending, etc. and proposals to deal with these.
5. Pros and cons of welfare, medicaid, medicare, social security and other entitlement programs.

It would be an interesting experiment.

 

[AVG-JOE]

The two in foreground are examples of effects of extreme poverty and/or long-term methamphetamine use. But I can't imagine what the problem is with the fellow in the background.

He got shit-face drunk last night.

 

[candycorn]

The two in foreground are examples of effects of extreme poverty and/or long-term methamphetamine use. But I can't imagine what the problem is with the fellow in the background.

He got shit-face drunk last night.

I thought they were Canuck fans after last night's exercises.

 

[AVG-JOE]

The two in foreground are examples of effects of extreme poverty and/or long-term methamphetamine use. But I can't imagine what the problem is with the fellow in the background.

He got shit-face drunk last night.

I thought they were Canuck fans after last night's exercises.

Isn't that what I just said?

 

[MaggieMae]

Yep. White or black, Americans have a serious dental problem.

wow, you did it again.


You do know you're doing this...right?

Tit for tat? You betcha.

 

[MaggieMae]

Well since this thread got derailed by the Fox vs. Every Other Media constant yammering, and since I personally don't intend to repeat MY opinions any more, although the usuals have reiterated their own as if we hadn't seen those opinions a gazillion times before, AND since it seems a possibility that the thread will be derailed in yet a different direction -- Obama's birth rights -- count me out.

Unsubscribing to my own thread. Off to a doctor appointment and a few tests to reveal whether or not I'll soon not even give a shit what happens.

I see, well you engaged in the dive into foia and then, decided to make an argument in mitigation…… frankly, there is no answer, and I bet you know that.

obama was a candidate and front runner after the clubhouse turn and into the homestretch of the campaign and became pres., an foia for information has not been forthcoming,afawk, ala his Illinois rep. records and senatorial stretch, neither, have been requested and palins have.

You cannot square that circle. So we, get to be treated to a dumbing down ala the NY Times and Wapo the 2 biggest (print) influential media outlets in the country engaging any tom dick or Harriet so as to as quickly as possible chum the waters for gotchas….... meanwhile back at the Mensa center, Obama has been pres. For 2 years and influential beyond words for how much longer(?), he is running again, so yes, please do explain to me the 'dumbing’ down you were exactly referring to, did I miss it?

Yes.

 

[MaggieMae]

Yes, Fox News does separate itself from the others. They swing to the right just as far as MSNBC swings to the left. Viewers of Fox News look to the organization to delivery right wing rhetoric to reinforce their beliefs, not that dull news on the other channels. Yep, Fox News deliveries that daily dose of Glenn Beck to charge up those right wing batteries.

why yes becasue beck is a news show!!!

I don't see any criticism of MSNBC or CNN for parading one liberal pundit after another across the camera lens.
The issue here is Fox News gets higher ratings than the other channels. There's no denying that. You have no valid rebuttal to that fact. Anything else is just excuses and rhetoric.
BTW, no one ever stated the Glenn Beck Show was a "news" show.

It's clear you don't watch much CNN, then.

 

[KissMy]

The Daily Show's John Stewart covers Media Coverage of Sarah Palins Email.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

CNN reported this morning that the most visited sites on the Internet were for information on:

1. Anthony Weiner

2. Sarah Palin's emails

I hope it's just because it's Sunday morning.

Here's the biggest problem:

American educators received a wake-up call today when it was revealed that students in Shanghai rank number one globally in reading, math and science, far outpacing their American peers. Despite modest gains in math and science, the U.S. continues to lag behind other developed countries.

China Debuts at Top of International Education Rankings - ABC News

Is it any wonder that Obama sends his kids to private schools?

What do you expect? We have kids spending ten years in college, finally graduating with degrees in General Studies, Black Studies, Women's Studies and the like.

....As-opposed-to Teabaggers.....

.....who don't know shit!!!!!

*

 

[editec]

CNN reported this morning that the most visited sites on the Internet were for information on:

1. Anthony Weiner

2. Sarah Palin's emails

I hope it's just because it's Sunday morning.

I don't believe it.

The most frequently visited site involving today's news, perhaps.

 

[edward777]

CNN reported this morning that the most visited sites on the Internet were for information on:

1. Anthony Weiner

2. Sarah Palin's emails

I hope it's just because it's Sunday morning.

I suspect more visited porn sites.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Awwwwwwwwwwww.....

It's a sad day for Teabaggers.

It appears, Texas (finally)......

....GETS IT!!!!!!

. . . . ​

 

[Foxfyre]

Here's the biggest problem:

Is it any wonder that Obama sends his kids to private schools?

What do you expect? We have kids spending ten years in college, finally graduating with degrees in General Studies, Black Studies, Women's Studies and the like.

....As-opposed-to Teabaggers.....

.....who don't know shit!!!!!

So what does that tell you? Maybe big government isn't doing its job? That's what the Tea Partiers say. I'm among them.

Maybe, just maybe if we got big government out of education altogether--the Founders didn't intend for the federal government to do education of the children--we wouldn't have kids majoring in worthless subjects like general studies, black studies, women's studies and the like because they would be equipped to study real subjects that would prepare them to earn a living and support themselves.

Maybe just maybe if we eliminated all the stuff the federal government does that it was never intended to do, a smaller, leaner, more efficient and effective government would have the time and resources to focus on those things it was intended to do. Things like necessary regulation and oversight to protect the people's right to not be ripped off, to prevent bad lending practices that led to an insolvent Freddie and Fannie resulting in the financial meltdown of 2008, to make sure necessary regulation is being enforced to protect the environment as much as is reasonable.

When the federal government tries to be all things to all people in ways the Founders never intended and in fact saw as a danger to all our freedoms, it isn't going to do anything effectively or efficiently or well even as it creates more and bigger bureaucracies that suck more and more of the vitality out of the economy.

The Tea Party has it absolutely right so long as they focus on their core goals.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

What do you expect? We have kids spending ten years in college, finally graduating with degrees in General Studies, Black Studies, Women's Studies and the like.

....As-opposed-to Teabaggers.....

.....who don't know shit!!!!!

So what does that tell you? Maybe big government isn't doing its job? That's what the Tea Partiers say. I'm among them.

Maybe, just maybe if we got big government out of education altogether--the Founders didn't intend for the federal government to do education of the children--we wouldn't have kids majoring in worthless subjects like general studies, black studies, women's studies and the like because they would be equipped to study real subjects that would prepare them to earn a living and support themselves.

Yeah.....who needs national education-standards....especially when the Jesus-freaks (and, other such $cam-arti$t$) decide they're (also) capable of dispensing with marketable-skills?

*

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBzYSUI5_GM]‪Bill Maher on elites‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[thereisnospoon]

....As-opposed-to Teabaggers.....

So what does that tell you? Maybe big government isn't doing its job? That's what the Tea Partiers say. I'm among them.

Maybe, just maybe if we got big government out of education altogether--the Founders didn't intend for the federal government to do education of the children--we wouldn't have kids majoring in worthless subjects like general studies, black studies, women's studies and the like because they would be equipped to study real subjects that would prepare them to earn a living and support themselves.

Yeah.....who needs national education-standards....especially when the Jesus-freaks (and, other such $cam-arti$t$) decide they're (also) capable of dispensing with marketable-skills?

*

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBzYSUI5_GM]‪Bill Maher on elites‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]​

The federal government has ZERO business involving itself with public education.
The federal DOE should be abolished.
Public schools are a matter for the States.

 

[Foxfyre]

So what does that tell you? Maybe big government isn't doing its job? That's what the Tea Partiers say. I'm among them.

Maybe, just maybe if we got big government out of education altogether--the Founders didn't intend for the federal government to do education of the children--we wouldn't have kids majoring in worthless subjects like general studies, black studies, women's studies and the like because they would be equipped to study real subjects that would prepare them to earn a living and support themselves.

Yeah.....who needs national education-standards....especially when the Jesus-freaks (and, other such $cam-arti$t$) decide they're (also) capable of dispensing with marketable-skills?

*

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBzYSUI5_GM]‪Bill Maher on elites‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]​

The federal government has ZERO business involving itself with public education.
The federal DOE should be abolished.
Public schools are a matter for the States.

And those federal standards and all the other 'involvement' (I call it meddling) by the Federal Government are sure making a difference aren't they. Before the federal government got involved, the USA had one of the best, if not THE best education systems in the world. But little by little, inch by inch, dollar by dollar, the federal government has interposed itself with more and more 'standards' and has accomplished the almost impossible feat of pushing us to near the bottom of the 30 countries doing the best job of educating their citizens.

In math, Finland is first - South Korea second. The USA? 25th place.
In science, Finland is first again. The USA? No. 21.
We are 20th on the list for graduation rates with 1 in 4 of our students failing to graduate. Graduation rates in Finland, the UK, Germany, Japan, and Korea, all who spent considerably less per capita than we are spending on education, all exceed 90%.

The USA outspends the other countries by roughly $34,000 per student on average from K through 12th grade. We spend $129,000, one of the highest amounts in the world, and increase that substantially every year, to produce some of the worst results. Finland is near the bottom in expenditure per student, has actually been reducing its education budget, and tops everybody in many if not most categories.

The only place we beat anybody else in anything is in how much money we spend.

Admittedly there are many cultural differences between the USA and Finland and the other countries and those have to be factored into the equation, but it should be apparent to all who haven't drunk the big government kool-ade that throwing more money at the problem or more federal government involvement is not the answer.

We have a world class budget expenditures for education and are getting third world results.

Other Nations Outclass U.S. on Education - CBS News

 

[thereisnospoon]

Yeah.....who needs national education-standards....especially when the Jesus-freaks (and, other such $cam-arti$t$) decide they're (also) capable of dispensing with marketable-skills?

*

‪Bill Maher on elites‬‏ - YouTube​

The federal government has ZERO business involving itself with public education.
The federal DOE should be abolished.
Public schools are a matter for the States.

And those federal standards and all the other 'involvement' (I call it meddling) by the Federal Government are sure making a difference aren't they. Before the federal government got involved, the USA had one of the best, if not THE best education systems in the world. But little by little, inch by inch, dollar by dollar, the federal government has interposed itself with more and more 'standards' and has accomplished the almost impossible feat of pushing us to near the bottom of the 30 countries doing the best job of educating their citizens.

In math, Finland is first - South Korea second. The USA? 25th place.
In science, Finland is first again. The USA? No. 21.
We are 20th on the list for graduation rates with 1 in 4 of our students failing to graduate. Graduation rates in Finland, the UK, Germany, Japan, and Korea, all who spent considerably less per capita than we are spending on education, all exceed 90%.

The USA outspends the other countries by roughly $34,000 per student on average from K through 12th grade. We spend $129,000, one of the highest amounts in the world, and increase that substantially every year, to produce some of the worst results. Finland is near the bottom in expenditure per student, has actually been reducing its education budget, and tops everybody in many if not most categories.

The only place we beat anybody else in anything is in how much money we spend.

Admittedly there are many cultural differences between the USA and Finland and the other countries and those have to be factored into the equation, but it should be apparent to all who haven't drunk the big government kool-ade that throwing more money at the problem or more federal government involvement is not the answer.

We have a world class budget expenditures for education and are getting third world results.

Other Nations Outclass U.S. on Education - CBS News

And DON'T YOU DARE.....EVER talk about "cutting education".....
That's how the libs put it. "Cuts in education" whenever the subject of reducing federal education funding.
After all, on planet liberal, the best way to solve a problem is to throw money at it.
At the end of the day, education funding is all about protecting union teacher jobs.

 

[Political Junky]

The majority of military work centers I've been in around the world....have FOX News on the TV.

FOX News will report the good news out of Iraq and Afghanistan, whereas CNN and msnbc will cover it up....mostly reporting bad news from the war front.

Also, FOX News will report the bad things all politicians in DC do, whereas CNN and msnbc will only report Republicans and sometimes Democrats when they can't cover up the story like Weinergate. Most libs have no clue a Democrat from LA had money hidden in a fridge, Barney Franks' boyfriend ran a gay brothel in their apartment, Blagovich is actually a Democrat from IL, etc.

Most waiting rooms have Fox on too ... it's free.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm seeing some pretty impressive results in Wisconsin's program to defang the teacher's union, restructure all entitlements to significantly cut the budget, and that has allowed them to save a wagon load of money while initiating merit pay for teachers and hiring many new teachers. Almost overnight they went from a devastating deficit to an amazing surplus. It will be interesting to see if all that results in a better deal for the kids. I am watching.