At a time when the United States is struggling to be competitive in international markets, our education system is rapidly falling behind. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. The Republican Party is doing everything it can to glorify the worst of American Except-tionalism: the right-wing notion that America’s success is absolute except for high standards of living; except for access to health care; except for tax equality; except for a clean environment; except for fair elections; and, of course, except for education.
The Republican Party seems to revel in its own idiocy, They are proud of it, and they say so. Currently leading in the race for the GOP nomination for president is Rick Perry. This is a man who received C’s in U.S. History, yet lectures on the meaning of the Constitution.; he received D’s in the Principles of Economics, yet presents himself as an expert on fiscal policy; he failed Organic Chemistry, yet wants to be taken seriously when denouncing evolution and Climate Change. And this isn’t some fringe candidate – this is their front-runner.
The debate over whether Social Security is Ponzi Scheme, as Perry insists, is a hoax from start to finish. There is no rational correlation between the criminal act of fraud made famous by Charles Ponzi and Social Security, perhaps the most successful and popular government program in history. Ponzi’s scam sought to deceive investors and pocket the profits himself. Social Security is not an investment program, it is an insurance program. If Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme then so is auto insurance where participants are paid benefits from the receipts collected from other participants.
Somehow, a frighteningly high number of citizens are persuaded by the inane arguments set forth by Republicans on critical matters like Social Security and Climate Science. That is likely a result of the very same policies that Republicans advocate. They abhor education. They want to eliminate the Education Department. They disparage prestigious learning institutions as elitist. They boast of their own ordinariness and shortcomings. And this example is then set for their constituents to follow. Ignorance then becomes the predictable consequence.
That is precisely what the GOP intends. It is far easier for them to manipulate an uneducated, uninformed electorate. And it is advances their goals to provide benefits to the wealthy and to corporations at the expense of the folks they are deceiving. All of this makes it evermore imperative that we persist in getting out truthful information in as broad a manner as possible.
It’s a tough assignment because it will always be easier to make people stupid than it is to help them become fully informed. The right is now whining that President Obama has declared a “class war.” The truth is that there has been a class war raging in this country for decades, and the rich are winning. The gap between the rich and the poor is wider now than at any time since the Great Depression. None other than billionaire Warren Buffet made this same argument. It’s time for the lower and middle classes to fight back. It’s time to restore some fairness in the economy. And it’s time for the wealthy to share some of the sacrifice necessary to heal the nation.
In order to do this we need to expose the robber barons who want to keep the people down and dumb. Thankfully, we have on our side the propensity for Republicans like Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry to demonstrate their witlessness with unambiguous relish. They just can’t help it. Sooner or later (hopefully sooner) the people will see through their charade.
I agree with everything you put forth in this post. The republicans do celebrate ignorance-just look at their candidates. I hope you are right about the american people seeing through this slate of idiots, but I don’t know if I can put that much faith in them. With the republicans disenfranchising voters at breakneck speed and the economy limping along(something they want and are doing everthing they can to make it worse) I’m afraid one of these idiots could get in by hook or by crook, so to speak. Remember 2000 as I’m sure you do. If the american people are allowed to vote in free and fair elections I would feel much better but that is not the case. Obama will need to win overwelmingly as he did in 08 to get reelected, and I hope for the sake of all of us he does!
{Edited for relevance]
FYI the right thinks the exact same thing of the left. You guys are ignorant, don’t know beans about the Constitution, fail to recognize that the capitalist free market system as the only economic system compatable with the freedoms we enjoy under the Constitution. […] Ya’ll like to bash repubs (they are politicians just like those on the left) and deny the faults of what the left is doing. That’s why I post this stuff. Forget the political junk- that’s par for the course. Look at what your side strives for as well. Why does this site pick one side to bash? Is it because ya’ll can’t face the truth or because you really don’t know what’s going on?
If you can’t stay on topic please stop commenting here. This web site is not a space for you to post extended treatises on whatever is bothering you. I am trying to create a space where people can have rational discussions about the articles that I publish, and your efforts to sidetrack are distracting and unproductive. That will not be tolerated.
If it bothers you that this site has a liberal perspective, tough shit. If you don’t like it go start your own blog.
As for your rebuttal that “the right thinks the exact same thing of the left,” you have completely missed the point. This article is not about the right being ignorant, it is about the right celebrating their ignorance. That is not done by the left. And even the right does not accuse the left of that. To the contrary, they accuse the left of being “too smart” with their fancy universities and elitist intellectualism.
Now, if you care to discuss that, you’re welcome here. If you continue to post hundreds of unrelated words under different names (yeah, I noticed that) that serve only to interrupt, I will block you permanently. And don’t whine about free speech. This is a moderated blog. You have millions of other blogs on which to express yourself, or you can start your own. That’s free speech. But I will not permit you to pollute this site with garbage that hampers open discourse.
[Edited for relevance]
We’re behind in education for the same reasons (high standard of living on one hand and careless parents on the other). In order to keep up our standard of living both parents must work full time which means less time with the kids. My kids excell in a private school but my wife and I must work our butts off to maintain it all. My kids can compete academically with any out there because we work hard to give them the time required. That private school uses no more money than any other public or private. There are academically deficient kids in private schools too. The difference between my kids excelling and others not is that the parents are engaged in the childs’ learning. Our government gives incentives for having kids but gives none for raising them responsibly. More money in the system will only offset shortcomings temporarily at best, for the problem of “dumb” kids is a symptom of a much larger problem.
You need to get you own blog. The treatise you posted here was almost completely off-topic. In the future I will delete comments that are not addressed to the subject of the article.
I’m very happy for your kids, but that doesn’t explain the idiocy articulated by the adults running for the GOP nomination for president. And I notice that you didn’t dispute any of the assertions I made above.
I’m surprised you didn’t delete my earlier posts. It’s not like I’m taking up anyone else’s space or preventing anyone else from posting. I guess like corporations my posts are just too big. You jump on me for ranting yet that’s all you do. How do you fund this website anyway? All you do here is bash the GOP on everything under the sun. My point was that the cause of many of our problems you mention (while bashing GOP) stem from the Libs wanting to turn this land of the free home of the brave into a nanny state. As I stated,(and offered to explain in the deleted post) it is our nanny state standard of living that keeps us from being able to compete and is costing us fortunes. Put the post back and make fun of it. Please?
P.S. I think I would make a better candidate than any of these people. They are all fickle politicians. They don’t walk the fence as good as your guy. Though I’m afraid he’s going to get pulled off. I’m voting for ABO – Anybody But Obama (or Hillary). I really like Herman Cain (the black guy). We need a businessman in the whitehouse. We need to run this country like a business.
“the black guy”? Did you think we don’t know who Herman Cain is, or were you trying to prove that you’re not racist because you like a “black guy”? (No, I am NOT saying you’re racist; just wondering why you felt the need to point out the man’s color.)
As for running the country like a business, the purpose of government and business are so vastly different, the idea is ludicrous. Yes, more efficiently to be sure, but “like a business” really doesn’t mean anything and is a canned talking point.
Of course the corporate side of the party system prefer a dimwit electorate, for then its easy for them to pull that most incredible and unbelievable shell game – the Republcans conning large parts of the 99% non rich electorate that the party who only cares for the 1% actually gives a stuff about them. It means an electorate who cant see that common sense stuff like raise taxes on the rich and spend the money on infrastructure – a polcy that has been used succesfully over and over again in your past – makes common sense. It means that greedy money grubbing swine can sip cocktails on their Bahaman beaches safe in the knowledge that the undereducated electorate think they are busy “creating jobs”.
Similarly, the dumbest candidate for president is the preferred option, as like old Gee Didya it means that the “Duke Brothers” a likes like the Kochs can turn said president to whatever they want…a full on Koch Whore.
Like “With Liberty and Justice For ALL” the US should stop saying “America No.1!!!!” till it actually means something.
Good quality education is the foundation stone of a sound democracy….good luck my US chums. We in Europe will save you a seat at the back o the bus.