Posted on 10/03/2005 5:06:51 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Monday, Oct. 3, 2005 6:56 a.m. EDT Walter Cronkite: U.S. Too Ignorant to Vote
The man once known as the most trusted journalist in America no longer trusts Americans to vote for their own leaders, saying average citizens are just too ignorant to cast their ballots wisely.
"We [as a nation] are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders," CBS News legend Walter Cronkite told the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication last week.
In quotes picked up by the Los Angeles Times, Cronkite said journalists need to find a way to better inform the public, suggesting they pressure their employers to replace the current roundups of celebrity profiles and personal health and finance pieces with "the news of the day."
"If we fail at that," Cronkite warned, "our democracy, our republic, I think, is in serious danger."
The CBS legend also said that he fears that the blogosphere could threaten the standing of the mainstream media, adding that news consumers are already confused by cable TV's "opinion journalism."
Hey Wally lets try this:
Everyone who wishes to cast a ballot in the election must pass a test, nothing to difficult really.
Five or six questions on the constitution-you can even make them multiple guess-Sample
"The tenth 10th amendment to the constituion
A. Protects the right to bear arms
B. Protects the right to an abortion
c. States that higher income people are required to pay higher taxes
D. Limits the power of Fed Govt and establishes those of the states."
Part of the test would be to name:
The current POTUS
Current VPOTUS
Your state's two senators
Your rep to the US House.
You fail the test, you don't vote.
I agree with him. Look at all the people who voted for Kerry.
(1)The Gulf War was a UN sanctioned peace keeping action. We were kicking butt when they sought a CEASE FIRE.
(2)A UN sanctioned no fly zone resolution was put in place to protect the Kurds in the North and Shia in the South.
(3)Iraq VIOLATED the UN Resolutions and as such abrogated the CEASE FIRE.
(4)The resumption of that the Gulf War was a result of their action which constituted a Cause Belli
(5)What's with the Hat?
Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while.
Cronkite does have a point. After all, he was considered to be "the most trusted journalist in America." That says a great deal right there.
btt
I will bet that he thinks he's an expert on identifying "thinking people".
His arrogance is belied by his trust in MSM journalists to be the major conduit for information. His universe has changed, and he's still a blind man describing an elephant by touching it's tail.
I agree. Look how many voted for Gore and then 4 years later voted for Kerry. Don't know how many times I have heard "I vote Democrat because my father always voted Democrat." Keeps them from having to think. I don't remember any ever saying "I vote Republican because my father did."
“It seems to many of us that if we are to avoid the eventual catastrophic world conflict we must strengthen the United Nations as a first step toward a world government patterned after our own government with a legislature, executive and judiciary, and police to enforce its international laws and keep the peace.
To do that, of course, we Americans will have to yield up some of our sovereignty. That would be a bitter pill. It would take a lot of courage, a lot of faith in the new order.
But the American colonies did it once and brought forth one of the most nearly perfect unions the world has ever seen.
Seems to me that Walter Cronkite is the one who ought not be voting, since he is against the idea of a free, sovereign America in the first place.
Mr.Cronkite is not a journalist, he is merely a shill for leftist causes. That being said he is correct in his statement, and thanks to ignorant psuedo-journalists and illegal immigration Amerika is is getting ignorant-er by the minute!
I had to stop and beam, with a warm smile on my face, when I read this.
Crony journalism at it's finest. It's a mutual admiration society.
Well said, Jeff.
Walter,many Americans are on to ya,pal!
The High Priest is worried that the plebians are deserting his Temple.
Cronkite, a most worthless P.O.S., and U.N. unofficial spokesperson, is disappointed that the VRWC is making progress here in America. I hope the old moonbat crawls back under a rock and stays there!
Poor Walter is at the end of his tether. Drudge played the audio sound bite last night and it seems like Walter can no longer open his mouth fully to clearly form his words.
I disagree.
It is not the MSM, it is not the schools.
Who is to blame?
US.
The MSM and the schools can trot out lies, but we have a choice about verifying them and accepting or rejecting what they say. So do our children.
You think they blindly swallow what is taught at school?
Think again.
Have you ever tried to 'teach' your child about some of the facts of life?
They don't believe anything an adult says.
If every American made the choice to discriminate and verify the various sources of information, the current Dem leadership would sink.
I would support your argument on the basis that many accept the MSM as a truthful basis for news of the world.
Until you are confronted with evidence to the contrary, you tend to stay that way (inertia)
Most Freepers distrust the MSM and trust anonymous sources over the internet.
The 'best' Freepers gather several sources, attempt to attain confirmation, and still realize they may still not have all the information, all the facts.
Those who follow the first good sounding rumor are just as much to blame as those who blindly follow the MSM.
Has education gone downhill?
Yes, and as you imply, it makes a difference in your gullibility.
Who's to blame?
Teachers?
No. You and me.
We need to be involved in our schools and informed on exactly what they are teaching.
If it doesn't fit your values, advise the teacher and principal.
The discipline has gone out of many schools.
Discipline. Harsh sounding word.
Parents have a hard time with disciplining their children.
We had Dr. Spock (I'm sorry, I see the ears no matter what) tell us not to hit your children, not to hinder thier exploration.
To a child, the discipline is the love.
A child that has none will go to extreme lengths to force parents to discipline them, violating every rule of behavior in a fruitless attempt to get the parents to prove they love their child, that they care and they can be trusted because they stick to their word.
Punishment should only involve spanking at an early age. When they don't understand full sentences and argument. After they are speaking, the gig is up.
Punishment from then on is mental. And if you aren't up on your game, they beat you.
If we raise our children right, we can solve the problems you mentioned.
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