Posted on 12/29/2008 8:54:49 AM PST by IrishMike
I have often written about the ignorance that has resulted from decades of pathetic, dumbed-down parenting and schooling, and, sadly, there's no shortage of material on this subject.
There is often a profound difference between morality and legality, and, if this were a just world, a good percentage of the American Left would be tried for treason. If that seems a radical statement, I ask you: What price should be paid for sowing the seeds of your nation's destruction? What should be the punishment for creating millions of people so ignorant, so effete, so corrupted in judgment that they are unable to sustain a free republic, resist enemies foreign and domestic, and perpetuate their culture? I'll leave that to you to decide and just talk a bit about the state of the electorate.
I have often written about the ignorance that has resulted from decades of pathetic, dumbed-down parenting and schooling, and, sadly, there's no shortage of material on this subject. In fact, you could probably read three large volumes on it and not know all Americans don't know about what they should know. However, one short article recently written by economics professor and columnist Dr. Walter Williams perhaps tells us all we need to know. It is called "Ignorance reigns supreme" and relates the findings of a national survey measuring people's knowledge of civics titled "Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions." Its findings are staggering, although not at all surprising to me. For starters, 71 percent of Americans surveyed failed the test, and the average score on it was 49 percent. As for some details, Williams tells us (some of the following information he gleaned from sources other than the survey):
Only 27 percent know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an official religion for the United States . . . 25 percent [of college seniors] did not know that Columbus landed in the Western Hemisphere before the year 1500; 42 percent could not place the Civil War in the correct half-century; and 31 percent thought Reconstruction came after World War II . . . 50 percent of whites and more than 80 percent of blacks couldn't state in writing the argument made in a newspaper column; 56 percent could not calculate the right tip . . . 98 percent could identify rap artist Snoop Dogg and Beavis and Butt-Head, but only 34 percent knew George Washington was the general at the battle of Yorktown.
Williams then opines:
With limited thinking abilities and knowledge of our heritage, we Americans set ourselves up as easy prey for charlatans, hustlers and quacks [i.e., that is, at least 80 percent of our politicians]. If we don't know the constitutional limits placed on Congress and the White House, politicians can do just about anything they wish to control our lives, from deciding what kind of light bulbs we can use to whether the government can take over our health care system or bailout failing businesses. We just think Congress can do anything upon which they can get a majority vote.
Without a doubt. To put it differently, how can we protect our rights as Americans if we don't understand civics and the Constitution and thus cannot know what those rights are? And how can we preserve our culture and traditions – and know what we're relinquishing by not doing so and the consequences of this sin of omission – if we don't know what they are? Rhetorical questions both.
Most distressingly, the civics survey found that almost 25 percent of us believe that Congress shares its foreign policy powers with the United Nations. If Americans believe such nonsense, can we expect them to vigorously oppose efforts to move us closer to one-world government? If people already believe that a certain degree of our sovereignty is gone, then all the internationalists need do is make it official; they will be able to relinquish precisely that degree of sovereignty without opposition from those ignorant citizens.
Yet, despite this abject ignorance, we still have get-out-the-dopes drives. What percent of the electorate should actually vote? Well, take the 71 percent that failed the civics test and subtract it from the total, and you'll have the answer.
Of course, though, fewer and fewer Americans can make that calculation all the time.
Lady:
Your post makes a good point. A very good point.
B.
(As does your tagline)
By design.
If you’re talking about “America” the PLACE, I’ll agree.
If, however, you’re talking about “America” the IDEA, I must disagree.
America, the idea, came down with a fever shortly after the Constitution was ratified, developed a severe sinus infection between the Wilson and Roosevelt administrations, was diagnosed with influenza during the Carter years and now is close to death.
The obit will read something like “America, in declining health for over 100 years, took her own life yesterday. A memorial service had been planned but has been cancelled due to lack of interest and a conflict with the final installment of ‘American Idol’.”
We haven’t just lost an election. We have lost to an America-hating, Marxist, racist, with no qualifications for the job. There was a time when all the foregoing would have made it impossible even for a Democrat to win his party’s nomination.
Thanks for sharing - very informative.
The shame is that what you describe has become the ‘norm’.
It must be changed... but how?
There were a few insignificant questions that threw me...... 81.82 %
No. Everything is just swell. Go back to sleep n00b.
“rotten” or “swell”.
Pretty narrow vision you have, Geezer.
You want the conservative mob to be political and religious bullies. You want other taxpayers to pay for the conservative annointed religious and political worldview.
Government schools are in fundamental conflict with the First Amendment and freedom of choice. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIX THIS!!! Yes, I am shouting I wish more conservatives could see this!
It is an abomination for the voting mob ( or conservatives) to force others to support the religious and political indoctrination of other people's children!!!!
Let's examine this:
There are only 2 possible worldviews godless or God centered. A school must choose one or the other. BOTH have religious and political consequences for the children and our nation. The content and consequences are NEVER religiously neutral. At the moment our government schools must by law teach from a godless worldview perspective.
OK...so Let's say we do as you suggest. We infiltrate the government schools or we attempt through mob rule to force a Christian worldview on other people's children. Whose Christian, Jewish, or other religious denomination do we choose.? Do Mormons in Utah get to preach Mormonism to their Catholic or Baptist students. Do we teach from a Baptist point of view and force this on the minority Mormons or Jews in the Southern States.
If we infiltrate the Marxist government indoctrination camps and try to **sneak** in our religious worldview what are we teaching the children???? Answer: We are teaching them that Christians and conservatives are SNEAKY LAW BREAKERS.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO FIX GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS!!!! The very concept of government schooling is a First Amendment and freedom of conscience ABOMINATION!!
Please read post #30. The Marxist government indoctrination camps can not be fixed. Post #30 explains why.
Also..Even if the government indoctrination camps could be turned around so the conservatives could be the oppressors trampling the freedom of conscience of non-Christians and liberals, it would take several generations. We need to get children out of this environment **IMMEDIATELY** if we are to win elections in the next generation.
Your entire basic premise is flawed. A school can teach math, science, government, literature without having first to determine if it’s going to be Christian math or Buddhist math. But this requires a long term commitment, not merely screaming on the internet.
America is in the trouble it's in because conservates ( being static) will not open free conservative schools.
America is in the trouble it's in because foolish people believe the government schools can be reformed.
American is in the trouble it's in because stupid conservatives continue to keep their children in these godless Marxist indoctrination camps.
Christian teachers who teach in these godless madrassas are teaching children that Christians will sell their principles for a paycheck.
Christian teachers who attempt to sneak Christian ideals into their classes are teaching the children that Christians are sneaky.
Christian teachers who believe that their faith can not be scrubbed from cultural values are lying to the students when the attempt to do exactly that in godless schools. In effect they are teaching children that Christians are unprincipled liars who are teaching what they know to be a lie.
America is in trouble? Is it any wonder? Look at the example of Christian unrighteousness walking before them every day in their Marxist prison camps. ( mis-named “schools”).
You’re talking about religion. I’m talking about teaching children the classics that created the culture that founded this country, and the philosophies of free market, private property rights, self-reliance, and individualism.
yep - 87.88 %
In my Catholic school it was impressed ( almost daily) upon us that math and science was a reflection of a rational God. The world was rational because God is a rational being. It was our responsiblity and **duty** to learn about our God's creations.
To NOT teach this concept has just as many profound religious consequences as teaching it. It is IMPOSSIBLE to approach the teaching of math and science in a religiously neutral manner. Godless or God-center BOTH HAVE NON-NEUTRAL CONSEQUENCES!!!
In literature our nuns made certain that we understood exactly which of the Ten Commandments that were broken that led to the conflict in each story. In fact, other that “Man Against Nature” it is impossible to have fiction without the trespassing of one of the Ten Commandments. Hey! And...What about the 7 deadly **sins**!?
To ignore the religious foundations of a child's traditions, to omit his religious leaders writings and commentary from the study of literature, history, or the culture is PROFOUNDLY religiously NON-NEUTRAL. It is teaching him that his religious beliefs, his scriptures, and his religious leaders’ teachings are unimportant and can be discarded. This is PROFOUNDLY religiously non-neutral. It teaches the child that his religious beliefs are unimportant or even shameful and must be hidden like a bathroom activity.
It is impossible to have religiously neutral education! Both godless and God-centered PROFOUNDLY effect the child in religiously non-neutral ways.
By the way...If you think that religiously neutral education is possible please describe one. I will have great fun pointing out the religiously non-neutral consequences and contradictions.
Or... You can educate/train an ape but it doesn't necessarily make it intelligent.
Please read post #36.
Hopefully you can get your mind around the idea that a religiously neutral education is impossible. It is for this reason that conservatives must not attempt to reform government schools. We must open free private conservative alternatives, and we must not cooperate with the government schools in any manner ( especially by not teaching in them.) Conservatives must work to shut down ( permanently ) all government schooling.
The nuns that taught me would point out that we are equal before a just and rational God. It follows then that our natural endowment from God is to stand equal before a just system of rule of law.
If you ignore the God part, you are teaching children that equality before the law rests not upon an endowment from God but upon human good will.
Big difference! Both have **non-neutral** religious, political, cultural, free market, private property, self-religiance, and individualism consequences.
The only reason I don’t agree with the “all is lost” crowd is that I believe there are enough of us true patriots left to where we can still turn this around.
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Ninety percent of you post referred to the appalling ignorance of the American people. This is **entirely** due to our Marxist government schools.
I have been sounding the alarm for years. CONSERVATIVES MUST OPEN FREE SCHOOLS!!!
If Harvard can have an endowment of $35 BILLION and colleges and universities across this nation can have endowments in the BILLIONS then surely conservatives could and **MUST** do this for free private K-12 education.
Hopefully, it is not too late. We can turn this nation around but we MUST open free conservative schools and work to completely shut down the Marxist government K-12 schools.
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