Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

We’re living the dream; we just don’t realize it (minitrue barphalert)
Cable News Network ^ | 10:12 AM EST, Sat November 24, 2012 | Steven Johnson

Posted on 11/24/2012 11:45:48 AM PST by Olog-hai

We’ve finally emerged from the season in which Americans were asked by the pollsters and politicians: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” But sometimes it’s important to contemplate the question of progress from a longer view: How are we doing on the scale of a generation?

To answer that question, take this brief quiz.

Over the past two decades, what have the U.S. trends been for the following important measures of social health: high school dropout rates, college enrollment, juvenile crime, drunken driving, traffic deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita gasoline consumption, workplace injuries, air pollution, divorce, male-female wage equality, charitable giving, voter turnout, per capita GDP and teen pregnancy?
The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive. Almost all those varied metrics of social wellness have improved by more than 20% over the past two decades. And that’s not counting the myriad small wonders of modern medicine that have improved our quality of life as well as our longevity: the anti-depressants and insulin pumps and quadruple bypasses. …

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last

1 posted on 11/24/2012 11:45:57 AM PST by Olog-hai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

Hee hee...these cretins actually believe ‘science’ and ‘medicine’ advancements will be focused on prolonging their miserable worthless, non-contributing lives, don’t they? At present with the re-election of their Messiah, they are living a fool’s dream that is at best a couple of weeks deep with regard to the support structure that continues their oblivious existence. It’s a pity they’ll be the first to get ‘voted off the island’ in the death panel game.


2 posted on 11/24/2012 11:50:31 AM PST by Gaffer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive

In a word....bullsh!t.

3 posted on 11/24/2012 11:52:01 AM PST by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
Over the past two decades, what have the U.S. trends been for the following important measures of social health: high school dropout rates, college enrollment, juvenile crime, drunken driving, traffic deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita gasoline consumption, workplace injuries, air pollution, divorce, male-female wage equality, charitable giving, voter turnout, per capita GDP and teen pregnancy?

The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive.

It sounds like he may get his statistics from CNN.

4 posted on 11/24/2012 11:54:57 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Criminal defense lawyers won't have the Twinkie to kick around anymore.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
important measures

Says you (well, the author).
5 posted on 11/24/2012 11:57:09 AM PST by andyk (I have sworn...eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rockrr

statistics can be manipulated according to one’s own bias quite easily
and the so called indicators of societal health are beyond suspect.

divorce rates are low because people are shaking up and women are choosing single motherhood over stable two parent relationships

is it really good for society when a large portion of society is currently ingesting anti-depressants?

sure you can lower high school drop out rates when the curriculum is dumbed down and students with failing grades are still issued diplomas

the chinese also thought things were great under Mao when 60million people starved to death... do not believe the hype


6 posted on 11/24/2012 12:01:27 PM PST by longfellowsmuse (last of the living nomads)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

I don’t have stats off the top of my head, but this report is saying that teen pregnancy is down. Okay, maybe it is. However, we have in the last couple of generations completely institutionalized the concept of out of wedlock pregnancy and broken homes and single mothers and other ad hoc living arrangements.

It’s not PC to talk about how we are raising so many of our children in less than ideal circumstances nowadays. So while teen pregnancy may be down, far more of the kids being born are not being raised in the best circumstances, with both mother and father in the home.

I know I just made a number of value judgements which you aren’t supposed to do in these politically correct times. Flame away.


7 posted on 11/24/2012 12:03:08 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego ('s)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

What about the trend towards people in their 20s having massive student debt and no useful job skills to show for four more years of doing nothing but letting someone else take care of them, yet still feel entitled to the fruits of others’ labor?


8 posted on 11/24/2012 12:03:24 PM PST by JeffChrz (ObamaCare causes layoffs? Who knew? (I did.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FReepers; Patriots; FRiends

FR really needs your help!

Please Donate Today.

FReepathon Day 55

9 posted on 11/24/2012 12:03:32 PM PST by onyx (FREE REPUBLIC IS HERE TO STAY! DONATE MONTHLY! IF YOU WANT ON SARAH PALIN''S PING LIST, LET ME KNOW)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

That’s a statistic that can be manipulated, especially if the percentage of population that are in their teens in the country is lower than in the past. I wouldn’t worry about what Minitrue has to say about it; they’re counting on people having voluntary “memory holes” . . . the Innerparty doesn’t need to work as hard.


10 posted on 11/24/2012 12:06:48 PM PST by Olog-hai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
Over the past two decades, what have the U.S. trends been for the following important measures of social health: high school dropout rates, college enrollment, juvenile crime, drunken driving, traffic deaths, infant mortality, life expectancy, per capita gasoline consumption, workplace injuries, air pollution, divorce, male-female wage equality, charitable giving, voter turnout, per capita GDP and teen pregnancy?

The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive.

It sounds like he may get his statistics from CNN. He left out voter fraud, class warfare, anti-Caucasionism, unemployment, taxes, DUIs, "missing" and murdered children, loss of freedoms and liberties, communism, no jobs for college graduates, loss of useful college degrees, autistic-acting children who are fixated on their cellphones, children without two parents, illegal immigration and anti-Christian bigotry.

11 posted on 11/24/2012 12:09:19 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Criminal defense lawyers won't have the Twinkie to kick around anymore.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
There is nothing positive about giving up freedom. Our generation is much less free than our parents. And we won't even recognize the next unless we and our children can band together to vote out the godless wannabe totalitarians. The barbarians are inside the gate.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. --Ronald Reagan

12 posted on 11/24/2012 12:10:51 PM PST by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeffChrz

Like Face in the A-Team movie, when he’s about to be set on fire?

If they mean THAT kind of “living the dream”, well then, yeah.


13 posted on 11/24/2012 12:11:42 PM PST by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai

minitrue? is that something truthy, but in a small way?


14 posted on 11/24/2012 12:13:39 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

It breaks my heart every time I see or hear about broken homes and the kids involved. I really just want to strangle the so called adults.

I just cant understand how two people were in love enough to produce a child and now they can’t stand to live on the same planet with that person. Does the ex represent all the bad choices they have made?


15 posted on 11/24/2012 12:14:02 PM PST by pennyfarmer (Your socialist beat our liberal AGAIN.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Olog-hai
"The answer for all of them is the same: The trend is positive."

Yes, life in the United States, for now, remains better than much of the rest of the world, but still, many insist on following one who has vowed to 'fundamentally transform' the nation.

16 posted on 11/24/2012 12:14:28 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Joe 6-pack

and hos much of this is momentum from more conservative times?


17 posted on 11/24/2012 12:16:31 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: pennyfarmer

love is not required to produce a child


18 posted on 11/24/2012 12:18:07 PM PST by longfellowsmuse (last of the living nomads)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

Comes from 1984; it’s the Newspeak abbreviation for “Ministry of Truth”.


19 posted on 11/24/2012 12:20:14 PM PST by Olog-hai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: HiTech RedNeck

I would wager all of it is.


20 posted on 11/24/2012 12:21:03 PM PST by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-37 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson