Dumbing down of America - future economic impact?

[fujiyama]

OK, so we bitch and moan about India and China "stealing jobs" in science and technology, meanwhile we have state legislatures allowing the teaching of "Intelligent Design" in our schools.

And we're wondering how our country is heading toward a direction of decreasing living standards? If we can't teach basic concepts like evolution without them becoming politicized, how can we teach basic biology? Evolution is a basic building block of biology.

"Goddidit" is not a scientific theory or explanation and I'm sick of seeing rationalizing about it. The British and Europeans and Indians and Chinese and Brazillians aren't filling in gaps with God in their scientific textbooks. Meanwhile India and Brazil can already reverse design any pill Pfizer or whatever other stiffy drug making company comes up with.

[RPM]

1. dont worry

god will provide
:eyes:

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Oh, heck, our kids already know more than college professors..

that's why all these states are passing 'student Bill of Rights' that will let them sue all those mean, liberal professors!!

[whistle]

3. "Intelligent Design" isn't that covered in Better Homes and Garden.....

...house decorating section?

[FloridaPat]

4. I've heard tons of people here in Florida complaining that now all

the students are being taught how to pass the "No Child Left Behind" test. However, it appears Florida is failing even that, and has asked for less restrictions so they can meet their goals.

Now if you add 1 and 1 here, you end up with 0 education. How incredibly stupid does one have to be to not insist on quality eduction for their child?

There were also discussions about how only 50-60% of high schoolers get through high school in California. 1/3 of the college students have to be taught remedial reading in their first year. That's been going on for decades. There is something very wrong with our country.

But then you need some really gulliable or stupid people to inlist in the armed forces right now.

[Aviation Pro]

5. Randi Rhodes.....

...recently discussed the FCAT and the Florida education system. Under Bob Graham and Betty Castor the system was the envy of the nation. Under Bush the system has become a disaster. Cubano Senator Martinez, who used the Big Lie to get elected over this sane and dedicated woman (Castor), is now in hot water over Schiavogate and the memo. Well, we get what we are fooled to vote for I reckon.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

6. this is the future

the dumbing down started in the 1970's.

[pretzel4gore]

7. i remember in 'the right stuff' reading

about the astronauts who grew up in the idealistic type US small town etc...yet they all knew it(what they were taught) was bs and for the most part resisted efforts to mould them into little drones(when one reads this, you recall why jesse james/machinegun kelly etc were seen as heroic figures despite police...today they'd be hated as terrorists, with their records made worse by lies about them liking kiddie porn or smuggling drugs etc)....i think what happened in the 70's that was different from earlier was the use of false allegation, innuendo and other psyche tricks the right (conservative?) began using to demonize and make hideous the 'enemy'(liberals?)

[deadcenter]

8. my opinion

the dumbing down started back in the '30s. The government had a choice, they could work towards educating people about the importance of saving and investing for yourself and your family, that buying on margin using money you don't have is a bad, bad, bad idea, or they could assume the people were too stupid to understand and mandate a supplemental savings plan for them.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of social security. Would love to opt out of it, forfeiting everything I've paid into it so long as I don't have to pay into it anymore. However, I do think there are a few pretty good programs associated with it that need to be continued, AFDC as it was originally enacted for example.

deadcenter