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.
CONSERVATIVES MUST OPEN FREE SCHOOLS!!!
I don’t know any schools which can possibly operate without some sort of revenue.
Of course I graduated High School 33 years ago (1975), when a High School Diploma was actually worth the parchment it was printed on.
That should read: Conservatives should open **tuition** free schools.
Apparently you are commenting on a post that is one of several posts and you missed the funding part.
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 ( tuition) free private K-12 education.
Is this possible? Absolutely!
Conservative education foundations could sponsor conservative teachers willing to open small one room school houses, mini-schools, and homeschool cooperatives. Surely the homeschoolers have show us that it is completely possible to do an excellent job of educating children in small and simple settings with the minimum of expense. Also...The curriculum exists. It has already been used by homeschoolers for several decades now.
I do not recommend the establishment of the Prussian model brick and mortar schools. It is too expensive and fraught with too many zoning, health, and other regulation problems. Very small conservative home-based “mini-schools” could probably be regulated under existing daycare or babysitting regulations.
The conservative education foundations would certify the teacher, approve the curriculum, and see that the children were meeting goals through standardized testing.
I would also recommend that the conservative education foundations establish private team sporting leagues. Government schools have a monopoly on team sports. These team sports generate “rah rah” support at the voting booth and are the reason that many children attend.
Conservatives **must** work diligently with others to shut down government K-12 schooling completely by whatever legal means necessary.
So when are you going to DO something?
That's all fine, but there has to be adult remedial civics education somewhere in the mix, to compensate for the lack of such education in the formative years.
Break the government school monopoly on team sports.
I suppose your point there is that kids who are interested in playing team sports are forced to go to public schools to do so. Not generally true. Many, if not most, private and parochial schools have field sports teams as well, though opportunities for sports aren't generally as good. This isn't exactly that big of an issue.
Why shut down the public schools? If you have the ability, know how and resources, do it. By calling for the downfall of the public school system it looks like a grab for public funding.
The author of the posted article was remiss in not mentioning specifically the connection between ignorance of the electorate and the election to POTUS of a man who is, for starters, constitutionally ineligible to hold the highest office in the land.
Well...Actually, I have already done a lot. I homeschooled 3 of my 4 children, and “afterschooled” the child who was institutionalized for his schooling. All four are strong in the gospel. Two have served full-time missions for our church. The two youngest girls are married to men who served missions. All are college graduates and our 10 grandchildren are being raised in strong gospel centered homes. My husband and I are very generous financially and personally with our time in the education of the grandchildren. For instance, this summer I will have the older girls fly in to visit. We will hold a “sewing camp” and I will teach the girls how to read and cut out a pattern and assemble a dress. ( This was very successful last summer, and I hope to make a yearly or bi-annual event).
For almost all of the 26 years my husband and I have been members of our church, we have served as leaders of and teachers in our church's young child and teen youth programs. That was a **lot** of work!..but...very rewarding. :-)
Please remember that the **most** important mission field of any family is that of their **own** children. The second most important mission field is that of the children of their own congregation. When these needs have been met then they can reach out to serve others.
We have been very active in homeschooling organizations. My husband has been a very active scouter in our church for several decades. This organization served members and non-members.
We were recently called to be Spanish speaking missionaries at the local Spanish congregation of our denomination. This takes about 20 hours of service on our part each week. Today for instance, I am making phone calls looking for a wheelchair for one of our members. We will likely be very active in scouting again. If a Spanish speaking boy will join and remain active in scouting his chances for graduating from high school, going to college, and staying out of our local gangs is **greatly** improved.
Evidently from your tag line you feel others are not doing enough. What are you **DOING**?
By the way, I do not know of any organization that are setting up private conservative educational foundations. I hope to plant the idea. Perhaps it will catch on.
Few that I have spoken to ( even among conservatives) are aware of the birth certificate/citizenship issue.
Our Marxist dominated media has made certain that it is not publicized, and our **weenie** conservative media is afraid of being called nut jobs.
( By the way, it just steams me that Rush Limbaugh has ignored it. WHAT A BIG FAT COWARD! )
I surely agree! Any suggestions on how to bring about this "remedial" adult civic education?
This isn't exactly that big of an issue.
I didn't think it was much of an issue either until I moved to a small town. Wow! The government school **is** the community. Half the town works directly for the school in some capacity. The other half benefit indirectly. Even my dentist and his five employees are very dependent patents with dental insurance who work for the schools.
The "rah rah" around sports in incredible. Most of our local paper's news involves team sports. Gee! last week the cheer leading team won first place in some competition. There is absolutely no opportunity in the entire county for team sports except through the government schools.
Every child who participates in baseball, football, basketball, softball, field hockey, lacrosse, cheer leading, marching band, jazz team, color guard, orchestra, theater, chorus, wrestling, ( and I have likely missed a few) has parents and other relatives who are gung ho supporters of the government schools.
Every one of the above activities should be moved to the parks and recreation or completely privatized.
I think Obama won because the GOP has spent the last few years cutting its own throat and making themselves look like the Democrats-lite.
Obama walked into the perfect electoral storm, as did Carter in 1976. We'll see how he governs over the next 4 years and whether the novelty of being the first black President will be able to override his blatant inexperience and the fact that he is perhaps the least qualified person to ever occupy the White House.
And when they do, what can one say? I don't want to tell anyone they're... stupid.
Why shut down the public schools? If you have the ability, know how and resources, do it. By calling for the downfall of the public school system it looks like a grab for public funding.
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Where’s the grab for public funding?
I am recommending that conservatives start **private** educational foundations funded with **private** donations that would sponsor individual **private** conservative teachers. The tuition for these “mini schools” would be free.
If you first start a tuition free private alternative, and then work to cut off taxes to the government schools, then the “public funding” is cut off completely and the taxpayers keep more of the health and wealth ( money) they created.
I don't agree with you on much, but we're kind of on the same page here. In some parts of this country, school sports seem to override academics. This seems to go across the political spectrum- whether in urban school districts full of Democrats or rural Texas school districts full of Republicans, some people seem to forget that sports teams should always be low on a school's priority list.
Seems like a good idea to me.
Hopefully, the idea will spread.
I don't know anything about Marxist indoctrination camps, but I know of plenty of good public schools and school districts.
Why shut down the public schools?
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Another reason is that government schools, the First Amendment, and freedom of conscience are utter incompatible.
Please read my early posts on this thread. I explain why this is so.
Citizen Blade,
Am I correct that you are a graduate of Cornell Law School? Do I have this correct?
First of all, is it the school that is effective or is it the fact that these schools are dominated by primarily intact mother-father families?
Also...Is the academic success of these children do to the school or is it entirely due to the “afterschooling” done by the child and his parents?
Is it the school that is so successful or are the children successful **in spite** of their government school?
Next, please read my early posts. Government schools, freedom of conscience, and the First Amendment are utterly incompatible! My early posts on this thread explain why this is so.
It is **impossible** to have a religiously neutral K-12 education. ALL government K-12 schools establish the religious worldview ( godless or God-centered) political view, and culture of the most politically powerful. At the same time government schools destroy the religious, cultural, and political values of the children of those will less political clout.
So?...If you believe that a religiously, politically, and culturally neutral government school is possible please describe one. I will have lots of fun pointing out the non-neutral inconsistencies. If indeed you are a Cornell Law School graduate this should be an easy assignment for you.
Wow! We agree on something? ( By the way, my county is solidly red.)
All this could easily be resolved by moving many of these non-academic activities to the county parks and recreation departments...or...( better) completely privatize them.
This includes, chorus, band, theater, orchestra, jazz dancing team, cheer leading, some art courses, wrestling, lacrosse, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, and of course basketball.
Honestly, the big leagues are big business. They should be supporting their own minor league programs without taxpayer subsidy through the government schools!
Ah!...But the dirty little secret is the NEA **loves** government school and taxpayer supported minor leagues for big business team sports. It creates “rah rah” support for the government schools in the voting booth, and a monopoly on these activities in counties like mine assured kids in the seats and paychecks for teachers.
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