... I'm personally convinced that both parties are complicit in the destruction of public education.
Of course they are, and such is why both parties oppose efforts by parents to provide their children with educational opportunities that are better than what the gubmint provides. The debate about such is endless, as are the reasons why the self-anointed prefer an ignorant electorate, but the fact is plain to see.
The problem with quoting Mencken is that finding the right quote is like taking a drink from a fire hose. But, I like this one:
No one in this world, so far as I know -- and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me -- has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.
Kevin, what you are convinced of is simply that members of both parties actively try to improve the odds even further in their favor by dissuading children from learning to make use of what intelligence they have, and by convincing them and their parents that they are actually doing quite well. There is an element of positive feedback involved -- the more it is done, the easier it gets and the better it works.
"Democracy is dedicated to the proposition that the people know what they want, and deserve to get it, good and hard." -- H.L.Mencken
"Democracy is based on the idea that a million men are smarter than one man. What's that again? I must have missed something."
"Autocracy is based on the idea that one man is smarter than a million men. Let's play that one over again too. Who decides?"
-- Captain Lazarus Long
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
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JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2006/12/truer-words.html (6 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
... I'm personally convinced that both parties are complicit in the destruction of public education.
Of course they are, and such is why both parties oppose efforts by parents to provide their children with educational opportunities that are better than what the gubmint provides. The debate about such is endless, as are the reasons why the self-anointed prefer an ignorant electorate, but the fact is plain to see.
The problem with quoting Mencken is that finding the right quote is like taking a drink from a fire hose. But, I like this one:
No one in this world, so far as I know -- and I have researched the records for years, and employed agents to help me -- has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.
Kevin, what you are convinced of is simply that members of both parties actively try to improve the odds even further in their favor by dissuading children from learning to make use of what intelligence they have, and by convincing them and their parents that they are actually doing quite well. There is an element of positive feedback involved -- the more it is done, the easier it gets and the better it works.
And the closer the trolley gets to coming off the tracks.
Comparing a politician to a streetwalker is an insult to streetwalkers.
Very nice blog you have.
"Democracy is dedicated to the proposition that the people know what they want, and deserve to get it, good and hard." -- H.L.Mencken
"Democracy is based on the idea that a million men are smarter than one man. What's that again? I must have missed something."
"Autocracy is based on the idea that one man is smarter than a million men. Let's play that one over again too. Who decides?"
-- Captain Lazarus Long
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>