Americans are stupid.

[Dinner]

I'm so happy I attended a decent school district because the evidence says most Americans don't. This is just absolutely pathetic.

http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchive/002454.html#002454

[Asher]

As I said, US public education sux0r and is wildly inconsistent.

[Dinner]

Most American public schools are garbage because Republicans don't want to fund them, religious nut jobs keep trying to make Jesus the center of everything, teachers' unions fight increased standards, and parents can't be bothered to care about their children's education. Worse yet when ever some tries to force higher standards on our underachieving school system it is decried as bureaucratic heavy handedness.

Republicans by and large are the cause of this problem. They're the ones who starve schools for cash while demanding a pork laddened half a trillion dollar per year defense budget, they're the ones who prevent nationwide education standards from being enacted, and they're the ones who always keep trying to pass off creationism/"Intelligent Design" as a pseudo-science. Not that the retards care; they can't even find their own city on a map much less follow politics.

[DRoseDARs]

/me watches video...

*shudder*

[snoopy369]

No. People who VOTE are the problem, so to speak, because they don't vote in school taxes. By and large school funding is done at the local level - and should be. Republicans believe that schools SHOULD be funded, just not at the federal level; school districts have widely varying needs and thus should be funded locally. Chicago has very different needs than Topeka, for example ...

Blaming Republicans is just the in thing to do for liberals nowadays ... without even knowing a bit about what they're arguing. Teachers unions are LIBERAL institutions ffs, supporting democratic candidates 98%.

"Religious nut jobs" are just as entitled to their opinion as atheist nut jobs ... and entitled to having a say as to how their children are educated, if perhaps they go further than I would by a long shot. How's it different from them legislating morality, when you try to argue YOUR morality is better than theirs?

Parents don't vote to fund their schools, and even more so Retirees tend to not vote funding to their grandchildrens' schools. Try living in an area with a high retiree : pupil ratio ... at least where I'm from (southwest), the schools are massively underfunded because they can never pass bonds due almost entirely to 55+ vote against it

Regardless, if you want to object to school funding, do it in an educated way, instead of banally trolling republicans many of whom actually support education, just not in the way you personally believe.

[Chemical Ollie]

Re: Americans are stupid.

Originally posted by Oerdin
I'm so happy I attended a decent school district because the evidence says most Americans don't. This is just absolutely pathetic.

http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/1gmarchiv...54.html#002454

l recall that the first debate I had with you on this board was over this topic, a few years ago.

So now you have finally discovered what you denied back then:

The average American is stupid and ignorant, despite most people on Apolyton being far better than average.

[Dinner]

In my state it is not a local issue. All school funding goes directly to Sacramento and is then spread out evenly on a per pupil bases. This is to prevent rich areas having great schools and poor areas having crap schools. This system works and I know I went to a great school district. Washington then adds in a small per pupil bonus to help round things out.

Lastly, you are being foolish. Republicans are the main road blocks to increased school funding and higher standards yet, in your mind, they're not to blame for low standards and lack of funds? That doesn't add up, my friend. The low standards and lack of funding are being caused by the people who keep trying to lower standards and cut funding.

[Gatekeeper]

Damn good points, Snoopy. About the only thing I disagree with you on is the tendency for liberals to stereotype right-wingers — not because they *don't* do it, but because, IMO, *all* extremists do it, no matter where they're at on the political spectrum.

Gatekeeper

[Dinner]

Originally posted by snoopy369
"Religious nut jobs" are just as entitled to their opinion as atheist nut jobs ... and entitled to having a say as to how their children are educated, if perhaps they go further than I would by a long shot. How's it different from them legislating morality, when you try to argue YOUR morality is better than theirs?

Are you deliberately being obtuse? Attempting to teach that god made the world in 7 days and woman came from man's rib in a science class has nothing to do with morality. It has to do with religion and it doesn't belong in public schools. Yet some how we get the "your just trying to force your views on everyone" excuse when intelligent people tell them to keep their religion in their church. That's always been a crap argument and it still is.

[snoopy369]

School funding is primarily handled on the local level, or at worst at the state level. Federal funds account for a very small amount of overall education funding - and that's the only level Republicans argue against it. (In fact, they don't argue against it per se, but rather argue against the Feds specifying where/when it should be spent; that's why the Republicans argued for school vouchers a few years back, which would have given poorer children a better chance at education ... god forbid)

In state governments, parties line up differently; often Republicans argue for more funding for schools in some states. State parties just don't equate to federal parties ...

And that doesn't change the fact that OP and your followup were just a lame troll.

[Nostromo]

I wonder if these "Jay walk" like stunts really show anything. Jay Leno once explained that the presence of the camera makes people panic and that explains why they can't think straight and give all these dumb answers. A canadian humorist pulled the same stunt, but he went to Harvard. The students gave similarly dumb answers.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Are you deliberately being obtuse? Attempting to teach that god made the world in 7 days and woman came from man's rib in a science class has nothing to do with morality. It has to do with religion and it doesn't belong in public schools. Yet some how we get the "your just trying to force your views on everyone" excuse when intelligent people tell them to keep their religion in their church. That's always been a crap argument and it still is.

Your morals tell you that it shouldn't be taught in schools, because it's not true.

Their morals tell them that it should be taught in schools, because it is true.

I'm not saying I'm pro-creationism being taught in schools - but i'm also aware that it's because of my own personal moral stance, not because i'm 'right'. The only people who believe in 'one truth' are ... um ... the religious folks ...

[Bill3000]

Parents don't vote to fund their schools, and even more so Retirees tend to not vote funding to their grandchildrens' schools. Try living in an area with a high retiree : pupil ratio ... at least where I'm from (southwest), the schools are massively underfunded because they can never pass bonds due almost entirely to 55+ vote against it

Heh. Here in LI, at least in my area, it's quite different. My school district is heavily funded - we have a huge amount of funding by the people. Of course, most of it is to things such as funding the corrupt administration (You probably don't know of it, but we've had our share of corruption problems too) or pay more of the already overpayed teachers. And then, when we finally say no to the stupid budget, they use it as an excuse to cut special education programs and the like rather than the real garbage such as some nonsensical extracurricular activities, or more importantly, keep the goddamned money away from the administration which friggin stole the money in the first place! Things would be much better if they actually got the hint and changed the priorities of the funding, to stop the corruption and actually care for the students, not for power.

They don't have a friggin' clue. It's not just the funding that can be a problem; it's where the money is being put that's a huge problem as well. Simply throwing more money towards education means nothing if you don't make sure the money goes where it should go.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by snoopy369
School funding is primarily handled on the local level, or at worst at the state level. Federal funds account for a very small amount of overall education funding

We've already dealt with this but thanks for repeating what we both already know.

In state governments, parties line up differently; often Republicans argue for more funding for schools in some states. State parties just don't equate to federal parties ...

And that doesn't change the fact that OP and your followup were just a lame troll.

Averages, you need to learn about averages. Sure, there are some Republican politicans who advocate more school spending but most do not. That means the average Republican politician at all levels is a major part of the problem. Vouchers don't help anyone but the rich and end up hurting public schools. I'm sure you will deny it though and you will claim that anyone presenting facts you don't like is a troll. It's really sad.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Your morals tell you that it shouldn't be taught in schools, because it's not true.

Their morals tell them that it should be taught in schools, because it is true.

BUZZ! Science isn't about morals it's about the being demonstrably true or not. Creationism is not demonstrably provable there for it doesn't belong in a science class. There are no two sides to this.