Seriously, I mean seriously?? Please tell me this isn't typical.

[Toyduck]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

I won't take issue with this, but I will say that I have seen many of these no nothings do astounding work. They are different for sure and as the first real generation of tenchno "kids" many are highly trainable quick studies, especially where a computer is required. I have also met interns and recent grads that are true whiz kids. The whiz kids stand out as they always did - the others are diamonds in the rough and take some special handling to identify the gems. All is not lost methinks. There have always been folks a few bricks short of a load. Not everyone is destined for management. And this group puts a priority on life and enjoying it. A different work ethic for sure. But not all that different from that of the hippies that grew out of it to make things like this forum and the iPhone I'm using to reply. Again - all is not lost. Those who sell America short have always been wrong.

We should check the glass again - it is more likely half full than half empty. Just a thought...I
Steve

Well said!

[wnytaxman]

I do think that most Americans are more than a little bit geographically challenged. When I lived out in Washington State people would ask me where I was from. When I replied Buffalo, NY, they responded that it must be great to go into NY City every weekend for Broadway plays. They just automatically assumed that Buffalo was just another suburb of NY City when in reality we are closer to Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo than we are to NY City. I've even had folks in NC ask me how I could live in an area that is so crowded. I grew up in a town of 300 so we're not exactly on top of each other.

As a CPA you would be amazed at how many people think their tax refund is a gift from the government and don't realize that they are just getting their own money back. There's a great quote when someone made the comment that Americans are stupid. The quote is "Stupid is a condition. Ignorance is a choice!"

[Ramblin]

I once had a rental car girl tell me I couldn't drive it to New Mexico without additional coverage because it was out of the country.

[99-Am.Star]

You bet, they are not teaching the right things, and my belief is, even if they were teaching it the kids would not be learning it..........SAD BUT TRUE. Just my dimes worth....

[Kathryn]

What is important for them to know is not WHERE these places are, but WHAT is going on with them and how will it affect the world.

(Spoiler alert! This is NOT meant to start a political discussion - the point is sometimes the "dumb" ones just haven't been asked the right questions!)

Had an interesting discussion with a young friend of my nephew (25ish) just before the elections which really opened my eyes. This kid is a computer genius, IQ out of the ball park, known him for years, which is why he would actually talk to me instead of just mumble something and leave.

I, as a die hard GOP was fussing about the budget and deficit and huge government ... he brushed it off very casually and said that he didn't really care about that stuff (!!!!!) because the "old guys" in the govt were going to do whatever they wanted anyway - then went on to intelligently discuss isssues that HE cared about ... gay marriage, abortion, "Helping the people"...

While I still disagreed, for the first time I understood, and respected, the thought process

Kathryn

~~~

[Ramblin]

Originally Posted by Kathryn

What is important for them to know is not WHERE these places are, but WHAT is going on with them and how will it affect the world.

(Spoiler alert! This is NOT meant to start a political discussion - the point is sometimes the "dumb" ones just haven't been asked the right questions!)

Had an interesting discussion with a young friend of my nephew (25ish) just before the elections which really opened my eyes. This kid is a computer genius, IQ out of the ball park, known him for years, which is why he would actually talk to me instead of just mumble something and leave.

I, as a die hard GOP was fussing about the budget and deficit and huge government ... he brushed it off very casually and said that he didn't really care about that stuff (!!!!!) because the "old guys" in the govt were going to do whatever they wanted anyway - then went on to intelligently discuss isssues that HE cared about ... gay marriage, abortion, "Helping the people"...

While I still disagreed, for the first time I understood, and respected, the thought process

Kathryn

~~~

If I were king, I'd make some changes to the voting process:

1. No one under the age of 35 gets to vote. This will ensure that the majority of the people electing our leaders have some life experience outside of the ideological environment of college.

2. The ballot is part of the tax return. You vote every year. At the end of 4 years, the ballots are tallied. Winner is determined at that time. This ensures that A) only those who contribute to our society by paying taxes get to choose our leaders, and B) incumbents are constantly being evaluated on the job they're doing, instead of just during election years.

3. Incumbents don't campaign, the job they are doing IS their campaign, and challengers campaigning is limited to talking about themselves and the job they'll do. No negative campaigning. Annual debates at tax time WILL allow candidates to challenge each other's positions.

4. For every $20,000 paid in taxes, your vote counts another time, up to three. This ensures that those who are contributing most, have the most say.

5. Term limits for ALL elected officials.

Please give me a moment to put on my asbestos shorts before replying.

[Ted Lambert]

EDUCATION E D U C A T I O N

Please don't blame education as the reason people are dumb. Now we find out all we need to know from the Internet.
We used to have formal Education
Formal....A nice dress a nice suit and ready to go out and make an idiot of yourself.
Worldly..... getting off our buts and going out and getting a different kind of Education. VERY RARE AND ALMOST EXTINCT TODAY.
Internet.... All the education you need at your finger tips. IF USED CORRECTLY.
FORUM EDUCATION........Great if your question is intelligent. But there is always someone who knows something about everything.
Have a great day
Very UNeducated but happy as I have survived......SO FAR

[okgc]

Originally Posted by narampa

EDUCATION E D U C A T I O N

Please don't blame education as the reason people are dumb. Now we find out all we need to know from the Internet.
We used to have formal Education
Formal....A nice dress a nice suit and ready to go out and make an idiot of yourself.
Worldly..... getting off our buts and going out and getting a different kind of Education. VERY RARE AND ALMOST EXTINCT TODAY.
Internet.... All the education you need at your finger tips. IF USED CORRECTLY.
FORUM EDUCATION........Great if your question is intelligent. But there is always someone who knows something about everything.
Have a great day
Very UNeducated but happy as I have survived......SO FAR

YUP and some scholar dude on the radio today said teaching children how to SPELL was a waste of time

[flaggship1]

1 - glad Ramblin isn't King LOL

2 - I stamp my money


3 Devine Right of Kings - and ruled by the money class is a good part of why we're here in the first place, have the system and constitutiion we have. Wasn't that on the video? Should have been. Maybe a question like - have you ever heard the words All Men are Created Equal and if so Where is it written?

[Ramblin]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

1 - glad Ramblin isn't King LOL

2 - I stamp my money
Attachment 43634

3 Devine Right of Kings - and ruled by the money class is a good part of why we're here in the first place, have the system and constitutiion we have. Wasn't that on the video? Should have been. Maybe a question like - have you ever heard the words All Men are Created Equal and if so Where is it written?

I knew I'd draw some flak, rightfully so, that is a pretty radical position. I love to stir the pot for the sake of lively debate. Your point is well taken, however the opposite situation is likely to be just as bad, and is where we are going.

Your quote, of course, comes from the declaration of independence, and is my favorite quote, because it encapsulates so well the intentions of the founding fathers. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So little attention to the Constitution is paid by our current royalty.

So... is it your position that, maybe, pre-teens should have the vote as well? If not, why? Are they not also equal?

[so47]

Originally Posted by Ramblin

If I were king, I'd make some changes to the voting process:

1. No one under the age of 35 gets to vote. This will ensure that the majority of the people electing our leaders have some life experience outside of the ideological environment of college.

2. The ballot is part of the tax return. You vote every year. At the end of 4 years, the ballots are tallied. Winner is determined at that time. This ensures that A) only those who contribute to our society by paying taxes get to choose our leaders, and B) incumbents are constantly being evaluated on the job they're doing, instead of just during election years.

3. Incumbents don't campaign, the job they are doing IS their campaign, and challengers campaigning is limited to talking about themselves and the job they'll do. No negative campaigning. Annual debates at tax time WILL allow candidates to challenge each other's positions.

4. For every $20,000 paid in taxes, your vote counts another time, up to three. This ensures that those who are contributing most, have the most say.

5. Term limits for ALL elected officials.

Please give me a moment to put on my asbestos shorts before replying.

1) sorry, calling bs. Full-time college on the g.i. Bill while helping to raise my family and work a 40+hour job left little room for an " ideological environment ". (22yoa)
2) sorry, calling half a loaf of bs, half edible goodness. Vote on the tax return is pure genius since it leads to B. But even people well below the poverty line pay taxes every day. And unless you make less than, what?, $600, you have to file? And if you are poor and don't file, you lose any chance at the EIC?
3) love this
4) although my gut tells me that, barring other factors such as luck and inheriting the wealth of others, a case could be made for smarter than the rest = success , it has no direct connection to anything else important such as caring for others, the planet we share, etc. It feels a bit medieval to me. I would rather see a very basic I.q test to allow eligibility to vote. Does that make me an elitist? So be it. Besides, the wealthy already have the political process in their pocket. This would only make a bad thing worse. Good lord, I hope none of my English teachers see that humongous run on sentence .
5) why in the world hasn't this happened yet?

And after getting "pancake face" several times while repairing steam valves for the USN, back in the day when asbestos was just insulation and not a worry to life or health, I'd think twice or maybe three times about wrapping it around my joy sack if I where you.

[CLIFFTALL]

Ok. We're not going to let this turn into a political debate. It's against our rules to discuss politics unless they pertain to RV'ing. Lets get back on topic , please.
Thanks
Cliff

[texkayaker]

I will be 76 next month if I make it. I am a high school drop out. I never stopped reading, life has been very good to me. I do not think that they picked out the un informed to make this video. It has been my experience that folks now have very little knowledge. I did get a good background in the years I was in school, learned more when I volunteered for the army. Cannot understand why anyone would not search for knowledge.

[baraff]

Originally Posted by Davdeb1

\

The location of North Korea, Iran, and what is Gettysburg will do nothing for most of these young people trying to get a job or survive on the streets. There are so many bright, educated, wonderful young people out there. They are going to be in control, and they will do a good job.

This disturbs me for one reason; it ignores the fact that we keep making the same mistakes over, and over, and over again. True, ignoring what Gettyburg or the Civil War was all about, or the causes leading up to our two world wars, or other "not relevant" history may not affect the younger generation's ability to get and hold a decent job. HOWEVER, we are doomed to repeat these awful times in our history if they are not brought to the forefront. Take the Holocaust for instance, or 911, there are actually people in their 30's and 40's who believed these things never happened or were contrived for some political reason.
I worked with a guy, very knowlegable in computers and networking technologies, certs up the wazoo in his field, who was convinced that the 1969 moon landing was contrived and filmed somewhere in New Mexico, and that the WTC building collapses on 9/11/2001 were an inside job. I couldn't make this stuff up!
This is why we have to teach "irrelevant" history.