American political ignorance in a new study

[Alcibiades429]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswee...mb-are-we.html

Basically, 38% of this country, more than enough to swing an election, cannot even pass a citizenship exam.

This is the true reason for anything wrong in our country. Exactly like Jefferson said.

[sumskilz]

In many European countries, parliaments have proportional representation

Wait, I thought Europe was a country like Africa.

[Sphere]

Wait, I thought Europe was a country like Africa

No, it is a Federation like China.


But as to the OP, I think we can safetly blame this on brown people and move on.

[Justice and Mercy]

But as to the OP, I think we can safetly blame this on brown people and move on.

The surveyor's stop just short of that.

"When surveys focus on well-off, native-born respondents, the U.S. actually holds its own against Europe."

[s.rwitt]

When you say China, are reffering to the monarchy or the theocracy? There are technically three Chinas you know...

[Sphere]

When you say China, are reffering to the monarchy or the theocracy? There are technically three Chinas you know...

Indo-china. The china next to Indiana.

[Border Patrol]

Is Paris a country then? I always hear people talking about it being a really romantic country to go to...

[Thorn777]

Who would have thought...

[magpie]

Hmm I thought she was a hot babe.

[Sphere]

Hmm I thought she was a hot babe.

You mean the talented actress?

[Derbiean]

You mean the talented actress?

She's not talented she was clearly faking it

[Inkie]

To bring this back on topic. I actually didn't find some of those questions all too obvious...

[Alcibiades429]

To bring this back on topic. I actually didn't find some of those questions all too obvious...

Then you don't deserve to vote.

[s.rwitt]

Indo-china. The china next to Indiana.

Ah. Apache country, isn't it?

[Sphere]

Ah. Apache country, isn't it?

What do helicopters have to do with this?

[s.rwitt]

It's the country where Apaches are made (by Indonesians)...why do I always have to spell everything out for you Sphere?

[s.rwitt]

Then you don't deserve to vote.

Yeah, let's take the vote away from those we deem uneducated. Can we take it away from the poor while we're at it?

[Alcibiades429]

Yeah, let's take the vote away from those we deem uneducated. Can we take it away from the poor while we're at it?

Are you seriously equating the two? Seriously?

Egalitarianism has its limits, its detrimental to a democracy to allow ignorant people to vote. Explain to me how it is not. Explain to me how it benefits a democracy to allow people who don't even know what the three branches of the government are to vote. It doesn't.

If you can't pass a citizenship test, you shouldn't get the rights of being a citizen. It hurts the rest of us.

Simple as that.

[s.rwitt]

Are you denying the link between poverty and undereducation?

Nothing is more detrimental to a democracy than stripping citizenship from people who haven't done anything wrong. Pretty simple concept really.

[Alcibiades429]

But poll after poll shows that voters have no clue what the budget actually looks like. A 2010 World Public Opinion survey found that Americans want to tackle deficits by cutting foreign aid from what they believe is the current level (27 percent of the budget) to a more prudent 13 percent. The real number is under 1 percent. A Jan. 25 CNN poll, meanwhile, discovered that even though 71 percent of voters want smaller government, vast majorities oppose cuts to Medicare (81 percent), Social Security (78 percent), and Medicaid (70 percent). Instead, they prefer to slash waste—a category that, in their fantasy world, seems to include 50 percent of spending, according to a 2009 Gallup poll.

Needless to say, it’s impossible to balance the budget by listening to these people. But politicians pander to them anyway, and even encourage their misapprehensions. As a result, we’re now arguing over short-term spending cuts that would cost up to 700,000 government jobs, imperiling the shaky recovery and impairing our ability to compete globally, while doing nothing to tackle the long-term fiscal challenges that threaten … our ability to compete globally.

Interesting.

Are you denying the link between poverty and undereducation?

Nothing is more detrimental to a democracy than stripping citizenship from people who haven't done anything wrong. Pretty simple concept really.

Who cares about the link! So just because they are poor and under educated we should allow them to vote? That sounds like a good solution to you? Really? As if allowing under educated people to vote will improve their situation?

I'm sorry, that's just nonsense. Sure it would be nice. But thats not reality. In reality when you let people like that vote, the only result is that TV ads end up deciding elections.

And by the way, I am not talking about ignorance in a general way, I am talking about not passing a bloody citizenship test.

So your saying someone should be able to fail a citizenship test and then vote on decisions that are life or death issues for millions of people. Thats the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life. I'm sorry.

You don't solve that sort of crisis by ignorant egalitarianism. You solve it by increasing the quality of education that poor people get. Not by allowing ignorant people of any class to vote.