Thread: Some fun for the civic minded.......

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Same as Barb and Dave (78.79), and embarrassed when I looked at the ones I missed.

The chart comparing scores of the general public to those of elected politicians made me feel better about myself and worse about the doofusses (leaders?) we vote into office. I think it likely that very few people were surprised to find that to be the case!

I'd be curious to see another chart. One comparing scores achieved by those citizens who voted for the recent winning presidential candidate to the scores of those voting for his opponent .........

Thanks for posting it, Bob.


Jim

I always take multiple choice tests as a challenge. This one is pretty tough with a couple of real thinkers. I am sorry to miss some but I got 30/33=90%.
The amazing thing is that the public servants scored so low!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Big Tracks

I'd be curious to see another chart. One comparing scores achieved by those citizens who voted for the recent winning presidential candidate to the scores of those voting for his opponent .........
Jim

Not a chart Jim, a vid, not the same questions but similar awareness measure. I suspect if this same type of thing were done across the aisle the results might not be a whole lot better. Being uninformed seems to be a national pastime. I think this vid though does underscore how quickly media influence can propagandize people into "hating" (probably too strong a word) a previously unknown person.

It pains me to admit that my lovely daughter (she of the 160 I.Q.) and her husband came all the way from Dubai to Texas to vote for the candidate who prevailed in the election.

Wherein have I failed, Uncle Bob?

In most of the world outside outside the USA the most prevalent (and sometimes only) source of information(?) about what goes on in the states is CNN, and opinions are shaped accordingly.

'Nuff said?

I don't recall who it is that I am quoting, but I heard somebody say that "Now we have a president elected by the readers of People Magazine". A sad but true commentary.

Who cares what a prospective president's philosophies or values or goals are or whether he/she is of good character? As long as that person can make pretty speeches and is handsome or beautiful, now THAT'S what counts!

Thanks for the vid, Bob. I have sent it to some selected friends knowing full well that it won't change their thinking one damn bit.


Jim

I would imagine the same tape could have been made showing the same pathetic results had they interviewed McCain voters.... No more of an unbiased report then any other.... The people who make and produce the news stories can find someone to verify whatever it is they want verified by the "man on the street" interviews....

The amazing part to me is that whether it's on CNN, FOX, Bloomberg, or any of the other networks when people see it on TV or hear it on the radio, they regard what they hear as fact... Folks who are totally biased towards one party or the other can listen to the source most friendly towards the party they endorse and get their own opinions reinforced.....

To say that Obama was elected by the readers of People magazine is as irresponsible as saying that not enough readers of Guns and Ammo showed up at the polls to vote for McCain.....

The really pathetic part of the election this year was that McCain and Obama were the best choices either party could come up with!!!! Personally, I couldn't vote for either of them with a clear conscience......

I guess all I really forsee for the next 4 years is different day, same stuff.... I kept looking for a candidate who was of good charachter, reflected my views, wanted what was best for the entire country, and whose life reflected opinions and decisions based on a lot of common sense.....I didn't see that in either of the major party candidates.... I've resolved myself that all we'll see is 4 more years of one party blaming the other for all the world's ills, and nothing substantial being accomplished.....

The results of this test, as with many other such tests, can be twisted around and with the right spin can be used as statiscal "fact" for any point you want to "prove"......IMO it just shows how much some of us forgot from our civics lessons and maybe even how little the younger generations are being taught about how a government should operate....

[QUOTE=Dave Severson]I
The really pathetic part of the election this year was that McCain and Obama were the best choices either party could come up with!!!!

Of course you are correct, Dave. I can't disagree with this statement at all and I can't totally disagree with anything else you say. Having to decide which person to vote for on the basis of which one would be WORSE is enough to make a person consider taking the gas hose.

As to the prospect of "Next four years - different day, same stuff", well, frankly I'd settle for that when I consider my own fairly simple life style and the increasing barrage of restrictions, limitations, taxes to fund causes and projects in which I have zero interest (along with no power to counteract) ..... aw, you know.

Case in point: We in our semi-rural area were just told that we have to go on the city sewage system. Now truthfully, I don't give a big damn where the stuff goes when when I flip that lever, so in that respect my life won't be complicated in any way, BUT ...... we'll have to shell out an "impact fee" of only $7,500 for the privilege, and in addition to that we are responsible for rerouting sewer lines out of the house and down to the road and diisabling two functioning septic tanks. I haven't yet gotten up the guts to find out what that little detail will set us back.

What have I done, Dave! I jumped into an interesting discussion and turned it into a rant about sewage disposal!

And all under the auspices of a HOT ROD WEBSITE. Sorry 'bout that.

Back to the subject. Would you know if there is any "bailout" money available to aging hot rodders who happen to not have $7,500?


Jim

I managed a "B" 81.82. I am pleased that the ones I got right I knew the answer too and most of the ones I missed were ones I had to guess at. I figured all you old farts would know what Socrates and Plato would think. As promised it was some fun on a slow day before Thanksgiving.... So do you know who declared that Thanksgiving would be on the 4th Thursday of Novemeber and which president attempted to move it to the 3rd Thursday in order to stimulate pre Christmas shopping?

Pat

Uncle Bob, thanks for the video. I'm underwhelmed. Agree with Dave that you could probably get the same answers from Republicans in the waiting line.

Facts are, in my opinion....
1. The election process is broken.
2. There are people voting who have no business getting near a polling place.

The entire process was lost in the primaries. There were many good candidates on both sides who should have been finalists, but were not. The American public allowed the two worst candidates that I can remember in my lifetime to win the nominations of their parties.

I'm sure the founding fathers could not have foreseen how this would all turn out. When the country was founded, voters were aware of the issues because it was in their best interest to know. These were farmers and business people, landowners and taxpayers, people who had something to lose by the way they cast their vote. People who had to worry about the country and about the people they chose to govern it. And I'm sorry Barb, but women stayed home and did the cooking, ironing, sewing and looking after the children. They did not vote. The founding fathers apparently knew that women are more emotional than logical and therefore wrote the laws accordingly. I'll admit that there are some scatter-brained men out there who should not be voting either, but you never hear them say "I voted for him because he's handsome" or "I didn't vote for him because he's ugly" like I have heard women say.

The Republicans had the best candidate I've seen in decades, Mitt Romney. Why didn't he make it? Mormon? Yeah, like that makes sense, toss him out so a black muslim can get elected. Insane. Unfixable. Done. Last one out, turn out the lights.

I passed, 27/33(81.8), but I sure didn't do as well as I thought I should have - gotta shake out the cowebs -

Interesting quiz. I did 30 out of 33 or 90% . I found the "discussion" and video more interesting. I'll have to agree with most of you and wonder how we ended up with those choices for our highest office! It was more like a soap opera, I can see it now "The Old & The Pretty"..... boy did we get hosed! I guess it's time to quit work and let the pretty boy and his government redistribution of wealth come my way. Oh wait, I'll never get a bailout either!