TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Americans Can't Have It Both Ways

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOHN REINIERS, More Than Words

Hernando Today

Published: October 30, 2008

We have a big city crisis in high school graduation rates with some cities less than 50-50. "Dropout" cities are strongholds of the Democratic Party. Bill Gates — a college dropout — tells us that U.S. high schools are obsolete.
The average American reads at a seventh-grade school level. The average Latino immigrant has a fifth-grade education. Thirty-five percent of entering college freshman need remedial classes in such basics as Math and English. Less than half of our college seniors know that the Battle of Yorktown ended the Revolutionary War — which we won.
Furthermore, 50.4 percent of college freshmen flunked a simple civics test. Now get this: 54.5 percent college seniors flunked the same civics test! And 35 percent of Democrats surveyed believe 9/11 was an inside job orchestrated by George Bush. Lee Hamilton, vice-chairman of the 9/11 Commission, says the results of their investigation revealed just that sentiment!
Yet average voters nevertheless think they are politically savvy. We are patronized routinely by politicians who say on any given issue, "The American people are smarter than that" when they want our vote. (Did the average voter really know what that $700 billion rescue package was for? Or that $100 billion in pork was tacked on by Senate Democrats?)
"The American Voter" concluded 50 years ago that Americans were totally uninformed on the issues, and knew next to nothing about politics. "The American Voter Revisited," a 2000 and 2004 survey, concluded that American voters "think essentially ... the same way they did 50 years ago."
"No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." So said H.L Menckin (1882-1956), journalist, critic and editor. Americans are no fans of intelligent people. Even as late as the 1960s, IQ tests started to fall out of favor, partially because they were considered culturally insensitive. In fact, in 1964, the New York City Board of Education (my hometown) did away with the test entirely, and other cities followed. I guess dropping out of high school was the "in" thing — reason and intelligence was "out."
Howard Stern, libertarian, and America's premier shock jock, commissioned an Obama supporter "man on the street" voter survey in New York City, where citizens are as strident and loyal to Democrats as the Wehrmacht was to Adolph Hitler. The interviewer substituted John McCain's platform for Obama's.
Here are some questions to the first of three Obama supporters: "Obama or McCain?" ANSWER: "Obama." QUESTION: "Now what don't you like about McCain?" ANSWER: "McCain seems to not know what he is doing right now." QUESTION: "Are you more for Obama because he is pro-life or because he thinks our troops should stay in Iraq and finish this war?" ANSER: "I think it's because ... finish the war." QUESTION: "How about as far as him being pro-life? Do you support him in that cause?" ANSWER: "Yeah, I do..." QUESTION: "And if he wins, do you have any problem with Sarah Palin being his V.P.?" ANSWER: "No, I wouldn't. Not at all."
Part of the next interview: QUESTION: "Obama or McCain?" ANSWER: "Obama." QUESTION: "Obama says he is anti-stem cell research. How do you feel about that?" ANSWER: "I wouldn't do that either. I am anti-stem cell research." QUESTION: "If Obama wins do you mind Sarah Palin as V.P." ANSWER: No... No, I don't."
And finally, part of the last interview. After saying that she is an Obama supporter: "Do you support Obama more because he is pro-life, or because he says our troops should stay in Iraq?" ANSWER: "I guess both." QUESTION: "And if Obama wins, do you have any trouble with Sarah Palin being his V.P.?" ANSWER: "Nope." QUESTION: "Do you think she will do a good job?" ANSWER: "Yes." QUESTION: "Are you glad he asked her to be V.P.?" ANSWER: "Yes."
Remember the college seniors who flunked the civics test? Then who are these guys in New York City? High school dropouts or college seniors?

John Reiniers, a regular columnist for Hernando Today, lives in Spring Hill.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT