America drops in Corruption rankings

[gimpy117]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-sli...21040.html?x=0
yeah too bad the average US citizen has known this for some time

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

yeah too bad the average US citizen has known this for some time

Carlin makes a great point.

[Wolfehunter]

Very true Ducimus

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Carlin makes a great point.

+1 makes you think. I wonder if I should vote for a candidate who hasn't taken corporate money

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Carlin makes a great point.

Yeah a great artist but sadly also a CTer:

[tater]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Carlin makes a great point.

I disagree with that pretty much entirely (his point about education).

Education fails in the US pretty much entirely due to parents. Involved parents raise more educated kids. Period. Private schools do better not because they are better, not because the kids are smarter, but because the schools select for involved parents (via expensive tuition). That's why "charter" or other public school "choice" facilities have better outcomes. They select for parents that give a crap enough to jump through the hoops to get their kids in the "better" school. The school in question is only "better" because it is filled with kids who have parents that want their kids to learn.

The "bad" schools often have far more dollars spent per student, too. The trouble is the kids are from criminal or single parent homes (likely not divorced, but a "never married mom" who might have kids in the hosue with more than one bio-dad). THAT is the education problem in the US.

This entirely explains the success of middle class school systems (like suburban CT where I went to school). The schools are not better because the towns are "rich" (they ARE rich), they are better because the kind of people that become rich overwhelmingly value education, and the bulk of the kids at school have absorbed this mindset growing up without even realizing it. They don't need private schools, etc, because the "culture" of academic success is already there.

Carlin's diatribe on education is entirely misplaced, IMHO.

[Ducimus]

Carlin is... or rather, was, a comedian at the end of the day. Something to keep in mind. I thought he went a little overboard with the education comments, But he did make *some* good points once in awhile. Like, who really owns and runs this country, and the only reason why we put up with them, is the idea that we might become rich too. The American dream.

Through hard work, and dedication, we might make it big too. That's the American dream isn't it? The equal opportunity to succeed? I find myself credulous at that idea so long as the system is being manipulated by special interests, and corporate dollars. It's all bought, sold and paid for. Hence, the more noticeable corruption in our system as the linked article suggests.

[tater]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

+1 makes you think. I wonder if I should vote for a candidate who hasn't taken corporate money

Post a list of every single one running in the US for some significant office.

^^^ not kidding, should be easy to type, there are unlikely to be more than a handful (if even that many)

[Takeda Shingen]

Corruption in politics? Shocking.

Corruption when Democrats hold two of three branches of government...shocking!

[Takeda Shingen]

Right. Because politics was the free and clean land of happy bunnies prior to 2006.

Right. Past misdeededs justify current misdeeds.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by The Third Man

Right. Past misdeededs justify current misdeeds.

Right. Pretending that one side is the sole purveryor of political corruption is realistic and sensible.

Right. Which is why the Tea Party movement is so influential.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Right. Pretending that one side is the sole purveryor of political corruption is realistic and sensible.

That's pretty much what the Nevada election fraud thread is all about. Why I said, "god you guys are hilarious". Each side downplaying their own BS while casting a spotlight on the others. This hard line partisanship is one big circle jerk, with people who are genuinely moderate and/or impartial as the pivot man.