Monday, July 8, 2013

Are We a Nation of Idiots?

Are We a Nation of Idiots?

Are We a Nation of Idiots?

Author
By Jim Yardley (Bio and Archives)  Sunday, July 7, 2013
Most people would respond to the question “Are you an idiot?” with a strongly negative answer, and depending on the specifics of the situation (and their blood alcohol level), might punctuate that response with a roundhouse shot to the questioner’s nose.
Yet your government acts every day with the expectation that your answer to that very same question would be in the affirmative, and not only agreeing with them that you are an idiot, you would also beg them to make decisions for you.
And the response of most people would be something along the lines of: “What? That’s ridiculous!  Why no one would admit to being an idiot, even if they actually were an idiot.  Their self-respect alone would demand that they deny any such implication!”
Really?

What other reason could explain the fact that Progressive/Democrats control the levers of power in the nation’s Senate and White House as well as many state and city governments?  What other reason could governments accept the abysmal performance of our public school system while rewarding unionized teachers for what is observably sub-standard performance?  What other reason could a majority of voters, in some places a large majority of voters in places such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boulder, and Chicago have to vote for governments that do things that are not simply idiotic, but border on the insane. 

What other reason, other than idiocy, can explain the election of governments that determine that baby formula should be kept under lock and key to encourage new mothers to breast feed their infants because clearly those mothers aren’t able to choose for themselves?  How about governments that demand that all restaurants explain to their patrons just how unhealthy their preferences in food really are?  Or governments threaten a seven year-old little girl for the heinous act of daring to set up a lemonade stand?  What of governments and elected officials that harp on “global warming” in the face of the fact that the planet hasn’t really warmed up in the past sixteen years?  Each example shows what these governments obviously think of their citizens’ intellectual abilities.
When most people are very small children, they can be distracted by shiny toys.  As they get older, they are expected to make value judgments themselves as to whether the shiny toys are worth changing their behavior.  As they make more and more correct choices, most parents forego offering shiny toys as a distraction, or as a reward for correct value judgments. 
All elected officials, whether Democrats or Republicans, operate on the basis that the citizens that they “represent” need to be given shiny toys all the time. Democrats are different only in that they are more successful in the effort to get the citizens to make the “correct value judgments”. i.e., to vote for them.
The political mantra of “Hey! Vote for me and you’ll get free stuff!” has worked well for a long, long time.  It’s the basis for Obamacare, unemployment insurance, welfare, food stamps (or whatever that’s being called currently) as well as a host of other nice sounding but woefully ineffective government programs.
So again, based on just election returns, it appears that we actually are a nation of idiots.  We have a majority of people that apparently follow at least a small part of the Bible. 
What part?  Why the story of Esau selling his birthright to his brother in exchange for a “mess of pottage”.  In exchange for a free cell phone, or staying home collecting benefits of one sort or another, we have given up any right to make our own choices, no matter how minor.  Like being able, without the aid of government oversight, to make our own choice about what kind of light bulb to use.
And how can the theory that we actually live in a nation that has a majority of voters who are idiots be disproven?
How about this?  What if we nominate some men and women who actually tell voters the bald truth? 
If they get elected, then the theory is wrong.  If, however, a Republicrat manages to get re-elected with the same old, tired mantra of “Hey! Vote for me and I’ll make sure you get free stuff!”, then the theory would seem to be valid. 
It would then also seem that the days of our Republic are numbered.

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