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Trump’s Biggest Flaw: He’s Dumb

Let the shit throwing commence. Is Trump dumb?

Guest Post by Steve Chapman

Donald Trump has many serious flaws, including incorrigible dishonesty, rampant narcissism, contempt for women and a fashion sense that makes him think that hairstyle is flattering. But nothing compares to his most prominent, crippling and incurable defect: He’s dimmer than a 5-watt bulb.

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U.S. Kids Keep Getting Dumber; Ranked 31st Of 35 Developed Nations In Math, New Study Reveals

Tyler Durden's picture

The U.S. Department of Education has just released it’s latest ranking of international education systems (Program for International Student Assessment – “PISA”) and performance of U.S. students just continues to deteriorate on both absolute and relative terms.

Perhaps it’s time to have a real conversation about the complete failure of “Common Core” and the idiocy of allowing teachers’ unions to hold our children hostage while hiding behind ridiculous contracts that grant tenure after 6 months and make it impossible to fire underperformers.  Just a thought for the incoming Trump administration.

The Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss summed up the problems nicely:

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Education — All Bubble and No Champagne

champagne

Education in the United States is a disgrace. Education is all bubble and no champagne. It should be viewed as one of the biggest tragedies ever imposed by government, perhaps even including the violence of war.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, there is an opportunity in this post. Make yourself a lot of money while making most of the country very happy.

Government runs education like it runs everything else — terribly. Whatever government “fixes” it makes worse!  It mucks things up at all levels. Education is an easily demonstrated government example of ineptness that need not be.

The tragedy of the education system is that it destroys lives. Generations of poor are condemned to stay poor without proper education. Schools in poor neighborhoods are sub-standard, guaranteeing no escape. This outcome is considered political collateral damage. Politicians, especially Democrats, find it politically expedient to write off lives to placate constituents. Some say creating more ignorant people is good for the political class.

education_notA Long Time Ago

I recall having a discussion with a school-board member over forty years ago in Upstate New York. Yes, the education problem was apparent then and has only gotten much worse. She was excited about the reforms that the local school board was adopting.

After listening to her enthusiastic litany of changes, I explained that similar changes had been heralded for the prior twenty years with the intent of “fixing” things. Similar reforms had produced no results except a continuing downtrend in educational metrics. I opined that the simple mission of education was to educate and that this mission was compromised by all the tertiary functions that schools and teachers were burdened with. She agreed that education/learning was the primary and overriding objective.

Then we discussed some of the non-educational functions included in the laundry list of what schools were supposed to provide — indoctrination, homogenization, driver-ed., self-image enhancement, etc. etc. Agreement between us on these issues was more common than disagreement, although I was stubborn in my belief that elements in the new program addressed none of these.

Somewhat frustrated, she asked what it would take to convince me that schools were improving. I answered simply: “Sixteen year-olds in the fifth grade.”

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I TOLD YOU WE WERE DOOMED

Hat tip Robmu1

WTF are they teaching kids in school today? The fact that only 25% of those answering these questions got all three right makes me sick to my stomach. If you don’t graduate high school with the knowledge to get these three questions correct, then our educational system is a complete and utter failure. No wonder the government and bankers can get away with blatant fraud. The average person can’t add 3 + 6.

Most 20-somethings can’t answer these 3 financial questions. Can you?

Unsure

A new study finds that young Americans could use some help when it comes to managing their money.

Just in time for financial literacy month, a new San Diego State University study of young Americans has found that they are lacking when it comes to financial knowledge and behavior.

Out of these three questions measuring basic financial knowledge, the average respondent could answer only 1.8 correctly—and only a quarter got all three right. (Answers are at the bottom of this story.)

(1) Do you think that the following statement is true or false? Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.

(2) Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2% per year. After 5 years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow: More than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102?

(3) Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1% per year and inflation was 2% per year. After 1 year, would you be able to buy more than, exactly the same as, or less than today with the money in this account?

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ACED IT BITCHEZ!!!

We are a country of maroons. Pew Research conducted a survey of Americans last week regarding basic facts that every American should know about the world. It consisted of 12 questions. I got all 12 correct in the one minute it took me to complete the quiz. The results of the quiz on a national basis are mind boggling and confirms everything we think about the ignorant zombie masses staring at their iGadgets. Being connected doesn’t make you smart or aware of what is happening in the world.

Take the quiz by clicking HERE, before reading my comments.

Get a load of these results:

  • Only 1% of Americans got all 12 question correct. I made it into the 1%. Yippee!!!
  • 58% of Americans got less than 6 answers correct.
  • 33% of Americans got less than 4 answers correct. It’s a multiple choice quiz with only four options. You could guess randomly and get 3 answers correct.
  • Sorry women. Men answered 11 of the 12 questions more accurately than women.
  • It does appear that college makes you smarter, but not necessarily smart.
  • Young people are dumb. Hysterically, the only question they aced was the level of the minimum wage. I guess they know that one because that’s what they are making, based upon their clear lack of intelligence.
  • Only 33% of Americans know the unemployment rate.
  • Only 20% of Americans know that Social Security is the highest spending item in the budget.
  • Only 20% of Americans know the poverty rate.
  • Only 24% of Americans know the name of the chairperson of the Federal Reserve.

The ignorance is breathtaking to behold. But, I bet that more than 75% of ignorant Americans know the name of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s bastard baby. If so few people know who runs the Federal Reserve, imagine how many Americans understand inflation and currency debasement. We are truly doomed. And we deserve everything we are going to get. We are a country of morons, run by morons, for morons. Morons unite.