Science: What Makes People Stupid?

[SubwayGuy]

I think Keynes works, but not as many think. I think recovery plans as part of keynesian economics don't work, but monetary policy and interventions into labor markets, because this has worked and people who say that it does not work often do not know that it has worked for them and that without that policy the economic situation would be more worse than currently. For example, we in Germany had a labor market recovery programm called "Kurzarbeit", which means that the government gives companies money to hold the employees during the economic downturn. Because of this programm our unemployment rate is the lowest for 20 years and nobody has to use this no longer, because it has helped the economy really fast out of recession. The growth rate last year was about 3% here. It has worked so good, that he gov. deficit will be lower than 3% this year. Monetary managment is needed, because nobody takes a credit if the interest rates are high during a crisis.

 

Keynesian monetary policy is inherently flawed. The model begins with a central bank. In the United States, the central bank is a privately owned huge corporation with the name "Federal" in it. However it is largely owned by foreign powers. It does what it wants and acts with near impunity and has a monopoly on not only the printing of our currency but also therefore its value. It is unchecked and has profited off the American taxpayers for decades. The Constitution itself stated that money was only to be printed by the Department of the Treasury, not a private bank owned by rich billionaires the world over. The founding fathers understood what happens when banking and government got too intertwined in Europe in the 1700's. The American colonies were asked to pay their debts for them "taxation without representation."

 

Keynesian policies also believe in a large government. Government should be moderate at most, and pick its battles. Excessive interference in affairs exposes the government (and therefore the taxpayers) to deficits which are debts for future generations with programs that may or may not be effective since they are "catch all" solutions rather than crafted to meet the unique demands of each crisis.

 

The stimuli here have done virtually nothing because they were badly designed. Idiots will claim the bailouts "stopped the credit markets from seizing" but what you really saw was just the end of a necessary market correction. Things would have reset by themselves anyway. The only bailout that worked as intended was the auto industry, a mere pittance compared to what the banks got (and stole).

[East New York]

The stimuli here have done virtually nothing because they were badly designed. Idiots will claim the bailouts "stopped the credit markets from seizing" but what you really saw was just the end of a necessary market correction. Things would have reset by themselves anyway. The only bailout that worked as intended was the auto industry, a mere pittance compared to what the banks got (and stole).

 

That's actually not true. The stimulus actually created millions of jobs and projects. It is to this day funding massive transit and infrastructure projects, including SAS, bus purchases, and coutless others.

 

The non transit, infrastructure, and other grant programs really don't count either because they were loans which are being repaid. All the bailouts won't come out of our pockets like the republicans wasnt people to believe. Most of the money has already been paid back anyway.

[SubwayGuy]

That's actually not true. The stimulus actually created millions of jobs and projects. It is to this day funding massive transit and infrastructure projects, including SAS, bus purchases, and coutless others.

 

It did successfully create a temporary windfall of temporary jobs. But now those jobs are going away again. Projects get finished and new orders get finished. It's a bandaid that hides and fails to correct the real problem which is the loss of a sustainable economy in this country. That's the one thing no one in office seems to care or be able/willing to do anything about.

 

The non transit, infrastructure, and other grant programs really don't count either because they were loans which are being repaid. All the bailouts won't come out of our pockets like the republicans wasnt people to believe. Most of the money has already been paid back anyway.

 

And a lot of those loans won't get paid back. The banks have one of the worst records with this. The AIG bailout was basically a humongous HANDOUT to Gubbermint...I mean...Goldman Sachs, the taxpayers will never get any of that back.

[SubwayGuy]

*cough* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman *cough*

 

Nice try, but no.

 

True conservatives are a rare and dying breed. The Tea Party only cares about God, gays, guns, and opposing Obama. They don't have any real solutions for fixing things, nor do they hold traditional conservative values of upholding social order while backing a strong dollar and maintaining a non-interventionist stance.

 

Since they believe in the expansion of, and even additional unnecessary wars in other countries, they cannot be considered true conservatives. They are just more do gooders who think they can find a better use for your money than you can.

 

The difference is, they align themselves with the banks and big business. So that makes them the worst of both of the main rival Dem/Rep parties rolled into one.

[East New York]

It did successfully create a temporary windfall of temporary jobs. But now those jobs are going away again. Projects get finished and new orders get finished. It's a bandaid that hides and fails to correct the real problem which is the loss of a sustainable economy in this country. That's the one thing no one in office seems to care or be able/willing to do anything about.

 

 

 

And a lot of those loans won't get paid back. The banks have one of the worst records with this. The AIG bailout was basically a humongous HANDOUT to Gubbermint...I mean...Goldman Sachs, the taxpayers will never get any of that back.

 

Not according to what I have seen. Everybody appears to be paying them back. And AIG owns ILFC. They have been making money as well. Now the airline bailout was a huge handout!

[Joel Up Front]

As much as I want to see a proper SAS, those annoying ass NIMBYs will bring it down... if the M15 had its own lane with no traffic at all, it'd be a lot faster.

[lilbluefoxie]

As much as I want to see a proper SAS, those annoying ass NIMBYs will bring it down... if the M15 had its own lane with no traffic at all, it'd be a lot faster.

 

i wish theyd bring down the ESA

[B35 via Church]

Upon reading the thread title, I was expecting something of a biological nature....

"left brain" vs "right brain".... genetics...

 

somethin along those lines, I suppose....

 

 

ah well, on to the next one....

[PopsicleXGirl]

this chart has been used before in 2004 (slight variations in IQ numbers on this one though) and has already been debunked, as the average IQ columns were completely fabricated. the book that the IQ statistics were supposedly cited from, "IQ and the Wealth of Nations", has no such data regarding average state IQ levels. read below:

 

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_voter_iq.htm

 

Comments: The data charted above, which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the U.S. presidential election of 2004, would appear to confirm an elitist supposition held by some on the left - namely that Bush supporters are dumber than Kerry supporters.

 

There's just one problem: the numbers in the "Average IQ" column were fabricated. No such data exists.

 

As it happens, the same figures were bandied about earlier that year in reference to 2000's Bush/Gore election, and discredited in short order. Then, as now, it was claimed that the numbers purporting to represent average IQ by state came from a book entitled "IQ and the Wealth of Nations." However, one of its authors, Richard Lynn, stated that the book contains no such data.

 

luckily for you, being gullible isn't necessarily the same as being stupid, or else i'd have to ask.......... who's the stupid one now?

 

p.s. i bet if the chart depicted liberals as being "stupid", the liberals would be up and arms stating how the chart is bogus because standardized testing, such as IQ tests, are inaccurate and biased. yadda yadda yadda. now THAT would have been interesting.

[East New York]

There was a chart that was similar to this that I saw on tv in 2010. I'm not sure about this one, but I remember then comparing several different factors. IQ, education records, and something else. Don't know about the 2004 stuff you speak of.

[Grand Concourse]

To continue his constant theme of bashing America at every chance he gets.

 

Yup, sadly true. I think he has too much time on his hands digging up pointless data just to piss the rest of us off. I could somewhat understand if he was American himself, but it seems more like European elitism at best.

I'll leave it at that.