There was a time when the stupid and the ignorant knew their places.

[bulloney]

There have always been stupid and ignorant people, but, at least where I live, they kept to themselves for fear they would be shouted down and humiliated.

Now, they feel emboldened and they're not afraid of displaying it.

I recently had some heated discussions with two BILs from each side of the family. Both are hard-core RW for whatever reason. With the first BIL, he and another BIL were on one of their rants about Obama and his socialistic agenda and how it will destroy the country because the private sector is inherently superior to anything the government attempts to do. Here's the kicker: He works for GM. When I pointed out to him that his employer was on the brink of bankruptcy and the government had to bail them out to keep them from having a meltdown, all he could do was try to rationalize that that was different and GM really didn't need the bailout and anything else he could pull out of his ass.

The second BIL and his wife have lived off the taxpayers their entire lives. Every time we have a family event, he goes on one of this RW, anti-socialism, anti-Democrat, anti-Obama rants. They regularly send me e-mails with these types of messages. He was a municipal employee; she was a public school teacher. Both are retired and living off of their taxpayer-funded retirement programs. The BIL has since acquired a another job with the county engineer, meaning he's drawing a taxpayer-funded paycheck while drawing from his taxpayer-funded retirement. Things got ugly when I tactfully pointed this out. We haven't spoken since.

It's these incidents, along with the illiterates waving their misspelled signs at teabagging rallies, appearing on TV and radio programs and displaying their ignorance out in the open anywhere they can.

I think the over-saturation of RW talk shows is a big factor in this. These people feel like they have a leader that is leading their cases to the rest of the world, even though they're blatant hypocrites.

[Warpy]

1. It all goes back to Rousseau and his bullshit glorification of

the Noble Savage, a creature that has never existed anywhere in the history of the earth.

They honestly believe there is something vital and glorious in a mind untouched by the centuries of human wisdom found in books, a mind that is advertised to be far more open to that most uncommon of qualities, common sense.

They're fools, of course.

[3waygeek]

21. It goes all the way back to the book of Genesis...

remember that Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden for eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

[leftofcool]

2. Teachers live off tax payers?

I was a teacher and I earned every dime of my salary, as well, I paid in 8% of my own salary every month just so I would have a retirement check. The district matched it with only 2%. Tell me again how I am living off the tax payers.

[bulloney]

4. Where I live, our schools are funded by local property and income taxes and state & federal money.

And you can try to rationalize that you contributed 8% of your paycheck toward your retirement, but where did that money originate? The taxpayers. And where did the employer contribution originate? The taxpayers.

Enlighten me and explain how your schools are funded. Did you work for a public school?

[leftofcool]

7. So do cops, firemen, city workers, librarians etc........

but we are all just living off the taxpayers aren't we? You must work for Rand Paul. He says the same thing.

[bulloney]

10. My point is, if you're going to go on some anti-social spending rampage

because your were inspired by Limbaugh or somebody, look at the mirror. Try to understand that you may be guilty of what you're showboating about.

I have nothing against publicly-funded teachers, fire departments, police departments, etc. They're good for the overall society. But, don't act like you're some rugged individual, self-made person who did it all yourself. I've found that these kinds of people have benefited more from public funding than anyone.

[athenasatanjesus]

5. Obviously Teachers Earn their money

The point the OP was making is where does that money come from.

[leftofcool]

8. We don't 'Live off taxpayers.'

That repuke meme has been around for ever

[stray cat]

11. Medical research is sponsored mainly by the NIH - tax payer funded

that means my job is largely dependent on tax payer money. I assume public employees employed by the state government also rely on tax payers - is that incorrect?

[never cry wolf]

29. teachers DO live off taxpayer money

and it is NOT a RW meme. There is no dishonor in working for taxpayer money. I do not and have not, but I vote YES on every educational referendum because I know spending money on education helps us all. Educators are very important and deserve to be paid so my district can keep the best.

[DavidDvorkin]

3. That must have been back when a man's word was his bond

and all children were obedient.

[Cleita]

6. I just don't want them to run for office.

Couldn't part of registering to run for office also involve an IQ test? Half the politicians in this country's history wouldn't have qualified if that were the case.

[alsame]

12. +1. Comedic value aside, it's shocking that people as

ignorant as Palin and Sharon Angle are taken seriously by anyone.

[Cleita]

13. But the problem is that they are.

They have been coached in using the right bumper sticker on an issue to appeal to the ignorance, racism, sexism or fear of their moronic constituency to get their vote. Behind every Palin and Angle there is a puppet master and that entity comes from a special interest. A smart candidate would see through the fact they are being used and hopefully wouldn't allow it once they caught on.

[alsame]

14. True, the puppet masters manipulate the ignorant candidates (who

make a lot of money) to garner the votes of ignorant voters.

How do we break this cycle with 24/7 media propaganda propping these people up as viable candidates?

[Cleita]

16. Election and campaign finance reform, however, we have

been talking about it since Bush was selected and yet nothing has been done. What anvil do we have to drop on the toes of our politicians to get their attention and make them to do it?

[alsame]

18. I doubt campaign finance reform will happen - most of the

GOP and too many Dems like the system the way it is.

[Cleita]

19. I have to agree that most likely you are right. n/t

[mwb970]

15. It's the greedy leading the stupid to work against their own interests (and ours).

So this is how America goes down? Overrun by an army of the stupid? What an ignominious end.

[asdjrocky]

9. You can thank Bill Clinton and-

TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACT OF 1996 for much of the idiocy that passes as news now.

http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=uspolicyt

See, it's to the benefit of tptb to keep us dumb, and when tptb are allowed to own all the stations, then they put out dumb crap.

Mission accomplished.

[ladywnch]

17. they still know their place.....with rethugs and tea baggers. n/t

[felix_numinous]

20. It's different if you're ignorant and you know you're ignorant.

Then I suppose you would have some humility, which requires self awareness.

The news is disseminated with the sole purpose of channeling fear toward a target group, and bypasses all need for self reflection, or rationalization. Blame feeds on a sense of inferiority, which then results in a false sense of entitlement.

I am convinced the fear media enables the most vulnerable people to stay in their most primitive mindset--reptilian mind of fight or flight.

Adrenaline eclipses the ability to think, and shunts blood away from the head into the extremities, where thinking is actually impossible. (Just read that in a great book-Crucial Conversations, by Patterson...:) )Interesting, huh. In this book, they say you have to calm someone down first in order to have the best chance of a dialogue, then it goes on from there. Great book so far.

[DonCoquixote]

22. Sadly

Both left and right produce this BS. I keep hearing so called leftists her demonize technology all the time, or, a popular theme on here lately "College is worthless". I have seen Luddites want to return to some myth of noble tribal life, or those Good old days" when the Unions supposedly made sure everybody had great pay at those factory jobs. Of course, the fact that if you were not a white male, those were not "happy days."

[red red red]

23. Well, look at society...

people think nothing of walking around with pants riding below their shorts, blouses dipped to the waist showing deep deep cleavage, cheeks showing from beneath short shorts and tattoo's all over their bodies including their faces. Teens look up to Lady Ga Ga and performers who make no attempt at 'looking pretty' - It just seems like the worse they can make themselves, the better they like it. My point is that society is such that the more 'outstanding' you look, the more attention you get, and thats what matters to them. I think thats true of idiots like Palin, Bachmann, Rush, Beck, etc. The more stupid they sound, the better they like it - and, don't they get attention! They're not thinking that someday their grandchildren are going to see this or hear of this and say "Grandma, you said this?" - T just think that they think they are cute and past that, they do not care. The sad part is that the country is suffering for this. Oh yes, we are suffering for this because when all is said and done, there is only so much time to get things done and they are wasting it big time - for all of us. They are grabbing the attention of the lesser-read people and causing so much havoc - Oh, yes, we are paying for it. Hope you guys understand what I mean - and no, I'm not belittling Lady Ga Ga or any other entertainer! JMO

[depakid]

24. "I think the over-saturation of RW talk shows is a big factor in this. "

You'd be absolutely correct.

Once upon a time, there were repercussions and consequences for outright lies and crazy talk- people would be blackballed from the industry and stations that aired them were accountable through various regulations to the public interest standard.

Now days, it's to the point where nearly anything goes and citizens can't even agree on what basic and objective facts are (much less tune into honest and responsible analysis of the issues).

How such a nation deals with the challenges of the 21st Century is quite beyond me.

[Curmudgeoness]

25. And it goes without saying that this furnishes the idiots with leaders.

People who can tell them what to think and more importantly, how to argue that point.

[depakid]

26. Interestingly enough, many of the tactics that the hosts use are on display right here every day!

[HopeHoops]

27. They still do - it is called FOX now.

[treestar]

28. Definitely.

Rush Limbaugh started it, and Faux Noise underscored it.