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Who said anything about communism? The French revolution was ultimately a huge success that robbed countless monarchies of their power. Instead of requiring t

Who said anything about communism? The French revolution was ultimately a huge success that robbed countless monarchies of their power. Instead of requiring teachers to slave away on wall street before they teach, we should just pay them for every pupil who goes to them. Let's organize society based on simple scientific observations instead of having faith in the superrich masters of the world. Your faith in the superrich reminds me of an evangelical Christian having faith in their god regardless of how bankrupt that god has shown himself to be. It's time society arranged itself according to the wisdom of the scientists instead of the authoritarian superrich and their evangelical slaves.

tsotha 15y ago
>Let's organize society based on simple scientific observations instead of having faith in the superrich masters of the world. Just out of curiosity... who do you intend should make these "simple scientific observations"?
- georgieporgie 15y ago
  Well, probably scientists. I'd rather that we, as a nation, consult with experts (for example, social scientists and really good educators), come up with a ten year plan, and execute on that plan consistently. If the plan works, great, if not, tune it and execute another iteration. Sort of like glacial-paced Agile for governments. Instead, what we have now is mostly a bunch of "common sense" stuff that really means status quo, which gets disrupted every single time a politician comes into office, anywhere.
  - nradov 15y ago
    How naive, to believe that anointed technocrats could somehow make better resource allocation decisions than the free market.
  - olalonde 15y ago
    You have just more or less described how the Chinese government operates.
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
  - anamax 15y ago
    > I'd rather that we, as a nation, consult with experts (for example, social scientists and really good educators), come up with a ten year plan, and execute on that plan consistently. Good for you, but what's actually likely to happen? I note that the department of education can do those things today, or 20 years ago, but didn't. What makes you think that this time will be different?
    - forensic 15y ago
      Good question. The Deptartment of Education is controlled by the power elite and by the masses who elected stupid represetatives. The issue is democracy - better called dumbocracy. Rule by the dumb. In a democracy, the government at best can be as good as the lowest common denominator. The next step from democracy is meritocracy. People with demonstrated intellectual and proven-track-record merit should be allowed to vote in their field of expertise. So if Khan and John Taylor Gatto have demonstrated that they are better educators than the DOE, then they have more voting power. The principle of meritocracy is that more votes should go to those with demonstrated merit. Right now the government is controlled by a combination of stupid people voting for emotional gratification and the power elite manipulating the stupid people for personal profit. Take away voting rights from those with no merit and give the rights to those with demonstrated merit. The education system is a tremendous challenge and the first step is to STOP listening to the idiots who have failed, and start listening to the people who have succeeded. Since idiots never know they are idiots, we must forcibly remove their power by removing their ability to vote and certainly by barring them from ever being elected. Instead of fatalistic laissez-faire capitalism that inevitably leads to a new aristocracy, let's work on creating a functioning meritocracy where those with logic and scientifically demonstrated merit are given the power. In particular, their votes should have greater weight. Don't let the dumb drive DoE policy. Instead let all university educated people vote on DoE leadership after taking a basic exam proving their knowledge. When we recognize that the Christian fascists (for instance) are pushing an illegitimate social model - fascism - it becomes a moral imperative for us to disempower them. The rational way to do this is by highlighting their lack of merit and highlighting the merit of the educated, intelligent, rational people. I'm not saying it's a simple solution but good solutions are not simple. A good solution takes work and is going to be messy. But what other option is there? Let the country slip into corporate feudalism? The dumbocracy must end and be replaced by some form of meritocracy.
- tsotha 15y ago
  "Social scientists and educators"? That's what I want to do - entrust my future to people who were too dumb to do anything that involves math.
  - forensic 15y ago
    Social science is based on statistics and philosophy. You betray your ignorance. Right now you are entrusting your future to Rupert Murdoch and the Chinese Communist Party. They are the actors who will most shape your collective future. Scientists are a much better option. Rule by experts - meritocracy - is the only way to save this dying economy.
    - tsotha 15y ago
      >Social science is based on statistics and philosophy. You betray your ignorance. Or you do. From what I can tell social scientists are scientists in the same way Christian Scientists are scientists. They start with the answer and work backwards. >Scientists are a much better option. Rule by experts - meritocracy - is the only way to save this dying economy. First of all, command economies, which is what you're talking about whether or not you want to admit it, have left a string of wreckage and bodies. Economics by science is exactly what the communists thought they were doing. Thanks all the same, but I'll pass. And secondly, the economy is not "dying". It's trying to do what market economies do if you leave them alone - adjust to new circumstances and start growing again. The last think we need to do is have people start making decisions from the top.
      - forensic 15y ago
        You're an ignorant uneducated anti-intellectual with strong opinions on stuff you have no experience with and have spent no time investigating. You repeat the slave morality taught to Evangelical Christians by the Goldman Sachs psychopaths to whom you bow down. The economic system is entering a period of peak instability to be followed by transformation. You'll hear about after it has completed, at the same time American Idol fans become aware. Such is the fate of the anti-intellectual who shuns knowledge and education. So be it.

tsotha 15y ago

>Let's organize society based on simple scientific observations instead of having faith in the superrich masters of the world. Just out of curiosity... who do you intend should make these "simple scientific observations"?

georgieporgie 15y ago
Well, probably scientists. I'd rather that we, as a nation, consult with experts (for example, social scientists and really good educators), come up with a ten year plan, and execute on that plan consistently. If the plan works, great, if not, tune it and execute another iteration. Sort of like glacial-paced Agile for governments. Instead, what we have now is mostly a bunch of "common sense" stuff that really means status quo, which gets disrupted every single time a politician comes into office, anywhere.
- nradov 15y ago
  How naive, to believe that anointed technocrats could somehow make better resource allocation decisions than the free market.
- olalonde 15y ago
  You have just more or less described how the Chinese government operates.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
- anamax 15y ago
  > I'd rather that we, as a nation, consult with experts (for example, social scientists and really good educators), come up with a ten year plan, and execute on that plan consistently. Good for you, but what's actually likely to happen? I note that the department of education can do those things today, or 20 years ago, but didn't. What makes you think that this time will be different?
  - forensic 15y ago
    Good question. The Deptartment of Education is controlled by the power elite and by the masses who elected stupid represetatives. The issue is democracy - better called dumbocracy. Rule by the dumb. In a democracy, the government at best can be as good as the lowest common denominator. The next step from democracy is meritocracy. People with demonstrated intellectual and proven-track-record merit should be allowed to vote in their field of expertise. So if Khan and John Taylor Gatto have demonstrated that they are better educators than the DOE, then they have more voting power. The principle of meritocracy is that more votes should go to those with demonstrated merit. Right now the government is controlled by a combination of stupid people voting for emotional gratification and the power elite manipulating the stupid people for personal profit. Take away voting rights from those with no merit and give the rights to those with demonstrated merit. The education system is a tremendous challenge and the first step is to STOP listening to the idiots who have failed, and start listening to the people who have succeeded. Since idiots never know they are idiots, we must forcibly remove their power by removing their ability to vote and certainly by barring them from ever being elected. Instead of fatalistic laissez-faire capitalism that inevitably leads to a new aristocracy, let's work on creating a functioning meritocracy where those with logic and scientifically demonstrated merit are given the power. In particular, their votes should have greater weight. Don't let the dumb drive DoE policy. Instead let all university educated people vote on DoE leadership after taking a basic exam proving their knowledge. When we recognize that the Christian fascists (for instance) are pushing an illegitimate social model - fascism - it becomes a moral imperative for us to disempower them. The rational way to do this is by highlighting their lack of merit and highlighting the merit of the educated, intelligent, rational people. I'm not saying it's a simple solution but good solutions are not simple. A good solution takes work and is going to be messy. But what other option is there? Let the country slip into corporate feudalism? The dumbocracy must end and be replaced by some form of meritocracy.
tsotha 15y ago
"Social scientists and educators"? That's what I want to do - entrust my future to people who were too dumb to do anything that involves math.
- forensic 15y ago
  Social science is based on statistics and philosophy. You betray your ignorance. Right now you are entrusting your future to Rupert Murdoch and the Chinese Communist Party. They are the actors who will most shape your collective future. Scientists are a much better option. Rule by experts - meritocracy - is the only way to save this dying economy.
  - tsotha 15y ago
    >Social science is based on statistics and philosophy. You betray your ignorance. Or you do. From what I can tell social scientists are scientists in the same way Christian Scientists are scientists. They start with the answer and work backwards. >Scientists are a much better option. Rule by experts - meritocracy - is the only way to save this dying economy. First of all, command economies, which is what you're talking about whether or not you want to admit it, have left a string of wreckage and bodies. Economics by science is exactly what the communists thought they were doing. Thanks all the same, but I'll pass. And secondly, the economy is not "dying". It's trying to do what market economies do if you leave them alone - adjust to new circumstances and start growing again. The last think we need to do is have people start making decisions from the top.
    - forensic 15y ago
      You're an ignorant uneducated anti-intellectual with strong opinions on stuff you have no experience with and have spent no time investigating. You repeat the slave morality taught to Evangelical Christians by the Goldman Sachs psychopaths to whom you bow down. The economic system is entering a period of peak instability to be followed by transformation. You'll hear about after it has completed, at the same time American Idol fans become aware. Such is the fate of the anti-intellectual who shuns knowledge and education. So be it.