Higher Education

[geezer-also.livejournal.com]

I would submit that for the vast majority of people a college degree is a waste of time, and a way to put off real life. Go thru a college catalog sometime and check out the plethora of degrees. How many really lead to meaningful employment? Seriously, how many job openings are there compared to graduates, for people with degrees in Woman's studies, Chicano studies, and the like? Heck, even technical stuff like sound engineering have a limited job market.

Part of the problem (as I see it) lies in the whole federal subsidy/student loan structure. The main reason many college students have any kind of job at all is for extra spending money; the actual cost of their education is either deferred or non-existent. I believe the old adage that when you actually earn something, you appreciate it more.

I do believe Community Colleges are a good thing. It can give people the opportunity to learn how to do things they didn't learn in High School; like how to read, write, and fill out welfare forms.

X-posted to my journal.

A necropsy of the Anthony Weiner scandal

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Ok, I've been mulling this over since the scandal broke and I think it's settled down enough I can post on it without making people roll their eyes.

In the Anthony Weiner scandal we saw what typically happens in a political scandal in regards to support. Generally political supporters rally around their figure and deny all evidence that supports the scandal while detractors believe all evidence supporting the scandal. In this case, I think that a case can be made that the traditional and overzealous kneejerk Weiner's supporters had ultimately did him in.

Had the evidence been properly weighted and kept in perspective, I don't think we'd have seen him resign.

( Why? )

( What happened now? )

( But why )

So at no point during this scandal was there any debunking of the primary evidence and the supporters of Weiner kept banding about new theories that did little to address the core arguments for his having tweeted the picture. They kept the issue alive and in the end turned on Weiner for making them look foolish. The end result was a lot of anger and hostility towards him.

Had his supporters objectively analyzed the evidence and didn't turn it into an attack on Breitbart I believe fully we'd still have Anthony Weiner in Congress as he'd have weathered this scandal with most of his support.

Post-Friday not-so-funny-once-you-start-thinking-it-through: Palin Edition

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

I was working on a more serious post about the criteria by which we judge potential leaders but this line of thinking became just too entertaining not to share...

I first became aware of Mrs. Palin during the 2008 election cycle. I like her insofar as she drives certain people bonkers, but have never really considered her a serious candidate.

That said, recent posts and the PMail un-scandal has gotten me thinking.

What would it take for Sarah Palin to get elected President?

First we must identify what stands between her and electoral victory. Napoleon famously said that on any battlefield there will be a single point of decision, a moment in time where the battle will either be won or lost. What happens at that point is critical. So where is this point?

As with any fringe or semi-fringe canidate I would argue that her chief obstacle is the public's perception. If she campaigns against Obama and the other Republican candidates she'll lose, buried under the slew of negative stories about her and general perception of being "outside the main-stream".

Therefore her most dangerous enemy, the one she must defeat in order to be considered a viable canidate, is the press.

Fortunately for her, the enemy is weak. a recent poll (take it as you wish) reported that ...just 19.6% of those surveyed could say they believe all or most news media reporting. This is down from 27.4% in 2003. Just under one-quarter, 23.9%, said that they believe little or none of reporting while 55.3% suggested they believe some media news reporting.

This is the point of decision. All she has to do is sell the idea that "Everything you've heard about me is probably wrong, because the Media is wrong." and quite frankly, Palin is positioned much better here than anyone has given her credit for.

With so many talking heads spouting so much idiocy making the idea stick shouldn't be too hard.

Hell the Daily Show's already on it

and he's not alone...

If she can convince a significant portion of the public that everything they think they know about her is unreliable. Her fringe status will cease to be a handicap and an election bid becomes winnable.

Chris Matthews on Real Time with Bill Maher / Bachman will win

[telemann.livejournal.com]

Chris Matthews was a panelist last night on Real Time with Bill Maher and the subject of the Republican presidential debate came up. Surprising everyone on the panel, Matthews said Bachmann will go "all the way." When conservative columnist Ross Douthat expressed some doubts, Matthews stuck to his guns and offered some solid evidence why he thinks his prediction will hold true. I'm not sure if Matthews means Bachmann will ultimately win the nomination or just New Hampshire, but he paid her several compliments, and said "She's my hero." Of course, this would make for an really exciting race on the Republican side, with all the trappings of "old GOP" versus the Tea Party faction. Of course, a joke about Newt couldn't slip past Chris Matthews “She has more foster kids than Newt has wives.”

Video will not embed. Click here to watch.

Details every e.coli news story has been lacking.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

( No one wants to acknowledge the elephant sized e.coli in the room. )