I think congress has already controlled everyone. As far as pollution - I don't think stupidity is caused all by the environment, but look how slack schools have been from less disipline allowed, to bad behaved teachers, to lack of money for school supplies and/or school buildings. I think technology has made a larger impact on education by making it too easy not to think or solve problems like how we had to do 40 some years ago. One could blame the calculator for a start. Now teachers have to allow kids to refuse to learn as they cannot force them to study or pay attention in class. They are only allowed to fail them so long. It's pathetic. Foreigners have a higher rate of science and math skills - one reason some Americans have trouble qualifying for a high tech jobs.

Really???? What planet are you on?

Because I was asked the mathematics equation was the following:
40+40x0+1=?
Now remember, according to the study only 20% of Americans (over 16) got this right with sample size was over 50,000 last time I checked.

I don't blame the technology as much as I blame the society and how we allow ourselves to become dependent on it. I didn't use a computer or calculator for math until I was in my advanced classes in College because they became an hinderance. It was too easy to accept their answer, and not double check the work. I found I was more accurate without them, because I would double check my work without it.

If the "How to Dig A Hole" article includes an admonition to check with the utilities folks so you don't mangle water, sewer, electrical, telephone, cable or high-speed internet service as well as a bit about trench safety so that nobody becomes a 911 call, then I consider it a victory.

As for the dumbing down ... the globalists all use "Getting to Denmark" as a catchphrase for the supposed social and political nirvana to which they aspire.

A retired British policeman (now dead) had this to say about Denmark:

http://rense.com/general79/brave.htm

I hope that's now where we're going. But it looks like it is, unfortunately.

http://www.thenation.com/article/163798/getting-denmark-francis-fukuyama

The election tells it all how few people were paying attention to politics - except the ones that wanted to have the govt. take care of them. The govt. wants the rich to pay for the "have nots" which most don't want to work for a living. Take money away from the rich who provide the cos. and/or employment, and bingo - no more cos. exist for anyone to work causing more people to go on welfare. Now our medical care will be forced on us whether or not we can afford it, and if not accepted - one gets fined or penalized. This is a sad America.

My point, exactly!

My work here is done.

Some people would argue people are brighter for keeping Romney out of office.

But surely that was an improvement over voting George The Lesser twice.

JohnJohn,
So what you are saying is that the Rich should pay less as a percentage of income than the middle class. Both the Upper and Lower classes pay on average 14% of their income in taxes. But the Middle Class pays on average 30% of their income on Taxes. Maybe people just want all three classes to pay the same amount. That everyone pays their fair share. It is called an income tax because you are taxed on the income you make, everyone should pay the same percentage.
As far as the other stuff you mentioned. Yes the Democrats are the only party that developed those things. I guess the Republican written Affordable Health Care Act is a democrat only idea. Also surprisingly it passed through a Republican House and Senate. My ability to do research and understand how the government works allows me to know these things. Welfare is originally a Republican idea as well... oooh those damn Democrats using the Republican ideas. Mitt Romney wasn't going to do anything to change the system as much as Obama isn't. A Civics and an American Government class would have taught you that. Again proof that our society is getting dumber.

Kim,
It is a relative meaning, but it is the scale that we currently have. Also IQ is just a tool, based on a test in most cases, and like all tests the standard is flawed. If you go by IQ one of the most intelligent people in the world is a porn star. Then again, she did retire as a millionare at age 23.

Maxine,
So why is the Republican Congress voting to raise expendatures. Again, Civics and American Government classes. Both parties want you under the need of the government. Which party was it that allowed every phone call, text message, email to be data mined and held by the government to use how and when they feel the need? How do you think we are affording that?

When GW Bush called for tax cuts knowing full well that there would be out year funding shortages for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, he gave up on the conservative idea of paying your bills which would have been done with the budget surpluses and when the debt was eliminated, the money that had been used to pay the debt interest would have gone into these accounts. Instead we got deficits that got worse with the cost of two wars and a prescription drug program that didn't allow Medicare to negotiate prices. Result the wealthy got richer while everyone else was stuck with a static to declining standard of living. And now the answer of the Republican Party is leave the wealthy tax rate alone and make everyone else pay by shrinking the programs that benefit them. Considering that Bush never asked anyone to pay for the wars which drove up the debt your comment that "Republicans believe to live with in ones means" is not only grammatically incorrect but brings into question your bona fides to call anyone else stupid.

Excuse me Maxine, congress controls the purse strings, not the executive branch. And Republican's are just as irresponsible as the Democrats in voting for the programs or policies that have led to thedeficit spending. Obviously, you weren't listening in school when they were attempting to teach you Civics 101 on how the government actually works.

LOL, Commando.

;)