[paraclete]

I have long said those with a lower IQ, ie; the dumb, have to live somewhere since the IQ is an average and those below the average must live somewhere. Its seems another pocket has been found

Tasmanian literacy levels alarm school education experts, who call for 'significant change' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

indicating that although they are not all in one place they do seem to clump, or group, or swarm, so now we can add Tasmania to the list of places such as Kazakistan or Washington

http://dc.gov/DCPS/About+DCPS/Who+We...and+Statistics

[joypulv]

Oh boy, not going to even start - with, like, I mean - I wonder how you measure IQ and school testing on an island, blah blah. I've seen tests that were wrong. I've seen textbooks that were wrong. I once asked my genius dad to teach me physics, and brought home a textbook I found from one of the top 5 prep schools in the US, and he found a lot of wrong answers at the end of each chapter, so I bought a book online, and that was wrong too, according to my dad, so he contacted the author, who said it was the fault of the editors, who make changes to the questions, and TRY to come up with new answers, and get them wrong. I can believe that.

There are pockets of illiteracy everywhere in the world. They seem to me to be tied to poverty. The end.

[smoothy]

Clete... do they live in trailers?

[paraclete]

Clete... do they live in trailers?

well smoothy as far as I know they don't, climate wouldn't allow it, no it seems to be the result of being remote from the centre of things and thus not gaining incentive, but Then I compare their statistics with Washington and and I wonder, since they are at the "centre" of things, can this be a factor or is it as I observe, the dumb have to live somewhere

[smoothy]

I've noticed they tend to live in clusters... to be near others like them.

We call those places Blue states here in the USA.

Curious....do those in that study reject those in their community who strive to better themselves through education?

[paraclete]

wouldn't think so, that state is what we would consider a red or even a green state, red being the colour associated with socialist thinking here and the socialists have been strong to pushing education of the masses. Green is the colour of the far left environmental weirdoism which has been strong there for decades. No I think the study indicates that unless the young see that it all leads somewhere they don't want to get educated and would rather go fishin and sailin and tree hugin. What we do get is insight into the outcome of pursuing environmentalist agendas, there is a dumbing down effect

[smoothy]

Actually not how we consider it in the USA... Red is associated with Conservatives... Blue is associated with Liberals... when you hear the term Purple state... the blend of liberals to conservatives are almost equal.

Blue states are Democrat majority (Liberal) Red states are Republican majority (Conservative) Purple states are near equal in mix.

[paraclete]

Yes smoothy we understand your unconventual thinking. You see true blue is associated with conservatism here, whilst flying the red flag definately has a communist connotation, marxism and all that. You wouldn't understand, not having had a serious internal marxist threat such as we have survived in the last few years when the covert marxists were in power. Now we have to contend with the green threat as they are able to hold the balance of power with a few senate seats. There is no room for purple here as those seats are the result of proportional representation not any form of first past the post election, so our system allows the dumb to be elected, what's your excuse?

[odinn7]

90% of them live in Northeastern Pennsylvania....

[smoothy]

I didn't coin the red state blue state thing... I'm 53 and they used those terminologies here decades before I was born. In fact its universally accepted by everyone here liberal or conservative... and everything in between, not just me.

[smoothy]

odinn7, there are plenty in Southwestern PA too... most collect welfare.

[paraclete]

so is that a racist reference to the Pennsylvania dutch or deutch, not looking for that sort of response

[odinn7]

No Pennsylvania Dutch around here so fishing for racism out of my comment doesn't work. I was only commenting that the majority of people in this area are complete idiots....nothing more, nothing less.

[paraclete]

on what do you base your assertion?

[smoothy]

so is that a racist reference to the Pennsylvania dutch or deutch, not looking for that sort of response

The Pensylvania Dutch... or Amish as they are commonly known... are concentrated in the south central part of the state... in the Landcaster area, but they have pockets all over this part of the country...not just Pennsylvania.


Dumb is one thing they are not. Most are self employed and self supporting. Something not a lot of people can claim they can do...and be successful doing it.

The best woodworkers tend to be Amish.....not to mention their cooking is spectacular. They are probibly the only ethnic goup where one can say MOST have a real strong work ethic.

Also they aren't all the same in exact beliefs contrary to popular opinion....some groups actually have cars and electricity..while others groups don't.....

There is diversity in that community on the order of that within the Protestant Church in general.....(which they are actually a subset of themselves).

No I don't have any personal friends that are Amish.....I just grew up with enough proximity to them to learn this over the last 53 years. And to develope a taste for certain unique foods they make....Like Shoofly pie for one.

[tomder55]

and here I was thinking of the Poconos as one of my retirement options. Tell you one thing . In North Pa they have to good sense to frack . On the other side of the border in NY ,the elites are content to let the upstate folks live in 1930s depression conditions as they sit on one of the largest shale oil and gas deposits in the country .

[speechlesstx]

And I thought they were in San Francisco led by the chief nitwit.

[talaniman]

You don't have to go to SF to find NITWITS. We have plenty here

Cruz
Gohmerts
Barton
Perry
Sessions

[speechlesstx]

Cruz is quite well spoken, but you forgot Wendy Davis and Sheila Jackson Lee.

[odinn7]

on what do you base your assertion?

I've lived among them for the last 17 years and I sell cars in this area...I see nothing but stupid out of most everyone I deal with. That's it. I wasn't looking to get political and have things that I say twisted...I was simply adding commentary, hopefully with a bit of wit, but I see that was lost in the translation somewhere along the line.