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Post by Bob Forsythe on Mar 26, 2011 9:07:50 GMT -8
They had 1,000 Americans answer 50 questions that are or have been on the citizenship test. 38 percent flunked and the percentages that missed some questions is scary. I missed two - how many people in the House and how many amendments to the Constitution. See how you do: www.newsweek.com/2011/03/20/take-the-quiz-what-we-don-t-know.html=Bob |
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Mar 29, 2011 17:25:27 GMT -8
Jeez, did no one who's read this thread taken the test? Given the level of historical knowledge on here I suspect most everyone would pass but some feedback would be nice.
=Bob
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Post by AztecWilliam on Mar 29, 2011 20:26:25 GMT -8
Jeez, did no one who's read this thread taken the test? Given the level of historical knowledge on here I suspect most everyone would pass but some feedback would be nice. =Bob I did. I flat out missed two questions. I said that Tom Paine was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers. (I consider this to be a minor error, since Paine, after all, did write Common Sense.  I also was off on the number of amendments. I said 24. There was another question that I challenge. That was #6, asking what was our biggest concern during the Cold War. I said the USSR, and the magazine said communism. I consider my answer better, since communism would have been a minor concern had it been the driving force in, let's say, Bolivia or Lichtenstein. It's only because the USSR was extremely powerful and well-armed that communism was taken so seriously. (Well, of course there was also the fact that half the Democratic Party were commies or fellow-travelers.  ) The real lesson from all this is how badly our kids are being educated. That's a huge topic and problem, and cultural issues are largely to blame. It may not come as a surprise to read that I am totally confident that I could create a better test than this one. AzWm |
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Post by AlwaysAnAztec on Mar 30, 2011 9:33:35 GMT -8
They had 1,000 Americans answer 50 questions that are or have been on the citizenship test. 38 percent flunked and the percentages that missed some questions is scary. I missed two - how many people in the House and how many amendments to the Constitution. See how you do: www.newsweek.com/2011/03/20/take-the-quiz-what-we-don-t-know.html=Bob I missed the same questions you did. I was off by one on both. |
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Post by davdesid on Mar 31, 2011 15:04:29 GMT -8
Jeez, did no one who's read this thread taken the test? Given the level of historical knowledge on here I suspect most everyone would pass but some feedback would be nice. =Bob You will probably call me a liar, but I have been trying to get the link to load ever since you provided it. It simply won't load, the little dot-circle just keeps going round and round, and it won't load. I tried it again just a few minutes ago. I don't know why, but I've had the same problem from time to time when clicking secondary links on other sites too. I'd love to take the test, but can't access it for some reason I don't understand.  |
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 1, 2011 9:47:21 GMT -8
Jeez, did no one who's read this thread taken the test? Given the level of historical knowledge on here I suspect most everyone would pass but some feedback would be nice. =Bob You will probably call me a liar, but I have been trying to get the link to load ever since you provided it. It simply won't load, the little dot-circle just keeps going round and round, and it won't load. I tried it again just a few minutes ago. I don't know why, but I've had the same problem from time to time when clicking secondary links on other sites too. I'd love to take the test, but can't access it for some reason I don't understand. Dave, I often call you many things but liar isn't usually one of them. It's odd that you can't open it, though. I just tried and it opened right up. Maybe if you go to Newsweek's web site and then find it from there? =Bob |
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 1, 2011 9:50:29 GMT -8
Jeez, did no one who's read this thread taken the test? Given the level of historical knowledge on here I suspect most everyone would pass but some feedback would be nice. =Bob I did. I flat out missed two questions. I said that Tom Paine was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers. (I consider this to be a minor error, since Paine, after all, did write Common Sense. I also was off on the number of amendments. I said 24. There was another question that I challenge. That was #6, asking what was our biggest concern during the Cold War. I said the USSR, and the magazine said communism. I consider my answer better, since communism would have been a minor concern had it been the driving force in, let's say, Bolivia or Lichtenstein. It's only because the USSR was extremely powerful and well-armed that communism was taken so seriously. (Well, of course there was also the fact that half the Democratic Party were commies or fellow-travelers. ) The real lesson from all this is how badly our kids are being educated. That's a huge topic and problem, and cultural issues are largely to blame. It may not come as a surprise to read that I am totally confident that I could create a better test than this one. AzWm I answered it the same way you did and considered my answer correct as well. But don't forget that McCarthy claimed there Commies in the administration as well. I'm sure it was just coincidence that after making that claim he lost most of his power . =Bob |
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Post by AztecWilliam on Apr 1, 2011 13:13:11 GMT -8
I did. I flat out missed two questions. I said that Tom Paine was one of the authors of the Federalist Papers. (I consider this to be a minor error, since Paine, after all, did write Common Sense. I also was off on the number of amendments. I said 24. There was another question that I challenge. That was #6, asking what was our biggest concern during the Cold War. I said the USSR, and the magazine said communism. I consider my answer better, since communism would have been a minor concern had it been the driving force in, let's say, Bolivia or Lichtenstein. It's only because the USSR was extremely powerful and well-armed that communism was taken so seriously. (Well, of course there was also the fact that half the Democratic Party were commies or fellow-travelers. ) The real lesson from all this is how badly our kids are being educated. That's a huge topic and problem, and cultural issues are largely to blame. It may not come as a surprise to read that I am totally confident that I could create a better test than this one. AzWm I answered it the same way you did and considered my answer correct as well. But don't forget that McCarthy claimed there Commies in the administration as well. I'm sure it was just coincidence that after making that claim he lost most of his power . =Bob Tail-gunner Joe was brought down by the same vile forces that tried to sell out our country to the Commies in the first place. Okay, that's mostly tongue in check, but not entirely. The fact is that there were many people in government who were rather sympathetic to the USSR when they should have realized the terrible nature of that brutal regime. That sort of muddled thinking did this nation no good. And, let's not forget, there were not a few American's in responsible positions who were out-and-out Soviet agents. Just check the Venona Papers. Joe McCarthy was a godsend to the Soviets because he tended to discredit the anti-Communist effort. A more serious threat to America, one that haunts us still, is the belief that an elite of enlightened collectivists can allocate the people's resources better than the people themselves. AzWm |
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Post by davdesid on Apr 1, 2011 13:56:21 GMT -8
You will probably call me a liar, but I have been trying to get the link to load ever since you provided it. It simply won't load, the little dot-circle just keeps going round and round, and it won't load. I tried it again just a few minutes ago. I don't know why, but I've had the same problem from time to time when clicking secondary links on other sites too. I'd love to take the test, but can't access it for some reason I don't understand. Dave, I often call you many things but liar isn't usually one of them. It's odd that you can't open it, though. I just tried and it opened right up. Maybe if you go to Newsweek's web site and then find it from there? =Bob OK, I went to Newsweek's main site, and that opened okay, but I couldn't get anywhere from there. Finally, I went to "internet options" control panel and checked to see if cookies were blocked for that site. They weren't listed as being allowed or blocked, so I typed the site in and specifically checked to allow cookies. VOILA! Anyway I took the test. There were two questions that I got only partially correct (according to the site's answer). I answered that Susan B. Anthony was noted for fighting for womens' suffrage, and the answer from the site was "equal rights" for women. I answered that MLK was noted for fighting for equal rights for blacks, and the answer from the site was equal rights for ALL Americans. So, I think I ought to get at least half credit on those two. |
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 1, 2011 15:42:45 GMT -8
Dave, I often call you many things but liar isn't usually one of them. It's odd that you can't open it, though. I just tried and it opened right up. Maybe if you go to Newsweek's web site and then find it from there? =Bob OK, I went to Newsweek's main site, and that opened okay, but I couldn't get anywhere from there. Finally, I went to "internet options" control panel and checked to see if cookies were blocked for that site. They weren't listed as being allowed or blocked, so I typed the site in and specifically checked to allow cookies. VOILA! Anyway I took the test. There were two questions that I got only partially correct (according to the site's answer). I answered that Susan B. Anthony was noted for fighting for womens' suffrage, and the answer from the site was "equal rights" for women. I answered that MLK was noted for fighting for equal rights for blacks, and the answer from the site was equal rights for ALL Americans. So, I think I ought to get at least half credit on those two. Personally, I'd give you full credit on both of them, just as William and I declare full credit on the Cold War question. I think the problem is that correct responses are generated by Newsweek while citizenship tests are scored by people who understand the nuances. =Bob |
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 1, 2011 16:00:39 GMT -8
I answered it the same way you did and considered my answer correct as well. But don't forget that McCarthy claimed there Commies in the administration as well. I'm sure it was just coincidence that after making that claim he lost most of his power . =Bob Tail-gunner Joe was brought down by the same vile forces that tried to sell out our country to the Commies in the first place. Okay, that's mostly tongue in check, but not entirely. The fact is that there were many people in government who were rather sympathetic to the USSR when they should have realized the terrible nature of that brutal regime. That sort of muddled thinking did this nation no good. And, let's not forget, there were not a few American's in responsible positions who were out-and-out Soviet agents. Just check the Venona Papers. Joe McCarthy was a godsend to the Soviets because he tended to discredit the anti-Communist effort. A more serious threat to America, one that haunts us still, is the belief that an elite of enlightened collectivists can allocate the people's resources better than the people themselves. AzWm That's libertarian nonsense. I mean really, Will, who the Hell runs this country? How can you write that when the most activist judicial decision in the past 3 decades awarded corporations the same speech rights during campaigns as is awarded individuals while at the same time Republican governors are working to kill collective bargaining in order to ensure the unions have no ability to off-set corporation generated political ads? Libertarianism has its roots in anti-statism (or anarchism as Marx dubbed it when he was in danger of losing the 2nd international to Bakunen). If you understood the political underpinnings of anti-statism, you'd know that. Libertarianism is simply a right-wing version of the anti-statist movement (well, along with a serious dose of Social Darwinism). I can understand your economic conservatism but I cannot understand your lack of libertarian interest in social issues since, apparently, you agree with the Teabaggers on most of their social points - or, at the least, are unwilling to speak out against them. Voting libertarian is cool - it's a way to support your ideology while not really taking a stand. I'd do the same by voting Green but I'm well aware that it would be futile and while I'll never suggest voting for a minor party is "wasted" (I voted Peace And Freedom in the '84 election simply because Mondale's incredibly incompetent campaign pissed me off). But in general it's a failure to launch. It's a cop out that allows one to claim principles without ever really getting involved. =Bob |
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Post by AztecWilliam on Apr 2, 2011 18:23:16 GMT -8
Here it is for you, Bob, nicely expressed in two basic principles.
1) The individual is worthy in and of himself. An individual's worth is not dependent on his participation in any group.
2) Consistent with an orderly society, the individual should be allowed to deal freely with other individuals (or groups of individuals).
AzWm
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 4, 2011 12:09:13 GMT -8
Here it is for you, Bob, nicely expressed in two basic principles. 1) The individual is worthy in and of himself. An individual's worth is not dependent on his participation in any group. 2) Consistent with an orderly society, the individual should be allowed to deal freely with other individuals (or groups of individuals). AzWm As someone sympathetic to anarchism, I understand both of those notions and agree with them to a certain extent. I simply don't agree with the selfish crap Rand put forward. I'm quite in tune with libertarian views on social issues and their views on defense spending. It's the economics where we differ. =Bob |
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Post by aztecinoz on Apr 4, 2011 17:53:20 GMT -8
I couldn't get it to open either.
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Post by Bob Forsythe on Apr 5, 2011 18:54:33 GMT -8
I answered it the same way you did and considered my answer correct as well. But don't forget that McCarthy claimed there Commies in the administration as well. I'm sure it was just coincidence that after making that claim he lost most of his power . =Bob Tail-gunner Joe was brought down by the same vile forces that tried to sell out our country to the Commies in the first place. Okay, that's mostly tongue in check, but not entirely. The fact is that there were many people in government who were rather sympathetic to the USSR when they should have realized the terrible nature of that brutal regime. That sort of muddled thinking did this nation no good. And, let's not forget, there were not a few American's in responsible positions who were out-and-out Soviet agents. Just check the Venona Papers. Joe McCarthy was a godsend to the Soviets because he tended to discredit the anti-Communist effort. A more serious threat to America, one that haunts us still, is the belief that an elite of enlightened collectivists can allocate the people's resources better than the people themselves. AzWm Oh really? McCarthy saved us from Communism? And without McCarthy this country would have fallen into "collectivism"? Feel free to make that point. I seriously doubt you can given that every argument you offer on here is based upon ideology rather upon rational thought. But then again rational thought is a bit beyond your crap ideological thought. I mean really, Will'; you grew up in the '50s and I understand your desire to defend that drunken-ass idiot given the mind-set you ere taught at the time, but really - whining about Communists? I'm sorry, but that's seriously pathetic. But I suppose that that Randian philosophy is always based upon having an "enemy" you will march in lock step with them instead of actually thinking for yourself. Swear to God - you circle the tents in the same manner as MIP fans do. It's quite pathetic and sad. =Bob |
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I also was off on the number of amendments. I said 24.
)
