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California: The Road Warrior Is Here
http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/ca ... epage=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
July 29, 2012 - 10:56 pm - by Victor Davis Hanson

Sometimes, and in some places, in California I think we have nearly descended into Miller’s dark vision — especially the juxtaposition of occasional high technology with premodern notions of law and security. The state deficit is at $16 billion. Stockton went bankrupt; Fresno is rumored to be next. Unemployment stays over 10% and in the Central Valley is more like 15%. Seven out of the last eleven new Californians went on Medicaid, which is about broke. A third of the nation’s welfare recipients are in California. In many areas, 40% of Central Valley high school students do not graduate — and do not work, if the latest crisis in finding $10 an hour agricultural workers is any indication. And so on.

Victor Davis Hanson is a brilliant man. He is a long time professor of history, with the historical classicist's long view of culture, describes the cancer that is killing California so accurately....and this is why I left there. I saw it coming for a long time. But bigger picture yet, as goes California, so goes the nation, as liberals are fond of rubbing our noses in. In other states, this is already happening. We really don't have a future as a nation if we don't do whatever it takes in the voting booth to pull it back from the edge of the precipice IN THIS ELECTION.

Here's an example of why:

Is Algebra Necessary?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opini ... wanted=all
By ANDREW HACKER
Published: July 28, 2012

There are many defenses of algebra and the virtue of learning it. Most of them sound reasonable on first hearing; many of them I once accepted. But the more I examine them, the clearer it seems that they are largely or wholly wrong — unsupported by research or evidence, or based on wishful logic. (I’m not talking about quantitative skills, critical for informed citizenship and personal finance, but a very different ballgame.)

This debate matters. Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent. In the interest of maintaining rigor, we’re actually depleting our pool of brainpower. I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers. My aim is not to spare students from a difficult subject, but to call attention to the real problems we are causing by misdirecting precious resources.

Basically, his argument is that it's too hard and we shouldn't discourage students by making them tackle hard subjects. I am sure without meaning to, he has proven Victor Davis Hanson's thesis.

A good synopsis of why I was ok with leaving CA. This is a cold splash of reality for those times I find I miss it.

SQLGeek wrote:This is a cold splash of reality for those times I find I miss it.

You and me both, man. I still have family living there who are too feckless to come visit me, so the only time I see them is when I make the trip back there......which is, as much as I love my family, what is wrong with California in a microcosm.

I grew up there (in Arcadia, a nice place to be). I left back in 1999 for Las Vegas, NV. I was happy there. Then the economy tanked and the only work I could find was back in the People's Republik of Kalifornia in 2010. The wife and I moving to Texas this year has been a serious blessing. My Dad is still stuck there because his entire client base is there. He would like to leave but at least he is a retired reserve LEO so he has a CCW there.

The Annoyed Man wrote:Is Algebra Necessary?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opini ... wanted=all
By ANDREW HACKER
Published: July 28, 2012

There are many defenses of algebra and the virtue of learning it. Most of them sound reasonable on first hearing; many of them I once accepted. But the more I examine them, the clearer it seems that they are largely or wholly wrong — unsupported by research or evidence, or based on wishful logic. (I’m not talking about quantitative skills, critical for informed citizenship and personal finance, but a very different ballgame.)

This debate matters. Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent. In the interest of maintaining rigor, we’re actually depleting our pool of brainpower. I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers. My aim is not to spare students from a difficult subject, but to call attention to the real problems we are causing by misdirecting precious resources.

"numbers" must be one of those new age narcotics.


Ms. 7075-T7 is an algebra teacher, and considering what the students know when they enter her class, I think that the problem with math starts way before the level of algebra. A lot can't even add and subtract intergers, let alone multiply and divide fractions.

What's unfortunate with that line of thinking is I think I've found algebra to be one of the more practical mathematical subjects I've had to use. The bleat from the so called educated for the continual push to a dumbing down of general knowledge of our population is disturbing.

TAM, you know I left California after I got out of the USAF for all the things you mention, and more. As a "retired" military guy, there are jobs to be had in California. But it was not worth it, despite the good wages that often accompany these jobs; there is a LOT more to the decision than just a paycheck. Its sad that the formerly "Great State" has turned out like this. I just hope that more of those moving out of there are like YOU, they can see the things that made it go bad, and not like those who have ruined the place.

SQLGeek wrote:What's unfortunate with that line of thinking is I think I've found algebra to be one of the more practical mathematical subjects I've had to use. The bleat from the so called educated for the continual push to a dumbing down of general knowledge of our population is disturbing.

I once read that the educational goal of the left is to create "functional illiterates". That way, the populace have enough knowledge to get by in society, but not enough to truly apply any critical thinking skills to any of the problems.

When I was a child, and being told by my parents that I would never amount to anything and such, including various pet names such as my father's favorite for me: "imbecile" I could see no utility in me learning how to manipulate numbers in any way shape or form, much less how to write proper sentences or even spell. My marks were so poor in sixth grade that I was not allowed to learn the new binary math that the other students saw as boring beyond belief and even more useless.

Somewhere along the way some of that stuff must have sunk in as during my 28 year career with the phone company I started out as a lineman, where I learned that it was my responsibility to properly tension guy wires using math and algebra, and was eventually promoted (it took several) to Technical Support Engineer where I used a lot more of those mathematics, and algebra, and geometry, and even the dreaded trigonometry. One of the most ironic twists of fate in that was that I actually took over my father's old job at the phone company, me who barely finished high school, took over the job of a Master's degree engineer with several patents, but I used that math stuff that I had considered less than useless, every day.

And then in the ultimate twist I was actually promoted one more time, to a level above that to which my father rose in his career, and was assigned as a Technical Trainer, teaching others what I did, and I found that most of the younger generation of telephone people relied on computers and stuff to do what I did with a slide rule and later a calculator, and very few of them even understood the rudiments necessary to understand the specifics of how a cyclic redundancy check functions. MOst of them couldn't even do long division on paper in decimal, much less binary.

I used to write a message on my board the morning before the first binary class: There are only 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

That rule still holds.

You never know what God or fate holds in store. It may seem totally useless now, but a few years down the road . . .

The Annoyed Man wrote:California: The Road Warrior Is Here
http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/ca ... epage=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
July 29, 2012 - 10:56 pm - by Victor Davis Hanson

Sometimes, and in some places, in California I think we have nearly descended into Miller’s dark vision — especially the juxtaposition of occasional high technology with premodern notions of law and security. The state deficit is at $16 billion. Stockton went bankrupt; Fresno is rumored to be next. Unemployment stays over 10% and in the Central Valley is more like 15%. Seven out of the last eleven new Californians went on Medicaid, which is about broke. A third of the nation’s welfare recipients are in California. In many areas, 40% of Central Valley high school students do not graduate — and do not work, if the latest crisis in finding $10 an hour agricultural workers is any indication. And so on.

Victor Davis Hanson is a brilliant man. He is a long time professor of history, with the historical classicist's long view of culture, describes the cancer that is killing California so accurately....and this is why I left there. I saw it coming for a long time. But bigger picture yet, as goes California, so goes the nation, as liberals are fond of rubbing our noses in. In other states, this is already happening. We really don't have a future as a nation if we don't do whatever it takes in the voting booth to pull it back from the edge of the precipice IN THIS ELECTION.

Here's an example of why:

Is Algebra Necessary?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opini ... wanted=all
By ANDREW HACKER
Published: July 28, 2012

There are many defenses of algebra and the virtue of learning it. Most of them sound reasonable on first hearing; many of them I once accepted. But the more I examine them, the clearer it seems that they are largely or wholly wrong — unsupported by research or evidence, or based on wishful logic. (I’m not talking about quantitative skills, critical for informed citizenship and personal finance, but a very different ballgame.)

This debate matters. Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent. In the interest of maintaining rigor, we’re actually depleting our pool of brainpower. I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers. My aim is not to spare students from a difficult subject, but to call attention to the real problems we are causing by misdirecting precious resources.

Basically, his argument is that it's too hard and we shouldn't discourage students by making them tackle hard subjects. I am sure without meaning to, he has proven Victor Davis Hanson's thesis.

No, he means to....I don't believe for a second that he has any concern for educating the proles....except to keep them dumb, malleable, and under control.

Heartland Patriot wrote:

SQLGeek wrote:What's unfortunate with that line of thinking is I think I've found algebra to be one of the more practical mathematical subjects I've had to use. The bleat from the so called educated for the continual push to a dumbing down of general knowledge of our population is disturbing.

I once read that the educational goal of the left is to create "functional illiterates". That way, the populace have enough knowledge to get by in society, but not enough to truly apply any critical thinking skills to any of the problems.

Albert J. Nock was essentially saying this back in the 20's.

VMI77 wrote:

Heartland Patriot wrote:

SQLGeek wrote:What's unfortunate with that line of thinking is I think I've found algebra to be one of the more practical mathematical subjects I've had to use. The bleat from the so called educated for the continual push to a dumbing down of general knowledge of our population is disturbing.

I once read that the educational goal of the left is to create "functional illiterates". That way, the populace have enough knowledge to get by in society, but not enough to truly apply any critical thinking skills to any of the problems.

Albert J. Nock was essentially saying this back in the 20's.

Inventor of the "Nock-Nock" joke?

The Annoyed Man wrote:California: The Road Warrior Is Here
http://pjmedia.com/victordavishanson/ca ... epage=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
July 29, 2012 - 10:56 pm - by Victor Davis Hanson

Sometimes, and in some places, in California I think we have nearly descended into Miller’s dark vision — especially the juxtaposition of occasional high technology with premodern notions of law and security. The state deficit is at $16 billion. Stockton went bankrupt; Fresno is rumored to be next. Unemployment stays over 10% and in the Central Valley is more like 15%. Seven out of the last eleven new Californians went on Medicaid, which is about broke. A third of the nation’s welfare recipients are in California. In many areas, 40% of Central Valley high school students do not graduate — and do not work, if the latest crisis in finding $10 an hour agricultural workers is any indication. And so on.

Victor Davis Hanson is a brilliant man. He is a long time professor of history, with the historical classicist's long view of culture, describes the cancer that is killing California so accurately....and this is why I left there. I saw it coming for a long time. But bigger picture yet, as goes California, so goes the nation, as liberals are fond of rubbing our noses in. In other states, this is already happening. We really don't have a future as a nation if we don't do whatever it takes in the voting booth to pull it back from the edge of the precipice IN THIS ELECTION.

We need to vote for someone who can and will fix the problem. Someone who will turn back from the edge, not merely someone like Romney who will drag us toward the same precipice, but maybe a little slower than Obama.

And so of the people who actually have a chance of winning in November, who might that be?