Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Good News for The Donald


It's obvious now that Donald Trump is averse to reading. He may be the first functional illiterate to receive a degree from Wharton. There's a story there that we still have not heard.

So what's the good news for the Cheeto Bandito, the Mango Mussolini, the Great Orange Bloat? Illiteracy seems to be catching on in America.

The average eighth-grade reading score on a nationally representative test declined among public school students in more than half of the states, according to data released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, the research arm of the Education Department. 
The dismal results were part of the release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the “nation’s report card.” The test assesses a sample of fourth- and eighth-grade students — more than 290,000 in each subject in 2019 — every other year. 
“Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest performing students are doing worse,” Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner of the center, said in a statement.
In other words, the dumbing down of America proceeds apace. Which brings to mind an op-ed in today's Guardian by the two joint winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in economic sciences.  They write that the public has become dangerously estranged from the views of economists.
This trust deficit is mirrored by the fact that the consensus of economists (when it exists) is often systematically different from the views of ordinary citizens. The Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago regularly asks a group of about 40 prominent academic economists their views on core economic topics. Working with the economist Stefanie Stantcheva, we ran a survey: we selected 10 of the questions that were asked of the Booth panel and put them to 10,000 Americans. 
On most of these issues, our respondents were sharply at odds with economists. For example, every single member of the Booth panel disagreed with the proposition that “imposing new US tariffs on steel and aluminium will improve Americans’ wellbeing”. Only a third of our respondents shared their view. And the gap is not only because people are not informed of what economists think: telling them does not seem to change their opinion one bit.
... Part of the problem is that there is plenty of bad economics around. The self-proclaimed economists on TV and in the press – chief economist of Bank X or Firm Y – are, with important exceptions, primarily spokespeople for their firms’ economic interests, who often feel free to ignore the weight of the evidence. Moreover, they have a relatively predictable slant towards market optimism at all costs, which is what the public associates with economists in general. It does not help that there is a class of economists who make predictions about broad trends in the economy, which often turn out to be wrong.

Another part of the problem is that, especially in the UK and the US, a lot of the economics that has filtered into government thinking is the most beholden to orthodoxy, and the least able to pay attention to any fact that does not square with it. Economists are therefore naturally seen as those who keep repeating that regulations, taxes, and public spending all need to be slashed to let the market be, and that eventually everything will all “trickle down” to the poor, even as we watch inequality exploding.
No wonder it is branded "the dismal science."

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least we won't need to listen to the Great Dismal Scientist Stephen Harper gaslight us about recessions anymore.

Cap

The Mound of Sound said...


Harper did show a profoundly weak grasp of economics perhaps because he treated it as an ideology, neoliberal, rather than a social science. He deserves to be faulted for his blind adherence to the dangerously flawed ideology of Hayek and Friedman. Coupled with his evangelical fundamentalism it became an entirely faith-based reality for him. I'm sure he's not budged one iota since being turfed from power. Reinforce economic belief with theocratic radicalism and you've dug the inescapable ditch for yourself.

Owen Gray said...

And Harper's faith still profoundly affects the Conservative Party of Canada.

Anonymous said...

The writings of Hayek and Friedman that form the foundations for neoliberalism have the great benefit of making the prosperity gospel come true. Never mind camels going through the eye of a needle, wealth is an indication of God's favour say many white Evangelical preachers. Under neoliberalism, those who are already blessed by God become even more so, while those not blessed become ever more subject to God's displeasure. Tithe up and obey your betters fits very well with the authoritarian world-view of the likes of Stephen Harper.

Cap

The Mound of Sound said...

It is today's Conservative orthodoxy, Owen. Perhaps the Tories are heading for an involuntary renaissance, an enlightenment. Michael Harris quotes Presto Manning as saying the future in politics will be decided by a next generation that holds climate change and social justice as their priorities.

The Mound of Sound said...

Maybe there's something to that, Cap. I've always wondered how those polygamous Mormon sects function. How does one guy support a dozen cloistered wives and a platoon of kids? Where do they find the money?

the salamander said...

.. very interesting Mound. I often refer to faux or fake Christians or evangelicals. But you suggest we may also have faux economists who were Imperial Oil mail room & Reach For The Top champs. In my view Harper and now Kenney suffer from that syndrome described as 'smartest guy in the room'.. Oddly, so does Doug Ford. But I think Kenney is an ideological Catholic incel, celibate for life or astonishingly clever at being 'in the closet'.. Scheer with 5 kids, another variant. Harper recognized the expediency of being married with children. And had a young Poli Sci grad from Western in the apartment over the family garage. A DNA test might be revealing however. There is always the turkey baster route as well. Kellie Leitch seems a female version of Kenney.. simply uninterested.. and she is certainly an odd bird orthopeduc pediatric surgeon & christian (maybe), somewhat like that American Brain surgeon savant dolt-Christian Trump appointed Housing Secretary, simply to have a token black person in his administration. We've had Treasury Minister guys who lie and cannot keep track of 50 million dollars of 'border security' funds (handed over via a gay Harper Minister hiding in plain sight, closet had no door.. and i don't care anyway.. I have many gay friends, they're a blast) plus that same 50 million guy in Muskoka was or is a married apologetic faux Christian social media weenie wagger.. and a champ at gazebo building

Political life is weird.. a monk or nun's life as you run or ruin the country from Ottawa.. pretention & distraction abounds.. same in Washington or State Capitals.. What almost 100 % of politicians have though, is that genetic chip to 'being glib'.. Recite talking points backwards or forward.. the dogma and posturing skills are often astonishing. One glib Canadian senior Harper Minister suddenly bolted to the coast though, ideed, faster than Scott Brison's move from Trudeau's Senior Minister ranks to BOM senior executive.. prior to the Lavalin disaster.. when a female 'friend' lobbyist he 'knew' left her cel phone in a popular bar & steak house, only to be found by a credible journalist (I thought a lobbyist's cel phone was bolted to them with titanium chain). Time to spend 'more time with the family' was his mantra.. but the 'Ride Me Wilfred' friendly texts and images were truly problematic, indeed revealing.. se ya later James Moore, hope the wife was glad to see ya and aint got a gun. His reward you ask ? Quickly appointed as a Chancellor or whatever of a School Of Higher Learning.. dalliance pays twould seem.. eh

If those are the benchmarks or high tidewater of a majority of political animals.. what hope for us great unwashed..? I have no degree, only a National Basketball Championship and can drive huge horses, vehicles, tractors, bale hay and build blue glass Harvestore silos..I aint no economist. If The Boss is a Mensa Lighthouse, I'm a firefly or tired flashlight, she studied Economics, degreed in Spanish too. Same re my sister.. she got all the smart & educational chips.. Masters/Education, I got the athletic genes & turn black in the sun, like a Moor & she did not and is fair with freckles, fries in the sun

Trudeau, McKenna, Morneau Inc turning Environmental and Climate Science on it ear, for all us voting dolts to gape at in wonderment. Who knew you could actually lower CO2 and Methane emissions by raising them.. ? That is an Immaculate Conception Miracle akin to rhe famous 'loaves & fishes' and 'Water into Wine', the Burning Bush meets the Parting of the Red Sea in the Bullrushes and 2 male lions aboard Noah's Ark who somehow had cubs.. the Bible sez so.. non ? And Donald Trump can recite The Ten Commandments & fly on a broom while Stephen Harper can Walk on Water while plinking Beatle tunes

the salamander said...

.. PS.. read Under The Banner Of Heaven - Jon Krakauer.. to look under the skirts of Mormans.. its a twisted freak show.. and the fastest growing 'religion' in North America.. already in Canada too eh !

The Mound of Sound said...


Jebus Kryst on a crutch, Sal. That's more imagery than my psyche can handle in one bout. Do tell me more about this Brison/lobbyist,cell phone business.

Anonymous said...

Sal, your better half and sister may have the paperwork, but who can doubt you could have too if you'd wanted. Hilarious stuff: "And Donald Trump can recite The Ten Commandments & fly on a broom while Stephen Harper can Walk on Water while plinking Beatle tunes". Plinking is about right - and his mournful off-key singing voice would annoy the devil. Moore as Athabasca U president is defending against Kenney education cuts because he badly needs that job out of public Ottawa light, god knows about Brison who quit for family and immediately left NS for a BigJob at BMO T.O. Champeen fellers one and all.

Today, Mao-tse "Planned Economy" Trump announced he wanted auto companies to build only in Amerika and/but only where he told them they could set up factories. Google was revealed to want to run Tranna as a private club for a fee and fines for being naughty where you'd have to earn rights to visit certain parks or public spaces as a good little data-sharing serf of an Alphabet private holding - identical to the social credit system of China, Kenney blandly told government workers in Alberta they were overpaid when you take into account budget shortfalls created by tax cuts for the ultra rich carbon dioxide sniffers, and Presto the Magician Manning tells two tales of conservatism depending on the audience, a tactic he learned from Justin. And California is on climate change fire so check out those $10 lettuces at Xmas. Russia remains puzzled by no US air activity in Northern Syria when El Baghdaddy died like a wrat for the fourth time - that's stealth technology all right.

Life is just fucking great!

BM

The Mound of Sound said...


Soma. Where in hell did I put that Soma?

the salamander said...

.. come come, monsieur Mound.. twas James Moore dilly dallying in Ottawa to ease his pain.. while his wife out west (the real 'west) west o The Great Divide cared for their seriously medically challenged young son. The code name for James was Wilfred.. Hense 'ride me Wilfred' and other kinks and fond exchanges.. and imagery. Her cel phone was somehow left behind and found by the next customer at their table.. A smart lad, he opened it and ID'd the owner, but not before also noting & translating the strange code used re dilly dallying and saddling up for uh.. lobbying for uh.. some rodeo action shall we say.. thus their joint need to rodeo was signalled in code by 'ride me Wilfred' .. which became a hashtag on Twitter.. James was serious contender to follow Harper.. but he left town in a hurry, suddenly pining for home cooking

Brison is a seperate tale.. cerainly laughable.. as he truly deserved to be crucified along with the twin sacrificial lambs, Philpott and Wilson-Raybould.. He bolted for home to join his husband and children.. admirable, but suddenly diverted to Bank of Montreal.. an offer he could not resist .. senior blah blah.. Nice guy.. but c'mon man.. point man re Lavalin portfolio ? And their joint investment in Site C and a pipeline you cut the cheque for to the Enron gang ? That's what The Boss calls 'fishing off the dock' in her business. They called you while you were enroute home to 'more' family time ? One assumes Ms Wilson-Raybould knew all about your connection to Lavalin's impending court cases..

While in full gossip mode.. and Mound is reeling in shock and dismay.. how bout that guy Stephen Lecce.. the great educator annointed by Doug Ford himself as Minister of Education, Ontario. He was plucked straight out of Poli Sci - Univ of Western Ontario and pole vaulted directly.. I do mean directly.. to Stephen Harper's PMO to be schooled by single guy Nigel Wright, Jenni Byrne and Arthur 'the wood chipper' Hamilton and the Dark Lord Harper himself plus the 2nd most powerful politician in Canada at the time, Ray Novak.. ie the young Univ of Western Ontario poli sci grad, Harper's garage, cabin boyo. Like c'mon man ! Then Lecce shares an office in Fantino's campaign byelection war room in Vaughn Ontario as the money rains down from construction contractors.. and a red goatee guy from Edmonton in the same room is driving live and robo calling in the later general election.. and Lecce is piling up freaky flier points between the Ottawa PMO and Vaughn with Jenni Byrne (illegal by the way).. and more live and robo calling ensures via red goated dude and his super robo hardware and a voter database from uh.. well, that baffled the RCMP because the Admin sign in logs were shall we say as accurate as Tony Clement's Gazebo accounting.. ie MIA. Lecce knows everything about all of this what MainMedia called 'hijinks' as does Ray Novak.. as does Nigel Wright.. but Omerta eh ? 2011 Federal Election was only 240 + riding hit with Election Fraud.. but only Guelph's Michael Sona did prison time.. while the Guelph campaign director is still somewhere in the Arab Emirates.. and red goatee guy sued US.. ie Canada.. for defamation and won, just like Mulroney and his paper bags of unreported cash.. Fantino is now in the legal marijuana business.. nobody can say he aint street smart $ tough in the clinches.. hell, he's the master of the 'rough n tumble' School of Malice & Aforethought & Payback