Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Gap Between the Rich and the Poor
This series of charts starkly illustrates the growing chasm between the rich and the poor:
Friday, February 4, 2011
Kepler Finds 1200+ Possible New Planets
Just because this is too cool not to mention:
http://www.universetoday.com/83012/kepler-discovers-first-earth-sized-planets-inside-habitable-zone/
"The first planets beyond our solar system were discovered in 1995. Up to today there were just over 500 known extrasolar planets.
We have found over twelve hundred candidate planets – that’s more than all the people have found so far in history.
Even more significant is that 54 of the planet candidates are located within the ‘habitable zone’ of their host stars and 5 of those are Earth-sized. Before today we knew of exactly ZERO Earth-sized planets within the habitable zone. Now there are 5."
Friday, January 7, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Religion Dying in America
A HUGE NEWS STORY, BARELY NOTICED
The Charleston Gazette - Nov. 9, 2010
By James A. Haught
Philosopher-historian Will Durant called it "the basic event of modern
times." He didn't mean the world wars, or the end of colonialism, or the
rise of electronics. He was talking about the decline of religion in
Western democracies.
The great mentor saw subsiding faith as the most profound occurrence of the
past century -- a shift of Western civilization, rather like former
transitions away from the age of kings, the era of slavery and such epochs.
Since World War II, worship has dwindled starkly in Europe, Canada,
Australia, Japan and other advanced democracies. In those busy places, only
5 or 10 percent of adults now attend church. Secular society scurries along
heedlessly.
Pope Benedict XVI protested: "Europe has developed a culture that, in a
manner unknown before now to humanity, excludes God from the public
conscience." Columnist George Will called the Vatican "109 acres of faith in
a European sea of unbelief."
America seems an exception. This country has 350,000 churches whose members
donate $100 billion per year. The United States teems with booming
megachurches, gigantic sales of "Rapture" books, fundamentalist attacks on
evolution, hundred-million-dollar TV ministries, talking-in-tongues
Pentecostals, the white evangelical "religious right" attached to the
Republican Party, and the like.
But quietly, under the radar, much of America slowly is following the path
previously taken by Europe. Little noticed, secularism keeps climbing in the
United States. Here's the evidence:
| Rising "nones." Various polls find a strong increase in the number of
Americans -- especially the young -- who answer "none" when asked their
religion. In 1990, this group had climbed to 8 percent, and by 2008, it had
doubled to 15 percent -- plus another 5 percent who answer "don't know."
This implies that around 45 million U.S. adults today lack church
affiliation. In Hawaii, more than half say they have no church connection.
| Mainline losses. America's traditional Protestant churches -- "tall
steeple" denominations with seminary-trained clergy -- once dominated U.S.
culture. They were the essence of America. But their membership is
collapsing. Over the past half-century, while the U.S. population doubled,
United Methodists fell from 11 million to 7.9 million, Episcopalians dropped
from 3.4 million to 2 million, the Presbyterian Church USA sank from 4.1
million to 2.2 million, etc. The religious journal First Things -- noting
that mainline faiths dwindled from 50 percent of the adult U.S. population
to a mere 8 percent -- lamented that "the Great Church of America has come
to an end." A researcher at the Ashbrook think-tank dubbed it "Flatline
Protestantism."
| Catholic losses. Although Hispanic immigration resupplies U.S. Catholicism
with replacements, many former adherents have drifted from the giant church.
The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found that 20 million
Americans have quit Catholicism -- thus one-tenth of U.S. adults now are
ex-Catholics.
| Fading taboos. A half-century ago, church-backed laws had power in
America. In the 1950s, it was a crime to look at the equivalent of a Playboy
magazine or R-rated movie -- or for stores to open on the Sabbath -- or to
buy a cocktail or lottery ticket -- or to sell birth-control devices in some
states -- or to be homosexual -- or to terminate a pregnancy -- or to read a
sexy novel -- or for an unwed couple to share a bedroom. Now all those
morality laws have fallen, one after another. Currently, state after state
is legalizing gay marriage, despite church outrage.
Sociologists are fascinated by America's secular shift. Dr. Robert Putnam of
Harvard, author of "Bowling Alone," found as many as 40 percent of young
Americans answering "none" to faith surveys. "It's a huge change, a stunning
development," he said. "That is the future of America." He joined Dr. David
Campbell of Notre Dame in writing a new book, "American Grace," that
outlines the trend. Putnam's Social Capital site sums up: "Young Americans
are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of five to six times the
historic rate."
Oddly, males outnumber females among the churchless. "The ratio of 60 males
to 40 females is a remarkable result," the 2008 ARIS poll reported. "These
gender patterns correspond with many earlier findings that show women to be
more religious than men."
Growing secularism has political implications. The Republican Party may
suffer as the white evangelical "religious right" shrinks. In contrast,
burgeoning "nones" tend to vote Democratic. Sociologist Ruy Teixeira says
the steady rise of the unaffiliated, plus swelling minorities, means that
"by the 2016 election (or 2020 at the outside) the United States will have
ceased to be a white Christian nation. Looking even farther down the road,
white Christians will be only around 35 percent of the population by 2040,
and conservative white Christians, who have been such a critical part of the
Republican base, will be only about a third of that -- a minority within a
minority."
Gradually, decade by decade, religion is moving from the advanced First
World to the less-developed Third World. Faith retains enormous power in
Muslim lands. Pentecostalism is booming in Africa and South America. Yet the
West steadily turns more secular.
Arguably, it's one of the biggest news stories during our lives -- although
most of us are too busy to notice. Durant may have been correct when he
wrote that it is the basic event of modern times.
Haught, editor of the Charleston Gazette, West Virginia's largest newspaper,
can be reached by phone at 304-348-5199 or e-mail at haught@wvgazette.com .
This essay is adapted from his ninth book, Fading Faith: The Rise of the
Secular Age. To order, click:
http://tinyurl.com/22mj74n
The Charleston Gazette - Nov. 9, 2010
By James A. Haught
Philosopher-
times." He didn't mean the world wars, or the end of colonialism, or the
rise of electronics. He was talking about the decline of religion in
Western democracies.
The great mentor saw subsiding faith as the most profound occurrence of the
past century -- a shift of Western civilization, rather like former
transitions away from the age of kings, the era of slavery and such epochs.
Since World War II, worship has dwindled starkly in Europe, Canada,
Australia, Japan and other advanced democracies. In those busy places, only
5 or 10 percent of adults now attend church. Secular society scurries along
heedlessly.
Pope Benedict XVI protested: "Europe has developed a culture that, in a
manner unknown before now to humanity, excludes God from the public
conscience." Columnist George Will called the Vatican "109 acres of faith in
a European sea of unbelief."
America seems an exception. This country has 350,000 churches whose members
donate $100 billion per year. The United States teems with booming
megachurches, gigantic sales of "Rapture" books, fundamentalist attacks on
evolution, hundred-million-
Pentecostals, the white evangelical "religious right" attached to the
Republican Party, and the like.
But quietly, under the radar, much of America slowly is following the path
previously taken by Europe. Little noticed, secularism keeps climbing in the
United States. Here's the evidence:
| Rising "nones." Various polls find a strong increase in the number of
Americans -- especially the young -- who answer "none" when asked their
religion. In 1990, this group had climbed to 8 percent, and by 2008, it had
doubled to 15 percent -- plus another 5 percent who answer "don't know."
This implies that around 45 million U.S. adults today lack church
affiliation. In Hawaii, more than half say they have no church connection.
| Mainline losses. America's traditional Protestant churches -- "tall
steeple" denominations with seminary-trained clergy -- once dominated U.S.
culture. They were the essence of America. But their membership is
collapsing. Over the past half-century, while the U.S. population doubled,
United Methodists fell from 11 million to 7.9 million, Episcopalians dropped
from 3.4 million to 2 million, the Presbyterian Church USA sank from 4.1
million to 2.2 million, etc. The religious journal First Things -- noting
that mainline faiths dwindled from 50 percent of the adult U.S. population
to a mere 8 percent -- lamented that "the Great Church of America has come
to an end." A researcher at the Ashbrook think-tank dubbed it "Flatline
Protestantism.
| Catholic losses. Although Hispanic immigration resupplies U.S. Catholicism
with replacements, many former adherents have drifted from the giant church.
The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found that 20 million
Americans have quit Catholicism -- thus one-tenth of U.S. adults now are
ex-Catholics.
| Fading taboos. A half-century ago, church-backed laws had power in
America. In the 1950s, it was a crime to look at the equivalent of a Playboy
magazine or R-rated movie -- or for stores to open on the Sabbath -- or to
buy a cocktail or lottery ticket -- or to sell birth-control devices in some
states -- or to be homosexual -- or to terminate a pregnancy -- or to read a
sexy novel -- or for an unwed couple to share a bedroom. Now all those
morality laws have fallen, one after another. Currently, state after state
is legalizing gay marriage, despite church outrage.
Sociologists are fascinated by America's secular shift. Dr. Robert Putnam of
Harvard, author of "Bowling Alone," found as many as 40 percent of young
Americans answering "none" to faith surveys. "It's a huge change, a stunning
development,
Campbell of Notre Dame in writing a new book, "American Grace," that
outlines the trend. Putnam's Social Capital site sums up: "Young Americans
are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of five to six times the
historic rate."
Oddly, males outnumber females among the churchless. "The ratio of 60 males
to 40 females is a remarkable result," the 2008 ARIS poll reported. "These
gender patterns correspond with many earlier findings that show women to be
more religious than men."
Growing secularism has political implications. The Republican Party may
suffer as the white evangelical "religious right" shrinks. In contrast,
burgeoning "nones" tend to vote Democratic. Sociologist Ruy Teixeira says
the steady rise of the unaffiliated, plus swelling minorities, means that
"by the 2016 election (or 2020 at the outside) the United States will have
ceased to be a white Christian nation. Looking even farther down the road,
white Christians will be only around 35 percent of the population by 2040,
and conservative white Christians, who have been such a critical part of the
Republican base, will be only about a third of that -- a minority within a
minority."
Gradually, decade by decade, religion is moving from the advanced First
World to the less-developed Third World. Faith retains enormous power in
Muslim lands. Pentecostalism is booming in Africa and South America. Yet the
West steadily turns more secular.
Arguably, it's one of the biggest news stories during our lives -- although
most of us are too busy to notice. Durant may have been correct when he
wrote that it is the basic event of modern times.
Haught, editor of the Charleston Gazette, West Virginia's largest newspaper,
can be reached by phone at 304-348-5199 or e-mail at haught@wvgazette.
This essay is adapted from his ninth book, Fading Faith: The Rise of the
Secular Age. To order, click:
http://tinyurl.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sam Harris on inequality in America
Is it fair to ask the privileged to sacrifice more while the rich get richer and the poor get poorer?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Amino Acids in Space
Amino acids--the basic building blocks of life--have been found in space before, but now they're being found even where not expected:
Further evidence against those who think abiogenesis is impossible.
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Daily Show is the only news show doing its job
I watched Jon Stewart cover the 9/11 bill that everyone else ignored:
A day later ABC covered Stewart's report. I don't think anyone else did.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
A Holiday Message From Ricky Gervais
A holiday message from comedian Ricky Gervais on "Why I'm an atheist":
Very poignantly put.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Voters Misinformed on Key Issues
A recent poll by World Public Opinion.org reveals that Fox News viewers hold more misinformed views than any other:
"Those who watched Fox News almost daily were significantly more likely than those who never watched it to believe that most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely), most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points), the economy is getting worse (26 points), most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points), the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points), their own income taxes have gone up (14 points), the auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points), when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points) and that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points). The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it--though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.
There were cases with some other news sources as well. Daily consumers of MSNBC and public broadcasting (NPR and PBS) were higher (34 points and 25 points respectively) in believing that it was proven that the US Chamber of Commerce was spending money raised from foreign sources to support Republican candidates. Daily watchers of network TV news broadcasts were 12 points higher in believing that TARP was signed into law by President Obama, and 11 points higher in believing that most Republicans oppose TARP."
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Fox News media bias strikes again
Fox News emailed its journalists with orders to "refrain from asserting that the planet has warmed (or cooled) in any given period without IMMEDIATELY pointing out that such theories are based upon data that critics have called into question":
News should report scientific conclusions, not political conclusions.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Americans aren't as poor as they may think
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/111493/are-americans-as-poor-as-they-feel?mod=family-love_money
Although home prices haven't gone up that much. Not really a great investment.
Stand With Bernie
Worth letting others know:
---------
On Friday, Bernie Sanders became a national hero when he took to the floor of the Senate and spoke against the deal to extend the Bush tax breaks for the rich for almost 9 hours.
Bernie's old-fashioned filibuster continued a growing backlash against this millionaire tax bailout. And he asked just one thing before he stopped—that we all call our senators on Monday, which is when the Senate is expected to vote on the deal. So we're joining forces to do just that.
We're calling it a "Phone-In Filibuster" to stop the millionaire tax bailout. Just as Bernie took over the Senate with his one-man protest for the ages, we'll keep it going with a non-stop flood of phone calls on Monday.
But to pull it off, we need a steady stream of calls all day long. So we're asking you to sign up today and let us know about what time you plan to call North Carolina's Senator Kay Hagan. We'll shoot you a quick reminder tomorrow when the time comes to pick up the phone. Click here to sign up:
As President Obama said, the middle class is being held hostage by the Republicans, and for ransom they're demanding a massive tax break for the rich.1
Sadly, President Obama agreed to pay that ransom by extending the Bush tax breaks for the top 2% of earners, lowering the estate tax from its previous level, and cutting the payroll tax for one year, which would undermine the key source of revenue for Social Security. The deal would also continue unemployment insurance for 13 months and extend other tax cuts supported by both Democrats and Republicans.2
But the richest Americans are likely to reap the lion's share of the benefit from this deal—and economists agree that tax breaks for the top 2% are the least effective for creating jobs.3
And not only is this terrible economic policy—it sets an awful precedent. You see, if you reward hostage-takers, it only encourages them to take more hostages.
That's why House Democrats rejected the deal last week. Now it's up to us to demand that our voices be heard—just like Bernie Sanders did. You can help by signing up today for Monday's Phone-In Filibuster. Click here to sign up:
Thanks for all you do.
–Nita, Robin, Steven, Ilyse, and the rest of the team
P.S. Can you also forward this email to five friends today? The more people involved in the Phone-In Filibuster, the stronger the message to Washington.
Source:
1. "President Obama: Tax Cuts for Wealthy Are Republicans' 'Holy Grail,'" ABC News, December 7, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205455&id=25460-3668589- OJb98Yx&t=5 2. "Deal Struck on Tax Package," The Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205416&id=25460-3668589- OJb98Yx&t=6 3. "Will Obama really end tax cuts for rich in 2012?" The Washington Post, December 10, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205475&id=25460-3668589- OJb98Yx&t=7 "Rich Americans Save Tax Cuts Instead of Spending, Moody's Says," Bloomberg, September 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90354&id=25460-3668589- OJb98Yx&t=8
Friday, December 10, 2010
US Education Falls to Just Average
A highly educated society is the number one thing that will make or break a nation...and we've dropped from #1 to a dismal #17 in science compared with the rest of the world:
Upping our scores to Finland's level (not even the highest) could generate $103 trillion (with a T!) over the lifetime of one generation.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
News Bias...Again....
Fox News caught telling its news reporters (NOT just its opinion polemicists) to use the term "government option" instead of "public option" to deliberately slant viewers against the public option (which they also admit half of Americans support):
Orwellian doublespeak at its finest....
Monday, December 6, 2010
North Korea's Nukes...Obama's Fault?
Fox News once again edits video to falsely imply the Obama Administration is at fault instead of the Bush Administration:
(View the linked original video and transcript to see the hard evidence.)
Report on Climate Change
More congressional testimony on climate change:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S_82BUshM8 (evidence the climate is changing)
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2m9SNzxJJA (addressing conservative claims the climate is not caused by humans)
U.N. Against Freedom of Speech?
The U.N. passed a truly stupid resolution to protect religion from defamation:
WTF? We don't give people who claim to have been probed by aliens special protection against defamation. Why should religion be treated any differently?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
A Scientific Perspective of Political Polarization in America
An interesting study on the political polarization in America today:
The differences are rooted in morality and genetics, interestingly enough.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Stimulus Provided Large Jobs Boost, Says CBO Report
For those who think the stimulus wasn't effective:
India's Growing Pains
A lesson on balancing government and private investment to avoid imbalanced development of infrastructure:
Highest Corporate Profits on Record
Last quarter's corporate profits were the highest on record, and the middle class and poor have gained nothing over the past few decades (adjusting for inflation). Can someone tell me again what's the argument for NOT letting the tax cuts for the richest 2% expire?
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Millionaires Who Want Tax Cuts to Expire
In order to restore fiscal health to the US, dozens of millionaires are requesting an end to the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy:
From their website:
- Between 1979 and 2007, incomes for the wealthiest 1% of Americans rose by 281%
- During the Great Depression, millionaires had a top marginal rate of 68%
- In 1963, millionaires had a top marginal tax rate of 91%
- In 1976, millionaires had a top marginal tax rate of 70%
- Today, millionaires have a top marginal tax rate of 35%
- Reducing the income tax on top earners is one of the most inefficient ways to grow the economy according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office
- 44% of Congress people are millionaires
- The tax cuts were never meant to be permanent
- Letting tax cuts for the top 2% expire as schedule would pay down the debt by $700 billion over the next 10 years
Friday, November 19, 2010
California and the Green Revolution
Here's an article by Arnold Schwartzenegger on how California is doing in the Green Revolution:
Top 5 Social Security Myths
From moveon.org:
Social Security is under attack and we need to fight back against the lies.
Have you heard that Social Security is going bankrupt? Driving up the deficit? In crisis?
Well none of that is true. These are all myths that opponents of Social Security have been spreading to scare people into accepting benefit cuts this fall. But the myths are taking hold—so we have to fight back with the facts.
So we've put together a list of the top five myths about Social Security, along with the real story. Can you check out the list and then share it with your friends, family, and coworkers?
Share the list by going to http://pol.moveon.org/ssmyths?id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=1 If you're on Facebook, share it by clicking here. If you're on Twitter, tweet it here.
Top 5 Social Security Myths
Myth #1: Social Security is going broke.
Reality: There is no Social Security crisis. By 2023, Social Security will have a $4.6 trillion surplus (yes, trillion with a 'T'). It can pay out all scheduled benefits for the next quarter-century with no changes whatsoever.1 After 2037, it'll still be able to pay out 75% of scheduled benefits—and again, that's without any changes. The program started preparing for the Baby Boomers' retirement decades ago.2 Anyone who insists Social Security is broke probably wants to break it themselves.
Myth #2: We have to raise the retirement age because people are living longer.
Reality: This is a red-herring to trick you into agreeing to benefit cuts. Retirees are living about the same amount of time as they were in the 1930s. The reason average life expectancy is higher is mostly because many fewer people die as children than they did 70 years ago.3 What's more, what gains there have been are distributed very unevenly—since 1972, life expectancy increased by 6.5 years for workers in the top half of the income brackets, but by less than 2 years for those in the bottom half.4 But those intent on cutting Social Security love this argument because raising the retirement age is the same as an across-the-board benefit cut.
Myth #3: Benefit cuts are the only way to fix Social Security.
Reality: Social Security doesn't need to be fixed. But if we want to strengthen it, here's a better way: Make the rich pay their fair share. If the very rich paid taxes on all of their income, Social Security would be sustainable for decades to come.5 Right now, high earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $106,000 of their income.6 But conservatives insist benefit cuts are the only way because they want to protect the super-rich from paying their fair share.
Myth #4: The Social Security Trust Fund has been raided and is full of IOUs
Reality: Not even close to true. The Social Security Trust Fund isn't full of IOUs, it's full of U.S. Treasury Bonds. And those bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.7 The reason Social Security holds only treasury bonds is the same reason many Americans do: The federal government has never missed a single interest payment on its debts. President Bush wanted to put Social Security funds in the stock market—which would have been disastrous—but luckily, he failed. So the trillions of dollars in the Social Security Trust Fund, which are separate from the regular budget, are as safe as can be.
Myth #5: Social Security adds to the deficit
Reality: It's not just wrong—it's impossible! By law, Social Security's funds are separate from the budget, and it must pay its own way. That means that Social Security can't add one penny to the deficit.8
Defeating these myths is the first step to stopping Social Security cuts. Can you share this list now?
Thanks for all you do.
–Nita, Duncan, Daniel, Kat, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1."To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security," New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=4
2. "The Straight Facts on Social Security," Economic Opportunity Institute, September 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89704&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=5
3. "Social Security and the Age of Retirement," Center for Economic and Policy Research, June 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89705&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=6
4. "More on raising the retirement age," Washington Post, July 8, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89706&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=7
5. "Social Security is sustainable," Economic and Policy Institute, May 27, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89707&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=8
6. "Maximum wage contribution and the amount for a credit in 2010," Social Security Administration, April 23, 2010
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/240
7. "Trust Fund FAQs," Social Security Administration, February 18, 2010
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/fundFAQ.html
8."To Deficit Hawks: We the People Know Best on Social Security," New Deal 2.0, June 14, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89703&id=22140-540687-eKliZnx&t=9
Raised Taxes, Growing Economy
Unfortunately for supply-siders, history has proven them wrong again and again. During almost three decades spanning 1951 to 1980, when America's top marginal tax rate was between 70 and 92 percent, the nation's average annual growth was 3.7 percent. But between 1983 and start of the Great Recession, when the top rate was far lower -- ranging between 35 and 39 percent -- the economy grew an average of just 3 percent per year. Supply-siders are fond of claiming that Ronald Reagan's 1981 cuts caused the 1980s economic boom. In fact, that boom followed Reagan's 1982 tax increase. The 1990s boom likewise was not the result of a tax cut; it came in the wake of Bill Clinton's 1993 tax increase.
Republicans and Climate Change
Over half of all Republicans still don't accept that climate change is happening:
Ack! Think about the implications of this kind of thinking....
The US has dropped from #1 to #13 in education (only 38% of 12th graders are proficient in reading and only 26% are proficient in math: http://abcnews.go.com/US/nations-report-card-shows-american-students-struggle-reading/story?id=12186446), and we're rapidly losing our edge in science (China is massively increasing R&D spending in science and technology: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/26/research-development-spending-china.html). But science and technology are what made this country great, and they're the MOST important endeavor to develop for a planet that needs to support billions of people with diminishing resources, growing pollution problems, and to pull the majority of humanity out of poverty and significantly raise standards of living. No other option can accomplish this. None. Yet we spend less than half what we should on developing new technologies, and the source of our scientists--our educational facilities--are falling rapidly behind.
The largest group of anti-science people in the US today are Republicans (largely made up of religious conservatives: http://www.gallup.com/poll/118937/republican-base-heavily-white-conservative-religious.aspx), and they were just elected to take over the House of Representatives. Whereas 57% of Democrats accept the science for evolution--a pathetic number, certainly--more than TWO THIRDS of all Republicans reject evolution (http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_publi.htm) and, as you can see by the first link above, over half reject the notion of climate change. Even the Republican replacement for the House Science Committee is a climate change skeptic (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1110/45279.html), and the Republican Energy Committee chairman candidate insists humans can't destroy the planet...because the Bible says so (http://www.juancole.com/2010/11/energy-committee-chairman-candidate-says-god-promised-no-more-catastrophic-climate-change-after-noah.html). This despite the overwhelming consensus by climate scientists worldwide confirming human-caused climate change (http://www.smh.com.au/federal-election/climate/scientists-say-global-warming-is-undeniable-20100816-12701.html).
This is the result of falling education standards in this country: ignorant people electing ignorant representatives to make ignorant policy. Our education system has problems and needs help, but cutting funding would only make things worse. Yet that's exactly what the new Republican House appears prepared to do, along with abolishing the Education Department (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/9/new-house-majority-might-hit-education/). Talk about penny wise, pound foolish.
You can't fix a crumbling building by digging at its foundations.
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