Will Los Angeles Change Its Name?

[U2Kitten]

Everyone has a right to say who they want to run their country, no matter if they even can read or if they are CEO of an oil company. An educated opinion doesn't necessarily equal a common-sensed opinion.

I'm saying no book learning OR common sense, not necessarily the uneducated. I know some very smart high school dropouts. That's not the thing. I'm saying if they don't have enough IQ or mental capaciity to know enough to be able to understand what the candidate stands for and intends to do, they should not be voting. I'm only talking extreme lower intelligence here, not just the generally poor or uneducated. I mean people so stupid or senile they are physically incapable of understanding what the issues even mean.

 

[DrTeeth]

Yes but then you're talking about 0.0005% of the voters. That won't make much of a difference. Besides, who would be left to vote for Nader then?

Just kidding Ralphie, you know we love ya!

 

[verte76]

Everyone has a right to say who they want to run their country, no matter if they even can read or if they are CEO of an oil company. An educated opinion doesn't necessarily equal a common-sensed opinion.

If the president's decisions didn't affect the 'dumb' people then I can see an issue.

but, unfortunately, his decisions affect everyone.

I agree. I am opposed to putting limitations on the right to vote. It's a *better* situation when people do have some sort of knowledge to base their decision on. This need not be a university education or whatever. I mean, heck, in 1900 "literacy" in the U.S. meant that you could write your name, and that's that. Not exactly rocket science. Some people "go to school with life". The problem with not reading well these days is really more economic than political. My grandfather was born in West Virginia, and I've done a little reading on Appalachia. What's holding those people back economically? A complete lack of education. It's screwing them big time, keeping them poor. This is what bothers me about this situation. I hate it that some people are sentenced to lives of absolute destitution or servitude.

 

[U2Kitten]

My grandfather was born in West Virginia, and I've done a little reading on Appalachia. What's holding those people back economically? A complete lack of education. It's screwing them big time, keeping them poor. This is what bothers me about this situation. I hate it that some people are sentenced to lives of absolute destitution or servitude.

again, just to clarify, I did say I didn't mean uneducated people but people incapable of understanding the meaning of the issues, like the senile or incompetant. Sorry but if you don't know enough to know what you're pulling the lever for you shouldn't. Might as well give the 'right' to a dog or cat, they'd be just as qualified if you can teach them to pull the lever. Another problem I have with that is people like that CAN'T and DON'T make up their own minds but are often influenced by relatives and activists just to boost votes for their candidate and that's the same as stuffing the ballot box!

About WV, what's holding them back? There is no place to work. You can educate them all you want, they can leave town, but as long as there is no industry in their area people will stay poor. My Mom is from WV, from a pretty farm in what used to be a booming coal and railroad town. But the mines petered out and the railroads died and the towns are dying.

I hate to say it but the reason some of these places don't have industry is because they won't ALLOW it. Yes, allow. I don't want to name the towns, but I have kin there and I can tell you for a fact some of these towns have turned down things from Burger Kings to Hardwood flooring factories because they were afraid of drawing outsiders. They are 'good ole boys' and girls whose families have been there for years. They have such a hate and fear of newcomers, be they immigrants or city slickers, that they don't want to do anything to draw them into their midst, including helping their own people get jobs. All the people out there either drive many miles to work, some out of state and only coming home on weekends, or they just don't work. (welfare) Every time I go out there, more old businesses have closed and no new ones have taken their place. If this keeps up, after the old folks die off and the young whippersnappers leave town, they will be ghost towns.

 

[verte76]

U2Kitten, gosh, I guess it shows, it's been a long time since I was in West Virginia!! I *have* read that the unemployment rate in some parts of West Virginia is 30%! Egads! A Ph.D can't get a job if there aren't any jobs! It's a shame they feel like they have to keep outsiders out. My grandfather left West Virginia when he was barely 14 with the rest of his family. His dad had died of septicemia, which he could have survived with antibiotics, but that was before they had antibiotics, so he died. His mother moved the family to Florida. So aside from his birth and early childhood (he had a phenomenal memory before he got senile) he didn't know a heck of alot about his own native state or area. It's amazing that they'd rather the towns became ghost towns rather than doing anything to keep people there. That's why people leave the damn place. Once they stopped using horse harnesses because people were using cars, they didn't adopt to the new market. They just shut down their harness businesses, abandoned their towns, and moved to the big city and got hired as insurance clerks. Then their kids left everything, went to other states and went to work for the new industry for either oil companies or car companies. West Virginia is screwing itself. It's sad.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

everything's offensive to someone... let's ban all things.

 

[stammer476]

West Virginia is screwing itself

I could make a really bad joke, but I'll contain myself.

Sorry. Had to say something.

 

[verte76]

I think I know what the joke is but I'd better not say it.

 

[stammer476]

Yeah, something about going to a family reunion to look for a date. But I won't go through with it, wouldn't want to OFFEND anyone.

This thread is officially hijacked. Let's see if we can get it back on track.

Hey ACLU! Let go of the cross and go get jobs for West Virginia! Do something important with your time!

 

[verte76]

This thread is officially hijacked. Let's see if we can get it back on track.

Hey ACLU! Let go of the cross and go get jobs for West Virginia! Do something important with your time!

Right--let's have a demonstration. My sign will say "Crosses are OK, unemployment is not".

 

[U2Kitten]

The last thing they want is the ACLU, bringing in the outsiders they so try to avoid. One of the problems with a successful factory is that you have gov't mandated guidelines for diversity. But they have none out there, and the only way to get any is to bring in outsiders, which they do not want. It's not only the minorities and foreigners they don't want, a rich guy from NYC moved there to build a house on a hill because he thought it was pretty and they shunned him so bad he left. Whenever I go out there and am eating out or even in the grocery store, they recognize me as not one of the regulars and ask me who I am, where I came from, and why I was there. When I tell them my Mama is from there, and name who my grandparents were and that my uncle's got the place just down the road and my cousin's boy is in the high school band, they are friendly and open up and accept me, but I if you don't have to ties to the area, it's the cold shoulder, get lost. They have a motel but almost all its business comes from family reunions and class reunions. It's a shame, it's such a beautiful place. You're right Verte, a PhD does no good with nowhere to work

And about the 'inbreeder' jokes? I've heard them all. Actually even though my Mom's family is from there I never heard one until I was grown up, at least over 20. My brother's friend was joking us about it, that's the first I ever heard of it. My Mom and her 3 sisters didn't marry their brother, they all married guys from out of state But I can't vouch for what goes on elsewhere in WV.

 

[U2Kitten]

On the positive side of those WV towns, you can get a great big gorgeous Victorian house for about $40,000, and the crime rate is next to zero.