I'm confused about the American Republican party

[eppie]

I hope that clears things up for you.

Yes.

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You assume everyone is as well educated and logical thinking as you are.

I'm optimistic enough to believe people are capable of logical thinking, and becoming educated.

1st more than 5 billion people on this planet have bigger things to worry about then what we are talking about now, things like ensuring food on the table for this evening.

You are correct. I'm not thinking about them. Mostly I'm thinking about developed nations where we have the means to worry about things like education.

2nd the rest of the people comprise a part that is rich enough to worry about these things and also smart enough to make good choices, and a part (90 %) that is not smart enough.

I'm not really willing to denigrate the 90%. I will grant that it can seem like people are not smart, but that I believe it has more to do with nurture than nature. This is a complaint that I have with education for the masses in general -- in that it exerts pressure to aim for a least common denominator.

And, it's just not that "cool" to be smart. If you look at media, the geek is not the hero who gets the girl, he is the butt of tired old jokes and quixotically tilts at the windmill of public acceptance. Smart people have to act dumb to fit into society. And, yes, I do also find I curb my vocabulary at social gatherings.

Indeed, but eventhough I am not so positive as you regarding the intelligence of my fellow men and women, I agree that a large part is nurture here. But still; if you happen to have grown up in the getto's or in a christian extremist bible town how are you supposed to make the right decissions if noone tells you to.
We give people freedom and with that comes giving them the freedom to *** up their own lives.

Anyway luckily still most higher positions in society are manned by 'smart people'. But on the negative site, a large chunk of all smart people is also too egoistic....which sadly is human nature......and maybe having a smart narcicistic egoist in charge might be worse than having a dumb person in charge.