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Rush Limbaugh berates 10th grader’s school essay

brandonlive.com — Limbaugh searched Google, found among the top results an essay entitled “The Main Causes of the Great Depression.” He quotes the essay and refutes each of its claims He doesn’t pull any punches either. Those words would be harsh if they really were for a Harvard lecturer. But that’s not who wrote this essay. It was my friend ...in 10th grade.

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  • killbert24, on 05/17/2008, -32/+24Bastard!
    • BrendanSheehan, on 05/17/2008, -1/+8If you are talking about Limbaugh you shouldn't have been dugg down. The only thing that that guy is good at is overeating.
    • sjl127, on 05/17/2008, -13/+2A 10th grader isn't qualified to write about the definitive causes of the great depression. What to play with the big boys, learn to take the heat.
      • theaceoffire, on 05/17/2008, -2/+12Idiot.
        Since you obviously never made it to 10th grade, let me inform you: Some teachers make you write papers you are not qualified to write.

        They call this "learning".
      • rspeed, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2*facepalm* You, off my internet.
  • CryRightardCry, on 05/17/2008, -37/+43Oxy messes up your brain.
    Maybe one of the illegal shipments of pills he got was tainted?
    I am looking for reasons beyond the fact that Rush is an ignorant a-hole.....
    It's funny that so many people in America WANT to be ignorant assholes and look to him for leadership.
    I blows my mind that a man who violates ever basic ethical and moral lesson taught in kindergarten would be considered anything other than a crackpot.
    • fadetoone, on 05/17/2008, -1/+7Maybe he is trying to rip off Maddox in an effort to create "the worst page in the universe."
      • Xondar, on 05/17/2008, -0/+9Except Maddox is a satirist and Limbaugh sincerely buys into his own *****.
        • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+9Well, until he's called on certain issues.

          Then the story is "Hey! I'm just an entertainer! You can't take me seriously!"

          He knows he's lying about a lot of it. But it's making him rich as *****. He doesn't care.
        • Szandor, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Yes, he's having his cake and eating it too.
    • FairDinkumMate, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4Maybe he thought the basic ethical and moral lessons he was taught in kindergarten were leftist propoganda not the societal standards they are so he feels free to ignore them.
      • mrraven200, on 05/17/2008, -2/+3Except that he once said drug addicts should be thrown in jail and the key thrown away. Now I am in favor of rehab over punishment, but it's the blatant hypocrisy that annoys rightards BTW him and Larry Craig, and MF54, and that gay meth prostitute banging pastor, the morality czar with the huge gambling habit. Hint if people c an't actually handle the morality they preach they ought to get off their high horse that implies OTHER people should do thing they can't do.

        Double hint retard it's the "leftist propaganda" that has kept this fat ass hat out of jail with bubba as his prison mate, think about it...
        • FairDinkumMate, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Did you just call me a retard? That's not nice.
          I especially believe you maybe should check my comment history before making the FALSE assumption that I am a supporter of this guy or right-wing in any way. You see it's MORONS like you that make it tough to actually discuss anything on Digg. They are usually right-wing freaks with an aversion to facts that fly off the handle without thinking about or understanding what they are responding to, but obviously they exist on all sides of the political spectrum.
          Are you sure which side you' really belong on because I generally expect liberals to be, well, more liberal?
        • mrraven200, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1Sorry! I will say in my defense somewhat that your wording was unclear (at least to me). I see what you mean now though and I will slow down reading posts in the future.

          Just to be clear though I am not a "liberal" but I consider myself to be a hard leftist, more in line with Noam Chomsky and Amy Goodman than the failed corporate tool Dimoratic party.

          Anyway sorry again for misreading your post.
    • buddhahands, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0Stop insulting oxy.
      • ElWizardo, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2That 10th grader needed to get his ***** push in. Uppity elitist liberals with their fancy reading and cyphering and such. Way to show those guys how to be average Rush!
  • dotlizard, on 05/17/2008, -24/+30surely he could afford to hire a decent researcher/fact checker. it's very telling that he chooses not to, and that the networks that run his show don't impose any sort of editorial control -- probably he's more popular in his demographic the more ignorant he sounds. any broadcaster with any self respect (or common sense) at all would have their people making sure that they didn't make fools of themselves in front of millions of listeners, but not Rush.
    • MarkusGarvey, on 05/17/2008, -2/+20he just knows that the "dittoheads", wont research it, and and will try to discredit anyone who disagrees with him.....Dittoheads are like zombies...
    • moffie, on 05/17/2008, -2/+14If he had people checking his show for false and baseless content, he wouldn't have a show. Besides, as MarkusGarvey pointed out, his audience obviously doesn't require facts with sources to back them up. If they did, they wouldn't listen to the jabberwocky.
    • Amazetbm, on 05/17/2008, -2/+10"surely he could afford to hire a decent researcher/fact checker."

      Yeah, but that would cut into his money for drugs.
    • 5xSTUN, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5Al Franken said it best: "The easiest job in the world: Rush Limbaugh's fact-checker."
  • mentallyinhell, on 05/17/2008, -21/+29Why not just call the kid a retard and tell him he'll never make it anywhere in life? How ignorant does one really need to be to rip on tenth graders? Or did he just assume it had to be college level because tenth grade reading and writing are beyond him?
    • dotlizard, on 05/17/2008, -5/+43the fun part was, the essay was from years ago -- the kid in question is now a successful program manager for Microsoft. Rush attacked him like he was a noted historian, rather than a teenage future tech executive writing a boring history essay :)
    • manoftheisland, on 05/17/2008, -19/+2he works at Microsoft his life is over
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -2/+1Yeah, because writing for the Ubuntu team pays so much better....
  • MakiNavaja, on 05/17/2008, -23/+39Rush Limbaugh, maniacal blowhard, bashed your friend's essay?

    That's like the biggest compliment he could have received.
  • UltramegaOK, on 05/17/2008, -27/+143***** THING SUCKS
    • FrenchAnarchy, on 05/17/2008, -5/+20Everyone who dugg you down is clearly un-American.
    • jynweythek, on 09/17/2008, -22/+3wrong douchebag
    • bcars, on 05/17/2008, -5/+74***** IT. We'll do it live.
    • spanglegluppet, on 05/17/2008, -0/+16There's no words on it!
    • walnoj, on 05/17/2008, -0/+21What does that mean? "To play us out"?
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2The funniest part is most 12 year olds that watch tv knows what that means.

        There's no reason someone "in the biz" didn't.

        I LOL'd hard.
    • TheCollective00, on 05/17/2008, -10/+2RON PAUL 2008
    • uziko, on 05/17/2008, -3/+2i seriously gotta respect the man after that video, that was comedy
  • scy1192, on 05/17/2008, -6/+25http://www.gusmorino.com/pag3/greatdepression/inde ...

    the essay
    • dotlizard, on 05/17/2008, -4/+11well you can see why Rush thought he was reading a serious historical scholar. um, not. it totally looks like a bright, hardworking high school student doing a report for class.
    • Nidy1, on 05/17/2008, -1/+18I never had 49 footnotes for a high school essay, especially in 10th grade. Jesus.
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2True, but if you look, they're from like 5 sources. He's just highlighting different points being made.

        A lot of footnotes, yes. But they're all referencing the same work.

        Hell, if I write a book report on one book, I could provide 100 footnotes.

        It showed he read the books deeply enough to actually research his paper though. As a high school paper, I'd have to say I've seen a lot worse. He did his homework, if you think it's right or wrong.
    • Scaryclouds, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1The guy looks eerily like the PC from the Mac Vs. PC commercials.
  • bicyclethief, on 05/17/2008, -20/+26I can't decide whether to belittle Rush Limbaugh or Paul for being a Program Manager at Microsoft.
    • Zephkiel, on 05/17/2008, -6/+7Rush Limbaugh isn't a program manager at Microsoft, so I'd say Paul.
    • Subacious, on 05/17/2008, -2/+10The program manager at Microsoft is just trying to earn a living. Lighten up.
  • Newportbeachguy, on 05/17/2008, -12/+4Typical
  • p0s3r, on 05/17/2008, -63/+50This proves Limbaugh's point. Liberal indoctrination in our schools are ruining our youth. This kids horribly incorrect essay proves his point.
    • p0s3r, on 05/17/2008, -28/+8Further, that you morons can't understand this and are trying to make a production out it even FURTHER proves his point.
    • abird, on 05/17/2008, -20/+4BUT REPUBLICANS ARE SO BAD.
    • solistus, on 05/17/2008, -4/+23Liberal indoctrination? For *****'s sake, he wrote a paper quoting the World Almanac that pointed out some statistics about income distribution. Obviously, his analysis doesn't really amount to a proper economic explanation, but for a 10th grader's paper it's not bad at all. For Rush to respond to it line-by-line shows how much of a pompous ass who loves to hear himself yell he truly is.

      Us grown-ups would call taking a random 10th grader's paper and using it to indict the entire US education system as "liberal indoctrination" a 'straw man.' Maybe once you finish your hellish journey through the commie public school gulag, you'll be able to identify such fallacies rather than trumpeting them as if they prove a point.
    • BlackTye, on 05/17/2008, -0/+18For a minute I thought you were joking.
    • lschofield, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1"Liberal indoctrination in our schools are ruining our youth."

      What about subject-verb agreement? Maybe you should hold off commenting about education until you get your head around basic grammar skills.
  • superkendall, on 05/17/2008, -35/+47At 10th grade, aren't you supposed to know history a bit better than that? It's not like he's berating a *6th* grader after all, by 10th grade you are just about an adult and should have had a fair amount of education behind you already.

    • Habemus, on 05/17/2008, -25/+18Actually it just proves Rush is right. A 10th grader can't even write an essay on the Great Depression without making major errors of fact because his teachers are indoctrinating him with liberal propaganda instead of allowing him to get the proper correct facts.
    • rewinn, on 05/17/2008, -5/+20LOL! what errors are in the essay? It's nicely footnoted, for a high school paper. Don't just believe Rush --- after all, he was unable to figure out that he was reading a high school paper despite some rather clear clues to anyone who is net-savvy.

      Look at the date. What were YOU doing on the internet in 1996. AOL?
    • Lane, on 05/17/2008, -3/+19who the hell took an essay on the great depression seriously in the 10th grade, dude there are girls in the hallways!
    • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+9In certain parts of the country, I'm surprised 10th graders can READ, much less write a report.
    • bxblox, on 05/17/2008, -7/+2I believe I was 13 in the 10th grade... not much of an adult.
      • stevetrojanman, on 05/17/2008, -1/+913 in the 10th grade? WTF?

        I was young for my grade and I was 15 in 10th grade.

        Why the ***** is this kid posting a 10th grade paper on the internet in the first place?
        • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1It seems to depend on the year (and possibly location, I'm speaking of Central Florida). I would have been on the older side with a February birthday and I was 14 when I entered 10th grade. Kids with August/September birthdays would've been 13 going in if their parents put them in Kindergarten at the minimum age. Either way, 13 to 15 still isn't much of an adult (depending on the kid of course), and I would assume topics like this would be new or very little previously learned at that age (unless the kid had a particular interest).
        • ScareCrow87, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Are you sure? I'm doing the Math here and unless you are entering Kindergarten at 2 or 3, it doesn't work out. Most places you have to be a minimum of 5 years old when you start, but even at 4, you'd be 5 starting 1st, 6/2nd, 7/3rd, 8/4th, 9/5th...14/10th. And I don't even know of anywhere where you would start kindergarten THAT young.
  • johnnyfistfight, on 05/17/2008, -27/+13The little twerp deserved it.
  • Khast, on 05/17/2008, -16/+19Rush is so full of hot air, he can't stop talking.

    Seriously, for the beginning he did have a lot of good arguments, and ideas... But I think as time went on, he ran out of intelligent discussion topics, so he "finds" his topics... sensationalist media...need I say more.
  • rolf, on 05/17/2008, -30/+21You're an adult (or should be practically) by 10th grade. It's not like Rush Limbaugh is picking on a middle schooler or elementary school kid. But then I read the article and it says:
    "Ouch. Those words would be harsh if they really were for a Harvard lecturer. But that’s not who wrote this essay. It was my friend who works as a Program Manager at Microsoft.

    When he was in 10th grade."

    So whooptey, the essayist is obviously way past 10th grade now. I don't know what's worse, Rush picking on an old high school essay from years back (perhaps as a to make a point to refute what they teach in liberal public school system or whatever he's ranting about now) or this misleading title and summary with conveniently placed "..."
    • Akairenn, on 05/17/2008, -3/+13If you're an adult, why can't you vote, drink or buy cigarettes while in 10th grade?

      Sorry, doesn't cut it. If you expect mere children to be adults, you'd best start treating them that way in all facets.
      • rolf, on 05/17/2008, -4/+2If you are not an adult (drinking), why can you still sign contracts, join the military, and die for your country?

        I'm sorry, but legal fictions don't conform to reality. I was fifteen in 10th grade, I was treated as an adult by my parents in many areas. To this day, they still treat me like a child in others.

        To be fair, studies have shown that our brain doesn't mature until 25 or so... and that corresponds to erractic/reckless behavior. And so in some societies, including America of the 19th Century, you were not considered a full fledge adult until 24 or so.

        Setting a strict date (18th birthday) just to simplify things does nothing to recognize the reality that slow transitions happen all the time and vary by individual. In the same sense, that even though a 12 year old and 6 year old are both children, you would not treat both the same in your household.
    • aussiejan, on 05/17/2008, -0/+6I think it's a bit of a stretch to say you're an adult in the 10th grade (unless you flunked out a lot). The kid is probably about 15. Still a kid to me. Of course every year that yardstick gets higher and higher. Another few years and I'll be calling 30-year-olds "Sonny".
    • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4To be honest, what's in the report here is more than most Americans could tell you about the situation. They could tell you all about Britney Spears, but as for ANYTHING that went back past the 70's? Nope, just doesn't exist. People are ***** stupid nowadays.

      And this kid wasn't getting into politics. In 10th grade, I barely knew what I wanted to focus on. I was torn between business law classes and graphics arts. I went to learn the printing presses (bad move).

      Good god, ask 90% of the people on the street what caused the Great Depression and most of them will just give you a blank stare. Give the 10th grader a break.
    • pintomp3, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2"You're an adult (or should be practically) by 10th grade" how many times were you held back?
  • Sonic84, on 05/17/2008, -2/+60why was his essay published on the net? and worse yet, why was it in the top ten results?
    • Jones4590, on 05/17/2008, -1/+10it's on a site that sells essays to lazy students, so it must have a lot of traffic
    • rewinn, on 05/17/2008, -3/+18In 1996, the kid had his own domain. Obviously he was just a little smarter than Rush. The paper's not bad either.
      • afruff23, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1One of the paper's premises is that wealth disparities caused the great depression. This kid has no idea how wage controls played into the depression. Had Hoover removed these controls, the depression would have ended rather quickly.
        • Scaryclouds, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Oh my god, he was in 10th ***** grade people! If this was a college student in a liberal arts major then feel free to rip his paper apart, but I would very much like to see papers you wrote as a tenth grader see them stand up under the same scrutiny you are putting this paper under.
        • afruff23, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1@Scaryclouds

          The parent comment said the paper's not bad either.
  • bsonline, on 05/17/2008, -5/+16So he got ratings and entertained some sheep? I'm sure he considers it mission accomplished. The controversy just adds to his wallet.
  • Misinformant, on 05/17/2008, -8/+29"Didn't" go to college, Rush? Or "couldn't?"
    • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3The big hairy wart on his ass made sitting in the seats for that long too painful.
  • SydBarrett420, on 05/17/2008, -21/+8Rush Limbaugh is an Oxy popping ***** who takes trips to South America with his friends to ***** other men on the down low.

    Besides, he's still stuck in the old Us vs Them paradigm that the majority of Americans are sick of hearing.

    But he's mostly a pill popping *****, mostly....

    Hope he doesn't kill himself now, I don't want to face charges for bullying...
    • patpl22391, on 05/17/2008, -3/+7There is just so much statements in your comment that are appalling, allow me to start correcting it by burying you.
    • abird, on 05/17/2008, -4/+6***** ***** *****!

      Are you 13 years old?
    • cathars1s, on 05/17/2008, -2/+3Agent of tolerance?
    • SydBarrett420, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4Yes ***** you idiots, where I'm from *****=homosexual. Since we have established Rush takes private planes with his buds to South America with tons of dick medicine, I don't see what your problem is. Is it the wording that offends your sensibilities? You can put a pig in a dress, but it's still a pig...
    • absurdist, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2You disgrace the good names of both Syd Barrett and cannabis. I'm sure you think of yourself as somehow enlightened and/or of superior intellect, but your comments give lie to that assumption. Your naked prejudice adds nothing to the discussion. Shoo.
    • PolishLogic, on 05/25/2008, -0/+1How many gentlemen have you met on the business end of a highway rest area glory hole? Usually the more a person is disgusted by "*****", the more loads they take down their eager throats. Like a baby bird in a nest.

      Just sayin'.
  • addicted68098, on 05/17/2008, -12/+22How can people be such idiots, there has to be some chemical imbalance creating our Bill O'Riellys and Limbaughs. America is a ***** up place, and ***** up people like this make it so the very slightly ***** up people endorse lunatics and before we know it lobbyists have more power then the American citizen
    • winnestow, on 05/17/2008, -10/+2you need to get your facts straight:

      http://www.talkers.com/main/index.php?option=com_c ...

      conservative thought dominates this country.
      • redfan, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4Talk radio listeners aren't actually an accurate representation of the entire nation.

        Nice try, though.
      • yournightmare, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3"conservative thought dominates this country."

        Too bad most of the people on that list aren't true conservatives. You're talking about pseudo-conservative thought, which frankly is about as far from true conservative thought as Marxism.
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2And that's also like saying the attitudes that prevail on Digg rule the country.

        Laughable, at best.
    • badnewshotel, on 05/17/2008, -5/+2You must be a European 10th grade stupid liberal yourself. Because anyone who actually knows history, and has any sense of decency, knows that America is the greatest and most generous country ever.
    • defwheezer, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1There does in fact seem to be a neurochemical basis http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-politic ... for the differences between repubs and dems. Repubs are just wired to be assholes and dems to be bleeding hearts.
  • Valzore, on 05/17/2008, -2/+10I saw it on the Internet, so it must be true.
    • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Would you trust it more if you saw it on TV?
      • Valzore, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2I wouldn't trust it if it was on the Radio.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Wow, so I'm not sure if I like this new comment system. Anyway, I'm not sure how much accuracy on the internet this holds.
  • manoftheisland, on 05/17/2008, -12/+12and Limbaugh kills kittens.... any else? If this guy doesn't matter and is just an entertainer why do you all talk about him so much
    • Olfster, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Because it is entertaining? It is the people who actually don't see this as a parallel to McMans wrestling 'entertainment' that we need to worry about. It's talk entertainment! P.S. Don't let them know it's fake.
  • patpl22391, on 05/17/2008, -13/+7OPERATION CHAOS FTW!!
  • huxleyan, on 05/17/2008, -11/+97What a coincidence. I teach Intro to American Government at a large public university and presented a 45 minute lecture about the similarities between buying stocks on margin in the 1920s and people buying homes with subprime mortgages in the last decade.

    Apparently my 45 hours of graduate level coursework in political science and economics is no match for Rush Limbaugh's education (which consists of two failed semesters of undergrad).

    Off to rewrite my entire lecture as to not offend the uneducated conservatives of this country.
    • ReDoEr, on 05/17/2008, -37/+7I hope you're not saying you inject your personal politics into your lectures. Because that would make Rush, well, right.

      Plus, get over yourself. You're educated. Congratulations. Just because a person has less education than you does not make them a lesser person than you. And as far as Rush, just because he's full of ***** doesn't necessarily mean you're not.
      • DanMiller, on 05/17/2008, -1/+29Being educated doesn't mean you are a "better" person but it certainly entitles you to the benefit of the doubt when it comes to educated discussion, especially when your diploma fits the topic.
        • MrWhite7, on 05/17/2008, -11/+1not if the topic of conversation is the bias of the educational system which your diploma is the product of. Inn a discussion such as that it would be incumbent upon both parties to start on the same level and discuss things from there. Not like that'll happen with Rush, but arguing against him using your credentials is rather disingenuous given what he's saying.
        • DanMiller, on 05/17/2008, -0/+16This makes little sense. You can try to argue that certain educators may sway personal feeling into curriculum, however, you can't argue that a college graduates knowledge is tainted by their very involvment in higher education.

          The original post in this thread alluded to a lecture explaining similarities between the 1920s stock purchasing and the current mortgage crisis. This is not a direct assertment of fact but rather a study of similiarities that DO exist. Having 45 hours of graduate coursework in political science and economics do give an individual considerable weight when it comes time to discuss topics such as these. You can't walk into a debate and then cry liberal college grad! when you don't know what you are talking about.
        • mcquitty, on 05/17/2008, -4/+1Well, if you read earlier digg submissions today, you would know about argument fallacies. For example, appealing to authority. "I am an expert, therefore I am right."
        • DanMiller, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5I don't believe anyone ever said that because he might be an expert he is therfore unconditionally right. What I did say was that if he is a graduate of political science and ecomics than his opinion on these topics versus Rush's are more likely to be grounded in academia and knowledge rather than a politicial spin. Who would you rather have diagnose your heart condition? A college grad surgeon or some random high school student who is real passionate about the state of heart disease in this country?
      • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Someone missed the point.
    • moonbastic, on 05/17/2008, -28/+5How do things look up there, from your ivory tower?

      Stop being a dick by swinging your education around, pal. Academics are wrong all the time.

      I should know. I am one.
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Mind if I ask in what? I didn't see any reference in your profile.

        Not doubting you at all, I like academics. Even if I don't always agree with everything they say, I value their opinions more than a 23 year old kid living in his moms basement.
    • kingmanic, on 05/17/2008, -0/+27You know whats wrong with this country, two ***** douche bags slagging you over your hard earned education like if it was a bad thing. A person less educated is lesser educated. In that particular facet that person is inferior he lacked the will or rigor to get a diploma or degree. This is objective truth *****. The whole reason America's going down the ***** is because dim bulbs like ReDoEr and moonbastic were told they were just as good as everyone else despite what ever academic deficiencies they might have. moonbastic might be an academic but he's a poor one. People really ought to swing education around a little more and make the uneducated feel like ***** and maybe we'd have more people digging into history, economics, and politics for themselves instead of listing to half wit nimrods to generate their political opinions.

      Rush is an uneducated hypocritical prick, moonbastic and ReDoEr are the type of ***** who elevate such men to power and prestige.
      • Lewie, on 05/17/2008, -0/+14Thank you! Very well said!

        This is akin to people (cons/reps?) saying "Well, if you're poor, find a job". Well, if you're stupid, get a ***** education! I think America is one of the few places where people still make fun of the smart kid.
      • FairDinkumMate, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4kingmanic - First of all I agree with your rant at the two above for slagging someone over an education. That said, I think making the assumption that anyone without a diploma or degree in a field is necessarily 'lesser educated' on a given topic is a mistake. I wouldn't want a brain surgeon without a degree operating on me for example but a Political Science degree basically covers some history & critical thinking. eg. 1st day with a new Pol Sci lecturer in Australia he made everyone write a paper supporting the greatest leader of the political party you opposed. It drove me crazy but that knowledge has held me in good stead when discussing the man with his supporters. It may give you an edge, but I don't think that training necessarily makes Pol Sci graduates the most knowledgeable about politics. This applies to other fields as well but I certainly wouldn't make a blanket statement that graduates are more knowledgeable in all cases
        • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3True. I know many people without pieces of paper that are smarter than those with pieces of paper.
        • kingmanic, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5You'd have to agree that the rigor needed for a degree brings at the very least a bit of intellectual framework. Given a person with a degree and a person without a degree. If both are given a problem completely alien to them; the person with the degree will likely be able to proceed faster and more correctly then the person without. Be the degree a Bsc, Ba, Beng, Bed, Ma, Msc, MD, PhD etc... They have more tools to attack a problem. For specific knowledge, a person with a degree is not guaranteed more insight, but a person with an advanced degree in that specific thing is probably more knowledgeable then all but the most expert of amateurs. I don't talk specifically or in all cases but generally the trend is there. If it weren't then education would be a dismal failure.
        • Lewie, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4@FairDinkumMate

          I also [just] graduated with a poli sci degree (and about 2 years short of an Mech Eng degree, but that's beside the point), and I beg to differ. Who would be more knowledgeable about politics? Politics have been around for a long time, and I don't think one could accurately assess politics without knowing the history of politics or the works upon which it evolved (such as Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, and our Founding Fathers). You can't fully appreciate the importance of a middle class in democracy without studying it. Sure, with experience you can learn how it works, but it's only half of the story.

          You can learn how to build machines by watching engineers play with software and the machines, but the theory describing the how and the why is what makes you an engineer. It's what also makes you fit to apply that knowledge to future problems. What you say about "it may give you an edge" is partially true, you can say that about anything. I'm fairly certain I could do anything. I think with a little practice and a guiding hand, I can eventually learn how to do brain surgery without a degree. You learn what to cut, what not to touch, and how to sew. But if the type of brain surgery changes, or there is a change in the science, I would have to start all over. However, brain surgeons know the theory behind what they have to cut and why, and what techniques have changed and why.

          You under-appreciate the importance of theory. The "why" must accompany the "how" if we are to understand and make advances in anything. Newtonian physics work, but it doesn't explain anything. That's why relativity and string theory are important. What you see in politics is just the shell of what it is. It's what they want you to see - not the hours spent every night strategizing and rehearsing.

          I hope you enjoyed my late-night rambling.

          [edit: kingmanic beat me to it]
        • FairDinkumMate, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2@ Lewie & Kingmanic
          I just started writing a long reply with examples but came up with a simpler response:
          Please name for me the last leader of a democratic(or any other actually) nation that had a degree or diploma majoring in any form of Political studies. By your logic, Lewie who HAS a Pol Sci degree would be more knowledgeable about politics than virtually the leadership of the entire world!
          Lewie I agree that learning the 'why' must accompany the 'how', in fact it is probably my least endearing personal attribute - I MUST understand the 'why' of anything taught to me & it drives people nuts(especially High School Math & Science teachers!). I simply disagree that in ALL fields a degree or diploma NECESSARILY dictates that this is better understood.

          PS. I did enjoy your late night rambling!
        • kingmanic, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1FairDinkumMate: I never asserted a poli sci degree would be good for public office. Knowing the theory behind politics would not often give you an edge in politics but would eventually enable you to become part of the bureaucracy. For public office you'd need some public speaking skills, a lot of hard to learn Machiavellian skills, and the ability to shift your morality without appearing to shift your morals.

          Compare the list of world leaders with some degree or another to the list without. Even Good old stupid GW has a degree (getting a bachelors, with average marks). Clinton had a a degree similar to a poli sci degree (Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service) and a law degree. Bush sr had a bachelors. Reagan had a college diploma. Carter had a Bsc. Ford had a degree in political science as well as a law degree. Nixon had a law degree etc...

          It seems the common thread is a degree is needed and a poli sci or law degree seems to be common. Going back 7 presidents each had a degree. In many other nations this trend is true except in areas where nepotism or military coups are common for of succession.
      • ddawggin, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1So you're saying we should belittle the uneducated people more because they'll be inspired to get an education?

        Should we make fun of fat people as well? Ugly people? Internet trolls?

        As a person with an education (UVA, #2 public college in America) I think it's ignorant to insult the intelligence of a stranger because of the lack of a piece of paper. Besides, degrees don't really mean that much anymore because of their dilution.
        • kingmanic, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1It's not as dilute as you think. A bachelors degree still has a high enough attrition rate to mean something while a college diploma varies depending on where you got it from. It's the attitude that degree = nothing which actually dilutes it. My starting class consisted of 2k students 800 managed to get a Bsc at the end. Ba's may be easier. but Ma's, Msc, etc... are require significant efforts. IT doesn't mean their better people but it tends to mean they have either a good work ethic or natural ability to learn/memorize/absorb information.
    • Olfster, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5Hey, try not to offend the West Virginians next time alright?
    • bc289, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2I think the better response would to explain how he is wrong, rather than talking about how uneducated and hypocritical he is.

      I think the situation is a dicey one, but yeah I agree that there are some similarities between the two. I say some because I think there are some key differences as well. I think the response was largely different, as the Federal Reserve has taken a more active role (albeit a late response) post sub-prime meltdown than the Federal Reserve did post-stock market bubble. In addition, if I understand the argument, I think it's a bit much to say that the stock market bubble in the 1920s was a large factor in starting the Great Depression. There was some bad deflation in the years before and a lot of bank runs, which I think had a greater effect in creating the Great Depression. The stock market bubble happened after the economy had already started souring pretty badly. It would be a mistake in my opinion to say that because we have a housing bubble, we'll see the same depression that we did in the 1920s.
      • mcquitty, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2I tend to agree. I wondered about the situation in the 90s. The heady roaring 20s compared very similarly to the heady late 90s. At the time, I saw a lot of similarities and wondered how we were going to recover from irrational exuberance. And it turns out, we did.

        The chicken littles claim the sky is falling. In the end, with some history and context, we might be headed toward lessor times. The depression saw 20% unemployment. We, despite the constant reminder about a recession, have not seen a recession yet and unemployment nationwide is still under 5%. By many economists, that is the modern definition of full employment.

        To me, it seems like we are headed towards the economic times of the 70s. Sure, not a wonderful time in America, but a helluva lot better than the 30s.
        • rdoger6424, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Keep in mind that in the '90s, the middle class wasn't getting screwed over like it was in the '20s (though it's not too hard to argue that it has happened in the 2000s).
        • bc289, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1Yeah, definitely. It's amazing to see that that period also had high oil prices and stagflation, although I don't think our inflation will get to the point it did in the 70s, and therefore won't require the subsequent huge interest rate hikes in the early 80s.

          I do think that the media and a misunderstanding of some economic concepts is driving this doom and gloom outlook from consumers. The economic indicators point to recession, but nowhere near what some people here on Digg have been saying.

          I don't think people truly understand the damage that was done by the Great Depression. GDP contracted significantly, whereas today we're still straddling the positives. Like you mentioned, unemployment still remains very low, and even inflation could still be considered tame compared to historical levels. Of course the rising oil and food prices are a problem, but it is yet to create the effect that many people are saying it will. Not saying that it won't happen, but it hasn't happened yet.
      • kingmanic, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1I don't think they are equivalent, the stock crash of the 20's had numerous other factors including drought and a general global economic slowdown. There are similarities as the gp mentions and enough to do a lecture on but they aren't equivalent events. The world and the economy have changed a lot since the 20's.
    • Johneeeee, on 05/17/2008, -7/+4
      "Apparently my 45 hours of graduate level coursework in political science and economics"

      Apparently since your statement as present here shows it was more shaped by your current political opinions then with any rational understanding of the causes behind the Great Depression.

      Indoctrination is not education. You earned yourself an F with this nonsense.
    • shig, on 05/17/2008, -2/+5I didn't attend your 45min lecture or take the same classes. I cannot accurately judge the value of your education. You could have had a poor average and delivered what I would consider the most informed economic comparison in history. Likewise, you could have passed with honors and talked banally about how they borrowed money. It is also true that someone always manages to graduate at the bottom of the class.

      I may be an uneducated conservative, but I'm intelligent enough to know that the only way anyone can judge the value of my opinion is to actually hear it. If you choose not to hear my opinion because I do not have a piece of paper, and you do, then we are both dumb. As a student of economics you should know that simply paying money for something does not give it value.

      Have you ever considered rewriting your lecture?
    • scottmoss, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1Apparently not.....
    • huxleyan, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4You know what really grinds my gears? Anti-intellectualism in this country.

      When did it become a bad thing to explain to someone that you are an expert on a subject because you have a graduate level degree?

      If someone announces in a crowd that he was an all pro wide receiver in college he's patted on the back.

      If I tell a crowd that I have advanced degrees in social science they automatically look at me like an arrogant prick.

      No wonder America is faltering.
      • shig, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1If you attempt to rebuke someone's opinion by showing them your degrees, then you are an arrogant prick.

        If you think my opinion is why America is faltering then I suggest you put some ketchup on those lambskins and eat them, so you will at least get a full stomach for all that time and work you put into getting them.
  • caponumen, on 05/17/2008, -1/+7OK then, give him a "handy" or something, damn!

    BTW, why would you beleive anything the history books or any number of Oxycodone fends have to say, in regards to the market manipulations and crash of 1929?
  • DocOrpheus, on 05/17/2008, -7/+22Rush is the classic case of a schoolyard bully; chooses his battles in such a way that only he wins, further boosting his own (insecure) ego.

    I'd pay admission to see Limbaugh debate Thom Hartmann. Hartmann would rip him a new a-hole in more places than one.
    • Unksean, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4Don't get your hopes up.

      Part of Limbaugh's (sigh) genius is that he doesn't do debates. He has isolated himself from any criticism though his radio show and has his views reinforced daily from an army of "dittoheads," aka Republican talking points parroting dumbasses. The one time he actually tried to defend his erroneous statements he got utterly owned http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1906
  • digitalArtform, on 05/17/2008, -2/+11I like Thom Hartmann's take on the Depression
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thom-hartmann/theres ...
    • Lewie, on 05/17/2008, -1/+5He's wrong. It sounds too liberal, so he must not know what he's talking about.

      /sarcasm (because I get dugg down without it)
    • afruff23, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1I like this take:
      http://mises.org/rothbard/AGD/contents.asp

      Hartmann's account is by and large a false narrative of the past. Raising minimum wage creates unemployment, and in an economy with a high unemployment, the last thing you need is more unemployment.
  • Barackalypse, on 05/17/2008, -11/+8Ok, so are we suggesting that based on who wrote something we should lose the ability to discuss it or criticize it? That seems to be to a problem with with a lot of liberals today, they have a whole scared list of groups who must never be questioned because they're a protected species. God help you if you do, because they'll decry you as racist, sexist, or bigoted based on which of the protected groups the individual in question belongs to.
    • winnestow, on 05/17/2008, -10/+4Talk radio gives conservatives that which liberals think they ought not have: a voice
    • rewinn, on 05/17/2008, -3/+7No, we're suggesting Rush is too stupid to notice he's trying to beat up on a kid still in high school.
    • redfan, on 05/17/2008, -3/+8I love the irony of the poster saying that liberals are the ones trying to shut their opponents up.
    • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -2/+4Be sure to post that rant after all of the "Buried, Huffington Post! or Buried, Thinkprogress!" posts, okay?

      I actually hear MORE bitching about who wrote the piece than what the piece said from conservatives than I do liberals.

      Granted, there are a few sites that many liberals DO do this with "Free Republic, LGF, Newsmax", but you have to admit, those are ***** CRAZY sources. Those are just as far out as the Jeff Rense *****.

      Liberals will normally read something and pick it apart. I know how people love to bitch about liberals being "picky". It's a fault. Sorry. But conservatives on the other hand, are the group that I see saying "It came from here! Buried! and the infamous "TL'DR".

      So again, please trot out your "are we suggesting that based on who wrote something we should lose the ability to discuss it or criticize it?" next time those posts come out, because it's absolutely right.

      But every word you said after that was 100% *****.
      • mcquitty, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2Nice argument. Too bad it doesn't hold water. I hear enough from people about "Faux News". I am not saying all, but look at some posts and realize it is not a liberal or conservative issue. Some people do not like to see a particular source. Against, it's a straw man argument.

        Both sides do it, so to say only one side does it is to naive. Much like your comment under Prescott Bush.. "Fox "news" is no more factual than their other big hit, "The Simpsons". I guess it is just the "right" that blames the source, eh?

    • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1Not exactly. The thing here is this is a school assignment written by a 13- to 15-year-old. Dunno why it's posted on the Internet, but I can only assume that it wasn't put out to be used as a 'scholarly' source. Not that someone that age might not be capable of producing such a paper, if it is unlikely, this wasn't the intent here. If it was, then there is no issue, criticize away.

      Hell, criticize anyway, but there's different kinds of criticism, and the kind here wasn't appropriate to the type of piece.
  • piratearggghhh, on 05/17/2008, -2/+14I would love to see Rush get into a debate with a real poli sci or econ professor.
    • winnestow, on 05/17/2008, -5/+2as would i, i too was once a liberal
      • bjornski, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2That's what drugs do you ya, kids!

        -this message brought to you from D.A.R.E.
    • Olfster, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4The show is hilarious when someone gets through that they had not planned for. Makes for the real entertainment. He becomes clueless. The best is the day he came back after his Florida drug issues. A lady got on and basically called him out. It was absolute radio history at its best.
    • Derrekito, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Rush has debates????? I use to listen to the show, daily - not once have I heard a 'debate'! He just berates about similar to Bill Oreilly.
  • Hegemony, on 05/17/2008, -2/+13Damn, that essay was better than anything I ever wrote in 10th grade.
    • Derrekito, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2This essay is better than anything I have peer reviewed at my university.
  • BoSuu, on 05/17/2008, -3/+10Rush never (or at least very rarely) debates people who have a clue about what is going on in the world. His screeners only allow the dumbest of the liberal callers on the air that can't back up what they have to say. Not that what they have to say is not right, they just are not quick enough to dish ***** back at Rush.

    Also EVERY day nutso right wing mothers call in with stories of how their kids told their teacher the three people they would most want to meet are "George Bush, Jesus, and Rush Limbaugh". I heard a lady say exactly just last week and something similar every day. Rush loves to hear this ***** too. PUKE~!
  • cholcolatedrop, on 05/17/2008, -6/+2Out of all the emails Rush Limbaugh read he was not able to to pick out a highly educated one. It shows the lowest grade level of comprehension he possess. I am unashamedly Black and I stand on the side of right regardless of race. RL is white and he is a dumb *****. Thanks 10Th grader you did a fantastic job.
    • Olfster, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Your forgot drug addict. I think you meant to say "White and a Dumb F^%$ drug addict."
  • GorfTron, on 05/17/2008, -10/+4Limbaugh is hardly and intellect. He dropped college because it bored him lol.
    • kingmanic, on 05/17/2008, -1/+9GorTron is unintelligible. He dropped English because it confused him lol.
      • Olfster, on 05/17/2008, -1/+1Another 'donkey' editor! We are full of them today. Oh horrah.
        • mcquitty, on 05/17/2008, -0/+1To be criticizing one and making mistakes in one's post at the same time is idiotic. Just because you don't agree with the message doesn't make it wrong. There is an edit button, you know.
      • Donwangugi, on 05/18/2008, -0/+1Yeah! And that GorfTron dude too.
    • diggerphelps, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2Rule #4081 of the Internets: when commenting on someone else's intellect -- or lack thereof -- it is required to use the spell chequer, and pore over your communication for any glaring grammatical or usage errors, however small.
  • ftw420, on 05/17/2008, -2/+1Rush has little to do.
  • DardanAeneas, on 05/17/2008, -2/+6[citation needed]
    Could very well be true. The transcript on Rush's site proves that he quoted from "Paul Alexander Gusmorino, May 13th, 1996, 'Main Causes of the Great Depression.'" But where is the proof that this was written in tenth grade? The blog might be trustworthy, but I don't know the guy.
    • rewinn, on 05/17/2008, -0/+4It's trivial to prove that it was written before 2003:

      http://web.archive.org/web/20030425092431/http://w ...

      Hold on, let me check the registration of the domain name.
      • rewinn, on 05/17/2008, -1/+3Well, the domain was registered in 2000: http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/results.jsp? ... Whether that's a new registration (and the kid posted an old essay once he got to college) or a re-registration when the 1st expired is hard to tell.

        Anyway, it's pretty silly to think that the kid put the essay out there yesterday just to trip up Rush (...although if he were really smart, he coulda hacked google to bump up his search ranking ... knowing Rush was gonna google the subject). LOL!
  • newnetmp3, on 05/17/2008, -12/+1dugg down for no audio of rush! If I Dont HEar Him Saying It HE DIDDNT SAY IT!!!! NO MATTER WHAT HIS OWN TRANSCRIPTS SAY!! er mm .. RUSH is INFALLIBLE its not like his transcripts could be ALTERED by ANYONE against his own OMNIPOTENT WILL!!! BTW, what does a 10yr old know!!?! how DARe a 10 Year old submit his own essay to such an esteemed NATIONAL radio show run by such a Non-Drug-Tainted mind such as Mr. Rush!!!! For a 10 Yr Old to even appear as a credible witness in such a debate would be so faithful to the crack dealers on every corner of every street in the nation that even my wife should be ashamed to have little kids's essays be even acknowledged, even by his own school teacher, much less a syndicated talk show host, to be even in the least bit factual!
  • Murrabbit, on 05/17/2008, -7/+4Proving once more that there is no depth to which Rush Limbaugh will not sink nor any act of sophistry or dishonesty he will not perpetrate in the guise of somehow meaningfully political discussion.
    • DardanAeneas, on 05/17/2008, -0/+2I'm pretty sure this doesn't rise to sophistry. Give the Sophists some credit.
  • trer, on 05/17/2008, -6/+8This proves that Rush can out-debate a 10th grader (as long as said 10th grader is not in the same room as Rush to defend his essay). No small feat indeed. An 11th grader, however, is another story.
  • bobbknight, on 05/17/2008, -6/+11Well interesting, I just read the essay and it reads like the work of a student of Frederick Engels. Putting all the blame on the undertaxed rich and the policies of a "conservative government", minimizing the greatest problem of unregulated stock market speculation with the use of large debt. Hmmmm, where have we seen this? Oh right the current credit mess.

    I like that Brandon ( who works on search technology for Windows at Microsoft) an oxymoron at best, sticks up for his buddy, a program manager also at Microsoft ( no program listed, Shhhh it's a secret ) Paul Alexander Gusmorino The Third. But gives no detail of the essay in question, but just slams Limbaugh.

    I for one would have liked to have seen the points and counter points.

    Just consider this, who is in a better position to give you a job, the beggar in the street, or the rich guy that wants his mansion driveway paved?
    • mrraven200, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1"Just consider this, who is in a better position to give you a job, the beggar in the street, or the rich guy that wants his mansion driveway paved?"

      Just because that is the way it is in the U.S., it doesn't follow thatthat's the way it ought to be. Countries like Sweden manage excellence and innovation (Saab and Volvo ring a bell?) AND to take care of their poor, weak, sick and hungry, which we ought to do as well if we were decent compassionate people As a bonus blowhard condescending right wing bully pricks like yourself have no power there, which sounds like a breath of fresh air to me
  • TecK415, on 05/17/2008, -2/+5"and even remarks how “lucky” he is that he didn’t graduate from college, thus allowing him to escape the perils of actual knowledge."

    LOL! wow...
    • redfan, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5Conservatives who criticize education remind me of small children who call something "stupid" when they're simply incapable of understanding it.

      Except that conservatives never actually grow out of it.
  • David513, on 05/17/2008, -8/+12I don't like Limbaugh in the least, but the essay in question is full of Leftist myths that don't stand up to close scrutiny. If you're a socialist looking to justify taking money from productive people and giving it to others (which is known as "stealing" in normal contexts), it probably makes some sense. But for those who don't worship at the altar of FDR and Marxian economics, it reads like a throwback to the nonsense peddled in one of the Glorious Socialist Workers' Paradises.

    Here's another take on the Great Depression which comes from an economic perspective of the Austrian school (aka free markets):

    http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=4013
    • redfan, on 05/17/2008, -1/+5"In practice, the Center is libertarian in ideology, and the [Mackinac] Center advocates against governmental regulation and many taxes, including the Single Business Tax."

      No offense, but that doesn't exactly sound like the most unbiased source.

      Sorry, but if you don't think that that gov't intervention is needed to prevent crises like the mortgage-backed securities one which we are experiencing, then you probably don't understand the actual issue. The incredibly shady and unethical methods of risk assessment and financing methods are absolutely NOT in the interest of free markets.
      • disappointment, on 05/17/2008, -1/+4If you think that governmental regulation is the answer, you probably don't understand the actual issue.
        • disappointment, on 05/17/2008, -2/+1...waiting to be called a Paultard, or a Rush-lover.
      • David513, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3Did I say that the view I linked to is "unbiased"? There's no such thing as "unbiased." Every analysis has certain underlying assumptions and biases. I simply said that the Leftist view doesn't hold up to logical scrutiny. Did you read and understand what I said? I actually said right up front what the biases of the paper are. I said that it was another take on the subject, albeit one which I consider much more logical. So you're being irrational and unreasonable to complain of bias when I clearly pointed out the point of view up front.
        • mrraven200, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1Because lack of government assistance, and government regulation has worked so well the last 7 years, Enron, Katrina, and sub prime crisis, ring a bell? The interesting thing about "free market" Libertarians is their big bosses the banker financiers always come begging to the government for an FDIC loan guarantee or other government bailout like was given to Bear Strearns.

          http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/16/business/pa ...

          Now back to you regular content free Libertarian faith based propaganda which amounts to money for chosen few=god, free market=intelligent design, Adam Smith's wealth of Nations=bible and don't you dare question question this GIVEN authority it or you'll make the baby Ann Rand cry.
      • personalj, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2Why does the government need to bail out people who entered into a contract and can't afford to pay what they agreed upon? They ought to lose their homes since they can't pay.
        • mrraven200, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1And do the banks like Bear Stearns go down too without government assistance taking the whole economy with them? If not how come the rich who can most afford to take financial hits are being bailed out while the poor thrown out on the streets? Can you say double standard? I knew you could... If you say screw em' all and let the market sort it our are you ready for a huge depression? I hope then you bought your big bag of rice before the limits kicked in at the big box stores...
  • dadavexx, on 05/17/2008, -5/+2There is a nice quite out of the way place - in Terrell, TX that has been used for almost a century to provide a home for demented individuals like Rushy and his sound alike buddy Bill Oiley. I'm sure that the commitment process would be fairly easy for the pair. You could offer a choice of almost any program transcripts from either. I'm sure that they would continue Rush's oxi program that gone on so long. Not sure what they could do for Oily except freedom from fear of terrorists and the other nightmares that he and other neocons must suffer through.
  • takua108, on 05/17/2008, -3/+2YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGH!
  • TheDelta9, on 05/17/2008, -0/+3wait a program director for Microsoft was in 10th grade in 1996???? getting younger every day
    • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0I'm slow today... just realized that makes him about a year older than me. So yes, fairly young.
  • PolishLogic, on 05/17/2008, -2/+7Apparently nobody is a fan of Maddox's criticisms of 1st grade art either.

    Humor has died on Digg, I guess.
  • koft, on 05/17/2008, -3/+6Anybody got a link to the audio version of this? I ain't giving Rush and money to hear his *****.
  • DennisPwnsj00, on 05/17/2008, -6/+7Clearly no one heard Limbaugh's monologue. First, nowhere did it say that he was in 10th grade in the paper, or on the site. Second, his point was that most people are unaware of the actual causes of the depression.
    • missmorgie, on 05/17/2008, -0/+5While I understand that you are maybe trying to be a level-headed human, we are talking about Rush Limbaugh. Certainly his point was that most people are uneducated about the causes of the Depression. However, this is RUSH LIMBAUGH. I am certain that he failed to actually provide any factual causes of the Great Depression other than "Liberals are bad! They thrive off the blood of newborns! And, man! They love FDR!"

      What I'm getting at is, prepare to be dugg down. Hard.
      • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0Nah, 'cause you're right, I know the type from more years than I care to count in various s. baptist churches, they generally don't reason, they hear something they like, or something that disagrees with what they like, and they praise or denounce it without really thinking about it. When questioned, it's always "because it's right" or "because it's wrong".

        (Disclaimer: I know there are Christians, even s. baptists who aren't like this, this is just the majority of my personal 24 years experience with this sort of people.)
  • thebloodvayne, on 05/17/2008, -12/+10Earth to Limbaugh : shut the hell up.
  • RickyBarnes1960, on 05/17/2008, -4/+4Sounds like poor research on Rush's part or a setup by someone in the production team of his show. Either way, it is always right to critique bad facts, conclusions and ideas - no matter their source. The focus here ought to be far less that it was written by a 10th grader and far more on the merit of the facts and argument of the essay. What gets me, however, is the question of why Rush or anyone else thought a critique of 10th grade essay was going to lend the show and Rush Limbaugh any sort of credibility and why they would spend valuable air time rebutting such an essay when the rebuttal of the work of a top-notch historian or economist would have been more commensurate with the expense and far more interesting and educational overall. All in all, Rush Limbaugh and his ilk fell into the realm of irrelevance a long time ago in my personal life. I'm quite certain I'm not the only one which makes this whole thing a "non-earth-moving" controversy.
  • FiringPin, on 05/17/2008, -2/+1Waaaaaahhhh. If you don't like people commenting on your stuff don't post it on the net. Rush didn't rip on the 10th grader, he ripped on the ignorant drivel that passes for education.
  • yournightmare, on 05/17/2008, -1/+2It's been 21 years since I studied the Great Depression, but I'm pretty sure that we were taught the Dust Bowl, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, and stock market speculation were the major causes of it, not unequal distribution of wealth. I'm guessing that either different school districts emphasize different causes, or the causes that are emphasized changed greatly in the 8 years between when I learned about the Great Depression and when the author of the essay learned about it.
    • Kzoo, on 05/17/2008, -0/+0It's probably some of both, depending, I imagine, partly on where the teacher went to school, the books being used, and (perhaps unfortunately at a level where kids are still taking what teachers hand them as gospel; not that they stop in college but that's beside the point >_
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