Bill Maher's latest New Rule

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Cue the outrage

Bill Maher's latest New Rule:

New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't

make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer

if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I

hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It

was amazing - in the minute or so between my calling America stupid

and the end of the Cialis commercial, CNN was flooded with furious

emails and the twits hit the fan. And you could tell that these

people were really mad because they wrote entirely in CAPITAL

LETTERS!!! It's how they get the blood circulating when the Cialis

wears off. Worst of all, Bill O'Reilly refuted my contention that

this is a stupid country by calling me a pinhead, which A) proves my

point, and B) is really funny coming from a doody-face like him.

Now, the hate mail all seemed to have a running theme: that I may

live in a stupid country, but they lived in the greatest country on

earth, and that perhaps I should move to another country, like

Somalia. Well, the joke's on them because I happen to have a summer

home in Somalia... and no I can't show you an original copy of my

birth certificate because Woody Harrelson spilled bong water on it.

And before I go about demonstrating how, sadly, easy it is to prove

the dumbness dragging down our country, let me just say that

ignorance has life and death consequences. On the eve of the Iraq

War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved

in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care

debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now

so they can go home and "listen to their constituents." An urge they

should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a

recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told

his Congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare,"

which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways.

I'm the bad guy for saying it's a stupid country, yet polls show that

a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or

explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country

America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds of

Americans don't know what's in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don't know

what the Food and Drug Administration does. Some of this stuff you

should be able to pick up simply by being alive. You know, like the

way the Slumdog kid knew about cricket.

Not here. Nearly half of Americans don't know that states have two

senators and more than half can't name their congressman. And among

Republican governors, only 30% got their wife's name right on the first try.

Sarah Palin says she would never apologize for America. Even though a

Gallup poll says 18% of Americans think the sun revolves around the

earth. No, they're not stupid. They're interplanetary mavericks. A

third of Republicans believe Obama is not a citizen, and a third of

Democrats believe that George Bush had prior knowledge of the 9/11

attacks, which is an absurd sentence because it contains the words

"Bush" and "knowledge."

People ###### and moan about taxes and spending, but they have no idea

what their government spends money on. The average voter thinks

foreign aid consumes 24% of our federal budget. It's actually less

than 1%. And don't even ask about cabinet members: seven in ten think

Napolitano is a kind of three-flavored ice cream. And last election,

a full one-third of voters forgot why they were in the booth, handed

out their pants, and asked, "Do you have these in a relaxed-fit?"

And I haven't even brought up America's religious beliefs. But here's

one fun fact you can take away: did you know only about half of

Americans are aware that Judaism is an older religion than

Christianity? That's right, half of America looks at books called the

Old Testament and the New Testament and cannot figure out which one

came first.

And these are the idiots we want to weigh in on the minutia of health

care policy? Please, this country is like a college chick after two

Long Island Iced Teas: we can be talked into anything, like wars, and

we can be talked out of anything, like health care. We should forget

town halls, and replace them with study halls. There's a lot of

populist anger directed towards Washington, but you know who

concerned citizens should be most angry at? Their fellow citizens.

"Inside the beltway" thinking may be wrong, but at least it's

thinking, which is more than you can say for what's going on outside

the beltway.

And if you want to call me an elitist for this, I say thank you. Yes,

I want decisions made by an elite group of people who know what

they're talking about. That means Obama budget director Peter Orszag,

not Sarah Palin.

Which is the way our founding fathers wanted it. James Madison wrote

that "pure democracy" doesn't work because "there is nothing to

check... an obnoxious individual." Then, in the margins, he doodled a

picture of Joe the Plumber.

Until we admit there are things we don't know, we can't even start

asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that America can

make a mistake, we can't stop the next one. A smart guy named

Chesterton once said: "My country, right or wrong is a thing no

patriot would ever think of saying... It is like saying 'My mother,

drunk or sober.'" To which most Americans would respond: "Are you

calling my mother a drunk?"

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Bill Maher is awesome!

[Tahoma 2,292]

Bill Maher is awesome!

[almaty 19]

spot on bill

[pedroh 21]

but but but but, Saddam had WMD's!! but but he was evil!! oh wait, who's Osama? mhh isn't that Obama's real name?

[Staashi 371]

I totally puffy Bill Maher.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Staashi

[pedroh 21]

Bill Maher rules indeed

[Heracles 417]

As much as I hate Maher for his ironic intolerance with religion, I say he is spot on with a lot of what he says.

I do have to say that while America does have ‘some’ of the smartest people in the world, no offense, but the country also has a hell of a lot of people who are just uneducated and foolish. My estimate is that 15% of the population is incredibly smart, the other 85% is basically dumb. I think this has only gotten worse because of the country's self-induced isolation from the rest of the world. I'm not talking physically isolated but mentally, especially because of the erroneous belief that it is the best. Which has inhibited people from learning or even comparing by travel. Up until the new passport requirements a few years ago, less than 20% of Americans had passports. Having no international experience or exposure in such a global time(world) is like driving a model T ford and assuming it's the best car.

The only issue I have with his logic is that he fails to join the dots and see why are so many other places are doing better and smarter than the US. Why are people in other countries more peaceful or better educated than the US? Most developed countries do not have a US style anything goes, each to their own, approach to life. They have expectations of people and what is or is not acceptable in their society. The United States feels this is wrong and that anyone and everyone should be able to do as they feel, regardless of the consequences. Bill also has no issues with the courts running the country. In Aus, people get to decide on outcomes by means of government elections and referendum. The parliamentary system does not have a winner takes all approach. There is also less room for standoffs on reform. Once x party is in office, they get to call the shots. The biggest difference of them all is that you will not see a society's future decided on a 'zbc v def’ court case, as proudly mention by Maher. Actually, I never heard of such a thing until moving here.

America is what it makes itself. Unfortunately the glory days of the 50’s and 60’s, when people looked up to America, are gone.

Edited August 11, 2009 by haza

[The Dude 206]

[Heracles 417]

A prime example of what is wrong with this country. The staus quo attitude of anyone who disagrees with me is stupid. Which goes back to my point of how can anyone improve when they know it all and are the best?

Yank liberals are just as moronic as Yank conservatives.

Edited August 11, 2009 by haza

[nowhereman 1]

America is full of idiots. Want proof? Just drive!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

[almaty 19]

America is full of idiots. Want proof? Just drive!

or look at what some of the usc post on vj///

[Heracles 417]

America is full of idiots. Want proof? Just drive!

Just like the lady who was high and drunk yet choose to drive and kill her kids and take the lives of others. Even an idiot knows don't drink and drive. For those who don't, the Australian government has the following message posted:

Anyway, look at what is considered 'being cool' here. OMFG The same thing is laughed at overseas.

Here is an example if idiocy: a young man was just mauled to death by two American pit bulls. People here swear by these dogs. Downunder these same dogs have been banned and anyone who has one was forced to have them put down immediately. This is just an example of what people here consider freedom of choice while others abroad see the same thing as lunacy.

Edited August 11, 2009 by haza

[Heracles 417]