tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post5497441244232740598..comments2023-10-31T06:44:26.393-07:00Comments on Billings Blog: Still dumbing downDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00372790238744903272noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-21466840936205278682009-01-06T20:09:00.000-08:002009-01-06T20:09:00.000-08:00Speaking of dumb things to come out of legislature...Speaking of dumb things to come out of legislatures:<BR/><BR/>As of January 1, any license plate frame that covers up the name of the state on a plate in part or in total is illegal in the state of Arizona. (The law was included in an amendment on a bill authorizing dozens of vanity plates that passed three years ago, but didn't become effective until this year. <I>Despite this, nobody knew aboutAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-18468142012394172502009-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:002009-01-05T19:05:00.000-08:00Technology is the driving force behind short atten...Technology is the driving force behind short attention spans, not the least of which was the remote control, which allowed us to channel surf and avoid advertisements, which then got much shorter and louder. Movies aimed at young people are now cut in a similar manner. <BR/><BR/>There's an OK movie out now called "Seven Pounds" will Will Smith and Rosario Dawson. It won't win any awards as it is Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-64360904765679529252009-01-05T10:47:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:47:00.000-08:00Eric,Of course it costs me. Insurance rates don't ...Eric,<BR/>Of course it costs me. Insurance rates don't distinguish very well between stupid people who don't wear seat belts and smart people who do. Insurance companies do punish drinkers, smokers and motorcyclists. Most bicyclists, to my knowledge, aren't insured for bicycle accidents.<BR/><BR/>As for your Obama quotes, I think it is pretty clear that Obama was kidding. Matthews was at least Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00372790238744903272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-66800554685941673722009-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:002009-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:00I've got insurance - couldn't cost you a penny no ...I've got insurance - couldn't cost you a penny no matter how you slice it - LOL<BR/><BR/>How about a waiver from drinkers, smokers, motorcyclists, or even bicyclists who want to use Grand Avenue or the surrounding side streets in the winter?<BR/><BR/>David I think your memory is getting short on the Obama campaign - <BR/><BR/>Remember the temple the Dems built for him at their convention?<BR/><BRAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-14525333561897759412009-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:002009-01-05T09:00:00.000-08:00Mark,That's a good question, which Jacoby doesn't ...Mark,<BR/>That's a good question, which Jacoby doesn't deal with very satisfactorily. It's pretty hard to make exact comparisons between general public knowledge now and a hundred or so years ago. The main differences I see in my 50 years or so of paying attention are:<BR/><BR/>1. The general shortening of the attention span, such as sound bite and speech length.<BR/><BR/>2. The growing gap Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00372790238744903272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-34704294505292212652009-01-05T08:54:00.000-08:002009-01-05T08:54:00.000-08:00Eric,1. When did Democrats put forth the image of ...Eric,<BR/>1. When did Democrats put forth the image of Obama as Messiah? I missed that one.<BR/><BR/>2. If you are willing to be responsible for the choices you make, would you be willing to sign a waiver protecting me from having to pay for emergency and medical care you may require for your unwise actions?Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00372790238744903272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-74482689250967106392009-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:002009-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:00A couple of points - (1) It was the Democrats them...A couple of points - <BR/><BR/>(1) It was the Democrats themselves putting forth the image of Obama being the Messiah - <BR/><BR/>(2) I consider NOT wearing a seat belt civil disobedience, and they can ticket me every morning and I still won't wear one. <BR/><BR/>Why? Because I think it should be up to the driver.<BR/><BR/>I'm willing to be responsible for the choices I make, and I can legally Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-8602625538571432892009-01-04T16:40:00.000-08:002009-01-04T16:40:00.000-08:00Some outfit did a survey dealing with the top 75 c...Some outfit did a survey dealing with the top 75 cities in the country in terms of folks reading newspapers, the number of bookstores, and the quality of the public libraries to determine how literate the citizenry is. Of the bottom 10 cities, four are in the Phoenix metro area (Phoenix, Glendale, Chandler and Mesa), along with Tucson. (Perhaps this explains the numskulls that keep getting Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5506451.post-80879409807686898012009-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:002009-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00Very hard to disagree with anything you say, inclu...Very hard to disagree with anything you say, including the comments on the blogosphere. But I wonder - each age tends to think of itself as distant and improved from those past, but do things ever really change? Was the average American during De Tocqueville's visit much different? I've seen these supposed test questions for eighth graders from days gone by that make it seem as though the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com