Monday, April 9, 2007

"Conservative” freshmen: the Fox generation


In this morning’s Inside Higher Ed: 40 Years of Changes in the Student Body:

For four decades, the University of California at Los Angeles has administered the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshmen Survey, recording the values, attitudes and backgrounds of the high school graduates who will become the next batch of American college students. … Today, UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute is releasing a broad overview of trends gleaned from the survey. The report, “The American Freshman: Forty-Year Trends 1966–2006,” highlights some striking changes in the makeup of college freshman classes, many of which confirm widely reported trends — but not without a few surprising findings.

Among the trends reported:

Students are becoming more polarized. Moderates are in decline, and more are labeling themselves as either liberal or conservative. Another interesting finding (which might surprise David Horowitz) concerns campus speakers’ freedom to express themselves: “Over half (55.1 percent) of conservative (and far right) students believe that colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers compared to only 28.5 percent of liberal (and far left) students. Thus, not only may some polarizing issues divide students, but the method by which they engage each other in dialogue concerning these issues may also be a point of disagreement.”

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

This morning I saw a report on the Today Show saying that 50% of the American public say they are Democrat, whereas 35% say they are Republican. In the nineties, it was about 43% for both parties. Hopefully this trend soon hits Orange County, but it's unlikely.

Anonymous said...

I agree, 8:36, but then the OC Repubs have only one thing they care about, and that's paying as little in taxes as possible. So unless Newport Beach secedes, we're probably screwed.

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with paying as little in taxes as possible?

Anonymous said...

Quite a bit, actually, 5:10, as taxes are the mark of a civilized society. Without taxes, there would be no roads, police, meat inspection, military, FAA,or public school system. Those who are only concerned with not paying into the system thereby deplete it. You know, like corporations offshoring their businesses so they can avoid tax liability--they are the leeches in modern society. Poor people getting some welfare have nothing on these folks.

Anonymous said...

Most of the middle class from countries south of the border do not pay taxes! They do everything to hide it.

Anonymous said...

And thus, 12:28, what is your point?

Anonymous said...

Taxes equals a civilized society? What a bunch of BS!

Anonymous said...

My first wife's father was a Cuban who felt it was a privilege to pay taxes. He told me about the day Castro's goons came into his office and demanded contrabutions. Its one thing to pay taxes and another to have the shit kick out of you if you don't.

Anonymous said...

"Taxes equals a civilized society? What a bunch of BS! "

I don't know how to even respond to this knuckle dragging comment. So, pal, how do all the services provided for by the government get paid for? Geez.

Anonymous said...

To 7:46--yes, and?

Anonymous said...

No one seems willing to address the question that started this thread: "What is wrong with paying as little in taxes as possible?"

The key to the sentence is "as little as possible." The poster did not say "no taxes" and clearly was not arguing against any taxes whatsoever. Thus, those who think taxes make us a civilized country miss the point. They're also on weak factual ground. For example, ancient Rome taxed its citizens (remember that whole "render unto Caesar" thing -- maybe not on this blog) while still practicing much barbarism. Also, the Soviets or East Germans could tax to support their hardly civilized secret police. There's nothing necessarily civilizing about taxes. (That this simple observation would be criticized as "knuckle dragging," 12:00, really just shows that you yourself are not particularly too evolved to follow a straightforward argument.)

So back to the original question: What is wrong with paying as little in taxes as possible so that government can do the things it is supposed to do, and not pay too much taxes so the government can't do things it has no business doing? Serious people do not argue against any taxes, and it is a straw man to post on this blog that we somehow have made that argument. Taxes are too high because the government does too much. That's the point that hasn't been addressed by you tax and spend liberals who hate all things Republican.

Anonymous said...

Your disingenous opening babbling aside (as little taxes as possible would be, I assume, zero taxes), let's look at your next series of irrational posits.


"So back to the original question: What is wrong with paying as little in taxes as possible so that government can do the things it is supposed to do, and not pay too much taxes so the government can't do things it has no business doing?"

Like, say, starting illegal wars costing billions of dollars and awarding billions more in no bid contracts to the company formerly headed by the VP? All of these actions were initiated by the taxpayer loving GOP.

"Serious people do not argue against any taxes, and it is a straw man to post on this blog that we somehow have made that argument."

See the opening to this--also, you are clearly in favor of paying about a nickle a year. Unless you can defend your Norquist position.


" Taxes are too high because the government does too much. That's the point that hasn't been addressed by you tax and spend liberals who hate all things Republican."

Defend the war, Haliburton, and the billions more spent on defense contractors, and then we'll talk.

Hating all things Republican? What on earth does that mean? If you mean corruption to an unprecendet level, the shameless grovelling to the religious right, and the pillaging of the environment, well, then you would have a point. Hate--oh yes.

Anonymous said...

Why is it that teachers don't pay social security taxes?

Anonymous said...

Because we do not receive social security.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...