By: Lynniek2160 on 7/30/09
Gee, if only they put as much energy into productive work or school as they do into stealing what other people have paid for.

By: jg13 on 7/31/09
That thought could apply across the board Lynniek2160. According to the last statistic I read, TN raked 46th in the nation for students completing high school. Only 60% of students receive their diploma. The stats are even worse for college drop outs. It's a huge factor that touches everything from crime to childhood obesity. Smart people make smart decisions. New England has the lowest crime rates in the country and the majority of those states are in the top 25 for graduation rates, test scores, and higher education stats.

Unfortunately a lot of people in TN would rather arm students with guns than an education.

By: Farmall on 7/31/09
Yes, we like to arm those 21yr old students who are still in the 8th grade.

By: Dave42 on 8/1/09
jg13, what the heck does childhood obesity have to do with the subject of crime in the country? And by the way, that 46th in the nation has been tossed around all over the country. So far I've heard about 12 different state governors use that figure for their own states. It was used in California just this last week. Oh and it's ranked not raked. Why do they call it common sense when it is so uncommon?

By: Sherdog on 8/1/09
jg13 drumming up yet more of his hypocritical anti-gun drivel. You might be able to pass that load of horse manure off on some of your Toyota Prius driving friends as you sip on your lattes at Starbucks but not here. Statemaster.com's latest rating has TN at number 41 with a graduation rate of 82.9% which is WAY off from the 60% figure you pulled out of your rectum.
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont all three cooperated in developing the BS No Child Left Behind garbage so of course they appear smarter on paper due to their lowered standards.

By: jg13 on 8/4/09
Sherdog,

Hate Starbucks, don't know anyone with a Toyota Prius, and have never had a latte. Should I assume you're a toothless, slack jawed redneck who married your cousin, put a car on blocks in your front yard and think "Git-R-Done" is a quote from a great philosopher? Or can we just drop the bull@#$t stereotypes?

My stats may have been skewed but my point remains. When education standards increase, crime, obesity, etc. etc. decreases.

Also, I know I've painted myself into this corner, but I'm not anti-gun. I'm anti-guns around kids in parks and around booze in bars. For the record, I'm also against booze in kids and bars in parks (maybe not bars in parks).

I will agree with you on one thing, No Child Left Behind is a complete failure. Hated it from the start, hate it now. It wouldn't have worked even if Bush did fund it. There's a reason that VA's standardized test is called the S.O.L.