Blog Bits

Stephen Franks blogs about a heretical article which suggests a low voter turnout is not a problem. The article cites as reasons that people are too dumb:

In polls taken since 1945, a majority of Americans have been unable to name a single branch of government, define the terms “liberal” and “conservative,” and explain what the Bill of Rights is. More than two-thirds have reported that they do not know the substance of Roe v. Wade and what the Food and Drug Administration does. Nearly half do not know that states have two senators and three-quarters do not know the length of a Senate term. More than fifty per cent of Americans cannot name their congressman; forty per cent cannot name either of their senators. Voters’ notions of government spending are wildly distorted: the public believes that foreign aid consumes twenty-four per cent of the federal budget, for example, though it actually consumes about one per cent.

Aaron Bhatnagar reviews Mayoral candidate John Hinchcliff’s website:

 Total number of words dedicated to Dr John Hinchcliff describing his curriculum vitae, listing his life achievements, and his list of many, many, many writings: 5205

Total words dedicated to what he will do to improve Auckland: 31

Aaron also helpfully fisks a Dick Hubbard letter.

The visible hand in economics links to a marginal revolution post on a flaw in OECD broadband stats. Sadly correcting the flaw means we fall from 21st to 23rd place while Australia goes from 16th to 13th.

Mike Earley has problems with getting freeview.