Lou Dobbs rejects the education button

Lou Dobbs rejects the education button

Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 11:05 PM


<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1596 -- 11/28/2006 >>>>>

Lou Dobbs is one of the few icons of truth in the media. His one weak point
has been a susceptibility to believing the corporate shills who push the
"education button". Dobbs seems to accept without question the premise that
Americans have inferior educations as compared to the rest of the world.
All too often Dobbs has fallen into the manipulating hands of the button
pushers who use an "argumentum ad populum" to conclude that American
workers don't have the education, experience, skills, and work ethics to
compete in the global economy.

To read more about how Dobbs earlier shows concerning American education go
to the archive and read the following newsletters:

2005-02-16 Demand Dobbs vs. Matloff Debate!
2005-02-17 Lou Dobbs Pushes the Education Button
2005-08-17 Lou Dobbs hits a new low
2006-02-02 Lou Dobbs flubs another one

Today Lou Dobbs reported on a study done by a consortium of corporations
about their attitudes towards American workers. The title almost gives away
the answer "Are They Really Ready to Work?" In case you have any doubt, the
answer to the question is an unequivocal "NO".

For most of the report it appeared that once again, Lou Dobbs was getting
his education button pushed but this time was different. Perhaps the shills
pushed the education button one time too many because Dobbs questioned the
motives and veracity of the education alarmists. Read to the end of the
transcript to see what I mean.

Learning is a continuous process, and it appears Lou Dobbs just got
educated!

Lou Dobbs to smelled a rat when he saw the over-produced survey written by
business moguls and HR lap dogs. Click this link to see the "study", but be
sure to do it on an empty stomach:

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF9-29-06.pdf

You can count on the media and the economists to refer to this sham as
scientific study of indisputable truth. Don't expect them to admit that
Dobbs is right.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/28/ldt.01.html

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT
Aired November 28, 2006 - 18:00 ET

Many high school and college graduates are sorely lacking in the skills
that they need to hold their first jobs. That's the conclusion of a new
report compiled by major employer groups. The study is called, quote, "are
they really ready to work?" Kitty Pilgrim has the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The new kids in the office
lack basic academic skills and also life skills, such as teamwork and
leadership.

LINDA BARRINGTON, THE CORPORATE BOARD: It was more negative than we
expected. Even among college graduates, over a quarter of employers said
they saw deficiency in written communications with new entrants who had a
four-year college degree.

PILGRIM: This was no academic exercise. This survey was conducted by
real-life employers about real-life employees in the workforce today. Four
hundred employers found many of their first- time workers lacked 20 of the
essential skills to job success.

Basic education levels scored poorly. Seventy-two percent of employers said
high school graduates were deficient in writing in English. Fifty-three
percent of employers said high school graduates were deficient in
mathematics.

College graduates didn't do much better. The e-mail generation can't write,
spell or communicate.

Half of employers found two-year college graduates lacking basic skills --
grammar, spelling, written communication.

In terms of competitiveness, it's a disaster.

DONNA KLEIN, CORPORATE VOICES: If we want to maintain our economic
superiority in terms of the private sector, we're dependent on a very
well-skilled entry level workforce. And this study really indicates that
we're really not where we need to be for the future.

PILGRIM: Even essential job skills, old-fashioned get up and go needed
improvement -- leadership, professionalism, social responsibility,
teamwork, oral communication and problem solving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Knowledge in foreign languages will increase in importance in the
next five years, more than any other basic skill, that's according to 60
percent of the companies. And three quarters of the CEOs reported having
difficulty finding qualified workers. They say it's a very big problem and
very important to global competitiveness -- Lou.

DOBBS: You know, I'm torn on that kind of a report. Who are these
corporations that are having so much trouble?

PILGRIM: There's 400 corporations, they are mid-range corporations...

DOBBS: Big old corporations?

PILGRIM: They are mid-range corporations, and they couldn't find the right
skills.

DOBBS: They couldn't find those skills. You know, I always suspect, by the
way, when I hear people talking as those people you interviewed, frankly I
found them not so communicative myself and I think they could use a little
rehabilitation.

But secondly, what happened in the last six years? Suddenly Americans are
so stupid? I don't believe that for a minute. I know we've got huge
problems in education, but what in the heck is wrong with these companies?
And I really suspect their motives for these kinds of studies -- it sounds
like they're trying to lay the foundation for more H2B visas. They're
trying to lay a foundation for an agenda altogether separate -- let's go
back to those 400 companies and find out how much they're investing in
their local communities, in public education and trying to do something
about the very problems they're talking about. Can we do that?

PILGRIM: Absolutely.

DOBBS: Let's carry on this story just a little further.



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