In response to data that ranks US 15 year-olds 25th worldwide in mathematics,Congresswoman Martha Roby (R-Ala.) is sponsoring HR 205, The Geometric Simplification Act, declaring the Euclidean mathematical constant of pi to be precisely 3.

"It's no panacea, but this legislation will point us in the right direction. Looking at hard data, we know our children are struggling with a heck of a lot of the math, including the geometry incorporating pi," Congresswoman Martha Roby (R-Ala.) sponsor of the bill said. "I guarantee you American scores will go up once pi is 3. It will be so much easier."

Republican leadership defended it: "Democrats don't want our children to succeed, they would actually feel better if France one day bests our kids on that test," (the Frogs already outrank the US in math). "Time after time, Democrats refuse to acknowledge American exceptionalism, and they're doing it again by trying to deny our children another tool for success."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-squir ... 37828.html

This appears to be an early April 1 article. But like so most humor, it works because it contains grains of truth.

But it is no crazier than trying to redefine or deny anthropogenic global climate change, or evolution; or to continue to push domestic drilling as a solution, or tax cuts for the rich while cutting from just 12% of the overall budget...

While this looks like it was accidentally put up a week early, I recollect that there was a similar bill proposed in a state legislature... I think in Alabama or Georgia.

With the possible exception of trying to legislate the science of evolution (that the world was created 5,000 years ago), I would propose this is one or two increments wackier then the examples that you submit.

I need some reliable report or evidence to believe that some moron has actually proposed this idea, and that it's not actually an April Fools Joke that has turned up a little early.


Andy

Irrational government meets irrational numbers! I wonder what's in store for poor phi.

The key to our success is dumbing everything down! I really hope this is fake, because if it's not, I might have to switch parties....

3.14 is a good approximation, who can't remember that?

Switching parties? What does that accomplish?
Crossword puzzle requires 5 letter response.
Answer - squat.

What ever happened to 22 / 7?

It allows you to vote in primaries. So it accomplishes something. Kinda important actually.
Plus you get a shot at infiltrating them. Who knows what smelly laundry you might stumble upon by volunteering? And if you're in the mood for something naughtier than whistleblowing, you might also land some juicy opportunities by hobnobbing with a crowd you despise. You don't need to be paid to have ulterior motives.

andyb, if you read it carefully, it is hard to come to any other conclusion. I believe it is based on something real that occurred in one of our fine southern legislatures a few years ago. They quickly pulled it back when everyone started rolling on the floor laughing at them.

Unfortunately the ongoing Republican attempt to reinstate pre-existing conditions insurance scam is no laughing matter. You know how it works don't you?

By the way, one of the most well known practitioners of that maneuver was an insurance company named after the golden rule. I would give anything to know what portion of their insurance premiums were paid out to insureds and which were retained for "overhead" & "profit" by the insurance company.

3 is a good approximation in some instances (doing approximations in your head). But I don't think we need to legislate that.

It's amazing how laissez fair and pro-states rights Republicans are when it comes to the freedom of corporations and robber barons to rape and pillage and undermining the US middle class....

but how intrusive and anti-states rights they are when it come to imposing their values, will and prejudices on others.

Thank you! I was going to suggest this!

That's because politics is a giant game to everyone that plays it. "Oooh! I can score points on this one!" Points for what, though? Likely for the metaphorical poorly-made-rubber-finger-puppet of life. No one ever wins the guitar.

Dito. This seems too bizarre.

I love it, now we can round history down, too! End of WW1, 1900, beginning of WW2 1900? Sure makes things easier to remember.

Agreed, but when it comes to something like "Pi" which IS specific i disagree.

I have no issue at all with someone doing as you say "an approximation in your head", not least because the entire procedure may not be accurate, so why worry about the actual number that is "Pi" e.g. is it a true circle.? Is it flat.? Has the width of the circle been measured correctly, e.g. at the widest point, Has it been measured accurately or has it been measured to the nearest inch/ centimetre etc.


Andy

A few years back....it was 1897 in Indiana...not a southern state, or 1961 in a Robert Heinlein novel(though that was in Tenn.), Or 1998 as a Internet Hoax claiming it was from Alabama.

How many people really need to remember the precise value of Pi? There is a Pi button on most calculators (hardware and software), including the one that comes with Windows (scientific view).

This thread is just another example of intellectual masturbation by a few who will use just about any ridiculous means to attempt to prove that they are superior than their political adversaries.

I don't believe in participating in someone else's masturbation... unless of course they are of the opposite sex.

If you believe this thread constitutes some form of masturbation, then by contributing your posts to this thread you are participating in the "masturbation" of another. Why would you permit yourself to be recruited for such purposes?

Show your disapproval by withholding your participation.

Oops, I need to stay on subject. So m0002a, what kind of masturbation do you think the abuse of the legislative process to redefine of Pi would be? I am hesitant to use the word intellectual.

I am not an expert on this subject, but I think that is an oxymoron. If two people are participating, not sure if it is considered masturbation anymore.

You got me there. What is it then?

As mentioned by others, it didn't happen the way you say it did, so maybe I was referring to something different than what you are thinking.

What I was recollecting was not something about Pi... but something slightly less absurd... but not that much less absurd.

Do you remember exactly what the 1998 Internet Hoax was about?

I think the superiority thing is more targeted at the "clinging to their guns and religion" crowd.

That superiority isn't directed at Repub Investment Bankers who manipulate fools to protect them from enforcement of old laws or the restrictions of new financial laws. Nor is it directed at Repub Insurance Executives manipulating fools to prevent the removal of the Pre-existing Conditions Scam.

That sense of intellectual superiority is directed at fools who have been tricked into thinking that their faith requires that they support politicians dedicated to economic interests that are contrary to those of the fools, their families, their children and their children's children.

Though I don't think it is about IQ... it is about something else that appears to be missing or lacking in members of the "clinging to their guns and religion" crowd.

And somehow I don't think that it will be soon cleansed from the gene pool.... my guess is that they probably have more children on average then others (even the gay members of that crowd get married and have children before they come out of the closet).

Of course their are other demographics that are rapidly overtaking them with even greater fecundity... (from all the low cost labor that the Repubs are luring across the border with no questions asked jobs).

The Latino population of California now equals the white population. This demographic shift is turning several swing states blue and several red states into swing states. The arrogant superiority that Repubs continue in their hate speech against "illegals" does not appear to be sustainable. Does it?

So perhaps there is still hope for the human race inside the borders of the US.

In any event, I just wanted to make sure you were aware that sense of superiority is not untargeted, nor in my opinion, undeserved. Some Repubs are acting in their self interest. They are not the target of this scorn. It is the ones blissfully unaware that they acting against their own self interest that attract the scorn and contempt.

Your stroke next.

Norway imposes market related taxes on the oil and saves the money away in a national trust.

In the US, it is the federal government that taxes off shore oil. They charge crony related rates. Then they fail to audit and collect much of that money. The career path of employees who do this is ultimately promotion into employment by the Oil companies.

The poor stewardship of Indian mineral rights is an order of magnitude worse. There was a settlement of about $3B of a lawsuit against the government for this. That actual damages were far greater. They never kept records of the free mineral rights they gave away. At one point they even destroyed what few records they had in contradiction of a court order.

Norway is much different from the US. If my recollection is correct they rank substantially higher than the US government on the international corruption index. Also they are one of those socialized Scandanavian pinko countries with commie type healthcare and job killing taxes. They provide better schooling to all demographic components of their population. This is either the cause or the result of a much better educated and thoughtful voting public.

The economic benefit of their oil goes to their citizens.

Hey... what do you think of an embargo on the export of all US oil. Sort of like how Russia recently embargoed export of their wheat and China has done to a lesser extent with their rare earths.

If you move this post to the thread in which it orignated (not sure how it got posted here) then I will respond.

I put it here because you were off topic and in order to respond I would have been off topic. Here it is right on topic.

More Evidence in Support of the above, two tweets from MMFlint:

1. And my other fav stat from today? Only 28% of Republicans believe Obama was born in the U.S. I agree with Bill Maher: A party of racists.

2. We're broke? GE earns $14.2 billion in profits & pays ZERO in taxes. And they're not the only freeloaders (plus, IRS wrote them $3.2B check)

That second point above illustrates a state of conditions that can only be maintained with the support of "faith based" voting. They vote their faith, and the Repubs they vote for pervert that vote into decidedly non-faith missions. When will they ever learn? (the answer is probably never)

m0002a I just figured out how to explain this with simple clarity.

I believe you have made your political views fairly clear. If you make $300,000 or more per year. I can respect that you hold those views. And if you don't. Well you get the idea...

I responded to a post by tim851 in another thread located here:
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=61808&start=106

Since my post was in direct response to tim851 about the Norway oil and gas industry (which I quoted) I don't see how my post could possibly be off-topic (even ignoring the fact that we are in the off-topic section of the forum), unless you think the original post by tim851 was off-topic. But no one complained about tim851's post being off-topic (not even you).

I would ask you again to repost your repsonse in the thread where you quoted me.

The fact that I called you out for posting obviously false information about an April Fools joke (and you even seemed to claim that maybe it was not an Apirl fools joke and maybe it was true) does not mean that you know what my political views are. I would have said the same if you claimed that Democrats had proposed the same legislation. And no, I do not earn $300,000 per year.

Here is a discussion of the 1897 Pi Bill considered by Indiana legislature that was mentioned above.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Pi_Bill

"Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) takes a well-deserved jab at the Republicans’ Upton-Inhofe bill (the Energy Tax Prevention Act), which attempts to wipe away scientific consensus on climate change. Watch the clip, and pay close attention to the aide behind Markey who struggles to hold back a full-blown laughing fit."

http://front.moveon.org/gop-attempting- ... ?rc=tw.fol