It Just Doesn't Add Up

I heard a news report this morning that the City of Virginia Beach had agreed to lower their standards in tests administered to city police job applicants. It seems that blacks and Hispanics scored so low that, according to some, it was creating unwanted trends in hiring.
In other words, Virginia Beach is wrong to insist that its police officers are able to read, write, and do simple math. I say the last thing we need is more dumb cops. Don't get me wrong. All in all, I have a very high regard for police officers, but they do have a certain degree of power that, if exercised improperly, could cause a lot of harm.
It's the sort of power I wouldn't want to see given to anyone, regardless of race, who is too stupid to pass the elementary school level testing given to public servants. This is not an attack on blacks or hispanics. It's an attack on stupidity and the people who create and/or foster an environment of stupidty.
Instead of seeking to provide some sort of remedial training that would help minorities qualify for the job, the city caves in to pressure and just lowers the standards. Doesn't anyone realize that when you provide an incubator for morons you simply breed more morons?
So what happens in another ten years when the then applicants can't get even 60% of the answers right (that's the new standard)? I guess they lower it again. Of course, if the people lowering the standards are the ones who couldn't pass the math test to begin with, then who knows maybe they'll inadvertantly raise the standards.
I think if I were to be given a speeding ticket in Virginia Beach, I'd insist that the police officer be tested for literacy. After all, if the guy has a difficult time doing simple math, who is to say he even knows how to read or calibrate his radar gun? It's a good thing the traffic signs come in different shapes and colors or the police wouldn't know whether I'd run a stop sign or a yield sign.
Of course, it's not just the Virginia Beach police. It's everywhere. In case you haven't noticed, many people are just plain dumb these days. I heard a middle school teacher on the radio the other day. He was talking about how he had dealt with a male student who had worn a dress to school. He saidl, "I asked him if he was gay. He said he wasn't. So I didn't want to ask him nothing more."
That's a school teacher. And, in case you don't get the point here, maybe you ought to join the Virginia Beach police force.
I'll bet that some of you will read this and conclude that I'm prejudiced against blacks or Hispanics. And, if you do, let me just say one thing in my defense...you're an idiot.
As far as I'm concerned the ones who are prejudiced against blacks and hispanics are the blacks, hispanics, and even many whites, who think that these minorities are too stupid to succeed without giving them special assistance, such as lowering grading standards.
When I was in school, if I had been allowed to pass a test by getting a grade of 60, you know what? That's what I would have shot for. And, if I'd passed, I'd have been as proud as my stupid little brain would allow. However, if it took an 80% score to pass, I'd have done that...or 100% if need be.
I wasn't the best at math, but I'm not too bad at it either. I figure that if you enforce higher standards that the majority of applicants for the jobs will strive to succeed. If that were done in Virginia Beach, I predict that in the near future you'd find about 50% of the police were white, 50% were black, and the other 50% were Hispanic.