Recently,
the Pew Research Center published a report titled, “What Do Americans Know?”
The report was based on the results of a survey of over 1,000 adult Americans.
Those surveyed were asked 12 “easy” multiple-choice questions about prominent
matters in the news.
It will come as no surprise to conservatives that
the results were not encouraging.
The
average score among these voting-age citizens was 5. Five. F-I-V-E. This is
only slightly better than the result of pure guesswork.
Less
than half of these American adults knew that it was oil- not tourism, soybeans
or auto manufacturing- that fueled the recent economic boom in North Dakota.
Only
one in five knew that Social Security costs the federal government more than
transportation, foreign aid or interest on the debt.
Many,
if not most Americans, don’t know what the country’s founding principles are/were. Most couldn’t tell you much about the
first ten Amendments…the Bill of Rights. Most have no idea that it was the Democratic Party that was pro slavery
and segregation for many decades surrounding the Civil War and the Republican
Party that drove anti-slavery and anti-segregation legislation.
Tragically,
whether it’s knowledge of current events or key concepts of history, most
Americans are clueless. Of course, much
(most) of the blame lies with the clueless, but it isn’t coincidence that the
majority of the big government types in power like them that way. And have
actively promoted policies that have aided and abetted the dumbing-down of
America’s citizenry. Democrats are always nervous when a low voter turnout is
expected. If it’s only those with detailed knowledge of the issues voting, they
know they are likely in trouble.
Speaking
at the City Club of Cleveland recently, President Obama strongly suggested that
all Americans eligible to vote should be
compelled to vote. That is taking away a right. No pro-choice blather there.
Why do you think he said this?
Because
he knows how ignorant we are.
We’ve
proved it.
Twice.
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