Has anybody told Kathleen Parker that we already knew this?  Obviously not, she had to write an article about it.  What I found most interesting is something I and quite a few other people know; our elected officials are not as smart as some of us…which, of course begs the question, why, (because we already know the how), are they in charge?  Answer: Very intelligent people are entrepreneurs making oodles of cash in our Free Market Capitalistic country instead of serving the public and getting raked over the coals by the MSM.

If anybody thinks The One’s Economic Team, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke or Nancy Pelosi have a clue about repairing the damage done to the economy by Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and Maxine Waters, I know I have a bridge I can sell you.

VOTERS FAIL THE TEST

WASHINGTON — So much for the wisdom of The People.

A new report from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) on the nation’s civic literacy finds that most Americans are too ignorant to vote.

Out of 2,500 American quiz-takers, including college students, elected officials and other randomly selected citizens, nearly 1,800 flunked a 33-question test on basic civics. In fact, elected officials scored slightly lower than the general public with an average score of 44 percent compared to 49 percent.

Only 0.8 percent of all test-takers scored an “A.”

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Most bracing: Only 27 percent of elected officeholders in the survey could identify a right or freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Forty-three percent didn’t know what the Electoral College does. And 46 percent didn’t know that the Constitution gives Congress power to declare war.

What’s behind the dumbing down of America?

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Actively pursuing information through print media and participating in high-level conversations — even, potentially, blogging — makes one smarter. (Imagine that?)

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In his book, Shenkman, founder of George Mason University’s History News Network, is tough on everyday Americans. Why, he asks, do we value polls when clearly The People don’t know enough to make a reasoned judgment?

The founding fathers, Shenkman points out, weren’t so enamored of The People, whom they distrusted. Hence a Republic, not a Democracy. They understood that an ignorant electorate was susceptible to emotional manipulation and feared the tyranny of the masses.

Both Shenkman and the ISI pose a bedeviling question, as crucial as any to the nation’s health: Who will govern a free nation if no one understands the mechanics and instruments of that freedom?

Answer: Maybe one day, a demagogue.

Are We There Yet? OR We Are So Screwed!