Ignorance and serfdom

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson

US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.

Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).

"It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI's civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned," said Josiah Bunting, chairman of the National Civic Literacy Board at ISI.

"How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don't understand the American experience?" he added.

The exam questions covered American history, the workings of the US government and economics.

Only by taking the time to study where we've been can you understand why we're where we are, and likely to be going. But then, that's work. I'll continue to say it: no one should be given a voter registration card or be allowed to run for public office until they pass a civics test that comprehends our basic history, civil structures, and economic models. Why would you ever allow someone the opportunity to operate machinery they don't understand? It's neither elitist nor discriminatory to expect a person to earn such high privilege. Instead, we have ignorant masses of voters (as opposed to true citizens) rallying in support of equally ignorant candidates. Is it any wonder we're on the brink of disaster?