Do you ever wonder why polls show President to be so popular despite his reckless, power hungry behavior? Maybe I have a partial answer. Many citizens of the United States are pretty ignorant about our history, values and traditions to say nothing of our laws.
For example, I was discussing the last election with a friend and mentioned that almost half the people in America pay no income tax. He called me a right wing liar. But it it true. I also told him that there is no money in the Social Security Trust Fund. He called me a right wing liar. It is also true.
A recent survey the 2008 Civic Literacy Report, write Patrick M. Ford, americancivicliteracy@mail2.isi.org, reveals that many Americans are unaware of the most basic aspects of our nations political system.
1. Nearly a third of the respondents failed to name two of America's enemies in World War Two; 22% of college graduates did not answer that question successfully.
2. Only 53% knew that congress retains the power to declare war. Nearly 40% believed this power belongs to the president--a finding with obvious perennial relevance.
3. 54% of respondents (and only 44% of 18- to 34-year-old) knew that Congress shares foreign policy power with the president; nearly a quarter (and almost a third of elected officials!) believed Congress shares such power with the United Nations.
4. Only 41% of Americans, and 53% of college graduates, could recognize that free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as "individual citizens create, exchange, and control goods and resources." 17% of respondents thought that free enterprise or capitalism is a system in which "government implements policies that favor businesses over consumers.
This reveals once again that our voters are woefully ignorant so no wonder they support the current policies. Write to Mr. Patrick M. Ford americancivicliteracy@mail2.isi.org to get the entire report.
Also see this report for information about the nation's laws.
Gary Sweeten
2 comments:
I don't believe it is ignorance that keeps the president's numbers high. I think it is because this president is markedly different from the last in a few key areas:
1. He has a plan
2. He can articulate the plan
3. He retains his credibility
In your post, I think you are trying to say that if people were more knowledgable of American civics, they must come to the same conclusion that you have come to; that Obama's policies are flawed (you call them reckless and power hungry, but I am resisting the urge to be histrionic) and that an understanding of facts will produce correct opinions. I believe this assertion is deeply flawed.
Do the statistics tht Mr. Ford collected give any insight as to why the last president was so terribly unpopular? And when Mr. Bush's numbers were high, was that because people remembered more of what they learned in High School?
No.
Obama owes much to Bush for the popularity he now enjoys. And, Obama owes much to McCain for his election (when McCain chose the dimwitted and inarticulate govenor who couldn't survive a game of softball catch with Katie C.) If you want to be upset at someone or something for the current president's rise to power, look to the real culprits.
I agree with you that Mr. Obama is very articulate and has a plan he is carefully promoting. I think he is a marketing genius.
As for Mr. Bush, he had some good ideas and some very bad ones. In either case he was a terrible communicator. He had an awful speech impediment as well as soem deep character flaws, one of them being a lack of humility.
But I also believe that Mr. Obama's plan is to grab power for the Federal Government and turn the USA into a centrally planned state led socialist nation. This is why Mr. Ford's data are so alarming.
I have worked in Scandinavia and Russia for about twenty years. I have seen up close and personal the devastation brought about by Socialism and bureaucracy and I fear that is Mr. Obama's goal as well.
Power hungry Progressives cannot stand a free press, free speech, freedom to bear arms and freedom of religion. Just listen to their plans to stop talk radio and religious groups from battling abortion.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. We need more dialogue on these matters.
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