"About 1 in 4 Americans can name more than one of the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.) But more than half of Americans can name at least two members of the fictional cartoon family, according to a survey. Full Story »
Posted by Harv Roth
The article has a lot of interesting, and some might say alarming, statistics, but it misses the point. It clearly shows that most Americans are ignorant about political theory, but it does not explore political reality. 49% of Americans don't know that only Congress can declare war? Perhaps this is because only 49% of those in Congress are aware of this--or we would never have gotten into wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Somalia, Bosnia, or Iraq. Herbert Hoover is no longer considered the worst US President? The article doesn't say how many voted for George W Bush. Perhaps Americans are ignorant, even stupid--but perhaps they're much smarter than they appear.
