What the Hell is Happening to This Country?

I read on Yahoo's news service today that the majority of our elected officials failed the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's "Civic Literacy Test." Their average grade was a 44% while average citizens scored 49%. So I guess we're electing people that are dumber than us; but even still, American citizens fail.

These types of "Americans are idiots" tests come around every once in a while and always make me question the adequacy of majoritarian democracy. I mentioned to my girlfriend the other day that I wouldn't oppose some sort of civic test that we would have to pass in order to vote. She called me a racist - with love. Her opinion isn't crazy apparently because, as I have learned this semester in Employment, Congress and the Courts share her view that facially neutral tests are in fact discriminatory under Title VII. And somehow I'm the racist (pardon me for not believing that some races will do better than others for inherent lack of ability).

Do these types of tests depress anyone else, or am I alone? Why even fucking bother with politics if its going to be used by a population that has no grounding in the forming principles of our nation? 71% of Americans failed a very basic quiz covering the Constitution and economics. Only 0.8% received an A.

Some findings from the report:

Although Congress has voted twice in the last eight years to approve foreign wars, only 53% know that the power to declare war belongs to Congress. Almost 40% ... believe it belongs to the president.

Only 55% know that Congress shares authority over U.S. foreign policy with the president. Almost a quarter incorrectly believe Congress shares this power with the U.N.

Only 27% know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits establishing an official religion for the U.S.

[50%] incorrectly believe ... that the phrase "a wall of separation" between church and state ... can be found in the Constitution.

Less than 50% can correctly name the three branches of government.

This is a multiple choice exam! And there is no partisan awards here ... everyone fails; no matter their income, age, ideology, education, or whatever.

Here is the really depressing part:  when asked "do America's founding documents still matter," 48% "strongly disagreed that America's founding documents remain relevant."

They might as well throw me in that last category - not because I don't want them to matter but because, clearly, they fucking don't.

The worst scores were on the free market vs. centralized planning portion of the exam, while the best scores could be found on questions concerning the Declaration of Independence.

You can take the quiz here.  It is 32 questions. I got a 97% because I attributed "of the people, by the people, for the people" to the Declaration of Independence.  And I am ashamed of myself for doing so.