by -ThoughtRogue
Ever wonder how you’d stack up against the best and the brightest students at our most prestigious houses of higher learning when it comes to basic American Civics?
Well, Take the Civics QUIZ, here. Sorry, it’s a closed-book exam - just do your best. ;^)
How’d you do?? Yours truly was lucky enough to squeak out a 90%. (btw, I missed the first two questions straight out of the gate – Doh!)
After taking the Quiz, check out the Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s analysis and school rankings of how actual freshmen and seniors fared on the Quiz, at America’s most prestigious academic institutions. Seniors at Harvard did the best, almost averaging a 70% on the basic civics exam. For other institutions, it’s all down hill from there. Keep in mind, one would expect to score a 20%, on average, by purely guessing at the answers.
It was fascinating that some institutions actually de-learned their American civics with Seniors achieving lower scores than they did as incoming freshmen! And these institutions of negative American-civics learning turn out to be none other than the “elite” Ivy-league schools.
This leads me to a question I’ve always pondered, especially in light of how Obama was elected; should American Citizens be required to demonstrate some basic proficiency in American Civics to be eligible to vote? Why, or why not?! I truly believe that it would serve our country better, ensuring a better government than the clowns and weasels we currently endure. Wouldn’t you love to see these quiz scores broken out by students of the Left versus the Right of the political spectrum?
Here’s an even better idea: Shall We, The People not demand that anyone running for political office be tested for at least an average proficiency in American Civics, but also be subject to examination on a few other areas of knowledge such as: Finance & Mathematics, Logic & Statistics, Business & Economics, Political Systems, World History, Basics of Religions, Advanced Ethics, etc.
I’m very interested in what you think about these stunning civic requirements? Would there be any unintended consequences – Good, or Bad?
captain trips
on Nov 18th, 2008
@ 11:37 pm:
You bring up part of why America is now RUN by what you call “clowns and weasels.”
However, setting up a new requirement for voting is just probably not going to ever happen. Setting up requirements for politicians isn’t going to happen either.
I don’t think. I think we’ve let ourselves get too lazy.
“Our destruction if it come at all, will be from…the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence.”
Daniel Webster, secretary of state for three presidents (1782-1852)
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by -ThoughtRogue
…ensuring a better government than the clowns and weasels we currently endure. Wouldn’t you love to see these quiz scores broken out by students of the Left versus the Right of the political spectrum?
Here’s an even better idea: Shall We, The People not demand that anyone running for political office be tested for at least an average proficiency in American Civics, but also be subject to examination on a few other areas of knowledge such as: Finance & Mathematics, Logic & Statistics, Business & Economics, Political Systems, World History, Basics of Religions, Advanced Ethics, etc.
I’m very interested in what you think about these stunning civic requirements? Would there be any unintended consequences – Good, or Bad?
No Compromises
on Nov 18th, 2008
@ 11:50 pm:
I also think that those who DO NOT own property should never get the opportunity to vote property tax increases for those of us who do own property!
People should have to take a civic test before voting. If those who want to become Citizens of this nation have to pass a test why not make those who want to vote in this Nation have to pass a test?
I got over 88% and of course it was econ questions where I failed, which I have publically admitted I am lacking education on that subject! I will soon read Thomas Sowell’s book on Basic Economics, and listen to the podcasts on the economy over at Yorktown U to clear up my lack of econ knowledge! ; )
Captain Trips
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 3:23 am:
Can’t disagree. Never happen though
THAT would be a “fancy dance” to get passed LOL
You see, we really never OWN anything. Other than control over ourselves and our own actions and a good number of Americans gave up control of THAT TOO !!! As long as “we the sheeple” keep acting like sheeple we’ll be treated as such.
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No Compromises // November 18, 2008 at 11:50 pm
I also think that those who DO NOT own property should never get the opportunity to vote property tax increases for those of us who do own property!
doctorbulldog
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 5:35 am:
Captain Trips,
Amen, brother!!!
Cheers
Ted
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 5:54 am:
You gotta hear this 90 minute blogradio on why the media has a blackout of the looming Obama Birth Certificate Constitutional Crisis:
http://politicalpistachio.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-is-obamas-birth-certificate-still.html
letholdus
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 10:21 am:
Anyone receiving government assistance should not have voting rights. As anyone who passed the test will remember, only landed aristocracy had voting rights when the nation was founded. This was the best indicator of whether or not you had an education. I would be in favor of the property requirement for all voting.
ThoughtRogue
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 5:21 pm:
Yeah – the day of the landowner has unfortunately passed, but it does I believe show the genius of our Founders once again when they used land ownership, in those days, as a pretty good proxy for people who were generally informed, likely to have formed mature opinions, and who held a significant stake in a stable society / their economy.
This is, I think, why women were left out at the founding because they generally did not own much property let alone land – and, thus, were deemed as generally uniformed. Things have certainly changed!
BTW – Contrary to popular propaganda, the Constitutional attribute for Blacks as being 2/3’s of a ‘person’ had nothing to do with degrading their value as a human beings to 67% (although, there were many Amercians who considered them much less than 67% of a human being). This number was actually a compromise between those, particularly in the North, who thought this number should be 0% a Person (even if they deemed Blacks as 100% a human being)! This is because, when it came to the Federal Gub’ment doling out goodies to the States, this number was used to allocate goodies (Apportionment) in proportion to their share of all recognized ‘Persons’. Therefore, the greater share a Negro counted as a Person for this purpose, the greater share of federal allocations went to States with Slave-holders!
Anyway, the vaunted Youth Vote seems to become more mythical each election season. I know this wouldn’t be changed but, do 18-year olds really need to be voting?? When did your personal politics really start to galvanize – around 30 (or older)??
Perhaps, it will never happen, but I fail to see the downside of requiring a basic competency test for becoming eligible to vote. Would you agree that, if constructed properly, the ‘Youth’ and the ‘Landowner’ issue could be rendered as moot this way?
If we can’t expect our voters, nor candidates to be informed of basic American Civics, then shouldn’t we DEMAND a more stringent curriculum in our education system? Failure to do this just might ensure our nation’s demise.
captain trips
on Nov 19th, 2008
@ 5:58 pm:
You say; “Failure to do this just might ensure our nation’s demise.” and you may be right. I think we’re far past “the point of no return” where we could DO such a thing as “DEMAND[ing] a more stringent curriculum in our education system.”
Our education system is no longer an “education system.” It’s now an indoctrination system.” Don’t beleive it ? Pick up and see this little movie for hard evidence of this fact:
http://www.indoctrinate-u.com/intro/
You see, fighting an entrenched and corrupt system of rich and well supported zealots, fruits, nuts and flakes is nearly impossible. I DO wonder if the economic downturn that were going into will help though. We can hope.
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ThoughtRogue // November 19, 2008 at 5:21 pm
…………………..
If we can’t expect our voters, nor candidates to be informed of basic American Civics, then shouldn’t we DEMAND a more stringent curriculum in our education system? Failure to do this just might ensure our nation’s demise.