DUMB AMERICANS REVEALED
The Herald
July 5, 2009
Original LinkThe Goldwater Institute in Phoenix released results of a survey last week that revealed most of the state’s high school students wouldn’t pass the test to become American citizens.
The survey included 1,140 high school students who were asked 10 random questions from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services exam.
In order to become an American citizen, immigrants must answer six of the 10 questions.
The survey results revealed only 3.5 percent of the students answered six of the 10 sample questions correctly.
The Institute lamented the “troubling” results, stating the students displayed a “profound level of ignorance about American history, government and geography.”
The institution then suggested that Arizona lawmakers should require students in Arizona high schools to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services citizenship exam as a condition for receiving a diploma.
It went on to state: “Given the proper motivation, people from all over the world pass a test similar to the one given here at a rate of 92.7 percent on their first try.”
Well, let’s not stop there.
Last year, a survey of 1,005 adults -- not high school kids -- was conducted via phone examining the public’s attitude toward freedom of speech, press, religion and the rights of assembly and petition. In case you were wondering, these are the five freedoms specifically guaranteed in the First Amendment.
That survey found just 3 percent of those questioned could name “petition” as one of the five. “Speech” had the best result as it was named by a still woeful 56 percent of the respondents. Only 15 percent could name religion or press and 14 percent could name assembly.
These are shocking results for sure.
However, the suggestion of another yet graduation “requirement” is misguided. Yes, for this republic to survive its residents should have a basic knowledge of its government, history and geography. But starting from infancy through adulthood, learning the basics and knowing them is pretty much the duty of not only our education system, but also the parents as well.
How about we all just learn these basics and pass them along to our children? And please don’t tell us you don’t know who the first president of the United States was.
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For those wondering about the 10 survey questions, here they are with the answers and percentage of those getting them right.
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
Answer: The Constitution (29.5 percent)
2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution?
Answer: The Bill of Rights (25 percent)
3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?
Answer: Senate and House (23 percent)
4. How many Justices are on the Supreme Court?
Answer: Nine (9.4 percent)
5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Answer: Jefferson (25.3 percent)
6. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?
Answer: Atlantic (58.8 percent)
7. What are the two major political parties in the United States?
Answer: Democratic and Republican (49.6 percent)
8. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
Answer: Six (14.5 percent)
9. Who was the first President of the United States?
Answer: Washington (26.5 percent)
10. Who is in charge of the Executive Branch?
Answer: The President (26 percent)