Let's Make Election Day a Holiday!

Sunday's Dallas Morning News had a small article where students from Wharton Business School at U of Pennsylvania were asked to estimate the average salary for the American worker. 25% of the students thought the average was over six figures. One of the students thought the average was $800,000. The actual average is $45,000.

I'm sorry - what the hell is going on in the US? After reading the article, I was watching CBS News talk about the failure of the administration to get the new voter's rights bill passed. The bill wants to make it EASIER to vote. In fact, they want election day to be a holiday. I actually really don't have a problem with this aspect of the bill.

What I worry about is the qualification of the American public to figure out who to elect. I thought that if Wharton students didn't know incomes, how many Americans understand our form of government and the history of our country? I know I am dreaming but wouldn't it be nice if the people who voted actually understood how the country works so they could elect someone who could actually get things done? My questions meant going back to another rabbit hole!

I found an article in US News and World Report that indicated that 2 of 3 Americans would not pass the test required to become a new citizen. The good news for my generation is that people aged 65 and older passed more often than citizen's aged 45 and younger. In fact, this article indicated that 60% of the people who took the test DID NOT know the countries we fought in WWII. If that scares you, also consider that the test is MULTIPLE CHOICE!

Well, I had to take the test for myself. You can find a practice test on the USCIS.gov website. I scored a perfect 100%. And, I did know who we fought in WWII. It was the first question on a 20 test quiz (I included a screenshot). I wondered why we've fallen into such a state of ignorance. I found an article in Investors Business Daily that pointed out in 2011 the Education Department's National Assessment of Education Progress found widespread ignorance of civics. Only 1 student in 10 understood the checks and balances of the 3 branches of government. An initiative was implemented to improve this area of study. Three years later there was only an 18% improvement in the civic assessment. In response, the Obama administration decided to dump the civics and history parts of the assessment altogether. Like we used to say at work, people will respect what you inspect. Apparently, knowing civics just isn't important anymore.

I know that in today's world, asking voters to be able to pass a citizenship test will bring howls of protest. But, wouldn't it be nice if the people voting for our elected leaders understood something about our government. So, instead of asking for a national voting holiday, why don't we insist on better educated citizens? I'm just asking....