Why Change Will Never Happen

As a postscript to Bill's earlier post, I think the reason the knuckleheads in Congress will cave in to the FISA bill without giving a shit about their approval rating is because of the disgustingly high level of ignorance in this country, thanks to the hypnotic instant gratification of our esteemed (ha!) media.

Bluegal helps shed some light on this topic by pointing to some alarming statistics that Rick Shenkman raises in his new book, “Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter”:

--Only 2 in 5 voters can name the three branches of the federal government.

--Nearly half (49%) of Americans think the president has the authority to suspend the Constitution.

--Only 1 in 7 can find Iraq on a map.

--A majority (70%) continued to believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11, even after the 9/11 Commission reported that the claim was groundless.

--Only 1 in 5 know that there are 100 federal senators.

--Only one-fifth of Americans between ages 18-34 bother to keep up with current events.

No child left behind? Don't bet on it. The folks in DC are counting on everyone being left behind to keep things cozy for themselves.