Why we're being taken to the cleaners by government

[Bob_Lynn]

More Americans can name the characters in The Simpsons or the judges on American Idol than can name the five rights covered by the First Amendment, according to a survey released this week by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum.

In fact, less than 1 percent of those surveyed could name all five (the right to petition for redress of grievances tripped up nearly everyone). That's no great credit to the educational system, although it might be good news for the programmers at the Fox Network. But what does it mean for the country?

Based on Public Agenda's research, we're not surprised by the disappointing results. And of course, people ought to have a better grasp of the Constitution. Ironically, the public thinks so, too. When we examined this issue in our "Knowing It By Heart" survey in 2002, we found two-thirds who said it was "absolutely essential" for ordinary Americans to understand their constitutional rights, even though just as many admitted they were only "generally familiar" with the Constitution.

But if it's any consolation, we also found most Americans embrace the values behind the Constitution, despite their vague memory for the specifics. The vast majority of people seem to have absorbed the basic principles of the Bill of Rights. And they strongly believe that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand.

Americans display a deeply rooted sense of these underlying principles and an ability to think carefully about scenarios that deal with rights and freedoms. When given concrete scenarios to deal with, such as how to respond to protests at an abortion clinic, we found most people are able to set aside their own views in order to consider the rights of others.

Clearly, much educational work needs to be done. But based on what we've found, Americans are open to engaging the fundamentally important issues in the Constitution. And they believe it is important for them to do so. That, at least, is a place to start.

[kdddav]

Bob,

Sometimes I wonder if the uneducation of Americans started in the late 70's and early 80's. I started 9th grade high school in 1984, and I never learned ONE thing about the Constitution until my senior year in 1987... from School.

But my Father, a WW2 Vet, taught me the Constitution and what it stood for, that the People were to regulate the Government, and not for the Government to regulate the People.

He only went to 6th Grade. Born in 1910, he was 60 when I was born. The rest of his school years was working as a kid through the Great Depression so he and his Brother, my Uncle, didn't starve to Death. He was taught about the Constitution in the 5th Grade.

They had to name all the States and capitals, had to name all the Presidents and the years they were in Office, and the V ice Presidents too. If you couldn't do that, you didn't see 6th Grade. He saw it, but didn't pass it. Had to not starve.

I spoke with my older Brother who went to School from the 50's to 60's, and my Sister who left school in the 70's. They too, had to know these things, though not so early.

Today, my Teenage Daughter took an American Government class, and they spent 8 hours on the US Constitution. I made sure she learned more than what they were teaching.

The American Safe Families Act of the 90's couldn't have been better timed. It's the core foundation, along with the Mondale Act of the 70's, that started this monster of violations and the tearing apart of innocent families. And people today, the Adults of the 80's, think that CPS has a 'right' to go into homes, and how they like to argue with me that I don't know what I'm talking about when defending our Bill of Rights.

The Simpsons were an excellent example. SpongBob SquarePants is another. Now we have cartoons for adults on Adult Swim, like Morale Oral, Robot Chicken (more puppet like there) and Drawn Together. Keeping most adults in their mindless trance?

We as a Nation, have some of the worst ignored Civil Liberties violations of the World. (Notice, I used the word ignored, which changes the syntax significantly and not to be misconstrued as meaning we are the worst in civil liberty violations) The statistic, before the website was silently shut down from the National Center for Abused and Neglected Children, was that 3,000 children a day were removed from homes in 2004. Then another chart, right below it, showed that 97% of all reported abuse were children are taken from the home is unfounded. That was burned into my mind and will be there for the rest of my life.

Then they claimed that abuse was down by 20% in the last ten years because they are so good at what they do, yet the numbers for Foster Care were up 35%. That is a 55% spread!

And that link is now broken. Everyone whom I could get to see it, saw it. I did my best to spread the word. When my Wife found this site, that link had been broken by only a few months.

And then, my younger kid comes home and I ask how her day went at school. I get a nod as she turns the TV on to the Grim Adventures of Bill and Mandy. She has 1 hour of TV time a day for her shows. Instead of browsing to use the best of her time, BOOM, she is on the one channel.

A taste of things to come? Probably. Can we stop it? Depends. We are fighting a multi billion dollar industry in CPS alone (285 Billion a year Nation wide), could we actually afford to fight others of this caliber?

Good God, it's a wonder most adults even know the Consitution exists.

Sorry for the length, but that is my 2 cents.

[Bob_Lynn]

I learned the Constitution in grade school in the 60's, but I did not really absorb its true significance at that time, perhaps because I was too young.

In terms of the statistics you found, did you save an exact copy of the web page anywhere? I did some research on the official published AFCARS statistics and came up with some of my own numbers that I derived from their numbers (which are mostly a crock anyway since the source is CPS) but I will be using their own numbers to support my case against them.

[gideonmacleish]

Both of you:

There are two books I would HIGHLY recommend for anyone wishing to educate themselves on the Constitution. The first is "Good to be King" by Michael Badnarik, 2004 Libertarian presidential candidate. The second is "The American Heritage guide to the US Constitution" by Heritage Press. Both are EXTREMELY invaluable resources, and should be read by anyone who wants to restore the US to the principles of democracy upon which it was founded.

[DontBiteMyNose]

....and you know whose fault it is? Ours. We elected the officials that wrote the goons' code and created CPS. We elected the officials that restrict 2A. We elected the representatives that are on the electoral college that put the current administration in power. It's our fault.

Think about it. If someone beats the goons in court and everything is honkey-dorey, do you think they're going to continue with messing with it? Nope. It's our fault.

However, the positive note is, there is absolute resistance to the goons and their pseudolegitimacy. Namely me.

[Frustrated]

Don't bite my nose: You make a good point. I think it was the very beginning and the start, we even made those Manuals, BECAUSE we VOTED those members to draw them up. and vice versa, so hence it is our fault. We need to stop voting those members and kick them out and clean up the Senate Floor. We can stop the Writing of those code books, and start all over again with a new reform Manual that would be even better than a Communist Book.

It is our fault that the Judges are being pain in the ass and doing everything CPS tells the Judge to do and rubber stamp it all...it was US that voted these Judges. Not CPS. We put them there, so I think it is HIGH time we put them out!

I would suggest you (everyone) to do a research who we really voted for, and if they are CPS sponsored, get rid of them. Don't vote them in 2006, or 2008, no more of that crap. No more! If everyone in each State, do their own research who the members really are. Then everyone get them out of their office, then it would be the end of it and we will start our slate clean square one.

[DontBiteMyNose]

You'll see, that'll never happen...for several reasons. First, people are lazy when it comes to exercizing their rights or just don't know.....thanks to the public schools. Next, people truly believe if they cooperate, it'll all go away. That may be true for their own family, but, as a nation, no.

You see, the root of this problem is CAPTA and how it's abused. We can whine and complain all we want to on this free site, but, unless people vote the goon's puppets out along with nonviolent resistance, it'll never change.