Apr 23, 2010
The Peasants Do Tend Toward Ignorance, Do They Not?
Confronted recently by constituents who wanted to know the legal source of the congressional authority to require Americans to buy health insurance from private corporations, Rep. Phil Hare first tried to shrug off the question with a discussion about how he feels when he looks at a sick child. Pushed to point to the language in the Constitution that grants Congress the authority they needed to pass the health care reform bill, though, Hare finally offered an answer: the Constitution grants that authority to Congress in its mandate to provide for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. ("I'm not a lawyer," he added."I'm a dreamer.")
Hare's ignorance of political and historical fundamentals is the norm for politicians. In its reports on civic literacy, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute notes that elected officials routinely demonstrate less knowledge of basic events and ideas than ordinary people. And that problem is spread still more broadly among the elites of the political class. Can you attain an important position in the White House without having ever heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Reader, you can.
Something to consider while you read this self-parodying lament about the historical ignorance of the Tea Party Movement.
Hare's ignorance of political and historical fundamentals is the norm for politicians. In its reports on civic literacy, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute notes that elected officials routinely demonstrate less knowledge of basic events and ideas than ordinary people. And that problem is spread still more broadly among the elites of the political class. Can you attain an important position in the White House without having ever heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Reader, you can.
Something to consider while you read this self-parodying lament about the historical ignorance of the Tea Party Movement.