LZ Granderson is a smart and interesting guy and I’ve been reading him for years. He writes a weekly column for CNN and he’s a senior writer and columnist for ESPN. Where other pundits say outrageous things to provoke, Granderson offers provocative suggestions to make us think.
This week he asked:
(CNN) -- Should ignorant people be allowed to vote?
Good question. He posits we have ignorant politicians because they are elected by ignorant voters. He says quite reasonably: “If I were to ask you to ingest an unknown medicine from someone who knew nothing about the medical field, you probably wouldn't do it.”
True.
“And I doubt many of us would feel comfortable as a shareholder in a company that asked people who knew nothing about business to hire its next CEO?”
Makes sense. So he continues...
“...voters should at least be able to name the three branches of government...and understand what a "trade deficit" is and how laws are made. I would start by making the U.S. Naturalization Test -- given to immigrants who want to become citizens -- part of the voter registration process.”
An interesting suggestion. So I took the quick 10 question test linked on the page and couldn’t believe how simple it was.
Take it and see how you do. Seriously, dude, nothing personal. But if you can’t answer these fundamental American questions correctly and you vote, Granderson thinks you are part of the problem and it’s hard to disagree.
Click the link, then scroll down to “Quiz: Test your Civics knowledge.”
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