As a United States Citizen we are granted a series of rights and civil liberties based on the morals of our founding fathers. Right to bear arms, right to assembly, etc… etc…
I question whether this is actually something that we should all innately be given simply because we were fortunate enough to be born here (or spent long hours in line to immigrate while studying esoteric facts about the country that it’s own citizens don’t know).
My wife and I had a discussion the other night about this after watching a show interviewing people on the street and much to my surprise she posed the idea that all citizens interested in voting would need to take an aptitude test. This was partly due no doubt to the fact that so few people seem to know the name of our Vice President, the 3 branches of government, or where we currently have troops stationed for war.
The answer the person gave to the latter was France. Yes, we are at war with France. Damn those French always causing a ruckus, we’ve moved in to hold the country forcibly with our armed forces…
So I’m now intrigued with the idea of a standard aptitude test for all United States citizens. A test which is voluntary and only needed if the individual decides they would like a say in our political system.
The test would cover numerous topics though revolve primarily around US history and current events. Personally I don’t want someone voting for my president when they still believe that the confederacy has a chance to win or that Barack Obama is related to Saddam Hussein. I can answer the questions posed to these Americans of varying ages and ethnicities after drinking half a handle of Jack Daniels bringing my consciousness to nothing beyond a steady stream of whirling colors and distorted sounds.
When I posed the option for debate at work I received mixed reviews. There are of course obvious problems with the system with the biggest being who writes the test. The fact that a group needs to be created and put into a position of power somewhat breaks the idea. When a single group of individuals is formed to make the test they effectively choose who will be able to vote as they would have the power to gear questions towards specific members of society, making the test “easier” to those who share the same views as them.
My take on this is that while sure, the possibility exists, the possibility exists for our president to take us on an unjust war through the middle ea…. oh wait.
Theoretically the idea is sound as the test will be composed of facts, but everything at some point is twisted.
I fear that this will come off as elitist, but I’m far from it. I don’t care who votes as long as they have a certain level of competency. We used to assume that our schools would have our nation’s children educated to a solid level by voting age but that time has come and gone. Quality education is a thing of the past and our youth can’t find the time to care about the events that transpire outside their small sheltered lives.
For those that want to remain in their bubble by all means continue to do so, but likewise don’t expect to have a say in the larger world around us.
\\drew
