Ignorance is Bliss...or is it?

We have a huge problem in the United States.  It's much greater than the recession, the budget crisis, the wars, and the lack of equal rights, combined.  Registered voters are voting (that's good...) without knowing what they are voting for/against!!!  Why is this a problem? Well, we end up with governors who are not so popular, i.e. Rick Scott of Florida, presidential candidates  who aren't exactly "top-notch," we get stuck in wars we have no business being in, and our governmental stability is threatened because we have representatives complicating our budget far more than necessary.

LZ Granderson, in his weekly column on CNN Opinion, wrote, "...Yet we all know people who gleefully admit they know nothing about politics, don't have time to find out what the current issues are or even know how the government works, but go out and vote. Want to know why it seems Washington is run by a bunch of idiots? Blame this hiccup in our political system for starters. What's a solution? Weed out some of the ignorant by making people who want to vote first pass a test modeled on the one given to those who want to become citizens."

I remember my high school Civics class; I learned so much about the way our country works, and enjoyed it, knowing that I would soon be able to take part in the democratic processes of this great nation.  It made me feel like it was an honor to register to vote, to join what I assumed was an elite group.  In reality, it was no big deal.  I registered in about five minutes, and felt no different after I filled out the generic form.  What if there was more to it than putting your address and personal info on the registration form?  What if there was a test, to prove that you are qualified to vote on issues that affect us all?

I think we should strongly consider it for any upcoming elections.  I mean, can anybody just show up on the field to play as a wide receiver for the Colts without ever having played a single game of football?  Can anybody stand in as an engineer designing a skyscraper in Dubai without showing proof of their qualifications?
So why should just anybody be able to elect the officials running our country?  


Over the next few days, we are going to go through a "refresher course," using basic questions from the Citizenship and Naturalization tests.  So we are all on the same page.