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Survey
Finds
American
Teens
Woefully
Uninformed
about
Government
9/04/98
A nationwide survey of 600 teens aged 13-17 found that they were overwhelmingly, if unsurprisingly, uninformed about the principles, makeup and history of the United States Government. The poll, conducted by the National Constitution Center and released this week (9/2/98), found that fewer than two percent recognized James Madison as the "father of the Constitution," that only two percent could identify William Rehnquist as the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, only 25 percent could name any one of the rights enumerated in the fifth amendment to the Constitution, and that more than 25 percent could not name Al Gore as the Vice President. Eric Sterling, President of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation, told The Week Online, "It is enormously dangerous, and in fact it should be alarming, that kids are unaware of their government, and especially of the constitutional principles guaranteeing their liberties. The strength and the glory of the United States is the heritage of freedom that we have inherited from the framers. The fact is that if people are not aware of history, they run the risk of having someone supply an alternative history to them in pursuit of ends which would not otherwise be acceptable." Sterling continued, "In terms of the drug war, a survey like this underscores the fraudulency of the whole "send a message to our children" premise. In fact, I recall that during the debate over congressional drug testing, it was postulated that such a program would 'send a message to our youth.' Such is the enormity of the hubris of our elected representatives, assuming that once they pass a law the public reacts. In fact, for the most part the public, and especially kids, are not even aware that the government has acted at all."
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Issue #57, 9/04/98
Gray vs. Satel in Slate Online Magazine | Federal Judge Rejects Oakland Buyers' Club Status, Rejects Government's Call for Immediate Shut-Down | Police Seize Methadone Treatment Clinic Files | In Response to Slaying, "Chad's Law" Will Place Stricter Limits on Use of Children as Informants in California | Judge Finds City-Imposed Restrictions on Scheduled Marijuana Rally Unconstitutional | Survey Finds American Teens Woefully Uninformed about Government | California State Senate Adjourns without Taking Action on Medical Marijuana Research Bill | Afghani Opium Crop Grows Despite Taliban's Promises of Eradication | Editorial: From Ignorance to Tyranny
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