Homo Sapiens voter. Wise up! Get a clue!
When Mississippians vote tomorrow, less than 40 percent will have a clue. The facts (see "the fresh facts" below) are brutally honest.
How in the world can this "clue-factor" be true?
I mean, we are in fact of the class "homo sapiens"--the smartest living thing on the planet! (Please note, Homo Sapiens is a singular mass noun; Homines sapientes is plural--I had to look it up.)
But anyway, heck, the class homo sapiens stands erect. Has a complex brain. May even believe in the divine.
Doggone, the very term "home sapiens" means "wise man."
But there is a limit to wisdom.
Wisdom is acquired, not hard-wired. Wisdom requires gaining knowledge through sound learning and good living.
That means that voters don't naturally "Have a clue.'" We aren't born with it. It doesn't materialize when we turn voting age. No, we gain it through exposure to good facts and via the effort of good thinking. We work for it.
If this is true, then homo "sapientes" nationally and statewide are less-wise these days.
And true confession--you know that 40-percent figure I mentioned above? That's actually the number of clueless voters nationally. How much bleaker is the "clueless" factor in our less-literate state?
I do know that all of the above-stated thoughts are a collective "downer," but it's up to us to face the facts.
HERE ARE THE FRESH FACTS
Let's be clear--both major parties' voters are increasingly less electorally enlightened. We're bollixed, baffled, befuddled.
Consider voters' performances in a new Just Facts list of fundamental questions about society, politics and the world.
Voters gave the correct answer only 40% of the time.
Voters gave an incorrect answer 53% of the time,
Voters said they were unsure 7% of the time. (They're clueless but at least they're honest.)
What does this mean?
It means that the Founding Fathers' chief assumed-element in making a democracy work won't be operative tomorrow. Far from being well-informed and thoughtful, a majority of us will register oh-so high on the "duped" meter.
Voters tomorrow will know the correct answer to only six of the 24 key questions affecting our lives. Voters will know the least about the following subjects.
child hunger
tax burdens
landfills
health insurance copayments
Social Security finances
Such ignorance applies equally across gender, age and political demographics. Just Facts lists the following percentages as being well-informed on basic issues.
47% for Republican voters
43% for males
42% for 35 to 64 year olds
41% for 18 to 34 year olds
38% for 65+ year olds
38% for third-party voters
37% for females
34% for Democrat voters
Is this the real reality today? Just Facts has no reason to fudge or fabricate since the group isn't trying to score political points. And please note, these are not my numbers, so don't shoot the messenger. If your "group" didn't show well (did any of them?) don't take it personally.
But I--the messenger--will offer a bit of a guess as to why we're becoming less-qualified to vote.
We're taught within agenda-driven schools that often purposely or naively MIS-educate.
We generally aren't readers anymore, but even if we were, we'd read media that report selected facts--both by the left and right media. Many outlets don't FAKE news today, they SHAKE AND BAKE it.
Candidates' allure us with emotion-driven political pomposity (of course, this is nothing new). Few seeking office are humble--merely hoping you'll value them for the right reasons, not their rooster crowing or chicken cackling (gender-friendly effort here). Need proof? How many support term limits?
For those among us who believe homo sapiens ever-evolve upwardly, wouldn't that also stand to mean that we're becoming wiser? Well, the 2018 voter cycle seems to shoot holes in that notion.
For those among us who believe prayer to a Creator is the best solution for man's problem, wouldn't that mean that you should actually do it?
Meanwhile, for those everywhere within the species known as homo sapiens, there's still time. Before tomorrow comes, be wise and get a clue.