But enough of that. I will not commit to any set schedule or frequency of posting, but I will be adding material here from time to time going forward, schedule and social stability permitting.
This particular post is prompted my having stumbled across a 1912 North Carolina 8th grade graduation test, link HERE. I am surprised at how many people who consider themselves reasonably well educated have trouble with this test. I'd expect that 95% of the high school 'graduates' our peon producing institutions would fail this test miserably, which means that the American electorate is becoming increasingly ignorant.
As discussed in my previous post, the present 'warm body' system of largely unregulated voting here in these presently united States has proven disastrous; if we are to avoid the final calamity, something must be done. However, when one sees the hysterical shrieking of the Left when the productive minority in this country attempts to simply prevent illegal voting, it is immediately apparent that absent a very large shift in present cultural mores, restricting the "right" to vote to those who are competent to do so is simply not feasible at present.
If we cannot reform the electorate, perhaps we can take a page from the Fabian Socialists and introduce change in a more roundabout, indirect fashion. If we can't test the voter, what about testing the candidates?
Testing to verify competence is a basic part of our world; from kindergarten to college and into the workplace, basic competence in a variety of subject matter is verified by test. Want to be licensed as a professional in any of a number of disciplines? Pass a test! Driver's license? Test!
This isn't news. Yet every couple of years we, the people of these presently united States, allow our representatives to exercise the awesome power of our various levels of government without any objective evidence that any one of these persons have any knowledge whatever of the powers delegated to various levels of government, basic civics, or even what is in the Bill of Rights, which designates some of the limits on US Federal authority. Why is that? If you wouldn't allow your daughter to be driven on a date with somebody without verifying their basic ability to drive, why do we allow people whose skill and knowledge of the basic principles of American government are unknown to run for office?
When you consider the awesome power that can be wielded by government, does it really make sense not to have some idea of the knowledge level of the people who make the laws?
One possible way to do this would be to require every candidate for public office to take a test on Civics when they file for becoming a candidate for election. Every candidate takes the test and the results are published after the filing deadline is over. The electorate could review the results and see what any given candidate's knowledge level is, and by extension, also learn a little bit about how government is supposed to work, and what the limits of government power are. A twofer, so to speak. Screen the candidates and educate the voters.
Another option, perhaps a precursor, would be to make the test completely voluntary. Local organizations could have an exam day for all the local candidates; give every candidate the same test at the same time, and grade and post the results. Just a thought for a Sunday afternoon.
What say you, O Gentle Reader?
To test, or not to test, that is the question!
With regard to all who seek the Light,
Historian