Dare Inquire Representatives Truth

Among the findings from tests administered to a 22,000-strong representative sample of fourth-, eighth-, and 12th-graders in public and private schools in 1998:

A mere 26 percent of high school seniors, many of whom have reached voting age, are considered well-versed enough to make reasonable, informed choices at the polls.

One-third of those seniors lack even a basic understanding of how government is run.

One-third of the fourth- and eighth-graders tested below that basic level. And only 6 percent of eighth-graders could give two reasons why countries benefit from having a constitution.

An incredibly shocking 9 percent of the 12th-graders could list two - just two, mind you - ways that our grand Democratic Republic benefits from the active participation of its citizenry. Diane Ravitch, a Department of Education official during the Bush administration, sits on the board of the nationwide group established by Congress to oversee the testing. She told The Associated Press that the results are a warning of the serious lack of American civic education. It should be noted that Ms. Ravitch is not bemoaning necessarily how civics is taught but that it seems to be taught less and less if taught at all.

And how did the Clinton administration react? Education Secretary Richard W. Riley, citing a 25-percent ``proficiency'' rate for high school seniors, said he was pleased.

Dire should be considered the consequences for a civics-illiterate nation. It is a breeding ground for socialism, statism and, yes, even despotism. After all, if a growing number of our next generation of leaders has little or no concept of the fundamental republicanism on which our nation rests, upon what foundation will it rely when it inherits leadership's mantle?

We would proffer that the generation now coming of age is not the first to be civics-impaired. Those not having a solid civics core have become the parents, teachers, and leaders who are obviously none too disposed to impart a curriculum for which they had substandard instruction themselves. And therein lies the tragedy.

We have become a nation in which those who don't know better but should are the role models for a generation that deserves to know better and could. Should we allow this vicious cycle to infect just one more succeeding generation, the republic as we know it - or should know it - is doomed.

Is U.S. a Republic or a Democracy?Ask Them All Court Unanimously Rejects Clinton Census Sampling Scheme ATLANTA, Sept. 25

Court Unanimously Rejects Clinton Census Sampling Scheme
September 25/U.S. Newswire
The Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) today announced that a three-judge panel in the eastern District of Virginia has unanimously determined that the Clinton administration's plan for the next census is illegal.

SLF President Matthew J. Glavin called the ruling "a critical step in ensuring that representative democracy will survive for the next generation of Americans."

A special three-judge federal panel in Virginia today announced in a unanimous 3-0 decision that the Clinton plan to use statistical sampling rather than the "actual Enumeration" head count mandated by the U.S. Constitution violates federal law prohibiting the use of sampling for purposes of determining population for apportioning members of Congress among the states.

The Fourth Circuit's decision underscores the unanimous decision reached last month by a three-judge federal panel in Washington, D. C. The decision marks the second time in as many months that federal courts have declared the Clinton plan illegal.

"The Founding Fathers would be proud of the efforts to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States in the critical duty of apportioning political power among the states," said Glavin.

"The dangerous and short-sighted political attack on our republic, which has now been outlawed twice by the federal courts, means that President Clinton and Commerce Secretary Daley must stop spending public money on illegal sampling, period. If necessary, we will go to court again to force them to stop this illegal and arrogant disregard of the law.

"Indeed, the court affirmed today that we live under the rule of law, with a Constitution that says what it means and means what it says," said Glavin.

"On behalf of the Republic, I want to thank the hundreds of men and women across America who bravely stepped forward to help us defend this pillar of representative democracy."

Filed Feb. 12, the SLF lawsuit includes 16 plaintiffs from 14 states, including U.S. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), as well as four county governments. The U. S. Justice Department is expected to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the appeal is expected to be heard later this fall.

The Southeastern Legal Foundation, founded in 1976, is an Atlanta-based public interest law firm with more than 100,000 annual supporters nationwide.



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