Since Steve Allen hosted the first form of the “Tonight Show,” late night comics sent members of their staff out of the studio and onto the streets. The purpose was to reveal the ignorance of the average American. Of all developed nation’s in the world, the people of the United States are the least informed citizens in the world.

Simple questions, including “name two states which border on your own,” or “who is the vice-president of the United States” might have seemed humorous, but they were also frightening. Therefore, when regular people are asked “who are the Senators from your state, or name one Representative who is assigned to your district,” it is not surprising that only one in twenty can answer that question.

The American people are famous for complaining about their government, but in truth know nothing about it. If our nation had informed voters, Trump, Moscow Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, Chuck Grassley, and many other failed politicians would never have been elected.

These facts, combined with the Electoral College which negates the rights of millions of voters, all too frequently result in unqualified and incompetent presidents. A perfect example of this reality are the last two Republican presidents. Both George W. Bush and Donald John Trump were woefully unqualified to be the President of the United States. Their incompetence harmed America and some of the damage is irreparable.

These two failures divided our nation more severely than at any other time in the history of our nation with the exception of the Civil War. But most Americans have no knowledge of the facts because they choose to be ignorant.

Younger Americans joke about politics and politicians, but the joke is on them. Their choice not to become involved will allow the worst of America to decide the path their lives will take in the future.

I write about politics every day, and I hate it. The truth is that by the design of our founding fathers our Representatives and Senators are obliged to represent the men and women who elected them. If you are a Republican, you support special interests and ignore the electorate. This is unforgivable and the only reason why you should not win your reelection bid. I should not spend much of my day denouncing the men and women elected by the American people; but I must. I promise to offer the truth, and I will never break that promise.

If I had the number of readers who follow writers for the New York Times or the Washington Post, more Americans would know the truth about our government, the media, and the lies from political pundits. Maybe someday.

Tell everyone that “the truth lives here.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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Photo courtesy of Kyle Taylor

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