One Thought on Three Branches of Government

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According to Sandra Day O’Connor on The Daily Show, only one third of Americans can name-wait for it-the three branches of government. Not what they do, what they are!

And yet 75% of Americans can name one judge on the American Idol.

Now, before some of you get on your high horse of Canadian-ism, I would be willing to bet that the statistics wouldn’t be that much different for Canadians.

I honestly do not understand how we have a functioning government with statistics like that. Or an economy-actually scratch that-economy and functioning can really only be combined in a single sentence now if they include the word not between them.

Churchill wasn’t kidding when he said that democracy was the worst form of government, but its all we’ve got.

What I would love to see is how many congress(wo)men, members of parliament and senators can do it. Because with stats like that there are bound to be a few that can’t.

And it leaves you with some real questions. I mean, should people that do not even know the three branches of government be allowed to vote. You wouldn’t let a doctor who didn’t know what the heart did-or worse yet what it was-operate on you. You wouldn’t let a mechanic touch your car if he didn’t know what everything was. I know that our constitutions give us all the right to vote, but maybe we shouldn’t all get to use that right.

Now, I’m not saying that only educated people of reasonable intelligence should be able to vote. I’m just saying that maybe we need to reexamine the way we vote, and the way we educate.

Either that, or start running our governments like American idol.

Check out Sandra Day O’Connors new website.

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Genevieve is mildly opposed to writing in the third person about herself, as it sounds rather pretentious and forced. But she will prevail. She likes books and curry and opera and that feeling you get when a professor compliments your writing/thinking etc. She is double majoring in English Honours and International Relations, which sometimes feels like the fast track to a nervous breakdown, but she loves it. She was raised internationally, and has no idea where she is 'from', but currently divides her time between Shanghai, Vancouver and the ever exotic Bellingham, Washington. She is somewhat intimidated by her fellow writers on Terry*, but she tries. If you like her, or hate her, or just want to read more, she also keeps a personal rant--er, blog at http://blogs.ubc.ca/genevieve/.